July 2, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Hope Brings A Crowd

Hope Series #5

The person without hope is alone and isolated—without plans or dreams or visions. Totally lost and rejected, a person that cannot feel or connect with others. A person that merely exists without a chance of fulfillment and abides in their personal prison.

On the other hand, I am never alone when I am resting in hope. With hope, I can see above the confusion and any turmoil that is around me. Hope gives me insight and lightheartedness. In fact, I have company when I have hope…God shows up. I am no longer alone, by myself, but I have become “2” because Jesus is hanging out with me.

God’s hope helps me to think straight. My thoughts are not negative nor do I live in despair…God is with me. I can feel His presence when I exercise the hope I have in Him. I live in a crowd when hope is activated in my life. God shows up in the Trinity…I have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit here with me.

Yes, hope brings a crowd—this is how I feel with hope working in my life. I do not feel alone nor am I isolated. Even as Jesus said, “Though I make my bed in hell. God is with me.” There is no hell on earth that can make me feel alone because Christ is with me. He said, “He will never leave me nor forsake me.” Besides, Jesus said, “I will send you the Comforter (Holy Spirit). He will be with you and comfort you.”

I cannot explain how God does this but only that He loves me so much; His presence creates an atmosphere of togetherness around me. I got hope, and I got Jesus! I am now never alone but in a perpetual spiritual crowd with the Holy Spirit gathering the Kingdom of Heaven around me.

Let’s see, with God’s hope, I have good plans guiding my life. I have a path for my feet so I do not fail. I have feelings of acceptance and love. I have justification for living and desire to perform good works. I now have the means to think good thoughts and be a better person. I now live in a crowd—I am never alone with Jesus who is my hope.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 25, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Hope Keeps Me Out of Trouble

Hope Series #4

Hope has a tendency to keep me in a safe place. When hope is active in my life I do not seem to have any problems or troubles. It’s like a wall of protection around me. I am safe from evil; safe from wicked and deceitful people. God knows that His kids need protection and His hope in me offers that protection.

Hope not only brings redemption but it keeps me redeemed. It not only brings salvation but it keeps me saved. God’s hope is designed to be proactive and reactive. It is meant to change the predicaments you find yourself in, as well as, keeping you out of such predicaments.

When we find God’s hope actively working in our lives and circumstances, we find places of safety. If you want to stay out of trouble, just get hope in your circumstances. After you realize that you need hope (God’s hope) and you begin your journey of tears and crying out for God’s help; it is then with God’s help that puts a song in your heart and joy in your voice. His hope is meant to deliver you and also to keep you in a good place.

Do not be quick to disregard hope once you find its results in your life. Allow hope to continue its work in your life. It is important that you move from hope to more hope. Allow hope to grow in strength and empowerment in all you do.

Example: Hope brings me forgiveness and it is the same hope, which brings me strength not to stumble into the same sin again. When I keep that hope in front of me I find not only God’s deliverance but His keeping power. God has ‘hope from trouble’ ever reaching you. God’s hope is found in the shelter under His wings or to ride upon eagles’ wings. Either way, it is His hope that protects me. My God is just that big. He’s got hope for every situation and problem that approaches to do me harm.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 24, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Always With Hope

Hope Series #3

I have been writing about hope. Everywhere I turn I see people without hope. They are injured, angry, lost, confused, bitter and alone. Without hope, we are indeed individuals that are without purpose or compassion—totally miserable.

Hosea says, that God has given us a door of hope—an avenue to walk through that opens up all that God has to offer to us (Hosea 2:15). The Bible says that with the hope of Christ we are blessed, unashamed, happy, live with purpose, have faith and charity, have eternal life, are saved & delivered from evil, healed & healthy, can believe all things when I have hope, have reasons for living, and attain to the resurrection of the dead, but we must continually hope in the Lord in order to never be alone.

We must become people of hope in our words, actions, belief system, and attitude in approaching God. God is hope and offers us His hope; we must respond to Him in like manner.

I refuse not to have hope in what I do. It is not my hope but Christ’s hope He has spoken to me. Hope to be a better person and do the will of God cheerfully. I do not try to create a fake hope or a false hope, which I can perform. I rather trust in God—in what God says about Himself and what He has said He will do for me. I live in that hope.

It is not possible for God’s love not to reach me. It is not possible for what Jesus promised to do for me not happen to me. It’s just not possible—it was finished 2,000 years ago with His death.

How can I have hope? I do these things: I quote to myself Bible verses that reference the word ‘hope’, I remember who Jesus is and what He said He would do for me (Isaiah 61:1-2), I listen to songs of hope and encouragement, I tell myself what God thinks about me—who I am in Christ, I affirm that I am forgiven through prayer and worship, and I do not allow Satan to discourage me through circumstances or people’s opinions about me.

Why do I have hope, so I can have faith and love God? My hope is grounded in Jesus Christ not in what I can do. It is built on nothing less than Christ’s righteousness and faithfulness. This is what Jesus would like me to do—place my hope in Him.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 23, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

What’s Important in 2018?

Hope Series #2

I have always thought that hope was good but there were other Spiritual qualities that were much more important. I no longer think like that. To me, hope is my starting point for all things that God does, and only ‘the hope’ that we find in Christ will change anything and everything.

Have you listened to the song, “It’s Impossible” by Perry Como lately? I do ‘once in awhile’ just to remind me about the love of God. It is impossible not to be loved by God. Sure, I can reject His love by not acknowledging my sin or refusing to believe in Him, but I choose His love and everything that His love brings to me. Yes, I believe!

If I could offer you a suggestion to find favor with God and peace from all that is bothering you, I would say, “Have hope.” Not any kind of hope and not man-made hope, but the hope we find in Jesus Christ. Hope that works and changes the circumstances around me; ‘the hope’ that works and causes me ‘never to be ashamed’.

Hope is the spiritual quality that has risen to the #1 spot with respect to having the Kingdom of God. Hope in 2018 has become the pinnacle quality that God is asking all of us to have this year. With hope, all things are possible, if you and I would place our hope in Christ.

God wants to fulfill His promises (any promise and all of them) if only we would accept His hopefulness into our lives and circumstances. It is a choice to have hope—it dispels doubt, fear, confusion, helplessness, anger, sin, resentment, and the consequences of poor decisions and behavior. Hope can set you free and place you in an atmosphere of peace and love.

Whenever you need hope, quote all or any one of these verses and see/challenge God and watch how He will pour out so many blessings on you that you cannot them all. (All of God’s hope is found in these verses.)

(Isaiah 61: 1-2) The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the openingof the prisonto them that are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God.

This is my hope, what Jesus brought to me, what God purposed Christ to do, not just during His ministry on earth but forever. He is my hope! His promises are sure! His love is never failing! It is just that simple and so important in 2018. Let’s become people of hope—this is what Jesus wants for me. This is what Jesus wants me to do—to have hope.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 19, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Dying Without Hope

(The Hope Series)

I had the most unusual dream last night. God was talking to me and kept talking. I would listen to Him during my dream and wake up, fall back to sleep and dream some more. He would allow me to awake and think about His words and what He was saying to me, and then send me back into sleeping and dreaming. This lasted all night.

Words cannot express How He brought various Scriptures to light—full of meaning. God was saying that we are dying without hope. Without His hope, there is only destruction, fear, defeat, confusion, self-doubt, and isolation—a life without meaning and in total ruin.

God walked me through the verses of Isaiah 61:1-2. We know these verses so well. Jesus quoted them at the start of His ministry, Luke 4: 18-19. It seems every verse that speaks of hope just comes alive in my heart and spirit. I woke up early in the morning almost as a new man—changed by God’s words of hope.

God gave these verses to me. They seem personable and alive with meaning. They are at my fingertips—mine for the asking and claiming. As if God wanted me to use them in every situation I am presenting in or approaching. Hope that changes everything. Hope that brings Christ into my present situation. I am no longer without direction or help, but I have a hope that moves God into action into every minute of my day.

I know now how hope precedes faith and love (Read I Corinthians chapter 13). Hope allows faith to work and once I respond to God’s will, love comes rushing into my acceptance of Him (hope) and my response to Him (faith). God (Trinity) is trying to get me to abide in the love of God. It is this hope that God says is only in Jesus Christ. We cannot find hope anywhere else. Our hope is only in Christ—His life, His death, and His resurrection.

As Jesus spoke these words (Isaiah 61:1-2) all who heard Him were moved, and so was I as God spoke these words to me in my dreams. I am telling you that I have these words within me: words of Good tidings, the healing a broken heart, proclamation of liberty, freedom from prison, acceptance of the Lord, and the judgment of God against all evil.

I am never planning to walk without hope again in all that I do. I will not die without hope. My hope, well, Jesus gave me His. A hope that changes everything and this hope is without measure, partiality, or bias. A hope where there is no death, no fear, no doubt, or bitterness. Jesus’s hope in me—there is no dying. His hope has made all things new in me! Praise be to God alone!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 15, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Evil Knows & A Father’s Role

Evil knows how to destroy a culture, just destroy the father. Every study we conduct, every aspect of the family we analyze, and every new trend we practice all tell us the same truth—“It’s the father, stupid!”

Remove the father figure from the family and the family is doomed to failure. The world takes aim at the father through literature, movies, advertising, gender lifestyle changes, education, role-playing attitudes, and the list goes on. It is the concept of the father that Biblical truth is based on. Evil’s attack is on ‘the father’ is no accident—it is another sign of the Coming of Christ.

The father will not be needed in coming years. The world will completely undo all that the father stands for. Men will be criticized and ignored if they try to be ‘a father’. “Who needs a father?” will be the attitude of every culture on the earth. The father will be a ‘thing of the past’ and not needed in order to support a society. My heart breaks when I consider Scriptures and today’s religious trends that point to a total break down of the biblical father figure.

The quickest way to destroy a man, which evil knows so well, is to crush a man’s ego, peck-away at his self-esteem, and do all you can to make sure a man is only a half-a-man. Do not allow a man to be smart, self-assured, have creative strength, or in unity with other men. In short, stop men from being what God had always wanted men to be.

Sure, men have failed to be the men of God’s designed. Promise Keepers tried to reinforce biblical principles within the structure of the family. But, the pressure that society has placed on male figures is frightening. Most men give into whatever message the world projects on them.

Men have taken the position of the First Adam (the man God created)—to give in to whatever others want. Men have little character and even less strength to do what is right and wholesome. Men fail to become the Second Adam (the example of Christ) by failing to love their spouse, children, and others as much as they love themselves. Once men fail to love (or able to love) then everything they hope to be and hope to succeed in will fail.

The time is coming when women will be looking for a man to connect with but there will few men that will want to have anything to do with women. The Bible says that seven women will take hold of one man. Men will not want any kind of relationship with women. Women will be fighting among themselves to have any kind of relationship with any man that would consider being with a woman. It is not long before this happens throughout the earth.

It is only in Christ, it is only following Biblical examples, and it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that men can be men. Men, this Father’s Day, rediscover who God wants you to be. Learn to love others as much as you love yourself. Be strong, courageous, forgiving & kind. Be the example that can change your family and impact the world. Take the Biblical challenge, be the Second Adam and bring salvation to your family.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 10, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

It’s Not Possible

Peter said in Acts chapter 2 verse 24 that it was not possible for death to overcome Jesus’ life even though God left His Son in hell for 3-days. Yes, it was impossible for Christ to be left for dead. Our sin could not hold Him, sickness and wickedness could not keep Him, and Satan had no claim on His life or even in His death. The unbelievable wisdom of God, who can understand the depths of God’s wisdom?

Satan tries to get you to believe that everything is impossible. He wants you to trust in him, ‘that he will supply all your needs’. The real reason is, he wants to destroy you. Yes, to make you dependent on him so he can control and kill you. If you trust in what God says about Himself and what He promised to do, the impossible is always attainable. The impossible (to man’s understand and knowledge) is possible, but only with Jesus.

Here are three lies Satan wants you to believe in; to believe it’s not possible and stop you from experiencing ‘the impossible’. There are three aspects of lying that enslave any believer. Unfilled prophecy, Satan’s clever deception, and “God does not care” attitude are untruths that will enslave any believer to be controlled by darkness.

Many of us have had words of knowledge, Bible verses given us to, or a prophecy spoken over us that has not come to pass. Often God’s timing is not our timing—we are asked by God to wait, trust, and never stop believing. Satan wants any words given us by the Holy Spirit to never come to pass. He works on circumstances, people’s attitudes, and creating unbelief in our lives so the promises of God become impossible. Do not let timing or doubt affect the possibility of ‘the impossible’ from entering your life.

It is not possible for Satan to win. Jesus made that clear in His ministry on earth and in His death & resurrection. Satan knows only how to lie and manipulate the truths and principles of God to work against you. To Satan, the impossible is always impossible—he wants you to never to think or believe in anything God has said or wants to do. Satan has, is, and will always be a liar.

What every believer needs to hear each and everyday, is that, “God cares what you care about.” It is the single most important aspect of having the mind of Christ. How you formulate your thought processes will bring to pass ‘the impossible’ in your life. People, circumstances, and all the knowledge in the world will often direct you to the attitude that God does not care, God does not hear, and God is too busy to get involved in your life. Just the opposite is true. His love for you is so great, He will move heaven to prove He loves you and will place ‘the impossible’ in your life so you can love Him back.

God paths are righteousness and salvation. It is in these paths of God that we find the impossible. It was ‘the impossible’ that eliminated death, sin, Satan, man’s ungodly actions, circumstances, hopelessness, sickness & pain, or any other type of destruction this world has to offer to stop. In Christ alone possibility exists, not the impossible that Satan speaks to us. It is only you that can stop ‘the impossible’ from becoming reality in your life—“Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ”—nothing! It’s not possible!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 8, 2018 #3 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

The Holy Spirit’s Technology App

This is your lucky day, a third article from me regarding technology. I believe there is a need for a Holy Spirit app. Yes, an app that allows the Holy Spirit to take preference in your life. A piece of technology that really works in strengthening all your relationships.

This is how God’s app might work—an app that truly builds upon relationships and the power of the Holy Spirit guiding and working in our lives. An app that allows for conversation and communication between you and God having your personal relationships in mind.

1. An app that shuts down your smartphone (a silent mode) when you are eating, having a family time, or meditating with God.

2. An app that gives you a text message (a Scripture verse) at various times of the day—verses that you can preset your phone to access based on what you need or encouragement to strengthen your life.

3. An app that connects to websites or blogs when a news flash or headline is posted on the web. A tool to connect and inform you when God is doing something or saying something through the Holy Spirit to the church.

4. An app that will automatically play Christian music—tunes that you program or plays randomly based on texts or messages you receive.

5. An app that will read to you various scriptures or books of the Bible when it realizes that you are driving and have time to meditate and communicate with God.

6. An app that reminds you to call certain family members at crucial times of the day or automatically sends our Bible verses or messages to people you choose.

7. An app that reminds you to be thankful and gracious; to exercise the Fruits and Gifts of the Holy Spirit based on messages you send or receive.

8. An app that sends to you kind sayings, clever bits of wisdom, and examples of Godly expectations at unexpected times during your day—to encourage you and keep you focused on who God is and what He has promised to do.

9. An app to remind you what to be thankful for or thankful about—family, work, friends, and everything God has done for you. (A record of everything you have entered into the app program and it randomly reminds you of them.)

10. An app that will read you the names of God, tell you any one of the thousands of Bible stories, or simply offer encouragement to you by connecting to any one of countless radio messages that flood the air-ways each day.

Yes, it’s time to have an app based on what the Holy Spirit does in our lives each and every day. An app that builds relationships not replacing relationships. An app that Jesus would be happy to use if He lived in our generation.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 8, 2018 #2 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Holy Spirit vs. Technology

As I stated earlier this morning, today’s technology is based on how the Holy Spirit works. When God created the earth, He made it with the purpose for man to live on it. His great wisdom saw the need for technology. Technology has only discovered what God has always known, which God placed within the reach of man.

However, it has and will always be, God first and technology last. You want a life-changing and everlasting conversation, begin with how God communicates and connects with His people. Technology is based on the principles of God and specifically how God connects, communicates, and has conversations with His creation. Here is what the Bible says about how the Trinity communicates with us:

1. God has always been wireless (using the Holy Spirit) from the beginning to talk with us—it’s how He communicates.

2. God uses ‘text messages’ to communicate—the Bible has over 31,000 verses and Holy Spirit can give you one or hundreds of verses a day to help you communicate with Jesus. Just one text (verse) can change how you connect to Him.

3. The Holy Spirit can reach out to only one person or to billions of people with a single message from God. The Holy Spirit can connect with anyone, at any time, for any reason, and in a variety of modes of communication—that’s what He does.

4. God uses the Fruit of the Spirit to build a communication network between the Holy Spirit and the Body of Christ. God is into changing character in His conversations with mankind. He does not just pass along information nor is He into gossip.

5. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit is how God gets things done on earth. It is and has always been about the Holy Spirit’s power working in our conversations with God and each other that produces the will of God on earth. Talk about power—there will never be a smartphone that has the power to communicate action as God does.

6. Emergency warnings is how the world warns us of danger and God uses the Holy Spirit to do just that. The connection and the conversations we have with God initiated by the Holy Spirit help us see the dangers ahead and options of what to do. God’s warnings come with peace and direction.

7. As the world has multiple devices so does God. However, God’s devices are personal and multi-sensory. God uses dreams, visions, words, and all our senses to connect with us. While technology merely has words and some sounds with symbols/video, God hits us with everything at one specific time and with one sole purpose. God’s technology embedded in the Holy Spirit can get your attention with meaning and purpose within a microsecond. God is amazing!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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June 8, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Too Much Technology

I have stated this for many years, “We are allowing technology to misplace our relationships.” Before we had studies to measure the effect of spending too much time and granting too much access of technology tools in our lives, I was stating the weaknesses and errors of technology over relationships and personal, meaningful, and loving significance in our lives.

We have been steadily replacing time with our computers and smartphones with real on-time communication skills. People are learning not how to communicate but how not to communicate with our new technology apps and games. You want to save yourself and your family, “start hanging up the phone.”

My suggestions for finding meaning, love and true relationships:

1. Do not go to sleep at night with your computer or smartphone as the last thing you handled.

2. Do not check your phone to see what you missed while you were sleeping—spending time talking with one another for 30 minutes before doing any “tech-things”.

3. Phones are off while you eat, play or walk with the family.

4. Keep track of time spent on “tech-tools”, begin to limit the time you spend using them.

5. Downsize how many tech-tools you have and what you use them for.

Remember, technology is to help you connect with people in order to have a meaningful and real conversation—texting is not meaningful! If you do not change your ways then you will not have anything to offer someone you want to have a relationship with—it’s just that simple.

Ps. The Holy Spirit is being replaced by technology but it is how the Holy Spirit works is what technology is truly based on. Want technology from heaven; get the Holy Spirit in your life!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.