"I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Galatians 2:20

The middle phrase is the critical understanding that you must grasp out of this fabulous verse. The entire verse is beautiful and wonderful to understand, but the middle is crucial.  "And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God...."  Do you see it?  Your present, daily reality is to model faith in Jesus Christ.  This is not the "The life I live when I get to Heaven...".  It does not say "The life I live when I get everything together". No, it is the Life I NOW live!  Now, present!  The life you live while reading this e-mail is to display Jesus.  The life you live as you drive down the road is to demonstrate that Christ lives in you.  The music you listen to, the words you speak, the attitude you carry, the places you go, the people you associate with....All these are part of your NOW life!  April 28-May 1, 2019, at the Lakeway Area Go Tell Crusade, 700 people made either a first time profession in Christ or a re-dedication of faith in Christ.  This is 700 people who said, "I need Jesus to impact and change my Now"!  My guess, is that some of you need that also!  Live Jesus everywhere you go.  Not just at church, not just in the quietness of your home, not just when you are with Christian friends (and even that sometimes doesn't matter)!  Instead, Live Jesus NOW! 

                                        REFLECTIONS ON THANKFUL PRAYER, PHILIPPIANS 1: 4
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 Paul’s thanksgiving begins by expressing the privilege he has in praying for the church at Philippi. And he uses a couple of words that should reflect the thanksgiving we should all have in prayer.  In verse 4 he says, “always in every prayer…”.  His prayers for the people were marked by persistence, Not just Philippi, but all the churches.  Paul’s thankfulness never wavered, and neither did his prayers. Satan came after Paul and his ministry in a sundry of ways; From imprisonment to shipwrecks, snakebites, a thorn in the flesh, and civil unrest in the towns he visited.  Yet, Paul prayed

Let me tell you, a fervent, persistent praying child of God, who is consistently besieging the Throne of Grace day and night, is more dangerous to Satan than an active person encumbered with busyness!  I heard someone say the other day, “Just say a little prayer for me”.  Maybe you have heard that, or said that, "Just say a little prayer for me”.  Do you understand that there is no such thing as a “Little Prayer”.  Every prayer brought before the God of the Universe is Big!  This is an opportunity to approach the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.  This is making your petitions known unto the Sovereign God of History and Creation.  There is nothing little about each and every prayer brought before Him.  He takes each one seriously.  He hears the prayers of His people, and He answers them all!  Paul tells us later in the book, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”

 With that understanding Paul says at the end of the verse, "…with joy.”  Where is joy found?  “I got the joy, joy, joy, joy where?”  Down in my heart.  Verse 7 says, "because I have you in my heart...", so every time he prayed for the people, it was his highest joy and privilege because they were in His heart!  Who do you pray for the most?  Those who are in your heart  What requests come to your heart and mind first?  Those that consume your heart!  That is where joy is found!  Now, not every request is joyful.  Sometimes what grips your heart is a struggle, or a person who needs Jesus.  Maybe what consumes your heart is a situation or need.  But, in your heart, you know that you can bring that request before the Father and it will be heard.  Bringing that prayer to Him, you have the joy in knowing that is the best place, and the only place where God’s glory can shine in the situation!

 So, you and I have joy because, "seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  That’s where thanksgiving begins - The joy of the heart
      

Ten Disciplines of Grace
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Grace 1: “You shall have no other gods before Me”
God loves you so much, and He longs for you to have all of Him
 
Grace 2: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image…”
Multiplied mercy conforming you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ
 
Grace 3: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”
In Christ, you get to carry His name
 
Grace 4: “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it Holy”
A grace in rest that refocuses toward holiness
 
Grace 5: “Honor your mother and father…”
Brings God’s blessing and a lasting legacy
 
Grace 6: “You shall not murder”
God is the lover and giver of life
 
Grace 7: “You shall not commit adultery”
The redeeming love of God blesses purity and faithfulness
 
Grace 8: “You shall not steal”
Man’s desire is to get, but God’s grace is that He gives
 
Grace 9: “You shall not bear false witness”
Living in truth brings growth
 
Grace 10: “You shall not covet…”
Covet properly, with a desire for more and more of Jesus

"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.'"  Isaiah 48: 17

Read that verse again.......No really, go ahead and do it, I'll wait...........
Do you think God wanted them to know who He is?  You think He is wanting to get their attention as to who is speaking to them?
He used 4 different expressions to say who He is! 
1) The Lord, Jehovah, the National name of God for His people, meaning Eternal
2) Redeemer, meaning 'next of kin', 'to purchase or ransom', 
3)The Holy One of Israel, The Sanctuary
4) God, Elohim, the Supreme God
Put it together, God is reminding His people that He is their eternal God who redeemed them from Egypt, so that He, the Supreme God can be their Sanctuary, their dwelling place.  What does God have to do to get your attention?  Remember as a child, when your parents wanted to get your attention, they would call you by your full name!  Instead of God calling you by your full name, He calls us by His name, reminding us exactly who He is.  He is the Eternal God of the Universe, who purchased us by the shed blood of His son Jesus, so that you and I can find our security and rest in the Only Supreme Authority of the Created Universe.  He reminds us who He is so that we will listen as He directs us in the way we should go!  Is God trying to get your attention?  Reflect on the many different ways God has shown Himself in your life the past couple of weeks. 
Now, pause, and take time to reflect and listen to Him......No, really, go ahead and do it.............
​He's waiting!

              "I will never forget your precepts, for by them You have given me life" 
Psalm 119:93

I want to invite you to read the entire chapter of Psalm 119, yes all 176 verses, and see what this tremendous chapter has to say about the Word of God, and what our response it to be to His Word!  I don't have time or space to give a detailed description, so I invite you to read it for yourself.  The chapter uses words like precepts, statutes, commandments, law and testimonies to describe the Word of God.  This morning, in my personal Bible reading time, this chapter was part of my reading plan, and now, the verse above is the Verse of the Day on my Bible app!  What is God trying to tell me?  Yes, I need to be in His Word more and more!  For me, it's easy to spend time in the Word, I do it every day.  But, in confession, sometimes it's just for sermon preparation and not in personal mediation!  Or, I am spending time reading what others say about the Bible rather than reading the Bible itself!  The words of Psalm 119: 93, and the entire chapter, challenge me.  They challenge me to remember that life is found in the Word of God.  Remember, that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  Hope is found in the Word of God.  Power is found in the Word of God.  Truth is found in the Word of God.  Strength against temptation is found in the Word of God.  Deliverance is found in the Word of God.  Do you need any of these?  How about this, "Thy Word I have hid in my heart that I may not sin against Thee". This, if for no other reason is cause for us to never forget the Word of God!

"Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have purposed to make my steps stumble." Psalm 140:4

I messed up this morning, but God had a word for me.  In my Bible daily reading, I read the wrong Scripture.  I jumped way ahead by accident and read the Scripture assigned to another day.  But, God knew just what I needed, and gave me the verse I have quoted above.  I have sensed for a couple of days now that Satan is bringing attack against our church and it's members.  Sickness, job situations, busyness, distraction, anxiety, frustrations, etc....  Attacks that hinder our worship and growth as individuals and a church.  Attacks that discourage us, and cause us to question.  Attacks that take our focus off of the main thing, and that is Jesus.  As I read this verse this morning I realized, even though it was meant for a different day, God meant for me to read it today! 

Maybe it's a word for you as well.  As you read it, realize that the "hands of the wicked" and "violent men" are the works of Satan.  His purpose?  To make you and I stumble.  To cause you and I to get frustrated and off-center from God.  When that happens, we allow the frustrations and distractions to lead us into making hasty decisions and cause us to get discouraged in our circumstances.  So, my prayer for myself today is: "Keep me, O Lord".  I invite you to read this chapter and see David's request.  It wasn't just "keep me", it is "Deliver me" (vs. 1), "Preserve me" (vs. 1), "Hear the voice of my supplication" (vs. 6), and more.  In the end, David has confidence that Satan's attacks of discouragement, frustration, and anxiety will not thwart God's power in the life of His children.  "I Know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor.  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in your presence" (vs. 12-13).  Attacks will come, but you must not flinch!  Instead, know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted!  To God be the Glory!!!!!!

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil"  Ephesians 4:26-27

Aren't you glad God gives us some freedom to be angry!  I am so thankful for that addendum God put on that verse, "and do not sin". I must confess, there are times I have been angry.  When I have to clean up after my dog because she has gotten into the garbage while we have been gone, and we find trash all over the kitchen and living room, I've been angry!  When my car has a flat tire and I have to spend all day in Knoxville at the most inopportune times, I have been angry.  When someone has said or done something that has upset my wife or kids, I have been angry.  When Satan has sent discouragement and strife into the life of my church family, I have been angry.  When I see and hear the name of my Savior being misused and trampled, I get angry.  On and on I could go.  Anger is not a sin, it's what you allow it to do to you and what you do with it that determines the outcome.  If you allow anger to fester and boil over.  If you allow your anger toward an individual to hinder forgiveness.  If you dwell on events that, with every thought, bring you to a rage.  If you allow strife and discouragement to win over joy and peace. These and other attitudes reflect sin.  How do we control what anger does for us?  God's Word tells us in the previous verses.  "that you put off, concerning the former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your MIND, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."  That's the answer, just as we looked at Sunday. What we do with anger is a matter of the mind!  You don't give Satan a foothold with your anger!  In Christ, you and I are new a new creation.  Old things, past anger, present hostility is given over the Mind of Christ established in the life of a believer.  So, it's a good thing I have put my faith in Jesus Christ and surrendered my heart and mind to Him.  Otherwise, I have a dog I am willing to give away!!!!!