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Tuesday... He knows our own language.

Acts 21:40b (NLT), "Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed them in their own language, Aramaic." Tuesday... We need to know their language. We may know the truth but if we don't know their language we can't communicate with them. We each one have different languages that we speak. The Apostle Paul was in Jerusalem. but in a very difficult situation. The crowd didn't want to listen to what he was saying and they wanted him gone. They were also beating him and they wanted him arrested so they turned to a Roman Commander and he didn't seem to understand. Now when the commander started talking to Paul he was surprised that Paul knew his language. He thought he was an Egyptian. And as he was taking Paul away, Paul said he wanted to speak to them so verse 40 (NLT) says, "The commandeer agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed then in their own languag...
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Monday... But it is so easy to do the opposite.

Acts 20:2a (MSG), "Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope." Monday... But it is so easy to do the opposite. Over in Acts of the Apostles in chapter 20:2a (MSG), Luke the writer of this book says, "Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope." That is such a great verse. I love how The Message puts it, "He gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope." Luke was talking about the Apostle Paul. Luke was one of several men who traveled with him on his missionary journeys. He saw first hand what was happening. Now verse 3b (NLT) says, "He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life." Over and over this happened. At the end of chapter 1...

Friday... He knows, he really does.

Psalm 94:19 (AMP), "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights me." Friday... He knows, he really does. There is a time when I am going through some anxious thoughts that I am awakened. I am a morning person. I get up early by my alarm at the same time every day. But I sometimes wake up earlier than I want because I am troubled about something. Do you have those times? The writer of Psalm 94:19 (AMP) says, "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights me." And in verse 13 he writes, "That you may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity." When I am awakened I start praying and remembering scripture. The Evil One wants to keep us in turmoil so my thought is that if I pray then it will get him off my back and let me get back to sleep. I strive to remember and pray. That's not what he wants. Verses 12-14 says, "Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You disci...

Thursday... Looking back can help our expectancy.

Isaiah 33:2 (AMP), "O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited [expectantly] for You. Be the arm of Your servants every morning [that is, their strength and their defense], our salvation also in the time of trouble." Thursday... Looking back can help our expectancy. Now of course, it really helps to have a relationship with God. He is the source. In my drive this morning to Aspire, the coffeeshop where I have done much of my writing, I was remembering our year starting July 1st of last year.  No way did we know what was going to happen. It has been an unbelievably difficult and also an exciting year in the life of our family. Yes, it is amazing how God has taken care of us. This year has proven that having a relationship with God and waiting on him with expectancy makes all the difference in times of trouble. Look at this verse. Isaiah 33:2 (AMP) says, "O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited [expectantly] for You. Be the arm of Your servants every morning [that is, the...

Wednesday... Even if, the Lord will!

Isaiah 32:19-20a (NLT), "Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down, the Lord will greatly bless his people."  Wednesday... Even if, the Lord will! Life does have a lot of potential bad even if's but how we face them and who we face them with makes such a difference. The potential even ifs don't need to hold us back. The prophet Isaiah wrote this. In 32:19-20a he writes, "Even if the forrest should be destroyed and the city torn down, the Lord will greatly bless his people." And Isaiah was going through one of those tough even if times but he reinforced the fact that the Lord will bless his people no matter what was happening. And that is what we need to believe. Now one of the problems is we look at the even if as a fact and are always in turmoil. We seem to live looking at the bad that could happen and be deeply distressed because such and such might happen. But being held back with the even if view of what might happen is taken care of ...

Tuesday... He is our source.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NLT), "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord; He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I will trust him." Tuesday... He is our source. We place so much trust on ourself and other human beings. Yes, God works through us and our abilities but he is the source, the starting point. The writer of Psalm 91:1-2 (NLT) says, "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord; He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I will trust him." Now God uses others but he is the source. Over in the New Testament of the Bible in Acts 16 there were two men, Paul and Silas who were headed out to a certain place to share the message of Christ but verse 6b says, "the Holy Spirit prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at the time." So they headed nor...

Monday... There are two very important words for us to pray.

Psalm 90:17 (NLT), "And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful." Monday...There are two very important words for us to pray. Moses wrote Psalm 90 and the last verse, verse 17 (NLT) has two important words in his prayer. The first one is approval and then it says, successful two times. He prays, "And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful." When I pay for something and I use my debit card I usually say that I like using my card instead of cash because I need affirmation. At the end it says approved. I know, I know, that is a grandpa joke but I really do like approval. But approval from God is the most important. And success goes a long way too. Now Moses had a long life and God showed him his approval and made his efforts successful. But he did say this. In verse 10 he says, "Seventy years are given to us! Some even eighty. Bu...