For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Proverbs 24:16

The “Prosperity Gospel” which you hear preached on many TV channels is very heretical for many reasons. One of the reasons is the false belief that as a Christian you are going to have an easy and blessed life. This is not what Jesus taught us, in fact Jesus taught us the opposite. So with that said, as a Christian dont be surprised when you fall, however take strength in Christ that we can overcome because Jesus has already overcome the world

This is the big difference between the saved and the unsaved, when we fall we can rise again because Jesus has already Risen. When the unsaved fall, what solid ground do they have to fall on? Who is their Savior to come redeem them? This is one of the great hardships of Atheism, as an Atheist , you are alone and you are already defeated. There is no purpose for your path and their is no hope within your future. However as Christians, we have the eternal hope of our Lord Jesus Christ because he has defeated sin and death.

The number 7 in the Bible is symbolic for completeness or eternal, so as Christians when we continually fall, we will always rise again. Faith in Christ should be your battlecry! Jesus said “Those who lose your life for my names sake will gain it” (Matthew 16:25) Jesus didnt say your going to become rich or live an easy life. Christianity is about self denial not self indulgence.

The Atheist will say “ I dont believe in Jesus , therefor this doesnt apply to me” Eternity is a long time to be wrong, not only does your opinion go against the Creator of the Universe, but it contradicts the historians of world history. Make sure you have done all your research before falling on your sword

Christians who are falling, take heart and courage, Jesus has already overcome the world and He will renew our strength Amen!

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. Proverbs 23:17

One of the issues with social media is its turned into a contest for everyone to compete with one another. Instead of everyone being happy for someone when they bought something new or maybe their child achieved something, people then strive to outdo the other person. People are envious of one another, instead of being happy for each other , people are combative

What is wrong with this? People are never content with anything in life. Your house is never good enough, your job is not fancy enough, your child isn’t popular enough. All this strife causes unhappiness, anxiety, depression, most importantly it leads your heart away from God. You can’t be thankful to God when you’re always wanting more. Don’t be like the world, don’t envy sinners for every vacation or big purchase they get. Because all these things are temporal and will pass away eventually. Keep an eternal perspective on life!

The Apostle Paul said “ I learned to be content in all circumstances” (Philippians 4:11) Paul had a lot of great moments in life , such as seeing Jesus face to face, but he also had a lot of bad moments, being thrown in prison and beatings. Regardless of what was going on, Paul learned to be content in all circumstances. This is the key to happiness, we need to control our feelings not the world. If you allow every circumstance to dictate how your feeling, well your going to be on a roller coaster

As Jesus said to Paul “My Grace is sufficient enough” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Whatever is going on in life, or whatever people have or don’t have, remember Jesus has given us the gift of Grace by his works on the cross. Nobody can take that away from you! Nobody can steal your salvation! Don’t allow the world to make you envious, because Christ is enough! Amen!

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Proverbs 23:9

When people post things on social media we dont agree with, we immediately want to respond. When we hear someone in public make a statement that we know is false, we immediately want to correct them. However the problem is , do these people really want truth? Do these people really want wisdom and correction? This is the first thing you need to determine before you get into a deep conversation with somebody.

Before you spend your time explaining your position, find out does this person really want to have an open conversation. The majority of the time people dont. They have already made their mind up, no matter what evidence you present to them, they will not even consider it. This is a dangerous path in life. Are you in the pursuit of truth?

Jesus said “ You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32) Many people are afraid of truth,  because they might have to change their beliefs on something, or more drastically they might have to change their entire lifestyle. This is what becoming Born Again is all about, being enlightened by the Truth of Christ and becoming transformed in our way of life

We dont want to be a fool, we dont want to be those who are close minded and dont have open conversations. If you cant defend your position rationally, then why do you hold that position? These are things we need to meditate and chew on in our daily lives. 

The other day at work one man started talking about death, and another man quickly stopped him saying “Dont think about that stuff until its your time” !  This is foolishness, to pretend your mortality doesn’t exist, or the after life doesn’t exist , is foolishness. You need to ponder these things now, while you still have time to do something about it

Jesus also said “ Seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7) How many of us are in the pursuit of Truth or are you just a fool who buries their head in the sand and waits until death? Seek Truth and you will find God, Amen!

The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2

Many people in this world today worship celebrities. Whether they are musicians, actors, or professional athletes, the world puts them on a pedestal. People from all age groups, all parts of the world, worship these celebrities and try to copy their lives. And then when these celebrities have a great fall, maybe its a moral failure or a career failure, everyone is in shock that this happened!

The Bible tells us that everyone is alike, whether you are famous or not, whether you are rich or poor, God is your Creator. Secondly we are all mortal and we are all sinners. The Bible tell us “Everyone has Sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” ( Romans 3:23) That means we all need Jesus. Whether your a big shot in Hollywood or a homeless person on the street, you need atonement for your sin

So why do we put these mortal sinners on a pedestal? One reason is we are all born to worship. If you are not worshipping God then you are worshipping something or someone else. Its in our DNA to worship, secondly remember our fallen nature. Without being born again we instinctively worship the creation instead of the creator. This is not only blasphemy in itself but will lead you straight to Hell

Jesus looked at everyone equally, The Rich Young ruler asked Jesus how he can obtain eternal life. Jesus told him “Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, then follow Jesus”. The Rich Young ruler , didnt like this and went away bitter. We dont know if the Rich man ever became saved or not, but we do know God is not impressed with worldly possessions or wealth

Celebrity or not, we all need a Savior and that is Jesus Christ! The maker and Lord of All Things!  We are All Gods Children! Amen!

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Being a parent is not just a responsibility or a life goal ,its a higher calling from God. People complain about todays society or todays youth, but what have you done to mold this generation? Have you raised your children with morals and integrity, have you raised them to know Jesus?

Many parents today just want to be their kids “friends”. They want to lavish them with gifts and trips and clothing, but how will this profit their children when they are adults? Today we see a generation of kids with no work ethic, no knowledge of God, no moral responsibility to their neighbor. These things must be taught at home , in their youth. 

Many want the educational system to raise their children, dump them off at school and let it be the teachers problem. Nobody wants to be the “bad guy” to say this is right and this is wrong. Everyone wants to be the “fair weather friend” , take a selfie and show the world how great we are. But inside its all fake, their is no substance to the relationship

The reality is kids love discipline. If you explain to the child , this is why I’m doing this or this is why you shouldnt do that, they understand, and they love and respect you for looking out for them. We dont know what we dont know, if nobody trains up the children , they never will know until its too late

You complain about an Atheistic generation, but when has your child ever saw you open the Bible and read it? When has your child ever saw you get on your knees to pray to God? When has your child ever saw you Love your Neighbor? Maybe never, thats why they are Atheist. Dont blame the Churches or the Pastors, blame the parents!

Raising up your children may be the biggest calling from God in your life! Remember whatever you have dont for the least of these you have done for Jesus Christ himself! (Matthew 25:40) Amen! 

Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Proverbs 21:13

Theres alot of people in need in this world, many people living in poverty, many people starving on a daily basis, many people living in broken homes. How do we respond to these issues? The Bible says “Whoever ignores the cry of the poor , their cry wont be heard either”  As Jesus said “Do unto others as you would want done to yourself” (Matthew 7:12) 

We cant expect God to “bail us out” if we are not willing to bail anyone else out. Basically the same principle “Those who forgive will be forgiven” (Matthew 6:14) When your a selfish person and dont help others, why would you expect people to help in a time of need?  And we all know eventually all of us have that time when we need help!

So what is the mentality of the world? Take care of number One! Dog eat Dog! This is not the way Christ has taught us. Jesus said “Its better to give than to receive” ( Acts 20:35) Think about that! As modern Christianity teaches us to cry to God for prosperity , Jesus taught to take care of others instead of thinking of ourselves. 

Now I know we cant individually save the world, however if each one of us just takes care of somebody, imagine the difference in the world. Theres supposed to be billions of Christians in the world, if each Christian took care of somebody, the world should be a much better place. 

You dont have to save the world, Jesus Christ has already done that. But be his Hands and Feet, take care of others and preach the gospel of Christ , Amen!

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. Proverbs 21:2

If you ask anyone if they are a “good” person, most likely they will tell you “Yes” Most people will say “Yeah I do this wrong and that wrong, but mostly I’m a good person” See mostly everyone things that their way is right in their own eyes. This inability to realize our depravity is what the Bible calls being “dead in your sins”

This is the problem with Atheism. Many want to reject the existence of God , however they want to believe everyone has the same standard of morality. This is obviously not true. As we said, everyone believes they are right in their own eyes. Hilter believed he was justified murdering millions of Jews, if Atheist as consistent with their worldview then they have to justify Hitler

But because we all know that murder is wrong, we all know that rape is wrong, then we know that their is a standard of morality. That standard comes from God. If God didnt exist then morality wouldn’t exist, but because we know there is a moral standard we know there is a God

Jesus said “Nobody is “good” except God alone” (Mark 10:18) When we believe that we are “good “ people we deceive ourselves. Nobody is good thats why we need Jesus. This is why Jesus had to go to the cross, for our sins! When you understand this then you understand the gospel message!

The fact that we know right from wrong, shows we know there is a God. The only way to get to God is through Jesus Christ, who has made us righteous by his works Amen!

The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. Proverbs 20:7

Our lives are more than just about us, when we walk with integrity so do our children. As an old saying goes “Many people wont read the Bible but they will read us” We need to be a walking example, not only for our children, but for everyone we meet. People will complain about what their children are doing wrong, but have they looked at their own lives? Are you walking with integrity? Are you walking with Jesus? Are you a good example for your children or family?

Jesus said “To Deny ourselves, carry our cross, and follow him” (Matthew 16:24) Notice the Christian walk is not about self absorption, its actually about self denial. Its about sacrificing the pleasures of this world that lead to sin, to walk with integrity with The Lord. This is why to many the gospel message is not pleasing. Many want to go to Heaven, but not many want to change or give up anything.

The gospel message is all about change, repentance, and transformation. But how do we walk in integrity? How do we change or transform? This can only be done with the Holy Spirit living inside of you. You can only receive the Holy Spirit by coming to Christ! You need to repent and come to Jesus!

Before you make hasty decisions, think about your family, think about your children. Because all your actions effect them in the long run. Walk with integrity and your family will be blessed, walk with Jesus and you’ll become saved Amen!

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. Proverbs 20:22

Living during this very chaotic time , its easy for us to want to get “revenge” on everyone. Revenge on those who disagree with us, revenge on those who have wronged us, revenge on those who oppose us. However as we see this is a vicious cycle to get involved with. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

We see this in the protests and rioting, people want revenge because they feel like they or their family has been wronged. However their response is just as destructive as the original cause. We see this continual cycle of violence that never ends, and Satan and his demons are laughing as humanity literally destroys itself

The Apostle Paul said “Dont repay evil with evil” (Romans 12:17) and Jesus taught “Turn the other cheek when someone strikes you “ (Matthew 5:39) But nobody wants to receive these teachings, everyone wants to take revenge in their own hands. Eventually someone needs to be the “bigger person” and end the cycle of hate. But nobody wants to take that step. 

And what about the last part of this Proverb, Wait on The Lord and He Will Save You! How many people are putting any of their trust in God? From their actions, its noone. The results of peoples actions reflects their relationship with God, they dont really have any faith in Christ. 

Wait upon Jesus and he will renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31) But nobody is waiting upon The Lord, not even the Church today. And so when we have a faithless and Godless society , we have violence and wickedness. Dont recompense evil with evil, wait upon Jesus and He will save you!

There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Proverbs 19:21

We all have our own thoughts and dreams, however how many of them are actually beneficial to our life or other people’s lives? Often when we are young we get very self focused, We focus on our future, we focus on our careers, we focus on our accomplishments, but how does Gods will fit into all this?

The core of Christianity is self denial, this is something most people don’t want to even consider. Most people attitudes are “ I want to do what I want when I want” Many are so focused on themselves that they dont see whats going on around them. Many simply want to be their own God, however eventually we all go through trials and tribulations. And when your whole world revolves around yourself, there is nobody to turn to

Think about when Jesus went to the cross, why did he do this? He didn’t do this for his own self desire, he did this for us! He laid down his life to save others, in order to fulfill this task He needed to empty himself of His own deity. How many of us would be willing to do what Jesus did? How many would be willing to die, not only for other people, but people who hated you and cursed your name?

The point is Gods ways are better than our ways, his plan for our life far exceeds our plans. Dont waste your life living in selfishness, as Jesus said “It is better to give than to receive” Think about how different this world would be, if everyone thought about others instead of themselves, as Jesus commanded to “Love your Neighbor”

Now dont get me wrong, its good to have goals, its ok to have dreams. But dont forget to pray and ask God for his direction. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you up and guide you, follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, Gods way is better! Amen!