FEBRUARY 4, 2020

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:14 NIV

Paul says: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit. .. they are foolishness to him … because they are spiritually discerned.” Pastor Jon Walker writes: “Spirit warnings alert YOU to impending danger. A friend of mine was driving towards a green light when he was strongly prompted to hit his brakes. As he did so a semi-truck ran a red light. Had it not been for my friend’s instant obedience he’d probably have been killed. Spirit stop signs red-Hag you not to go somewhere. A dog I owned … was used to being on a leash and when I took him to a neighbor’s field to run, I’d simply say ‘No’ when he approached a place he shouldn’t go. He’d done nothing wrong, and my warning wasn’t a rebuke- it was a caution for his own protection. Spirit timing is God telling you the time is not right. In grad school I planned to buy a computer through a discount program. When I turned in my paperwork, however, they told me it had been discontinued. I was very angry at God. Two months later the university reopened the program [offering] upgraded models bundled with software that cost extra two months ago-the whole package was cheaper than the previous one … Turns out God knows what he’s doing!”

Be sensitive to Spirit signals. Trust God’s Spirit to guide you in the decisions and details of your life. Keep a list of the times He has prompted you; it’ll sensitize you and strengthen your resolve to obey. Remember, God’s promptings always line lip with His Word-even when they don’t line up you’re your ideas.

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY

When the lodge meeting broke up, John confided to a friend. “Mike, I’m in a terrible pickle! I’m strapped for cash and I haven’t the slightest idea where I’m going to get it from!”

“I’m glad to hear that” answered Mike. “I was afraid you might have an idea you could borrow it from me!” …

Three old ladies sit in a diner, discussing their health. One lady says, “You know, I’m getting really forgetful. This morning, I was standing at the top of the stairs, and I couldn’t remember whether I had just come up or was about to go down.”

The second lady says, “You think that’s bad? The other day, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, and I couldn’t remember whether I was going to sleep or had just woken up!”

The third lady smiles smugly. “Well, my memory is just as good as it’s always been, knock on wood,” she says as she raps on the table. Then with a startled look on her face, she asks, “Who’s there?”

FEBRUARY 3, 2020

Come aside … and rest a while. MARK 6:31 NKJV

Luke records: “He departed and went into a deserted place. AND the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Lk 4:42-43 NKJV). Examine the life of Christ: the control He exercised, the criticism He evoked, the communion He enjoyed with God, then follow His example!

Jesus said no to good things so that he could say yes to the right things. That’s not easy. God may want YOU to leave where you are, but you’re staying. Or He may want you to stay, but you’re leaving. flow can you know? Get away from the crowd and meet with Jesus in a deserted place. This word “deserted”

doesn’t mean desolate, just quiet-a place to think, to pray, to hear from God, to refuel and re-chart your course. Hell hates to see you stop!

Richard Foster points out that in contemporary society the Devil majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in “muchness” and “manyness,” he will be satisfied. He implants taxi meters in our brains. We hear the relentless tick, tick, tick telling us to hurry, hurry, hurry, time is money, resulting in this roaring blur called the human race. But Jesus stands against the tide saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11 :28 NKJV). Will you come? Will you follow the One who often “withdrew … into the wilderness, and prayed” (Lk 5:16). A

thousand voices will tell you not to. Ignore them!

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY

By the time John pulled into the little town, every hotel room was taken. “You’ve got to have a room somewhere.” he pleaded. “Or just a bed–I don’t care where.”

Well, I do have a double room with one occupant,” admitted the manager, “and he might be glad to split the cost. But to tell you the truth, he snores so loudly that people in adjoining rooms have complained in the past. I’m not sure it’d be worth it to you.”

“No problem,” the tired traveler assured him. “I’ll take it.”

The next morning John came down to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The manager was impressed. “No problem with the other guy snoring, then?” “Nope. I shut him up in no time?” “How’d you manage that?”

​”He was already in bed, snoring away. when I came in the room,” John said. “I went over, gave him a kiss on the cheek, said, ‘Goodnight, beautiful,’ and he sat up all night watching me.”

Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord” . .. and jumped into the welter. John 21:7 NIV

After the disciples had fished all night, catching nothing, Jesus to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat” and they caught 153 fish. That’s how it works; one word from Him, and suddenly everything changes for the better.

Then we read, “The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he … jumped into the water” and went straight to Jesus (In 21:7 NIV). Notice, Peter had to decide whether to leave his fish and go to Jesus, or stay behind and enjoy what he’d

worked hard for. It’s a test we all face when we’ve accomplished our life’s objectives, our nets are full, and we’ve finally “made it.” The challenge is-do we stay and guard our blessings, or go

overboard for the Lord and commit ourselves fully to Him?

Paul briefly refers to his career success: “You know my pedigree .. .from the elite tribe of Benjamin … defender of … my religion … meticulous observer of. .. God’s law” (Php 3:3-6 TM). Career-wise, Paul was a “Who’s Who.” But listen to him now: “Things I. .. thought were so important are gone … dumped .. .in

the trash so that I could embrace Christ” (Php 3:8 TM). Paul realized that his true identity lay not in his accomplishments, but in his relationship with Jesus. Do you feel that way? That night it probably felt like Peter was forfeiting everything, yet when he reached the shore he found Jesus busy-cooking fish!

Whatever you need, God has it. Whatever you give up, He will repay many times over. Whatever you’re willing to walk away from, ultimately determines what He can trust you with.

​ Overheard at a swimming pool. A group of men, senior citizens, were sitting pool side when another man joined them.

He announced that he had a new girl friend.

He told them all the wonderful attributes she had; attractive, loved to dance, cook, had an immaculate condo and she loved to cuddle. ​

The men listened attentively and then asked in unison, “But can she drive at night?” .

A drunken cowboy lay sprawled across three entire seats in the posh Amarillo Theater. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the cowboy, “Sorry sir, but you’re only allowed one seat.”

The cowboy groaned but didn’t budge.

The usher became more impatient. “Sir, if you don’t get up from there I’m going to have to call the manager.”

Once again, the cowboy just groaned.

The usher marched briskly back up the aisle, and in a moment he returned with the manager. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move the cowboy, but with no success. ​Finally they summoned the police.

The Texas Ranger surveyed the situation briefly then asked, “all right buddy what’s your name?” “Fred,” the cowboy moaned. “Where ya from, Fred?” asked the Ranger.. With terrible pain in his voice, and without moving a muscle, Fred replied, “the balcony…”

Having done all … stand. EPHESIANS 6:13 NKJV

The size of the prize determines the severity of the fight. The enemy knows your vulnerabilities and he’ll push you to your limits. When he does, remember: “Blessed is the man who endures … when he has been approved, he will receive the crown” (Jas 1:12 NK]V). “Approved” means victory qualifies you for greater things. “Endures” means your staying power is being tested. So, “having done all … stand.” You say, “How long will this attack last?” The Prince of Darkness hindered Daniel’s prayers for twenty-one days (See Da 10:13). Goliath defied the armies of Israel forty days and nights (See lSa 17). Your enemy is relentless; you must be, too. When it comes to prayer, your persistence overcomes his resistance. “You have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Heb 10:36 NKJV).

David didn’t get into trouble with Bathsheba until he left the battlefield. It’s the safest place to be. So stay there, keep fighting and God will come to your aid. When Joshua needed extra time to defeat his enemies, the sun stood still. God was saying, “As long as the sun doesn’t go down you won’t go down either, for the same power that’s holding it up is holding you up.” Isn’t that great?

Jesus healed people in different ways. Some He spoke to, others He touched. One day He told ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priest. And the Bible says: “As they went, they were cleansed” (Lk 17: 14). They were probably wondering, “When will it happen? How will it happen?” Faith doesn’t demand details, it just keeps moving obediently forward, believing God for the right result!

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.

​A senior couple decided to go shopping one day, and split their efforts by going separate ways.

Near the end of the shopping event they decided to get together for lunch.

As the woman was on her way to the rendezvous point, she heard a traffic warning on the radio that a car was driving in the wrong direction up ahead.

Knowing that her husband was near the point of the warning, she decided to call him on the cell phone.

When he answered, she explained, “I just heard on the news, someone is driving in the wrong direction on the highway!”

And the husband replied, “One? There’s hundreds of folks going the wrong way where I am!”

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. ISAIAH 40:31

God usually doesn’t tell us how He will answer our prayers, or even when. But He does promise those who wait on Him one thing-strength. The word “wait” in this Scripture pictures a Hebrew word used in the making of rope. Every rope starts out as a thread, and every strand added just increases its strength. So each time you wait on the Lord you add another thread to the rope; you get a little stronger, a little more able to cope. Do you feel like you’re just hanging on by a thread today? Spend more time in God’s presence and God’s Word, and watch your thread turn into a rope. But waiting is not always passive,

sometimes it’s active, like waiting on a customer, seeing that his or her needs are met. In this case, waiting is not so much a position as it is a focus.

The Bible says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isa 26:3). Whether it’s sitting prayerfully in His presence or actively carrying out His will, you have God’s assurance that your strength will be renewed.

If you’re at the end of your rope today, grab hold of these three promises: (1) “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord” (Ps 27:14 NK]V). (2) “Wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him” (Ps 62:5 NKJV). (3) “As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters … so our eyes look to the Lord our God” (Ps 123:2 NK]V). Do you need more

strength? Wait on God!

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY

​A passenger in a taxi leaned over to ask the driver a question and tapped him on the shoulder.

The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb, and stopped just inches from a large plate glass window.

For a few moments everything was silent in the cab, and then the still shaking driver said, “I’m sorry but you scared the daylights out of me.”

The frightened passenger apologized to the driver and said he didn’t realize a mere tap on the shoulder could frighten him so much.

The driver replied, “No, no, I’m sorry, it’s entirely my fault. Today is my first day driving a cab. I’ve been driving a hearse for the last 25 years.”

If you know these things. JOHN 13:17 AMP

If you want God’s best, don’t just think about how to invest money, think about how to invest your life. Jesus said, “If you know these things … happy … are you if you … [do them].” Living this way means:

(1) Making time for friends and loved ones. “Let no one seek his own, but each … the other’s well-being” (lCo 10:24 NKJV). George Eliot wrote: “Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out.just as they are, chaff

and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

(2) Giving thanks. If you can’t be grateful for what God has given you, look around you and be grateful for what He’s protected you from. The enemy doesn’t have to steal anything from you, just make you take it for granted. “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” John 1:16 NIV). The excitement of a new car or a salary increase soon passes, but anytime you stop to count your blessings you start feeling better.

(3) Practicing; contentment. A gardener who’d tried everything to get rid of dandelions wrote to the Department of Agriculture for help. “What can I try next?” he asked. “Try getting used to them!” came the reply. In life, you get what you focus on! That’s why Paul writes, “Fix your thoughts on what is true,

and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Php 4:8 NLT).

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY

Blessed … are those who hear the word … and obey. LUKE 11:28 NIV

Jesus said, “[Real] life is not measured by how much you own” (Lk 12:15 NLT) but by how you live. That’s why it’s always wise to:

Challenge yourself. Examine how you spend your leisure time. After a long day it’s easy to “vege out” in front of the TV, but you’ll be happier if you are physically and mentally active. Go for a walk, play with your kids, take time to read God’s Word and pray, even when you don’t feel like it. Jesus said that in order to follow Him, we “must give up the things [we] want” (See Lk 9:23 NCV).

Reach out to others. The smallest good deed is worth more than the most grandiose intention, so if you want to help yourself, help others. Not only will it make you feel better, being around other people who are giving of themselves keeps you connected to a larger cause. The enemy doesn’t mind you talking about your faith as long as you don’t practice it, whereas God never teaches us anything without giving us an opportunity to put it to work. That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed … are those who hear the word … and obey.”

Be more patient. A man who rode the ferry to work prided himself on his punctuality. But one day he overslept. Fearing he’d be in trouble with his boss, he raced to the dock only to see the boat six feet out from the terminal. Taking a leap, he landed on the deck. Smiling, the captain said, “Great jump! But if you’d waited another minute we’d have docked and you could’ve walked on,” Don’t be in such a hurry; give it a little time.

“Patience … can .. .overcome any problem” (Pr 25:15 CEV).

Taken from THE BEST OF THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY

A Chinese couple named Mr. and Mrs. Wong went to the hospital to have a baby. Mrs. Wong had the baby soon after they arrived, and after they got to see their child, a nurse took it away for medical examinations.

When she returned, she was carrying a white baby, not an Asian one. Mr. Wong was surprised and a little annoyed at the mistake and curtly told the nurse to go back and get their actual baby.

​The nurse insisted that it was the correct child, but Mr. Wong was positive that a mistake had been made, because, as he put it, “Two Wongs don’t make a white.”

JANUARY 24

Pray for those who mistreat you. LUKE 6:28 NIV

There’s no way to go through life without being hurt. But if you think what the person who hurt you did was bad-wait till you see what bitterness will do. It will extend your pain, infect your attitude, control your moods and cause you to lose friends. Few things are worse than a person who only wants to talk about “what they did to me. ” Get rid of the score cards. Burn them! If you know where they’re hidden you haven’t let them go yet. Jesus said, “There is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others” (Mt 6:14-15 TM).

“But you don’t know what I’ve been through.” No, but in reading the Scriptures you’ll discover what Jesus went through. Would you like to compare notes? His family thought He was mad. Some of those He healed called for His death. Even His disciples bailed out when the going got tough. Then add to that

the weight of carrying the sins of the whole world, and you’ve more than reason to harbor bitterness. But instead He preached forgiveness-from a cross! And His Word to you today is: “Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either; Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back” (Lk 6:28-30 NKJV). You say, “That’s hard to do.” Yes, but God will give you the grace to do it!

Taken from the BEST OF WORD FOR YOU TODAY

So an older couple is discussing the inevitable matter of death. The wife asks her husband, “If I die before you do, will you remarry?” To which the husband replies, “Well, I don’t want to be lonely for the rest of my life, so yes.”

The wife then asks, “What about the house? Will you live in the same house?” And the husband says, “Well, I suppose, I mean, it’s already paid for.”

The wife, getting a little protective, asks, “And what about my car? Will she drive my car?” The husband says again, “Well, it’s already paid for…”

​The wife, annoyed at this point, shoots, “What about my golf clubs?!?” And the husband says, “Oh, no. She’s left handed.”​

JANUARY 23

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing. ” JOHN 21:3 NKJV

When Peter decided to go fishing that night, he may have been making a decision to get away from everything and go back to where he first met the Lord. That’s a good move! When you get discouraged you’ll either go back to the One who can save, keep and satisfy, or you’ll go back to whatever was

going on in your life before you met Him. That’s not a good move! Peter fished all that night and caught nothing. There’s a lesson there for you.

God said to the church in Revelation: “You have persevered … and have labored for My name’s sake and … not become weary. Nevertheless 1 have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Rev 2:3-5 NKJV). Has your love for God grown cold? If so, you need to go back to where you first met Him, to seek Him again like you did before you’d heard so much and seen so much, before the pressures of life had worn you down. “But I’m busy doing the work of the Lord,” you say. Busyness and barrenness go hand in hand together. It’s possible to look like a saint in the courts of Babylon, yet be a backslider in the courts of Zion. Three times

Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” Finally Peter said, “Lord, You know all things; You know [the extent to which] I love You” (]n 21:17 NKJV). Oswald Chambers said, “Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus, is service to Him.”

Think about it.

Taken from the BEST OF WORD FOR YOU TODAY

Yogi Berra Quotes

“He can run anytime he wants. I’m giving him the red light.” — On the acquisition of fleet Ricky Henderson.

“I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat, and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?”

“It ain’t the heat; it’s the humility.”

“The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase.

JANUARY 22

Happy is the man who … gains understanding. PROVERBS 3:13 NKJV

An important key to building a strong team is being open to new and different ideas. One of your greatest dangers as you become older (or more successful) is that your thinking can become institutionalized-which is just another word for “fossilized.” To remain successful you must create an environment in which the free exchange of information and ideas takes place. If people had not been permitted to try things we’d still be traveling by horse and carriage, dining by candlelight, and dying a lot earlier from preventable diseases. It’s said that knowledge is doubling every five to ten years. That lets us know how much we didn’t know-when we thought we knew it all.

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.” We must honor what we’ve learned by building on it, but we never stop asking, “Is there a better way?” Champions don’t ease up because they’re ahead of the competition; they’re still accelerating as they cross the finish line. The

competition keeps you sharp. You need them.

Irish singer Bono said something worth noting: “I would be terrified to be on my own as a solo singer .. .I surround myself with … a band, a family of very spunky kids, and a wife who’s smarter than anyone … you’re only as good as the arguments you get. So maybe the reason why the band hasn’t split up is that

people might get this: even though I’m only one quarter of U2, I’m more than I could be if I was one whole of something else.” Solomon put it this way: “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens … his friend” (Pr 27:17 NKJV).

Taken from the BEST OF WORD FOR YOU TODAY

Yogi Berra Quotes

Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.”

“It’s never happened in the World Series competition, and it still hasn’t.”

“How long have you known me, Jack? And you still don’t know how to spell my name.” — Upon receiving a check from Jack Buck made out to “bearer.”

“I’d say he’s done more than that.” — When asked if first baseman Don Mattingly had exceeded expectations for the current season.

“The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.”