Would You Drop Everything To Follow Jesus?

Would you give up everything you have, all your possessions, which God allowed you to have, to follow Jesus, to serve him and learn from the ultimate teacher? What an honor it would that would be.

Matthew 19:16^“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

¹⁷And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

¹⁸He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

¹⁹Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

²⁰The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

²¹Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

²³Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁵When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

²⁶But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

²⁷Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

²⁸And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

³⁰But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020)

I don’t know how long it would take to sell all your things and donate the proceeds to the poor, but can you imagine the opportunity to go and serve Jesus? Jesus knew the man wouldn’t sell his belongings and donate his wealth to the poor and come and follow him. What would you do? I would like to think that I would. Now, I believe I would, but a few years ago, I may not have. Now, I know what an honor it would be and we should want to do this, not because we are sure to be rewarded in Heaven, but because Jesus died for our sins. It’s the least we can do.

God allows us to have our possession anyway. Why not give it all back for him, for we will be paid back (rewarded) in Heaven. “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020). What would you do?

Begging For Water

Luke 16:19-31 King James Version (KJV)

^19”There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

²⁷Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

³⁰And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (KJV Bible Gateway 2020)

Can you imagine begging for water? Can you imagine begging for someone to have mercy on you and dip their finger in water to cool your tongue? I cannot imagine what that would be like, nor do I want to know. All because you rejected Jesus and didn’t live a life pleasing to God. You just have to believe, ask for forgiveness, repent for your sins, and God will convict your heart, while you are attending Church, reading your Bible and praying. He’ll show you what you are supposed to do and how you are supposed to live. It’s all in the Bible and you won’t have to worry about gnashing of the teeth, like it says in Matthew 13:42 King James Version (KJV).

^42 “And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (KJV Bible Gateway 2020). Instead you will have everlasting life.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ and haven’t accepted Jesus into your life as your personal Savior, now would be a great time to, especially with the uncertain times we live in now.

Below is a site that tells you how to accept Jesus Christ into your heart as your Savior.

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life

How to Accept Jesus Into Your Life – Steps

Trust Jesus Christ today!
Admit that you are a sinner and that you need God’s help.
Be willing to change your mind and turn from your sin (repent).
Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.
Through prayer, invite Jesus into your heart to become your personal Lord and Savior.

Here is a prayer you can say to invite Jesus into your life:

Please forgive me for my sins. I believe that you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins.

I believe that you love me. I believe in my heart who you are. You are the Son of God. I confess with my mouth that I am a sinner. I accept you Lord Jesus as my savior. Please cleanse me from my sin and create a new and clean heart in me. I do believe that you are my savior and I now want to live for you as my Lord and my God. I know that I have eternal life in you because of the work you did on Calvary’s cross for me. Thank you, God. In Jesus Name. Amen. Here are the scriptures behind this prayer:

Prayer to Accept Jesus

This is not an all-inclusive list, if you want more information, contact your local Church.

Should We Live In Fear?

Should we live in fear? With all the uncertainty of staying at home, or going out in public, and opening up the economy. Should we live in fear? No, having said that, I am not taking unnecessary risks. I am following the guidelines, six feet apart, no gatherings of more than 10 people, all that jazz. Only one person from our family goes and does the shopping, we don’t take the whole family to the store. I don’t even know if that is allowed?

I did go to Walmart a few weeks ago to get necessities and I didn’t wear a mask. I don’t think I had one to wear, now we are wearing one when we go. I’m saying all this to say that, while we are following our State’s guidelines, we shouldn’t live in fear.

I have faith that God will take care of us, one way or the other. Maybe I need to have more faith, but I’m not taking unnecessary risks. My work has closed the office to the public and only a few people are allowed to work in the office at a time, the rest are tele-working from home.

I’m not afraid to go out in public.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had faith, they didn’t worship the false God.

^13 “Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

¹⁵Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

¹⁷If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

¹⁸But if not, be it known unto thee, O king that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

¹⁹Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was won’t to be heated.

²⁰And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

²¹Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²²Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

²⁵He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

²⁷And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

²⁹Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.” (Bible Gateway King James Version, 2020)

Believers, we certainly shouldn’t live in fear, maybe we just need to have more faith.

Dove: Courage is Beautiful Commercial

I was watching “The Voice” the other day and I saw this commercial. I love this commercial because courage is beautiful.

Thank you too all the health care workers, endlessly, working countless hours. I can’t imagine what you are going through, seeing people pass away right before your eyes, but let’s not forget, there are also many success stories that bring a smile to your face and warm your heart, knowing you helped reunite people with their families. Thank you for relentless dedication.

This spot captures the vulnerability of this situation. It also shows a glimmer of hope in the health care workers’ eyes, that this is going to be alright, eventually, and that we are in this together. The workers also show that they are strong and they are working together to keep us safe, that right now, it’s about them, the health care workers, but soon this will be about getting on with our lives and getting back to some of our families we haven’t seen, and going back to church and worshipping God with our church families. However, the Church is not defined to the four walls of our Church. Hopefully, you have been reading your Bibles, praying and watching devotionals and Church services on line or enjoying drive-in services.

Right now it’s about helping one another. If we learned anything from this it’s that we should help one another all the time, not just when there is a crisis.

We are truly blessed to have such a great Church family and neighbor to help us when we needed it. We returned from Germany about a month ago and they have certainly been there for us, helping with groceries, a lawn mower battery, the lawn definitely needed our attention when we returned. They helped with whatever we needed and we are thankful.

These trying times will bring us closer together and remind us that courage is beautiful. Thank you Dove for showing us that and for donating to Direct Relief. #UnitedforAmerica

https://www.directrelief.org/

House-cut Keeps Me From Being (too) Vain

With all the seriousness and gloom we have been surrounded by, I wanted to write something a little less serious and light-hearted.

I don’t want to use the word quarantine, but I did get a shelter-in-place haircut, or a house-cut, hey, I may have just started something. And no, I didn’t get a house-cut because Blake Shelton got his haircut by Gwen Stefani. I actually got my haircut first.

I’m the type of person that goes to a barber, haircutting establishment (I don’t want to use the word beautician) to get a haircut. I don’t have too much going for me, but I do still have my hair. I haven’t had a haircut in weeks. The barbers and hair salons are all closed where I live. And my hair looks like I could slick it back. It looked bad and it was bothering me, so we took matters into our own hands and I got a house-cut.

It turned out pretty good and it feels much better, next time we’ll get the sides shorter, but I was impressed and it keeps me from being so vain that I have to wait for the barber shops and salons to open up. I’m not embarrassed to walk around. I don’t even need to wear a hat.

And the house-cut keeps me from being too vain. Like I said, I normally am vain and go to a haircutting establishment. I even have (had) a standing appointment every two weeks, but now, who knows I may save a little money and have my haircut at home from now on. I just looked up house-cut in the dictionary and it’s not a word, maybe I’ll get credit for creating a slang word. Take care, stay safe and God Bless!

Praying and Washing My Hands

I’ve been praying a lot lately, and washing my hands. I’ve been praying that God has mercy on us and wipes out the Corona Virus. Or, God certainly has the power to wipe us out, but I pray that he doesn’t. I’ve been praying that we turn back to God and seek his face, that we put him back number one in our lives, that we don’t have false idols. When I am reading the Bible, I notice that worshipping anyone other than God makes God mad. I’m praying that we repent from our sins, we’re all sinners, and none of us are perfect. And, I’m so thankful that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

When Michael Jackson died in 2009, that’s all you heard about on the news was how distraught everyone was about losing him. Kobe Bryant just passed away and I hope we are not worshipping entertainers, athletes, anyone except God. Sports, has been shut down, School is closed, but then again we’re not allowed to pray at school anymore either.

I’m praying that the kids can get back to going to the parks and playing, and that they can get back to school soon too. That we can get back to watching football, and basketball (sports in general). We just need to be careful not to worship the players and Sports and not to put it before going to Church and worshipping God, and I’m washing my hands.

I’m praying that we can get back to attending Church in person and that I can get back to attending pastoral meetings with my fellow brothers, so we can find the Pastor that God has in store for our Church and I’m washing my hands.

I’m praying for people that may not have accepted Jesus into their lives or that don’t believe in Jesus. I pray that they come to know Jesus and accept him as their Savior before it’s too late. We live in an unpredictable time, we are seeing tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, diseases, hurricanes and more. We need to be ready to go and meet our maker.

I’m also thanking God, on a daily basis for my countless blessings that I don’t deserve. I’m truly blessed. Let’s not forget to thank God, even in these times of despair and uncertainty.

And, I’m praying that God will forgive me of my sins. I know I am not perfect, that I am a sinner. I’m repenting for my sins and washing my hands – Stay Safe and God Bless You.

Are You Lucky or Blessed?

Are you blessed or lucky? Am I blessed or lucky? My family returned from Germany, March 20th, after visiting my wife’s family and celebrating her 40th birthday with her twin sister. We arrived on March 10th and planned on staying until March 25th, but our plans were changed by the Pandemic, Corona Virus.

First, we were told all American’s had to be back with in the U.S. by Friday, March 13th, but we just got there three days earlier and ignored the warning. And, the 4 0 celebration was planned for the following day. However, our return flight kept getting cancelled. My wife spent hours on the phone trying to book our return flights. We finally got a flight that didn’t get cancelled, however, we had to fly from Frankfurt, Germany with a layover in London, England and then to Dallas, Texas, five days early, as opposed to or our original flight from Frankfurt, Germany, straight to Dallas, Texas.

On the way over to Germany, I sat two seats away from someone that coughed the entire flight and didn’t bother to cover their mouth. We walked through Dallas Fort Worth Airport, and Frankfurt Am Main Airport and I don’t think we practiced social distancing lining up, to check in on the way over. On the way back, they did ensure we spread out when we exited the plane in Dallas, before we checked in with the CDC that was waiting for us there.

We arrived in Dallas and were screened for the Corona Virus, passed our screening and were told to self-quarantine for 14 days at home. We did and never developed any serious symptoms, yes, we had a sniffle or a cough, but nothing to get too worried about.

I said all that to say this, am I lucky or am I blessed that we flew all the way to Germany to visit with family, celebrate my wife and sister-in-law’s 40th birthday and to visit with some old friends and made it home safe. God was definitely with us when we drove back from Dallas to Arkansas, because we were exhausted. We took turns driving, but somehow made it home. Are we lucky or blessed? I believe we are blessed, God was definitely with us.

I’m blessed! I have a beautiful family that loves me, and we are healthy. I have a job right now, when according to CNBC ‘Another 6.6 million file for unemployment’ (9 March, 2020). I have a roof over my head. I have a loving Church family, and have many more things to be thankful for.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/another-66m-americans-file-for-unemployment-benefits-as-layoffs-show-no-letup/ar-BB12nLmw?ocid=spartanntp

I’m sure all of you have stories to share about your Corona Virus experiences, are you lucky or blessed? I’m blessed!

What Can We Learn Form the Corona Virus?

First of all, this is just my opinion, but I think we need to slow down. I believe that God slowed us down by having some of us shelter-in-place and some of us even quarantined. We have such busy lifestyles now, people working Saturdays, and even Sundays, which is supposed to be set aside for the Lord, a day of rest to glorify God. I think God slowed us down for a bit, telling us Don’t forget about me, don’t forget to put me first, don’t forget to worship me, and don’t forget to enjoy the beauty of the world that he (I) made. It reminds me of the song So Will I by Hillsong Worship, “And as You speak a hundred billion galaxies are born, in the vapor of Your breath the planets form.”

Exodus 20:8-11 ESV “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Mark 2:27 ESV “And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Those are just two passages about the Sabbath day in the Bible, there are many more. God wanted us to slow down, especially on the day of rest and I think we did for a while. I just hope we can learn from this and heed his warning.

Another point I want to make is that we need to turn back to God and put him first. Oftentimes we get caught up in our world. We need to put God first in everything we do. We need to make sure we don’t have false idols and that we are not worshipping anyone or anything but God. We just saw Kobe Bryant pass away and I saw many Facebook and Twitter posts of how people were distraught and I am sympathetic towards his family and friends. I tried to not get too distraught over his passing. I just hope we are not worshipping entertainers, actors, actresses and athletes.

I especially feel sorry for anyone that doesn’t know Jesus as their personal Savior. My prayer is that people that are lost, that they turn to Jesus in this time and accept him into their hearts and repent from their sins and ask to be forgiven to have everlasting life with him in Heaven.

And even all Christians, we are sinners and maybe we are getting caught up in our busy lives and may not be putting God first in our lives. We all need to repent, and ask God for forgiveness. We need to turn back to God and put him first, take time to pray and read our Bibles. In this time of social distancing, many Churches are turning to social media, and Facebook to put their Church services on, and their devotionals. We need to take time to watch them and worship God, to get back in the word of God.

Also this time has allowed us to spend more time with our family. We just got back from Germany on 20 March, and my family was quarantined for 14 days, with schools being closed there is more time to spend with family. While it was a good time, it did get stressful too, you have to get creative with things to do as well. It rained a lot here in Arkansas and we were not able to get outside much and some states have shelter-in-place in effect. I just hope we come out of this Corona virus stronger and that we learned something from it and that may be different for every person. For me I got to spend time with my family and slow down and was reminded to appreciate God’s beautiful work that he created. The beautiful mountains, creeks, rivers, lakes, and forest here in Arkansas. And how much I love and don’t want to take my family for granted and to remember to put God first in everything I do. I believe there is more work to do, there are more revivals to have, more Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames to have, more seeds to plant and more hearts for God to convict. God Bless you all.

https://realityoutreach.org/

Praying Selflessly

In Samuel, Hannah, married to Elkanah, couldn’t have children and Hannah desperately wanted to give her husband a child. In those days, if you couldn’t have a child, you were considered inferior. Peninnah was also married to Elkanah and she taunted Hannah about not being able to have children, driving Hannah to the point of tears. Also, in those times, if you couldn’t have children you were looked at as inferior.

Hannah wanted to give Elkanah a child so bad, she prayed this prayer: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut” (Holy Bible Gift & Award Edition, New Living Translation, Second Edition 2007) And the Lord blessed Hannah with a son, she named Samuel. You can read more about Samuel in the Bible.

This is Jesus’ instructions to his disciples when asked how to pray: Luke 11:1 “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. 2. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3. Give us day by day our daily bread. 4. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Holman KJV Study Bible 2012)

Hannah wanted a to give Elkanah a son so bad, she dedicated him to the Lord, for his service. When we pray, are we praying for our own selfish desires? Or are we praying to honor the Lord, for God’s glory?

I was recently listening to a daily devotional from an old Air Force friend and he inspired this article. It’s easy to justify just about anything, when we pray. I just recently bought a truck and I prayed that if it was God’s will, I would be able to buy it, that it would still be there when I went to look at it and that I would be approved for the loan. I also said that I would use the truck to haul things in, like firewood, or whatever, trash to the dump. I mean everyone in Arkansas has a truck, but like I said, it’s easy to justify it to the Lord, but is it really justified in God’s mind? I was able to purchase the vehicle. I use it to go fishing and it’s better to drive down dirt roads, than my other vehicles. I make sure to thank God for allowing me to have it, every day.

But we must be careful when we pray to ask ourselves, are we praying for our own satisfaction, or are we praying worshipfully? Are we ready to hand over our children to the Lord for his service, like Hannah did, or are we praying for their health and safety so we can hold on to them longer?

Are we praying to be able to use our possessions to glorify God and for his will to be done, or are we simply asking for things to fulfil our selfish desires? I hope that is not the case with the purchase of the truck.

If we are not careful, our selfish desires could turn out to be things we idolize or covet and that would anger God. We’ve read many times in the Bible not to have false idols, whether it be worshipping false Gods or possibly other things we could idolize. We certainly want to put God first in everything we do.

Kobe Bryant recently passed away, I am sympathetic towards his family and friends, but we must be careful not to idolize entertainers, actors, athletes or anyone else. We now have the Corona virus wreaking havoc on the World, and it could be because we are not putting God first, we need to turn back to God. I especially feel bad for the lost people that do not know Jesus.

I’m guilty of this, my password should be based off Jesus. I should do a better job of putting Jesus first.

One question we can ask ourselves when we pray is: How is my prayer seeking God’s glory? Or is my prayer for my own selfish desires? We need to pray more like Hannan did.

Rooted in Your Spiritual Walk

Luke 8:4 “And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spoke by a parable: 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears, let them hear. 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying What might this parable be? 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 8:13 They on the rock are they, which when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Holman KJV Study Bible 2012)

I have to say, I am a sinner and I fell into the group of not having roots and I fell away from Jesus. I gave into temptation. I was drinking, and while it may not be a sin to drink (a little), I wasn’t drinking a little. And I fell into other temptations as well. I wasn’t going to Church, I wasn’t reading or studying the Bible. I certainly wasn’t meditating in his word.

But now since moving back to my hometown, I am attending Church on a regular basis. I wish we could go to Church now, but we have one more week left of staying home.

It was such a blessing to move back home, my wife was invited to attend a Church and I dragged my feet at first, but I am so thankful that my wife was invited by some very nice people that attended the Church.

I fell in love with the preacher’s ability to convict my heart and then the pastor ended up leaving and now we are searching for another one, but then we fell in love with the congregation and how stead fast they are in their spiritual walk and how much they love one another.

If you ensure you have a rooted spiritual walk with Jesus, you won’t be apt to fall prey to the World’s temptations like I did. Now, I am rooted and ready to serve the Lord.

If you are not spiritually rooted, then the World’s wind may be able to blow you in any direction, but if you are spiritually rooted, reading your Bible, praying, attending Sunday school, going to Church, and in tune with the Holy Spirit, then the World’s wind won’t be able to move you to the devil’s temptation. Are you spiritually rooted?