A Christmas Devotional - Led by God!

LED BY GOD! It happened to Mary, Joseph, the wise men, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna. In fact, all through the first Christmas story you see and learn that all the main characters were led by God and His Holy Spirit.Many people use various means to find the way of God. Some depend on chance. “Well, that’s where the Bible fell open, that must be God’s will”, they say. One woman I read about was uncertain about whether it was God’s will for her to take an overseas flight. The next morning when she was awakened by her alarm clock, it read 7:27. That was the kind of plane she was scheduled to take. Friends could not persuade her that it was a shallow way to receive God’s will for her life. Proverbs 3:5-6 gives direction as to God’s will in our lives. It reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” One translation says, “He will direct your paths”.So, how does God direct our paths? There may be, occasionally, very dramatic and vivid ways but let us consider a few others. First, Psalm 119:105 states that our paths are directed primarily through God’s Word. God’s Word is “a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path”. Someone once said, “to seek God’s will without being in His word is asking for error. God will never contradict His Word.” Remember, what a lamp does. It does not give light to the entire journey. It only shows us where to safely place the next step. Therefore, we WALK BY FAITH! Secondly, God shows us and directs us by opening or closing doors. Paul in I Corinthians 16:9 wrote, “a great door for effective work has opened for me”. A.W. Tozer suggested, “if God is in it, it flows. If it’s forced, it’s of the flesh”. When opportunities present themselves we move through the open doors. When circumstances become obstacles it would be best to pray and regroup and see exactly what direction God is leading. Thirdly, God also directs by closing doors. Remember, in Acts 16 the apostle Paul was kept from preaching in Asia because the Holy Spirit had closed those doors for evangelism. So, when we meet with closed doors, STOP. Let us not force our plans or desires over God’s objections. Fourthly, the perceptive and wise counsel of mature Christians can help us navigate through God’s will for our lives. Proverbs 15:22, “plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Godly wisdom from Christ centered mentors who are faithful in prayer helps us find that direction that we seek. The combined wisdom from Christian friends is worth more than gold.Fifthly, God will also work through the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. Everyone in the Christmas story was led by the Holy Spirit and MOVED when the Holy Spirit led. Simeon: Luke 2:25 "...and the Holy Spirit was upon him."Anna: Luke 2:36ff..."she did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer"Mary: 1:25 ..."the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you;"Joseph: Matt. 1:24 "when Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded"Shepherds: Luke 2:15 "let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened"Wise Men: Matt. 2:10 "when they saw the star that they rejoiced exceeding with great joy"These not only were in prayer seeking God’s will but when they had the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit they acted, they moved.God uses many ways to direct our paths, but we must know...He does lead. Someone once said, “do not ask God to guide our footsteps if we are not willing to move our feet”. “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Jeremiah 6:16 I am praying that we will seek God’s Word and Will and be LED BY GOD! Leonard Navarre Lubbock, Texas

IS IT INTERNAL????? Around the world we see persecution on the rise. Or, maybe its just that we are looking more closely at the progression of indifference and apathy here in America. In the countries I have served, especially India, persecutions of Christians has been around for a long time. I have read of great persecution and abuse in China. India, China, Africa and North Korea have the greatest persecution. However, it is in those countries where there is persecution that you find the church of our Lord Jesus Christ growing and growing exponentially. WHY? What is going on in the “church” here in America that we don’t see exponential growth. Why is there so much division. When I served in India I realized that there was no Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal...it was black vs white, good vs evil, God vs Satan.. AND, Satan and his demons were very evident. The light of believers was very evident. Darkness stood to oppose the light of those Christians. Henceforth much persecution of the believers. One of the letters in the New Testament, which is called ‘one of the most neglected books in the whole Bible’, is Jude. Jude (or Judas the brother of James, both half brothers of Jesus), sets out in his letter to build up Christians and write about their salvation in Jesus Christ. However, the Holy Spirit directs in a different direction. The apostasy, corruption and tainting of the church of Jesus Christ according to Jude, comes from the inside. Internal rather than eternal persecution. Wherever there is persecution from the outside the church of Jesus Christ, it grows. When the attacks come from the inside, the church, slowing eats itself and eventually dies. It suffocates itself. There is lack of spiritual oxygen so the church suffers asphyxiation. Jude gives us reasons for the stagnation of the church of Jesus Christ in his day. I believe we can apply those same reasons to the lack of fortitude and strength in our congregations today. Let’s look at those mentioned by Jude. 1. Teachings: The infiltration of false teachers began almost immediately after the start of the church in the book of Acts. In Jude, they were teaching that God’s grace allows us to do whatever we want and His grace will cover. Forgive and forget attitude. God wants us to be happy, right? This is the attitude in many today. I have a “right” to be happy. So, I can do whatever I want just as long as it makes me happy. Jude 1:4, “...they are against God and have changed the grace of God into a reason for sexual sin...”. Jude reminds them, as we can also learn, that God punished the Israelites for their sins, kicked the angels out of heaven, and cites the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude says, these suffered punishment because their constant and continual sin. God doesn’t overlook sin, He deals with it as He will in our age. Paul reminds us that grace is not a license to sin in Romans 6. Plus, in their teachings, they spoke against the lordship of Jesus Christ, Jude v. 4...’they refuse to accept Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.” 2. Behavior: Once you corrupt the Godly teachings of the apostles and teachings from Jesus himself, ultimately your actions begin to follow. Beliefs dictates our behavior. And to that end Jude levels his most severe condemnation to their behavior. He uses Cain, Balaam and Koran as examples. When we forsake Godly teachings, we follow in the footsteps of Cain (jealousy), Balaam (greed) and Koran (desire for power - overthrow Moses). In all three of these examples given by Jude, show forth in “selfishness”. When people become selfish and think only of themselves the desire for power begins to raise its ugly head in divisions within the body of Jesus Christ. Most of the division I have witnessed within the body has come from one of these ailments: jealousy, greed and selfishness i.e. power. Rather than dive into God’s word for leading and obedience, they regress to their own selfish desires and wants. All 3 were guided by self and caused death to others. 3. Conversation: Once conduct is changed then it begins to express itself in our words. Jude writes, “people complain and blame others, doing the evil things they want to do. They brag about themselves and the flatter others to get what they want” v.16. We must watch what we think and what we say. Our words convey our mindset and eventually into our behavior. Jude says, “these people will divide you, those whose thoughts are only of this world and not of the Holy Spirit. So, what are we to do to overcome this inside this internal church disease. Jude’s answer is, “dear friends, use your holy faith to build yourselves up, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ with his mercy to give you life forever.” Stay in the Word of God. Stay close to Jesus. Keep your eyes on the eternal not on the temporary. Obey the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us stop quoting and following others. Ephesians 5;10, “learn what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth anything. But show that they are wrong.” Empty ourselves of selfish desires for power, greed and jealousy. Stand for what is right. Oppose that what is evil. Let our lights shine and let us be salt in a depraved world. Persecution arises when we Christians do these things. When we don’t. When we fight, devour and eat one another, Satan allows us to desecrate that what God has called holy. Satan allows us to suffocate ourselves. Let us rise up and BE THE LIGHT and reveal the false teachings. “WAKE UP sleeper! Rise from the death and Christ will shine on you!” Ephesians 5:14. If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN? God has no other plan. He is depending upon every Christian to be “Christ like”, live and show the world JESUS! WILL YOU? How about ME? Praying for you and your families, Leonard Navarre Lubbock, Texas

FAITH OR FEAR? Don’t you see it? It’s all around us. People seem to be confused, distracted, struggling and confined. Many don’t know what to do or where to go. It’s that uneasy feeling of dread, disappointment, and loss of control of our circumstances. All of the above describes “FEAR”. We are living in very fearful time. Most of our negative feelings are rooted in fear. Especially when we observe situations all around us the WE CAN’T CONTROL. If all we do is watch the news, scroll thru Facebook and wring our hands we become very anxious and worried. However, in spite of all this that surrounds us we are called to live FEARLESSLY. So, you ask. HOW CAN I LIVE FEARLESSLY? Remember! The only way is to spend time in God’s Word and claim His promises of strength, help and calmness. God is still on the throne and there is NO ANXIETY in heaven. Over 100 times in the Scriptures we are told to “FEAR NOT”. The reason? Because God promises to be bigger than our fears. Deuteronomy 3:22 states, “you shall not fear them; for the Lord your God he shall fight for you”. It all comes down to; do we have faith in our Lord God to help us overcome our fears of uncertainty and doubt. How do we do that? Here are a couple suggestions: 1. Acknowledge the fear. What is our fear? Government? Circumstances? Situations? Individuals? Name your fear! To deal with the fear we must name it. What’s the storm? What’s the problem? 2. Change your focus. Once we have identified our fears, the true source of our fears, we can begin to address them in the right way. God has not given us a spirit of timidity. We, therefore, know that God is not the source of our fears. BUT, we do know that we possess power to overcome out fears thru HIM. The only way to reverse the negative process of fear is to shift our focus to the Lord our God AND the most powerful weapon to overcome our fears-the Word of God. 3. Trust the Lord our God. Many are relying upon their own thinking, their own plans and their own solutions. Overcoming fear in our world today is to TRUST the Lord our God. Focus on Him and not the problem. Isaiah 41:10 says, “so don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am the Lord your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you.” See it. God is in control. He is the one that gives us strength to overcome our fears. We can’t do it. The Government can’t do it. Only TRUST HIM. The sovereign Ruler of the universe that keeps everything in order and even knows when a small sparrow falls to the ground has give YOU HIS PERSONAL PROMISE. When we turn to Him He has promised to strengthen, help and uphold us. 4. LAY DOWN. Lay down our fears. When we fully and truly TRUST and understand we know that the Lord is faithful, loving and omnipotent. Even in the Old Testament scriptures, when Israel was in captivity God was still in control and all things were working out according to HIS PLAN. The Lord is faithful. So there is no reason for us to hold on to our anxieties and worries. HE HAS PROMISED TO BRING US THROUGH FEARFUL TIMES. TRUST HIM. Even if we can’t change our situations, or the conditions around us – we don’t have to fear them. FAITH OVER COMES FEAR. Because God promised never to leave us or forsake us, we can face anything in life with Him being our guide. Joshua 1:8—9, “Always remember what is written in the Book of Teachings. Study it day and night to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything. Remember, that I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.” FAITH OVER FEAR! God has promised. Leonard Navarre Lubbock, Texas

ARE WE CONFUSED! It seems as though the world has gone off the deep end having overdosed on blind and confused medicine. The Bible speaks about being salt and light and touching the world for Jesus. Yet, as we study statistics we can’t tell the difference between the world and the church. I believe we who profess to be Christians are a bit confused. I believe we have confused “going to church” with “BEING the church”. When Jesus called His disciples He told them to “count the cost”. He instructed them that they would have to die to self and pick up their cross daily to follow Him. Jesus’s teachings are hard. They require a completely new mindset and total transformation. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus brought in a revolutionary way of thinking. Expanding upon the old but enlarging the focus of not only their mindset but their LIFESTYLE. We think that “going to church” and having our “holy huddles” is being Christian. But Jesus was not just looking to teach, He was looking for life transformation that takes His church into the world in a completely new way of thinking and believing. AND, BEHAVING. I believe we have confused believing and knowing with OBEDIENCE. It looks to me, that all our Bible studies, small groups and devotions have resulted in great head knowledge of what Jesus has taught BUT WE ARE LACKING IN OBEDIENCE. We can tell you what Jesus has said and what Jesus would do (WWJD) but it has not presented itself into a life transformation in US! In Romans 12:2 states, “do not be shaped by the world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. So you will be able to decide what God wants for you ; and will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect”. The Bible also states that when we know what to do and don’t do it, it is sin. God’s word states, it is better to OBEY than to bring sacrifice (worship). Doing what God says is more important than just knowing what He says. Even the devil knows but chooses not to obey. I believe we have confused nationalism with Christianity. Yes, I believe this nation was founded on Godly principles. Yes, I believe that many of our original statutes and writing were derived from God’s Word. But simply putting those precepts on paper does not necessarily bring about a changed heart in people’s lives. The transformation comes from the inside out. Not by putting words on a page. Political laws, edicts, and rules will never bring about life transformation. It is my thinking that you cannot legislate Christian behavior or a Christian lifestyle. Life transformation only comes from allowing God’s Word and Spirit to transform our behavior. I believe we have confused legislative direction with Spiritual renewal. I think we have thought that if the government can make enough “right” laws our nation would change and head in the right direction. We have seen from the Bible that even “God’s Law” did not bring about a change of heart. Transformation of lifestyle only comes from a spirit led and spirit controlled life. A born again experience with God’s spirit in us. I believe we have confused “them” with “me”. We keep saying I wish “they” would do this or that. I believe true transformation begins with ME. Not my country, not my political affiliation, not my “church brand”...BUT ME! It’s all personal. ME AND JESUS! Paraphrasing Dr. Tony Evans: “if you want a changed country you have to have a changed state. If you want a changed state you have to have a changed county (parish). If you want a changed county you must have a changed city. If you want a changed city you have to have a changed family. If you want a changed family you must have a changed church.;” If you want a changed church you must have a changed person in the pew (or chair). That means that true Christianity and Jesus transformation behavior BEGINS WITH ME. It’s not a THEY. IT’S US! IT’S A ME. Do I live as Jesus would want me to live. Do I live out in my everyday life - Jesus principles that I have learned from my devotions, Bible reading and “church” attendance. Do I love like Jesus? Do I act like Jesus? Do I stand up for Godly principles like Jesus? Am I obedience to God’s directions like Jesus? I believe we are confused about what’s happening. This is not a game of checkers or video games. THIS IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE. THIS IS WAR!!!! It’s earthly (worldly) verses the spirit. It is a battle of God and Jesus verses Satan. This battle wages itself within EACH OF US. Who will win? Who will take control of your mind and your actions. Who will stand in the gap? Who will stand up for Jesus? Who will live for Jesus? If not us WHO? If not now WHEN? There is no ALMOST here. There is no halfway here. You can’t have Jesus by the installment plan. I’ll take a little today and little tomorrow...etc. Jesus said if I’m not with Him I am against Him. The old illustration here is appropriate: “two dogs were fighting. A boy asked the old gentleman, ‘who do you think will win?’. The old man said, ‘the one you feed’! THIS THE TRUTH! IT’S THE WORLDLY VERSES THE SPIRITUAL in EACH ONE OF US. Whichever one we feed will win. I John 2:15, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.” THIS IS PERSONAL. ME! YOU! Who is leading us? Who is going to stand up and be counted? Who will answer the call? If not us WHO? I pray that we will give the Holy Spirit control of our minds and lives. Nehemiah 4:14, “then I looked around and stood up and said to the men, the leaders, and the rest of the people. Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and powerful. Fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes”. THE COUNTRY, THE CHURCH, YOUR FAMILY, YOU, ME. It is all depending on us. It depends on each of us feeding the spirit inside of us, listening and then OBEYING! I am praying for you and your families, Leonard Navarre Lubbock, Texas

Drifting or Drawing??

Drifting or Drawing The storm was sudden. My grandfather and I had been shrimping on the lake we called Big Lake in Southern Louisiana. But consult any map and it will say “Calcasieu” lake. We started early in the morning and the sky was sunny and blue. However, along about lunch time storm clouds began brewing and we found ourselves out in the middle of the lake. We turned toward shore but my grandfather said, “we’re not going to make it before the storm hits”. Sure enough, here it came. High gale winds, white cap waves and torrential rain. I thought we would just drift and ride out the storm. But, no. My grandfather said we will turn the boat INTO the wind and motor into the wind just strong enough to keep us from DRIFTING. I said, “WHY?” He said if we were just going to drift we don’t know which direction the wind will take us. He said, the wind would send us crashing into the rocky shore and we would lose the boat and maybe even our lives. So, we turned the boat into the storm and used the motor to hold steady INTO THE STORM and ride it out. Within a hour the storm had passed over and the seas were calm again. Plus, we were safe. As I recalled this event, my mind began to think about out national situation. We are a nation, a church and a community that’s facing many storms and heavy situations around us. It seems that there is great anger, great violence, great division and in many cases uncontrolled emotions. Many have no anchor have no rock on which to hold on to. So, as a culture we seem to just be drifting. We are allowing the winds of the culture to send us drifting into who knows what – probably destruction. If this continues we surely will crash against the rocks. We will reach rock bottom because we have made no effort to turn INTO the storm and fight for our Christian values and Biblical principles. Nehemiah 4:14, “Be not afraid of them; remember the Lord, which is great and mighty, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.” Drifting are drawing. Drifting, “carried slowing by a current of air or water”. Slowly allowing the wind or current of culture to carry us to a disastrous conclusion. Drawing, “selection or time of selection”. Carried or purposefully selecting the course needed to avoid the storm. The same situation occurred in Israel during the days of the high priest Eli. His priestly sons (Hophni and Phinehas) were sinning by committing adultery. I Samuel 3:22 says, “they lay with the women who served at the door of the tent of meeting”. They were also stealing from the offerings that were given by the people to the LORD. In the midst of these sins, the Philistines raided and stole the ark of the covenant. Why is that significant – well, if you remember, the very presence of the Lord resided between the wings of the angelic like figures on top of the ark. In the battle that ensued to re-capture the ark, both sons of Eli were killed. Phinehas’s wife went into labor and as she was dying, gave birth to a son who she called ‘Ichabod’ – the glory has departed Israel (I Sam. 4:21). The prophet during this time was Samuel. He was witnessing much what we are witnessing today. A nation that had lost her moral conscience and Biblical foundation. A nation drifting farther and farther away from God. A nation drifting, carried by the current of deception, thievery, and immorality. Samuel watched and witness this drift for 20 years (I Sam.7:2) while the ark (the glory of the Lord – the Shekinah of God) was held capture by the Philistines. The whole house of Israel lamented (CRIED OUT) to the Lord. So, the prophet Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel about how to resolve this drifting. His words were good for Israel and those same words are admonition for us to resolving this issue of drifting. It seems to me that the glory of the Lord has departed from our country, our community and our churches. Here’s Samuel’s words in I Sam. 7:3, “if you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtareh from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you…” DO YOU SEE THE ANSWER TO DRIFTING? Turn to the Lord. Seek the Lord. Draw near to HIM. The storms of our culture are real and that storm will continue to get stronger and stronger until it will overpower us, unless we follow Samuel’s instruction. Remove, return, repent and respond. Remove the things that interfere in us seeking God’s will and teaching. Return to God and His principles with all our heart. Repent of our selfish and sinful ways. Respond by serving God and serving God alone. Good news. Israel did exactly what Samuel said. They removed the idols and committed to serving God alone. They returned to HIM with their whole heart. The result. GOD BLESSED and gave them victory over their enemy. They recaptured the ark of the covenant and won the battle over The Philistines. To commemorate the victory, the prophet, Samuel placed a stone at Mizpah and named it “Ebenezer” – thus far the LORD has helped us. Victory and help from the LORD - because of their obedience. DRAWING NEAR TO GOD rather than drifting. So a question I ask of myself and of you. ARE WE DRIFTING OR DRAWING???? “SEEK THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND, CALL YOU UPON HIM WHILE HE IS NEAR”. ISAIAH 55:6 I am praying for you and your families, Leonard Navarre Lubbock, Texas

PRAY FOR AMERICA!

Pray for America This weekend is Rosh Hashanah, beginning at sundown, Friday, September 18th and ending at sundown, Monday, September 21st. It means, ‘head of the year’. To Judaism it is a time of reflection and repentance. Traditional rites are lighting candles, the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn) and casting bread on a body of water (signifying repentance of sins and casting those sins into the water). Next weekend, beginning at sundown Sunday September 27 and ending at sundown on Monday, September 28th. It is the holiest of days for Judaism. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with 25 hours of fasting and intense praying. As I looked at the calendar I noticed that Yom Kippur is 40 days before our U.S. national election. Forty days has always had significance in the Bible. I believe it holds true today. These 40 days leading up to Election Day 2020 is significant. As does 2020 which adds up: 20 plus 20 to 40. This is a very significant year. Regardless of your political persuasion, Diana and I would like to invite you to join us as we engage in significant intensive prayer and fasting for our country. As we all know America has truly been overwhelmingly blessed by our Heavenly Father. But division, anxiety and even hatred has filled our land. So, we will be observing these 40 days with intense prayer for revival, repentance and a new re-fleshing in our land leading up to Election Day. We appreciate each of you and are thankful we can call upon you during these stressful days to join us in calling out to God on behalf of our country. Soli Deo Gloria Leonard and Diana

Drifting or Far Away?

Your Bible Boost Pastor Leonard Navarre DRIFTING????? Not too long ago I read of a man, at the ocean beach, who fell asleep on his inflatable raft. About an hour later he awoke to find himself 5 miles out to sea. WOW! That was a rude awakening to find himself that far out to sea. We know that boats, just like this inflatable raft, without an anchor or rudder can be tossed to a fro by the wind and the waves. In the same way our spiritual lives can drift. In our present world of ups and downs and mighty winds, sometimes, we can find ourselves far away from God. Many times in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel drifted from God. Sometimes the nation found themselves far from God, either by not paying attention, drifting or at other times by purposefully seeking other gods and worshipping idols. I Samuel 4-7 is a prime example of their spiritual drift. Maybe, as each of us evaluate our spiritual condition today, we find ourselves “out to sea”, drifting or far away from God. Maybe it’s by neglect, a sinful habit or a purposeful move away from God. Before we know it we find that we have drifted far away from God. I’ve got good news. The prophet Samuel in I Samuel 7:3 tells the nation of Israel how they can find their way back to God. We can learn a lesson here. The question is, would Israel do what prophet Samuel told them to do? Here is Samuel’s four steps and if we find ourselves “out to sea” these 4 steps will help us get back on track. 1 – Return to the Lord – That means – course correction. If we find ourselves off course, then we must DECIDE TO RETURN to the proper course and direction. 2 – Remove – The prophet Samuel told the children of Israel to eliminate the foreign gods in their midst. The same advice is given to us if we find ourselves far from God. Usually something or someone has come between us and our heavenly Father that causes us to be far away from Him. Maybe, we need to eliminate an ungodly friend, maybe the internet, maybe a habit. Whatever it is, if there is a wedge between that “thing” and God, we will not be able to get closer to God unless it is eliminated. 3 – Repent – Samuel told the Israelites to “prepare their hearts FOR the Lord”. That is, make an “a bow face”, a true reversal. They (we) must turn from the direction they were going and RETURN to the Lord God. Change of direction and repent of their disobedience. 4 – Response – Serve the Lord God ALONE. They had allowed Baal and the Ashtoreh to turn their affections and behavior away from the Lord God of Israel. So, Samuel tells them to serve the Lord God and Him ALONE. That must apply to us today, also. Choose whose side we are on. If God be God (and HE IS) then let us desire to serve HIM and Him alone. Good news! Israel did exactly what the Prophet Samuel said and they went against the Philistines and defeated them. In fact, Samuel named the place, “Ebenezer” – ‘the Lord has helped us’. Wow! It was a true course correction. Question? Are you finding yourself off course, drifting or far away from God? Listen to the Prophet Samuel’s solution in I Samuel 7:3: Return, Remove, Repent and Response. May we seek to grow closer of our heavenly Father.