You Finishing Well

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HOW SHOULD YOU VOTE? How are you going to vote? Are you gong to vote? I’m voting for Donald Trump and here’s why. Some may feel that they don’t like either candidate and they may not vote. Please know “not voting” is voting. All of us will have to llive through who ever is voted for - so not voting should not be an option. They say you should not talk about politics and religion. I speak of Jesus Christ all the time and I vote for him. So I suppose I’ll talk about politics as well. I’m also willing to say I’ll vote for Donald Trump. Why? First, honestly, I don’t really like either candidate, however I must vote and I’ll choose the one that progresses our country in a better direction, closet to God’s will. I hope my public opinion sways someone who wasn’t going to vote - to vote. I hope my notes sway others toward Jesus Christ. So therefore, I hope my notes sway others to vote for Donald Trump. I may not be for all that Donald Trump stands for. But I believe he will stop illegal and dangerous people from coming into our country. I don’t want one of them to kill people and children I love. I’m for guns and don’t believe in killing babies to say it bluntly. I also like the way God creates genders and I don’t think that should change. I understand those who struggle with genders and may God help those who are caught in the struggle. I don’t want our country to go to war or others to attack us. And I beleive business owners offer good jobs to others and we need to be pro business. Yes, business owners seem to be more wealthy, but thank God for the jobs they offer. I hope our military and police are supported and stay strong. You and I need their protection as they lay their lives on the line every day for us. And parents need to remain in charge of their children and not allow children to dictate their own paths. Children need parental guidance until they are mature enough to decide for themselves. This year, it would be great to love the character and temperament of the candidates, but unfortunately I feel we don’t have those options - at least not completely. But we have an option. And that option is to vote for the one with good policies and the one that most aligns with us being “One Nation Under God”. We need God’s protection and provision. LORD, help us decide. Help our local and national leaders lead us well. We must depend on them for saftey, peace, economy and unite us with each other and with other countries. Please bring us that candidate. Since I voted for Donald Trump, bless him, help him and protect him - and us. Help us all promote the best for our country by voting and being the best citizens we can be. Just help us please. IJNIP amen ♥️

HELL - WHAT EXACTLY IS IT? What do you believe about Hell? Do you believe in Hell? Where is it? What is it like? Will you go to hell? First, the Bible does not say “If you believe in Jesus, you will not go to hell.” It’s not quite laid out that way. I’ll give you the bottom line up front, then explain some details. I’ll use the most famous verse; “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-18) Whoever does not believe in him (Jesus Christ) is already condemned by their (our) sin. Honestly, it’s that simple. So the question is not; “Do you belive in Jesus Christ?” - the bigger question is; “Do you sin and does your sin condemn you to hell?” Sin condemns us. The picture is whoever does not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is already condemned. He is our “only” salvation and forgiveness. There are only three options; 1) Heaven and Hell are not real and this life is all there is 2) Everyone goes to Heaven regardless of their sin and no one goes to Hell 3) Believing in Jesus Christ is the only way our sins are forgiven, therefore we are heaven bound and our sins are forgiven. And the choices are completely up to you. However if I may be so narrow-minded, there is only one right choice - option #3. The Bible speaks of Hades, Hell, The Pit, The Fire and so many other ways of describing it. Since the beginning, God has provided a way to escape the hellish judgement for our sin. God requires perfection because He is perfect. It may sound harsh, but it’s actually Holy. God is holy and perfect and requires such in order to have a relationship with Him now and forever. And in His love, he provides salvation. Unlike the Old Testament days of animal sacrifice and confession, we now confess our sins, repent by accepting Jesus Christ and living the life he prescribes, while seeking forgiveness by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. If we do, we avoid hell, have a full life, love and forgive others because we are forgiven - and - we go to heaven, not hell. God makes us a new creature. Yes, we still sin, however because we posses the Holy Spirit, we are remorse of our sin, confess it, and repent and seek forgiveness. We don’t seek forgiveness to gain favor, we’ve already gained favor by accepting Christ. Our forgiveness is permanent and our salvation is not earned. We repent because we love God and other people and we want to make our wrongs right. GOD, thank you for giving us a perfect human that met your standards for us. He lived the perfect life we won’t and can’t. He paid the price for sin once and for all. You loved us enough to provide a way. All we have to do is beleive it, accept it, love it, and follow and depend only on Christ to save us. Thank You IJNIP amen ♥️

HOW TO LIVE IN OUR NATION Who is going to be your President? What will happen to our country if the one you voted for doesn’t win? How should we live if the one we voted for doesn’t win? I want to provide a bit of hope for you. The cycle of bad leadership has been going on since creation. In fact, in Jeremiah’s day when the evil Babylon took over “This is what the Lord says: “Babylon will be powerful for seventy years. After that time I will come to you, and I will keep my promise to bring you back to Jerusalem.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬ ‭NCV‬‬) Meaning, God allowed, in fact even used Babylon for His purpose. Then God instructed the Babylonian captives to “Build houses and settle in the land. Plant gardens and eat the food they grow. Get married and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and let your daughters be married so they also may have sons and daughters. Have many children in Babylon; don’t become fewer in number.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NCV‬‬) But that wasn’t all God said. He continued; “Also do good things for the city where I sent you as captives. Pray to the Lord for the city where you are living, because if good things happen in the city, good things will happen to you also.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭7‬ ‭NCV‬‬) But God warned the captives “The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let the prophets among you and the people who do magic fool you. Don’t listen to their dreams. They are prophesying lies to you, saying that their message is from me. But I did not send them,” says the Lord.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NCV‬) God also gave the captives the conclusion if they follow His advice. God said “Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NCV‬‬) God then said “I will let you find me,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place, but I will gather you from all the nations, from the places I have sent you as captives,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back to this place.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭14‬ ‭NCV‬‬) CONCLUSION: The goal of life is to continue to honor God, love and forgive others, do good, strive for Godliness and multiply by sharing the Godly way of living with others. Then, teach our future leaders, our children and share truth with everyone, while we stand strong, and continue to love our country and do good things for it. If we do, as God did in Jeremiah’s days and He has been doing since creation - God will gather us together and bring us back to Him. LORD, for those all worried about the election, simply guide us - guide me. Help me share with others who don’t know what to do. Help me influence others to follow you - trust you - and have faith that you will be there for us in our future. As long as we lean into you and trust. Help us have the faith. IJNIP amen ♥️

HOW TO AVOID RELATIONAL FAILURE Wendy and I continue to see struggling and failed relationships. Is there a way to have a flourishing one? There is and it starts with being equally yoked. In the old days when oxen were used to plow, they would put a wooden yoke around their necks to pull the plow. If the ox were equal, they worked well together. If not, they were not in unison. In short, equally yoked means they are pursuing the same things in life, and are going in the same direction. When two people come together, they have different sinful habits, and selfish and individual agendas. They have different beliefs, life goals, and different spiritual beliefs. We have different trusts, faith, and views of hope. We may even worship different Gods; universe, no god, or the god of “self”. Some worship God Almighty. Also, there are different similarities such as, food, music, health habits, hobbies, concepts of family, friends, professions, family history, past wounds and abuses and different personalities and dysfunctions. Tying two humans together - yoking them together - is quite complex. Relational failure occurs when two people are not equally yoked or not working in unison or going in the same direction. This is critical in dating with marriage in mind, which is a great way to date. If you are single, you can somewhat set yourself up for success by learning the strategies. If you are married, you can turn bad into good with some new and simple strategies. So how does being equally yoked play out in a relationship? The most important goal and direction in life is to walk with God throughout life. Why? Because He’s the one that controls the mind, heart and spirit. He is the one that can open the mind, soften the heart and rescue the soul. Even as you read this - this may be the point in which we divide - different directions. God is the one that influences all the various dynamics I listed above. Pursuing God is number one. For example, when God saw his people sinning during Jeremiah’s days, he prescribed a way for them to succeed. He told them how to live their life, then said: “I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NCV‬‬) So why would we not follow such a God? If you want to dive a bit deeper into this concept it’s covered in my book “You Finishing Well” on Amazon and Kindle. Soon, my new marriage book, “The Four Elements To A successful Marriage” will be published. LORD, help us walk with you. You provide a successful plan for life. If two of us are following the same plan, your plan, we succeed. Yes, we still sin and get selfish, however a new love directs our path toward unity and reconciliation. It’s a love for you and a deep love for others. It’s a love that loves them as much as we love ourself. Help us be equally yoked, both tied to you. IJNIP amen ♥️

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE LIVING A GODLY LIFE? What does a Godly life look like for you? Is it knowledge? Is it blessing and wealth from God? Is it peace and contentment? Not to be rude, but do you even care if you are living a Godly life? What voice is speaking to you? Is it God’s? Or is it the voice of the one that roams the earth looking for someone to steal, kill and devour? Back in the days of the Prophet Jeremiah, God told him to say to the king of Judah (King Jehoiakim): “He, (King Jehoiakim ) says, ‘I will build a great palace for myself with large upper rooms.’ So he builds it with large windows and uses cedar wood for the walls, which he paints red. “Does having a lot of cedar in your house make you a great king?” (Jeremiah‬ ‭22‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NCV‬‬) Kings in those days felt that if they had a palace, enjoyed the pleasures of life, life was complete and good. Honestly, things are not much different today. How does God define the way we should be living? Instead of the large rooms of cedar painted red, Jeremiah reminded King Jehoiakim of his father, the good and Godly king. He said: “Your father was satisfied to have food and drink. He did what was right and fair, so everything went well for him. He helped those who were poor and needy, so everything went well for him. That is what it means to know God,” says the Lord.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭22‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NCV‬‬) Jeremiah described knowing God and walking with God as one who loved simple things and in his heart, he had a soft spot to love and help others. We are wired to love ourselves - it’s just true. Christ said “Love others as much as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) We do love ourselves … I’m not advocating living like a celibate priest or a lonely nun and never having fun. I am saying that the giver of life, the one who is actually love himself, God Almighty is the creator and you and I are the creation. It’s wise for the created-being to honor and love the creator. Yet so many can live as if they are in charge of their own life, building their own little kingdom and painting it all red like the so-called kings in Jeremiah’s day. I love a Godly life. I did not always desire to live it, so I get those who don’t fully understand. I love loving others. I love worshipping. I love my Bible, praying, forgiving, helping and trying to love God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I love trying to love others as much as I love myself. Honestly, I’m not that great at it, but I’m trying and I want to. God put that desire in my heart. If you are looking for life, happiness and fulfillment, God has it all for you. All you have to do is come to Him and ask. Let him suprise you like he has surprised me - and keeps surprising. LORD, how selfish and sinful are we? Yet how loving and forgiving you are. It’s a stark contrast. Thank you for Jesus Christ coming to save our souls. Help us love, follow, and hear “your voice” and commit to you daily. IJNIP amen ♥️

WHICH WAY SHOULD YOU GO FOR SUCCESS? Where do you get your best advice? Are you one to seek advice and counsel? Do you listen to advice? God told the Psalmist to write: “But my people did not listen to me; Israel did not want me. So I let them go their stubborn way and follow their own advice.” (Psalms‬ ‭81‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NCV‬‬) Probably the worst way we could go is our own stubborn way. Why? Because to the core, we are selfish, sinful and in many cases judgemental and unforgiving. Love, kindness, and self-control do not come naturally to us. How do we know that God’s way is the best way? The foundation of faith and trust is to understand “and remember” God’s love. He loved us so much, while we did not love him, that he gave us his Son to live, die and be raised from the dead so that our sins would be forgiven, allowing us eternal life in heaven. (John 3:16) If he loved us this much, why would he give us bad counsel now? To walk with God takes faith, even when it doesn’t make sense. Solomon once said: “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success. Don’t depend on your own wisdom. Respect the Lord and refuse to do wrong.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NCV‬‬) It sounds so simple, so religious, yet it’s the only way to live. As we think about how to love, relationships, money management, raising children, health - and the list goes on; God gives us a clear path to follow in his word. However, no one has to follow His ways. He gives us a choice. As He said; “So I let them go their stubborn way.” Following God is not easy and is not natural for us. Honestly, I don’t trust myself unless I am sure that I’m following God’s way. It’s simple. It’s succesful. It’s fulfilling. And it brings life, eternal life and healing during difficult times. Maybe it’s a good time to evaluate how you and I make choices. Maybe it’s a good time to learn and keep learning about God’s ways. It’s just wise to walk with God daily. Maybe it’s time to read our bible, go to church, meet with other believers, maybe even get some new friends. Maybe it’s time for a change. LORD, we drift so easily. Help me stay in your word. Help me have faith when it doesn’t make sense. Help be believe and believe more. IJNIP amen ♥️

OUR ONLY HOPE When all else is failing, what is your ultimate hope? When the disease is not healing, what is your only hope? When you can’t kick the addiction, what is your only hope? Even when things are normal and good, what is your only hope for things to continue so? In the book of Jeremiah, God had Jeremiah tell the people that they were going to be judged and die. They had been serving other gods and living a life void of God Almighty. God told Jeremiah to tell them that he would stop the rain, bring starvation, allow the enemy to attack them and bring death. Jeremiah prayed: “Do foreign idols have the power to bring rain? Does the sky itself have the power to send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. You are our only hope, because you are the one who made all these things.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭14‬:‭22‬ ‭NCV‬‬) For many, God seems to be the last resort. A final plea can be good, however is your final plea to save your own skin or is it to honor God and show your love and respect for him? If you remember the two thieves on the cross as Christ was being crucified, one claimed that they deserved to die, but Christ did not. He acknowledged Jesus as Lord and asked to be remembered. “Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭43‬ ‭NCV‬‬) The other thief said “if you are the Christ - save us!” - His desire was to escape the crucifixion in order to save his own skin. (Luke 23:39-43) God is not looking for a panic plea to save your own skin. There is nothing wrong with wanting be saved from pain and death. However, God is looking for a relationship and acknowledgment of Him being the Lord of your life. God already knows that He is our only hope for a full life, eternal life, and our sins forgiven. Like the respectful theif on the cross, he still died by crucifixion, yet was saved for eternity. When all else fails, will we honor God in the storm? When it doesn’t seem to be getting better, will we still love God, and depend on Christ in the pain? It’s easier said than done - but it’s our only hope. GOD - Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is our only hope for happiness, contentment, joy, forgivenss, healing and salvation. There is a great “Old Person’s Prayer” in Psalm 71. The Psalmist said “Lord, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young. I am always praising you; all day long I honor you. Do not reject me when I am old; do not leave me when my strength is gone.” (Psalms‬ ‭71‬:‭5‬, ‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NCV‬) LORD - Jesus Christ - Holy Spirit, we need you every day. We need you in good times and bad. We need you in life, at death and will enjoy you and your new creation of the Earth and Heaven after death and for eternity. Please give us the faith to believe in you, trust you, accept you, love you and live as if you are and always will be our only hope. IJNIP amen ♥️

WHAT AREA OF YOUR LIFE ARE YOU LAZY? How lazy are you when it comes to __________ (fill in the blank)? As a cancer patient, believe it or not, one can become lazy in their diet - a diet that can actually heal and keep cancer at bay. I’ve done it already as a new cancer patient. Laziness is easy. Laziness can show up anywhere; our health, chores and home maintenance, working out, working hard, saving money, ambition, relationships, reading our bible or other books to improve - and the list could go on. What area of your life are you lazy? King Solomon said “I passed by a lazy person’s field and by the vineyard of someone with no sense. Thorns had grown up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds, and the stone walls had fallen down.” (Proverbs 24:30, 31 NCV) He went on to say: “I thought about what I had seen; I learned this lesson from what I saw. You sleep a little; you take a nap. You fold your hands and lie down to rest. Soon you will be as poor as if you had been robbed; you will have as little as if you had been held up.” (Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:‭32-34‬ ‭NCV‬‬) Poverty can show up in any area of our life. Nothing sits still, it either improves or erodes. Rarely do problems solve themselves. I know some that excel far beyond measure in one or two areas while being lazy and failing in others. I’ve done it myself. Honestly, it’s hard to be efficient in all areas, yet it’s quite possible. It’s simple, but not easy. Working hard takes praying, pondering and planning. I believe in that order. The questions are: “What kind of steward are we with the blessings that God has given us?” And if we abuse the blessing(s), will God continue to bless? Working hard has been established from the beginning. “The Lord God put the man in the garden of Eden to care for it and work it.” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭NCV‬‬) In my book “You Finishing Well”, I mention six main areas of our life; Spiritual, Educational, Physical, Professional, Family and Social (in that order). Maybe it’s time to evaluate our life and the areas that need a little more work. I recommend starting with prayer and reading God’s word. Then ponder what you have read. Afterwards, we are ready to make a life plan. Why not draw a line in the sand, write “start” and give life our best to finish well? When we fail, just draw another line. There is nothing like a clean conscience after a hard days work. LORD, you tell us that “In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. Remember that you will receive your reward from the Lord, which he promised to his people. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NCV‬‬) Help us live-out this truth. IJNIP amen ♥️

WHY DO BAD PEOPLE SUCCEED? Why do honest people sometimes struggle and the not-so-honest seem to succeed? The prophet Jeremiah asked the same question when he asked: “Lord, when I bring my case to you, you are always right. But I want to ask you about the justice you give. Why are evil people successful? Why do dishonest people have such easy lives?” (Jeremiah‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NCV‬) Jeremiah said: “You have put the evil people here like plants with strong roots. They grow and produce fruit. With their mouths they speak well of you, but their hearts are really far away from you.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NCV‬‬) It does make you ask “Why?” doesn’t it? Do you know God’s answer? He said: “If you get tired while racing against people, how can you race against horses? If you stumble in a country that is safe, what will you do in the thick thornbushes along the Jordan River?” (Jeremiah‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬ ‭NCV‬) So what does that mean? It means greater challenges are coming - and they did. In Jeremiah’s future, he would be locked in stocks, imprisoned, ignored, made fun of, beaten, given the death sentence, put in a muddy well to die, , called a liar, and the list goes on. When those times came, Jeremiah complained again. And God gave the same answers. So what’s the take-away? The Christian life is not easy. It’s not easy to be patient, kind, gentle, forgiving, mature, having self-control, being generous - the Christian life is not easy. However, God “did” share that he would punish evil - in time - in His time. “This is what the Lord says about the people of Judah: “They really love to wander from me; they don’t stop themselves from leaving me. So now the Lord will not accept them. He will now remember the evil they do and will punish them for their sins.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭14‬:‭10‬ ‭NCV‬‬) God “will” deal with the evil and ungodly every time. Success is not how it appears to us. God has a different view of success. The truth is, we are not in control. God is. He has a different time line. He has different ways of dealing with things. He allows suffering for reasons we don’t really understand. The question is can we walk in faith, even when it doesn’t make sense? Do we “really” trust God? Do we believe He has our best interest at heart? God would not offer his Son Christ to rescue our souls, and forgive our sins only to abandon us. He “only” has our best interest at heart. Do you and I really trust this? King Solomon once said “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success. Don’t depend on your own wisdom. Respect the Lord and refuse to do wrong.” (Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NCV‬‬) GOD, help us to always pray and take our concerns to you. However, help us understand that your answers sometimes can be different than our desires. Sometimes you say “yes” - and sometimes you have a different plan for us. Help us to love and trust you no matter. IJNIP amen ♥️