The Flying Truth

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10. Growing up we are scared of so much. There are countless things that we can be scared of, the dark, the monsters the lived in our closest or under our beds, ghosts, homework, anything. As a kid there was always something more superior that we looked at that would give us comfort. We had a night light, dad checked in the closest and under the bed before we were able to sleep, our very own ghostbuster vacuum, mom   "helped" us with our homework. As you grow up your fears become more in depth and real. There are snakes, spiders, debt, wondering how much sleep we are going to get, snakes, college, plans, snakes, drowning, life, snakes (do not know if I mentioned that yet…), and relationship stuff. Even though we have grown   up there is still a superior figure that we lean on in the tough times and to help us with the things that scare us. This time it

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5-6 We constantly have to keep check of what we do or what we do or what we say. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve that God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will." We are suppose to portray the image of Jesus in everything we do. Every word, thought and action has to be checked and has to portray the image of Jesus. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Psalm 141:3 says, "Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips."  Matthew 15

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee you." James 4:7 The Bible talks about submission a lot. There is about a hundred different verses that talk about submission. Submission is defined as the act or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person. We have to and are called to submit to God and his authority. He is the ultimate ruler in our life.   He knows what is best for us every time, whether we ask for it or not. God knows if something is good for us or not, even if we want it, if God does not think we can handle it or that it is not good for us then he will not give it to us. There is no point in fighting him. We can never get close to matching his strength, we will lose every time. The harder we fight, the father we go away from God. We grow further away from his love, grace, mercy, guidance, and wisdom. This is not what God wants for us. The further we go away from God, the harder lif

"Lord is with me like a mighty warrior." Jeremiah 20:11 A warrior is a brave or experienced soldier or fighter. Synonyms to being a warrior is fighter, soldier, serviceman, combatant, and mercenary. Warriors and soldiers are similar, but also different. There is only one way that a soldier can become a warrior, that is to close with the enemy and to kill him. To be a warrior is to risk death or dismemberment in close combat against the enemy. Warriors risk it all. It is similar for the Native Americans, with the difference of brave versus warrior. Braves showed personal bravery through "counting coup". This is accomplished while during battle or a raid by touching as many enemy as possible with a coup stick, this distinguished the brace from the regular young Native male. However, the Natives that were warriors did not bother "counting coup", they collected scalps and tied them to a lance or to their belt. This is the "attitude" we need, not th

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16 It is obvious that everyday we die a little (morbid, right? Sorry, but it is true). Just because this is true you do not have to lose hope, you can always look at it glass half full. Growing up sucks, there are bullies, you get more rules, there are more expectations, and math seems to get harder. As a kid everything went, it was the life. Life was freeing, there was a naptime, we got recess, there was no car payments, there was only one way to solve 2+2, Pokémon Cards were used as currency, and the opposite gender had coodies. Then it hits you out of no where, life changes on a dime; textbooks go from ten pages to 4,000 and your backpack goes from weighing 10 ounces to as much as you. However, with every bad there is a "equal and opposite" good to balance it out, simple math. Growing up and aging has its perks. When you turn

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 The heart, everyone knows what the heart is and everyone has one. It is the thing in your chest that pumps the blood throughout your body. The heart is divided into four different chambers. The heart is enclosed in a protective sac. This sac is called the pericardium, it contains three layers. The heart is one of the most important organs in our body. We have to protect it daily and we have to be conscience about it. We put a lot of stress, both physical and emotional, that can lead to some serious diseases and disorders. Also, the heart is the gateway to our soul. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." All the devil needs is a little foothold on our heart in order to grab onto it. We need to be constantly aware of our thoughts and our actions. We have to pray for protection, renewal, and we have to repent of our sins.

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31 Life is hard, it is not easy at all. It is especially hard for the generation that we are growing up in now. The expectations we have on us is crazy. We are expected to go to college, find a job, get good grades in school, and most communities you have to be athletic. And this world wonders why the suicide rate is going up and the amount of people that are suffering from depression and anxiety is up. I am getting anxious just thinking about it. Be we should not be discouraged because we serve an almighty God that will help us with more than we can imagine. There is nothing in this world that can match up to our God and his strength. The best part is all we have to do is trust, believe, and rely on him. He wants us to lean on him. There are many examples in the Bible of his mighty strength. Look at the Israelite army in the Old Testament, when God was with them he

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." Titus 2:11-12. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) states in verse 11, "God has shown undeserved grace by coming to save all people." Everything God does for us is really undeserved, we are constantly sinning against him and he doing everything he tells us not to. God came and sent his only son to this earth to save all people. God came in human form to face the same things we face and to show us how to get through it all and what to do. Jesus was the perfect example for us. This shows his undeserved grace and his unconditional love towards us. God came down in the flesh to live like the flesh. This shows vulnerability, he was vulnerable enough to come down and be the living example instead of just telling us. This is why I am unashamed o

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8 One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is evil, which is anger, envy, jealously, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good, which is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." This Cherokee parable speaks on the constant and daily battle between flesh and the Spirit.

"For, 'All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flower of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.'" 1 Peter 1:24 In New York, we get all four season; we get summer, spring, fall, and winter. So, I do not get green grass and bright flowers all year round. We see the grass when it is bright green and thick, to it wither to its winter state. We see the flowers bud and bloom, then we watch them fall and die. Up here it is around spring where everything starts to grow and bud, this is their "up," and then around fall is where everything starts to whither and fall, this is their "down." Just like the seasons of the environment and the ups and downs of the grass and flowers, we go through the same thing. We go through seasons. People come and go, friends leave, people die, you stumble and fall. Sometimes we are in the desert, this is when we are down. When we are in the desert we are in a dark place, but that does not me

Communion : Luke 23:32-34 Matthew 9:35-37 Services : Thrive with Jesus: Living Water (John 7) Point 1: Listen to Jesus v37a -Jesus cries out to us - speaks through everything and anyone - have to listen - have to respond  -so many voices in your our life- past, present and future - not not all bad  -so many that they drown out and don't recognize His voice - that is when it is bad  -way to get back - tune out the voices - pray/read - sit in silence - focus on Jesus -have to focus on the ones that are connected with Jesus - hear who Jesus is speaking through - the Spiritually connected  Point 2: Following Jesus  v37b-38 -the response -anyone who has a deep longing for Jesus this who it's for - at this festival there is everyone - even Gentiles were invited  -Psalm 42:1-2 -have to believe - the belief that you put/trust your entire life in Jesus - really make him LORD- not part of your life but ENTIRE life -Scriptures talk of this - spi

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 Julius Bjornsson, do not know him? Well, look him up. Recognize him? He is kind of small, he is only 6'9" and weight about 400 pounds. Besides being super small, he is the also known as "the Mountain" from the hit HBO TV show , The Game of Thrones . Not just being known as the Mountain, he has added the title of "the World's Strongest Man" to the resume. He finally got the first place finish after previously finishing 2nd three times and 3rd three times. You think he is strong at 6'9" and 400 pounds? Well, multiply that by infinity and he still does not equal the strength of the Holy Spirit. God is the strongest thing in the universe, there is nothing that can stop him. God was with the Israelites in the Old Testament. He helped them defeated countless armie

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35 I was listening to a sermon by the man, the myth, and the legend Dr. Ravi Zacharias. Ravi talked about how in the Bible there was a teacher of the law that went up to Jesus and he asked what is the greatest commandment ( Mark 12:28-31 ) . The teacher could not win when he asked the question about the taxes ( Mark 12:13-17 ) when he tried going with God versus Caesar, so he went law against law (Jesus versus Moses). If you ever read the Old Testament, you know about all the laws and the rules that Moses laid out for the Israelites. He laid out 613 laws, David reduced it to 15, Isaiah reduced it to 6, Micah reduced it to 3, and than Jesus finally reduced it to 2. All 613 laws that Moses laid out hang on the two that Jesus gave. I was once told that the Bible is the greatest love letter

"Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor." Proverbs 21:21 Righteousness is defined as the quality of being morally right or justifiable. Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. These are the worldly definitions, in a biblical aspect to simply define both of them is saying, Jesus. Jesus was the most righteous and will always be the most righteous person to ever live. He lived the most righteous life, he did everything right, he never did wrong; he was perfect. He also show the ultimate sign of love. He did this by being crucified. He did not die on the cross for himself, but he did it for us. He died in order for us to be forgiven of our sins, to have eternal life in heaven, and also so we can have a second chance at life. This verse says that if you pursue righteousness and love you will find life, prosperity, and honor. The best and only way to do this is to follow Jesus. Jesus is our map and guide for our best life. He

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land"   2 Chronicles 7:14. We are called, we all have a purpose on this earth. Whether you are a chef for a "Mom and Pop Diner" or be the President of a multi-billion dollar company, we are share the same purpose. That purpose is to spread the great news and love of Jesus Christ. The Israelites were literally his people. He chose and called them out of all the nations in the world. God did so much for them. He brought them out of Egypt, he helped them defeat countless armies and nations that they had no business in defeating, and he blessed them immensely. He gave them food, water, land, and people; he gave them everything. He even sent prophets and signs on how to live, but they still did wrong against him. They still did not believe in him, they still left hi

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 One of the biggest points of this scripture is that "ALL scripture is God-breathed," not only some of it, but all of it. God spoke these words in existence. God used 40 different "pens" to make up the Bible, but it is his word and he is the sole Author. He spoke every word for us. The Bible is a book that will make you wise for salvation. People literally search the entire world and look their entire life to find such a thing. Meanwhile it is right in front of them, the Bible claims all you have to do is read it and live by it. The Bible answers all the questions. Think of training you have gone through throughout your life. For me I train all the time in so many different aspects, I have trained for football, baseball, at work, and so many differen

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their schemes." Psalm 37:7. One of the first things that came to mind when writing my notes for this devotional, was the scripture from 1 Corinthians 10:13. Many people just read this verse and think that God will not let the devil tempt them with more than can handle or just take the negative aspect of it, meaning that if we cannot handle the obstacle or challenge God will not let it be a burden. This is all true, but it is the same for success. I have touched on this briefly before, but God will also not let us have success if we cannot handle it. This was brought up to me during a conversation with a brother in Christ. It was during a time when I was not getting a lot of playing time and when I was getting the time I was not getting the success I wanted. He brought up the point where at times I can be very prideful and feed off of the way people lo

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30 Mothers, they are the definition of cannot live with them, but cannot live without them. Mothers are some very special creatures. They are majestic, but scary. They are amazing, loving, strong, happy, selfless, and graceful. Mom are the closest thing to a real life superhero. You will never catch anyone juggle cooking, cleaning, working, and taking care of her kids the same way a mother can. They say that the hardest job on the earth is a stay at home mom, and anyone that knows one can agree with that. I once saw a quote that said, "A mother is someone who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." Mothers are very special and unique, it takes a special talent and a special set of patientence to be a mother. They are beyond selfless and unconditionally love us. They are the perfect example of the way Jesus lived. They are