Verse of the Day

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with
faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was
entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives
in us.”- 2 Timothy 1:13-14
 
Paul was giving Timothy some very important instructions before he
released him with major responsibilities in ministry. He was telling young
Timothy to be confident in what he knew and seal it by his faith
and love in Jesus Christ. What Paul says here is that there was a pattern of
sound teaching which means that Timothy went through a process where he received the word of God from someone who has very sound doctrine and it included several conversations about his life in Christ and what he should do and how he should live. Timothy staying mindful of his teachings will allow him to also be a great leader and live a life worthy of being imitated. Throughout Timothy’s preparation he has been on a continuous learning curve with the word and when you receive the word it is not just for you to keep to yourself we should be like Jeremiah, weary of holding it in.
 
Paul makes it clear that God has made a major deposit in Timothy and
the truth is He has done the same for us and we all have to guard
that deposit the God trusted us with, and we have to guard it with
our lives. The comfort in this is that we don’t have to worry about
doing it by ourselves because the Holy Spirit is going to help us. As a
matter of fact the Holy Spirit is a deposit from the Lord guaranteeing our
inheritance and we are sealed in Him until the day of redemption so that help is with us always.
 
I pray that you all are at a Bible based church getting fed the
infallible word of God. I encourage you like Paul to continue your
journey of drawing closer to God and hide His word in your hearts so
that you won’t sin against Him. Know that you do have help and the
help is in the Power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in all of us.

God Bless
Jesse R. Watson Jr.

Verse of the day

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 

I have often heard the phrase “It’s not what you know but who you know” and “Who you know will get you in and what you know will keep you there.” Both phrases have some truth to them especially in the business world. Depending on whom you know a door can open wide for you without much effort on your part. I was able to get back into engineering from teaching high school math because of who I knew. This goes to show that relationship really is very important not so much because you can benefit from it but you will never know when you will genuinely need somebody in your corner.

Depending on the foundation of your relationship and the strength of it almost anything can happen and you and that person will still support one another and build each other up. Some people create relationships solely to benefit themselves and in most cases they aren’t successful and someone ends up getting hurt. Either way the time and energy you put into building a relationship with someone should reflect the kind of relationship you have with the Lord.

Here the text is saying to us that a right relationship with God opens to door to knowledge beyond our years. In any relationship especially with God we have to humble ourselves and be willing to learn His ways. No one knows better than God so it would be very foolish for us not to heed His wisdom and directions. We should not seek to develop a relationship with the Lord just because we heard it could get us in Heaven. That foundation would not be solid and at some point the bottom will fall out. Our goal is Heaven however we should really want to know the Father and want Him to really know us. Having a genuine relationship with Him empowers us to endure during the hard times and stay focus in the good times because He is right there with us. Just like most of us God don’t like fake people, it doesn’t stop Him from loving them though. In this relationship who you know will get you lined up and what you know will empower you to stay the course with Heaven as your final destination.

Value your relationship with others the same way because you don’t know everything. The people that you are great friends with can impart some wisdom on you that can help you in so many ways but if you don’t have a great relationship with them you would not be expose to that wisdom. People really don’t care what you know until they know that you care at that point they are open to share life with you on any level. So we don’t have to be fearful of people to get to know them however we do have to humble ourselves and be open minded in getting to know them. Handle your relationships as if they are fragile and you don’t want to break them. The really good relationships you have are worth it so be fearful not to cause any damage to them.

God Bless,

Jesse R. Watson Jr.

Verse of the Day

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:3

When you think about being successful at anything you know that there are obstacles that come along with it. These obstacles will do one of two things, they will trip you up and cause you to stumble and fall or they will propel you to greatness by strengthening you during your journey. I have always been one with the thought of looking to someone who has accomplished what you are trying to accomplish as a guide. One of the general rules of being successful at anything is finding someone who is willing to give you wisdom and who have proven success in that area you are working on.

I know for me I have learned that it is very difficult to do almost anything by your self. If for nothing else you need someone to encourage you along the way. Once you set out on your course it will get difficult and when you run into a situation that you have never faced before what do you do if you have no one to talk to or no one with any kind of expertise in your area. It takes for us to humble ourselves in order to count on others for guidance and wisdom. What we often don’t realize is that there is almost always some difficult time that we face that cause us to break down and ask for help or for guidance. The thing that stops us from being successful after that is the fact that we never deal with what drove us to seek out that change.

With walking with Christ we know that Jesus Christ have walked the walk for us and before us. We have heard about His story and what He had to endure. When we first came to Christ it was His story that inspired us to want to follow Him because He endured we had hope that we too could endure. As a result of us going through our own hardship instinctively we get excited about being in Christ because now we have someone in our lives who loves us unconditionally and who will always be there for us no matter what the situation. To know that we have that kind of support gives us what we need to endure our hardship with hope and confidence that it will be better. In most situations we do find that we don’t get weary or lose heart in fact we get stronger to the put that we are strong for others as well.

There is one thing though that we lost focused of and it always seems to come back up. The reason you went to the Lord in the first place. For some it could be a general situation like you are just tired of fighting by yourself on any challenge that comes your way. However for many there was something specific that drew you towards the Lord. Often times when we accept Jesus Christ we feel so good like the burden has been lifted that we loose focus of the issue that got us there. Soon after we get caught up with the excitement about living for the Lord that we never go back to deal with our issue which causes us to go on an emotional roller coaster later on in our walk with the Lord. Jesus Christ had an issue before He committed His life for ever and it was being separated from His Father. However, before He allowed Himself to be crucified He dealt with His issue. As a result of Him dealing with His issue Jesus let it go and was ready to confidently move
forward. Jesus Christ showed us this when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane and He said, “Not my will but your will be done.”  We have to make sure that while we are on our journey with the Lord that we allow Him to help us deal with our root cause of choosing to follow Him in the first place. Deep down inside it will continue to be an obstacle that will stunt our growth because something familiar will always bring it back to our remembrance. Don’t for get the enemy is an opportunist and he will wait until you are really high in the Lord to try and knock you back down. Any fall that you make means that he was successful at his attempt. In order for us to be sure of our successful growth in Christ we must follow His example and deal with the root cause of our issue in doing that we can truly be confident in not growing weary or losing heart. The weapon may form but because we dealt with our internal struggle it will not prosper in our lives.

  God Bless
  Jesse R. Watson Jr.

Verse of the day

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:8-11

Yesterday we visited First Metropolitan Church with family where the Pastor is John Ogletree. His message was titled “God Alone” and he focused on worship. As I sat and listened it made me think about how we all are bombarded by stuff and the value that we place on it versus giving God our total focus and attention. First, worship is derived from an Old English word worthscipe which means worthiness. It is simply to give worth to something and from the Christian perspective to give total reverence to God. Either way the Pastor was right when he said that worship is both an act and an attitude. The act many people have down pact because so many Christians are programmed on when to raise their hands or when to shout. There are some you can count on to shout out or take off running every Sunday after the Pastor says something like “Ain’t He, Ain’t He, Ain’t He” and they knock everything over in their way including people.
There are many people who worship the wrong things like their cars, homes, jobs, education. The preacher put it perfectly yesterday when he said” those folks are worshipping mortgages and car notes something that can’t save them or answer their prayers.”  This is far too common in our society and we have to become conscious enough to recognize if we are falling into that same trap.

The text starts off by saying again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and the he here is Jesus. This is the story where the enemy was trying to tempt Jesus to separate Him from His relationship with God. This one statement simply points out the fact that the devil made multiple attempts to get Jesus to fall so what would make you and I think that he wouldn’t put in that same effort with us. We are not as solid as Jesus so we have to be really careful and prayerful about the decisions we make. If the enemy had the audacity to offer Jesus something that His Father already owned then who’s to say that he won’t do the same to us as a matter of fact he does. The enemy wants us to bow down and worship him and really it is disguised by worshipping the stuff that he offers us.
We have to continue to study to show ourselves approved unto God rightly dividing the word of truth. The more we get in the word and the word get in us and we apply in our lives daily then we will be able to build up the resistance to stand and say to the enemy, “Leave me alone satan, I worship God and God alone.” I know for me when I truly get into the worship experience nothing else matters. I get so lost in the Lord that I forget about all of my issues, hurts, bills whatever and I am at a place of peace that is so hard to put in words. When I am there in that moment I never want to leave because I really feel the joy of the Lord flowing through me and I am spiritually stronger than ever. If we can get ourselves to that place of worshipping God alone we will be strong enough to tell the enemy to flee and just like the text says he will leave. The warning here is that he will be back so we have to continue to focus our worship on God. He is the only
one who can strengthen us to stand against the enemy. So in other words we have to develop an attitude that God is the only one truly worthy to be worshipped and nothing else. If we strive to serve God with all that is within us then we will find ourselves in a position to blow His mind and He will meet our needs according to His Glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

True Worship is to God and God Alone.

  God Bless
  Jesse R. Watson Jr.

Verse of the day

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”- Psalm 143:10

Here is a prayer of someone who is in deep need of the Lord’s touch and His presence. If you read the entire Psalm you can tell that they are on their last leg. It is like they have been broken down to the point of wanting to let go. Yet there is enough Jesus in him to cry out to the Lord. That mustard seed of faith that moves mountains have stirred up the gift in him and has given him a glimmer of hope. It is amazing how when you are down you really find the right words to say to the Lord. I believe that it is because you aren’t trying so hard to say the right thing anymore it becomes a real conversation between you and your God. We even find ourselves during that time of prayer getting stronger and feeling better before we end our prayer, like God has breathe more life into us.

The Psalmist recognizes that in his deep despair he can’t do this alone and he really needs the Lord’s help. He says that his spirit is getting faint, his heart is dismayed and his soul thirsts for the Lord like a parched land. I really love when he says to the Lord answer me quickly Father because my spirit fails, rescue me from my enemy so that I can hide in you.

We all have rough day’s sometimes rough weeks or months and we have to realize as children of God our power is in prayer. Lord I love the way you love me, unconditionally. Wholeheartedly, emphatically you gave your only son to prove to me, you do. Today Lord I need you; we need you more than we know. We live in a world where sometimes every step we take feels like quicksand and we need your helping hand to pull us out. The world is sinking fast, only the strong will survive but how will we last, without you. True leadership is few and far in between so we have no choice but to trust our Risen King so please don’t take your love away. We are not perfect as you can see. Thank God tomorrow doesn’t depend on me because sometimes I’m such a mess, blinded by the lies of the world I can hardly see the road. Thank you Father for your beacon light, reading and applying your word allows my light to shine so bright. Maybe it will burn on and on long enough for someone else to catch on, fire. After all it only takes your one touch to lift us out of our distress and you will because you love us so much. Lead us all along the guided path and if we stray leave your footprints it will bring us back, to you. Never take you Spirit away for it guides us and gives us hope to make it from day to day. We know that the Bible is not fictional, we will be delivered to. Continue to bring us out of trouble, silence our enemies because we will never stop believing in you. Your will is our will so please teach us your ways, may your good Spirit lead us on level ground just as the psalmist say. There is one reality that always proves to be true, no matter what our situation we will overcome as long as our hope in you. Thank you God, we now believe that you will make a way. Though we struggle and strain, we push and we fight. We have been delivered before so we just have to continue to believe with all our might.

 Open you heart and mind and allow the Lord to move.

God Bless,

Jesse R. Watson Jr.

Verse of the day
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.”- Colossians 1:28

There is a saying that I have heard a few times that says each one teach one. Formally working in the educational system and now an educator on life I strongly believe in this statement.  Often times what we teach is unknown because we don’t always see who is watching us. However we are very intentional with teaching certain people in our lives specific things. Whatever your reason is the purpose for taking the time out to share with them is because you care about their well being and you don’t’ want them to fail. That is an awesome attitude to have and we would hope that it is contagious with those that you share with.

I am reminded of a movie “Pay it Forward” where a little boy cared so much for others that he did a kind deed for someone and instead of them paying it back he asked them to pay it forward to three other people. In other words he was asking the person to be a blessing to someone else without expecting anything in return and ask those they help to do the same. In our text today it covers the same concept in making sure that we who are in Christ do our part to be a blessing to others.

Paul says first of all we proclaim, so those of us who are in Christ must make a public declaration about the crucified Christ. We must know Him and not just memorize 100 passages of scripture or participate regularly in Bible study. Our walk is not about religion but it is about relationship with our Lord and risen Savior. Much like the movie we should be care enough to expose everyone we meet to the Truth. We should warn them and teach them about Christ so that they may be equipped to make conscious decisions of faith. We have all been called to make disciples however many people pick and choose who they want to talk to about the gospel and when they want to talk to them about it. Here is a question for you. If there is some danger that is coming wouldn’t you warn others so that they can prepare for it? Well here we have the same situation. Jesus Christ is coming back and no one knows when however we have a mission to warn and teach as many as who
will listen so that they can be better prepared for His return. We are all God’s creation but we are not all God’s children. Only those who receive His son are apart of the family so we have a lot of work to do. J.B. Phillips summarized this text this way,” So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ.”

I had the pleasure to speak with and baptize my grandmother on my wife’s side a few weeks ago. Even though she didn’t say much I knew that she understood and she acknowledged that Jesus Christ is her Lord and Savior with just a head nod as she lay in her hospital bed. By the grace of God she is still with us however we don’t have to worry about her eternal security because she is a part of the family of God. Do your part to present everyone perfect in Christ.

  God Bless
  Jesse R. Watson Jr.

Verse of the Day

“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can
certainly do it .”    Numbers 13:20

Many of us face giants in our lives daily and we all deal with them differently. The key to overcome what you are dealing with is how you look at it. Your mindset plays a big roll.
We have said before that as man think so is he.
Here we have the Israelites with an assignment from the Lord. He told Moses to send men to spy on Canaan the land flowing with milk and honey. Moses sent out 12 men and they came back with a report. All but 2 men saw how big the men there were and the size of the wall around the city and they were fearful. So they were defeated before they started. However Caleb said to go and posses the land because he was sure that they could do it. Caleb had facts because he had visited the land himself. He trusted God because God promised them the land anyway, it was theirs for the taking. He also had the right attitude. He believed that they could do it. All it takes is a mustard seed of faith to move mountains. How many times have you faced a challenge in your life and you went in defeated before you started?

We have to learn to do the same thing that Caleb did, look at the facts, trust God and never stop believing. In the crowd of unbelievers Caleb wasn’t afraid to stand out and be different. He stood on what he believed and no one could change his mind on that. He knew that there was something inside him that was much stronger than what he was dealing with. We have to approach life and the challenges that come the same way.

Don’t count yourself out before you start.  trust that if God is for you then He really is more than the world against you. Take a stand like Caleb and watch the Lord work with what you bring to the table.

God Bless
Jesse R. Watson Jr.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”- Psalm 119:105

When planning a long trip in your car most of us always make sure that we have our map. Even if you go on map quest to get directions, we tend to make sure that it is done so that we won’t get lost. We all know that feeling of getting lost and for me it only took one time and I knew that I didn’t want to get lost ever again. Honestly you drive with more confidence and assurance when you know where you are going or at least have some detailed directions to where you are going. Here this text is telling us that the Bible, the word of God is our road map to life. If we just follow the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth it will guarantee us arriving safely to our desired destination.

In this we also have to trust God and know that he won’t lead on the wrong path. We hear about God being light and how we are to be light and some take that lightly. Think about it if you are traveling in darkness what is the first thing that you do? When you walk into you house at night what is the first thing that you do? If you find yourself in the middle of no where without any power what is it that you wish you had to find your way? Of course the answer that is true for all is light. God says that He will be a lamp for our feet and a light for our paths. With Him there is no way that we can get lost because HE is the source of light. God is our light source so all we have to do is connect with Him and we are plugged in with unlimited power. LaQuinta Inn had these commercials that would always end with we’ll keep the light on for you emphasizing that they want you to find your way to them and they will take care of the rest. Not only is God saying that He will keep the light on for us He is also saying that we can be a source of light for others.

Our life’s mission is to be a reflection of Him so when you look in the mirror what do you see? When others look at you who do they see, you or a reflection of the SON? We should be working harder to do everything that we can to keep the light on. Get in the word and hide it in your heart so that the Holy Spirit has something to work with. Be light in a world full of darkness.

 God Bless,

Jesse R. Watson Jr.