Friend, when we focus on our "self," we are not focused on God.

It's that simple.

To focus on self is to not allow God to be the Giver, Teacher, Guide, Lover of our soul and spirit.

How then can we receive all the good things that God has waiting for us?

We must focus on God. His Glory, His Majesty, His Power, His Supreme Ability to bring Goodness into our lives.

When we focus on self it is a dark world in the spirit.  The flesh is sometimes satisfied but seldom, as it always feels like something is missing.  And it is!  God is missing from the equasion.

Praise is the answer.  Praise God for Who He is and What He owns, and what He can do; everything!

Give thanks for what you have, and what He has done, and is going to do for you.  Give thanks for your forgiveness. 

Let your spirit meditate day and night on how Great God is, as you go about your day and evenings allowing Him to bless and favour you as His child.

Does this not bring you an inner peace and joy?

Friend, the Bible tells us that trials are necessary; therefore we all will endure trials, both the believer and unbeliever.

As a believer, I reflect on what could be the cause and what could be the teaching I am in need of, and what is the Godly answer to my problem.

Job said in Chapter 42 verses 1, 5-6. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

Job, after hearing from all his friends, did reflect and begin to see that God is All Mighty, All Powerful, All Seeing, All Knowing and He is Just and things are going to be His Way no matter the many other paths we take to try to skirt around His Influence in our lives and have things our way.

It will be His Way. It will.

Job realizes that he is unworthy and just scum of the earth even though he had great wealth and position.  To God, that is smaller than a tiny grain of sand. 

God had allowed Job to acquire and flourish. 

Job finally got it.  God could give and God could take.

But, God is a Good God - He took everything Job had, bit by bit, so Job would come to know Him, just as Job did.

Will you be like Job.  Will you say to God, "I abhor myself, I am not worthy of forgiveness."?

Say it now my friend, before you lose everything.  If you have lost everything and are searching, then this is the Good News;- God loves you and will sustain you. Recognize His Power and Authority over your life and repent of your ways that do not please Him and He will be Just to forgive you and begin a new work in your heart and mind, place you on the Righteous Path and walk with you every minute, teaching, guiding, and loving you.

Repent and receive His Forgiveness today!

Psalm 37:1-17

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord; and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shall be fed.

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy ways unto the lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.

And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plot against the just, and gnash upon him with his teeth.

The Lord shall laugh at him: for He seeth that his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholds the righteous.

Friend, it is wise to test the insights we get to see if they line up with God's Word.

This is why it is necessary to know God's Word, the Holy Bible; to have read all the words of Jesus and the prophets and disciples and apostles.

In those chapters and verses are our answers for life.

When we hear or see something with our mind's eye we must check to see if it is Godly or from the pit of hell, disguised as Godly.

When it is something we want to hear, we must be especially careful as we could be led down a path of unrighteousness, thinking it is the Path of Righteousness.

Many could the years be that we tread that path thinking it is righteous; following our own ungodly insights; allowing ourselves to be fooled, lied to and corrupted by evil.

When we take those paths, God does through the Spirit, never stop prodding us away from the danger, but sadly, we will in our own righteousness, continue on.

Be the friend of Jesus who says, "Yes, Master, Your Way, not mine. According to Your Will always, Lord."

Friend, Jesus is the source of True Joy.

We carry sadnesses around with us; trials and struggles follow us everywhere we go. 

We cannot escape sufferings.

But, friend, with God, we can experience a Joy that seeps deep into our psyche and offers Hope.

This Hope, settles Joy in our soul.

Having Hope allows us to bear the trial with a knowledge that God is for us and will not abandon us; and in the trial, we can gain spiritual ground, if we repent and listen to the Spirit.

Hear what He is saying to you!  Be still and ask God to show you the lesson to be learned in the trial.

Friend, then be brave and make the changes that the Spirit tells you to.  Practice them daily. Change is hard when old habits are ingrained, but they can be eliminated from our life.

One by one, flick them away. Make the effort to choose the new Way that the Spirit has guided you towards.

Soon you will see them coming, rearing their ugly head, and you will know to bear down on them with determination to overcome and rid them from your new life with Christ.

He will help you through these days when you have a heart of repentance and a humble mind that is listening to the Holy Spirit.

Thank Him for His Forgiveness and your new life in Him.

Friend, the Mercy, Grace and Wisdom of God trumps everything in our lives.  Even when we do not believe in God, these three attributes of His nature are at work, also are others, like Love and Truth.

Think about how His Mercy and Grace sustains us.  How the Wisdom of His choices for us is always the best for our future, yet addresses the sins of the past also.

Do not cut yourself off from these Mercies from the Throne of Grace.

Instead, allow His choices for your life today to be foremost in your thoughts.

Put your "self" aside today and focus on what He want for you to acheive.  Perhaps it is just a stillness so you will grow accustomed to seeing with new eyes, hearing with new ears and feeling with a new heart and mind?

The world teaches us to be manipulative, envious, boasters, proud, selfish, liars, deniers of Truth. But, what does it give us in return?  Sorrow, loss of friends, love, things we need to survive and a big load of lies.

We will have sorrow and loss when we walk with Jesus also but it is tinged with a knowledge that surpasses understanding and we are girded up by God's Holy angels who are sent to comfort and help us.

When you accept this help things move along and we find; healing, joy for the heart, beautiful knowledge and truth for the mind to think about, seeing the humanity of everyone which brings to us to shed anger and hatred towards others, the ability to hear God's Word properly and see the new meanings that are meant just for our ears.

It's a new life of peace and joy and truth, knowing that; God is with us everywhere we go, He is protecting us, He loves us, He wants the best for us, He will guide us, He will make a Way where we cannot see a way, He is on our side.

When we die, our soul will reside with Him and we will have joy unspeakable, our tears will be no more because we will be able to see Him.

Romans 8:6

Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, but following after the old nature, leads to death, because the old sinful nature within us is against God. It never did obey God's Laws and it never will.

Friend, this scripture says it all.

It is necessary for us to be a follower of the Holy Spirit, Father and Son to have life and peace, after our flesh dies.

The Spirit does not lead us on the wrong path.  He knows our ways and has a full view of all the paths we might take, but only He knows the right Path that leads to everlasting Life with the Son.

Many are the paths that lead us away from God but in amongst those paths is the real Path that is the Righteous Path.

God is clear on this in His Word. 

Romans 7:16 - 17

Don't you realize that you can choose your own master? You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself- he will take you and he will be your master. (Jesus or satan)

Romans 7:1b

When a person dies the Law no longer holds him in it's power.

Romans 7:11 (Apostle Paul admitting to being a sinner.)

Sin fooled me by taking the good Laws of God and using them to make me guilty of death. But still, you see the Law itself was wholly right and good.

Friend, when we die, our choice has been already made.  We no longer have an opportunity to be with God and part of His Kingdom if we have not chosen in this life to believe in the Son, Jesus the Christ.

Romans 8:10

Yet, even though Christ lives within you, your body will die because of sin; but your spirit will live, for Christ has pardoned it.

Today these words have told you the Truth