Fail early at being lukewarm and half-hearted.

If you want to arrive at, or achieve excellence in what you are and do.. i.e., as in worship, in witnessing, or in your work. 

Listen up, you can get there. The Lord stands ready to help you. As of this second, this very moment, this day, you can simply choose to quit doin' less-than-what's-really-excellent. Sure, do it with right motives and attitude.. as unto the Lord. Pray in faith like you mean it.. cuz you really do. He'll be both pleased and glorified. facebook.com/shareJesus

You have a part, and God has His part. You never need to go it or do it alone.

What's better than bein' on the Lord's team? What's more thrillin' than letting Him use you to share the Good News.. to populate His home in heaven. 

Biblical evangelism ain't really an option for real believers. We are literally commanded to go do it.

How does it begin? Well, it starts with simple prayers of faith to the Father through Jesus His sinless Son. Yes, it starts with a so called inner burden—what I call a deep supernatural heart-felt concern for people.  

Who do you pray for and just feel concerned about cuz you kinda sense that they might not be in the family of God yet? Do you love them enough to go? Are you willing to tactfully approach and meet with them for an eternal purpose?  

And he (Jesus, the Friend of sinners) must needs go.. "He had to go through Samaria" (John 4:4).

"We are the Bibles the World is Reading.

We are the Creeds the World is Needing.

We are the Sermons the World is Heeding."  ~ Billy Graham

"Our job if you will is to roll the stone away. God's job is to raise the dead." ~ Ken Ham

"We need to go wherever, to whosever, and whenever God directs us." ~ @GregLaurie

We have a part to play (to obey) and God has a part. Christ said, "There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:7 nkjv).

True that and there is joy on earth as well.. for those who prayed, for those who planted the seeds of truth, for those who gently witnessed to and actually reaped the person right on into God's Kingdom. Ever been there when Jesus saved someone? What beats being near that, or better yet.. being used of God to win them.  

Yes, the happiest Christians on earth are the tactfully evangelistic ones who boldly share the Word in a natural, rad-joyous, non-spooky way ..as an outgrowth of the strength that they've received from their straightforward relationship with the Lord (see 1 John 1:4).

The unhappiest Christians on earth are those gripey (Matthew 23:24), grumpy, murmuring, religious, rebellious, and "nit-picky" kind.. you know, that are half lookin' to the Lord and half lookin' to the world to meet their needs. My biker-pastor from SoCal has repeated this stuff to me for years and it always helps to be reminded. Grateful! Important, you first need to know the Lord personally before you help someone else come to know the Lord personally. Do you? 

Everyone Wants to Be Happy

What's better than happy? Joy is, but be thankful and, "Resolve to keep happy and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." ~ Helen Keller

"Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord.." 1.1-2ps.amp

"When we are such as He can love without impediment, we shall in fact be happy." ~ C.S. Lewis

Who is really stronger?

Yup, sin and Satan (a real person) are strong. The negative influences of lost, worldly, or carnally-minded friends along with the pull of your old fleshly nature ..can even feel strong at times ..but never forget that Jesus Christ is much stronger than all. And He is for you.

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." c4.4one.jn

You know that God has put us where we are so He can use us to plant seeds, to win, and to disciple those lost, worldly, or carnally-minded friends.. who He really cares about. Besides, you and me..we used to be among em, believers. Let’s also never forget that.

We've heard that time heals everything. It doesn’t, but we know Who does. 

Of course, who hasn't felt better after the passing of time, but listen.. if you have a broken heart, just give it to God. 

I love what my friend Melanie Reed (who has been through a whole lot) today has said. “How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart, you begin to understand, there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep...that have taken hold.” - J. R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King | Some things, like with Frodo at the end who must travel to the Undying Lands to be healed, won't be until we are with Him.

"He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their injuries. 147.3ps

Believers, you and I are called to be truth-believers, truth live-ers and then truth-tellers...

..and to be this way minus spiritual compromise in a world gone astray.. in a world that doesn't mind lying or living a lie. 

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying."  Rev. 22:15 

Remember this, before one can fully appreciate hearing the Good News, they've got to hear and understand the bad news. For all have sinned and fallen short.. for the wages of sin is death. All need the second Adam (Jesus Christ) and to be born again in Him, because they actually weren't born right the first time..inside. They...we.. were born in first Adam. 

It's not biblical to talk about God saving people, but never tell them to repent, to turn, to change as they trust Christ to save them.

"In His Name the nations will put their hope." Matt. 12:21

Puttin' your hope in yourself or others without having Jesus as Lord.. ultimately leads to disappointment.

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

Discipline without direction leads to drudgery, but discipline coupled with righteous direction leads to godliness. #ask

Tell em now. If you really love em and want to be together later on, then say it. Tell em the Gospel today - bestow it. Sure, if you like em, then let em know It, for many can't read It later when they're dead. (Kinda reminds me of a poem..).

Do it Now

If with pleasure you are viewing any work a man is doing,

If you like him or you love him, tell him now;

Don't withhold your approbation till the parson makes oration

And he lies with snowy lilies on his brow;

No matter how you shout it he won't really care about it;

He won't know how many teardrops you have shed;

If you think some praise is due him now's the time to slip it to him,

For he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead.

More than fame and more than money is the comment kind and sunny

And the hearty, warm approval of a friend.

For it gives to life a savor, and it makes you stronger, braver,

And it gives you heart and spirit to the end;

If he earns your praise - bestow it; if you like him let him know it;

Let the words of true encouragement be said;

Do not wait till life is over and he's underneath the clover,

For he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead. 

~ B. Braley

Huh! Without even asking, Husband 1.0 just uninstalled valuable programs at home, such as Romance 9.5 and Listening 7.5 and then reinstalled really buggy programs like NFL 5.0, NBA 3.0.

Are you havin' some trouble adjusting to married life? Have you been married a long or short time? Are you both still workin' on it?

You didn't forget the basic disciplines of spiritual growth did you? Are you both in Christ? You know that He works and they work if ya just obey and work em. 

Edified, built up, equipped, healed, fully restored, strengthened, growin' spiritually in Him, and harmoniously working together.. yup, that's exactly how God wants each of our Christian marriages to be. He can shine through your Christ-centered marriage. 

Yes, He wants all this for a ministry purpose, first upwards in worship to His Son and then outwards so that the world can see and come to experience relationship with His Son. 

"May you be STRENGTHENED with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with J O Y." 1.11col.bible.emph.mine

How is your marriage doing? Do you still pray and read the Bible together? Do that stuff again and please don't try to upgrade to a newer model. Ain't gunna help. 

Follow Kurt's board Never Stop Datin' Your Bride on Pinterest.

Me thinks reboot the same system you've loved for years, or go back to an earlier restore point with it a.k.a., together start seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness allowing the Lord to be Lord of all. Now, here's a couple letters that still challenge me...

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance — Particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0, NBA 3.0, and Golf Clubs 4.1. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?
Signed, Desperate

Dear Desperate:

First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, While Husband 1.0 is an Operating System.

Please enter the command: "http: I Thought You Loved Me.HTML" and try to download Tears 6.2 and don't forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.
But remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta. Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources). Also, do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance We recommend Food 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Hope it works better for ya,
Tech Support

*Letters by Anon. Tkx Anon. 

Use Your Daily Social Media Influence For The Glory Of God

When respectful, there is great joy in heading out into the deep if ya will and using the world wide net to go fishing for people with . God the Father can use you and net to reel em in if you are willing to identify with His Son. 

Do you like Christian evangelism and usin' some sorta new social media in this postin', tweeting, and updating kind of culture? 

You already well-know what social media is basically about? It's kinda like a microphone that could reach far.. social media is. 



Of course we believers never want to be pushy, intrusive, unclear, or produce spam and cyber-noise that annoys people, but social media is hooked-up in such a way so that gobs of folks out there.. who are lonely, empty, guilty, afraid to die and are just listenin'.. can dialogue with you and me for the sake of the Gospel. 

As believers we are called to communicate with them (not at them) and give them an opportunity to turn and trust Jesus online. They're hungry and many are open to receive. So in Christ's love let's grab the net, some righteous bait, a hook so to speak and go deliver God's Message! 

The Bible says, “Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!’” (Matthew 4:19).  

Maybe kind of like that seasoned fisher of old, the apostle Peter, you have been feeling worthless, or like a failure, or insignificant at times. 

Well I’m here to remind you, believer, that you have talents to use as bait and you can be a vital part of God's fishing plan! Jesus Christ is there for you, to encourage you to grab a pole, a net, some effective worms so to speak. yup, kind of like how He did with Simon when He said, “Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!" (Luke 5:10). Like at facebook.com/shareJesus

Serving and rejoicing in the Lord go together.

The Bible tell us to, "Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling." Psalm 2:11

Can you really think of a better time than now, a better day than today..  to have, to enJOY, and to celebrate Christ's rule in your life? I can't. In all of history, can you think of even one effective soul-winner who never rejoiced in the Lord? I can’t.. not even one. Have you allowed Christ to be Lord in your life? Are you a believer or are you one that's actually become his disciple? 

How can we make our boast in Jesus and plant seeds of truth if we’re just too busy for Him and subsequently failing to rejoice in Him? How can we.. when we’re often uber-occupied with self and what selfish people preoccupy themselves with? Dunno, ain’t gunna happen. What more does God have to say about this?

"Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him." Psalm 33:1

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4

Let’s rejoice cuz our Lord is a generous God. Yup, He has already been profusely kind and generous!

"Lord, remind me often that You have been

exceedingly generous to me. Help me to extend that

generosity of spirit toward those around me, so that

they may know who You are and rejoice in You." ~ Joe Stowell

“Rejoice always..” 1 Thessalonians 5:16

“..yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:18

“We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:11

“..sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:10

“Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” Philippians 3:1

Are you experiencing real JOY? You know that root word is joy, and if there is no joy consistently exuding from our lives, why would anyone else want what we have? I dare ya.. hear His heart and let the joy of Jesus be infectious for those around you today. 

No matter where you are, no matter your circumstances, no matter who you are, or how you’ve lived your life in the past, there is a God who will love you, who will fully accept you, who will receive you into His eternal family. Christ can change your life today and give you His lasting joy! He can heal, restore, comfort, fix, help, deliver, strengthen, and make you complete. Trust God and you'll experience His forgiveness and mercy for yourself. You will have His joy inside! 

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27

God is holy. He is powerful. And He can change your life.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” Revelation 3:20

Do you hear God’s voice today?

“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, … and you will be changed into a different person.” 1 Samuel 10:6

Your new life can start right now. You have nothing to loose except all the weirdness, sin, and lameness. 

Perhaps you're asking.. So what specifically do I need to do? Simple. Turn from wrong-doin's and trust the one who never did wrong - Jesus Christ. And pay no one cuz it's all been paid.. already. #AtTheCross

Can't earn it. It's free. 

All that truly matters in the end ..is that you obediently knew God, that you rejoiced in Him, that you were a fan of His mercy, that you acted justly, that you humbly walked with Him.. daily ..and didn’t spiritually compromise cuz His truth and grace were just flowin' right on through ya. See Micah 6.8

Fishers have no need to wear masks as they go fishing. That wouldn't really help em catch.

Been thinkin' 'bout masks, and why masks, and how they hinder. Not sure about all the whys. 

Some people have something they want to pull off. And some people try to be at their best, to look their best, or at least good enough. We have positions or jobs to gain, or try to keep. There are other reasons too I'm sure. And being at our best ..nothin' wrong with that ..is defined differently for different people. Some feel they have blemishes and flaws to hide. 

Sure, people want to be loved and protected..even from scorn or rejection. 

Many post their thoughts or over-post in different social media networks because they really want their profiles to look good—they want to be loved. They want no lack and to appear as if they "have it all together"—with no problems, no struggles, no fears, temptations, sorrows, or heartaches. You know that designers in Milan and New York along with their companies make a lot of money off of this common desire.

Trying to maintain a nice lookin' facade of perfection on our spiritual sojourn doesn't really help us or our fellow travelers on the road Home. What does? The sharing of our lives and Message with other saints in the body of Christ and with sinners.. that can indeed edify or benefit us as well as them.

Sometimes we believers can fear what people might think of us ..if they really get to know us. Unfortunately, I've been there before so I can relate. It's a fear that's so easy to fall into. There might even be a tendency to hide yourself some, to hide your solid Christian beliefs and your walk etc. If we all did that, how would any more people come into God's Kingdom cuz faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Paul said, “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

Now the Lord knows us completely and He of course still loves us deeply, but people aren't like Him. Yet, being transparent with outsiders and insiders.. not only about the victories that the Lord has given, but also about the flaws, the battles, the trials, the struggles that we still currently fight against.. humbly speaks of us being genuinely human, relate-able, authentic, and honest. 

I'm not sayin' we go around sharing everything about our lives with just any carnal Christian or reprobate that comes across our paths. That wouldn't be wise. They aren't the ones to go to pray for you. I'm simply encouraging you to walk in the light.. to bring it all into the light before the Lord in prayer, yes, instead of hiding in fear, or walking around in darkness while putting on aires. The Church and God's global purpose doesn't need that. 

If we've been wearin' em, let's now allow God to remove the masks on our faces.. to just strip away any pretense and "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24).

"Wearing a mask that shows everything's fine

Says that life's struggles are not God's design;

But when we're open, transparent, and true,

People will trust God to meet their needs too."  —David Sper

If we truly want the Christlike character, we must obey Him applying His word. Sure, every Bible needs to be bound in peep's shoe leather. Yes, and expose some of our weaknesses.. first to Him in prayer and as He would lead wisely to some others. People put on masks to protect as they go about doin' what they want. But it's time to do as Christ wants. It's time to shed all the religious hypocrisy, uppity snooty aires, and just stop pretending, for the Lord never lived like that. He's our Example and wants us to be honest and transparent as we rep Him in the world. @kurtwvs

Who really needs masks? Perhaps a secret agent out on a mission needs one, but we aren't called to be secret agent saints. We are called to wisely go public with our faith in the Lord. Hey, I'm not talking about a religion or promoting some kind of religion here today. In the "last days" as I believe we are now in religions will be deluded and homogenized. Religious people will believe any and everything except for the biblical Gospel message that saves not one. I am talking about enjoying an honest relationship with Jesus Christ that impacts others in the best kind of way. He alone saves people. And you can have that today!    

"Exchange the mask you wear for the opportunity for your story to be used in His story.. for your struggle to be used as a beacon of hope in the lives of hurting people around you."  —Tracey Metzger  

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." Matthew 7:15

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." ~ Jesus, see John 17:17 

Is the puttin' on of strange aires righteous? Doesn't it have more to do with pretending, with non-entertainment kinda acting—it's typically the puttin' forth an attitude as though one is better than another or others. And we believers aren't better than other people. Nope. We are saints positionally, but we are sinners practically speaking cuz though we try to avoid it.. we still sin...and Jesus still forgives us as we turn to Him. We are simply better off than many ..because of the Cross of Christ and His forgiveness. And that's way we want to go tell!  facebook.com/shareJesus

"We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin." -- C.S. Lewis

I told a bunch of World Cup fanatics the other day, "The first step towards recovery is simply admitting that you have a problem." It was just a joke. Of course they weren't sinning while yelling at the top of their lungs as I also do. But you know that some habits aren't a joke if they'll destroy a family or life. 

This isn't a very popular topic, but me tends to think that anyone can turn around, if they'd just turn around.  It's sure make God happy if and when there's a need for turning.  Sure, He (Jesus) said, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3

"Men do not differ much about what things they call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable." ~ G.K. Chesterton

Atheists have had a lot of fun laughin’ at us believers...

..you know, mocking us with:  Someone somewhere created everything from nothing.

Guess we should respectfully respond to em with:  Nothing nowhere created everything everywhere from nothing nowhere.

You know, them not believing doesn't make the God who created them and everything.. go away. It also sadly doesn't make their sin-habits and the consequence go away. I feel like I can relate to these friends... do understand em some cuz I was once one of em. Yes, the mocker (me) has become the mockee. : )

I'd say that Mr. Lu-Cifer and his gang of fallen-angel-minions must have been fairly clever to go deceive so many people here, and subsequently putting so many counterfeit believers around us (real haters wearing Christ's name, committed to Westboro Baptist "church-going," (yeah, some look all pious on the outside, but are lost as lizards if ya will on the inside - dead inside), you know, and traditional religious church-goers (merely nominal Christians), and Mormons, and Jehovah Witnesses, those who call themselves "spiritual" but twist or reject the Scriptures and the Bible Jesus, etc). 

That kinda makes it hard to distinguish who the real believers with God's real Gospel Message are huh.  Listen, please don't become all anti-God and Bible just cuz some people refuse to stop and look at the facts, or because gobs of poorly taught.. or refuse-to-believe-and-practice what the Bible actually teaches ..kind of mean religious mobs are on the increase out there.  

The study of hermeneutics shows us there is only one way to properly interpret any literature, so biblical hermeneutics in this illiterate culture is what's needed more than ever before. I remember as a kid growin' up in Southern California how I used to receive the many different types of tracts from people in cults, or from those in Islam, and I'd also look around at all the whacko-dead-money-hungry-religious-church-folk too.. the so called Christians as they'd say.. and I'd get kinda confused about Christianity. 

But today there seems to be even more of em out there...cuz where in the last of the last days I think. Ever seen those full-on haters out picketing at the funerals of our fallen vets? Such sin! So wrong! God hurts and weeps with those weeping, but not them. The religious leaders of   

Does genuine love for God and people mark you life personally? Just remember if you come across a counterfeit bill, that only means there's a genuine bill somewhere out there. Recall what Jesus said about recognizing them by their fruit. The Bible says, “..the fruit of the Spirit is L O V E, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23 nkjv emph mine.

He warned us of fake saints, poser-disciples, and those false teachers saying, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matt. 7:13-23

Choose to be and live real in the Lord 24/7/365. Living confused or deceived while deceiving others - that's just waste of time. It's a waste of your life and a waste of others lives as well. May I ask... are you an Atheist with some honest questions?  Read...

Sometimes the very best day is actually a night. Yeah, and the best night is indeed a night.. if you start to walk in the light.

What was the very best day of your life? Me: The best day was a night in the Spring of '77 in Newport Beach when I received Christ. John 3.3

— Kurt von Schleicher (@kurtwvs) July 14, 2014

The first two letters of "gospel" are: GO. Sure, why not, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." Mark 16:15

No, it's Gospel, not gossip! Stay with the Good News, Buckeroo, and ya can't go wrong. "Go into all the world... http://t.co/zuglcKHH3m

— Kurt von Schleicher (@kurtwvs) July 13, 2014

Don't blame the wrong person. Stuborn, partially or falsely-informed, misguided, and shortsighted people send themselves there. Only two options and God won't make anyone come be blessed with Him in Heaven.

"Those who wish God would leave them alone have no idea what they wish for.  To be left alone by God is to be cut off from all goodness, pleasure and happiness.  This is the intolerable ugliness of Hell." ~ Randy Alcorn

God will sadly honor their choice, and our personal choice as well.  Yes, as long as people are sucking air on this plant, we each still have a chance to choose Christ. He is the Fathers only option for your salvation.  No purgatory, no reincarnation, and no salvation postmortem for anyone.  We trust Jesus, otherwise, He will actually let people go to the place they decide upon... away from His presence.

Now is the time, today is the day. He-double-hockey-sticks ain't for you or your family. 

"He (Christ) has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."  Hebrews 9:26-27

"The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace.  In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." ~ Jesus, Matthew 13:41-42

Depravity (not a nice sounding word..), the need for turnin' and invitin' Christ inside.. those start real early with a child.

If it's mine it's mine,

if it's yours it's mine,

if I like it it is mine,

if it looks like mine, smells like mine, or I can take it from you, it is mine,

if I am playing with something ALL of the pieces are mine,

if I think it is mine it is,

if I saw it first it's mine,

if I had it then put it down it is still mine,

if you had it then you put it down it is now mine,

if it looks like the one I have at home it is mine,

if it is broken it is yours.

If I trash the house then you must clean it up. If make what once worked not work any more cuz I threw it into the wall with my expressive tantrum for not getting my own way, then hey, it is no longer mine but it is indeed your property and fault.

Father, two requests.. 1) When we know it's of You, help us never hesitate to closely follow where our good Shepherd is leading. And 2) Please give discernment too.. okay. Yes, so that we'll know when it's of You or not of You. Sincere thanks!

Amen. @kurtwvs

The apostle Paul (in First Thessalonians 5:21-22) makes it clear that spiritual discernment is the responsibility of every born again Christian. He said, "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil."

The apostle John goes right along with those faithful words warning us, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). According to the Bible, spiritual discernment ain't some take-it-or-leave-it kind of luxury that we can simply do without. It's not optional for a spiritually minded believer—it's actually required of us all as we walk in the Spirit. 

You already know that failure to properly discern, to accurately differentiate, to clearly distinguish between Bible truth and worldly error will leave a believer subject to all types of false ideas in the mind.. ideas that a person either thought up, or heard spoken somewhere (and perhaps with good intentions). 

Error leaves false impressions, so do so called new revelations (false teachers seem to really love tellin' us "new revelations" but remember, if it's new it ain't true (sure, we have the Bible - old revelation, and new illumination from the Word that we can newly apply). But false notions, and poplular false teachings—they'll subsequently lead a person to an unbiblical mindset, to wrong attitudes, to strange beliefs (even if they're so "Cool, sick, hot, dope or.. hip" with the majority) and those in turn will result in unfruitful, disobedient, false livin'. 

Man, who among us wants to live a lie? Not me. Not you. That just spells out spiritual compromise for believers ..NOT A GOOD THANG AT ALL.. it should never happen. You know some types of compromise when there's relational disagreement can indeed be good, but not this kind ever. This type only gives the Gospel a black eye so to speak. Such a turn-off to God. It's such sin and hurts God's heart, cuz He knows what we could be in Him, and what we could live like that would be good for us and all those around us. He knows the blessings that would come to many when we simply obey Him by faith. Father knows best. 

May I ask a personal question? Do you have an everyday Jesus or a one day a week Jesus? I mean, do you seek Him first to know His will all week long, or merely on Sundays in a church house cuz others around you are doing that? Please allow Christ to lead you and be your 7-day a week Lord. A key aspect for living an uncompromising life spiritually lies in the believer's ability to exercise biblical discernment in every area of his or her life—all week, all year, all decade, all the lifelong.

God the Holy Spirit through the Bible has provided for us all that we'll need to be discerning—God's Word can help us with every issue of life that we'll face. The apostle Peter affirms this telling us that God, "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3).

Discernment—that's the spiritual ability of grace to think biblically about all areas of life when you find yourself in those areas. It's totally indispensable to an uncompromising joyful Christian experience.. when each of us daily are at risk of being "tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14).

"Faith is the divine evidence whereby the spiritual man discerneth God, and the things of God." ~ John Wesley

"God does not exist to answer our prayers (every time in the affirmative), but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God." ~ Oswald Chambers

The funny thing about those unbelievers around us is that they can quick tell when a Christian is foolish, fake, and undiscerning. Don't ask me how. They are watching us and they can just recognize the fruits, flakes and nuts if ya will.. therefore being discerning gives a good witness to others. It pleases the Lord, for He lived like this.

"The man who thinks he can know the Word of God by mere intellectual study is greatly deceived. Spiritual truth is spiritually discerned." ~ Samuel Chadwick

"Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to faultfinding." ~ Corrie Ten Boom

With all due respect let me say, Pete goes on to explain how such God-given knowledge from His discernment grants, "to us (regenerated believers) His (God's) precious and magnificent promises (found in the Bible)" (2 Peter 1:4). Choose to rep the Lord wisely with His discernment today. 

You know, some of the best praying I've ever done came from really short and to the point prayers to God with thanksgiving. Please don't feel like if you are going to stop and pray ..for discernment or for anything.. it will have to be some long and eloquent churchy-sounding type of prayer or the Lord simply won't hear you. That's not how He is. 

In a mixed-up world worshipping all kinds of flawed people and stuff, He really does love you and is WAY delighted any day of the week ..to freely give you discernment. You and I are gunna need it. Here's the most important question: Do you know Christ in a personal kinda way as your best Friend? He was and in discerning and wants to live in and through your life. You can know Him relationally. And you can also ask God for discernment as often as you like. ..and while you're at it go LIKE truth at: facebook.com/shareJesus

Feel like you're impossible, and like what's before you is also that way?

I love the word impossible. You and your God-given dream are possible! In the past have you personally seen what's impossible suddenly become possible? Many have. I hear that nothin' is impossible if you're called to do it. Believe that! So, what are you called to be and do? 

If you are a believer, then you are called to be faithful and fruitful. You and I are called to shine our light, to serve and to represent the Lord in every place that He leads us. Sure, He wants to bless you and has others in mind as well. 

Impossible? The word itself says, "I'm possible!" "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." 19.26mat facebook.com/shareJesus

“Don’t you see all the people sinking down? Don’t you care? Are you gonna let them drown?” ~ Keith Green

It's not really the time to slumber and doze off. No, no. It's more a day to roll out of "dead" and or your bed, to become biblcially-practiced and well-read in order to spread... His Message instead of mine. "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5:14 5:14 

God doesn't seek to destroy people that are lower than Him, or those at rock bottom.

The Lord is way kindhearted. He doesn't nurse, maintain, or cover a get-even-with kinda chip on His shoulder. Sure He likes humility and faith, but He ain't out to submerge people to the bottom, and then long-term keep em down, or hurt em, or hinder em ..as some so called pious people like to do. Back in the day Pharisees enjoyed doin' that kinda thing. 

But God encourages, He tenderly brushes em off if they've scraped their knee. He lifts. He protects. He fills em, and He restores people to what they were meant to be.

He gives, "them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting" (Isaiah 61:3). That's just the kind of Person He is and that's the kind of person we all need to hang tight with...rather than the other kind. 

Daily be diligent in doing your part to cultivate relationships and to maintain verbal integrity.

I told em.. "No, the word is Gospel, not gossip! Stay with the Good News, Buckeroo, and ya can't go wrong. Why choose to hear or spread the bad news?"

"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." Mark 16:15

To help ya, here's a fivefold test for what's been told to you.

1) What is your reason for telling me this?
2) Where did you get your information ..who is your source?
3) Have you gone directly to the one involved?
4) Have you personally gone to check out all the facts? (You know the saying: Figures don't lie, but liars sure can figure}.
5) Thanks for telling me this—can I quote ya on this? (It's often interesting to see their facial expression upon hearing you ask this)

What does God say about this stuff? He says... 

"But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." ~ Jesus, Matt. 3:37

So reject the spreading of, or even hearing gossip. Refuse to pass along false rumors, to spread false reports to other people. The Bible says... 

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." Exod. 20:16 

"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another." ~ Paul, Eph. 4:25

Did ya know that the term "diabolos" (devil) actually means: slanderer? It also means a defamer of persons, a false accuser; an unjust criticizer, and one who hurts (who maligns) and condemns for the purpose of severing a relationship.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil (the slanderer), as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." ~ 1 Pet. 5:8  Read more at. facebook.com/shareJesus