My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Proverbs 1:10
The company you keep will in time corrupt the character you possess if the company you keep possess a corrupt character.
 1. Guard your choices
 2.Guard your company
 3. Guard your character

And there went out a champion out of the camp of Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
I Samuel 17:4

The Philistines had a champion, but God’s man David would be the conqueror of the Philistine’s champion.  The King of kings had His hand upon His man.  The very heart and soul of the wonderful account of David’s victory over the giant Goliath is the faith David had in God to win the victory (take time to read this wonderful account in David's life).  Those in the camp of Israel didn’t believe in David and those in the camp of the Philistines certainly didn’t believe that the shepherd boy had a chance with a sling and five stones. I would rather be an instrument in the hands of the Living God than a pawn in the hands of the devil.

​God has, God can, and God will use the most unlikely person to do a powerful and mighty work. Praise God!!  Mark it down, there will be doubters, but don't you dare stop. There will be those, who though you may not hear their words they will scoff and question the validity of what you are called to do. Don’t you dare stop! The enemy will be sure to show himself.  He will whisper doubt in your ear while knocking on your heart's door like an attacking lion. Don't you dare stop!  You will know and you will feel the resistance and the strain of the enemy. Don’t you dare stop! Stand tall and strong in the power of God and in His might.  Never allow the lack of faith of another to dilute your trust in God, and what God has called you to do.  

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:1-3

Dear Christian, these words have such depth to them- David is not playing games.  These words are not simply from the heart they have made their way up from deep down within.  My prayer for myself and whoever else may read this is that we would find ourselves at such a place right now!  No gimmicks, no games and no playing religion.  O to be a living sacrifice for the Lord to do with as He would; to give ourselves over to His will willingly.  To come to such a place of desire for God should be the burning ambition of us all.  Take a moment and read the verses slowly and deliberately again and again.  Allow each word to have its moment.  Make the verses your own prayer.

David has spread himself out before the One True God.  He seems to be completely and utterly emptied of self.  David has not come lightly- he is all in.  He is not looking around he is looking up.  He doesn’t appear to desire anything or anyone more than his Lord, his King and his God and they are all one in the same.  O that we had a blazing fire for our Lord that the world, the flesh, the devil nor circumstance could dampen.

Come up close to the Lord and anticipate Him meeting with you.

Thanks for visiting and thanks for praying,
Bro. Tracy

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” II Timothy 3:14

I recently read, “When Benjamin Franklin wished to interest the people of Philadelphia in street lighting, he didn’t try to persuade them by talking about it; instead, he hung a beautiful lantern on a long bracket before his own door.   Then he kept the glass brightly polished, and carefully and religiously lit the wick every evening at the approach of dusk.   It wasn’t long before Franklin’s neighbors began placing lights in brackets before their homes, and soon the entire city awoke to the value of street lighting and took up the matter with interest and enthusiasm.”

I want you to be encouraged to, “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of.”  The path you continue down in Christ Jesus and His Word, which you have been taught, will be a powerful example for those around you.   As a Christian, you are being watched.   The lost watch to see how sincere you are about that which you have spoken to them about.  The saints watch to see how serious you are about Christ as not only Saviour, but as Lord of your life.   As we desire to be more Christ like and live Holy Spirit filled lives, we are presenting a pattern for others, and when that pattern is based on the Lord Jesus and the Word of God that we have been taught by many along the way it will shine like those lanterns up and down those streets in Philadelphia, so many years ago. 

Our faithfulness to God will speak mightily and it will have an effect on many today and tomorrow.  We may never know here on this earth what impact we have had upon those around us.  It is first and foremost about being faithful to God and not about putting on a show for man.   By setting a godly example, you will present a pattern for the young and old alike.  Consider that when you set such an example, you will be a steppingstone for the next generation to witness today and an example for them to emulate in the future.

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied. Proverbs 14:14
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Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Men are affected by the course which they pursue; for good or bad, their own conduct comes home to them.  The backslider and the good man are very different, but in each of them the same rule is exemplified- they are both filled by the result of their lives.”
The choices that we make will bring to fruition the road we will travel.  It is and always will be about the choices that we make. I believe the most miserable man or woman on earth is those who are born again but are living far from God and deeply in the things of this world.  The world and its ways are both enticing and inviting but, in the end, the world promises much but has no real return to speak of.  Sin is a lot like quicksand, the more active one is in it the further they will sink.  The backslider is filled with his own ways and desires, which are not the Lord’s ways and are far from what the Lord desires for him or her and therein lays the source of the very real problem.

The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).  At the very moment that one is saved they are under new management.  The Holy Spirit takes up residence within the believer.  What a wonderful promise and provision He is from the Heavenly Father.  The Lord Jesus says in John 7:38-39 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)  The Holy Spirit has been indeed sent.  Christ Jesus was glorified in His redeeming death and burial and His glorious resurrection.  He has ascended to the right-hand side of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2.)  The saved are a new creation indeed and are the temple of God. The believer will not know peace while grieving the Holy Spirit with their back-slidden choices.

The one who hungers for the things of God will be satisfied by the things of God.  The Word of God is heavenly nourishment for this earthly journey that the Christian is on.  Satisfaction in the here and now will be plentiful as we feed on God’s Word and as we desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. True satisfaction will be found in a deep abiding desire to fellowship with the Lord. We must make it a want and a desire to do so.

What we sow is what will grow.  If you have back-slidden away from Christ, come back to Him. There is no fellowship in this world that compares to the fellowship that the believer can have with Christ Jesus.  

Obstacles are opportunities to watch God move mightily in the life of every believer. Our faith is built in the stream of everyday life and not on the waves of emotion. The Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10.) We surrender ourselves to the fact that God is in control and that He cares for us and has a plan and purpose for our lives. We move forward by faith as we allow Him full control to guide us moment by moment and day by day- It will be a life lived and not just time endured. That is real living! That is living, at its best. It is all about the choices that we make.
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 With the time Almighty God has given us we have the opportunities:
1. To Praise God for His mercy and goodness.
2. To Please God by trusting God.
3. To Pray without ceasing.
4. To Proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
John 15:5
 
Andrew Murray wrote, “Are you leaving your mark for eternity on those around you?  It is not your preaching or your teaching, your strength of will or power to influence that will secure this.  All this depends on having your life full of God and His power.  And that, again, depends on your living the truly branchlike life of abiding in very close and unbroken fellowship with Christ.  It is the branch that brings forth much fruit, fruit will abide.”

The amount of God’s power in our lives depends on the degree that we abide in Christ.  What does the thermostat read when it comes to your fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ?  We often times pray for fruit while living knee deep in the world and waste deep in rebellion.  We can’t expect God to bless what He does not approve.  God’s power is not meant for rebels.

Let us examine ourselves and take inventory of our spiritual temperature.  We pray for revival in our churches, communities and country and that is what is needed, but we often speak words that don’t match up with the position and condition of our hearts.  Are you abiding in the true vine, the Lord Jesus or are you connected with the wild root of this world?  This question is for the born again believers.  What mark are you making with the life, time and talents you have been given?  Start right now by seeking the Lord in a fervent manner in your prayer time and allow the Holy Spirit complete access to your heart!

I pray that this sets a fire a blaze in many hearts to get into the Word of God!!

“For the word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any twoedged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”
Hebrews 4:12