Have you ever unintentionally said something that hurt someone’s feelings and you wished that you had never said it?  Words are like squeezing toothpaste into a plate and then trying to put the toothpaste you poured out back into the tube – you can’t do it.  Once words are spoken, you have released into the air something that is either a blessing or a curse.  The Bible tells us that the power of life and death are in our tongue and that is so true.  What you speak to someone will either bless them or it will curse them so that is why we must put a muzzle over our mouth and pay attention to what we say to others.

We should always speak with grace, and that is hard to do because many times our feelings get in the way and we respond to people in the same way we are feeling at that moment.  We must remember that each person in our lives have been created by God and they were put into our lives for a purpose.  It is not our option to abuse or hurt them with our words because if we hurt them, we are also hurting our heavenly Father.  We should always think before we speak, and if we do, we will avoid the regret we will experience if we speak out of anger instead of love and respect.

I’m sure you have been on the receiving end of harsh words and I’m also sure you have been the one who has spoken harsh words.  Words are like arrows – they can pierce the heart and wound someone we care deeply about and, unfortunately, a spoken word is irretrievable.  Apologies have their merit, but an apology cannot erase the pain that has entered the heart of another person.

If you have said something that has hurt another person, ask God to give you the grace to go to that person and ask for forgiveness.  If you have been hurt by what another person has said to you, ask God to give you the grace to forgive and not try to retaliate against them.  We all make mistakes and we all know what it feels like to be hurt by words.  Pray that God will help you to speak to others as you would have them speak to you before you cause pain to someone else.  Remember, once you say it you can’t take it back!

I’m sure that you have noticed that society is doing its best to take Jesus out of Christmas.  The media is replacing ‘Merry Christmas’ with ‘Happy Holidays,’ but for Christians, without Jesus there is no holiday.  Jesus truly is the reason for the season.  Jesus is God’s gift to man, and He is the only gift that will change your life and give you hope and a future.

It is good to spend quality time with your family and friends and to give and receive gifts as a token of love, but with Jesus comes peace, joy and a love that is so amazing that you will never want to be separated from it.  Jesus is also a friend that will stick closer to you than a brother.  Jesus will never leave nor forsake you.  Jesus is with you now and He will be with you when you enter eternity.  You can’t ask for anything more.

Do not eliminate Jesus from your life no matter what the world does.  When Jesus came to this world, there wasn’t room for Him even then.  Jesus was born in a stable beneath the shining shars; but to those of you who answered His call and have asked Him to be your Lord and Savior, make sure that your heart stays open to Him all year round.   To those of you who have not yet welcomed Jesus into your heart, today is the day to do so.  God loves you and He wants you to share in the blessings that He has given to all of His children – the gift of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas to all!

Do you know that God has promised us that He will give us the strength that we need at the exact time that we need it – not before.  When you hear of people suffering horrific challenges in their lives, you tell yourself that you would never be able to get through that experience if it had happened to you.  You ask ‘how will they get through that?’  We must remember that God’s grace is sufficient and it is.  If you are not going through a crisis at the moment, you do not possess what it will take to get through it so you can’t sense how you would feel, but rest assured that when you need it, it will be there for you.  All you have to do is reach down deep within and feel the Spirit of God covering you.  God provides the strengh when we need it.  We can’t receive it now and then store it up for later.  It comes when it is time.  Jesus even taught us to pray ‘give us our daily bread.’  So don’t live in fear wondering how you will endure something that may happen in the future. God has also promised us that He will give us a way of escape through every trial that we face, and the comfort of His Spirit is one way of escape.  When we are weak, He is strong and that is why we must depend on God, who is omnipotent and omnipresent.

It is vital that every Christian maintain their prayer life.  For it is in prayer that we empty ourselves of all of our fears and we hold on to the hope that we find in our Lord Jesus Christ.  If God promised it – He will do it.  People can make promises to you and break them all of the time, but if God has given you a promise, He will keep it.  So pray about everything and every one in your life.  Trust God to provide and protect you and them and when you need Him most, you will find Him right there with you, providing the support you need.

The world we live in is full of so many problems that it is no wonder that many people suffer from depression and other illnesses.  It is not easy to know exactly what you should do when pressure hits your life, but God has given us a guide book that provides us with answers – answers that have been proven by that great cloud of witnesses.  Unfortunately, many people look to their family and friends for answers, but every human being on this earth is limited to some degree.  No one knows it all or has all of the answers, but for those who have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, there is good news.

Our heavenly Father can do all things, therefore, there is nothing impossible for Him, and God has told us how to handle the pressures of life.  We are to do the following:

• Trust in the Lord
• Lean not to our own understanding
• Acknowledge God in all of our ways
• Be patient
• Be positive

We must trust God’s plan and purpose for our lives and believe that God will work out everything for our good.  Knowing that, we then can invite God into our daily lives and let Him control the outcome.  God will not ask for our permission nor does He want our opinion on how He chooses to work in our lives.  It is our responsibility to take our burdens to the Lord and leave them there and then be patient and positive.  God has never failed and we must live our lives putting our faith in the One who created Heaven and earth.  God will order our steps; we must obey and follow where He leads us.

If you are to live your life in peace regardless of what the crisis are in the world or in your life, you must be able to survive anything and everything that comes your way.  You can’t do it on your own but you can do it with the Lord’s help.  Seek God with your whole heart and remember that He is the one you turn to first for instruction, protection and provision.  No one loves you more than the one who knew you while you were yet in your mother’s womb.  Trust Him – your life depends on it!

There are some truths in life that cannot be avoided.  One such truth is that not every one wants you to succeed in life; some people might even go so far as to sabotage you and will do whatever they can to discourage you and try to get you to give up on what God has put in your heart to do.  The Bible tells us that the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy, and Satan uses whoever and whatever he can to keep you from your destiny.

It is important that you do not give in to your flesh when dealing with your enemies.  You may not be able to stop them from criticizing you, but what you can do is to give them up to your heavenly Father and let God defend you.  Believers have one common mission while on this earth and that is to tell the lost about the amazing grace of Jesus Christ.  The world we live in is in desperate need of Jesus but that is one message Satan wants to stop from spreading. You must carry out your mission inspite of this challenge.  We hear a lot about bullying today and how determental it can be, but God has told us how to respond to harrassment.  We are to shake it off.  Do not let negative talk cause you to compromise or stop you in your tracks.  If God be for you, who can be against you?  You are a child of God and you must let the world see what makes you different.

Jesus Christ endured much while on this earth.  He was misunderstood, disrespected and dishonored but he kept his eyes on the prize.  He came into this world knowing that he had a job to do and that if he did not do it, it would change the course of history.  He travelled about spreading the good news and after sending out his disciples he told them to shake the dust off of their feet after entering any house that did not receive them.  We are to do the same.  You have a mission and you must not let anyone or anything hinder you from completing your mission.  Stay focus, keep the faith and leave people and their negative reactions to the God of heaven and earth.