Tag: Solutions

Workshop

tarynbarnesLeave a comment

Hi Peeps,

Today’s Quote

“Head to God’s workshop so that He may craft you holy solutions and tools for you to use and share.”

TB

Process

Whether you’re fully participating or not, life goes on. Many of us stay in ruts and patterns that make us like ostriches with their heads in the sand. Remember that God, the One who loves you and created you, has better plans for you than to be a numb cog in the wheel.

Plans

If you desire to know God on a personal level, then head to His Holy Workshop so you can see Him in action. There, He will impart the Truth to you, which is reinforced by the Living Word. Go to Him honestly and consistently so that you may grow in Him.

Today’s Question

Are you using the right tools or are you comfortable being in denial?

Enjoy the reading

Leviticus 15

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “Any man who has a bodily discharge is ceremonially unclean. 3 This defilement is caused by his discharge, whether the discharge continues or stops. In either case the man is unclean. 4 Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies and anything on which he sits will be ceremonially unclean. 5 So if you touch the man’s bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 6 If you sit where the man with the discharge has sat, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 7 If you touch the man with the discharge, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 8 If the man spits on you, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 9 Any saddle blanket on which the man rides will be ceremonially unclean. 10 If you touch anything that was under the man, you will be unclean until evening. You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 11 If the man touches you without first rinsing his hands, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 12 Any clay pot the man touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil he touches must be rinsed with water. 13 “When the man with the discharge is healed, he must count off seven days for the period of purification. Then he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in fresh water, and he will be ceremonially clean. 14 On the eighth day he must get two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle and give his offerings to the priest. 15 The priest will offer one bird for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify the man before the LORD for his discharge. 16 “Whenever a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his entire body in water, and he will remain ceremonially unclean until the next evening. 17 Any clothing or leather with semen on it must be washed in water, and it will remain unclean until evening. 18 After a man and a woman have sexual intercourse, they must each bathe in water, and they will remain unclean until the next evening. 19 “Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her during that time will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything on which the woman lies or sits during the time of her period will be unclean. 21 If any of you touch her bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 22 If you touch any object she has sat on, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 23 This includes her bed or any other object she has sat on; you will be unclean until evening if you touch it. 24 If a man has sexual intercourse with her and her blood touches him, her menstrual impurity will be transmitted to him. He will remain unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will be unclean. 25 “If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is unrelated to her menstrual period, or if the blood continues beyond the normal period, she is ceremonially unclean. As during her menstrual period, the woman will be unclean as long as the discharge continues. 26 Any bed she lies on and any object she sits on during that time will be unclean, just as during her normal menstrual period. 27 If any of you touch these things, you will be ceremonially unclean. You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. 28 “When the woman’s bleeding stops, she must count off seven days. Then she will be ceremonially clean. 29 On the eighth day she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons and present them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 30 The priest will offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify her before the LORD for the ceremonial impurity caused by her bleeding. 31 “This is how you will guard the people of Israel from ceremonial uncleanness. Otherwise they would die, for their impurity would defile my Tabernacle that stands among them. 32 These are the instructions for dealing with anyone who has a bodily discharge—a man who is unclean because of an emission of semen 33 or a woman during her menstrual period. It applies to any man or woman who has a bodily discharge, and to a man who has sexual intercourse with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.”

Harmonious

jonmbarnesLeave a comment
flowers-4559785_1920.jpg
Hi Peeps,
Today’s Quote
 
“Find a way to channel your efforts and energy into what God would like for you to do and stay focused happily in a harmonious way.”  ~ Jon Barnes

Peaceful

Find the hilarious things in life to laugh at while you work, so that you stay focused to keep working on your projects.  Expect and know that everyone will not always like what you are doing.  If God has not given you a project to work on for Him, you should be concerned about what you are doing with your time.  Peacefully ask God what you should be doing and do the work.

Patient

Quietly and patiently be a part of the good solutions to problems and let people enjoy the benefit of having you around.   Remember the job, message, and story that God givens you to share, relate, and respond to people, problems, and events.  Give people access to God’s ways.  These examples contain clues of happiness, success, and solutions to follow you around the world.

Instinctive

Use your instinct to follow God’s incentives, instructions, and intuition because God can see your motives from your heart.  The Spirit will guide your heart, mind, and body.  He will give you extra courage, support, clues, and cues to get the good work done.  By exercising your faith, your fate is in good hands with God. If you do poor work and remain disobedient, you will harmoniously reap what you have sown.
Today’s Question
Will you let God patiently map out your plans, work, exercises, activities, provisions, and family’s lifestyle in a harmonious way or will you become disobedient and naturally sabotage your future blessings?

Enjoy The Reading

John 10 

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
19 When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. 20 Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” 21 Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God

22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. 23 He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. 26 But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. 32 Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”
33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’ 35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’ 36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. 37 Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. 38 But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
39 Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. 40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. 41 And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” 42 And many who were there believed in Jesus.

Equation

tarynbarnesLeave a comment

42579783-3CEE-45F0-AC55-621875BB8390

Hi Peeps,

Today’s Quote

“God will provide the solutions for your life, but it is your job to put them into action.”~TB

Questions Answered

If you ignore the chaotic abyss that is the world, a life following Christ becomes more tangible. The older I get, the more I realize that the answers to life’s questions that I seek can be found in the Bible and by talking to God. Man, I could have avoided many dumb decisions earlier on had I heeded His word. In quiet study and communication lies the many wonderful and simple solutions that only Christ can give. Imagine the kind of life we could live if only we used the correct answers instead of our own!

In Practice

It’s one thing to know what to do; it’s an entirely different story to do it. I find that when I walk the path He’s set before me, things miraculously make sense. On the flip side, when I’m copying others or looking for external validation, my world becomes complex, messy, and off task. Getting the solutions is the simple part, putting them into action, well that’s a lifelong endeavor. To fulfill the call that God has for our lives, we must quiet the outside noise and follow the instructions and solutions that He gives.

Today’s Question

Are you using God’s solutions for life’s equations?

Enjoy the reading

Isaiah 48

1 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the LORD and call on the God of Israel. You don’t keep your promises,
2 even though you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel, whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
3 Long ago I told you what was going to happen. Then suddenly I took action, and all my predictions came true.
4 For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron. Your heads are as hard as bronze.
5That is why I told you what would happen; I told you beforehand what I was going to do. Then you could never say, ‘My idols did it. My wooden image and metal god commanded it to happen!’
6 You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to admit it. Now I will tell you new things, secrets you have not yet heard.
7 They are brand new, not things from the past. So you cannot say, ‘We knew that all the time!’
8 “Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new, things you never heard of before. For I know so well what traitors you are. You have been rebels from birth.
9 Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name, I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.
10 I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
11I will rescue you for my sake— yes, for my own sake! I will not let my reputation be tarnished, and I will not share my glory with idols!
12“Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last.
13 It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth, my right hand that spread out the heavens above. When I call out the stars, they all appear in order.”
14 Have any of your idols ever told you this? Come, all of you, and listen: The LORD has chosen Cyrus as his ally. He will use him to put an end to the empire of Babylon and to destroy the Babylonian armies.
15 “I have said it: I am calling Cyrus! I will send him on this errand and will help him succeed.
16 Come closer, and listen to this. From the beginning I have told you plainly what would happen.” And now the Sovereign LORD and his Spirit have sent me with this message.
17 This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.
18 Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore— too many to count! There would have been no need for your destruction, or for cutting off your family name.”
20 Yet even now, be free from your captivity! Leave Babylon and the Babylonians. Sing out this message! Shout it to the ends of the earth! The LORD has redeemed his servants, the people of Israel.
21 They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert. He divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink.
22“But there is no peace for the wicked,” says the LORD .

 

Optics

tarynbarnesLeave a comment

AD77ACDC-AF36-4D4C-A294-CC1A60073C72

Hi Peeps,

Today’s Quote

“How you experience life depends on your personal set of optics.”~TB

Vision

Some of us have perfect vision— able to see things without sight. For those of us that don’t, we need glasses to correct our impairment. With the aid of glasses, I am able to see things far away that I otherwise cannot. Boy would the world be in trouble if I drove without the help of glasses or contacts. In the same manner in which we see, our personal relationship with Christ allows us to improve our vision as Christians. In faith, we all have to wear our Christ-prescribed glasses, because without them we either can’t see up close, far out, or not at all. When we walk without God’s help the optics are skewed as we fail to see what really is and what really isn’t.

Constrict

When you narrow in on the problems and failures of your life, your sight is myopic and useless. Like walking into a wall repeatedly, your vision is so constricted that the minutiae and little things of life become the big and impossible thorns in your side. If all you see in life is the negative or what you lack, it’s time to ask God to help you dilate your sight so that you can see the bigger picture.

Dilate

A widened perspective is important to help see the grand scheme of things. However, without the details of Christ, we are unable to see the nuances of God’s handbook, the Bible, which helps teach us how to spend our time. Too wide of a lens can make us paralyzed or obtuse in our thinking because we lack the focus to process what we see properly. If you’re in this camp, God’s got the right prescription for you too.

Balance

Life is messy, imperfect, and full of tests that we pass, fail, and repeat. Human understanding of life is futile because our black and white vision pales in comparison to God’s vision. In order to get a glimpse at God’s view, we must allow Him to prescribe the correct sight. Your 20/20 vision isn’t going to cut it on it’s own. Fortunately for us, God’s insurance plan is free and only requires us to accept the gift of salvation. If you’re tired of not seeing the full picture or need help seeing the important details ask our Holy Optometrist to give you the right vision.

Today’s Question

Are you content with remaining blind?

Enjoy the reading

Isaiah 14

1 But the LORD will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel.
2 The nations of the world will help the people of Israel to return, and those who come to live in the LORD ’s land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies.
3 In that wonderful day when the LORD gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains,
4you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, “The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended.
5 For the LORD has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule.
6 You struck the people with endless blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip with unrelenting tyranny.
7But finally the earth is at rest and quiet. Now it can sing again!
8 Even the trees of the forest— the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon— sing out this joyous song: ‘Since you have been cut down, no one will come now to cut us down!’
9 “In the place of the dead there is excitement over your arrival. The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead stand up to see you.
10 With one voice they all cry out, ‘Now you are as weak as we are!
11 Your might and power were buried with you. The sound of the harp in your palace has ceased. Now maggots are your sheet, and worms your blanket.’
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.
13 For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.
14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’
15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.
16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?
17 Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’
18 “The kings of the nations lie in stately glory, each in his own tomb,
19 but you will be thrown out of your grave like a worthless branch. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will be dumped into a mass grave with those killed in battle. You will descend to the pit.
20You will not be given a proper burial, for you have destroyed your nation and slaughtered your people. The descendants of such an evil person will never again receive honor.
21 Kill this man’s children! Let them die because of their father’s sins! They must not rise and conquer the earth, filling the world with their cities.”
22 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “I, myself, have risen against Babylon! I will destroy its children and its children’s children,” says the LORD .
23 “I will make Babylon a desolate place of owls, filled with swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
24The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath: “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided.
25 I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel; I will trample them on my mountains. My people will no longer be their slaves nor bow down under their heavy loads.
26 I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand of judgment upon all the nations.
27 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken— who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?”
28 This message came to me the year King Ahaz died:
29 Do not rejoice, you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken— that the king who attacked you is dead. For from that snake a more poisonous snake will be born, a fiery serpent to destroy you!
30 I will feed the poor in my pasture; the needy will lie down in peace. But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine and destroy the few who remain.
31Wail at the gates! Weep in the cities! Melt with fear, you Philistines! A powerful army comes like smoke from the north. Each soldier rushes forward eager to fight.
32 What should we tell the Philistine messengers? Tell them, “The LORD has built Jerusalem ; its walls will give refuge to his oppressed people.”

 

 

Solution

tarynbarnesLeave a comment

connect-20333_1920 (2).jpg

Hi Peeps,

Today’s Quote

“Accept the solutions that God provides, rather than relying solely on your own.”~TB

What Should Be

As the body of Christ, we are all interconnected. This means that God desires for us to do our part, helping one another. When you read the Bible regularly, you understand its principles and how each of us has a role in assisting our brothers and sisters. In a perfect world, we would all step up and assist willingly. But, since the world is not perfect, we tend to thwart and disrupt God’s plan, leaving our brothers and sisters hanging. Fortunately for us, God has an infinite supply of backup plans and will send resources to those in need. Friends, accept those solutions, no matter if they don’t fit with your own ideas.

What Is

When manmade solutions fail, as they often do, rely on the solutions of our Father in Heaven. Like Jonah and the Gourd, God most likely sends provisions and resources that to the human eye seem unlikely and absurd. Further, sometimes those solutions require you to be humble, swallow your pride, and accept the help offered by others. Friends, don’t be prideful and refuse help because you don’t want to appear weak. Truth is, we are all weak, so stop pretending! Instead, be glad that God loves you enough to send help in your time of need. Don’t forget, there are lessons to be learned in moments such as these. More to the point, this is an opportunity for the giver to receive a blessing as they are blessing you. So take joy in receiving heavenly solutions rather than staring at the manmade problem.

Today’s Question

Are you holding onto your problems instead of accepting God’s solutions?

Enjoy the reading

Psalm 146

1 Praise the LORD ! Let all that I am praise the LORD . 
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. 
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. 
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. 
5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God. 
6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. 
7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners. 
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the godly. 
9The LORD protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. 
10 The LORD will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the LORD !

 

Someone

jonmbarnesLeave a comment
city-1487891_1920.jpg
Hi Peeps,
Today’s Quote
“Someone has to be brilliant in your family, so why can’t it be you with Christ shining in your life!” ~ Jon Barnes

Rather

God would rather you be hot or cold, good or bad, in or out, but this fake Christianity, false stuff, and man-made religious stuff that God does not respect or honor will not hold up in The Court of Pearly Gates!  God would rather you follow Him, honor His ways, commandments, and laws through Jesus.

Interesting

Interestingly enough, most of us are always following our stuff and we try to sprinkle a little God Dust over us as a cover-up, self-made, man-made tactical approach to damage control, hypocrisy, and lies.  God’s Court System is bigger, better, and smarter than any court system in the Universe and beyond.  There are no hung juries in Heaven with God as the Supreme Court Justice!

Understands

Fortunately, God understands our moves, motives, madness, and He has the best solutions to all of our problems, but will we listen to Him?  God is the Chess Master and we are the pieces on the board.  According to History, mankind has been evil since the beginning of time and notice how badly we have treated each other. Notice that it is the Goodness of God that sustains humanity and not we ourselves.
Today’s Question
Can a stranger see the brilliant light of Christ shining in your life every day and anywhere? 
 
Enjoy The Reading

Psalm 52

 

For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? 
2 You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor. 
3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. 
4 You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue! 
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. 
6 The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying, 
7 “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!” 
8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. 
9 For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.

Protection

jonmbarnesLeave a comment
hands-1926414_1920 (1).jpg
Hi Peeps,
Today’s Quote
“God protects those who are doing His work and He provides opportunities, solutions, and miracles to honest individuals with integrity, character, and love.” ~  Jon Barnes

When

When you pray, ask for direction.  When you speak, pray for peace.  When you moan, ask for protection and love.

You

So don’t be afraid, He will hear every whisper. God knows all of the things you will need.  So trust and believe that He will take care of all of your issues to provide all that you see.

Hear

Hear with your heart, listen with your hand, and work with your mind to see the vision before doing the task.  Then allow God to push your steps forward into success with order and perfection.
Today’s Question
Did you know that God’s protection and plan for your life have been arranged from the beginning of time and your life, job, and work of faith is necessary for you to complete?
Enjoy The Reading

Job 36 

36 Elihu continued speaking:
2 “Let me go on, and I will show you the truth.
    For I have not finished defending God!
3 I will present profound arguments
    for the righteousness of my Creator.
4 I am telling you nothing but the truth,
    for I am a man of great knowledge.
5 “God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone!
    He is mighty in both power and understanding.
6 He does not let the wicked live
    but gives justice to the afflicted.
7 He never takes his eyes off the innocent,
    but he sets them on thrones with kings
    and exalts them forever.
8 If they are bound in chains
    and caught up in a web of trouble,
9 he shows them the reason.
    He shows them their sins of pride.
10 He gets their attention
    and commands that they turn from evil.
11 “If they listen and obey God,
    they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives.
    All their years will be pleasant.
12 But if they refuse to listen to him,
    they will cross over the river of death,
    dying from lack of understanding.
13 For the godless are full of resentment.
    Even when he punishes them,
    they refuse to cry out to him for help.
14 They die when they are young,
    after wasting their lives in immoral living.
15 But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer.
    For he gets their attention through adversity.
16 “God is leading you away from danger, Job,
    to a place free from distress.
    He is setting your table with the best food.
17 But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged.
    Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.
18 But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth.[a]
    Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.
19 Could all your wealth[b]
    or all your mighty efforts
    keep you from distress?
20 Do not long for the cover of night,
    for that is when people will be destroyed.[c]
21 Be on guard! Turn back from evil,
    for God sent this suffering
    to keep you from a life of evil.

Elihu Reminds Job of God’s Power

22 “Look, God is all-powerful.
    Who is a teacher like him?
23 No one can tell him what to do,
    or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’
24 Instead, glorify his mighty works,
    singing songs of praise.
25 Everyone has seen these things,
    though only from a distance.
26 “Look, God is greater than we can understand.
    His years cannot be counted.
27 He draws up the water vapor
    and then distills it into rain.
28 The rain pours down from the clouds,
    and everyone benefits.
29 Who can understand the spreading of the clouds
    and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?
30 See how he spreads the lightning around him
    and how it lights up the depths of the sea.
31 By these mighty acts he nourishes[d] the people,
    giving them food in abundance.
32 He fills his hands with lightning bolts
    and hurls each at its target.
33 The thunder announces his presence;
    the storm announces his indignant anger.[e]

Love,

Jonathan

Substitute

jonmbarnesLeave a comment
flower-888401_1920
Hi Peeps,
Today’s Quote
“Substitute your negative thinking about problems, depression, fear, selfish vanity, and evil pride with good thoughts, The Lord’s Prayer, good solutions, Bible stories, faith, and the good works you will do for God.”  ~  Jon Barnes

Respectfully

Respect and embrace God’s ways of doing business and thinking outside the box, the lane, and chains of slavery, bondage, hopelessness, and fear.  Use the liberty of God’s Love to battle addiction, pornography, waste, lust, selfishness, adultery, fornication, and wicked behavior.  Remain old fashioned, obedient, and set in God’s Eyes of Favor, by replacing evil with good.

Set

Set your standards of ideas, thoughts, patterns, stories, words, faith, and works with God’s vision for what is to come, because you are meditating, praying, and doing what God is asking you to do.  Your solutions are flawed, stupid, and meaningless when you are knowingly or unknowingly partnered with the devil, a cheap substitute.  Don’t use your fake ideas, but respectfully embrace and substitute your thoughts, ideas, and feeling with what God gives you. 

Up

Give up your old, dumb, tired, evil, wicked, ways that seem right to you, because it is not working, as you beat your head up against the wall day after day.  Lift up your head and hands to God for guidance, opportunity, wisdom, love, forgiveness, repentance, and integrity in what you are about to do.  You will feel so much better by giving up your selfish additions, attitudes, cravings, miscommunications, and misunderstandings when you replace your mess with God’s Best Thoughts!
Today’s Question
Are you so wise in your own thinking to not see what God is trying to fix in your own mind?
Enjoy The Reading
 

Job 29

Job Speaks of His Former Blessings

29 Job continued speaking:
2 “I long for the years gone by
    when God took care of me,
3 when he lit up the way before me
    and I walked safely through the darkness.
4 When I was in my prime,
    God’s friendship was felt in my home.
5 The Almighty was still with me,
    and my children were around me.
6 My steps were awash in cream,
    and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.
7 “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
    and took my place among the honored leaders.
8 The young stepped aside when they saw me,
    and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
9 The princes stood in silence
    and put their hands over their mouths.
10 The highest officials of the city stood quietly,
    holding their tongues in respect.
11 “All who heard me praised me.
    All who saw me spoke well of me.
12 For I assisted the poor in their need
    and the orphans who required help.
13 I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.
    And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.
14 Everything I did was honest.
    Righteousness covered me like a robe,
    and I wore justice like a turban.
15 I served as eyes for the blind
    and feet for the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor
    and assisted strangers who needed help.
17 I broke the jaws of godless oppressors
    and plucked their victims from their teeth.
18 “I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family
    after a long, good life.[a]
19 For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
    whose branches are refreshed with the dew.
20 New honors are constantly bestowed on me,
    and my strength is continually renewed.’
21 “Everyone listened to my advice.
    They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
22 And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,
    for my counsel satisfied them.
23 They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.
    They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
24 When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
    My look of approval was precious to them.
25 Like a chief, I told them what to do.
    I lived like a king among his troops
    and comforted those who mourned.

Love,

Jonathan

Ask God

jonmbarnesLeave a comment
pray-2558490_1920 (3)
Hi Peeps,
Today’s Quote
“Embrace your mistakes, learn from them,  repent, and simply do not do them again.” ~ Jon Barnes

Some

Some mistakes you just cannot afford to make. Dying and going to hell is one of them.  Decide in your mind, heart soul, and spirit that you will repent,  connect with God, and do a better job than your parents.  Communicate with God and your parents to bridge the gap to improve your game, by understanding their mistakes.  Your skill set depends upon your ability to save time, minimize mistakes, save money, and energy to improve your love, faith, and work for God. Ask questions, pay attention, and keep learning.

Mistakes

As a child, I asked God why was my life like this and my parent’s behavior so full of challenges, tests, and obstacles?  My thought was, surely when I get older, I would try to do a better job and learn from their mistakes.  This observation sounds so easy to accomplish but in reality, most of my time is spent on prevention and not finger pointing.  Forgiving people for their mistakes allows you to learn from them, allowing you the ability to become a better advocate for justice, faith, and good works.  Become a better role model.

Afford

Your mistake is not the focus, but prevention with righteousness is the goal.  Why should you copy people from generation to generation when we should be copying God?  Asking God and seeking His wisdom is far better than ignoring Him and living with the eternal doom of hell.  Frankly, you cannot ask and connect with God after it’s too late.  The Judge will have the final say about your lifestyle and choices on earth when you die.
Today’s Question
Are you hoping God will judge you in a fair manner or are you looking for another illegal way into Heaven to avoid your earned sentence to Hell?
Enjoy The Reading

Job 25 

Bildad’s Third Response to Job

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “God is powerful and dreadful.
    He enforces peace in the heavens.
3 Who is able to count his heavenly army?
    Doesn’t his light shine on all the earth?
4 How can a mortal be innocent before God?
    Can anyone born of a woman be pure?
5 God is more glorious than the moon;
    he shines brighter than the stars.
6 In comparison, people are maggots;
    we mortals are mere worms.”
 
Love,
 
Jonathan

Injustice

jonmbarnesLeave a comment
injustice-2031550_1920
Hi Peeps,
Today’s Quote
“Hell is not about justice, it’s about injustice, not believing in God, and the retributions of disobedience for eternity with the perfection of judgment by God.”  ~  Jon Barnes

Justice

Reading about justice in God’s Bible will give you an honest platform for you to see yourself and how badly you treat other people.  Studying your sinful ways will give wonderful insight on setting new goals and making needed changing in your own life.  Stop talking about the problems of others and fix your own problems with God’s justice. You’ll have fewer problems to deal with each day.

Exposed

There is nowhere to hide, as God can see it all.  I don’t want to see it all and the evil that you do.  Let God expose you to the right path of justice, peace, understanding, and wisdom so that you can make corrections, improvements, and progress.  You have been exposed, so do something positive about it.  Or you can keep ignoring the warning signs.

Proposed

God will propose solutions to your issues after you humble yourself, pray, seek,, and use the solutions from the bible that are on your computer, phone, or book.  Since God is your true mentor, compare other mentors to the standard of God, by reading and knowing the spiritual standards for yourself.  Then live by the standards God has set in His Commandments, Ways, and Works.  Know and use God’s proposal of Faith to fight injustice is all that you think, do, say, and share.
Today’s Question
How do you expect to go to Heaven, when your lifestyle is full of injustice, lacking God’s Proposal of Faith? 
 
Enjoy The Reading
 

Job 23 

Job’s Eighth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

23 Then Job spoke again:
2 “My complaint today is still a bitter one,
    and I try hard not to groan aloud.
3 If only I knew where to find God,
    I would go to his court.
4 I would lay out my case
    and present my arguments.
5 Then I would listen to his reply
    and understand what he says to me.
6 Would he use his great power to argue with me?
    No, he would give me a fair hearing.
7 Honest people can reason with him,
    so I would be forever acquitted by my judge.
8 I go east, but he is not there.
    I go west, but I cannot find him.
9 I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
    I look to the south, but he is concealed.
10 “But he knows where I am going.
    And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
11 For I have stayed on God’s paths;
    I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from his commands,
    but have treasured his words more than daily food.
13 But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
    Whatever he wants to do, he does.
14 So he will do to me whatever he has planned.
    He controls my destiny.
15 No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.
    When I think of it, terror grips me.
16 God has made me sick at heart;
    the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Darkness is all around me;
    thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.
 
Love,
 
Jonathan