Friday, November 29, 2019

Fantastic Friday #709 - Unclear

Unclear

7 Even inanimate things that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? 8 In fact, if the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. 1 Corinthians 14:7-9

Do you see something or hear something and it feels like it is unclear? Do you find too many distractions around you that cause you not to hear what is going on? How do you communicate your feelings and actions to others? Many times the world around us can have noise that we can't communicate with others effectively, and sometimes we just don't know what to say. I know that I have to many times make sure people are listening before I speak, and I have to take my time so that people understand me as I can rattle and not be clear. I know some people who mumble and things definitely are unclear. We all need to take the time when speaking with others about the Gospel or anything else to be clear and concise, and then give people a chance to ask questions so that our words don't just fall into thin air.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Friday, November 22, 2019

Fantastic Friday #708 - Speech

Speech

24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
25 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
for seven abominations fill their hearts.
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception,
but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Proverbs 26:24-26

Do you find yourself running across people who are speaking eloquently but their speech doesn't sound quite right? A lot of times there are people of "faith" who talk a good talk, but aren't biblical with their teaching. There are people who talk about being good to each other and to live a righteous life and you will prosper, but the prosperity they are teaching is not what God teaches. We hear about false prophets in the Bible and the world is full of them. We have to remember that God will teach us through His word and not someone else's own thoughts. I heard someone say this week that we shouldn't take the Bible literally, and that is a big mistake if we begin to think this way. Don't let the enemy make you think that what the Bible teaches is only a suggestion, God uses the Bible to guide us and command us so that we can be with Him again. Don't listen to speech that drives you away from His word.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Friday, November 15, 2019

Fantastic Friday #707 - Stand

Solid

19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription:

The Lord knows those who are His, and
Everyone who names the name of the Lord
must turn away from unrighteousness. 2 Timothy 2:19

Have you been in a situation where you were standing or walking and you lost your footing because there was no solid foundation below you? I was in a situation this week where I was walking in sand and all of the sudden the solid sand foundation I had disappeared, and I sunk into a deep-filled hole of mushy sand where I began to lose my balance. I think our Christian walk can be the same way sometimes when we don't pay close enough attention to the things around us. A lot of times we might be having the best day ever, then the enemy throws something up in our path that causes us to stumble, lose balance and sometimes fall. The great thing about stumbling and falling is that we can get back up again, and with God’s help we can stand on His firm foundation. Keep in mind that we always have that firm foundation to walk on, we just need to stay on the right path.


Have a great weekend.

Matt

Friday, November 8, 2019

Fantastic Friday #706 - Remember

Remember

1 May Yahweh answer you in a day of trouble;
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.
3 May He remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering. Selah

4 May He give you what your heart desires
and fulfill your whole purpose.
5 Let us shout for joy at your victory
and lift the banner in the name of our God.
May Yahweh fulfill all your requests. Psalm 20:1-5


How do you remember things? Is it by writing them down, putting them in your phone, or do you have the memory like an elephant? A lot of times we tend to remember things that are bad before the good things that happened to us. We focus too much on what the enemy tries to do to us rather than think about what the Lord does for us. Our memories are short for the Lord, and that has a lot to do with our faith. If we can focus on the faith we have in the Lord's accomplishments for us, then the enemy's attacks on us will have very little impact and we won't remember what the enemy is trying to do. So remember the good and don't focus on the on the bad, God is there for us through all of it and will fulfill our needs and requests.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Friday, November 1, 2019

Fantastic Friday #705 - Argument

Argument

8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument. 1 Timothy 2:8

How many of you think our world has become a place where all we do is argue with each other. People in politics are always arguing, people are using social media to argue their point, the people on the news are arguing back and forth, and sometimes this arguing can permeate places we don't want it to, like our homes. This scripture is very specific in how we should pray, and if you notice it is stated that we should lift up our hands without anger or argument, now I wonder why that is stated. When you find yourself arguing a point or with someone, what happens to your heart rate? It goes up and I assume you get a little tense and worked up. When you get angry or argue, sometimes your thoughts are probably not in order and you probably aren't very concise with your speech. If God tells us to pray without anger and argument, that probably means that He wants us calm and thoughtful and humble when we approach him. God doesn't want us to do anything with anger in our heart, so why do we argue with other people? It sure doesn't feel good. Think about how God wants us to approach Him the next time you think about getting in an argument.

Have a great weekend.

Matt