Mat_5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

1Jn_2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

This morning at 4:15 am the doorbell rung, so I got up and answered the door. It was a young man, and he apologized for being so early but saw our light on, figuring some one was up. We leave a lamp on in the living room; the light shines out through the window. The young man stated his battery was dead and needed a jump start, he lived down the street and his parent with their car was not home to jump him. I agreed, and got dressed and drove down and jump started him.

Later I thought upon what had happened, and the Spirit gave me these thoughts. If our light shines it will attract those in need, if those in need are turned away enough times they will give up on God, and the blame is ours. So we let our light shine and those in need that are attracted to it we give what is needed.

1Pe_3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Luk_6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

Mat_16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

When I first started walking at the park a few years ago I noticed a couple of women who would walk in the opposite direction. They with stern looks in their face would force those walking toward them to go around and not share the path. At first I rendered evil for evil I wouldn’t give an inch and we would almost bump shoulders as we walked by each other.

Then I was convicted, and realized instead of me showing love lifting them, they were showing evil affecting me. The problem is nothing stays the same; our encounters were growing worse weekly. After I was convicted I didn’t need a sign from them on how to treat them, I knew I was supposed to show love. So each day I would smile and say hello and move off the track. Eventually it started affecting the two women, they began at first looking back, then smiling then eventually sharing the path and saying hello.

Don’t treat others how they treat you, be obedient and always show love. Don’t need proof that God’s ways work trust in his word, be obedient and in time the proof will be there.

The other day as I set in the house doing my reading I realized I needed to water my garden, so I went out and did so. As I was outside I enjoyed the beautiful day, the bright sunlight. When I went back inside to continue my reading it took awhile for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Just prior to going out into the sunlight there was plenty of light.

The more time we spend away from God our eyes adjust to the darkness.

“The darkness is only seen when light has been known, when away from the light long enough the darkness becomes the new standard of brightness”.

Isa 7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

“Without two flowers to be compared, one to the other, how can any chose which they find more precious in their eye”?

2Co_8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Heb_5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

To me that Isaiah 7:15 verse says that by Jesus feeling the greatness of good, when he felt the absence of that good, it would quickly keep him on the right track.

Example- a poor person would never know what they are missing if itwasn’t for seeing what a rich person has, and once they see it they will try harder doing what it takes to obtain it.

My yard thanks to God for the rain and fertilizer is turning thick and a beautiful dark green. There is a couple spots that has turned brown and very thin, the spots in which I spilt the fertilizer. The right amount of fertilizer for what the grass needs enhances its beauty, but too much brings its death.

In my garden I have pepper plants planted next to my egg plants. Recently I was at a cousin’s house who allowed me to load up on some natural fertilizer he has in pasture. To some it would be called sheep manure, for the garden it is called fertilizer. I spread heavily the manure in my garden, my egg plants started growing and mass producing, but my pepper plants started wilting and slowed down producing. The egg plants need more fertilizer and the pepper plants need less is what I learnt.

I gave thought upon how the fertilizer had its effects, and what I could learn from it. This is what I believe the Spirit showed me.

God supplies our true needs, the more we truly need the more he supplies. The problem is our wants create unnecessary (false) needs which are not true needs.

If God would supply our false needs it would actually cause us to be tempted into following the life style which creates the false needs in the first place. God will not lead us into temptation, and those that are not faithful in the least more just makes them more unfaithful.

An example I have is this, spend your finances foolishly and then expect God to supply you with your rent because it is a need, it won’t happen. God knows that if he supplies your rent then that would allow you to further spend foolishly.

My pepper plants produced less when given more, but my eggplants produced more when given more, wisdom tells us which will receive more and which will receive less.

Until Christians start living what they believe, and letting others know what is required to be called a Christian so they stop claiming it falsely, Christianity will continue to look false to those standing out looking in.

The needs of the people fuel the fire of the disciples!

As trials become more intense multitudes shall seek God for answers because of need. As the multitudes seek God for answers, more faith shall be produced. The greater faith will bring forth greater truth, and once the truth is known man is then held accountable for it, and judgment soon follows. A light appears much brighter in the darkness.

Luk_12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Pro_27:7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

Isa_26:16 LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Joh_9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

As a child growing up we had in our neighborhood a house we thought was haunted. All of us children believed enough that it was haunted, that we never got to close to it. One day one of the neighborhood kids had matured enough to over come his fear, he went into the house. Because of his actions soon the fear of the house in the rest of us was gone, and it became a club house until it was boarded up.

We each live according to our beliefs; the way we respond to issues in life in general is controlled by our beliefs. We believed the house was haunted, so it caused a reaction of fear, which kept us away from the house. When the truth was made known to us, through another’s example, our belief was changed. The fear in us kids started through the same means, one kid’s fear was an example to build our belief that the house was haunted.

This is why our spiritual growth, our closeness to the Lord must come forth. We each set examples by what shall influence others.

Gideon was preparing for a battle, and the Lord tells Gideon that who ever is fearful and afraid let him depart. The Lord knew their fear would spread amongst others. As we strengthen others in a belief that is true, we weaken others in a belief which is false.

Jdg 7:3Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mountGilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand

It was the young man that had matured in knowledge enough to realize the house wasn’t haunted, that removed our fear through his example. His belief had become true belief, which allowed the rest of us to believe correctly.

Teaching false belief has a greater effect when done by example, then done by word.

One builds strength through resistance (Trials). The weight lifter increases the resistance because he has a goal. If we see the resistance in any form other than its purpose, to help us obtain our goal, we will only see a burden.

1 Have a goal

Pro_29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish…

Rom_8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

2 Value what you’re going through

1Pe_1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,

Rom_5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also…

3 What you put in you will get out

Mar_4:24 … with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

Heb_6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

4 Have patience

Heb_10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Luk_8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Mat_24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

We had a cat for fifteen years, and at times it would rebel against the rules. One of the things I knew was I couldn’t punish my cat later but had to immediately respond to what he had done, for he would have no way of making the connection other wise. If I punished him later after the event he would have simply saw me as cruel, not connecting his disobedience to the punishment.

At the park I watched an overweight teenager tearing down one of the wooden fences, just to pass through instead of walking around to the entrance. As I thought about the teenager I thought how he will reap punishment from his rebellious ways. Then I saw the connection between the teenager and my cat, neither would see the punishment as for their good if they cannot relate it to their incident of rebellion. They both would see a cruel hand upon them, and instead of improving they would be hardened.

As Christians through our faith we accept sowing and reaping, the carnal minded people cannot see the connection. Because they do not understand they are reaping what they have sown, it causes them to be hardened more because they see it as life is cruel.

Ecc 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.