Life can be confusing. We face dilemmas, and impure motives abound. Finding the truth is often elusive. John offers us a clear path.

1 Jn 1:5b
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

This verse reveals foundational truths about God. He is pure, holy, and all Light. While we often struggle with darkness, Jesus is without darkness; He is entirely good and entirely trustworthy.

Jn 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Let’s allow God to shine His Light into our lives. If we are facing ethical dilemmas, relational conflicts, or hopelessness, His Light will guide us into truth. Jesus cares! He's ever present, ready to light our path, reveal hidden truths, and lead us into His joy.

Jn 1:4-5
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

Sometimes the world can feel overwhelming, but there's beautiful imagery in Scripture that brings comfort and assurance of God's protection over us. Just as a mother bird shelters her young under her wings, so the Lord watches over us.

Ps 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

This vivid picture reminds us that no matter the storm, we are never out of God's care or protection. When fears or uncertainties arise, let’s overcome them, knowing God’s care for us.

Ruth 2:12:
May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

Let us take refuge in knowing that we are always under the protective wings of our Almighty Father. May this image and these verses encourage us to trust in His unending love and care for each one of us.

Let’s thank God for His promise to shelter us. Let’s trust in His protection, and find peace under His wings, and let’s live each day with the confidence that comes from being loved and cared for by our Father.

May you feel the presence of God's wings over you today and every day!

Paul’s words to the Ephesians says it best!

Eph 1:3-10
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood,the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Always give thanks!

What a wonderful service last night and what a great God we have! God, You are our God and we will always praise You!

Thank God we can praise Him this morning! Let’s remember what He’s done in the past. Let’s thank Him for today. Let’s thank Him for what He’s going to do. Let’s praise Him for His promises are always kept.

Psalms 77:11-15
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Let’s praise and thank God today by listing His deeds, His miracles, and all other mighty works He’s done for us and OCF.

Hallelujah! What a Savior! Let’s worship Him in spirit and in truth. Let’s expect miracles!

The holidays can be stressful. Over the years I’ve observed people “acting out of sorts.” I remind myself, “It’s the holidays!”

Jam 1:2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

So how do we respond to this? We pray for peace to deal with unrealistic expectations like hosting the perfect holiday meal and gathering. We pray for joy when family and friends visit. We pray for God’s love when we are lonely, even in midst of extra activity. We pray for gratitude.

Phil 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and enjoy this Thanksgiving season.

Lk 10:41-42
…you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

It’s a great day to thank the Lord! Great is the faithfulness of our God. His mercies are new every morning (cf Lam 3:22-23).

Keeping with the theme of thanksgiving I am glad Jesus came to give us life abundantly.
That means with the Helper we live a life of love! A life of fearlessness! A life of no lack! A life with hope! A life of faith! A life lived with wisdom!

Wisdom is knowledge applied. We live knowing that everything about God and His attributes will manifest in our lives if we believe.

Do we believe that if we lose our lives for the Gospel, we will find it? If we do, we will find our destiny and will live our purpose!

Mt 10:39
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Let’s live abundantly. Let’s apply the wisdom of Jesus to our lives. Let’s embrace our destiny and by God’s grace never quit.

Lk 12:32
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

I’m hoping we’re waking up thankful for our amazing God!

Let’s thank Him for forgiveness!

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Let’s thank Him for grace!

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Let’s thank Him for His love!

1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.

Let’s thank Him for His guidance!

Provides 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Just meditating on the above should cause us to break out in praise and thanksgiving!

How Great Is Our God (lyrics)
“How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God!”

I pray we have a great and thankful day.

Psalms 100:4b
…give thanks to him and praise his name.

We know that our salvation is by God’s grace; it’s a gift from God!

Eph 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

What does God want us to do with our gift of salvation? He wants us to do good works!

Eph 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

These works include acts of kindness, service, and love, reflecting God's character and intentions.

Let’s help those in need, share God’s love and the Gospel of Jesus, live a life of integrity—no moral leaks—and encourage and support others in their times of need. Let’s be faithful to our calling to do good works.

Let’s shine our Light through our good works, especially during the upcoming holiday season!

Mt 5:14a,16
You are the light of the world. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Paul exhorts us to change the way we think. He wants us to think about eternity with Jesus instead of temporal, earthly things.

Col 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Why? Because we have been crucified with Christ and Christ lives in us!

Col 3:3
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

The good news is we now can live and love like Jesus. Then in eternity we will share in His glory.

Col 3:4
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

So let’s put to death the desires of the flesh and live forever with Jesus.

Col 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Let’s live to the full now by setting our minds things above. Let’s not fall for the temptation to prioritize the earthly and allow satan to steal, kill, and destroy. Let’s look forward to our glorious future!

Paul exhorts us to be strong in the Lord and to take our stand against the devil’s schemes.

Eph 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

What are the devil’s schemes? It starts with deception because he is the father of lies.

Jn 8:44b
…for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Next he entices people to indulge in sinful behaviors, straying from God's path and appealing to desires and weaknesses through temptation.

Jam 1:14
…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Then he stirs up fear and anxiety. By instilling fear, the devil can paralyze individuals, making them ineffective in their faith and service. Remember the acrostic F.E.A.R.—-False Expectations Appearing Real.

Rom 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

These are just a few of the devil’s schemes. Today, let’s put on the full armor of God to stand strong against them. Let’s make prayer and hiding God’s Word in our hearts a constant priority.

Let’s walk in the Spirit so we won’t fall for the devil’s schemes! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (cf John 14:6), and we are safe and secure in Him.

As we study the seven churches and messages to each from Jesus there are lessons we must observe and apply to our lives, most importantly that trials are inevitable and by God’s grace we must be overcomers.

Rev 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

How do we overcome?

Rev 12:11
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

We overcome by the blood of the Lamb.

Col 2:13-15
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Jesus won the victory over sin by His blood. He was tempted in every way but did not succumb. He understands our weaknesses and provides a way out of sin. Let’s be overcomers because God died for us to win!

We also overcome by testifying about the love, grace, and mercy of God in our lives. What He’s done for us, He’ll do for others.

Additionally, let’s be willing to lose our lives for the Gospel so others may hear and believe. Let’s be overcomers!

Mt 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

I enjoy listening to testimonies of how Jesus turned believers’ lives around. You could say because of God’s great love for them, they now love their lives. They love loving Jesus and others.

1 Jn 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

So how do we square Jesus telling us:

Jn 12:25
The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

One commentary rightly says, “To ‘hate his life’ means to be so committed to Christ that he has no self-centeredness, no concern for himself. On the other hand, the man who loves his life will lose it. Anything in life can become an idol, including goals, interests, and loves.”

Living a full life, a life of love, requires us to be led by the Holy Spirit, Who is love. So you could say, “I love my life because I lose it for Jesus and the Gospel.”

Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Let’s hate our lives so we can truly live a life of love! A life devoted to Jesus and the Gospel of Love!

As followers of Jesus, we love learning the Bible. We know the way of God is the only way. We believe that He has plans to prosper us.

Ps 86:11
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

The problem we encounter is after hearing and acknowledging the truth, we don’t walk in it. We don’t live it. Bad habits are sometimes hard to break. The enemy tells us that the sinful habit is not that bad.

Prov 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Jam 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Let’s be wise and when truth is spoken to a sinful habit, immediately repent and turn from the wicked way. Then let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us walk in the truth.

Let’s with childlike and reverential faith obey all the commands of Jesus. We must obey because there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey!