Your friend Dave Buehring’s quote on humility struck me at the heart. At 53, an elder for more than 20 years, and daily reading scripture for 25 years, you would think I would have learned and willing to be known for who I really am. But, I see myself as inferior and lacking, it goes back to those Core Beliefs. Instead I often attempt to make myself out to be more than I am. Your right this is not humility it is nothing short of the sin of pride or the absence of humility and the rejection of God’s grace.

I recently read in John Hutchison’s %u201CMortification of Sin%u201D, an old Puritan work that, many men will privately confess a sin for decades to God and barely will anything change, until they publicly confess the sin and expose it to the light. I%u2019m not sure why this is, maybe its the accountability or maybe it is the very act of humility that the victory comes.

Forgive me everyone and let it be known to all that this is the year (2007) that I get totally real and prayerfully find God’s favor and grace including the realm of supply, where my family and I are in desperate need. May God bless this fool and pour His Grace down upon him.

Thank you

I have a “hillbilly” definition of grace which goes something like this, “Grace is God helping me when I don’t deserve it and can’t do a thing to earn it.”

I have found a principle in God’s Word, though, which is helping me. Grace has to ALWAYS be sought for. It is not like mercy, which is was given to us at Calvary with no action whatsoever on our part.

In every mention of grace in the Bible, someone was seeking it. i.e. “Noah FOUND grace in the eyes of the Lord” “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and FIND grace to help in time of need.” etc. etc.

If we want grace, we have to deliberately, consciously seek it out. And, with that action, which is simply faith, comes the grace because Christ tells us in Mt 7:7 and again in Lu 11:9 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”

Thankfully, we also have the promise of Jas 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” To me, this simply means that if I will take one step toward God, He will take two towards me.

Please pray for me as I try to submit my will to His will and get myself out of the way so His light can shine through me and my business and I will be praying for each of you.

Michaell, as we learn from your thoughts every week we are anxious to see what God is going to do in and through us this year. I plan on sending an email in December sharing with you God’s grace on our lives in 2007. He is all we need, anything more is His abundant blessing.

Part of it is a worldly mindset and part is personality traits that just need to be brought under God’s rule.

For me it comes in most when I become presumptous upon a deal. I will often start discussing it with others. I’m excited, but deep down it’s probably to draw attention to myself ( some times giving credit to God, but still with eyes on myself).

It’s amazing how many of these deals fall apart and how many that I don’t discuss with anyone that come through.

Scripture says that every good gift comes from above, which also could read, everything that God allows is good. All to often he allows us to be “pressed” in order to draw us closer to him.

Lord, be with Patti and her family. Bring complete healing. Bring favor upon her in the workplace. Give her peace and strength through this time. Let this time be a hallmark moment where she can vividly remember the day God moved mightly in her life. Amen