"God is GREAT!"

“God is GREAT!”

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation continually say, “God is great!”       Psalm 70:4



How GREAT is our God?  He is GREAT enough to be our ROCK, FORTRESS, DELIEVERER, and the MOUNTAIN, where we RUN to and SEEK REFUGE, in times of TROUBLE.  He is our SHIELD, and the HORN of our SALVATION, He is our STRONGHOLD in times of NEED. (Ps. 18:2) Isn’t it WONDERFUL to have the ASSURANCE of the LOVING ARMS of our HEAVENLY FATHER, wrapped around His Child, and speaking PEACE and COMFORT to their TROUBLED SOUL?



The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 94:19: “When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me Joy.”  We too, can have JOY in our souls, when we are in a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP, with God.  He wants to COMFORT us in our times of despair and heartache, because of His GREAT UNFAILING LOVE, and His ABUNDANT MERCY and His AMAZING GRACE.  But, in order for you to experience the GREATNESS of the ALMIGHTY GOD, you MUST HAVE a RELATIONSHIP with Him, and that is ONLY POSSIBLE through His Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who gave His own LIFE to SAVE your LIFE, and to give you an ETERNAL HOME in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  And for you to be able to ESCAPE HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. 



In order for you to have this PROMISE, you MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION, and start EXPERIENCING the GREATNESS of the ALMIGHTY GOD, and to be able to proclaim from the rooftop: “God is GREAT!!”  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!







  

"Who is My Strength?"

“Who is My Strength?”

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.  Therefore, my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song. The Lord is the strength of His people; He is a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.     Psalm 28:7,8



To me, these two verses of Scripture, are some of the most beautiful verses that King David ever penned.  When I am WEAK in, not only, my body, but especially my spirit, and I think of where I can receive some STRENGTH to carry on, I, like King David, go to the ROCK of my SALVATION.  Because, the LORD is my STRENGTH, and in Him, I can and will receive the STRENGTH I NEED.



And because He is my STRENGTH and my SHIELD, my HEART can and will TRUST in Him.  He lifts my feet out of the miry clay and sets them on the SOLID ROCK, which is the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and He is the SOURCE of my SALVATION.  And because I KNOW God’s UNFAILING LOVE is the FOUNDATION of my STRENGTH, my HEART REJOICES and yes, even though I cannot sing, I can make a JOYFUL NOISE to the LORD with my songs of PRAISE, which brings my HEART BURSTING with LOVE and ADORATION for MY STRENGTH and MY SHIELD is the LORD GOD, ALMIGHTY. 



Verse eight, says that the LORD is the STRENGTH of His people; He is the STRONGHOLD of SALVATION for His anointed, those who are CALLED to be His Children, those who have given their HEARTS and LIVES to Him, and have TRUSTED in His SALVATION, and His UNFAILING LOVE.  Therefore, they can REST ASSURED, that He IS their STRENGTH and the STRONGHOLD of their SALVATION.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT possess this inner STRENGTH, which, is the LORD GOD.  And you are destined to spend your ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, after you’re there. 



But you can change that DESTINY, by TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING to GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and let Him be your STRENGTH, SHIELD, and STRONGHOLD, and receive HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, as your ETERNAL HOME.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"What About Tomorrow?"

“What About Tomorrow?”

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.    Matthew 6:34



We are living in UNCERTAIN times, and these times are a hot-bed for FEAR, WORRY, DOUBTS and a LACK of FAITH in the ONE who is ABLE to HELP us in our times of NEED.  Matthew tells his readers, that we are NOT to WORRY about what TOMORROW might HOLD, because even though we DO NOT KNOW what tomorrow holds, those of us who are God’s TRUE CHILDREN, knows who HOLDS tomorrow.



As the Apostle Paul told the TRUE BELIEVERS in CORINTH, so the TRUE BELIEVERS of today, also KNOW that:  God is ABLE to make EVERY GRACE overflow to us, so that in EVERY WAY, ALWAYS having EVERYTHING we NEED, that we may EXCEL in EVERY GOOD WORK.  (2 Corinthians 9:8)



In other words, our GOD is ABLE to supply ALL our NEEDS, and we NEED NOT to WORRY about what TOMORROW HOLDS.  Because GOD is ABLE to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than we ASK or IMAGINE, according to HIS POWER that is at work WITHIN us.  And when we PUT all our CARES and BURDENS on Him, He is ABLE to BEAR ALL that we bring.  This is a GOOD DEMONSTRATION of our FAITH in Him, and it dispels the FEAR, WORRY, and DOUBTS about what TOMORROW HOLDS, because we KNOW and TRUST in the One who HOLDS TOMORROW.  Do you TRUST in GOD for your TOMORROWS?



You can, if you will GIVE your HEART and LIFE to Him. And become His Child, He will bring you COMFORT and PEACE when your tomorrows are UNSETTLING and UNRESTFUL.  He will be with you and will SEE YOU through EACH TOMORROW, if you are WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful life-style, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS, God’s ONLY SON, died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God. And ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and let GOD HOLD ALL your TOMORROWS, because He is ABLE.  And have PEACE and COMFORT KNOWING you have HEAVEN as your ETERNAL HOME.  Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!


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"The Good Shepherd and Guardian of Our Souls"

“The Good Shepherd and Guardian of Our Souls.”

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds.  For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.      1 Peter 2:24-25



In this Scripture, in verse twenty-four, we see Christ’s involvement in God’s PERFECT PLAN of SALVATION for mankind.  First, we see that He BORE or CARRIED OUR sins to the Cross of CALVARY, so that having DIED to SINS, WE might LIVE for RIGHTEOUSNESS; In other words, He who KNEW NO SIN, BECAME SIN, by carrying OUR SINS to His SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH on that OLD RUGGED CROSS.   He SUFFERED for the TRUE BELIEVER to be able to FOLLOW His example, both in our SUFFERING and in our LIVING a RIGHTEOUS life.  He was/is NOT ONLY our SAVIOR of our sins, but He was/is the HEALER of our SIN SICK souls.  The sentence here:  “You have been HEALED by His wounds,” refers to our SPIRITUAL HEALING, and NOT a PHYSICAL HEALING.



Verse twenty-five, says that we are LIKE SHEEP going astray, but we have TURNED ABOUT to the GOOD SHEPHERD and GUARDIAN of our SOULS.  In John 10:11, Jesus, says: “I am the GOOD SHEPHERD. The GOOD SHEPHERD lays down His life for the sheep.”  And that is EXACTLY what Jesus did.  He laid down His LIFE for mankind.  He being the GOOD SHEPHERD, and MANKIND being the SHEEP.  In verses 14-15, of the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John:  Jesus goes on to say: “I am the GOOD SHEPHERD.  I know My own sheep, and they KNOW Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father.  I lay down My life for the sheep.”



The Prophet Isaiah, shows us a good picture of the Pre-incarnate Christ, as not only a SHEPHERD, but as a GUARDIAN as well.  In chapter forty, verse eleven, Isaiah says: “He PROTECTS His flock like a SHEPHERD; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the folds of His garment.”  A GUARDIAN is one who GUARDS, PROTECTS or PRESERVES. And that is what JESUS does, until He RETURNS to gather ALL of God’s PRECIOUS FLOCK up to their ETERNAL HOME, HEAVEN.  Is JESUS your GOOD SHEPHERD and GUARDIAN?  Do you have an ETERNAL HOME in HEAVEN?



If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then your answer to both of these questions is NO.  In order to have JESUS as your GOOD SHEPHERD and GUARDIAN, and HEAVEN as your ETERNAL HOME, and to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and let Him be your GOOD SHEPHERD and the GUARDIAN of your SOUL.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Most Perfect, Accepted Sacrifice"

“The Most Perfect, Accepted Sacrifice”

He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.      Hebrews 9:12







Jesus Christ, the HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, SINLESS SON of the LIVING GOD, is the PERFECT, ACCEPTED SACRIFICE, whereby mankind might be SAVED from their sins and from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there. 



For Christ did NOT enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into Heaven itself, so that He might now appear in the presence of God for us.  He did NOT do this to offer Himself many times, as the High Priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of ANOTHER.  But He has appeared ONE time, at the end of the ages for the REMOVAL of SIN by the SACRIFICE of HIMSELF. (vv24-26)



For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,  how MUCH MORE will the BLOOD of Jesus Christ, who through the ETERNAL SPIRIT offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to SERVE the LIVING GOD? (vv13-14)



He did this so that those who are CALLED might receive the PROMISE of the ETERNAL INHERITANCE, because a death has taken place for REDEMPTION from transgressions committed under the Old Covenant.  Without the SHEDDING of BLOOD there is NO FORGIVENESS.  (v15,22)  And just as it is APPOINTED for people to DIE ONCE---and after this, the JUDGMENT---so also CHRIST JESUS, having been offered ONCE to bear the sins of MANY, will appear a SECOND TIME, NOT to bear sin, but to bring the act of SALVATION to completion for those who are WAITING for Him.  Are you WAITING for God’s PERFECT, ACCEPTED SACRIFICE, the LORD JESUS CHRIST to RETURN, and then the JUDGMENT?



If the thought of CHRIST’S RETURN puts FEAR in your HEART, because you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you SHOULD be FEARFUL of your DESTINY, without Christ.  In order for you to have an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, you MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS, the ONE and ONLY PERFECT and ACCEPTED SACRIFICE, of the LIVING GOD, died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be LOOKING FORWARD to the RETURN of JESUS CHRIST.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Overcoming Temptation"

“Overcoming Temptation”

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.     1 Corinthians 10:13



TEMPTATION, the act of being TEMPTED, especially to evil.  Mankind, is subject to TEMPTATION, every day.  Both BELEIVER and UNBELIEVER, the difference is the CONDITION of one’s HEART, and what one does with the TEMPTATION. 



For the UNBELIEVER, they are not ONLY ATTRACTED to the TEMPTATION, but they are constantly LIVING a FALLEN LIFESTYLE, meaning that TEMPTATION has WON the battle in their life.  They are DEFEATED, and SIN and DISOBEDIENCE to God is controlling their very existence.  They cannot, on their OWN, SAVE themselves from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPING, once they have reached their DESTINY.  



However, for the TRUE BELIEVERS, they are a POSSESSION of the Almighty God, they are His Children, and He will NOT allow them to be TEMPTED beyond what they are able to handle.  With the TEMPTATION, He will PROVIDE a WAY of ESCAPE so that they can bear it.   This is possible because, there is NO TEMPTATION that has OVERTAKEN them, except what is COMMON to HUMANITY.  The ONLY WAY for the TRUE BELIEVER to fall to the TEMPTATION is through their OWN DESIRES of the FLESH, and their WILLINGNESS to fulfill those DESIRES.



The Holy Spirit of God indwells EVERY TRUE BELIEVER, and it is His place to bring CONVICTION into the HEART of MANKIND, when they are TEMPTED and FALL to the TEMPTATION, in order to SATISFY the FLESH.  It is the TRUE BELIEVER’S place to TURN AWAY FROM the TEMPTATIONS and TURN TO GOD, ASKING and SEEKING a way to ESCAPE the clutches of that DASTARDLY DEVIL, who wants NOTHING MORE than to SHAME the TRUE BELIEVER, before their HEAVENLY FATHER.  And God WILL PROVIDE a WAY of ESCAPE, in order for them to bear it.  If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, and you have FALLEN to the TEMPTATION, God is FAITHFUL and READY to show you the WAY to be a VICTOR and OVERCOME the TEMPTATION.  So, go to Him, NOW, and CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  TRUSTING Him, for His POWER to DELIVER you.  DRAW CLOSE to Him, and He will DRAW CLOSE to you.  Do this NOW!



If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you are destined for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.  However, God is giving you the opportunity NOW, for you to come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and a WILLINGNESS to TURN AWAY FROM your TEMPTATIONS, and SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and to CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS CHRIST died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become His Child, an OVERCOMER, and VICTOR over your TEMPTATIONS. And receive HEAVEN, as your ETERNAL HOME.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Righteousness Based on Faith"

“Righteousness Based on Faith”

Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found  in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ---the righteousness from God based on faith.     Philippians 3:8b-9



The Apostle Paul is basically telling us that:  Everything he had that he looked at as GAIN, he NOW, considered it to be a LOSS because of his RELATIONSHIP with Christ.  And also, in view of the SURPASSING VALUE of KNOWING Christ Jesus as his Lord.  And he felt this in his HEART, so that he might GAIN CHRIST.



Paul KNEW that his own RIGHTEOUSNESS, which would come from keeping the law, was NOTHING more than FILTHY RAGS, in comparison to the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the ALMIGHTY GOD.  And Paul’s own RIGHTEOUSNESS could NOT give him a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God.  But he MUST obtain RIGHTEOUSNESS through the LORD JESUS CHRIST---RIGHTEOUSNESS from GOD, and based on FAITH.



Paul also tells us that: “God presented Him (Christ Jesus), to demonstrate His RIGHTEOUSNESS at the present time, so that He would be RIGHTEOUS and declare RIGHTEOUS the one who has FAITH in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26)  In order to obtain the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God, you MUST be a TRUE BELIEVER, one who has given their HEART AND LIFE to Him. And possesses FAITH in Him as God’s Son, the REDEEMER of ALL mankind, and the ONLY WAY to obtain an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS. 



To do that you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN making intercession for you, before God.  And ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and RIGHTEOUSNESS based on your FAITH.  And ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO RELIEF whatsoever.   So, do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!