The most dangerous time is to deal with a beehive is when the bees have stopped producing honey and the hive is full. Bees with no work to do become agitated and begin to look at the beekeeper and each other as enemies, so they begin to sting. The same thing happens in the church when it loses the larger purpose of reaching out to others. They begin an inward-spiraling cycle of backbiting, scorn, and criticism that can cause destruction to the church and the very people they are called to work with!

Scripture tells us in Luke 9:1-2 that “he called his twelve disciples together and he gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” That power and authority was never withdrawn! What an opportunity each one of us has been given!

God gave each of us an important job, regardless of whether you are a janitor or a Fortune 500 executive.  He gave the stay-at-home mom and the preacher the same honor of using His name to go to the world!

You decide the source of life that is put in you. It is not your government, family, culture, color or age that decides what you say and believe and see in your life. Let that which comes from you be life to others!

No one can put down a son or daughter of God unless that child of God chooses to think lowly of him or herself. Jesus said that if He is lifted up, He will draw all people unto Him. There is only one way to go when you are connected to Him, and that is up! Up in attitude, up in perspective, up in ability, and up in self-dignity!

The choice is ours. If we won’t see and embrace the truth of how God sees us and thinks about us, we’ll be doomed to a life of perceiving ourselves as helpless, weak, and subject to circumstances. That’s called prison, and it’s NOT how God created us to live!

The world has forgotten what God looks like. Religion has hidden Him behind walls and ceremonies and shrouded His Word in mystery with their dead traditions. By comparison, Jesus came saying, “‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also’”(John 14:7).  Jesus offers us a relationship with the Father like the one He had!

Moses sent 12 men to spy out the Promised Land. Ten of the spies saw themselves as grasshoppers in the sight of the giants that lived there. Two of the spies had a different perspective. They remembered what God had said and knew that NO giants could defeat them (Numbers 14:9 KJV). Where is your perspective right now? Has something become a giant in your life?

The picture you have in your heart is more important than what you have in your wallet, your past, your friends, your education, or anything else. Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flows your life!

God created us for dignity and with a purpose! He created us to know His love and goodness through our relationship with Him, and to take that love and goodness out into the world with us and share it with others. How do we do that? “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give”! (Matthew 10:8)