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1/7/25 MondayMatters: Desire What You Desire

1/7/25 MondayMatters: Desire What You Desire

Here’s the video    https://youtu.be/I_hSAFyzsxg?si=2D9OckFRxhgta8i5

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I don’t think God gives us everything we want. I think He helps us to want what He wants. That is my desire for 2025, to desire what God desires for me to desire. Here are 5 things. For the text go to branchesblog.com and check FB and Instagram each day for a related thought. And like and subscribe if you desire. 😂

  1. Desire to be closer to God. There is a level of intimacy with Him that only comes from intense desire. “As the deer pants for the water, by soul desires you.”
  2. Desire to hunger for righteousness. I want to be a better man this year, I want to be righteous. Jesus promised, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.”
  3. Desire to love the Word of God. I love reading and studying my Bible. I want to love it more. “How sweet is the Word of God, like honey to my lips.” Psalm 119:103
  4. Desire to pray. Not just do it. Not go through the motions. Not pray because we ought to. But love spending time in my knees, in my prayer closet, bowed before God. “Lord, teach us to pray.” And to love it.
  5. Desire to be an example of Jesus to those around me. “It’s my desire, to be like Jesus. It’s my desire to be like Him, His Spirit fill me. His love o’erwhlem me. In deed and word, to be like Christ.”

The good news is that God’s desire is to give you the desires of your heart when you desire to desire what He desires for you.

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12/16/24 MondayMatters: Meditation

12/16/24 MondayMatters: Meditation

https://youtu.be/TT2sNpgj2wo?si=KdSnJ4jI5oHbj71V Watch the video above.  Then…We are building a foundation for a terrific 2025. Start some things now that will foster momentum for significant spiritual growth. We have talked about Bible reading, consistent prayer, and today, meditation/journalling. The discipline of quietness, centering, meditating is a vital as the other two for discipleship. Here are 4… Continue Reading

50 Day End-Well and Start-Fast Spiritual Adventure

50 Day End-Well and Start-Fast Spiritual Adventure

By the time you’ve read the title the adventure is about over. 😂 I have always worked better, especially when it comes to my personal discipleship, by creating seasons, short bursts of intentionality that help me focus, keep me energized, and give me attainable goals. I also have always tried to step up my game… Continue Reading

The Importance of Being Tribal

The Importance of Being Tribal

A friend of mine passed away this week. I don’t know if friend is the right word. He was a few years older. We had not seen or even spoken to one another in at least ten years. We were not in the same circles at all, but he was a member of one of… Continue Reading

5/27/24 MondayMatters: Living With Memories

5/27/24 MondayMatters: Living With Memories

https://youtu.be/ARb-KFaRg1Y Click the video link above Memories are a wonderful gift from God, but if we allow them to, they can defeat and destroy us. Studies show that we actually only remember about 15-20% of the things that we think we do. And those memories are not 100% accurate. Here are some important keys to… Continue Reading

3/25/24       MondayMatters: Self-Reflection

3/25/24 MondayMatters: Self-Reflection

https://youtu.be/qcfZFVVHszE?feature=shared Click the link above for the MondayMatters video. During Holy Week we often look at spiritual discipline and consider things we can do to deepen our walk and increase our faith. The idea of self-reflection, self-examination is often uncomfortable and certainly underused. But this week is a wonderful time to look inward, allow the… Continue Reading

3/7/24 Lent Psalm 74 

3/7/24 Lent Psalm 74 

  I was turkey hunting with a friend on my sister’s farm just outside of Ashland City, Tennessee a couple of years ago. We were dressed completely in camouflage, sitting under a tree in the gray light of early morning. I was doing my very best turkey call and a gobbler was answering back from… Continue Reading