Know this my dear brothers; everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:19-27

Friends, Quit quitting! Stop stopping! Why are you so discouraged that you have once again made some mistake or let down your guard? Why are you so hard on yourself? There are those around you that have heard this precious truth, the same words you have heard, and have lost it completely. You are still pricked within your heart. You still feel the pull and tug on your spirit from God's gentle hands and you are STILL IN THE RACE!

It would be so sad for you to have worked so hard to fail now, and you only fail when you quit trying! Religion (the practice and repetition) that is pure and undefiled is this: to care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and to KEEP ONESELF UNSTAINED BY THE WORLD. If you are able to rise up in your current state, shake off the perception of failure, change your course and mount up with the power of God's Spirit, then you are truly a DOER of his Word. Your time is not over yet. Since you are reading this you need to hear it. GOD IS SPEAKING - WILL YOU DO? What is worse than reading this half-way through and then realizing nothing will ever be different? What is worse than spending all your time trying to overcome only to realize that there is no hope? Well, we are telling you right now that ones who ACT are the ones who are BLESSED! The ones who bridle their tongue and unleash their FAITH are the ones who still have hope!

This week we urge you to DO! Stand up and go out and do what God has asked you to do. Overcome your weakness, move out of your temptations and realize that God is still speaking through YOU, a DOER of his Word.

In Love,

Elder mark and Sister dana