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Reading Time 6 mins 37 secs – What does “peace” look like for you? An illustrated children’s book that came out years ago told the story of an elephant mom who just wanted “five minutes’ peace” away from her energetic elephant children. For her, “peace” meant escaping alone to a warm bath with something to read, a cup of tea, some cake, and no interruptions. But in the end, she barely managed to get three minutes and forty-five seconds of the peace she sought. (And moms everywhere can probably relate to that.) Everyone’s definition of “peace” is different. For some people, peace does mean finally getting five minutes alone, but for others, it means being surrounded by family and friends. For others, finding peace means a getaway or a vacation, reaching a certain point financially, traveling less for a job, traveling more for a job, living closer to family, living farther from family, laying under the stars, feeling settled in a decision… the list is truly endless. If you had asked me years ago what peace looked like for me, I probably would’ve told you that it looked like getting out of the financial black hole I was in. But there was even more to it than that. You may have heard our backstory, but when Drenda and I got married, we were broke. I made money. I just didn’t make enough. Everything we had was used, broken, or worn out. We owed a lot of people a lot of money. Yes, we loved God. We really, truly loved God. I had an Old Testament degree, and we even led praise and worship at our church, but fear was my middle name. Everything that happened that required money set off emotional fires. I was having panic attacks. I couldn’t sleep at night. I had no peace. You may have also heard me tell a story about a time I had a tooth infection during those chaotic years, a really painful tooth infection. It was so painful that I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t think straight. To fight the pain, I took two Tylenol every four hours for several days in a row. One night, I was up trying to cope with the pain when I decided to read the Tylenol box for some reason. You can probably guess what happened. I read on the box that you’re not supposed to take Tylenol as frequently as I had been taking it. And that’s when fear really set in. OH NO, GARY! YOU’VE TAKEN TOO MUCH! I called Poison Control and told them I had taken two tablets of Tylenol too many for the last three days. The girl on the other end of the line said, “We have never had someone live that took that dosage. Either you drive yourself to the hospital, or I’m sending an ambulance after you right now.” No, I’m not kidding. She actually said that, and I actually believed her. So there I was in complete fear and panic, and I drove myself to the hospital. When I got to the emergency room, two guys were pacing back and forth out front, waiting for me. When I walked in, my name was already on the dry-erase board. It said, “Keesee—overdose.” Obviously, I didn’t overdose. In fact, a doctor came in after they ran a bunch of tests and asked me why I was even there. He said, “You don’t even have enough Tylenol in your system to cure a headache.” Yes, it’s funny now, but it sure wasn’t in the moment. My issue, however, was way bigger than a Tylenol scare. I was desperately trying to survive financially, emotionally, and even physically. I couldn’t seem to find peace, no matter how hard I tried. I know I’m not the only one who has been there. People are always looking for peace. There’s the mom whose kids keep fighting, the businessman with an unstable career, the young woman on antidepressants, the teenage boy on drugs, the couple that can’t ever agree on their finances, the grandmother who can’t sleep at night because she’s worrying about her family—they’re all hungry for peace. The world is hungry for peace. People will spend a lot of money and time searching for peace. We buy things, try to find moments, or strive to achieve something because we believe those things, moments, or achievements will bring peace. But peace can’t be found in any thing, place, or achievement. The word “peace” in Hebrew is “shalom,” which means wholeness, completeness, harmony, prosperity, welfare, security, and tranquility . Nothing is missing, and nothing is broken. It’s freedom from the distress experienced as a result of sin. Peace covers all of that. Jesus came to give us true peace. In John 14:27, Jesus tells the disciples that He’s leaving, but He’s leaving His peace with them. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” —John 14:27 (KJV) Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking and saying? He can’t leave! He calmed the storm when we were on the boat! But He always knows how to calm our fears! He helped us understand priorities and what life was about! Every time we were afraid, He gave us courage! He healed so many and raised them from the dead! We can’t be confident without Him around! Do you remember when He told us how to pay our taxes? What are we going to do?!? You and I probably would have reacted the same way. After all, if you had one person to go to who had all the answers for every situation, who could calm your fears, and who could calm the storms in your life with just one word, how do you think you’d react if they said they were leaving you? Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” because the disciples WERE troubled and afraid. Jesus was their peace. They didn’t know how to function without Him, or at least they thought they didn’t. But Jesus was trying to tell them He was leaving them a great gift. Yes, He was the Prince of Peace, but He had peace because of what He had on the inside—the Holy Spirit. And He told them, “My peace (Holy Spirit) I give to you.” The Holy Spirit is the One who counseled Jesus. Jesus walked by the power and peace of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus was anointed by God. Jesus was one with the Father and could hear His voice. And He passed that on to YOU and ME . In John 14:26, Jesus says: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” —John 14:26 (KJV) See that? God is the God of Peace because He’s the God of answers . He has given us the Holy Spirit, who knows exactly how to handle every situation. The Bible calls Him a “Comforter.” To comfort doesn’t mean to console, hug, and show your love for someone. What comforts you when you’re sick? Healing . What comforts you when you need money? Money . What comforts you when you need answers? Answers . Friend, the search for peace is over. You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. —Isaiah 26:3 (AMP) You DO have someone to go to who has every answer for every situation in your life . One who will calm your fears and the storms in your life and One who says He will never leave or forsake you.

Reading Time 5 mins 10 secs – They didn’t know the water they had been drinking, bathing in, and cooking with was packed with poisonous chemicals and carcinogens. But then the symptoms started to surface. You’ve probably heard at least one news story about contaminated water. A million marines, sailors, and their families were exposed to carcinogens after the military allegedly dumped fuel and cleaning agents near two drinking wells in Camp Lejeune, which is in Jacksonville, North Carolina, from the 1950s through the 1980s. So many people were sick and dying in Hinkley, California, that the small town is now nearly nonexistent. More than 400,000 residents from the greater Milwaukee area were infected, and 100 people died after bacteria that causes gastrointestinal illnesses invaded the water supply—making it the largest documented waterborne disease outbreak in U.S. history. Come on, Gary. Where are you going with this? (Stick with me. There is a really good spiritual point coming.) I’ve done an illustration during weekend services at Faith Life Church several times where I asked for a volunteer who would like to make a quick $20 or silver coin to help me. I asked one woman who had raised her hand to come up front, and I opened a brand-new bottle of water and asked her to take a drink. She did. Then, I told her I was going to add something to her bottle of water—a sample of water from a dirty pond behind our church building. The water was nasty! Then I asked her to drink it. Of course, she refused. And, of course, I still gave her the $20. The point was made though. No one wants to knowingly drink contaminated water. But without knowing it, many people are. Here’s where I stop talking about water contamination and start talking about the things that might be contaminating your soul, your mind, your body—your LIFE. Because the culture is out to get you—to contaminate you—“to make you impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance.” Satan is out to get you—to contaminate you. He is set on killing, stealing, and destroying you (John 10:10). Are you unknowingly drinking the “contaminated water”? I love this illustration our son Tim once gave using the game of Jenga. Have you ever played it? Basically, you have a big tower of blocks that have been stacked in opposite directions to allow pieces to be poked at and pulled out one by one without having the tower collapse. Only you have to stack the blocks you’ve pulled out on top of the tower, which means the block tower gets more and more unstable as the game goes on, because it’s getting taller and balancing on less and less stable blocks. At some point during the game, the tower collapses. Some of us are building our lives like that. We think we’re building this strong tower day after day and year after year. But Luke 22:31 tells us that Satan desires to sift us as wheat. Too often, we forget we’re in a spiritual battle, and we don’t take the spiritual adversary we have seriously. All of our lives, we’ve seen too many TV shows and cartoons that downplay the enemy as some creepy guy with horns and a red cape. But Satan is alive and demons are real, and they don’t want to see you prosper and live the destiny God has for you. Satan wants you to fail. So, he’s always looking for loose blocks to poke and pull at—those little areas of your life that aren’t so sturdy and stable, those little areas that are contaminated—in his effort to make your whole tower collapse. And he knows he doesn’t have to come at your tower of blocks with a full-on wrecking ball. That’s why the Bible tells us to watch out for the little foxes. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. —Song of Solomon 2:15 Here’s the thing: Satan uses a lot of little foxes, a lot of tactics, to try to trick us out of our dominion. He knows that faith—your heart being in agreement with heaven—is the currency of the Kingdom. And he knows that if your heart holds on to the Word, it’s going to produce. He also knows that it’s imperishable, and it’s always going to produce after its own kind. Guess what? He doesn’t like that. He claims this place as his. So, he has tactics he uses to get you to agree with him—to contaminate your life with what he says instead of what God says. And he’s pretty sly. He takes a little bit of the principle of God, a little bit of the Word of God, and twists it. He uses it to deceive, to contaminate. But if we know the truth, we can discern for ourselves. But if you don’t know the truth, as Satan works on knocking out loose block after loose block, there will be more openings in your tower, more places for him to get a foothold, more opportunities for him to make the whole structure—your whole life—more rickety and ready for collapse. And that’s the point. Satan is after your fruitfulness. He’s after your assignment. He’s after your purpose. He doesn’t want you to be useful to the Kingdom of God. He wants to prevent you from being a demonstration of the Kingdom of God to other people. So, he keeps going after your heart. Just drink this little bit of contaminated water. It won’t hurt you. Our culture, the earth curse system, is full of perverse ideas that they say won’t harm you. That’s a lie. What you think about, what you feed yourself, and what you look at all put images into your heart, for good or for bad. If you’re contaminating your heart, it’s going to be drawn away and produce what you’re putting into it. You have to CHOOSE to turn your ears to the Word of God and CHOOSE to guard your heart, or you’ll begin to buy into the lies that the enemy and our culture are constantly screaming at us.

Reading Time 8 mins 34 secs – Have you ever felt stuck? Do you feel stuck right now? You’re going to want to stick with me for this one. Keep reading. Drenda once knew an elderly lady who lived through the very tough times of the Great Depression. We would often see her wearing a pair of tattered gloves. Drenda wanted to bless her, so she bought her a new pair of gloves and went to visit with her. When the lady opened Drenda’s gift, she thanked her and took her over to show her something in her dresser. When she opened the top drawer, Drenda was shocked at what she saw. Inside the drawer lay SIX other pairs of brand-new gloves. SIX! The lady laid the pair Drenda had just given her alongside the other six pairs and closed the drawer. Drenda couldn’t believe it. The lady was wearing an old, tattered pair of gloves and not using or enjoying any of those new gloves because she just couldn’t. Her mind was STUCK. Her fear of not having enough had led her to hold on to nearly everything too tightly, even if it meant having six brand-new pairs of gloves sitting in a dresser drawer. She had a wrong pattern of thinking and acting that was holding her back in life. Friend, just like that pair of gloves, God wants to give YOU good gifts. He wants to promote you. He wants you to win in life. So, what has you stuck? What behaviors, habits, and old patterns of thinking and acting are holding you back from being the best you can be and living the life God wants for you? That’s way too intimidating. It’s too late. I’m too old. I don’t have enough money. I’ve made too many mistakes. I don’t have the right experience to take that on. Have you said any of those things to yourself? If you’re like most people, you have. Or maybe you’ve been telling yourself that you’re too young, or too shy, or don’t have the talent, or that you just don’t have what it takes. Drenda and I have both been there. Throughout my life, I’ve had all sorts of reasons not to move forward with the things God was calling me to do. In fact, at one time or another, I’ve probably told myself every one of the reasons I just gave you and more. My ears stuck out when I was a kid. I was overweight. I was so painfully shy that I didn’t talk. In fact, I pretty much did whatever I could to avoid talking and to avoid people. Yes, I’m a pastor and a speaker, and I used to avoid people. I admit it. I talked so rarely that when one of my teachers in high school walked by me in the hallway and heard me talking to a friend, she stopped and said, “So, you CAN talk!” It was really bad. I played football in junior high and high school—I was a starting player—and my sisters were cheerleaders. My mother would have parties after the games, and I would hide in my room. Not only did I go through high school barely speaking to people, but also I had really poor grades. I graduated with a 1.3 grade point average. There was only one other guy who had a lower GPA than I did. I was definitely not voted most likely to succeed. Do I need to keep going? I have a long list of reasons I could give for why I thought I could never win in life. But most of those reasons were really just excuses I kept giving myself because I was afraid. Like the elderly woman with the six pairs of brand-new gloves tucked away in a drawer, I was the one holding myself back with my thoughts. I was the one keeping myself from doing what I wanted to do in life. And I was the one keeping myself from doing what God had called me to do. Is that you? Of course, we sometimes need to be patient with our aspirations. But most of the time, our problem isn’t that we’re trying to move things ahead too quickly. Rather, it’s that at some point, we adapted to cope with negative situations in life and then we parked there, or we got stuck. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds . We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. —2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NIV) A stronghold is something you’ve believed for so long that it becomes the truth in your life. It becomes the truth even if it’s really a lie. And if you allow yourself to believe a lie, it might as well be the truth. Because if you believe something is too intimidating, it will be. If you believe you’re too old, or too young, or too inexperienced, then that’s exactly what you’ll project. If you believe you can’t do something, you’re probably not even going to try to do it. Moses was a perfect example of this. When God called him to become a great leader, we see that Moses had allowed himself to believe lies that were clearly holding him back. But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” —Exodus 3:11 (NIV) Who am I that I should take this on, God? I’m a nobody… I don’t have what it takes. Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” —Exodus 4:1 (NIV) Why would they listen to me? No one listens to me… I’m not a leader. What’s holding you back from the promotion God is calling you to? “It’s too late.” Did you know Laura Ingalls Wilder was 43 years old when her daughter, Rose, encouraged her to write a memoir about her childhood? Her first attempt at writing her autobiography was rejected several times. 1, 2, 3 Determined to succeed, she spent the next several years improving it. The publishers agreed to publish her work as a fiction story for children when she was 65 years old. She finished the final book in the Little House series when she was 76. Have you ever had a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken? In 1952, at age 65, living on his $105 a month Social Security check, Colonel Harland Sanders decided he wanted to try to sell his chicken recipe to the world. He was met with little enthusiasm. 4, 5, 6 Colonel Sanders was turned down 1,009 times before his chicken recipe was accepted by one restaurant. When he passed away at age 90, there were around 6,000 KFC locations in 48 countries. As of 2023, there were 29,900 KFC outlets in 149 countries and territories around the world. 7 “It will take too long.” You might know that Bill Gates founded Microsoft in 1975, but did you know that it was six years later before he managed to land a contract with IBM? And it was another five years before Microsoft went public, making Gates a multimillionaire. He became a billionaire just a year later. 8 Have you ever heard of Gladys Burrill? She completed her first marathon when she was 86 years old. At 92, she completed the Honolulu Marathon. Winners of the Honolulu Marathon usually come in under two and a half hours. It took Gladys nine hours and 53 minutes to finish the race. 9, 10 “I don’t have what it takes.” That’s one we usually think but don’t necessarily say out loud. I’m sure you’ve heard of Susan Boyle, right? She was 47 when she auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent. When she took the stage, both the judges and the people in the audience rolled their eyes. Susan didn’t look the part. As soon as Susan hit the first note, all doubts turned to awe. Not only did she receive a standing ovation from the audience, but she also got three yes votes from the judges. Susan’s first album, I Dreamed a Dream became the United Kingdom’s best-selling debut album of all time. She’s since released a total of eight albums, gone on tour, and written an autobiography. 11, 12, 13, 14 Are you getting this, friend? You’re not stuck. It’s not too late for you. It won’t take too long. You DO have what it takes. God is on your side! He is bigger than your past. He’s bigger than your failures. He’s bigger than your shortcomings. He is always faithful. He has a plan. He knows all of the details, and He has the answers. Ask Him. It will take faith to get unstuck and to step out into the unknown, but God wants to lead you. He’s promised never to leave you nor forsake you. And if God is for you, who can be against you? So, get up and GO! Stay the course. Don’t stay stuck. Don’t give up hope. You can still live an incredible life with God—if you decide for it to be so. Sources: 1. “15 Facts You May Not Know About Laura Ingalls Wilder,” AOP Christian Homeschooling, https://aop.com/blogs/lesson-plans/15-facts-you-may-not-know-about-laura-ingalls-wilder, March 25, 2024. 2. Catherine McHugh, “5 Facts About Laura Ingalls Wilder,” https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/laura-ingalls-wilder-biography-facts, June 11, 2020. 3. “Laura Ingalls Wilder Documentary,” https://littlehouseontheprairie.com/laura-ingalls-wilder-documentary-2/, December 25, 2014. 4. “Colonel Harland Sanders,” University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, https://uh.edu/hilton-college/About/Hospitality-Industry-Hall-of-Honor/Inductees/Colonel-Harland-Sanders%20/ 5. “The Real Story of Colonel Sanders Is Far Crazier Than This Bland Inspirational Meme,” The Verge, https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/5/12096466/colonel-sanders-kfc-meme-life-story 6. J.Y. Smith, “Col. Sanders, the Fried-Chicken Gentleman, Dies,” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/12/17/col-sanders-the-fried-chicken-gentleman-dies/64925eb3-3a20-4851-afbc-ba4fe16e9770/, December 17, 1980. 7. “Number of Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurants Worldwide from 2010 to 2013,” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/256793/kfc-restaurants-worldwide-by-geographic-region/#:~:text=Global%20fast%20food%20chain%20KFC,year%27s%20total%20of%2027.7%20thousand, March 8, 2024. 8. Taylor Locke, “How Bill Gates’ Mom Helped Microsoft Get a Deal with IBM in 1980–and It Propelled the Company’s Huge Success,” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/05/how-bill-gates-mother-influenced-the-success-of-microsoft.html, August 6, 2020. 9. “Oldest Female Marathon Finisher: Gladys Burrill Set World Record,” https://www.worldrecordacademy.com/sports/oldest_female_marathon_finisher_Gladys_Burrill_set_world_record_102023.html, December 19, 2010. 10. “Reports & Top Finishers,” Honolulu Marathon, https://www.honolulumarathon.org/key-information/history-statistics/reports-top-10-finishers, December 8, 2024. 11. Jeannette L. Nolen, “Susan Boyle, Scottish Singer,” Encyclopedia Brittanica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Susan-Boyle 12. Davy Leyland, “Susan Boyle - Britains Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 - Saturday 11th April,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk, April 11, 2009. 13. “Susan Boyle,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Boyle 14. https://www.susanboylemusic.com/about/#

Reading Time 3 mins 22 secs – “These people are killing me!” “We can’t afford that.” “I have such a hard time losing weight.” “My husband doesn’t want to do anything.” “I’m so sick and tired of this.” How many of those statements sound familiar? Think about it. How often do you hear things like that said by someone on television, by a coworker, or by a family member? How often do words like that come out of YOUR mouth? Take a few minutes to really think about everything that has come out of your mouth in just the last 24 hours. Either make a mental note of all the things you’ve been saying or actually write them down. Then, come right back to this blog, because you have to know how important this is. Your words are setting the course for your life. What have you been saying, friend? Maybe you’re thinking: But, Gary, I REALLY don’t mean those things when I say them. Maybe you’re like the guy I was flying with one time who started cussing left and right as soon as we took off. There I was in the jump seat hearing everything. When he remembered I was there, he covered his mouth and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. Excuse my French.” He said he didn’t mean to say that. Oh, but he did. Because here’s the thing: You can’t fool your heart. Romans 10:10 (NIV) says, “ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess and are saved. ” You can go to church on the weekend and sing songs about your authority and say, “In Jesus’s name” all you want, and play the religious game, but what is really in your heart will be what comes out of your mouth. It may not come out every day, but it will come out eventually. And whatever you believe in your heart and say with your mouth is what you’ll have— good or bad . Proverbs 18:21 says that YOUR words have the power of life and death. Your mouth is literally releasing life or death with Every. Word. You. Speak. That’s where so many people are messing up. So many people want to win in life, but they’re killing God’s promises and their futures with their own words. Jesus showed us this in Mark 11 when He cursed the fig tree and it died. Your words are just as binding as Jesus’s words. In Matthew 18:18 (NIV), He said, “ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ” You HAVE to be careful about what you’re saying. You will walk in EXACTLY what you decree. Don’t say, “Well, I’ve tried that ‘faith stuff,’ but it hasn’t worked.” Don’t say you don’t trust God or you aren’t seeing results. What have you been decreeing over your life? What is really in your heart? Are you saying what you really believe or just saying what you think you’re supposed to say? What comes out of your mouth when the pressure hits? What are you saying in the middle of the night when you couldn’t pay your electric bill and you know they’re coming the next day to shut it off? What are you saying when the pain or the sickness seems downright unbearable? What are you saying when the picture you see doesn’t yet match the promise? God gave YOU the keys. The authority is in YOUR hands. James 3 tells us that we are setting the course of our lives with our words , but most people have no clue how this works. They’re trying to get to one place and end up somewhere else, and they wonder why. It’s like setting out for London and ending up in the Philippines. Friend, you’re the one steering the ship. What are you saying? Make it only good things! Say “yes” and “amen” to every promise! Decree provision, healing, direction, wisdom, and health over your life! Use your words wisely.

Reading Time 3 mins 19 secs – We’ve all heard stories about people making questionable decisions. What makes a person have an affair? Why would someone who was created as a man decide he wants to be a woman? Why are people putting their Bibles down and walking away from church? What causes any person to be willing to do something they know could destroy their reputation, their family, or their business?  The answer is deception. To be deceived means to believe what is false to be true, to be misled, or to be ensnared. We’ve all heard more than a few stories of deception—the woman who found out her husband had another family, the politician who got caught in a web of lies, or the older neighbor couple who was cheated out of thousands of dollars by a contractor. But did you know that the Bible says that we can deceive ourselves? I bet you don’t know of anyone sharing those stories. We can easily deceive ourselves. It just takes a thought. See, thoughts are not innocent. They’re seeds. They’re pictures. What you listen to, what you look at, the things you do, and the friends you hang around all produce thoughts—pictures—in your mind, whether you realize it or not. When you begin to concentrate on those pictures, they produce desire, and desire can get you into trouble. The Bible says that desire drags us. It produces a plan to get what it wants, and that plan can take you to a place you never thought you’d be. Don’t get me wrong—that’s a good thing if you’re thinking about good things. Your good desires can drag you to succeed and to win. The problem is that your heart can’t tell the difference between a good desire and an evil desire. That’s where you have to get a handle on things because this is nothing to play with. It’s life and death. So, what do you do? How can you figure out if you’re deceiving yourself when deceived people don’t usually even know they’re deceived? You start by being careful about what you look at, what you listen to, and who you talk to. This is what the Bible calls “guarding your heart.” Then you decide to choose what you’re thinking about. Yes, you can choose what you think about. No matter what pops into your head, the Bible says that we must take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Plain and simple, your brain does not have the authority to think anything it wants. You can choose what you think about. So, test every thought you have against God’s will for you. How do you know His will? Read your Bible. Measure everything against what God says. Umpire your thoughts. If they don’t align with what God says, get them out—replace them with the right thoughts. How do you know what the right thought is to think? Read your Bible. This is why I say that memory verses aren’t just for kids; they’re for everyone. If you memorize some Scriptures, you’ll have them ready and waiting to replace those negative thoughts. When you analyze what happens in stories of real change in people’s lives, you’ll almost always find the same scenarios. They decided to change their thoughts. They took the time to make a change. They turned the TV off. They started reading their Bibles. They elevated God’s Word above the other voices in their lives and set their hearts on it. Are you ready for real change in your life? Then, make a decision to change your thoughts, to change your pictures. Ask yourself: What have I been looking at? What have I been watching? How much time have I spent in the Word of God this week? Who am I listening to? Who is giving me advice? Is it someone who has failed or someone who has walked it out and can show me which way to go? What am I focusing on? What am I thinking? Ask yourself these questions, and you’ll see your future.

Reading Time 4 mins 26 secs – By Drenda Keesee “I’m so tired of picking up your laundry!” “You overspent again!” “You never make time for me!” How many times have you said something like that to your spouse?
Or wanted to say something like that to them? How often do you allow yourself to get into a pattern of bickering with your spouse over things like money, household responsibilities, how often you talk to your mother (yes, I wrote that), how often you have sex (yes, I wrote that too), or other issues? If you’ve ever fallen into a pattern of bickering with your spouse, you know how easy it is to stay there. And that’s just what the enemy wants. Because he knows that if he can keep you fighting over the dirty laundry, who’s on bath duty, who spends more money, or anything else, then he can keep you out of unity and away from your inheritance in the Kingdom of God. The enemy’s greatest goal is to divide and conquer; and too often, we let him into our marriages. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our fight is not against human enemies but against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Why do we forget that? Why are we willing to practically wage war with the person we’re supposed to love the most over the most insignificant things? Are the petty things like him not emptying the trash or her buying that extra pair of earrings really worth you missing out on the promises of God? No! So, how do you stop looking at your spouse as your enemy and build unity in your marriage? Here are my top 13 tips: 1. Make sure there’s no sin in your life.
 Sin destroys unity—not just between you and your spouse but between you and God. Confess it, and eliminate it from your life. 2. Don’t compare yourself or your spouse to others.
 No couple is perfect, and no person is perfect. Don’t be deceived into believing the grass is greener anywhere else. Remember, you only see people’s public faces, not their private struggles. 3. Focus on the positive in your spouse.
 We ALL have faults. Sadly, it’s human nature to hide our own faults but to point out the weaknesses in others. God sees both you and your spouse as valuable. Try looking at your spouse the same way. Find positive things to focus on and things to be grateful for. 4. Pay attention to what you’re saying.
 Use your words to build up, not tear down. Your words are seeds that will produce fruit. Don’t say things like, “You never …” or “You always ….” Realize how much power your words have to build unity in your marriage or destroy it. 5. Pray together. If you’ve never prayed together, or if it’s been awhile, it WILL be awkward and uncomfortable. Do it anyway. 6. Learn more about the differences between you and your spouse as a man and a woman.
 It’s not hard to see that we communicate differently. The more you understand that, and work on it, the less communication breakdowns will occur in your marriage. 7. Squash selfishness. Really think about whether you’re placing your needs over those of your spouse. Selfishness can easily squash any hopes of unity. Squash it first. 8. Forgive. Holding onto an offense or hurt does nothing to help you. It only turns into bitterness. I love this quote from Ruth Bell Graham: “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” 9. Apologize. Say you’re sorry first. Being too prideful to admit when you’re wrong only builds walls of separation in your relationship. 10. Work at being a good friend. This is a big one. All too often, we work more at being a good friend to our friends, but we stink at being a good friend to our spouse. Change that. Figure out your spouse’s love language and communicate it. Make plans to do something fun together. Be the friend to your spouse that you want him/her to be to you . 11. Set goals together and accomplish them as a team. Many of us show ourselves as valuable team members at work, in class, and in sports, but we’d be downright embarrassed if those same people saw how we work ( or don’t work ) together with our spouses. Change! 12. Have sex! It’s sad that I even need to include this, but it’s an issue that impacts the unity of so many marriages! Remember that the marriage bed is the healing oil that makes the two one flesh. 13. Commit, or recommit , your marriage to God. Last, but definitely not least, this is the most important tip . God can help you recognize when your marriage is under attack, free you from any insecurities or failures that are preventing you from being one in your relationship, and give you an understanding of His design for marriage. Marriage isn’t always sunshine and butterflies. There will be bumps in the road. There will be times when all you want to do is give up. But as someone who has been married for more than 41 years, I can tell you that working through your differences and fighting for your marriage is well worth the effort. The reward is so much greater than the struggles. Make the decision to apply these tips to your marriage regardless of whether your spouse reciprocates or is accepting of the change in you. It’s YOUR actions that will win his/her heart over.

Reading Time 7 mins 0 secs – Should you marry him? Should you quit your job? Should you move? As Christians, we want to follow God and serve Him with our lives. But how do we know what God’s plan is for us? We may not be sure which decision to make, what God is calling us to do, or whether we’re doing the right thing or not. So, how do we discern what God wants for us without letting our thoughts or feelings get in the way? Here are three tips on how to hear from God and discover your purpose. 1. Spend time with Him. In order to know God’s voice, you have to spend time with Him. You can’t expect to discern His voice if you are unfamiliar with what it sounds like. “How do I hear God’s voice?” I get asked this all of the time. So many people have told me they feel like they can’t hear God. They’re expecting the loud, booming voice they’ve heard in old Christian movies that says, “Thus saith the Lord,” but it never comes. The reality is that God is trying to speak to them every day, so where is the mix-up? Most of the time, God does not speak in an audible voice. My husband describes God’s voice as sounding like a thought but with a different twang or conviction behind it. It’s often hard to shake, let go of, or you feel it in your gut. The more you take the time to listen to God’s voice, the more you’ll learn to recognize it! And on the flip side, when we never take the time to listen for God, our spirits become quiet and His voice gets softer. A great place to start is by reading God’s Word! God will speak to people in different ways, but if you want to learn His voice, spend time in the Bible. So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. —Romans 10:17 (NLT) When we are consistently spending time in God’s Word, we will be able to recognize His voice when He speaks. 2. Be still and listen. We live in a culture that is constantly giving us ideas on how to live, dress, talk, and everything in between. We are constantly being bombarded with ads on TV, online, and on social media. Let’s face it: our culture is afraid to be bored. We put on music in the car, look at our phones 24/7, and sometimes even juggle multiple forms of entertainment at one time. Nowadays, we hardly go to the restroom without our phones! When we constantly surround ourselves with noise, it can be hard to hear the still, small voice of God. It’s easy to miss the voice of God in the midst of all of our entertainment. With all the noise coming at us, it’s more important than ever that we take TIME to listen for God’s voice. Set aside a certain amount of time each day to spend with Him. If you miss it some days, that’s okay. Don’t be too hard on yourself. But it’s important to make God your priority if you expect to hear from Him. David describes God’s Word as his guide in Psalm 119:105, and that is what the Bible is meant to be. It will guide us through life and help us learn about God and His character. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. —Psalm 119:105 (NLT) Relationships are a two-way street. That goes for our relationship with the Lord as well. God is perfect, and He is always there for us. If we want to turn to Him at any point in the day, no matter what we have or have not done, He will be there to love and support us. Still, relationships require effort on both ends. If we are not spending time in prayer, worship, reading the Bible, and learning more about God, then we won’t be able to recognize His voice. The more time we spend with God, the more clearly we will hear Him and recognize His voice—just like in any relationship. “For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:11–13 (CSB) God tells us in His Word that we WILL find Him when we seek Him. He is not hiding from us. He wants us to seek Him, and He wants to lead us. He has a plan for our lives, and He wants to support and guide us on it. 3. Let go of whatever is holding you back. Not spending enough time with God isn’t always what is holding us back from hearing Him. Sometimes, we have to cleanse our lives of things that are not of God. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But sometimes, living in sin or unforgiveness can keep us from hearing God. If we are pursuing worldly things that are not of God, we may have a hard time hearing God and being able to fully commit to following His plan for us. We may say we want His plan in prayer or in a small group, but if how we spend our time, money, and resources is toward a worldly lifestyle, then our lives will be headed in that direction. Everyone faces different temptations in life. No matter what temptation you may be facing, the Bible tells us to get rid of everything that is slowing us down in pursuing God’s plan for our lives. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. —Hebrews 12:1–2a (NLT) The Bible commands us to throw off everything that causes us to stumble. It also tells us in Romans 14:13 (NLT) to “ live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall .” Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to get rid of in your life. It may be a habit, the TV shows you are watching, what you spend your time thinking about, or even a group of people with whom you may need to limit your time. All people are created in the image of God, and He loves them all, but if they are hindering you from following the Lord, then it may be time to limit their access into your life. Why is it important for you to know God’s plan for your life? If you don’t know where God is leading you, then how will you be able to follow? You may be confused as to what your purpose in life is. I want to assure you that God has a plan for your life. He has had a plan specifically for you since before you were born, and He wants to see you walk it out. He won’t abandon you either (Deuteronomy 31:6). Stepping out in faith and following God’s plan can seem daunting. But if God is leading you to something, you WILL have peace about it. If you are unsure, continue to seek God about it, along with consulting with other believers. Ask them to pray for you as well. That’s why Christian friends are so important! If you aren’t a part of a small group, join one today and get connected with some like-minded people! It’s never too late to step out and follow God. He will meet you wherever you are in life. You may have missed out on previous opportunities, but it’s never too late to follow Jesus. If you ask Him to lead you, He will. That’s why God sent us the Holy Spirit—to be our guide in life. God wants to guide you and to see you fulfill the plan He has for your life.

Reading Time 3 mins 43 secs – Are you happy right now? Or are you feeling a little grumpy, or negative, or sorry for yourself? We’ve all been there. Years ago, I had one of those months. Yes, I said months , not days. I was negative. I was feeling sorry for myself. The weight and pressures of life and certain situations were bearing down on me. For some reason, during that time, I went to a conference I really didn’t feel like going to, and the speaker got up and said he was going to talk about being thankful. Great , I thought. Just what I want to hear. What I really wanted was for someone to join me in my pity party. But that wasn’t happening. Because God knew that wasn’t what I needed. He knew I needed someone to tell me the truth. See, I had taken my eyes off of all of the blessings of God. I had stopped remembering all of the amazing times He had come through for me. I had taken my focus off of His promises and put it on my problems. That message was just what I needed. The Holy Spirit dealt with me right then about my heart and how I had been ungrateful. I had to repent. God set me free that day. Here’s the thing: studies show that when you’re happy and thankful , you have 17% more friends. When you’re happy, you live longer and you have less health problems like heart attacks, strokes, colds, the flu, and even pain. Being grateful also strengthens your emotions, makes you more optimistic and less self-centered, improves your sleep, increases your self-esteem and your energy, helps you bounce back after a setback, reduces feelings of envy, helps your marriage, makes you look better, and makes you more productive. Proverbs 17:22 (KJV) says, “ A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones .” See that? Happiness is like medicine. Discouragement sucks the life out of you. Are you reading this and thinking, “ Gary, you don’t know what I’m going through. I have serious problems” ? I understand. But here’s the thing: happiness is not circumstantial. Happiness is a choice you make. I hear it all the time… “Gary, you don’t understand. I hate my house.” Sell it. “Gary, you don’t get it. I hate my job.” Quit it. Find a new one. “Gary, I just hate my life.” CHANGE it. You’re not stuck. You have options. Every single day, you make choices to do something or NOT do something. And you have plenty of reasons to be happy. Stop thinking you can only be happy when everything seems “perfect.” Because “perfect” is really rare, and I do mean really rare. In fact, odds are there will always be something in your life that isn’t “perfect.” The good news is, no matter what you go through or deal with in life, you can still be thankful and happy, because you can always trust God despite your circumstances. Philippians 4:6 (NIV) says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God .” Wait. Did you see what that said? Notice it didn’t say, “Only be anxious about the big things you can’t handle on your own.” Nope. It says don’t be anxious about anything . It also says by prayer—and with thanksgiving —present your requests to God. That means you should be thanking Him for all He’s already done and for what He’s about to do in your situation. You should be thanking Him before your answer shows up, because He’s faithful and good. Look at Judges 20:19–25. There, we see the nation of Israel suffering great loss after a huge battle. They had lost 22,000 men. 22,000. Can you even imagine? I’m sure you’ll agree that that was a really bad day. Then, on the second day of battle, they lost 18,000 more men. 40,000 men lost in two days. The Bible tells us they took a day off at that point. They stopped and regrouped. Then, in verse 26, we see that the entire army presented offerings of thanksgiving to God. Things had gone really wrong, and they needed to remind themselves that God was for them, that He is good and faithful, that He was with them. And the next day, they went out and won the battle. So, what about you, friend? Do you need to stop? Do you need to take your mind off the negative and remind yourself that God is for you, that He is good and faithful, and that He is with you?

Reading Time 2 mins 13 secs – In John 6, we read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you know it? It’s where we see Jesus teaching the disciples how to release the Kingdom of God into the earth realm. Basically, a large crowd was following Jesus, listening to Him teach, and watching Him perform miracles. It got to a point where the people needed to eat, and Jesus asked the disciples what they planned to feed the people. Of course, Jesus knew the disciples would freak out. They couldn’t feed 5,000 people. In fact, they started talking about how it would take more than half a year’s wages to buy just a bite for that many people. Jesus was teaching the disciples, and He was teaching us— the Kingdom of God has all the answers you need . How can you release the Kingdom of God into your life? Here are the five steps Jesus took. 1. Look at what you have. Jesus asked the disciples what they had to feed the people. What do you have in your life that you can give God to work with? Jesus multiplied bread into bread and fish into fish. What do you need multiplied in your life? Find some of it. That’s your seed. Also, remember that money can be named. You don’t sow money to believe for more paper or digital money. Money represents your life and can be named to be the thing you need multiplied. 2. Make sure you’re in faith. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, GNT). You have to know how to judge whether or not you’re in faith. How? Do you have the right picture? When you close your eyes, what do you see? Do you see yourself with the thing you’re believing for? Can you defend your position? Why do you believe it? Prove it! Because you can be sure that between the “Amen” and the “There it is!” the enemy is going to contend for it, so you better be able to defend it. Do you have joy, expectancy, and peace? Are you in agreement with your spouse? 3. Confess over what you have, and release it in faith. Be specific. Say exactly what you’re believing for and release the seed to God. 4. Get the plan from God. Be ready for new direction, new ideas, and new concepts by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Carry a notepad and a pen. Write everything down. 5. Act quickly! When God gives you the plan, MOVE! It’s wise to have counselors and get wisdom, but you need to act swiftly on any direction you receive from the Holy Spirit.