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When You Need Direction Think About This

1/31/2018

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Galatians 6:7 - "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."  NASU 
  • This Is A Very Simple Law 
Everyone knows there are some simple laws in life and what I am about to share with you is one of them. You reap what you sow. You can't plant corn and expect radishes to grow. Everyone knows this law, it is simply a no brainer.
 
You reap what you sow. 
  • What Crop Do You Want To Harvest?
The first thing we must do is decide what crop we want to harvest. As the Apostle Paul writes, "...whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."

You would be surprised in life how many people believe they can sow discord and expect to reap happiness.

How many people have you known sow destructive tendencies in their lives and when they reaped disaster they were shocked by the outcome? 
  • Reap What He Sowed
One person that comes to my mind is Robert Downey, Jr. From the years 1996 - 2004 he thought he could abuse alcohol and drugs and everything would be okay.

He not only was fired from the Ally McBeal show, he was arrested numerous times, ordered to rehabs by the courts and incarcerated in a California state prison.

Finally, he woke up and decided to start sowing a different type of seed and his career and personal life has sky rocketed to new heights. 

How many people do we know not as famous as Robert Downey, Jr. have followed the same life style only to end up wrecking their lives as well? 
  • We Will Reap What We Sow 
God's Word tells us that what we sow is what we will reap. We can not break God's laws and expect good to come from that action.

Here is what you do before you plant. Ask yourself, "What will be the final result this action will produce or in other words what crop will be produced?"

Will it produce shame and embarrassment? Or will it bring blessings and honor? What exactly do you want your legacy to say about you?
 
If you were to die right after your planting produced a crop, how would you be remembered?

How is it that you would like to be remembered?
 
Then always remember to plant the types of seeds which will produce the crop you desire.
 
Think On These:
 
Always take plenty of time to make a snap decision.
 
Wise people sometimes change their minds, fools never do.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
​
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When You Need Motivated Read This

1/24/2018

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​Revel. 21:3-5 - And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."  And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."  NASU 
  • When You Think You Can't Go Another Day 
Many times in life we find ourselves under some very stressful situations. We have come to the point in life where we believe we "can't go on another day."
 
If you ever arrive at this point in your life please read the scriptures above over a couple of times. Let the words "God is among men, and He will dwell among them…" resonate within your mind.
 
God is going to dwell among us. The ONE who created all things is going to be right there with us. Nothing will ever be able to harm us again. We will be safe in the presence of our almighty God.
  • God Makes Us Some Assuring Promises 
Look at the promises God makes to us. We are going to be HIS people, God is going to be among us, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, death, mourning, crying, and pain will all be non-existent.
 
Have you ever wished for a new start, a do-over or as amateurs say in golf a "mulligan." Then how great is the promise from God when He says, "Behold, I am making all things new."  
 
If you have some regrets in life because of some of your actions or non-actions then the good news for you is "a brand new start." God promises to make "ALL THINGS" new. 
  • Rough Days Will Come 
We are all pretty much guaranteed we will experience some rough days, but what we need to concentrate on is not the struggles but the "promises from God."
 
Do you know God has never lied nor can He? Paul says in Titus 1:2 - "…in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago…"
 
God will fulfill His promises to us.
 
Therefore, when life gets a little rough and you have started your "stinking thinking" that you can't go another day replace your thoughts with the promises made to you by God.
 
There is a day coming when God will be with us and nothing will ever be able to cause us pain or stress again.
 
Think On These:
 
When you get to the end of your rope be thankful - God is there.
 
God will never allow anything to come to you that you and He can't handle.
 
Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
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Here Is A Guaranteed Way To Get Into Trouble

1/17/2018

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​2 Sam. 11:1 - Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. NASU
 
  • Hang Out At The Wrong Places
If you want to get in trouble then frequent places where you don't belong. David did exactly that. He was a king and it was time kings go out to battle, but he stays home.
 
In most times home is the right place to be but not this time. He is to be leading his army into battle. He doesn't lead his men into battle and because of this one little change, David will find himself in more trouble than he possibly could have imagined.
 
From this one seemingly little insignificant decision his whole world is about to change for the worse.
 
He is going to make one bad decision after another and these bad decisions will cost him dearly. His life will never be the same and all because he was somewhere he shouldn't have been. 
  • Results Of One Bad Decision 
We don't usually stop and ask ourselves, "Where will this decision lead me?"  Even if David did stop and ask the question I am sure he would never have dreamed his life would have ended up being in this much of a catastrophe.
 
He stays home and he goes to bed but he can't sleep. So he gets out of bed and goes to his roof and there he sees a woman taking a bath. It just gets worse from here. He calls for Bathsheba and she is brought to him.
 
Her husband is in the army and is in battle, where David should be. David has a sexual relationship with Bathsheba. She becomes pregnant and informs David. David tries to cover up his sin so he has Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, summoned back to Jerusalem.
 
David is hoping Uriah would go to his house and have sex with his wife and his sin would be covered, but Uriah will not do such a thing. He says it this way:
 
 2 Sam. 11:10-11 -Now when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing."
 
David will try even harder to hide his sins. He has Uriah stay in Jerusalem with the king and David gets him drunk, thinking that when a man gets drunk he will want to have sex.
 
Uriah got drunk but once again he will not have sex with his wife.
 
David makes another very bad decision. He sends Uriah back to Joab with a message and the message says, to send Uriah into the heat of a battle and then withdraw from him leaving him all alone.
 
David has now planned Uriah's death.
 
The decision to commit adultery with Bathsheba and to kill Uriah all started when David made the decision to hang out in the wrong place. 
  • Think Your Decisions Over 
Before you make any hasty decisions do yourself a favor and think them over and even seek counsel from others as it states in the Proverbs (Prov. 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.). 
 
David was a fool for sure with what he thought would be his little secretive operation of covering up his sins.
 
But this is what God thought of David's action plan: 2 Sam. 11:27 - But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.
 
Do yourself a favor and don't hang out in places that will only lead you into associating with trouble.
 
Think On These:
 
To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it.
 
A wise man learns from the experience of others.
An ordinary man learns from his own experience.
A fool learns from nobody's experience.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
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We All Strive To Be This Type Of Person.

1/10/2018

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John 5:36 - "… the very works that I do — testify about Me…"    NASU 

We strive to be truthful, honest and a person of integrity. No one truly admires a hypocrite. Jesus was the type of person we all strive to be. He was truthful, honest and a man of integrity.
  • The Works Of Jesus 
In our text above Jesus said the works He did testified about Him. He was given a job by His Father and He accomplished it. Therefore, the accomplished works of Jesus stated clearly what kind of person He was. He was truthful, honest and a man of integrity.
 
John the Baptist was in prison and he is having some doubts about Jesus being the Messiah so he sends some of his men to ask Jesus if He were the One that was to come or should they be looking for another.
 
Jesus gives them this answer in Luke 7:22-23 - And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed , and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM."  NASU
 
Oh yeah, He is the One all right because Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be doing exactly what Jesus said He has been doing. His works were testifying that He was the One sent by God.
  • The Works Of You 
What would your works say about you?
 
I was at the bedside of a man who was going in for some major heart surgery. When we were all alone he confessed to me he had not been living his life correctly and he would like to have a second chance to make things right at home, at work and most importantly with the Lord.
 
I prayed that he would come through his surgery successfully and the Lord would allow him time to change his legacy.
 
I learned something really important from that brother that day and it was when you are faced with the possibility that you might die you really want to arrange your life according to those things which are really important. 
  • What Is Really Important To You? 
As you read this Pump Up and with no one else around answer this question, "What is really important to you?"  Do some introspection of yourself and once you have finished your introspection can you say your works testify what you're doing matches what you think is important?
 
If you said, "My family, my job or the Lord is important to me." Then your works should be your proof that your family, job or the Lord is really important to you.
 
Don't say something is important to you and then have no works to support your statement because that will make you a hypocrite and this is certainly not what you're interested in accomplishing.

It was really important for Jesus to stay focused on His goals and we see Him doing exactly that staying focused on His purpose for coming to earth. This is why He says His works testify about Him.
 
So ask yourself this question: "What do your works say about you?"
 
Think on These:
 
The plain fact is that human beings are happy only when they are striving for something worthwhile.
 
This will be a better world when the power of love replaces the love of power.
 
Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
​
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How Important Is It To Have The Right Friends?

1/3/2018

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1 Cor. 15:33 - Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."    NASU
 
Prov. 13:20 - He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.  
                       
Prov. 13:20 - Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.   (from THE MESSAGE) 
​
  • A Parent's Concern    
As a parent, with whom my children associated while they were growing up was a matter of great concern. (I am still concerned with whom they associate.)
 
We know that associating with the wrong people can have an influence on them exactly like it can have an influence on us. We know both parents and children can be influenced by bad examples and that is why it is important to associate with people who are of good reputable character.

To be perfectly clear, a bad example in my mind is a person who is negative, lazy, always worrying, believes everyone else gets all the breaks in life, doesn't trust in God, abuses alcohol and drugs and doesn't do good to others.
  • The Affects Of One Bad Apple
We have all heard the saying, "It only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch."

Studies have been done on the affect of one negative person in the work place. When that person is out sick or on vacation the atmosphere in the work place will become positive and lively.

Once that person returns it goes back to being an unhappy place filled with tension and conflict.
 
As you can see the Bible doesn't place an age limit on this warning. It is not just for those in their teen years or twenties. These verses are for people of all ages.

You associate with the wrong person or crowd and you will pay the price for this association.
  • Show Me Your Friends and I Will Show You Your Future. 
Regardless of your age this saying is true. Euripides (480-406 B.C.) wrote in his play “Phoenix” that “Every man is like the company he keeps.”
 
Year ago Bill Gates was asked that question, “What is one of your main formulas for success?” Without blinking an eye he said “Hiring smart people as well as surrounding yourself with smart people.” 

It should not surprise us then that one of Bill's closest friends is Warren Buffet. Warren Buffet is one of America's most respected men in the financial arena.
 
Surrounding yourself with the right people will help you on the road to success. 
  • So How Do You Make The Change?
If you are reading this and know that you are associating with the wrong crowd or person but don't know how to break away from this relationship maybe this will help.
  1. Ask Yourself Some Honest Questions
Are my friends helping or encouraging me to be the best I can be? Am I spending too much of my time just spinning my wheels with these associations?
 
When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird stepped on to the basketball court they challenged each other to be the best.

Do you have someone challenging you to be your best?
  1. Is It Time You Moved On? 
Once you have answered the questions above that you need a change of friends you need to realize it will not be easy but it will be necessary.

So how do you move on in life?

Find new places to go where you can mentally and spiritually grow or in other words "change your environment". 

This is what worked for me. When I was in my mid 20's I realized that my life wasn't going anywhere. I had already spent time in jail for possession of drugs.

I left that environment and found new friends and a new life in Christ. If I can do it then you can do it.

Think on This:

It has been said, "You can't change your friends, but you can change friends."

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
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