1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

1 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

Today I want you to sit down and write yourself a letter. Yes write a letter from you to you. Do so after you examine and see where you are in the faith. Truthfully evaluate who you are in Christ. Look at what you say, how you respond when you don't get your way. How you pray, how you study the scripture. How you honor your father and mother. How you love your spouse, how you love Jesus. Just a complete inventory of who you are. Pick out an area that you need to be closer to Jesus in and write a letter to your self explaining what the deal is. i have written my letter below to guide you. 

Dear David,
 
I have been watching you lately and I would like to discuss a few things with you mainly because I love you and I want you to reflect the love of Jesus Christ and I want you to be like Him and exhibit His ways. Today it was revealed to you in your study and preparation of not a fan chapter 7 page 92 on the ipad, (I know you love details) that you are a self-absorbed person. When you are in the middle of things you do not hear, you do not acknowledge others,  you do not respond to some very dear people in your life. You act like what they have to say doesn’t matter and can wait. These are people that you love dearly, your beautiful wife, your precious daughters and your son. Their comments you ignore until you are ready to respond. Your wife makes excuses for you saying, ‘you are just concentrating’ and you allow her to do it. The whole time this is going on they don’t feel important enough for you to stop what you are doing and listen. So what if it breaks your concentration, you and I both know you have attention deficient disorder anyway, at any given minute you can be out preparing a garden you don’t have, or adding on to your shop, or building a table, you will chase a squirrel in a minute and you know it, so stop what you are doing and respond to your family. Just like Kyle Idleman’s wife did not even feel like she was on a date if she did not have Kyle’s attention, your children, your wife and others feel like they are of zero importance when they are working with you. You and I know the truth, you love them with all of your heart, but don’t you want them to know that as well? Don’t you want them to enjoy the time they spend with you? You make them not want to be in the shop. You make them dread having to help you. Did your father treat you that way? No, and before you go and puff yourself up and say you never interrupted his train of thought, you forget one thing, I was there. You did the same thing. Listen get over yourself, you are not performing open heart surgery or removing something from someone’s brain, you are just building something. The wood is not going to die, it has already dead. The measurement is not going to change, once again if we are getting real, you know you are going to forget the measurement before you get to the saw anyway. Stop and listen. And another thing, when is the last time you said thank you to Princess Karl. She quit a job to help you. She works each and every day, you barely pay her, and all she wants is for you to be happy, to love her, and to show your love to her. Get your mind right, she will be leaving in January, you better seize every moment. That girl loves you, and you better return the love. Don’t make me come over there, wait, I am over there, anyway you don’t want me to take matters into my own hands, wait, they are in my hands. Would you just love Jesus and allow the love of Jesus to flow through to the ones you love!!!!!  Stop acting like you are the center of the universe and understand that only Jesus is the center of the universe. Do not say ever again, if only someone could walk in your shoes, it only makes you sound silly and more self-absorbed. Most days in your life you are not dealing with life and death. It is just wood and glue, and paint and finish, seriously ain’t nobody dying, get real. Now with your real job, your real calling, that may be a different situation. You need to be alert and on point. People are dying and going to hell every day. Be attentive, the word you speak today may stop an affair. It may lead to the salvation of a soul, it may restore a father son relationship, so be slow to speak, quick to hear, and absolutely in tune with Jesus. There is serious work to be done, so grab a shovel and let us dig deep and prepare earnestly, because a rake will not get the dirt out of the ditch. We don’t know surface scratchers!
 
david wilson

John 20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The backdrop of this scripture is Jesus has appeared to His disciples after the resurrection and is revealing to them many things. He loves them and they have much to do in the Kingdom there lives will all be given to tell His story. Everything that Jesus did in the presence of His disciples is not written in the Bible. We are not to understand the rest story in every aspect of the Bible. Sometimes we are left with only part of the story, some of the miracles part of the information. I believe this happens often today as His story is unfolding in the lives of many around us. So often people are touched by a word spoken or a testimony given and their life is changed, but we don't necessarily hear it, or ever realize it. Some we do, and they are always with a purpose. They point us in a certain direction. I am very thankful for all the stories, however, i do not want to miss those He writes down for me. Verse 31 says that these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name. Your belief in Jesus is a crucial part of your relationship with Jesus and growth in your walk with Him. If you believe Jesus is who He says He is then it should drive you to search for Him steadfastly. The Bible is written that you may believe. What are you to believe? You are to believe that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Savior of the world, and through Him and only Him we have redemption. You are to believe that He is the Son of God. We must believe that God loved us so much that He gave to us, as a gift, a part of Himself, His Son, to walk on this earth as a man to pay a debt that we could not pay. He loved us enough not just to take us into heaven. He loved us enough to take Himself out of heaven and into us. Our belief in Him is supposed to do something. It is supposed to create in us an amazing hunger and thirst for Him, so much so that we live in His name. We must find life in the presence of Jesus Christ. We find life in worshipping Him. We find life in loving Him. We find life in His Word. We find life in communicating with Him. We find life in loving others unconditionally. We find life in forgiving. We find life in encouraging others. We find life in bearing one another's burdens. We find life in giving our time, our money and our resources to advance the kingdom. We find life in giving our testimony. We find life in bearing our cross. We find life in making disciples. We find life in assembling together. We find life in loving our wives as Jesus loved the church. We find life in being subject to our husbands in everything. We find life in seeking Him. We find life in honoring our father and mother.  We find life in tribulation, knowing that He has overcome the world. We find life in HIM. We find life as our life is revealed in HIS STORY. 

Today where are you searching for life? Is it in your career? Maybe your spouse, or your children. Do you search for life in the acceptance of your friends? Maybe you are searching for life in the sports you play or the activities that you love? Maybe you search for life in your family and their acceptance. Some search for life in the flirting gestures of another? Some search for life at the bottom of a bottle, still others at the end of a needle. It really doesn't matter where you are searching for life, if it is not in Jesus, what you are finding is temporary and will not fill the void. However, if you will search for Jesus Christ, you will find Him and in Him you will find life. He will so you what life is through the Scriptures. I pray today you will seek Jesus first and find Life!


Homework: What are some of the things that you seek to find life? Get real with your answers. You and only you know the truths about what makes you feel complete or at least makes you think it will fill a void. The quick and easy answer to this question is Jesus, praise Jesus! Only Jesus and there is nothing else that grabs my heart's attention. I applaud you, if that is your deepest and purest answer. However, I do understand that is a textbook answer and may not always be  a real life answer. You don't have to post anything if you don't want to, but I would ask all of you to write out your home work somewhere. 

RAK CHAZAK
​david wilson

Well good morning it is about 9:47am  and I have spent the last two hours sorting and repairing the crashing down or my supports for my cabinet doors in the shop. We had devised this rod system that was allowing us to finish both sides of the doors and hang them. Well all was going well and has been going well all week; however, each day we were adding more doors to the rack. Well last night sometime the rack had more than it could bear and down went the finished product of doors. Scratches now have to be fixed, some repainted, some just kinda rubbed out. Of course, the rack system has to be fixed and made stronger. So where am I going with this, well I believe many of us as Christians have attempted to encourage ourselves and our brothers and sisters with the statement God will not give you more than you can bear. Well with my foes of my rack system this morning I started thinking about this and I would have to say that i have reached a different conclusion than in the past. I begin to ask, was leading Israel out of Egypt more than Moses could bear, yes it was. Was slaying Goliath more than David could bear, yes it was. Was defeating 400 prophets of Baal more than Elijah could bear, yes it was. Was being beaten and imprisoned and called upon to sing and lead the very jailor who was in charge of the beatings to Christ more than Paul and Silas could bear, yes it was. But you see that is the point Jesus never wanted any of us to go through anything like that without Him. He brings us to things bigger than we can bear, heavier that we can carry so we can know that He is with us, loves us and will walk through every storm with us. When the mountain is to high He picks us up and carries us. I know those who love to argue will say, but what about 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."  Well here i would say the scripture speaks of temptation, my struggles are not always about temptation, but many times about how to carry the cross God has given. Additionally, it is Jesus that provides the doorway of escape, thank God we do not have to go through temptation without His presence and willingness to walk with us and proved us a doorway. I think we have a tendency to look at someone else's cross and say, 'I would rather carry their cross. It would be easier.' Well maybe or maybe not? If your goal in life is to set your cross down and to pick up someone else's, then you are forgetting one thing, you will have to bear the other cross without Jesus and that will never work. He has planted a Spirit inside you that yearns for His love, and unity in the Kingdom. So as hard as it may seem, the other cross will always end too much weight and end in destruction. Walk today with all you have and thank Jesus when all you have is not enough, knowing then all HE has ignites the flames that carry you through.

RAK CHAZAK

​Brother David

Proverbs 21:3131 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But deliverance is of the Lord.

Strong's H8668 translates in the following manner: salvation (17x), deliverance (5x), help (5x), safety (4x), victory (3x).

1. salvation, deliverance
           1. deliverance (usually by God through human agency)
           2. salvation (spiritual in sense)
   

​​The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the salvation, the deliverance, the help, the safety, the victory is of the Lord.

The horse is prepared for the day of battle. Think about what would have to be done for a horse to be prepared for battle. I will over only a few but i can think of so many. The horse would have to be strong so the horse would have to be conditioned to carry a load. How would we do this, by putting a load on the horse and pushing him to perform. The horse would need endurance. You certainly would not want your horse to fall out in midst of battle. The horse would have to be able to handle fear. The horse would have to be able to function in the midst of chaos. The horse would have to trust the master and the master would have to trust the horse. The horse would need to be quick and agile, as fast as possible. The horse would need to be willing to die, even though they really didn't understand death. (Use the comment tab and list additional things regarding  a horse's preparation for battle).

Now I want you to think about what the soldier would do to take care of his horse. How much time would he spend training his horse? How conscious would he be of making sure his horse was fed and watered? How disciplined would he be in dealing with the horse's training? How hard would he push the horse? How much love would he show to his horse? How serious would he be about walking through the fears of the battlefield with his horse? 

Now when the day of battle would come the soldier would mount his horse and ride into battle prepared. The horse would be asked to respond, but victory would come through the guidance and beautiful hands of the master. The commands, the tugs the lead, the kicks the movements in unison with obedience and victory in the hand of the master.

I want you to understand something on this day: victory is in the hands of the master. Jesus prepares you for the spiritual warfare you face. He has nurtured you along, yes He has disciplined you, yes He has placed a load on your back, yes He has made you pull more than you could pull alone, yes He has demanded much from you. But oh what He has given! Our plates are full, our water troughs aplenty, our skills tested and aligned. His command's, His teachings, His tugs, His affection, His peace, His presence, His joy, His calm, His energy, His protection , His direction, but most importantly, His love and His willingness to die in our place is always in us, made to flow through us so as to keep us. 

Sometimes when we look down and we see that the water is dissipating, maybe the food is diminishing. The training seems more difficult than ever, maybe the Lord Jesus is just preparing you for the size of the battle. Maybe you are in the midst of the battle, trust your training and trust who trained you. Maybe your fear rests in your training and you know that you need Jesus. You are not prepared because you do not have a relationship with the Master. Well perhaps this battle that you are in is the very thing the Master uses to draw you into a salvation relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! If you are in a place where you feel the need to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, please comment, "I need Jesus" with your phone number and your name, i will call you and you can begin the greatest journey of your life. If you know Jesus but you want to train different, tell Him right now that you desire to completely give yourself to Him and to surrender everything! Buckle up because you are about to embrace the most powerful time you could ever imagine! Praise Jesus for the VICTORY!

RAK CHAZAK,
brother david

1 John 3:18-22
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

When you are weak, down, or tired what temptation does Satan often try to reawaken in your fleshly nature? (Please leave a comment)

If you only went on what your heart was telling you, what would you believe about your current circumstances? And what would your heart not tell you? (Please leave comment)

​Let us take a look at John's life for just a second and see how doubt can sometimes creep into our life in different ways. John was the youngest of the disciples and had a very intimate relationship with Jesus. In fact he is referred as the disciple whom Jesus loved. John was the disciple that Jesus entrusted to care for His mother. That pretty much seals  the deal for me. Jesus and John were very close and had a very trusting relationship. As the church progresses lets look at John's role. In Jerusalem Peter was obviously the leader of the pack. If you read the book of Acts, James, the brother of Christ was the next most prominent. John later went to Ephesus and built on the foundation laid by the apostle Paul, the former attacker of Christians. If John was not careful He could have allowed his position to detour his responsibility and walk. One of the things that I think can happen to us if we are not careful is to pull the tape and measure ourselves against others. It is a natural thing to do, in the flesh of course. It is the absolute wrong thing to do however. This path is not a good nor is the final destination. We can begin to compare ourselves to others and many times we may feel like we are doing pretty good. This is a very unstable comparison and one that is not made by our Savior and one that will be of zero profit when we stand before our Creator. Some will compare themselves to others and go in the opposite direction, instead of feeling positive they reach a place of defeat because their works are not as productive, so they think. Consequently, they begin to doubt am I doing what God has led  me to do? Am i headed in the right direction? My efforts do not seem to be enough? Is God not with me? Why am i not having the success of all these other people? Again it is a terrible comparison and not at all fair to you or the individual you are comparing yourself too. We can quickly be defeated by these comparisons and I believe them to be a tool of satan and one he uses on a regular basis. John lived longer than any of the disciples and ultimately was used to pen the Book of Revelation and 4 other books of the new testament. I would say he was righty where Jesus wanted him. We are quick to desire others to be in our boat. When Peter asked about John's future Jesus responded,“If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Jesus put Peter's focus right back where it must stay, you follow ME. Following Jesus must be our continued focus, then we compare ourselves only to the obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and not to others. Do not allow doubt to creep into your life because you compare yourself to others. Keep the focus on Jesus and He will let you know how you are doing. Rest not in what you say or think, but in what Jesus says and thinks. Luke 21:1-4 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,[a] but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Read Acts 14:22 and  Psalm 143:10 today and write out a prayer (use the comment tab) that reflect these scripture for you, not other people, you.

for example:
 Dear Jesus,
Your Word says that through many tribulations I must enter into the Kingdom. Lord, I pray that I am strong because of YOU! Lord, I pray I will lean on You for wisdom and understanding. Teach me to live like You, walk like You, talk like You. Love me Jesus and show me how to love You back. Teach me to do Your will oh Lord. You are my God, Your Spirit is good, please make me good. Lead me in the land of the upright. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen