Do we take time to look in the mirror?

Whenever we want to make sure that we look ok, we take the time to look in the mirror.  Perhaps we want to make sure that our hair is ok or our tie looks ok or we look presentable, we take the time to look in the mirror.  When we look in the mirror it will reveal to us if there is something that needs adjustment.  Then we can go ahead and comb our hair or straighten our tie.  In other words, we can make sure that we are reflecting as we should in the mirror.  It is the same for us spiritually.  When we look into the Word of God it reflects back to us an image.  Does what we say and what we do reflect back to us as it should or is there something in what we are saying or doing that needs to be adjusted.
(2 Corinthians 3:18)

Does what we do bring Glory to God?

It doesn't matter what we do in life, except that it should bring glory to God.  As we make decisions in our professional life.  As we deal with our spouse.  As we deal with our neighbor.  As we deal with our pastor.  As we deal with our children.  As we deal with someone we work with.  As we decide upon our housing situation.  As we decide upon our transportation needs.  Everything that we do in life should have one purpose and that is to bring glory to our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus.  The things in our life should revolve around the Lord Jesus and Church, not the other way around.  God has to be first and the priority.  (Numbers 8:1-3)

God will always lead and guide us

Sometimes in life everything goes perfect.  Things go so well that we feel that we need to pinch ourselves.  It's like we are experiencing heaven on earth.  That is exactly how it is suppose to be for us.  We should be experiencing days of heaven on earth.  However, there are also times when things don't go so well.  Things turn out differently then we had planned.  You know, it doesn't matter.  Whatever situation we find outselves in, we always seek the Lord and let him guide us.  If things are not as they should, then we turn to God and let him lead and guide us back to our way of blessing.  (Exodus 13:20,21)

Do we ask God for what we need?

We all have needs and wants; each and everyone of us.  However, when we have these needs do we ask God for what we need?  Our Heavenly Father already knows what we need before we ask him.  But he needs faith to get it to us.  We have to sow our seed of faith into the Kingdom of God in order for us to have our needs met.  There is much need across the face of the earth.  Our Heavenly Father only responds to faith.  It is faith that will draw the provisions that we need into our life.  It is with our faith that we can get anything that we need into our life.  (Matthew 20:32-34)

Are we thankful?

Our Heavenly Father provides for us everything. He created the heavens and the earth. He created you and me. So we can't even take credit for what was produced by our hands. We think of Israel and how God heard their prayers when they were enslaved in Egypt. After their deliverance, God instructed Moses to tell the people to consecrate themselves and to bring a special offering. How is it with us? When our Heavenly Father does something very special for us, are we prompted to bring a special offering into His house? (Exodus 13:1,2)

Sometimes we have to rebuild

Sometimes in our life things happen and things don't turn out as we expect.  Challenges and difficulties are just a natural part of life.  This is what happened with Nehemiah.  The efforts to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem that had been broken down by their enemies had to be rebuilt.  After much prayer, Nehemiah came to the conclusion that he was the one to rebuild the walls.  Even if we have suffered setbacks or difficulties in our life, God wants us to rebuild.  But we are to rebuild according the the teaching of our Heavenly Father.  If we do it that way, we are assured that we will prosper.  (Nehemiah 2:20)

We must not violate the love of God

One of the keys to the success of our walk of faith in this life is our love walk.  We must walk in love with our neighbor.  The Lord recently impressed this in my heart.  That the love of God cannot be violated.  So we have to audit our actions and what we say.  Does what I am saying or doing bring harm to my neighbor.  It says in Romans 13:10 that "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.".  So we have a tool by which we can measure that which we are doing.  Does what I am doing bring harm to my neighbor?  If it does, then we are in disobedience to God.

Many are called

Our Heavenly Father is a very loving and kind God.  He loves us so much that he sent his best to redeem us, His only begotten son Jesus Christ.  That is how much he loves you and me.  God is constantly providing for his creation in that he is extending a call constantly to them.  This call can come in many ways.  But it's ultimate manifestation is in the recognition that there is no complete peace without God.  So our Heavenly Father calls out to us in many situations and circumstances.  Do we answer the the call and choose Him.  God gives us a choice.  He lays before us life and death, and admonishes us to choose life.  (Matthew 20:16)

We have to take responsibility

Our Heavenly Father is a just God.  He does not hold us accountable for that which we do not know.  But he does hold us accountable for that which we do know.  The Lord Jesus said in Luke 12:47,48, that we have to do that which we have been given responsibility for.  If we don't do that which we feel that we have been divinely directed to do, there will be severe consequences to that choice.  So we have to take responsibility over that which we feel we have been instructed to do.  To do so will bring rich reward.  To do otherwise will bring big disappointment into our lives.

We have to watch what we say

Words are very important.  Words are the container of blessing or curse, life or death.  In Proverbs 6:2 it says that "You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth."  So according to that bible text we can hold ourselves back or plant the wrong thing in our spirits by the words that come out of our mouth.  We have to put a guard over our mouths.  Because the words that we plant into our spirit will grow into our life experience.  Remember, what we repeatedly say, is what lives in our heart.

The Lord will show and tell us things to come

Our Heavenly Father is all knowing.  He will reveal to us and show us things to come.  We think of the episode with Moses, Aaron and the Egyptian Pharaoh.  God told Moses exactly what was going to transpire in his interaction with Pharaoh.  He also instructed Moses what to do about it so that God's will would be fulfilled.  Moses did as God instructed, and freedom of the people and blessing was the result.  It is the same for us.  God will reveal to us what is going to happen and then tell us what to do, so that freedom and blessing will be the result in our lives. (Exodus 7:6)

The Lord will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies

Our Heavenly Father loves us very much.  He will make our wrongs right.  God will bring us to the table in the middle of difficult circumstances and in the presence of those who might work against us.  But we have to make sure that we set the table.  We set the table by doing that which is right.  In other words, we don't try to avenge ourselves.  We don't take matters into our own hands and try to repay, we leave that up to God.  When someone has treated us wrong, we make sure that we overlook the offence and negative words, and bless those who would work against us.  For then the table is set and all we have to do is wait to be seated at the table by our Heavenly Father.  (Psalm 23:5)

Do we take time for those who have lost their way?

Along the path of life and in their walk with the Lord, sometimes a person can get off track.  You could say that they lose their way.  Do we take the time for those individuals.  We should be careful that we don't past judgement on such individuals.  We don't know what caused them to get on the wrong track.  But the most important thing is that they get back on track.  Do we allow ourselves to be a tool in our Heavenly Father's hand for these individuals.  Even if it may be a little bit uncomfortable.  We have to be agents of compassion and support to advance the cause of our Heavenly Father.  (Matthew 18:10-14)

Do we Appreciate the People in our Life?

It is so easy to take the people in our lives for granted.  Do we have a thankful and grateful attitude toward our Heavenly Father?  We should.  He gave us life and the access to eternal life to be with him for all eternity.  Do we let the people who are closest in our life know that we appreciate them?  Our spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, close friends, co-workers, neighbors.  Do we let those who support us in our every day lives know that we appreciate them.  Those who work on our car, deliver our mail. provide for our health and serve us at the grocery store.  We should always have a thankful and grateful hearts' attitude.  It is through an attitude of thanksgiving that we draw the goodness of God into our life.  (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

We have been entrusted with the Gospel

Our Heavenly Father has bought us with the price of his dear son, Jesus Christ.  We were purchased with the blood of the lamb.  God has poured out his love toward us in his son.  One cannot obtain salvation of eternal life by any amount of good works.  It is not by works that eternal salvation is obtained, but only by faith in Jesus Christ.  God has also approved us and entrusted us with this same gospel.  What a huge responsibility to be entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We have to live this responsibility.  We have to demonstrate this responsibility.  We have to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the world.
(1 Thessalonians 2:4)

Remember your covenant if your going through a challenge

Are you going through a challenging time in your life right now?  If so, remember the covenant that you have with your Heavenly Father.  I think of Israel and how their stay in Egypt turned into slavery after a King came into power that forgot what Joseph had done for the country.  During this time of harsh treatment, the people began to cry out to God.  The scripture says that they groaned.  When the people sought the Lord, he remembered the covenant that he had with them.  We also need to remember the covenant that we have with our God through his son Jesus Christ.  When things are challenging, we need to remind ourselves and bring our thanks before God for the covenant that he has with us.  This covenant will produce blessing in our lives.  (Exodus 2:23-25)

God will give us favor with those who conspire against us

There is nothing that God won't do for his children.  God will always honor his word.  If we will listen to the Lord and do what he says do, he will always ensure and see that his blessing is enforced in our lives.  We think of the story of Moses mother, Jochebed.  God gave her wisdom to save her child, Moses, even though the new King over Egypt had ordered the boy children to be killed at birth.  God gave Jochebed a plan.  That plan caused Moses life to be saved, Moses mother to be paid to raise her own child and they both lived in a palace of luxury.  The blessing of God always works. (Exodus 2:8,9)

We have to always let the Lord guide us

Even when things appear to be clear and the way is prosperous, we still have to let the Lord guide us.  There is an expression in the world that everything that looks good may not be good for you.  So we need to always seek the Lord on whatever we are considering.  If the way looks prosperous, then check-in with the Lord on that as well.  He will assure you and let you know that it's ok to move forward in that particular situation.  If we let the Lord lead us, we are going to be lead into a life that is full of His blessings. (Psalm 23:1)

We have to remain true to our commitments

When things go badly or don't go as we expect, it can be very tempting to not take responsibility or not remain true to our commitments.  But it is exactly at that time that our character will come through.  It is not in the good times that our character is tested, but it is in the challenging times.  We think of Judah and how he remained true to his oath, commitment and promise to his father.  In order to honor that commitment, Judah was willing to offer himself a slave so that his brother could go free.  All of that to be an a man of his word.  The Lord Jesus came out of the tribe of Judah. (Genesis 44:33)

It's not important what people do to us

It is not important what people do to us.  But it is important what we do to people or how we respond to people.  Even if people were to mistreat us, God will use that for his glory and to our blessing.  We think about the story of Joseph in the bible and how his brothers mistreated him so.  They sold him into slavery because of their jealousy of Joseph.  But Joseph's God was faithful to him.  God was faithful to the promise that he had made to Joseph.  The key for Joseph was to keep a right heart's attitude during the process.  If we will keep our hearts pure and keep a good attitude during a trial, God will make sure that everything turns out alright.  (Genesis 43:34)

Unbelief will stop the Power of God in our life

In Mark 9:23, Jesus said that all things are possible to him who believes.  The Lord Jesus was addressing a man who confessed his unbelief in what our savior could do.  He asked the Lord Jesus to help him with his unbelief and Jesus did and that father got healing for his child.  Unbelief is a terrible thing, because it can stop the power of God to minister to the needs in our life.  Unbelief can be caused by lack of knowing, rejecting knowledge or believing the wrong thing.  It is always corrected by taking the Word of God deep into our heart and then acting on it.