In 2 Samuel 21, David asks the Gibeonites how he can atone for Israel's sin against them. David was dealing with the consequences from Saul's sin, but he sought the Lord with courage. There are individual and cultural consequences when we take our eyes off the Lord. We must rise up, put a stake in the ground, and take on the consequences In the name of the Lord.

Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." Our lives are like jigsaw puzzles where one piece connects to another piece, which connects to another piece, until all the pieces are connected. Sometimes we might get frustrated when things aren't working out as we think they should, but we must remember that God is sovereign and He controls all things. God directs our life and we need to be ready to move wherever He might take us. We can point people to the Lord, trust in his sovereignty and not lose it when things don't go our way.

Satan went after Job and accused him of only following God because God had blessed him. Job lost everything and he quickly went from being at the top of the mountain to being at the bottom of the mountain. We need humility no matter where we are at and God will build our character through adversity. Joni Erickson Tada became paralyzed at the age of 17 and after that, she completely relied on the Lord for everything. God has been conforming her into the image of Jesus Christ. Her mountain top might look different from what she pictured, but she is breathing in the Lord Jesus Christ and making Him known.

At the top of the mountain, the air is thin, it is windy and cold. Despite training, you can't stay at the top of the mountain for too long, so you must go back down. Spiritually speaking, we need an oxygen tank full of Jesus Christ so we are thinking clearly whether we are at the top or the bottom of the mountain. Job praised God at the top of the mountain when he had everything, but he also feared God when Satan took everything away from him and when he was crushed at the bottom of the mountain. No matter if the Lord brings you to the top of the mountain in the eyes of the world, or if you stay at the bottom of the mountain true success is when we live for the Lord through a biblical worldview.

When tragedies strike like the California fires, we are reminded that our life is a mist and what really matters in life are the people around us. The treasures we build up on Earth will burn up. The most important thing is our relationship with Jesus Christ and that we are called to follow him, share the good news, Jesus Christ is LORD & Savior and let God's Word transform you!

We are all going to die, so the question is; where are you going? The Bible makes it clear that there is a real hell and a real heaven and our destination is based on what we have done with Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. For those who have acknowledged their sinful nature & repented (Romans 3:23) believe in & follow Jesus Christ, they will spend eternity with God, but for those who have not placed their faith in Jesus, they will suffer an eternity in hell because they will be judged by their sins & be found guilty. None of us know when our time will run out, but we can know where we are going because of the work that Jesus did on the cross and we can have assurance to know where we are going upon death & where we will spend eternity.

The Galatian church had forgotten who Jesus Christ was and they were trying to earn their salvation but it is only by faith in Jesus Christ that we are justified. The Galatian church was allowing the doctrine of doing good works to earn salvation. Paul corrected them and he reminded them that salvation comes from the work Jesus did on the cross and only Jesus can produce the fruit of the Spirit.

In Galatians 3, Paul is calling out the church in Galatia because they have been “bewitched” and they have forgotten about Jesus and they are trying to live by their flesh and not the Holy Spirit. As believers, we must read the word of God and remain focused on the task at hand that God has before us and not get distracted by the world.