It's bad enough I often have thoughts I shouldn't have, but it's even worse when those thoughts become words! It's bad enough when someone cuts you off in traffic and you have a thought that's, shall we say, "not positive" but it only adds fuel to the fire when you cuss in their general direction! Sure, they may never hear it, but I think we'd all agree that a sin was still committed. Through the years the Lord has done a lot of work on me in this department, and no doubt there's a lot more to do. Still, I have learned that it is OK not to express every though that comes into my mind. If it is of the devil, it needs to be put to death before it ever sees the light of day. As a good friend of mine always say, "Uplift, edify, encourage!" If it's not one of those three things, then keep it to yourself. "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." Proverbs 10:19 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

"Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.'" Jesus (Matthew 9:37) Are you a busy person? Just about everyone looks busy to me, but I often wonder what they're so busy doing. What are their lives all about? What is keeping them so occupied? There are generally only a few things that motivate people to be busy; the Lord's work is one, but much more popular are wealth, power and prestige. When Jesus spoke the words, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few," no doubt His disciples understood he was talking about the vast crowds that followed Him but really didn't know Him, as well as the hordes of people who couldn't have cared less who He was. What troubles me is not that there are still hordes of people who couldn't care less who He is, but that many who say they know Him and love Him are actually more interested in chasing wealth, power and prestige with the lost than they are in leading the lost to Christ. So.... are you a busy person? It's fine to be busy, and even to be busy at work that has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. But what is it that really drives you? If it's not the Lord's work, then who's work is it? "He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." Proverbs 10:6 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

How many once strong Christians do you know? Are there people you go to school with, work with, or maybe even hang out with who started out strong in the Lord and then faded away? I must personally know a few hundred people who would fall into that category, and through the power of the Lord, maybe one day they'll be brought to their knees once again. But such a life is not the life I choose to lead. Sure, I make mistakes, but I remember who I was before the Lord's mercy brought me in and I'm grateful. I pray that gratefulness will never end! For me, there can be no going back! If you are on the narrow road as I am, stand firm! You have everything you need to succeed even if you lose everything and everyone you know. You will still have the Son of God as your friend! "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

We live in evil times, but we are not the only people to live in such times. The Old Testament accounts of Sodom and Gomorrah are not unlike several other accounts of evil cities and evil days in the Bible. Today, there are still countries where the name of Christ may not be spoken in public, just as it was in the first days of Christianity. The United States was always a place where Christianity was openly practiced and revered, but today we find a growing resentment and even hostility toward Christians in our country. Regardless of the times, or the evil that surrounds us, we have a responsibility to remain faithful to our Lord. And, we do have more than just a few truths we can hang on to. For starters, the Church has almost always grown faster in times of trouble. What's more, when it remains faithful, the Church grows well even in the direct shadow of the enemy! As the first century church of Pergamum was beginning to grow, they were surrounded by people who openly worshipped the Roman emperor as a god. Jesus commended them for their faith even in the darkest of times. Will we be so openly commended for our faith in times of trouble? "These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives." Jesus of Nazareth (Revelation 2:12b-13 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind" Jeremiah 17:10a What's more important, where you go to church, or how you go to church? Is the location of the church and the time of the service more important than your reason for attending? While there are undoubtedly churches I wouldn't recommend you fellowship in, I believe the Lord is much more concerned with "how" and "why" you go to church than "where" or "when." By "how," I don't mean your means of transportation, but "how" you approach the meeting of believers. For example, can you honestly say why are you there? Is it a habit for you? Have you always gone to church, so that it's possibly become more of a tradition than a time of worship? And by saying "why," Im asking you if you're there to serve, and to worship... or if you are there to "see and be seen?" Are you more concerned with how you're dressed for church than with the condition of your heart when you get there? Belive it or not many people who attend church every week (and some more than once), are no closer to Christ than some who almost never attend. While I absolutely believe we should make every attempt to be heavily and frequently involved in a God-fearing assembly of believers, I believe it's crucial to remember that the "how" and the "why" are far more important than the "where" and the "when." "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?" 2 Corinthians 13:5 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Are you ever confused by the Christian teachings? Does one minister teach one thing, and another seemingly teach another? Often the newest Christians I mentor find themselves led astray again and again by other "Christians," having to come back to me repeatedly for an explanation or a clarification. No doubt there are some things that separate Christian denominations theologically, but most of those issues really have nothing to do with the core of the Gospel--we can only find peace with God through faith in Christ! What happens is that non-Christian teachings are dressed up as Christian and fed to those who are weak in knowledge and faith. The Scriptures are filled with examples of such teachings and because of these warnings they should be easy to spot. But that's only true of those who've put in the hard work of learning the Scriptures and are able to spot counterfeit teaching. Until then, newer Christians must put themselves under the authority of faithful teachers and commit themselves to growing as quickly as possible. Like newborn deer, until we get our legs under us, we're food for the wolves. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." Ephesians 4:11-14 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

When I was a teen there were several "rites of passage" a teen needed to perform (or at least pretend to perform) before they were accepted as "cool" in the group I hung with. I was a follower when I was younger, and I fell into the trap they laid more than once. I did extreme things to be accepted by the group, only to find a new even more extreme challenge. The truth is the group really wasn't that cool after all. The years have proved that things that once were considered rites of passage have now proven very destructive in the lives of those who continue them. Drinking, casual sex, drugs, and the like will take their toll on a person fast. Thanks be to God He didn't lose faith I would one day give Him my life. Thanks be to God for the teens that have the strength in Him to stand firm in the face of taunting and other forms of negative peer pressure. May they be an example for many others. Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 1 Corinthians 15:33 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

What would you think if someone were to walk up to you and call you a prostitute to your face? Frankly, I'd think they were either kidding or were just stupid. After all, isn't a prostitute one of those women (or men) who sells their body for money or for drugs? I may be a lot of things, but I'd be sure that I wasn't one of them! I'd be wrong though! A prostitute is someone who allows himself to be used for his/her own personal gain. Soooo, If I follow the ways of this world (or of Satan) in my pursuit of personal wealth, or comfort, or friendship, or... Or anything! Am I not prostituting myself? And as a Christian, am I not a member of the Body of Christ--which is the "Bride of Christ!" We are repeatedly warned about the "lust of the eyes" in Scriptures. Today, I found an Old Testament warning to God's people that seems quite applicable today. "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ... so you will remember all the commands of the LORD , that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God." Numbers 15:38-40 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate