As Christians, we must be accurate and authoritative judges and we must never divide over the Word of God. We must work together when division creeps in and get in the paint with one another. The Word of God and the common nature of Christ is what unites us and we should live that out as believers.

Jesus wants us to be persistent in prayer because He listens to us, and The Holy Spirit fine tunes our prayers before they get into the throne room, all the while as we are being shaped into the nature of Christ. Being persistent in prayer is important because that is one way that God trains us, renews our mind and matures us. Prayer is not about getting something from God, but it is about being changed by God so that we have the right ask and so we are refined and united with Him.

Daniel and his friends were captured and handed over to the chief official in Daniel 1. Daniel had already made up his mind that he was going to follow God no matter what the cost might be and his resolve did not change. Aeneas Williams was a football player who changed the culture of the locker room by asking to have different God honoring music played. As Christians, we must be persistent in going to the Lord in prayer and we must live out a Biblical worldview so we can use our influence for Jesus Christ. Are we using our influence for the glory of God?

Pride can suck the life out of us. We must look in the mirror, confess our sins, and put to death the pride within us. Jesus Christ humbly gave up his place in heaven to live a sinless and selfless life and he is our perfect example that we look to.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ." As Christians, we can't allow the culture and apostasy to seep into our hearts and minds. We must be in the scriptures so that we are tightening the locks on our hearts and minds. Each day there is a battlefield for our mind and we must continually take every thought captive and train in God's word.

Sometimes things happen in life like sickness, tornados or other things that are absolutely devastating. As Christians we need to be aware of the people around us and their circumstances, then we can be ready to be on a rescue mission for people in the name of Jesus Christ. Everything is in the hand of the Lord and He directs us where He wants us to go (Proverbs 21:1). If our whole life is based on material things, then we will always come up empty, but if our hope is on Jesus Christ then we will live meaningful sacrificial lives built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 51 is a heartfelt Psalm of forgiveness. David blames no one but himself for sleeping with Bathsheba and having Uriah murdered and he begs for God's forgiveness. David knew that his sin hurt God's heart and because of that, his heart was broken. But joy eventually comes and David no longer feels the guilt because the Lord forgave him and restored his fellowship with Him. When we sin, we need to confess our sins repent, get back in the game, and be in the Scriptures daily. Let us learn from King David’s example - see Psalm 51.

As Christians we must have credibility, right thinking, and a servant's heart so that we can be the best team player in the Kingdom of God. There's no room for elbowing each other as Christians or wondering how you can always get the credit. We are after accuracy in Christ and leading with a servant's heart. JOY stands for (Keep) Jesus First, Others second & You third.