If you're the smartest one in your group, you need a new group!

Dear Friends-
In apologize in advance for sending this message to people who already receive Joel Osteen's messages but this Word is SO good, I had to share. Today's message has been a running theme in my life for the past month and it has presented itself in multiple ways at multiple times.

I share this with you with the prayer that you prune every relationship that doesn't feed you or help you grow. I pray that my relationship with you is nurturing and fortifying and that you are better because you know me- not worse. If I am not doing what God has called me to do for you, please let me know. If there is a loved one or friend who is not feeding you in the way that God has called them to do, let them know in love.
As a child of God you deserve it.

Stay blessed,
K.

Who Are You Walking With?
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm"(Proverbs 13:20, NIV)

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Sometimes, in order to embrace the destiny God has in store, you have to be willing to make some changes in your life. You have to be willing to examine where you are and what you need to move forward. This may mean you need to change some friends that you're spending time with. Maybe they were fine for a season in your life, but you've outgrown them. This is a new season, and in order for you to rise higher, you have to break away from relationships that are limiting you. You have to develop some new friendships with people who are going to pull you up and inspire you to rise higher.I've found if you're the smartest one in your group, your group is too small. Find people who are smarter than you are, people who will challenge you to stretch to the next level and become everything God's created you to be. Remember, he who walks with the wise becomes wise. Choose your friends wisely so that you can walk and live in the destiny God has in store for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY"Father God, thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for the good plan You have for my life. Help me choose my friends and companions wisely so that I can continue to move forward in the destiny You have for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Love your enemies...no matter how much you want to hate them

Dear Friends-
Today's message is a reminder of a lesson we know well (but don't always do). This is a hard one but the Lord is waiting to give us favor and He won't give it, if we don't obey Him.

What does it mean to "love your enemy"? The Bible offers some examples but these situations won't necessarily happen to us in daily life. What does happen?

People talk about us, spread lies about us, deny us opportunities, cheat on us, steal from us, refuse to pay us our worth, or just plain hate on us. The reasons don't matter and sometimes, they don't apologize even though they KNOW how hurt we are.

God says pray for them. Love them enough to pray for them. Love them enough to forgive them and move on. Love them enough to help them if an emergency arises in our presence.
I know...it won't be easy.
We don't have to subject ourselves to these people on a regular basis. God just wants us to do the right thing whenever we do interact with them. They know you're a Christian and they want to bring out the worst in you.
Show them "God" in you and resist the urge to do what YOU want to do.

Trust me, I know how hard it is. But you may bring them closer to God by not addressing their actions with demonic responses.

Stay in prayer and stay blessed,
K.

Luke 6

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
Do Not Judge Others

37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.[c]”

You can't engage your enemies and choose God...

Dear Friends-

I hope everyone is well now that the busy Fall season is back in swing. Along with a busy schedule is the increased interaction with people who cause us grief.

Some mildly annoy us; others are purposely evil, and seek to bring out the worst in us. If this is happening to you, please read today's scripture. God not only brings us comfort, He saves. Don't allow toxic people to cause you to sin. Cursing and yelling may feel good for a moment but it distances you from God.

The more attention we pay to negative people, the more important we make them (and the less important God becomes). God won't compete for our attention and as long as we make our enemies more important, He won't be there to save us.

Separate yourself. Focus and do what you're supposed to do. If your enemies attack you while you're trying to do the work of the Lord, don't give it a second thought. God's got your back!

Stay blessed!

K.

Isaiah 59

¹ Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,

nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
² It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.
Because of your sins, he has turned away
and will not listen anymore.
³ Your hands are the hands of murderers,
and your fingers are filthy with sin.
Your lips are full of lies,
and your mouth spews corruption.

⁴ No one cares about being fair and honest.
The people’s lawsuits are based on lies.
They conceive evil deeds
and then give birth to sin.
⁵ They hatch deadly snakes
and weave spiders’ webs.
Whoever falls into their webs will die,
and there’s danger even in getting near them.
⁶ Their webs can’t be made into clothing,
and nothing they do is productive.
All their activity is filled with sin,
and violence is their trademark.
⁷ Their feet run to do evil,
and they rush to commit murder.
They think only about sinning.
Misery and destruction always follow them.
⁸ They don’t know where to find peace
or what it means to be just and good.
They have mapped out crooked roads,
and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace.

⁹ So there is no justice among us,
and we know nothing about right living.
We look for light but find only darkness.
We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
¹⁰ We grope like the blind along a wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
Even at brightest noontime,
we stumble as though it were dark.
Among the living,
we are like the dead.
¹¹ We growl like hungry bears;
we moan like mournful doves.
We look for justice, but it never comes.
We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.
¹² For our sins are piled up before God
and testify against us.
Yes, we know what sinners we are.
¹³ We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord.
We have turned our backs on our God.
We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
carefully planning our deceitful lies.
¹⁴ Our courts oppose the righteous,
and justice is nowhere to be found.
Truth stumbles in the streets,
and honesty has been outlawed.
¹⁵ Yes, truth is gone,
and anyone who renounces evil is attacked.

The Lord looked and was displeased
to find there was no justice.
¹⁶ He was amazed to see that no one intervened
to help the oppressed.
So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm,
and his justice sustained him.
¹⁷ He put on righteousness as his body armor
and placed the helmet of salvation on his head.
He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance
and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.
¹⁸ He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds.
His fury will fall on his foes.
He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth.
¹⁹ In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord;
in the east, they will glorify him.
For he will come like a raging flood tide
driven by the breath of the Lord.^[a]

²⁰ “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem
to buy back those in Israel
who have turned from their sins,”^[b]
says the Lord.

²¹ “And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!

Think before you do!

Dear Friends-

I hope this email finds you well. I'm just getting my head above water with the new fall schedule and know you've been busy too.

Today's message is a replay of a previous message that is very appropriate for this time of year.

Before you send that next email joke, surf the web, or watch
television, stop and think. Is this email critical? Is this activity
that serious? Or could I be doing something to accomplish my goals?

Be thoughtful about the time you spend and who you spend it with.

If you are too busy to spend time in joyful activity or activity that brings glory to God, what's the point? Be prayerful and purposeful in everything you do. Ask God to your steps and keep it moving!

Stay blessed people!
K.

Too Busy for Joy?

Today's Scripture

"...then God blessed them, and said to them, 'be fruitful and
multiply; fill the earth and subdue it...'" (Genesis 1:28)

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

Are you missing out on the joys of life because you are too busy? Are
you over-committed? God never called you to be busy–He called you to
be fruitful. Don't get activity mixed up with productivity. Just
because you are on the go, and always doing things–even godly
things–doesn't necessarily mean that you're fulfilling God's best plan
for your life.

Let me encourage you to prayerfully take inventory of the different
activities in your life. Ask the Lord to show you which areas need to
be pruned, and which areas need more focus. Ask Him to show which
relationships to move away from, and which relationships to cultivate
in your life. Stop allowing the unfruitful areas of your life to
consume all of your time, focus, and energy. As you make adjustments
to bring balance to your schedule, invest in the activities and
relationships that bring you joy and peace. As you do, you will
experience God's abundant blessing in every area of life!

A Prayer for Today

God, order my steps today. Help me to prioritize and to focus on those
things that honor You and fulfill Your plan for my life. There may be
relationships, commitments, and activities that I have to let go
of—give me the courage to do so. I want to slow down, restore balance
and experience more joy in my life! In Jesus' name – Amen.

Be a light!

Dear Friends-

I hope everyone is doing well and adjusting to the new flow of the fall season. I've sent today's message because I truly feel like someone needs this.

As you interact with your colleagues or catch up with people that you haven't seen all summer, don't laugh at the hardships of people who annoy us. No matter how much they send you over the edge, resist the urge.

Remember, the difficulties they face today are the ones you may face tomorrow.

If you want the Lord to have mercy on you, show mercy to others- no matter how little you think they deserve.

Let's be a light in darkness and have a blessed week.

K.

Passage Proverbs 24:17-20:

¹⁷ Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
¹⁸ For the Lord will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.

¹⁹ Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.
²⁰ For evil people have no future;
the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.

Praise Him for the Victory!

King James Translation Psalm 23:4:

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

New Living Translation Psalm 23:4:

⁴ Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.

The Message Translation Psalm 23:4:

⁴ Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I'm not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook
makes me feel secure.

Dear Friends-

Today's message is a simple message of praise. The past 18 months has been a long slow walk through the valley for me but the Lord has kept me. He will keep you too! No matter what you're going through, stay faithful. Jesus delivers! Whatever you need, stay in prayer and praise. He is with you and He will carry you through!

Keep a song of praise on your lips and the message of faith in your heart,

K.

Psalm 63

A David Psalm, When He Was out in the Judean Wilderness

¹ God—you're my God! I can't get enough of you!
I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
traveling across dry and weary deserts.

^{2 -4} So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

^{5 -8} I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
I smack my lips. It's time to shout praises!
If I'm sleepless at midnight,
I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you've always stood up for me,
I'm free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
and you hold me steady as a post.

^{9 -11} Those who are out to get me are marked for doom,
marked for death, bound for hell.
They'll die violent deaths;
jackals will tear them limb from limb.
But the king is glad in God;
his true friends spread the joy,
While small-minded gossips
are gagged for good.