Once upon a season in time, there was a Tall Tree who stood towering over all the other trees in the forest. On the forest floor stood Little Tree who was suffering from lack of sunlight. It's withering leaves were turning brown and it's bark was curling as its life was slowly ebbing away. Little Tree was exhausted from using all its energy to bend toward what little sunlight reached the forest floor. Little Tree didn't complain to anybody. it was too tired to bother. Nobody listened anyway the tree thought sadly. Soon I'll be just another dead tree in the forest. One moment in that season changed the life of the little tree forever.
          Tall Tree looked down from its height that almost reached the heavens and noticed Little Tree struggling. "How can I help you?" Asked Tall Tree. Little Tree was shocked that someone actually offered help. Weakly, Little Tree replied, "I need some sunlight." Tall Tree smiled and said, "I think I can help you with that!" Tall Tree called to the wind and asked if the wind would use all its might to blow the tall trees branches to one side. It worked for a short while as a few rays of the sun reached Little Tree far below. As Tall Tree spent considerable time bending to one side, it caused a crack to open in its trunk.
          In spite of the few rays of light that Little Tree was receiving, it still wasn't enough to bring about the shedding of its sluggish depression and help it to grow. "There must be more I can do," thought Tall Tree. The season's changed and the cold of winter arrived. Tall Tree called to the snow and ice, "Can you load up some of my branches so they break under the weight of the snow? I must prune some of my branches off so more sunlight can reach Little Tree." After a few heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures, snow and ice piled on top of tall tree. Soon the weight broke many of Tall Tree's limbs and they fell crashing to the forest floor. The second effort of Tall Tree began to make a difference in Little Tree's life. 
          Spring arrived and with it came fresh sunshine pouring down like a river over Little Tree's shriveled trunk. Little Tree began to grow alongside Tall Tree. Sadly, Tall Tree was beginning to show signs of old age. All the leaning and pruning had taken its toll on Tall Tree. Several seasons passed and Little Tree grew to the same height as Tall Tree. Until one day, Tall Tree fell over and collapsed on the forest floor where it died and became mulch for Little Tree's roots

          The picture above shows a street corner memorial where a young man was murdered. Teddy bears are tied to a street light and notes are written in the young man's memory. Can you walk a mile in the dead man's shoes? Maybe not, but how about walking in his mother's shoes? What will it cost you to engage yourself completely in the suffering of another human being? Can you redeem the life of a dead young man by promising his Mom to keep the young man's memory alive? Can you use his story of life and young death to give a message that will change the lives of other young people?

• Redemptive suffering is like walking a mile in someones shoes while carrying them on your back with their heart in your hands. It will cause you some pain.
• Redemptive suffering is taking your own pain and using it as launching point to help others in their pain.
• Redemptive suffering is like a regurgitation.
  • When you take your suffering to God,
    • He blends your suffering with the peace and comfort of His Holy Spirit.
      • This helps you regurgitate a blessing on someone who is suffering.
• Redemptive suffering is God sending Jesus to die for our sins.

DAY TWELVE WORD

John 3:16 Complete Jewish Bible
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed.”
 
Mark 8:34 Amplified Bible
“Jesus called the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].”
 
Colossians 1:24-25 The Message
“I want you to know how glad I am that it’s me sitting here in this jail and not you. There’s a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church’s part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God’s way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.”
 
Matthew 5:1-11 New Living Translation
The Sermon on the Mount
5 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,[a]
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,[b]
    for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

DAY TWELVE PRAYER

Thank you God for making a way for suffering to become a blessing. Your Word says that joy comes in the morning. No matter how dark the night becomes, your Light always rises in the midst of our mourning. Help me to be more of your Light no matter how much suffering I have to endure to show your Love. Amen.

DAY TWELVE DEEP THOUGHTS

• How can you join somebody in suffering?
• The Bible talks about "redeeming the time." I take this to mean that we should treat each moment as a valuable moment and each life as a valuable life.  
• Redeeming something is buying it back or restoring something that was lost. There is a cost. Partaking in the suffering of another is part of the cost in redemption.
• What is your cost? How will you pray? How will you fast? What will you give?
• Is it time for a second effort to help someone who rejected you the first time?

          No matter how many times you've fasted, fasting is a struggle. The longer the days wear on, king self argues vehemently about being ignored. Whenever you're trying to put God in first place, the devil is pulling at your ankles. No! Wait a minute. It's too easy to blame the devil for my struggles. This is about my self and my relationship with God. Yes, the devil is real and he comes to steal, kill and destroy, but too often we over estimate his influence in our lives. That's a struggle. Jesus met the devil when he was fasting and he told him to get lost. Okay devil, get lost! Now, back to struggling with my self.
          Struggle is a means of strengthening our character. When life presents us with a struggle, our minds tell us to remove or avoid the struggle in any way possible. It's okay to pray, “Abba, Father! You can do all things. Let me not have this cup of suffering." It's also important to add, "But do what you want, not what I want.” Those were the words of Jesus from John 14:36 (ICB). He was about to go through the struggle of the cross. The cross is the Greatest Struggle of All Time. None of us will ever come close to going through a struggle of that magnitude. Jesus set himself beside and did what God wanted. I need to focus on having gratitude that he would endure such suffering for me and you.
          In the picture above, a youth pastor stands with his group on the morning after struggling up a mountain. They had come to the Adirondack Mountains in New York for their first mountain hike and were met with unexpected heavy snow. It was slippery on the way up, but they made it to the top by helping each other. With the help of many other people, the Directors of Youth With A Purpose have lead many mountain hiking expeditions. One statement repeated by almost all of the young people who were first time hikers sticks in our minds, "This was the hardest thing I ever had to do!"  Life is hard sometimes. You'll find strength for the struggle at the cross.         
          Life wants to pull us toward the comfort of carnal directions - all of those things that appease our physical and emotional senses. I think God uses struggle as a means of helping us attain greater brokenness. The more broken we are, the greater is his presence within us. Struggle creates greater compassion for those with greater struggles than our own. Someone's cross is heavier today, can you help them carry it?

DAY ELEVEN WORD

Hebrews 10:32 International Children’s Bible
“Remember those days in the past when you first learned the truth.
You had a hard struggle with many sufferings,
but you continued strong.”
 
1 Timothy 4:10 International Children’s Bible
“For this is why we work and struggle: 
We hope in the living God.
 He is the Savior of all people.
 And in a very special way,
he is the Savior of all who believe in him.”
 
Genesis 3:17 New Living Translation
“And to the man he said,
“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
    whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
    All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.”
 
Philippians 1:30 New Living Translation
“We are in this struggle together.
You have seen my struggle in the past,
and you know that I am still in the midst of it.”

DAY ELEVEN PRAYER

Thank you God for my struggles. I know I can't get stronger without the struggles. Help me focus on gratitude for the struggle of Christ and have better eyes to see the struggles of others. Feed my compassion through my fasting. Amen.

DAY ELEVEN DEEP THOUGHTS

• What do you have to be grateful for during the last 11 days?
• Can you see a relationship between struggle and developing strong character?
• What helps you to keep going during a struggle?
• Can you encourage others with what God has given you?
• Gratitude - use it for 10 more days of fasting.
• Look to the end of your fast as another beginning - one where God will feed you new opportunities to feed greater numbers of people the Bread of Life.

           Every once in awhile, I wake up several times during the night with a Bible verse tattooed on my mind. Our cat walked on my head a few times trying to wake me up, but it was the Bible verse that caught my attention more than the cat. The verse was Colossians 1:1-3 which I had no clue what it said. When the cat finally clawed my pillow  enough to wake me up for good, I looked up the verse. Here's what it said, complete with footnotes: 
Colossians 1:1-3 Amplified Bible
Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments
1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed) by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the [a]saints and faithful [b]believers in Christ [who are] at Colossae: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father.
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we pray always for you,
Footnotes:
Colossians 1:2 Every born-again believer (saint) has been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, made holy and set apart for God’s purpose.
Colossians 1:2 Lit brethren.
Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
          After reading the verse, my first thought was, "Well that's nice, but what does it mean to me?" Too often we dismiss something we don't understand at first glance. The Bible is different than any other book, it's a Living Word with deep meanings that can differ in many situations. When you want to understand what God might be trying to say, it's best to dig deep. In your digging, find the answers to these questions:

1. Who was the speaker or writer?
2. Who was the audience?
3. What was the time period or culture in history?
4. What was the purpose of the writing? 

          Paul was an apostle in prison writing a letter to a church in Colossae. He had never met these people, but they belonged to one of the churches he helped to start through his followers. He was writing to establish proper theology and teach them the truth of Christ. Some folks were trying to blend religions together and make up their own version. Paul sent his message in loving concern for people he didn't know personally. Here's an interesting piece of information I found in the Blue Letter Bible and a commentary by David Guzik. [iv. Adam Clarke adds an interesting comment: "That this city perished by an earthquake, a short time after the date of this epistle, we have the testimony of Eusebius." Tacitus also mentioned this earthquake, which happened around A.D. 60.] *
          I stopped studying at that point and asked God what might be His message to me from this passage. A guy writes a letter from prison to a group of people in a city where soon after there's an earthquake. He doesn't know these people personally, but expresses love for them anyway, and that's followed by an earthquake. So here's my takeaway so far: "Even if my life is limited in some way, there are folks with serious problems that may be in immediate danger. Time is of the essence in an eternal manner." I'm still praying about what God is saying and what He might want me to do.

DAY TEN WORD

Psalm 82:3-4 International Children’s Bible
“Defend the orphans and the weak.
    Defend the rights of the poor and suffering.
 Save the weak and helpless
    from the power of the wicked”
 
Proverbs 24:11-12 The Message
“ Rescue the perishing;
    don’t hesitate to step in and help.
If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,”
    will that get you off the hook?
Someone is watching you closely, you know--
    Someone not impressed with weak excuses.”
 
Proverbs 24:11-12 International Children’s Bible
"Save those who are being led to their death.
    Rescue those who are about to be killed.
You may say, “We don’t know anything about this.”
    But God knows what is in your mind, and he will notice.
He is watching you, and he will know.
    He will pay each person back for what he has done."

DAY TEN PRAYER

Thank you God for taking the time to talk to me about time being of the essence. Your Word is time sensitive. Your Word is a plan to rescue us from an eternal hell. Our limitations mean nothing in your immeasurable grace, help us to go the extra mile for those in need, regardless of how we might feel imprisoned by our own problems. Amen.

DAY TEN DEEP THOUGHTS

• Ask God to show you people or situations that He considers a priority for you show some extra love.
• Do you know of anyone who might experience a second death (hell) if they were to die in an earthquake (or death in any other way?)
• If you feel you need more knowledge regarding God's ways of speaking to us, it's time for you to go the extra mile. Talk to a Bible believing Pastor. If you aren't going now, start attending a church where they teach the Bible. Time is of the essence.

      * ​https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/archives/guzik_david/StudyGuide_Col/Col_1.cfm

          There are people in the world who purposely sabotage good relationships to make you give up on them. Sometimes you have to walk away, but most of the time we need to develop patience and try to understand their motives for the sabotage. People with a history of abandonment and rejection, primarily in their families and close relationships, will expect to be abandoned in every relationship.
          The mindset of expected abandonment is deeply ingrained in the minds of people who've been rejected beginning at a very young age. You could call it an inferiority complex. They've lost the ability to believe they're worthy of a trusting, long term relationship. The resulting behavior is a deliberate destruction of any affection and desire to continue in the relationship. Most of the time, the sabotage is nasty and leaves deep wounds in an innocent person. The nastiness serves the purpose of burning the bridge to make reconciliation almost impossible.
          The record of rejections plays repeatedly in the minds of those who've experienced multiple abandonments or ejections. They talk themselves into believing that the next relationship will be different. Within a short time however, the closeness and intimacy of an authentic relationship causes fear to rear its ugly head. A sick feeling wells up in the pit of their stomachs and tells them the end is near. Soon they shift into a plan of sabotage driven by the belief that they're about to be abandoned again. Oftentimes folks will say things like, "Every time we get close and things are good between us you push me away." The record in their minds continues to play. After they've completely destroyed a good relationship, they get a sick satisfaction of knowing they were right about being abandoned again. They refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions and place the blame for the abandonment on the other person..
          It's a misconception that brains grow new wrinkles when we gain new knowledge. I'm not an expert, but what I've read is that the brain does change when new information is introduced. It's more about the plasticity of the brain and the interaction between neurons and synapses. Brains can grow in new knowledge and reshape the way we look at old knowledge. That's the beauty of the how God created us so we can let things go and focus on new thoughts. I believe that to be true because I've seen the enormous change in people who renew their minds by immersing themselves in the Word of God. What we focus on is what we'll be filled with.         
          Some people will walk through our lives and leave us with scars that we'll have to forgive them for. Some people will change after we've loved on them for many years. If you have the opportunity to love a person with a history of abandonment and rejection, be straight up with them. Have a heart to heart talk with them about renewing their minds in Christ. They can change their way of thinking and reshape their brains. God uses the spiritual to reshape the physical. Be patient, be honest, be committed and put your faith in God.

DAY NINE WORD

Mark 15:34 Good News Translation
“At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout,
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means,
“My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”
 
Romans 12:1-2 The Message
Place Your Life Before God
"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

Romans 12:2 Amplified Bible
"And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]."

Hebrews 13:5 Amplified Bible
Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

DAY NINE PRAYER

Jesus, you were forsaken on the cross. None of us have ever had to deal with that kind of abandonment. In our lives we've rejected your lovingkindness over and over, but you still accept us. God, your everlasting arms are open wide for the rejected to be accepted. Guide us in our attitudes and the shaping of our characters. Renew our minds in you. Amen.

DAY NINE DEEP THOUGHTS 

• A farmer has to reject a seed from his hand for it to grow in soil that's been broken.
• A woman travails in birth before her child is pushed out of the comfort of her womb.
  
• There are benefits to rejection.
  
  • We try and improve ourselves after a rejection.
    
  • It keeps us from being too prideful.
    
  • It creates opportunities for us to change.
    

God allows some people in our lives to help reveal our own habits that need changing. Most rejection stops when we become who God created us to be. Rejections after that point in our lives is meant to shape us in greater ways. God uses rejection to teach us His ways of greater acceptance.
          

          Last night I had the privilege of praying with a group of young men on a basketball court. I was there to play and help mentor young men through a basketball program. Anointed Athletics is a "God-Calling" on the lives of Mike & Kelly Martinez. They're members of Church For The Nations Flagstaff where the Lead Pastors are Daniel & Allison Williamson. Many people have come together at this church to serve God shoulder to shoulder in one accord. Before we began playing ball, Mike assembled the guys at half court. We stood shoulder to shoulder and prayed. Before the competition began, we were united together as one with God as our one focus.
          My word from God today is "shoulder" or maybe I should say it's more like "shoulder to shoulder." The latter phrase took the forefront of my thoughts pretty strongly. We live in a country of many fatherless young men who would give their right arm to stand shoulder to shoulder with their dads. The problem is something's missing and it's the dads. Children need parents, but when those parents are missing they shoulder a heavy burden of pain.
          Mentors help carry the burden for young people with missing parents. After we prayed last night, Mike gave a nice testimonial about his life and why we were there. The young men remained shoulder to shoulder and listened intently as he spoke. By duplicating those moments and forming deeper relationships with the young men, we know that God the Father can help them to know a Father's Love. I'm grateful to God that He put a calling on the lives of people like Mike and Kelly to reach out to young people.
          Many other thoughts about shoulders came to mind this morning. The young people in the picture above did something that was one of the hardest things they ever had to do - they hiked up a mountain. They all arrived separately, but stood as one on top of the mountain. Jesus shouldered His cross and on His shoulders and hiked up a hill called Golgotha. He shouldered our sin. I found a great verse about shoulders in Zephaniah 3:9. Before I dive a little deeper into this verse, let me give you a four different versions to give us a greater flavor.
King James Version
 “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord,
to serve him with one consent.”
Amplified Bible
“Then I will give to the peoples [clear and pure speech from] purified lips [which reflect their purified hearts], That all of them may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder (united).
International Children's Bible
A New Day for God’s People
 “Then I will make the people of all nations speak a pure language. All of them will speak the name of the Lord. And they will worship me together.”
The Message
God Is in Charge at the Center
 “In the end I will turn things around for the people. I’ll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted,
Words to address God in worship and,
united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel.”
         The word for consent in the King James Version is the Hebrew word "shĕkem" which has the following meaning according to the Blue Letter Bible, שְׁכֶם shᵉkem, shek-em'; from H7925; the neck (between the shoulders) as the place of burdens; figuratively, the spur of a hill:—back, × consent, portion, shoulder. 
          Every time I get to pray with young people, I know that we're in one accord. When great folks like Nehemiah and Daniel prayed, they took the sins of all the people on their own shoulders. They didn't stand around and blame other folks, they shared and shouldered the burden. I thinks it's time to do some "sharing of the shouldering" for young people struggling from parentlessness.

DAY ONE WORD

Psalm 55:22 MSG
“Pile your troubles on God's shoulders - he'll carry your load, he'll help you out.
He'll never let good people topple into ruin.”
Isaiah 46:4 AMP
“Even to your old age I am He,
And even to your advanced old age I will carry you!
I have made you, and I will carry you;
Be assured I will carry you and I will save you.”
Psalm 34:17 ICB 
“The Lord hears good people when they cry out to him.
He saves them from all their troubles.”
Galatians 6:1-3 MSG 
Nothing but the Cross
“Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.”

DAY EIGHT PRAYER

          Thank you God for your shoulders. There is no weight too heavy that you can't carry. Young people without a loving father find it hard to know the Father's love. We admit our collective failings as parents. We haven't done enough for kids without parents. Time is of the essence, God. Help us shoulder the burden of parentlessness and carry it to a place of nonexistence. Amen. 

DAY EIGHT DEEP THOUGHTS

• Young people in low paying jobs might be just going through the motions. When you see a young person at the checkout line, can you offer a word of encouragement?
• Go the extra mile to form a relationship with a young person in your neighborhood. Offer to share a shoulder when you see someone with a burden - physical, mental or emotional.
• Can you tell a homeless person that you're proud of him?
• Precious Words:  "I know I'm not your father, but as a father I want you to know I'm proud of you and I know your Father God is proud of you."​

          Yesterday was a windy day to be in the woods. I struggled against the wind as I walked down the road for a half mile before I entered the woods. I was going to hike about 5 miles before dark on the Arizona Trail heading toward Picture Canyon. During a fast, I'm alert and expecting God to drop a heart-nugget on me to pray and write about. Yesterday He gave me a tripleheader.
          Before I went to bed the night before, I had a strong sense that the word for the day would be gentle or gentleness. The word gentle is something I struggle with in my communication with my wife and other people. I can be short and come across a little crusty or irritable. It's a bad habit I need to break. Being an adrenaline guy who likes to pack as many things into my day as possible, it leaves little room for changes. When the prospect of a change or addition to my schedule happens, my brain seems to tighten between my ears and I feel pressure. My response to the person I'm talking to is less gentle than it should be. God wants me to be more of a gentleman.
          Walking along the trail with the word "gentle" on my mind, I noticed the clouds.  They were beautiful clouds with all shades of colors reflecting a setting sun on the opposite side of the sky. I saw a rainbow in the clouds, something I've never seen before and it kind of gave me goosebumps. I smiled and said "Thank you Jesus!" Even though the wind was roaring through the forest. the clouds seemed to be gently moving along at a steady pace. Even though the wind was fierce in the forest. the sky above was gentle. Even when I have I have a stormy schedule, I need to be gentle toward people. Okay God, your message is gently sinking in.
          So far the two words for the day were gentle and clouds. I studied a lot of Bible verses containing both of those words. I'll post a few of those below, but now I have to tell you about the third part of the tripleheader. God didn't just give me a third word, He gave me a song instead. I'm probably not the only one who has songs drop into my mind seemingly out of nowhere. When I'm hiking, quite a few songs enter my mind and I hum those tunes as I hike. The song He gave me was "Praise To The Lord The Almighty."
          I searched for the song, found the lyrics and listened to a version by Fernando Ortega. You can click on the link below to listen to the song. The phrases that caught my eye were, "gently sustaineth" and "Ponder anew what the almighty can do."
​Praise To The Lord The Almighty
 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, The king of creation.
Oh my soul praise him For he is thy health and salvation.
All ye who hear, Now to his temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things So wondrously reigneth.
Shelters thee under his wings Yes so gently sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen How all thy longings have been
Granted in what he ordaineth.

Praise to the Lord, who doth Prosper thy work and defend thee.
Surely his goodness and mercy Here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with his love he befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, oh let All that is in me adore him.
All that hath life and breath Come now with praises before him.
Let the amen sound from his people again,
Gladly for aye, we adore him.
Christian lyrics - PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY LYRICS - FERNANDO ORTEGA
          I am pondering anew what the Almighty can do when I'm obedient to what He tells me to do. It's good to be as bold as lion, but our love in Christ should also be a gentle as a lamb. Our response to people should be gentle and nonjudgmental. There is a time for correction, discipline and raising our voices, but those are special occasions. Our gentleness should be as evident as the clouds in a blue sky, even on a windy day.

DAY SEVEN WORD

1 Kings 19:12 International Children’s Bible
"After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice."

2 Chronicles 34:27 Amplified Bible
“Because your heart was gentle and penitent and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and humbled yourself before Me, and tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” declares the Lord."

Psalm 18:35 Amplified Bible
"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds and sustains me;
Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great."

Luke 12:54-56 The Message
"Then he turned to the crowd: “When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’--and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’--and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now."

Psalm 11:1-2 Living Bible
"Hallelujah! I want to express publicly before his people my heartfelt thanks to God for his mighty miracles. All who are thankful should ponder them with me."

DAY SEVEN PRAYER

Thank You God for your gentle patience with me. You send me signs and wonders to teach me how to be more of a gentleman. I want to show the gentleness of Christ. Help me to be a better ponderer of the new mercies that you bring every day. I want to ponder anew what the almighty can do all the days of my life.
Amen.

DAY SEVEN DEEP THOUGHTS

• How can gentleness be a strength?
• How was Jesus "gentle and humble in heart?"
• In what ways can you be more gentle in an area where you are strong?
• Gentleness comes from being grateful to God. Before you respond to someone, take a deep breath and think how grateful you are to God

          On these 21 Days of Fasting, the subjects we write about are the result of asking God what to write about. Usually a word, a subject or a phrase will settle into my mind the night before. The beauty of that is being able to sleep on it. It's a great habit to read, pray or mediate right before bedtime, on something planted in your mind by the Holy Spirit. Last night God impressed upon me to study the word “guide” so I could write about it today.
         It was a little over a year ago that my good friend and Bible scholar Mike Lafferty told me about a great study resource called the Open Bible. I found one at the Goodwill for $1.99. The verse in the photo above reminded me to thank God for the way He guides me through great guys like Mike. Psalm 74:24 “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” Thanks Mike. Jesus loves you and so do we.
          God will guide us through His Word, prayer, fasting, dreams, visions and the Holy Spirit often works through situations, and people like my friend Mike. Each one of us will receive guidance from God in different ways. Sometimes it may be the same or similar, but we serve a God who loves personal relationships. An important point to note is: God gives individual guidance to individual people through personal relationships.
          You might be wondering. "How can you know the guidance you're receiving is from God?" That's a great question! My personal habit which gives me a great deal of assurance that I'm actually hearing from God is a threefold process. For me to receive confirmation that God is guiding me in a certain direction, I have to see something in the Bible. I don't mean that I go searching for something in the Bible to agree with what I think. It's easy to find Bible verses to support your opinion. That only works if you're trying to teach something the Bible or you have a question that needs God's clarity. Being guided by the Word is being alert to what some folks call "coincidences" or random "chance-happenings."  You may see a Bible verse on social media or a billboard. Perhaps you hear it on the radio or maybe the preacher speaks about it at church. It seemingly comes out of nowhere. I call this, "A coincidence brought about by Divine providence that calls for obedience."
          So the most important part of my "Threefold Process of Being Guided By God" is I have to receive confirmation in the Word of God. After that it's simply a combination of at least two more confirmations from the ways listed in the third paragraph above. It's not rocket science, but more like being spiritually awake (part of yesterday's word!) Paying attention to the world around you from God's perspective will give you heavenly wisdom, insight and knowledge.
          A few of us were talking in a meeting about danger in ministry last week. The two Pastors in the meeting agreed (myself included) that as long as we were in God's will (being guided by Him,) we'd be safe from any harm. We also agreed that if harm did come, we'd be happy in heaven. The point we were trying to make is that, if you're doing what God has called you to do, He won't let anything happen to you. (Dangerous misconception!) Yesterday I had a phone conversation with my friend Mike, the same guy who guided me to the Open Bible. He had some good wisdom to share with me about protecting myself in dangerous situations. Just because you're being guided by God, you still need to guard your personal safety. It makes sense that the devil would love to take you out because you've allowed your life to be guided by God.
          There are folks who sacrifice their lives to save others. God gave His only Son to sacrifice His life. Jesus was being guided to the cross so that we would be guarded from hell. The Holy Spirit will guide us and it's our responsibility to guard what He's entrusted to us. Guard your heart as you let God guide your life.

DAY SIX WORD
Psalm 25:9 International Children’s Bible
 “He shows those who are not proud how to do right.
    He teaches them his ways.”
 
Psalm 32:8 Living Bible
“I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life;
I will advise you and watch your progress.”
 
Psalm 48:14 Amplified Bible
“For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide even until death.”
 
Isaiah 58:11 King James Version
“And the Lord shall guide thee continually,
and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones:
and thou shalt be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”
 
Romans 12:2 International Children’s Bible
“Do not be shaped by this world. Instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you. And you will be able to know what is good and pleasing to God and what is perfect.”
 
Proverbs 4:10-15 The Message
“Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
    I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,
    or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.
    Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don’t take Wicked Bypass;
    don’t so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
    Make a detour and be on your way.”

DAY SIX PRAYER
Thank You God for knowing us before we were born. You had a plan, a purpose and a destiny before You placed us in our mothers wombs. You established the work of our hands for us. You lead us and guide us in the way we should go. Your Word is a lamp to our feet and guards our steps along our life's journey. Thank You God for being our Life-guide and our Life-guard. Amen

DAY SIX DEEP THOUGHTS

• God guides us one revelation at a time.
• The Word of God will guide you and guard you.
  •  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
• Pay no attention to the ways of the world. Speak the Truth in all situations.
  • “and as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army.” 2 Timothy 2:4 Living Bible​         

          When we fast at the beginning of the year, there are several things we do. We pray and ask God for direction for the year ahead. We also ask Him for "a word spoken in due season." A word of counsel from God enables us to be useful to Him in the year ahead.
          There are times when God can use the world He created to cause us to worship Him. A few nights ago I was out walking on frozen ground under a clear sky full of stars. Inhaling the cold air was invigorating. I started to pray out loud. I thanked God for His creation and then prayed for many people. My prayers seem to circle back around to thanking Him for what I was surrounded by. I took a deep breath and as the cold air hit my lungs, I mouthed the word  "awakening." I repeated the word again and then I said "Yes God, we need an awakening!"    
          There are moments that are undeniably spiritual in nature. God's supernatural presence invades the natural space of man and a special moment is created. I was in that place. Being on a fast and seeking God will cause Him to show up in unique ways. It's an awakening experience. I've focused on that word for the past several days and found some great passages in the Bible. In the picture of a mountain sunset above, the caption is a partial quote from 2 Corinthians 5:17 in the Amplified Bible. Here is the entire verse, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]."
          A life in Christ brings a new life in man. Becoming born again, brings you into union with Christ and awakens you into a new way of life. Everyone I know who's invited Christ into their lives has experienced a spiritual awakening and enters into a new way of life. Looking up the word "awake" in the Bible, I found an interesting verse in
Judges 5:12, “Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song." The word "awake" as found in the Lexicon :: is  Strong's number H5782 - `uwr, and has the following meanings: "through the idea of opening the eyes", to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite, to be rouse, to stir up, rouse, incite, to be excited, be triumphant." I could sum up how I felt that night under the starts as I think about "awakening" by saying I'm excited about what God will do in the new year and I know He's already triumphant! 

​DAY FIVE WORD

Romans 13:11
“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.” 

Isaiah 50:4 Amplified Bible
“The Lord God has given Me [His [a]Servant] the tongue of disciples [as One who is taught],
That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple [as One who is taught].” 

DAY FIVE PRAYER

I'm in awe of your creation God. Sunrises, sunsets, moonlit skies with shooting stars - they all take my breath away. Your mountains are exciting, they give me joy and inspiration. You've awakened me beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you God for rousing an wakening of You in me. Amen.

DAY FIVE DEEP THOUGHTS

• Have you ever taken a deep breath in silence under the stars and asked God to make himsself real to you?
• Have you ever read about the more than 300 prophesies written about Jesus in the Old Testament?
• What natural wonder of the world evokes thoughts about God in your mind?
• If God woke you up and asked, "What do you see?" how would you answer? 

     Childhood should be a happy time of celebrating milestones like first words and first steps. I had a dream last night about my Grandson. It was a good dream with lots of smiles! Celebrating a child's milestones brings smiles and causes them to become smilestones! He's a happy little guy surrounded by two loving parents. One of my joys in life is making short videos to stay in contact with him. as we live about 2,300 miles away. He has the benefit of living in a safe and nurturing environment with a family who loves him unconditionally and will put his best interests ahead of their own. My thoughts this morning, though bright with thoughts of my Grandson's smile, drift toward a deep sadness. Millions of kids don't celebrate milestones, their lives are weighed down by millstones.
     A millstone in the Bible was like a life stone because it grinded grain and provided a means of providing food and sustenance for one's family. It was so important that it was forbidden to take a person's millstone as a pledge for a loan. (Deuteronomy 24:6) Millstones were very hard and very heavy making them deadly weapons when dropped on someone's head from a wall. (Judges 9:53) Jesus had something to say about people who hurt children. He said it would be better for them to have a millstone around their neck and drowned in the sea than to hurt a child. Matthew 18:6
     I find it hard to believe that any human being would purposely hurt a child. Nobody jumps out of their mother's womb and says, "Hello world, I'm here to hurt children!" Evil was birthed in the beginning of the world when Eve was tempted by the devil. (Genesis 3:1) Evil hasn't stopped stealing, killing and destroying up to our present day. Generation after generation, evil continues to have its way in destroying families. I think children are the enemy's favorite target. It's almost as if the devil is perverting God's Word by saying "Train up a child in addiction and he will go the way of addiction to death and destruction."
     Children are born addicted to moms who are addicted. Children follow in their father's alcoholic footsteps. Some abused children become abusers and continue the destruction of youth. Some children are identified for human trafficking from birth. The sexual abuse can happen at any age. It hurts to think that grown men can abuse babies for evil pleasure. This happens all over the world - that makes it everyone's responsibility to take a stand and stop it. Addiction in its many forms reaches out to make children victims: drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, porn and some folks are just plain addicted to violently abusing children. 
     Take a stand for children. While it's true that those who hurt children will be punished, that doesn't stop the creation of future millstones. The devil wants to destroy the future of all children by putting millstones on their potential in God's plan for their lives. If you are someone who hurts children for personal gain and pleasure, you need to know there's no pleasure in hell where your future lies. Don't use children for sex. Don't use children to sell drugs. Don't sell children for sex. If you need help, reach out. Jesus will remove the millstone from around your neck. Jesus will turn your heart of stone into a heart of flesh and give you a future with hope. He removed the gravestone from His tomb after his death. He made a way for all of us to be free from the death that sin and evil bring. Cry out to Jesus.

DAY FOUR WORD

Matthew 18:6 Amplified Bible
“but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
 
Matthew 18:6 The Message
 “But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—and it’s doomsday to you if you do.”
 
Jeremiah 29:11 International Children’s Bible
I say this because I know what I have planned for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.

DAY FOUR PRAYER

Thank You God for Your heart for children. Thank You for placing Your Love for children in my heart. You know my anguish and heart cry on their behalf. Last night I walked on frozen ground under a moonlit sky in Your Presence with children on my mind. You gave me a beautiful night and yet reminded me of children in pain. Show us how to stop evil from destroying our children Lord. The world says that, "hurting people hurt people." You overcame the world, show us how to do the same and save the children. Amen.

DAY FOUR DEEP THOUGHTS

• Can you do one thing to help a child in a bad situation?
• Do you have children with friends in bad situations who need some comfort provided by you and your family?
• Can you make it a habit to pray everyday for children who are victims of addiction and human trafficking?
• Educate yourself on how to help addicted people, try and walk in their shoes.

​Author's Note: Every day on the YWAP Fast Jan. 6-26, 2020 we’ll write about our experience as we respond to God. Eventually the story will be chronicled into a book. “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬ ‭AMP

     My Dad died about a month and a half before I was born. Mom eventually got married again to a man who became a great Dad. I vaguely remember as a three year old, the day they took me to a lawyer to change my last name. The years went by as I lived with my new name and with them came a search for my identity. I wondered for many years, did my identity change with the changing of my name?
     Growing up in our family gave me a great childhood. Sure, we had some family trials, but I knew I was loved and cared for. Once or twice a year during the holidays, I would go visit my deceased Dad's parents who were the Grandparents who had my previous last name. They would tell me a little bit about my Dad, but not much. Over the years I learned more about him from my Aunts and Uncles. Death wasn't something that my Grandparents wanted to remember.
     Most kids I knew only had one family, but I had two. Actually I had more than that. When my Mom was born, her mother died giving birth to her. Mom's Dad blamed her for his wife dying and disowned my Mom. She was raised by an Aunt and Uncle who became my Grandparents. I saw my Mom's Dad only once so I barely knew him. My friends seem to identify with their parents and grandparents. That didn't work for me.
     With all the billions of people born onto the world, am I just like a drop of water in the ocean or a fallen leaf on a forest floor? Who am I? Is there even a purpose for my life? Years went by and I drifted like a leaf in the ocean. Trying to find my identity in my work, as a father and as a husband. It wasn't until I found my identity in Christ that I knew who I was.
     The search for self-fulfillment was exhausting and fruitless. What would it take to truly feel happy, worthy
 and valued? It wasn't until I found my way back to God that I found out who I am. Humanity has a limit physically and spiritually. Studying how Christ gave up His life to serve and save other people was a long process. Life is not about me, but I must be about helping others know Life.
     Water droplets will disappear. Leaves will fall and fade away. Humanity will perish and return to dust. The Spirit of God remains forever. ​Who am I? I am born of the Spirit. I am a sinner who's received the Spirit of Christ through repentance. I am walking flesh living in the Spirit of God. I am a worshipper in Spirit and in Truth.
DAY THREE WORD 
John 3:5 Good News Translation 
“I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God
without being born of water and the Spirit. 

Acts 2:38 International Children’s Bible "Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Galatians 5:25 Amplified Bible
“If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].” John 6:63 Good News Translation
"What gives life is God's Spirit; human power is of no use at all.
The words I have spoken to you bring God's life-giving Spirit.
John 4:24 Amplified Bible
“God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind],
and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
DAY THREE PRAYER
God I thank You for the freedom to be me - in You. Patience is what You've given me as I demanded my own way and did my own thing. Life in you has boundaries that give me greater freedom Than I ever knew. I walk with You in Spirit and in Truth. You have my heart, I'm "all-in" for Your. Amen.

DAY THREE DEEP THOUGHTS

• Have you ever asked God to reveal Himself to you?
• What does surrender mean for you? It's okay to be uncomfortable. Be honest with God.
  
• Have you forgiven anyone lately? Has anyone forgiven you? 
  
• The Holy Spirit is a gift from God to those who accept Christ.
  
• Is the purpose of life to give it away as a gift so that others might know love and forgiveness?
  
• Drops of water and leaves are part of God's life cycle on earth. In a sense they reflect the death, decay and rebirth into the newness of Christ.
  
• In the stillness of winter, a leafless tree looks dead. Jesus died on a tree. 
• The spring brings buds of new life, Jesus was resurrected.
  
• The summer brings a harvest. Jesus spoke of the spiritual harvest of souls in the world waiting for laborers.
  
• The fall brings death and decay. The body of Christ was taken down from a tree and laid in a tomb.