The lyrics to a popular song says: "When you are smiling the whole world smiles with you." Aah, yes, smiling is contagious. I recently commented, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, His love creates a true lasting smile. If you remember the fruit of the Spirit is given in Gal. 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...." Love in our hearts brings a smile on our faces.

Have you thought? When we are smiling we are relating to others: other people. Therefore with a smile we relate to our friends, our peers, our neighbors, our opponents, or our foes. To a friend a smile spells acceptance and fellowship; to a peer a smile relates cooperation and agreement; to a neighbor a smile relates peace and helpfulness; to an opponent or a foe a smile relates confidence.

With all this said about smiling, I ask: can we smile a prayer? I say yes. A true prayer of faith is based upon the sure promises of the Word of God. Therefore, when we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we know we will receive the fulfillment of the promise of God in the midst of bad circumstances and troubling prospects. We can step out of our prayer room with a smile of confidence and assurance of good things to come. Because Jesus prayed for us Christians, as a Christian, you can beam a smile at the midnight/dark hour of trouble. In John 17 is found the great prayer of Christ Jesus for His disciples and followers.

DEVOTIONAL 6 "DEALING WITH YOUR CRISES"

A crisis may happen at any time in spite of all of your plans even though you conceived alternate plans and preparation. Many people experience serious stress and even physical breakdowns of headaches and pain of mind and body of a traumatic portion because they are living without the power of God's Holy Spirit within.

Many of your unexpected crises occur because of your relationship failures with other people. You or they were not motivated by the same spirit or aim. A poor experience was brought on when there was a sudden unexpected clashing of aims and goals.

God's plan will eliminate such undoing crises of personalities when the whole situation is guided and controlled by the Holy Spirit in the lives of the individuals involved in the crisis. Probably your greatest and most traumatic crises, occur with regard to other persons who may be very important to your life: a family member, another Christian, a neighbor, a coworker, or a friend or a person with whom you are forced to relate in your situation.

You as a Christian know the assurance of your faith and standing in Christ by God's Holy Spirit sent into your heart to guide and to teach His momentary plan of direction in your current events, decisions, and course of action. Remember the Holy Spirit is always directing a Christian in line with the written will of God given in the Bible. God by His Spirit does not contradict His written word.

Not everyone is Holy Spirit filled. So, if you are truly seeking God's way and will, He will give to you, by His Spirit, wisdom and strength to live in love towards both the godly and the ungodly troubling individuals; or He may separate you from them.

He is a God of love and peace. When His peace is not accepted by the contrary person He may then direct you to remove yourself after a period of soul searching and prayerful waiting for the Lord's clear answer on an action to remove you from the contrary person. In the case of martyrs He has allowed them to leave for heaven's doors by the hand of persecutors.

Not all of your crises will be a life and death test, but will test your patience and endurance in God's plan for your spiritual maturity of faith in the growth of Christ.

Remember, Romans chapter eight declares that nothing can separate a Christian from the presence and power of God's love.

Devotional 11 "CALMNESS IN JESUS"

An emotional outburst of uncontrolled anger may occur in any pressing and frustrating moment of life, leaving you feeling satisfied and pleased with yourself or maybe defeated and guilty. A humanistic idea may reason that the object/person of your frustration was quite worthy of the blast of high anger or attack. Scripture tells that anger with human, wrathful vengeance is inconsistent with God's plan for righteous, God controlled judgment and His consequent vengeance. (Romans 12:19)

The natural reaction to conflict is one of fight or flight. Adrenalin rushing in, due to perceived danger and consequent emotional stress, does not lead to calmness of the soul and spirit.

Nevertheless, God's way is the way of a calm spirit. Scripture says: "Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink; for in so doing you will heap (soreuseis: to pile up) coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans l2:20,21 NKJV

Jesus provides for you, by His Spirit, a new way of calmness in the face of trouble and frustrating stress. He said: "I am the way,..." John 14:6 Jesus had just told His disciples to stay calm: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me" John 14:1

Calmness of mind, heart and actions will mark the personal life of those who rely upon the Spirit of God to give to them comforting calmness by His personal presence in their heart/life. All areas of your daily living can be controlled by the Holy Spirit's calming presence as you live in Christ's redeeming love.

DEVOTIONAL 16 "WATCHING"

Here in the USA we are alerted for enemy attacks from the members of al-Qaida and their allies. We are being watchful by getting prepared for serious deathly destructive acts of bombs, poisonous gas, water contamination or other deathly methods of terrorizing masses of people. Since 9/11 we have been ready to dial 911.

Christians are being watchful on another level; a spiritual level because we are under attack from Satan the arch enemy of Christ, God and the Church. The Apostles experienced this attack; Christ Jesus experienced this attack and we are experiencing this attack.

Satan uses fear to make war against us. He has been greatly successful with this paralyzing weapon through the ages of the world. People without God's presence in their lifes have fallen to their own destruction because of fear and anxiety; others have been completely enslaved by their fears of things, persons or the unseen and unknown. So we as Christians need to be prepared for the next onslaught by Satan's (although some don't consider the source as being from Satan) various wiles of method which are cast in the cloak of fear and anxiety.

In Colossians 4:1-2 we read ..."continue in prayer and watch ("gregorountes" present active meaning to be awake, to stay awake, to be vigilant) in the same with thanksgiving...."

Always look to Christ Jesus in every circumstance and trouble of life for God's plan is a victorious plan of overcoming every fear and anxiety. God's love in our hearts brings fullness of power over any fear and turns darkness into full daylight; our enemies are exposed from their hiding places and vanish or flee from our presence.