Happy Monday

Don't Look at the Storm
"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Matthew 14:30-31

If there's any way the devil can get your eyes away from the Word, he'll do it. He'll cause trouble. He'll make the circumstances around you pitch and roll like a rowboat in a hurricane. He'll do anything he can to get you to concentrate on the realm of the physical senses and the situation around you instead of on the promise of God--because he knows that if he doesn't, you'll take that promise and beat his brains out with it.

That's what he did to Peter. When Peter first jumped out of the boat that day in response to Jesus' word, what happened? He walked right across that water without a problem. His whole being was fastened on that word Jesus had spoken to him, "Come!"

But when he took his eyes off that word, he started looking at the storm. He started looking at the impossible thing he was doing. After all, he was a fisherman. All his training and experience told him when the waves were that high, you were going under. He started to focus on what he knew in the natural instead of what Jesus said. When he did that, his faith slipped out of gear and he started to sink.

Don't let that happen to you. Once you get a revelation from the Word of God, hang onto it. Don't focus on anything else.

The devil will do everything he can to get you to turn loose of it. He'll stir up things around you. He'll try to get you into fear. He'll push every button he can from the past to get you back into your old way of thinking.

But don't let go. Keep your eyes on the Word of God until it's more real inside you than anything else. If you do, you'll be able to walk your way across the water just fine.


IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

     It is well, with my soul,
     It is well, with my soul,
     It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Daily Smile:
In the frozen foods department of our local grocery store, I noticed a man shopping with his son.

As I walked by, he checked something off his list, and I heard him whisper conspiratorially to the child;

"You know, if we really mess this up, we'll never have to do it again."


In The News:

CDC: One in Five High School Girls Binge Drinks
Millions of high school-aged girls and women binge drink, behavior that can have disastrous results, including long-term health effects, according to a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNN reports. For females, binge drinking means consuming four or more drinks in one sitting; for males, it's five or more drinks. Previous reports have focused on higher rates of binge drinking among males, but the CDC in its new report aimed to raise awareness of the problem among women. Of the estimated 23,000 annual deaths attributed to excessive alcohol use among women and girls, binge drinking was responsible for more than half, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC director. About 50 percent of all the alcohol consumed by adults, and about 90 percent of all alcohol consumed by young people, is consumed during a binge drinking session, he said. The greatest frequency of binge drinking is found among women aged 18 to 34 and high school-age girls: One in eight women binge drinks, and one in five high school girls binge drinks, nearly as high as the binge drinking rates among high school boys. About 62 percent of high school senior girls who drink reported binge drinking.

Biden: Obama Will Act on Guns With or Without Congress
Vice President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that President Obama is going to take action on gun control, and he can do so through "executive orders," CNSNews.com reports. "I want it clear to the American public that on behalf of the president we are reaching out to all parties, on whatever side of this debate you fall," Biden said. "But the president is going to act. There are executive orders, executive action, that can be taken. We haven't decided what that is yet. But we're compiling it all with the help of the attorney general and all the rest of the cabinet members -- as well as legislative action we believe is required." Obama appointed Biden to head a task force to put together options for federal actions on firearms following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and the group is set to make recommendations to the president by the end of the month. Talk of unilateral White House action -- on which the administration declined to elaborate -- has alarmed gun-rights supporters. "The Founding Fathers never envisioned executive orders being used to restrict our constitutional rights," said Rep. Jeff Duncan, a Republican from South Carolina. "We live in a republic, not a dictatorship."