When we become a Christian, we are to put off the ways of the world, and begin a new life with Jesus. 

The world is full of sin.  Take a look at Hollywood.  It encourages us to envy the Hollywood stars and to foolishly compare ourselves with these beautiful, talented people.  Social media preys on this, sometimes stirring a dissatisfaction with our own lives.

As a Christian, we must set our mind on things above.  Loving the world and relenting to their sinful ways will cripple our spiritual growth.

It's a high price to pay to become a Christian and to endure the relationship with God, but it is so worth it.  You will be ridiculed, rejected, laughed at and marred for your faith while living in this world.

You cannot serve two masters.  Either you love the world and hate God, or you love God and hate sin.

Yes, we will suffer in this life, on this earth, but oh the reward of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus is worth it all!

John 12:25- "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

Letting go of good memories is hard, but holding onto things of the past is not good either.

When you become a Christian, we should be putting off the old things and surrendering our full life to God.  Unless we fully surrender our entire life, we won’t get anywhere.  Unless we’re committed to God, He can’t fully give us the desires of our heart.

Just as any parent or caregiver wants what's best for their kids, God wants the best for His children. 

In order to grow as a Christian, we must allow God to envelope us with wisdom and knowledge.  We must be willing to allow God's grace and power to cover us.

In order to have a prosperous and fruitful life, Christians must surrender their whole life to God, not just the parts they don't want to control. 

Evil abounds in this world we live in, so as Christians we must be ready for battle, daily.  We must put on the whole armor of God and fight the battles ahead.

In order to move forward with God, we must let go of the past forever.  God requires this of us, if we are to be His soldiers in His army of life.

Isaiah 43:18 - “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.”

Daily encouragement is necessary in our walk of faith.  We should be encouraging others, helping others to thrive and excel in their relationship with God.

We will have problems and trouble in this world, but we know that Jesus has already overcome the world.  Jesus is greater than any trouble that we face today.

Without encouragement, hardship becomes meaningless.  We want to give up, yet God calls us to be faithful and He alone can and will give us the power to overcome anything.

Encouragement gives hope.  The bottom line is, encouragement makes it easier to live the Christian life.

Encourage someone in your path today.  God’s word is full of encouragement.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Have you ever experienced moments of time standing still?  The birth of a child is the first thing I think of.  One minute you’re in a room with two people, then miraculously there’s three in the room.

Time is in God’s Hands.  None of us can make time pass any quicker or slow it down.  If you’re a parent or a caregiver of a child, you know that they grow up in an instant.  You’re changing their diapers and then before you know it, you’re watching them graduate high school. 

Just as God made time stand still in Joshua 10:13, He controls our next breath. 

We may not understand how God made the sun stand still, but we can know that if it’s God’s will, then whatever the circumstance, God will perform the miracle. He will answer the prayer. He will provide the way.

I relish days where I can just take the time and slow down.  I love reading God’s word and sit quietly.

Take time today to listen for God.  Take time today to give someone a hug.  Take time today to listen to someone’s story. Take the time to love today.

Joshua 10:13 - "And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.  Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day."

If you've ever used a GPS you know that if you make a wrong turn, the GPS will let you know by giving you a warning to 're-calculate.'

Using God as my GPS allows me to follow His guidance (Bible) and know that His route to get through life is for my good.  If we find ourselves on the wrong road, walking down the wrong path, God will remind us to come to Him for direction.

Just like a GPS's function, if we don't know how to use it, what good is it to get to our destination.  If we don't know God and His plan for our life we'll be lost.

The good news is that you can come to God at any time in your life.  You don't have to wait until things are in order.  In fact, Jesus says "Come as you are."

Some people may think that to come to Jesus, to repent and be saved that you have to get rid of the sin in your life, but this is not a prerequisite for salvation.

Repenting and accepting the gift of salvation will put you on the right path in life.  God's GPS will altar your course to a better life.

Matthew 11:28 - "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

If you're not going through a storm right now, enjoy it.  It's not a question of if the storms are coming, but when the storms will come.

The Bible states that we should 'fear not.'  But, do we do this?  I know I've been guilty of fretting through the storm or feeling like I'm alone.  No matter how scary the storm may seem, you can be confident God will bring you to safety.

It is true what they say, "risk/reward."  No risk, probably no reward.  You'll never make a change in your life or an impact on others if you refuse to take risks and venture out into the storms of life.

These storms should stir up our faith.  Is there some step of faith that God's calling you to take?

The storms of life can be our friend or our enemy.  These interruptions of life are there to awaken our faith.

God is calling us to be an overcomer, not a casualty or a victim.

Respond to God, give Him your heart.  Let God carry you through the storms of life.

Psalm 46:1 - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

I've thought about this statement a lot this morning and for most of my life, I unfortunately was waiting on God, not knowing that He was waiting on me.

When God is waiting on us, He's waiting to see how we respond to a situation, react to a tragedy or handle a change in plans.  He's wanting us to trust Him, read His word for direction and wait for His timing.

When we are waiting on God, we must read the Bible, study the scriptures, apply the scriptures to our life.  And while we're waiting, trust that His plans are better than our plans.

I know from experience that waiting on God, trusting His plan is far better than trying to resolve the situation on my own. 

Trust God while you patiently wait on His timing!

Isaiah 40:31 –"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint"

Usually when the new year rolls around everyone wants to start getting in shape.  They start out vigorously working out, and then before you know it, they're injured or have lost interest.

This can also be like our spiritual walk.  Just like the scenario above, if we don't consistently workout our spiritual walk with God, we start losing our strength.  We start losing our credibility.  We can even start losing our interest in God.

So, how do we do this?  We consistently read God's word.  This is our instruction manual for life. You allow your mind to be transformed to God's word.  When you do this, it will radically change your outlook on life and will make a huge difference in your personal behavior and lifestyle.  This will also help you in ministering to others.

Just like the needs of our physical body, we must train our minds to be Godly.  This requires discipline and faith.  The more we believe in the truths of the Bible and incorporate them into our life, the more fit we become in spirt, mind and body.

Get in shape with God today!  You'll never regret it!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."