. . . and He doesn’t change His mind. Culture may shift on gender, marriage, and sexuality, but God’s truth remains the same! God doesn't say in one generation, "Two dudes sleeping together is wrong . . . Oh, I've changed My mind!" Because the guys that He sent flaming road tar to are feeling really bummed that when they were born; God said, " You need Jesus to go to Heaven, but I've changed My mind! Now you can pick another god or religion or demon or path or whatever works for you; your truth!" Which is another way of saying LIE! God doesn't change His mind! We've got entire denominations that are total abominations and Christian platforms that are basically saying that God has changed His mind on some things, particularly when it comes to gender and marriage and sexuality. Let me say this; "GOD IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER! JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER! THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER! Right is right and wrong is wrong, yesterday, today and forever!" Let god be true and everyone who disagrees . . . a LIAR!

May 6: Abide in Me, and I in You John 15:1-8 "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." (v.7) Why does Jesus speak of himself as the true vine? The image of the vine was a rich one for the Jews since the land of Israel was covered with numerous vineyards. It had religious connotations to it as well. Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord"(Isaiah 5:7). Jeremiah said that God had planted Israel "as his choice vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). While the vine became a symbol of Israel as a nation, it also was used in the Scriptures as a sign of degeneration - a deformed state of spiritual growth and moral decline. Isaiah's prophecy spoke of Israel as a vineyard which "yielded wild grapes" (see Isaiah 5:1-7). Jeremiah said that Israel had become a "degenerate and wild vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). One must be firmly rooted in the "Tree of Life" When Jesus calls himself the true vine he makes clear that no one can grow in spiritual fruitfulness and moral goodness unless they are rooted in God and in his life-giving word. Religious affiliation or association with spiritually minded people is not sufficient by itself - one must be firmly rooted in the "Tree of Life" (Revelation 22:1-2, Genesis 2:8-9) who is the eternal Father and his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus makes a claim which only God can make - he is the true source of life that sustains us and makes us fruitful in living the abundant life which God has for us. It is only through Jesus Christ that one can be fully grafted into the true "vineyard of the Lord". Bearing the fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy Jesus offers true life - the abundant life which comes from God and which results in great fruitfulness. How does the vine become fruitful? The vine dresser must carefully prune the vine before it can bear good fruit. Vines characteristically have two kinds of branches - those which bear fruit and those which don't. The non-bearing branches must be carefully pruned back in order for the vine to conserve its strength for bearing good fruit. Jesus used this image to describe the kind of life he produces in those who are united with him - the fruit of "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Jesus says there can be no fruit in our lives apart from him. The fruit he speaks of here is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).

The Flesh likes what it likes. Unless you train it to like something different it will always crave what it is familiar with. Mornings black coffee and food within an hour. That is the routine my flesh knows and likes. If it is not available it starts to get anxious and needs to be distracted until it realizes it isn’t getting things on schedule and will as soon as possible. The flesh is a living organism it also has memory it is all in sync with the mind, its main function is survival and it takes its cues from routines and emotional changes to adapt or receive what it has always known to receive in whatever circumstances it perceives itself in. To change things means an uncomfortable switch needs to take place through some type of re.wiring either externally or internally. Renewing your mind and body to the word, isn’t easy or fun, it will respond but it is painful, it will at first fight you because it has always known one way and it will perceive you at first as a threat to its survival physically and emotionally, but it will understand and adapt. Once established don’t for one moment allow it any freedom to go looking for old routines that it might miss, remember you are in charge and it took a lot of pain to function in your new established routines. Lol I was about to take a short nap and this whole dialogue just started happening I hope this helps someone. Shawn Hurley