Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing  - John 15:4-5 Have you guys ever seen a branch that has fallen off of the vine continue to grow fruit? No? Neither have I. Just as it is impossible for fruit to grow on a fallen branch it is impossible for us, as Christians, to bear fruit if we are not in daily fellowship with Jesus Christ. We look at the above verse and we see Jesus telling us "abide in me, and I in you". We see that the heart of God is to have fellowship with you and I, He tells us to remain in Him and He will remain in us. How do we "abide or remain" in Him? By staying in continual communication with Him through prayer, worship and reading his living ...

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). In our world we rarely see genuine love. This should not be true of the church, but it is an unfortunate reality we must address. In John 13:35 Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." We see that expressing love is exactly what Christ wants us to show. Others should see us and know that we are His disciples, not because we tell them, but because we show them. They should get a glimpse of Jesus when they see us, and we should not have to say a single word. Today, the church is generally known for what they oppose and are against. Personally it does not seem like we are known for our love for one another, but rather we are known for the things we cannot agree on. What if instead of the church making the news for a protest, it is known for helping get someone off the street or helping someone get their life back ...

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” –Jeremiah 17:7-8 In this portion of scripture we see that Israel had forsaken the Lord and sinned against Him by worshiping other gods and trusting in the flesh, and because He is a just God He pronounced judgment on them. In verse 6 the Lord gives them the warning of those who trust in man and not God, “whose heart departs from the Lord.” What a scary place to end up: to trust and hope in completely imperfect humans and the temporary things of this world, which causes us to depart and forsake our God. This leads not only to spiritual dryness but, if not dealt with, possibly even spiritual death. But we’re given beautiful promises in verses ...

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17 This is a question that I personally hear many Christians ask and worry about.  I would say that the majority of Christians asking this question really want to know what is God’s “future” plan for their life and not His immediate, present plan for their life.  They want to know what ministry and/or profession God has planned for them.  The truth is that God’s general will for the Christian life is found throughout Scripture.  Paul here in Ephesians tells of what the follower-of-Christ should be doing with his or her life.  Christians should be more concerned with present than the future, for the days are evil.  Walking in the Spirit and wisely redeeming the time is what Christ would be doing here on earth so His followers should be doing that now. The Christian who abides in God’s word (15:7) and is lead by the Spirit (Romans ...

Are there ever days that go by when you realize you do not know God as well as you thought? Are there days where you do not think you know Him at all? Are you going through a trial and finding yourself asking God to reveal Himself to you? “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” Proverbs 8:17 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6 As Christians, there are times where we might find ourselves asking God to reveal Himself to us or we find ourselves praying over and over again for Him to be real to us. Sadly, what we fail to realize is that we are being lazy sheep. We are expecting God to do all the work for us. The funny thing is that He has done most of the work already. The Lord sent His Son to die for us and has given us His Word—all ...

“And we know that ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” -          Romans 8:28-29 On February 2, 2012 at 8:28am, our little Isabelle Lorriane Perez was born. I remember her popping out of her mother and the exhiliration and excitement that I had at that moment was something I could never fully describe to you. After we held her for a few minutes the nurses took her and announced out loud: “Born at 8:28am at 5’9” As soon as I heard the “8:28” I immediately thought of Romans 8:28! The Lord reminded my wife and I, at that very moment, that God would use ALL things to work together for the GOOD! There is a fascinating, yet very worth while, Greek word study when it comes to the word “good” in this verse. And it is important for us to understand this word study. ...

But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,  saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” Luke 24:2-7 In this particular time of the year, we remember most that which Christ had done for us. Praise God that He is risen!! People will attend church or wake up really early on a Sunday morning to attend some sort of sunrise (or Son-rise) service. It is always refreshing during these times because we are spending more time praising and worshipping Christ for all He has done!  Something that has convicted me and my encouragement for you is ...

As we go through life we may have our ups and downs. Read these verses and let the Lord speak to you. Proverbs 16:20-22 “Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive. Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.” Ask the Lord what He wants you to change to be more like him. Ask Him to give you the strength and understanding to do what He has called you to do. Also ask the Lord for the wisdom to share His words with others. Remind yourself of these verses as you go about your week.

"And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell." Genesis 4:3-5 Some believe that Cain's offering was not accepted because it was fruit and not meat, but that is not the case because you can read in Leviticus of all the different types offerings that do not always contain meat. Cain's offering was not accepted because he did not offer it in the same manner of faith Abel did. Abel believed that he was worshiping the living God and because he believed that He brought God his best. Cain however, demonstrates that his heart was indifferent toward God because he just brought Him SOME fruit. I described it during a Sunday school lesson this way: Cain was picking fruit for his offering and for himself at the same time. ...

Emotions are the core of our being and reflect one profound aspect of the wonder of being made in the image of God (Num 32:10; Is 53:3; John 11:33). More than anything else they reflect our attitudes and behavior. Emotions often express outwardly our innermost beliefs. For instance, if we believe in God's sovereignty and ultimate control, we exchange fear and worry for peace and contentment. God makes Himself known to us not only in truth and by decree but in the way He reveals His heart. God is passionate in His pursuit of us, and that passion in expressed in a variety of emotions: grief at the rebellion of His children (Hos. 11:8,9), anger at their idolatry (Jer. 2:11-13), and delight upon their return to Him (Luke 15:11-32). God's longing for an unhindered relationship with His children is found all through Scripture (Jer. 17:9,10). You are made in His image to have personalities that are interwoen with an intricate mix of mind, will, and emotions. To be able to experience pain or joy, sadness or anger is to feel alive. You ...