START YOUR DAY WITH PRAISES AS YOU BLESS THIS DAY AND ALL YOU HAVE – STATE HOW YOU WANT YOUR DAY TO GO. PROCLAIM THE PROMISES AND FRAME YOUR DAY WITH YOUR WORDS! ANOINT THE DAY. YOU ARE ANOINTED AND APPOINTED FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS! BELIEVE IT!

For the week of April 30- May 4, the word is DISTRACTION

Definition of Distraction

1. the act or an instance of distracting or the state of being distracted

2. something that serves as a diversion or entertainment

3. an interruption; an obstacle to concentration

Synonyms
misdirection, beguilement, disturbance, interference, diversion, interruption, entertainment, recreation, amusement, diversion, pastime, divertissement, beguilement, frenzy, madness, desperation, hysteria, mania, insanity, delirium, derangement

Proverbs 4 (Message)

Your Life Is at Stake

^1-2 Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice; sit up and take notice so you’ll know how to live.
I’m giving you good counsel;
don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.

^3-9 When I was a boy at my father’s knee,
the pride and joy of my mother,
He would sit me down and drill me:
“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!
Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!
Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!
Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;
never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace,
she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

^10-15 Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.
Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don’t take Wicked Bypass;
don’t so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
Make a detour and be on your way.

^16-17 Evil people are restless
unless they’re making trouble;
They can’t get a good night’s sleep
unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
violence their drug of choice.

^18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

Learn It by Heart

^20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;
tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
body and soul, they’re bursting with health.

^23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.

What distractions are you allowing to spoil your manifestations? What distractions are dividing your efforts? Distractions have a way of draining your understanding. Distractions come in all forms.  Don’t allow distractions to manipulate your time. Don’t allow distractions to steal your harvest.  Who are you listening to? Who are you looking to for your wisdom and understanding? What voices are you heeding? The enemy knows just what distractions have the power to pull you away from your purpose. Things are not always what they seem so stop judging by appearances.

 What is your destination? Where are you going? Are your actions today propelling you toward your goal? Are you wise or foolish in your planning? What you do today will dictate where you are tomorrow. Are you purposeful in your thoughts and actions? Look to the Word for your directions – listen to the voice of Holy Spirit – seek the Presence of your Father! Steer clear of the double minded and those of double speech! Let your yes be yes and your no be no! Avoid wickedness at all cost and avoid the appearance of evil. Do not fellowship with those who know to do good and who choose not to do it for they are actively wicked. They delude those around them and offer confusion cloaked as possibilities. They are unstable in all their ways and produce insecurity in those around them.

 Choose to seek the Word – choose to seek wisdom – choose to seek understanding – choose to seek Holy Spirit! You have been given the ability to choose which path you will take. You have been given the ability to choose where you receive your understanding and who you will listen to. Seek truth – Seek wisdom – Seek understanding – Seek the plan God preordained for your life. If you seek truth you will find it.

 Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

 But if any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

Ask for the road map for your path and then choose to stay and the path. Don’t allow distractions to take you on a detour! Choose wisdom – choose understanding – choose to choose.  Choose to be steadfast! CHOOSE TO SEEK HIS FACE – CHOOSE TO TRUST IN, RELY ON, ABIDE IN, AND REQUIRE HIS PRESENCE, HIS WORD, HIS DIRECTION, HIS WISDOM AND HIS UNDERSTANDING AS OF YOUR VITAL NECESSITY FOR OUT OF IT FLOWS YOUR STABILITY! Choose Well…

For the week of April 23-27, the word is WHOLE

START YOUR DAY WITH PRAISES AS YOU BLESS THIS DAY AND ALL YOU HAVE – STATE HOW YOU WANT YOUR DAY TO GO. PROCLAIM THE PROMISES AND FRAME YOUR DAY WITH YOUR WORDS! ANOINT THE DAY. YOU ARE ANOINTED AND APPOINTED FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS! BELIEVE IT!

Mark 12:29-31 (Amplified)

²⁹Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is: Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord;

³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.

³¹The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

2 Thessalonians 1:10-12 (Amplified)

¹⁰When He comes to be glorified in His saints [on that day He will be made more glorious in His consecrated people], and [He will] be marveled at and admired [in His glory reflected] in all who have believed [who have adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him], because our witnessing among you was confidently accepted and believed [and confirmed in your lives].

¹¹With this in view we constantly pray for you, that our God may deem and count you worthy of [your] calling and [His] every gracious purpose of goodness, and with power may complete in [your] every particular work of faith (faith which is that leaning of the whole human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).

¹²Thus may the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified and become more glorious through and in you, and may you [also be glorified] in Him according to the grace (favor and blessing) of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Jesus gave us simple commands. Love the Lord with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself. If you do these two then the whole of the Law is fulfilled.  The commands are not complex but they are hard. Why? Because we have a human personality that interferes with our spiritual desires. Our spirit desires to please God in all things but our human personality or our mind, will, and emotions have their own desires. From the time we take our first breath until we take our last we are creating filters. Everything that happens to us and everything we do creates filters. These filters affect the way we interpret information.  Our interpretation dictates our reactions. See the merry-go-round this creates. Our reactions impacts how others react which in turn dictates how we react. Think about it and you know it’s true. But listen, God is not on your merry-go-round. He is patiently waiting for you to choose to get off and get in His Presence.

In His Presence the filters begin to dissolve. In His Presence you begin to replace your filters with His filters. His filters see what can be and not what is. His filters see through love and not hurt.  Verse 30 in Mark 12, instructs us to love God with our whole heart and with the whole of our being. Then you can begin to lean the whole of your personality (mind, will, and emotions) on Him (2 Thess 1:11). As your filters dissolve and you develop God filters you are able to operate more fully in His power, wisdom, and goodness. You are able to love your neighbor as yourself. Your calling and purpose begin to infiltrate the lives of others in a positive manner. You begin to manifest Jesus on the Earth. You begin to walk and live and conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things (Col 1:10). You begin to rise to who you were created to be! You begin to walk in victory in every area of your life. You begin to choose differently. You choose through love – You walk through love – You invest through love – You choose what you choose.  You choose! Choose Love! Choose to TRUST IN, RELY ON, ABIDE IN, AND REQUIRE HIS PRESENCE, HIS WORD, AND THE WHOLENESS OF HIS LOVE AS OF YOUR VITAL NECESSITY FOR OUT OF IT FLOWS YOUR STABILITY! Choose Well…

For the week of April 23-27, the word is WHOLE

START YOUR DAY WITH PRAISES AS YOU BLESS THIS DAY AND ALL YOU HAVE – STATE HOW YOU WANT YOUR DAY TO GO. PROCLAIM THE PROMISES AND FRAME YOUR DAY WITH YOUR WORDS! ANOINT THE DAY. YOU ARE ANOINTED AND APPOINTED FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS! BELIEVE IT!

Ephesians 6:10-18 (Amplified)

¹⁰In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

¹¹Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

¹³Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].

¹⁴Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,

¹⁵And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the ^[a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness ^[b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.

¹⁶Lift up over all the [covering] shield of ^[c]saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit ^[d]wields, which is the Word of God.

¹⁸Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

When you woke up this morning, did you think about the war waging around you? You may think as you are reading this that you are not in a war. The Word says differently! Verse 12 clearly lays out our opponents.  Pretending this does not apply to you does not make it so. Think about this from the natural physical standpoint.  If you were in the military and stationed at the battlefront, you would want whatever armor was available before you went outside and possibly even while inside.  You would do whatever was necessary to keep your body safe! Why then when the Word tells us we are in a battle – when it says we have been given armor – do we continue to walk around uncovered? Why do we leave our armor hanging in our spiritual closet and only bring it out after we have taken a crippling blow! Once we are bleeding we try to pray and start grappling for our armor but then it is ineffective. We are in pain, bleeding, and often confused about what happened and how. That’s when we reach out to someone else and want them to use their shield for us.

What if you prepared properly? What if you weren’t caught off-guard? What if you did what Verse 18 instructs – Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people). What if you were the one to strip away the enemy’s devices? What if you never saw the enemy because you disarmed him long before he was able to be seen? That’s what prayer will do. It may look like nothing is happening but that’s because your prayers are working. You are keeping the enemy buttoned up and he can’t gain any ground. That’s why you must stay alert – stay watchful – stay purposeful and persevere at all times in all seasons! If you don’t let what you see motivate you in prayer but pray with diligence and fervor in all seasons then your effectiveness will be consistent.

For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (Amplified)

We are to walk by faith in the Word and not be moved by what we see.  Things are not always as they appear so do not be moved by appearances; however, we are to avoid even the appearance of evil.

Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (King James)

The right thing is to eat no meat or drink no wine [at all], or [do anything else] if it makes your brother stumble or hurts his conscience or offends or weakens him. Romans 14:21 (Amplified)

 Avoid the appearance of evil so we do not allow the enemy to use us to disarm those around us. Avoid the appearance of evil so the whole of our testimony stands. Avoid the appearance of evil so our armor is whole and complete. Avoid appearances – we are not to walk by appearances but by the Word. Put on the WHOLE Armor – PRAY without ceasing – FIGHT the good fight – RUN the race! KNOW YOUR ENEMY – know you are not at war against flesh and blood but you are in a spiritual battle. PRAISE God, Jesus already WON but we must continue in battle until we have run our entire race! Watch and pray – pray and watch – stay alert! Don’t let the enemy catch you unaware! Don’t be lulled into slumber – don’t let your guard down! Persevere – press in – push forward – build yourself up through prayer and meditation! Choose the WHOLE ARMOR! Choose to TRUST IN, RELY ON, ABIDE IN, AND REQUIRE HIS PRESENCE, HIS WORD, AND THE WHOLE ARMOR AS OF YOUR VITAL NECESSITY FOR OUT OF IT FLOWS VICTORY! Choose Well…