The above statement if not original with me. My wife Ruth has been saying it often since she heard it. In fact, I got tired of hearing it and asked her to stop saying it. However, the more I think of it, the truer I realize it is. While we tend to think of our lives in terms of years, each year is lived day by day. Not only that, but I think God designed our lives to be lived daily.

The Scriptures are full of admonitions for us to do just that—to live in the now, to live today rather than tomorrow. Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Jesus himself admonished us not to be concerned about our tomorrows in Matthew 6 25. James adds to this in James 4:13-14.

Jesus gave His disciples some basic principles of prayer in Luke 11:2-4. It is most interesting to note that His instructions were to ask for our “daily bread” not tomorrow’s bread. Just as the Israelites had to trust God for their daily “manna” (Ex. 16:13-19), He has asked us to do the same.

I might add that Jesus’ instruction started with “When you pray” and included with “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Lk.11:4). God’s forgiveness is linked to our own forgiveness of others (Matt. 6:14-15).

Yes, life is so daily, and the challenge is for us to live it that way. The older I get the more I realize the truth of a acronym by the great football coach Lou Holtz: the key to winning is deciding What’s Important Now.

To use the WIN principle, it seems logical that in our daily now we concentrate on seeking first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33) and laying up treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20). In so doing, we will have less time to be concerned about our tomorrows or to worry about them, and we can trust fully in Romans 8:28.

John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com

Yes, I would trust Him for my salvation, but the storms of life are raging all around me. I like Peter had reached out my hand to receive His gift of eternal life and was striving to follow Him. However, now the sea of life was raging with a tempest I had not known before.

I had been forced to close my business and with little other income been forced to go through bankruptcy. This was not what I had expected when I came back to my faith. I owned nothing, as it was all in the hands of the trustee.

My lovely wife Ruth was being drug along on this journey with me. It was highly probable that we would lose our home that she treasured so much. Where would we go? We had learned we could not rent an apartment until all this was over, some 18 months from now. She did not deserve this after 57 years together. I was embarrassed and humiliated. I was full of doubt, unbelief and stress.

Then I cried out, “Lord, if you are in this with us, save us.” I seemed to hear His words, “You of little faith, why have you doubted my words?” (Matt. 14: 22-32). As I reached out my hand, He took it and led me to the green pastures of His Word.

There I was reminded that I still had more than He ever had (Matt. 8:20); that what He had given me was of more value than any earthly possession (Matt. 6:19-21); that He would continue to supply my needs (Matt. 6: 25-34); and that I could take none of this stuff that now seemed so important with me upon leaving this world (I Tim. 6:7).

However, I must really believe Him rather than just read these words. Yes, He was willing to go with us through this storm if we invited Him to do so. He had promised “surely I am with you always” (Matt. 28: 20).

Finally, I called our mortgage company directly to discuss our dilemma. Now Jesus was in our boat and the storm was about to subside (Matt. 14:32). Although they would not send a statement or take the payment from our bank account, if we would mail the payments they would accept them and we could keep our house.

If you are in the middle of a storm in your life, I encourage you to take the hand of Jesus. Invite Him to go with you through your storm, climb into your boat, and calm the waves.

John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com

America currently stands in a very dangerous position, said renowned pastor and author Dr. Charles Stanley. Today more than ever, the country is turning away from God and moving closer toward socialism, he warned.

And the consequences will be grave.”We know the truth, we know the principles of God. In spite of all that, we find ourselves as a nation violating the laws of God, heading in a direction that is going to be disastrous for us, for our children and the generations that are to come unless there is a change,” he said.

Speaking to thousands at First Baptist Church of Atlanta and to a live Web audience on Friday, Stanley delivered a sobering 4th of July message about a dangerous spiritual tide that is engulfing the country and the crucial need for prayer.

“There is a tide that has touched the shores of our land and reached the heart of our nation,” he said against the backdrop of the U.S. flag. “It is a tide that is bringing with it ideas and philosophies, actions and attitudes that will ultimately destroy the way of life that you and I have.”

The influential pastor and founder of In Touch Ministries listed 12 things involved in the tide. Among them are the financial crisis and the move toward socialism.

With the national debt rising by the billions every day and increasing taxation, future generations will likely be left with a debt so heavy that they’ll never be able to spend most of what they make, he said.

Addressing the idea of spreading the wealth, Stanley emphasized, “It is not the government’s responsibility to take care of us. It is to protect us.

“We’re responsible for taking care of ourselves.”

Socialism, he pointed out, is opposed primarily to Christianity and Judaism.

“In Christianity, we’re taught to do our best because we’ve been gifted by God. So there’s motivation, willingness and we cooperate,” he explained. “We use our spiritual gifts for the good of everyone.”

But under a socialist society, in which the government controls all means of production and distribution, there is no motivation for diligence and creativity is stifled, he said.

When there is less reward, there is less to give. And as evidenced in the recent downturn, what suffers first is supporting missionary work.

“You see, it affects every single aspect of society,” Stanley warned.

He added, “Naturally, when the government takes control, do you think that freedom of speech is always going to be there?”

“The tide is bringing in a control that will indeed attempt to silence the truth and will attempt to squash the religious devotion and worship of the people of God.”

That tide began creeping in many years ago, he noted, when the government and the courts began banning prayer at schools and removing references to Jesus, God and the Ten Commandments from the public square, Stanley noted.

“It is an attempt to destroy the Christian spirit in America,” he said.

“There is a war going on against Jesus,” he declared. “It’s part of the strategy. The primary reason for this war against Him is He is interfering with the plan to make this a socialist nation. Mark it down. It is the truth.”

Among the other elements of the dangerous tide are: terrorism, turning our backs on Israel, the announcement that the United States is not a Christian nation, increasing national disasters, a departure from the biblical view of marriage, and support for killing the unborn, Stanley listed.

“Mark this down for socialism because these three groups of people who do not contribute to the state … are of no value: unborn babies, the elderly and those who are disabled,” said the Atlanta pastor.

With the tide moving fast, Stanley issued a charge to Christians to turn it around.

He called believers to join him in 140 days of humbling themselves, repenting of sins and praying to God.

“The Bible says judgment begins at the house of God. We’re not expecting lost people to do all this because this is the work of the people of God; it is our responsibility,” he stressed. “A lot of where we are is because of our apathy. We haven’t prayed for these men who are making decisions.”

“Do you want this nation to keep going where it’s going or do you want us to get back on track?” he posed.

Prayer, he said, is the one thing he knows that works.

“Do you believe God answers prayer?” he asked. “Pray for God to change the direction of this tide.”

He added that those prayers have to be backed up with righteousness and a godly life if they are to be effective and nation-altering.

“There has never been a nation like these United States. We do not want it to fail or to fall.”

To join Stanley in 140 days of prayer, visit: http://intouch.org/

We have all heard since childhood “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Yet at times many of us have questioned if those words were really true. When all is going well in our lives, it is so easy to repeat those words with a feeling of assurance. However, when things seem to be going south on us—we have lost our business, our job, perhaps our homes, and we don’t see any light at the end of our tunnel—don’t we sometimes question those words.

This may shock you, but I have been there. My wife and I were sitting at our kitchen table when she said, “I love you.” My response to her was, “I know you do because you show me in so many ways but, the way things are going, I’m not sure God loves me?”

I was in a state of despair. All earthly visible signs were growing worse and, without my being aware of it, Satan was in control of my mind at that moment. He is so cunning that we must be on our guard constantly so that “Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).

At that moment I had lost awareness of Satan’s schemes. He was using the same old scheme of getting me to question God. The same scheme he used on Eve in the Garden of Eden: “Hath God said?” But I wasn’t listening to God’s Word or to any of His promises. I was like others, even His disciples, whom He said were of “little faith” (Matt 6:30).

However, later that evening, as I sat in my doubt and unbelief, my mind reached heavenward. I thought of Christ on the cross. Now feelings of remorse swept over me as I recalled His words, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18).

How could I have doubted God’s love for me even for a moment in my despair? Yes, Jesus loves me! It was for my sins that He willingly laid down His life. My sins were included in His atonement, so that I though unworthy might have eternal life with Him.

Yes, Jesus does love you and me. Our faith in that love must convince us with Paul that “nothing in all of creation” will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

There is more to this story. Join John next time for the rest of his story.

John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com

As we travel in our automobiles we observe warning signs along the way. We learn from the driver’s manuals that they are posted to warn us of unsafe curves, speed limits, and other dangers. If we pay attention to them, we are likely to arrive safely at our destination.

So too has God placed warning signs in our lives to help us arrive at our spiritual destination safely. However, if we do not consult the Bible, the manual He has provided, far worse tragedy may overtake us. That is why it is so important that we not just read the Bible but that we also hide it in our hearts (Psalms 119:11) so that we may recall the meaning of those warning signs.

My own experience in straying away from God (www.faithrescued.com) was the result of my not having His warning signs deeply rooted in my heart and mind in order to recognize those first temptations to partake of a forbidden fruit.

In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned that Satan does not give up but that he “prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” Paul admonishes us: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (I Cor. 10:12).

History records many who started the race but failed to finish it. That is why even Paul declared a consuming desire to “finish the race” and said “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Cor. 9:27).

Paul warns us that in the last days “men will gather around them a great number of teachers” who will cause them “to turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Tim.4:2-5).

God has placed warning signs so that we may avoid a spiritual wreck along our lifelong journey. The examples of others have been given “as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did” (1 Cor. 10:6) and “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).

May each of us hide His word in our hearts and minds that we may recognize the schemes of Satan.

John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com

The English language’s collection of four letter words are extraordinarily popular. They’re peppered throughout our media and can be overheard just about anywhere you have someone upset or angry.

But is it alright for Christians to cuss or swear?

I’ve heard passionate appeals from Christians on either side of the issue (and heard from others who think we’re wasting our time making it an issue). What about you? Do you think that swearing is sinning?

Here’s a perspective on cussing/swearing from GotQuestions.org:
Question: “Is it a sin to cuss / swear / curse?”

It is definitely a sin to swear (curse, cuss, etc.). The Bible makes this abundantly clear. Ephesians 4:29 tells us, “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.” First Peter 3:10 declares, “For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” James 3:9-12 summarizes the issue: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

James makes it clear that the lives of Christians—the “brothers”—should not be characterized by evil speech. By making the analogy of both salt water and fresh water coming from the same spring (which is uncharacteristic of springs), he makes the point that it is uncharacteristic for a believer to have both praise and cursing come from his/her mouth. Nor is it characteristic for us to praise God on one hand and curse our brothers on the other. This, too, is uncharacteristic of a true believer.

Jesus explained that what comes out of our mouths is that which fills our hearts. Sooner or later, the evil in the heart comes out through the mouth in curses and swearing. But when our hearts are filled with the goodness of God, praise for Him and love for others will pour forth. Our speech will always indicate what is in our hearts. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

Why is it a sin to cuss / swear / curse? Sin is a condition of the heart, the mind, and “the inner man” (Romans 7:22), which is manifested in our thoughts, actions and words. When we swear and curse, we are giving evidence of the polluting sin in our hearts that must be confessed and repented of. Thankfully, our great God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When this happens, we receive a new nature from God (2 Corinthians 5:17), our hearts are transformed, and our speech reflects the new nature God has created within us.

Originally published at Gospel.com.  Reprinted with permission

Jerry and Cynthia Winegard, members of Providence Baptist

Jerry and Cynthia Winegard, RV Outreach

“Well at least until the Lord says, ‘Don’t do it anymore,’” Jerry Winegard told The Alabama Baptist. “But He has just given me a testimony that really has an impact on people when they hear it. But I never knew who I’d be able to share that testimony with other than people in the area where I live.”

On Feb. 3, 1990, a robber shot Winegard twice in the chest. He was 26. The bullets crushed his spinal cord. Medically speaking, he was dead for seven minutes but lived to tell about it. Recently he’s wanted to tell a lot more people about it.

“I’m not a rich person by any means with the means to travel around in order to do that, so over the years, I said, ‘Lord, if that’s what you want me to do, you’re going to have to make it happen,’” Winegard said.

God soon obliged him in the form of a 19-foot 2008 Palomino Gazelle travel trailer. And that’s all it took to get RV Outreach off the ground and on the road.

On May 30, the husband and wife team began pursuing the RV park and campground ministry full time, an idea Providence Baptist Pastor Allen Foster said was born through months of prayer.

“Jerry and I have probably been praying over this thing for a year and a half now or longer,” Foster said. “It’s just something he felt the Lord wanted them to do and they’re suited for it. They’ve got wonderful personalities and they’re grounded in their faith and organized down to every little dime they’re going to spend as far as the things they’re doing, especially with the kids.”

Reaching out to the kids of America’s campground-vacationing families with crafts, gospel tracts, Bible studies and scavenger hunts, one of the items on the list is a Bible, is one of the ministry’s main avenues of witness.

“It’s easy to connect with the kids, and then once you get them involved in something, then you can talk to the parents,” Winegard said.

The first stops on the couple’s itinerary include campgrounds in Georgia and North Carolina.

Cynthia Winegard knows that not all the people they’ll have an opportunity to minister to will be at the campgrounds for fun.

“The very first time we took out our camper was on a short trip to Oak Mountain (State Park in Pelham), and our granddaughter was with us, and while we were in the campground, we actually encountered a family living in their car and with a two-man tent,” she said. “We didn’t come prepared to give anybody anything, but we had bought the items to make s’mores. We did that and those little children were so excited. To me, that just confirmed the work we’re planning on doing.”

The Winegards are documenting their travels in a blog on their website, www.rvoutreach.org. Also follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/rvoutreach.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, England striker Rooney was prevented from sharing more about his faith as he answered a question in an off-camera briefing about why he wears a cross and rosary beads around his neck outside of official matches. Rooney has often been seen sporting the religious items during training.

He told the newspaper: “I’ve been wearing them for about four years now and you don’t usually watch training (to see them). I obviously can’t wear them in games. It’s my religion.”

The newspaper reports that before another question could be asked, Mark Whittle, the Football Association’s head of media relations, interrupted by saying: “We don’t do religion.”

The parallels to Alastair Campbell’s “We don’t do God” remark will not be missed by Christians. The former director of strategy and communications interrupted then Prime Minister Tony Blair with the comment before he could reply to a question from a reporter about his Christian faith.

FIFA, the World Cup’s organizing body, has outlawed athletes from wearing clothing carrying political, religious or personal statements. FIFA’s move blocks Christian athletes from proclaiming the name of Jesus on air after scoring goals and winning games.

England faces Algeria Friday.

Josh McDowell

This is a concern because pastors’ inability to present biblical truth comprehensibly and relevantly has led to children from Christian families leaving the church, research has shown.

In the United States, the age at which nearly all such children leave church has decreased to 18 years.

Not even the children of many successful ministers are spared.

McDowell made his comments at a recent networking dinner among various men’s ministries organized recently by Men-in-Covenant. MiC is the men’s ministry of Covenant Evangelical Free Church.

He recalled speaking with the pastor of one of the largest U.S. churches, a man known for his expository preaching. Confiding in him, the pastor said their church was losing its youth right after high school graduation.

In his 50 years of ministry, McDowell has asked several thousand pastors and leaders how they could be certain Jesus Christ said “I am the truth” and not one of many truths or a truth.

“Not one person has ever given me an intelligent, biblically-based answer,” said the author of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict.

During the past six years, he asked hundreds of Christians and leaders why they see themselves as Christians. Again no one gave him an “intelligent” answer.

In the past 17 years, he has asked over 4,000 pastors, leaders and parents why they believe the Bible is true.

A mere six “came close to giving an intelligent answer,” McDowell noted.

“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others.

“The saddest thing is people come to me and say, ‘What’s the answer?’”

“I say, ‘There’s no answer… There are hundreds of answers.’”

Most Christians, even some pastors, don’t even know one. On the other hand, the apologist said he could give 50 reasons for his belief that the Bible is true.

Ninety-five percent of Christians gave disappointing responses when asked why they believe Jesus is the Son of God.

Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.

A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.”

McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it?

“If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.”

On one occasion, 13 youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question.

Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer.

The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.”

And to McDowell’s dismay, all the youth pastors applauded him.

McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world?

“To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.”

Another response the apologist received was: Because I have faith.

He commented, “Where did we ever get the crazy idea that faith makes something true? That’s idiotic. That’s so unbiblical you can call it heresy.

“God doesn’t use faith to create truth. He uses truth through the Holy Spirit to create faith.”

Christians, the apologist stressed, are called to explain their faith when asked. They are set free by the faith in the truth, he expressed, referring to John 8:32.

Yet others say Christianity is true because Jesus changed their lives.

Even this will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, McDowell argued.

“Lies change lives; cults change lives,” he said.

To make such an appeal is “not the essence of Christianity,” the author emphasized.

McDowell said: “We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to the lost, to tell them not just what we believe but why do we believe it.”

Pick up most any publication and you will find one or more articles dealing with our nation’s and the world’s problem with obesity. Governments are spending tax dollars to educate us about the problem and to assist us in living healthier and longer lives.

Every athlete is aware that excess weight is a deterrent to their success. While they know that muscle mass is important to their success, they also know that fat weight hinders their performance. This has been proven through research. It also proves that obesity can affect the quality and length of our lives. What we consume is important to our overall health.

While this growing concern about our diets is good, there is another aspect of our lives where our diets are even more important because they affect the quality of our spiritual lives. Just as we abuse our physical bodies with improper diets, so we as believers sometimes abuse our spiritual beings with improper diets. Paul seems to address both the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives in 1 Cor. 3:16-17 with the words, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple” and warns us not to destroy God’s temple.

For the spiritual side Hebrews 12:1 admonishes us: “let us lay aside every weight; and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Spiritual diets, like physical diets, require the discontinuance of some things we have been consuming and adding others we have either not been consuming at all or enough of. I do not know what weights you need to lay aside. It may be what you are watching on TV or reading. It may be the people you are spending your time with. It may be habits that interfere with your spiritual growth. I do know that if you are sincere about knowing what weight you need to lay aside, the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you if you ask (John 14:26).

As to what you may need to add to your spiritual menu, Peter indicates that we need the spiritual milk of God’s Word (1 Peter 2:2). Psalms 119 is an excellent section of the Bible to consider what we should consume for our spiritual growth. Philippians 4:8 lists things we should consume for our spiritual growth.

John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com