I discovered an interesting video clip Shark vs. Octopus that is helping me in my spiritual walk with God. Every Christian battles temptations. We can use the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible, and our choices to overcome temptation. For as the Good Books says,

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 We live in this world, but we don't act
like its people (4) or fight our battles with the weapons of this world.
Instead, we use God's power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments
(5) and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture
people's thoughts and make them obey Christ.

We can take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Every Christian can overpower temtpation. May this footage help you see things as they really are, rather than as we think they are.

I added a links area in order to provide some resources for you to engage God in a better way. The first link is Blue Letter Bible. It is a site where you can get information about the Bible. You can explore the features yourself. I found the audio feature to help me better hear and see the chapter for the day. Check it out!

This morning as I read Proverbs chapter 15, God took my attention to verse 16,

"Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth
with turmoil."

I can't help but feel sad for the baby of Anna Nicole Smith. Here a little baby has no mom, no brother, and many fathers. After years of court hearings and rulings, she may inherit millions. However, I'd rather embrace a little with a reverence for God than battle a lifetime for great wealth and inherit turmoil. God's word is truth. Rather than pursue more money, pursue more of God. May God challenge you as He challenges me each day. Peace Out.

It's early afternoon. I just canceled Hangtime & Gathering. The roads were horrible this morning. I want students to be safe. So i consulted the staff who arrived and I decided to cancel Student Ministries evening activities. A wind chill advisory was also posted for this evening.
Proverbs 11:14 "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

As I drove through the falling snow to work this morning, I praised God that I could see another day of life. I arrived at my office and took a few moments to reorient my life around the Bible. On Sunday night I found God challenging my life. When you boil it all down, the Christian life really means understanding why God sent Jesus to earth, why God gave us His Word, the Bible, and why God sent the Holy Spirit into a Christian's life. In sum, my Christlike life is loving God with all I am and loving others from the reservoir of love that God has flooded into my life. I want to experience fantastic relationships with others and live a much ore fulfilled and joyful life. I don't just want the status quo. I want a great life! Only God can help me discover that, as it is recorded in the Bible in 2 Peter 1:3-11;

"Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to
us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.
The best invitation we ever received! (4) We were also given absolutely terrific
promises to pass on to you--your tickets to participation in the life of God
after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. (5) So don't lose a
minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith
with good character, spiritual understanding, (6) alert discipline, passionate
patience, reverent wonder, (7) warm friendliness, and generous love, each
dimension fitting into and developing the others. (8) With these qualities
active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day
will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master
Jesus. (9) Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you,
oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. (10) So,
friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off;
do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, (11) the
streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and
Savior, Jesus Christ."

I choose not to put if off. I will engage it now. My prayer is that students would experience the qualities of a close walk with God, one that is active and growing in each one's life, where no grass will grow under his or her feet, where no day will pass without its reward as each student matures in their experience of our Master Jesus. May God strengthen you to know Him better (Ephesians 3:17);

"I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his
Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to
know God."

Christ Up Close & Personal
Tonight I lead our small groups in learning how to make Jesus more close and personal in your life. I wonder if students have really fantastic relationships with others that bring fulfillment and true happiness in life. I am experiencing that more and more in my life as I seek to follow Christ. He is changing me each day. I just need to make practical what He is prompting me to do. Tonight I was challenged to Live a Life of Love (Ephesians 5:1-2). I can't wait to discover more together in this session of discipleship. You are invited to join us. I wonder what I can do to encourage you in your walk with God.