The Way to Heaven and the Way to Hell- Matthew 7:13-14 : 13You can enter

true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is
plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way. 14But the
gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard
to follow. Only a few people find it.
The Sower - Luke 8:5-15 "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was
scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of
the air ate it up.
Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no
moisture.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times
more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear,
let him hear."
His disciples asked him what this parable meant.
He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to
you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.'
"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes
away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it,
but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall
away.
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their
way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not
mature.

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear
the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
The War Inside Us ROMANS 8:14-25 14We know that the law* is spiritual,
but I am not. I am so human. Sin rules me as if I were its slave. 15I dont
understand why I act the way I do. I dont do the good I want to do, and I do the
evil I hate. 16And if I dont want to do what I do, that means I agree that the law
is good. 17But I am not really the one doing the evil. It is sin living in me that
does it. 18Yes, I know that nothing good lives in meI mean nothing good lives
in the part of me that is not spiritual. I want to do what is good, but I dont do it.
19I dont do the good
that I want to do. I do the evil that I dont want to do. 20So if I do what I dont
want to do, then I am not really the one doing it. It is the sin living in me that
does it. 21So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with
me. 22In my mind I am happy with Gods law. 23But I see another law working
in my body. That law makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other
law working in my body is
the law of sin, and that law makes me its prisoner. 24What a miserable person I
am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death? 25I thank God for
his salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Teacher, I brought my son to you. He is controlled by an evil spirit that keeps
him from talking. Mark 9:21-24
21Jesus asked the boys father, How long has this been happening to him? The
father answered, Since he was very young. 22The spirit often throws him into a
fire or into water to kill him. If you can do anything, please have pity on us and
help us. 23Jesus said to the father, Why did you say if you can? All things
are possible for the one who believes. 24Immediately the father shouted, I do
believe. Help me to believe more!
Life's like that. If you believe in yourself and accept yourself the way God
believes in and accepts you, with his help and refining
(plus a lot of hard work),
Take a bar of iron and make it into nails and it will be worth a few bucks, make it
into weight-bearing posts and its value will increase, refine it and make it into
stainless steel pots and it will be worth even more. Refine it ever further and use
it to make finely tuned space-age rocket engines and it will be worth a fortune.

you can become the person God wants you to be, and you will be able to
do with your life what God wants you to do and therein gain a deep sense
of satisfaction in that that your life is contributing to God's Kingdom and
the betterment of others. This gives life a high and noble purpose.
Prayer:
"Our Loving Father in Heaven, Please help us to see and accept ourselves
as you see and accept us and refine our life so it can be best lived for
others and therein bring glory to you. Thank you for hearing and
answering our prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus loving Name we Pray, Amen."