That’s right, God told Cain that he must rule over sin. Isn’t it wonderful to know that sin is defeatable. That means Satan, the one that walks around like a roaring lion and wants to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8), is not in control, but conquerable. Instead of Satan forcing us into sin, God has entrusted us with the decision of whether or not we are going to let him into our lives. It is up to us if we are going to follow him or the Lord (Rom. 6:16-18). We can tell him no. We can resist him and he will flee from us (Jas. 4:7).

How can we do that? Isn’t he described as crafty, deceitful, and powerful. Yes, but the ability to overcome such a horrible foe is not within ourselves. James wrote that victory begins when we willingly humble ourselves, draw near to God and submit ourselves to Him (Jas. 4:7-10). Then we can put on the whole armor of God, which gives us the knowledge, wisdom and strength we need to stand against this terrible enemy of our souls (Eph. 6:10-18). And, of course, our ultimate victory is in Jesus Christ, the One who died for us and made salvation from sin available (Eph. 1:7).

     Father, thank you for giving us the ability and opportunity to choose what is right. Thank you for the power to stand against Satan. Thank you for victory in Jesus. Help us to be strong. Keep us pure.  Amen.

-contributed by my dad John A. Curtis

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. ‘The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

God wants us to be still and know that He is God. God says that He will be exalted among the nations and exalted in the earth. He wants our attention! He wants us to push aside our busyness. He wants us to drop our worries. He wants us to let go of our concerns. He wants us to do these things so that we can see Him for Who He truly is… the Almighty, our Fortress, our Deliverer and Protector.

Sometimes we can give so much of our attention to all of the “stuff” going on in our lives and it causes us to feel burdened, stressed, worried and worn out. As a result we can even feel alone at times, as if the world is against us and our enemies have overwhelmed us. But if we choose to be still and give God our attention… we will realize that He is bigger than our busyness, our stress and our problems. We will come to the great realization that He is our Fortress, giving us the peace in life that we so often long for.

May we all take the time to be still, recognize God for He truly is, and give Him our attention… the attention He so greatly deserves!

God, thank You for being the God that You are! You are my Fortress and my Refuge! I sometimes give my attention to so many other things. Please forgive me. Please help me to always give You the attention that You so greatly deserve! You gave Your very best for me and have saved me from my sins! I love You so much, Father. Thank You for loving me and protecting me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

-contributed by Chris Hayes

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

Oh how he loves us!  God has never and will never ask us to do something He hasn’t done Himself.  In His infinite grace, mercy and love, God presented his Son, as a sacrifice for us.  In return, we are to be a living sacrifice to God.  But it’s deeper than that.  What this verse says to me is that I am to dwell in His grace, really soaking in it.  Then, because of the gift I experience I am to die to self (Galations 2:20) and live with Christ dwelling in me.  Wow!  My living is to be a spiritual act of worship in praise to my Father who loves me beyond words and showers me with grace.

Father, thank you for this revelation today.  Your Spirit has shown me in this reading that because I recognize your gifts of mercy and grace I am to live life in praise and worship to you.  Be with me when I know I need you the most. Be with me when I think I need you the least.  Continue to renew me from the inside out.  May all praise and glory be to you forever and ever.  In Jesus name, I pray.   Amen.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

Too often in life, I find myself missing the mark when it comes to this scripture.  In the midst of challenges and worries, happiness and success, I find myself relying on the wrong person…me.  Society has taught us to be self-reliant, self-improving and self-sustaining, but  what this verse says to me is God is to be the Lord of my life and the One on whom I should lean.  He is to be my Light and Salvation not sometimes or part-time or only in times of need or distress, but all of the time.

Heavenly Father, thank you for being my God. You are my everything. You are the Lord of my life. Thank you for everything, seen and unseen. Be with me when I know I need you the most. Be with me when I think I need you the least. Speak to me through your Holy Spirit, when I read your words. Continue to renew me from the inside out. May all praise and glory be to you forever and ever. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Did you notice the response of Jesus to the Centurion’s faith? Jesus “marveled,” was astonished, was amazed at his faith. Why? The Centurion was a soldier, an officer in the Roman army. Likely, he was a Roman, a Gentile. Yet, he had greater faith in Jesus than did the Jews who were supposedly awaiting Him, the Messiah. The Centurion’s faith was solid, strong, unwavering. He was convinced that Jesus had the power and authority to heal his servant, and he left with nothing but the assurance of Jesus that his servant would be healed.
When Jesus looks at your faith, does He marvel? Is He amazed? Is He astonished? When He looks at your faith, what does He see? Does He see someone that just believes that His existence is a possibility, or a mere acknowledgment that He lived on earth? Does He see someone that follows Him when it is convenient? Does He see someone that follows Him because it is beneficial, like those that followed to be fed? Does He see someone that follows because that’s what the crowd, his friends or family does? Or, does He see someone like the Centurion, one who believes in Him wholeheartedly, one that trusts Him, one that is willingly to let Him be the Lord and Master of his life?
How did the Centurion come to have such a great faith? He apparently had heard of Jesus and possibly even seen Jesus in action. Maybe he had watched Jesus heal the leper mentioned in the previous verses. Whatever his source, he had come to know Jesus. We too can come to know this Jesus, if we will read, study and meditate on what we are told in God’s Holy Word.

Heavenly Father, help us to have a clear image of your Son Jesus, so we may come to know Him and wholeheartedly trust Him.

- contributed by my dad, John Curtis

The heavens declare the glory of the Lord
The skies proclaim the works of his hands
Day after day they pour forth speech
Night after night they display knowledge

Wow. The ancients were able to hear better than we do often. How many times do I sit inside my house or car with the radio, T.V., phone or computer going and I don’t even hear heavens daily proclamation? The “silent heavens”, with their God given rhythm’s, declare His goodness and faithfulness in every language.

Make a point this week to spend time “Listening to the Heavens”! You won’t be sorry you did.

Father, help me to take the time to quiet myself enough to hear you. You reach out to us in so many ways and too often I rush by without even noticing. Thank you for your creation that speaks of your greatness every single day that the sun shines, the clouds roll, and constellations play. Through Jesus we pray, Amen.

-contributed by Lewis Stephenson

Heavenly Father, thank you for being my God. You are my everything. You are the Lord of my life. Thank you for everything, seen and unseen. Be with me when I know I need you the most. Be with me when I think I need you the least. Speak to me through your Holy Spirit, when I read your words. Continue to renew me from the inside out. May all praise and glory be to you forever and ever. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

I drove up to Searcy, Arkansas in the middle of the night to go fly fishing on the Little Red River at first light.  Heading to the place where I learned to fly fish, I was very excited about the trip.  I hadn’t been there in nearly 13 years and was desperately in need of some fishing therapy. Once I arrived, I had a great day fishing and was thoroughly exhausted from work the day before, the drive and an active day of fishing.  That night, my head hit the pillow in the Heritage Inn on the Harding University campus with my only thought being that of another great day of fishing ahead.

Next morning, I awoke at no particular time ready to catch fish.  I wasn’t in a hurry.  A long day lied ahead, and I wanted to take it easy.   What happened next was the beginning of an extraordinary day, though it didn’t dawn on me till later.  As I checked out and grabbed my continental breakfast, I noticed a gentleman who looked very familiar.  I struck up a conversation with him while he read the sports page.  He was there visiting his daughter and helping her move into an new place.  While we visited about why each of us was there, we discovered that we both lived in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  So I told him that I knew him from somewhere, and we finally figured out that he had spoken at my Church a few times.  We ended up visiting for about an hour about all kinds of things, and I began to feel that there was something special about this day.  As we shook hands and parted, he said it was drizzling outside and he hoped it didn’t ruin my day of fishing.  My response was, “nothin’ can ruin my fishing.”

The river was eerie that day.  It was drizzly and dreary and there was the slightest of breezes that slowly pushed a dense unending fog down the river.  While I love fishing on bright sunny days, there’s something equally satisfying about fishing in slightly inclement weather.  Maybe it’s the struggle between man and nature or maybe I’m just not smart enough to stay inside when it’s cold and gloomy.

After catching 7 or 8 fish, it slowed down drastically.  Through the day, I would catch one about every 20 minutes or so.  Around 2:30 pm, I reluctantly began to contemplate packing up and making the 6 hour drive home.   The normal responsibilities of life crept into my mind and I started thinking of my wife and kids and how much I missed them, how much I was thankful they let me get away.  I was torn.  I wan’t to catch more fish, but I was longing for home too.  Knowing the end was near, I began to pray for a big fish.  If I could just catch one really good fish, I would pack it up and go home.  As I prayed, I caught a fish, but it wasn’t that big.  I continued my conversation with God and caught another fish and then another, but neither was what I called large.  Home was calling me, but that lunker that I was hoping to catch still had not materialized.  Then I began to ask specifically, boldly for exactly what I was looking for.  I asked God to show me his power in this.  I felt I was treading on thin ice, challenging God.

As soon as I had the thought “show me your power”, my line became a little tighter. I set the hook, and I knew my prayer had been answered.  I would be going home soon.  But that’s not exactly what God had in mind.  He was challenging me back even as I still continued my conversation with Him, and I became deeply aware of God.  I proceeded to fight the monsterous fish for the next 45 minutes.  We went up the river.  We went down the river.  All the while, I was talking to God.  My surroundings seemed crisper even in the fog.  Clarity entered my brain and ruled my thoughts.  Everything seemed to slow down and there were moments when my hair stood on end.  I was overwhelmed with the prescence of God.  It was me, God and a fish.

I fought and fought, but the fish never tired.  I barely got a glimpse of the huge hog, and I never even came close to landing it.  I guess I wasn’t supposed to.  After 45 minutes of wrestling a fish, talking to and praising God, the fish took a turn and swam with the intention to break my line.  So it did.

I packed up and began my drive home still tingling from the experience.  I sat silently in the car as I drove.  No music, no talk radio.  I Reflected on my day.    My chance meeting with Jay.  Our discussions.  The weather.  The fishing.  The praying.  It was all part of a bigger plan to get my attention, to make me deeply aware of God.  It was awesome!  I loved every minute of it and can’t wait for the next time!  I wonder if that’s what Peter, James and John felt like.

Just caught this phrase today and it made me think.  I hope it makes you think too.

We find the apostles witnessing the transfiguration in this section of scripture.  Imagine that!  Two dead dudes and Jesus shining brightly.   Peter began running his mouth as usual, saying what he thinks without thinking (a disease I suffer from).  Then they are wrapped in a light radiant cloud when it happend.  They became deeply aware of God.

What was it?  What does that mean?  Was it a feeling, an emotion, a presence that was unexplainable or a combination of all these things?   I imagine it was the Holy Spirit, but what do I know.  I know that I have felt it a few times and it was awesome.  Read what happened to Peter, John and James.

28 About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. 29 While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. 30 At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah— 31 and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem. 32 Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking. 34 While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. 35 Then there was a voice out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him.” 36When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.

One thing can be said for certain about becoming deeply aware of God.  When it happens, you know it.  Their is no doubt, no questioning.  Simply basking in the moment.  Filled with emotion and amazement.  Things seem clearer, slower like an out-of-body experience.  I once became deeply aware of God during an extremely difficult time in my life that I’m not comfortable sharing.   However, let me share another experience…..but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow.

Until then, think about those moments when you, like the apostles, became deeply aware of God.  If you’re brave enough, share that experience and what it meant to you by clicking the comment link.

This is more of a commentary than scriptural thought, however, there will be scripture and thought.

I just saw the movie 2012.  Good movie but with some language —mostly English.   Ha, you know what I mean.   Anyways, I like end of the world movies.  They make me think.  What would I do in that situation?  Would I lay down or would I fight?  Would I lead or would I follow?  What is important when it comes to the end?  What would I cling to?  Who or what would surround me?  If I knew the world could possibly end, how would I spend my last weeks, days, hours, minutes or seconds?

After the movie, a few scriptures came to mind.  The first one was Ecclesiastes 3:1-15.

1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do people really get for all their hard work?10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.15 What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

What time is it right now?

For me, it is time to stand up for my family, for my beliefs, for my God.  It is time to cast off doubt, fear and things of this world.  It is time to set goals for myself, my family and my Church.  It is time to let go and move on from the past.  It is time to be thankful and appreciate everything because it is from God.  It is time to pray for wisdom, for my country, for my president.   It is time to love others as myself.  It is time to enjoy and live life to the fullest because soon my time may be up!

So, what time is it for you?