Psalms 78:36

   Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

How many times have we spoke to people using flattery words? I would like to think that every word out of our mouth was true. However, many times we use flattery. Sometimes we use it trying to make people feel better, sometimes to get something from them, and sometimes we actually mean it. It may work on fellow humans, however it will not work with God.

Here in Psalms seventy-eight it tells us that humans try to flatter God because “their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.” If used inappropriately, flattery is a lie.

We need to use wisdom in speaking to others, true they may not know that you do not mean what you say. However, God knows. It grieves God when His children sin in words as well as in actions.

In verse thirty-eight, we read that God is full of compassion and forgives our sin when we ask Him to. We need to do our best not to sin in words or actions.

C.I. Wilson

Heavenly Father, help us to know when to speak and when not to speak. Help us to understand Your will for our lives and give us the strength and wisdom to be able to accomplish it. Amen.

⁵And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, ⁶And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. ⁷And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. ⁸The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. ⁹For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. ¹⁰When Jesus heardit, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Matthew 8:5-10

I was reading this morning and these scriptures spoke to me and got me to thinking about how so many Christians are not this positive in their faith and foundation with God.

We state that we are a Christian and then when the devil throws any little thing at us, we fail to use the authority, the power, and the wisdom to come against that little thing. You say, it is not a little thing to me. What we fail to remember so many times is that it may be a big thing to us, however, it is a little thing to God.

We need to learn to stand and use the authority that God has given us. Since God’s power is mightier than the devils, what God gives to us to use in God’s name is mightier than the devil.

Now, remember that the centurion did not have the authority when he first joined the army. First, he had to learn to be under subjection to those over him, then he had to earn the right to use that authority correctly. Finally, the centurion could speak and know and act on the knowledge that what he said would be done.

The same is true for us today. First we have to learn how to be in subjection to God and God’s Word. Until we learn to follow the Lord in all areas we cannot show the devil that we know what we are talking about. We must also remember that God is able to do all things, and He wants us to use His wisdom to use His authority in ALL areas of our lives.

C.I. Wilson

Precious Lord, I ask that you give us wisdom in how we use the authority that You have given us. Show us when to use, how to use, and the way to use Your authority for Your glory and not ours. Amen

Ephesians 6:13b–14a  … and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore …

The other day, I heard someone talking about their favorite Bible verse and immediately mine came to me. It is Ephesians 6:13b-14a. I have quoted it many times to myself knowing the encouragement it gives me in times of testing, discouragement, and confusion.

I know that no matter what situation I am in that if I have done everything that God has asked me to do, lived my life following Him and have reached the point that I just don’t know what to do next. I am to stand with God until He tells me where to go or what to do next.

C.I. Wilson

Dear Heavenly Father, I think you for the instruction book that you have given us, call the Holy Bible. For giving us wisdom, strength or courage when we need it as long as we are doing what you have called us to do. Amen.

Ephesians 6:13–17 (KJV 1900)

¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

I went to Temple on 12/21 and in that drive, I saw a minimum of five first responder vehicles. Now here in America we have named certain occupations as “First Responders,” however, God showed me another one. The First Responders in our churches. Now I admit that since February of 2020, before the start of Covid, I have not been able to visit as many churches as I would like. Nevertheless, even before the “pandemic” there were not as many first responders in the churches I visited as there were twenty to thirty years ago.

You are probably asking yourself, first responders in church, we do not have any policemen or fire fighters or even military in our church. They are not the first responders that I am talking about. The First Responders in a church are the altar workers. People who get up automatically and go to the altars to pray for those at the altar praying.

We, as Christians, are to love others as ourselves. We are to bear our “brother’s burdens.” Some people are natural “first responders” while the rest of the church waits to be asked to respond to the call for help. When was the last time you volunteered to do something in your church?

Some positions of a church that needs First Responders are: Altar workers, Sunday School teachers, Office workers, Youth Leaders, Women’s Leader, Men’s Leader, Pastor, Prayer Warrior, and then there is one of the most important positions in a church the janitor.

Are you already a First Responder in your church? Or do you have to be “encouraged” to be one?

C.I. Wilson

Heavenly Father, I bring before you each person that reads this and ask that you show them something that they can do in their church that they can do for you. Amen.

Here in America, we are feeling the effects of a lack of border control. In so many ways that I know I cannot tell you all of them. However, here are a few. Americans have shown a lack of border control with their tempers, their rage, their thoughts, and their souls.

We see the lack of control of their tempers when people just blow up and use foul language, kill those they do not like, and use their cars as deadly weapons. There is the lack of control, and we can see it in the rioting, shoplifting, and the anger that you find almost everywhere.

The most important lack of border control is in our spiritual life. People have been using excuses to stay out of church, to not reading their Bible, and most important of all not praying. There is an old song called “Excuses” which hits this on its head. We, as humans, will find an excuse to keep from doing everything that we do not want to do.

Have you asked God where your borders are? Have you asked God how to strengthen your borders?

Let us make our minds up that this year, 2023, we will build stronger border controls in our spiritual lives as well as our physical lives. We will start paying more attention to following God in what we do, say, and where we go.

C.I. Wilson

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to help each one of us to build a stronger border between us and the world. Help us to have a stronger desire to do Your will each day. Show us where our spiritual borders are in disrepair or missing so that we can become stronger warriors, harvesters, and children of You. Amen.