I’ve read where there are people who are living two separate lives. Even going to the point where they have two spouses in two different states.

Sounds exhausting, let alone illegal.

But, still there are Christians among us who are living two lives. They may profess to be a Christian, and it looks like they go to Church on Sunday, and they don’t cause any trouble. Yet, if you ask them anything about the Bible or their walk with God, they will look at you like a deer in headlights.

And, even though you, as a Christian, may be reading the Bible, learning about the truth, are you honestly walking in truth?

Are you telling others about the God you serve, or would it be too embarrassing for you?

God gives us His word for a distinct purpose; to live by it.

Whatever standards you’re living by today, re-evaluate your life and see where changes can be made. Not so much that others will notice, but that God sees you living the life He destined for you, and living in His truth.

Live the only life worth living. Live for Jesus, walk in truth.

1 John 1:8 - ”If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

Biblical history is full of hope. There are great lessons to be learned from these legendary stories.

If you know God, you know that He NEVER changes. He’s the same today as He was yesterday, and 2000 years ago.

But, we change. As we develop from childhood to adulthood, our personality changes, our surroundings possibly change, and yes, our circumstances change.

Change can be a good thing. It’s your reaction to change that typically affects your circumstances.

I’ve read where children growing up in poverty, one would think that this would be their destiny, but the opposite often happens. Through determination, perseverance and pure will, they can overcome all of this.

History can teach us lessons, to either be knowledgeable about the future, or help us to focus on how we can help change our future.

The good news is, if you have surrendered your life to Christ, your destiny is already planned for you.

In the Biblical history I’ve read, I see God blessing those who acknowledge and follow Him, but I also read where He brings justice on those who do not.

Leave a legacy in doing what’s right, according to God and His word. Let it teach you to be all you were meant to be and live your life to the fullest.

Don’t let the mistakes of the past predict your future trials. Let the history of change inspire you to be a part of the future.

Have a hopeful future.

Ephesians 1:11 - “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,”

The word ‘love’ has been defined in so many ways. There is ‘first love,’ ‘puppy love,’ ‘true love,’ etc. The list goes on and on.

Human love wears out, but God’s love lasts forever.

For those of you who are married, or were married, know that love at first looks different from love 5 years later.

Most couples will start arguing on their honeymoon night. This is actually the norm. Think about it; two people, possible complete opposite personalities, all of a sudden, living together and making decisions daily.

Disagreement is normal. It’s ok to disagree.

Love is a learning process in a marriage, a friendship or any relationship. As you grow together, you learn how to live and love at the same time with the other person.

Put God first in any relationship, whether marriage, parental, sibling, friendships.

Try this. Put the other person’s needs before yours. I know it sounds counterintuitive but it works.
Above all, put God first and your love relationship will last forever.

Love as Jesus first loved us.

Philippians 2:5 - “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”

A leaky roof is never a good thing. The leak started slowly and before we knew it, we were calling the roofer to fix a leak in the roof.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much for a roof to leak, but on the other hand, the hole could have been developing long before we saw the drip.

Isn’t that a lot like relationship strife? It starts out small; a missed date, a forgotten anniversary. Some people damage easily.

As Christians, we need to be ready and available to reach out to hurting people.

If we’re feeling lonely and unappreciated ourselves, then we won’t be ready to give to others.

Allow God to fix the hole in your own heart, before reaching out to others.

Stay close to God; talk to Him. Did you know that He’s waiting to have a relationship with you?

After all, God sent His only Son to earth to die for you and me. There’s nothing God won’t do for His children.

Ask God for grace to give to other people. If you want to receive grace for yourself, give some to others first.

Forgive as Jesus does. Love like God commands.

1 Corinthians 13:6-7 - “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I was in a small group at my church a few years ago, called, “Train & Multiply.” The training was based on God’s main law; train Christians to become disciples, to spread the good news of Jesus around the world.

The people that receive Jesus as their savior are added to Heaven’s family. When that one person tells another of his experience and the story of Jesus, that person gets saved (by God), and on and on.

God’ not so much impressed with how many people you got to come to church Sunday morning. He’s more interested in spreading the good news of Jesus, making disciples that are making disciples.

Don’t be comfortable just going to Church on Sunday. Be fearless for Jesus. Step out of your comfort zone.

Multiply the kingdom of heaven with soul winning.

I can promise if you do this, God will make you bolder; He’ll strengthen your faith, and you’ll be ready to step out and tell the world of this great life that can be theirs, if they believe.

You’ll have the courage to sign up for that next mission trip; you’ll be ready to tell your co-worker about Jesus, and you’ll be willing to love and share your story with a stranger you just met.

Make a difference.

Train and multiply the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 28:18-19 - “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

I heard the above statement the other day.

We try to do this all the time. We go to church on Sunday and say, “look at me, I’m following God,” then Monday morning comes, and we’re running all over the place, filling our time with busyness, until we’re exhausted to even give God a thought, let alone a few minutes in prayer.

It says in the Bible, you cannot serve two masters.

You cannot do what you want, when you want, and leave God out of your day.

Satan loves it when we get so busy playing church and being nice, but having other motives to get what we want out of people.

When we say we’re a Christian, we should be showing this to others in our actions and behavior.

You can’t be a Christian and hate the guy you work with, just because he may be unfriendly, or weird. You can’t serve others, expecting something in return.

Love God, follow Him, show others this love, and you’ll be amazed at how fast the devil runs from you.

Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

I’ve noticed in my own life that when I try to figure problems out on my own, they usually get worse. I’ll fret and worry and rehearse what I’m going to do in a situation, all to end in frustration.

It’s in these times of discouragement that I’ve learned to be still, be quiet and listen for God. I try to focus on the character of God in these situations, knowing that He’s done it before, and He can do it again.

We tend to think that we’re fighting with the other person, when, in reality, it’s not the person, it’s satan’s power over them.

It’s the teaching moments of God that show us how to be silent. Let God fight the battle. He’s the one who will seek justice for you.

The less we gossip about our problems, asking others their advice, the more God has room to move.

People get so consumed with their current circumstances, that it takes over all their thoughts.

I promise you, the more you fill your mind with God, the less you’ll be thinking about the issues at hand.

Get out of the way and let God do what He does best. He moves mountains, so that we can walk through the valleys, knowing God always wins.

Matthew 17:20 - “He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

When you’re in a relationship, whether it’s a marriage, parental, sibling or friend, you’re committed to the other person. If the relationship is important to you, you work on it, consistently.

If something happens to break down the relationship, most times the breakup causes distance between the two individuals. This could mean divorce, sibling rivalry or a child gone astray.

The longer this distance cultivates, the relationship starts to break down.

You’ve heard the saying, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” That may be true in some cases, but when the absence was caused by anger or strife, the opposite becomes true. The more you’re removed from the situation, the less it seems relevant. After a while, you stop thinking about the other person altogether.

Detaching yourself from someone that’s been a part of your life, will ultimately destroy you. It will eat at you, and cause you to be bitter and resentful.

Take the above scenario and think about being detached from God. Christians do it all the time. They get saved and are on fire for God. Something happens and they want God to fix it immediately and He doesn’t, and slowly they begin to drift from God. Now, they’re so far from God that they don’t even think about Him anymore, unless they’re in trouble.

Don’t detach yourself from God. God is the beginning, and whether you believe this or not, God is the forever for all those who believe in Him.

Attach your life to God and you’ll never fear detachment from others.

Psalm 13:1 - “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”