“Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Possibly the only verse that some people know from the Bible.  Possibly the most misinterpreted/misused verse in the Bible.  Humans love to find anything they can to justify their actions and beliefs.  "Logic" doesn't exist as much as people think it does in regards to how they make decisions.  Most of us use emotions to determine what we should do or say or feel.  This verse does not give you a green light to skip church to go to the gym, nor does it give you God's blessing to ridicule your family members for eating meat.  This verse tells us to act as if the Holy Spirit (God/Jesus) is living inside us ALL OF THE TIME.  Not just at church on Sunday or when you pray but also when you "go out" on Friday night and when you are upset with someone and curse them under your breath.  

Lord, help me to realize that You are with me ALWAYS and You don't like when I take You places or subject You to things that You don't want to be around.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."  Matthew 7:24-25

We often think hearing is enough.  Just as we think that saying is enough.  Actions matter and actions often matter much more than anything we may say or hear.  

Lord, help me to be bold enough to act on what I hear and to follow up my words with action.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”  Matthew 7:24-27

Have you ever dug a hole?  Have you ever dug a hole at the beach, in the sand?  My kids do it all of the time.  It is fun.  It is fun because it is easy.  Have you ever dug a hole for a fence post in a field that is mostly rock?  It sucks.  It takes time ... a lot of time and a lot of sweat.  It is not only hard but difficult.  I would much rather be at the beach.  And that is our problem.  We like the easy option more than the difficult option.  Have you ever seen a 10 year old sand castle?  There is a reason why you haven't.

Lord, help me to choose the right path, especially when that path is hard/difficult.

“No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!”  Romans 8:37-39

​If you feel that you are far from God, the only answer is that you have chosen to be far from God.  The cause is not God. The cause is our selfish nature and our lack of trust in who God says He is.

Lord, help me to realize that you are always near and when I don't feel that you are, it is because of me.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23

Look around.  If you see something that is "wrong", "troublesome", "broken", "crooked", "scary", "bad", "sad", "heartbreaking", or "corrupt", selfishness is not too far away.  Selfishness can materialize in a lot of different ways but selfishness can also be prevented with self-control.  Stopping our words and actions before they occur will often prevent a lot of problems for us and for others.  But stopping our words and actions requires us to think about others and not ourselves.

Lord, help me to put others first and that will help me to exercise better self-control. 

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”  Matthew 7:24-27

1) What is your storm today?
2) How is your foundation working out for you?

Lord, help me to ask the right questions and realize that You are most likely the correct answer or solution.

“…Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock...”  Matthew 7:24

Fake News!  Trustful and Reliable sources!  Fact checking!  Unfortunately, the world hears these phrases too often because there is a lot of false information or incomplete information or misleading information out there.  God's word is not fake or misleading or untrustworthy.  God's word is the only source that is reliable in a word of unreliability.

Lord, help me to seek out Your source of wisdom daily.

“Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.”  Colossians 2:7

Times like these, or any time we find ourselves struggling, our foundation is revealed.  We can fool others and ourselves by portraying that we have everything under control and that we are who we want to be.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, when our lives become complicated and disrupted, our true self is uncovered.  When that happens, it is time to work on our foundation so the next time, we are in a more firm position to weather the storm.

Lord, help me to put my time and energy into my foundation ... and my foundation is You!

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5

Some people are bossy.  Some people think they know better.  Some people think we don't know anything.  No one likes to be told what to do.  God isn't bossy.  God does know better.  God knows we don't know anything.  The reason God commands us to love is because He knows that when we are left to our own devices, we will choose not to love or to only love when it suits us.

Lord, help me to realize that You command me when I am unable to make the right choice myself.