“The Tongue: SMALL but POWERFUL”

 “The Tongue: SMALL but POWERFUL”

 

Consider what a GREAT forest is set on fire by a SMALL spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It CORRUPTS the WHOLE person, sets the WHOLE course of their life on fire, and is itself set on FIRE by HELL.  James 3:5-6

 

The human tongue, a SMALL thing, but like the SMALL SPARK that has the ability to SET a WHOLE FOREST on FIRE, so, in like manner is the tongue it can BOASTS of GREAT BENEFICIAL THINGS, things that can ENCOURAGE others. However, the NEGATIVE part, is it has the POWER to bring ALL KINDS of EVILNESS to others, and RUIN RELATIONSHIPS, in MARRIAGES, between FAMILY MEMBERS, BUSINESS ASSOCIATES, and LONGTIME FRIENDS.

Yet, the TONGUE can bring GOOD NEWS, PLEASANT GREETINGS, SOOTHING WORDS. It can tell the TRUTH; it can bring PRAYING, SINGING and PRAISING the LORD for ALL His GOODNESS. And since MOST SINS are originated by SPEECH, the TONGUE is the VERY WORLD of INIQUITY. 

It sets on FIRE the WHOLE COURSE of one’s life and is itself set on fire by HELL. It can KILL a ministry, by RUMORS, SLANDER, and INNUENDOES. It indeed is a FORCE within ITSELF.

So, we know that ANIMALS of every species can be TAMED.  There are MANY AMAZING things that ANIMAL TRAINERS have done. But NO ONE CAN TAME the TONGUE. THE only SUCCESSFUL TONGUE-TAMER is GOD. REMEMBER:  Whatever is INSIDE will COME OUT. What WE can do is, to BE FILLED with SCRIPTURE and the HOLY SPIRIT.  And KEEP that WILD and RESTLESS thing called the TONGUE under CONTROL. 

In order to be FILLED with the SCRIPTURE, AND GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT.  You MUST GIVE your HEART and LIFE to GOD through His Son, JESUS CHRIST, the one who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL, through His DEATH on the CROSS and His RESURRECTION. You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE, making intercession for YOU before GOD. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and FILL yourself with SCRIPTURE (Bible) and CONTROL YOUR TONGUE!!!

Do The Above, while YOU STILL CAN. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!                         Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“The Worth of Your Soul”

 “The Worth of Your Soul”

 

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

Is it worth it, for a man to use his SOUL as a BARGAINING tool. Something he might GIVE-UP to GAIN GREAT WEALTH, and CLOUT in a world, in which a man’s SOUL is NOT EVEN worth the WORLD’S WEALTH. It means NOTHING TO the WORLD for a person to SACRIFICE their SOUL to GAIN WEAlTH, something that will NOT LAST, and LOSE SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS that are ETERNAL, and brings PEACE that MAKES LIFE WORTH LIVING.

Jesus told His Disciples: “If anyone wants to FOLLOW after Me, let him DENY HIMSELF, take up his cross and FOLLOW Me.” (V24) In other words, You MUST BE WILLING to SAY NO to SELF, in order to EXPERIENCE the LORDSHIP and PROVISIONS of CHRIST on earth. And to PROTECT your SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS.

The SON OF MAN is going to COME in His Father’s Glory, with His Angels, and then He will REWARD each person, who has DENIED SELF for the CAUSE of CHRIST, according to what they have done for the CAUSE of CHRIST here on earth. Are YOU READY?

This is what you MUST DO to get READY, for we know NOT when our LORD and SAVIOR will return. 1.  ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the ONE who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE, so WE might be able to have SALVATION. 2.  You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven making intercession for US before GOD. 3. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK HIM for His FORGIVENESS. 4. You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. 5. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and DENY YOURSELF, take-up your CROSS and FOLLOW CHRIST.

Are you WILLING to RISK LOSING your SOUL, and SPENDING your ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there? Or are you going to TURN AWAY from the WORLDLY DESIRES and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART and SPEND your ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS?

You MUST DO numbers 1-5 above to RECEIVE an ETERNITY in HEAVEN. DO this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“Obedience Motivated by Love”

 “Obedience Motivated by Love”

 

But by FAITH we EAGERLY await through the Spirit the RIGHTEOUSNESS for which we HOPE.    Galatians 5:5

 

The Galatians were being deceptively taught to obtain their OWN righteousness by OBEDIENCE to the LAW, which is the WORK of the FLESH. However, the Apostle Paul insisted that JUSTIFICATION ONLY comes by FAITH in JESUS CHRIST, God’s Only Son.

It was by FAITH that the APOSTLE PAUL, himself, along with other fellow believers EAGERLY AWAITED the BLESSED HOPE of RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Our SALVATION is NOT GIVEN to US because of what we do or have done, but it solely rests upon our OBEDIENCE by FAITH and NOT of OURSELVES.  And brought to us through the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD, the One who sent His BELOVED SON to SUFFER, BLEED, and DIE, then RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE.

So, what really matters is FAITH —a CONTINUAL TRUST in JESUS CHRIST that is expressed through LOVE and OBEDIENCE. That is the ONLY WAY we can EAGERLY WAIT for OUR HOPE of RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Which will come about throughout the earth during the MILLENNIAL REIGN of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.   Are YOU EAGERLY AWAITING the RETURN of the LORD JESUS CHRIST?

When you feel a tugging on your HEART-STRINGS, and you are feeling REALLY BAD about your LIFE-STYLE, FEELING GUILTY.  It could very well be the HOLY SPIRIT of God bringing CONVICTION on your HEART and letting YOU KNOW that it is TIME to GIVE your HEART and LIFE to GOD, through His Son, JESUS, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!  This is what YOU MUST DO to be RAPTURE READY. First, ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR.  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.  You MUST CONFESS YOUR SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN to GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, because; It is by GRACE you are SAVED, through FAITH—and this is NOT from yourself, it is the GIFT of GOD, NOT by WORKS, so that no one can BOAST.  (Ephesians 2:8-9) We know NOT when Christ will RETURN to get His PEOPLE, the TRUE BELIEVERS, so, do the above NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“Keep On Walking”

 “Keep On Walking”

 

“I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will NOT carry out the desire of the flesh.”  Gal. 5:16

The Apostle Paul, is encouraging the readers to LIVE in FREEDOM, serving one another in LOVE, and LOVING each other as yourself. The ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLE for SPIRITUAL VICTORY, GETTING the MOST OUT of your SPIRITUAL LIFE in CHRIST, and bringing the MOST BENEFIT to other believers, REQUIRES the TRUE BELIEVER to WALK BY THE SPIRIT.  In other words, PLEASING GOD over PLEASING SELF.  Then you will NOT CARRY OUT the DESIRE of the FLESH. 

The FLESH and the SPIRIT are two different orbs. There is NO WAY to USE the FLESH to LIVE SPIRITUALLY.   When the Scripture talks about WALKING by the SPIRIT, it’s really talking about the way we LIVE our lives. And when they say “CARRYING OUT the DESIRE of the FLESH” means to LIVE LIFE according to a SINFUL HUMAN POINT of VIEW.

To “WALK by the SPIRIT” is to FIND God’s View on a matter, and DECIDE to ACT on the DIVINE PERSPECTIVE, then DEPEND on the HOLY SPIRIT to enable your OBEDIENCE. It does NOT mean that you REST while the SPIRIT does ALL the WORK.  We are called to WALK while TRUSTING in the SPIRIT’S EMPOWERMENT.  REMEMBER:  “WALKING,” in the SCRIPTURE MEANS; The way we LIVE our LIVES.

What are we showing others when we profess to be a CHRISTIAN, but our WALK or the WAY we LIVE is different from what we profess? You CANNOT USE the FLESH to LIVE SPIRITUALLY.  If you are living this way, PLEASE KNOW: You cannot FOOL GOD, He KNOWS EVERYTHING!!  ESPECIALLY the CONDITION of your HEART. 

I BELIEVE that we are LIVING in the LAST DAYS, and you MUST GIVE your HEART and LIFE to GOD by COMING to Him, through His ONLY SON, JESUS, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SINFUL SOUL. And was TORTURED, BLED, DIED and RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE. So that ALL might be SAVED from their SINS.  And that they would NOT be CONDEMNED to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there. 

To be ABLE to ESCAPE HELL, You MUST be CONVICTED of your SINS, and ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS, you MUST BELIEVE that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making INTERCESSION for YOU, before God, you MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and WALK in the SPIRIT and NOT the FLESH and KEEP ON WALKING by the SPIRIT, because the LORD JESUS is COMING SOON to get ALL of those who BELONG to GOD.  So, do the ABOVE with a SINCERE and CONTRITE HEART. Secure your PLACE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!! IT COULD BE TODAY!!!

“A Clean and Humble Heart”

 “A Clean and Humble Heart”

 

God, create a CLEAN heart for me and RENEW a STEADFAST spirit within me.  The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.  God, You will not despise a BROKEN and HUMBLED HEART.   Psalm 51:10,17

These verses are part of a prayer of King David, who was SEEKING a CLEAN HEART and a RENEWED SPIRIT that was STEADFAST, from the ALMIGHTY GOD.  It was composed by David, after a visit from the Prophet Nathan who had confronted the King concerning David’s ADULTERY with Bathsheba and the MURDER of her husband. Which was what caused David to cry out to God for REPENTANCE.

David was concerned about his sins of ADULTERY, and MURDER that might cause God to REMOVE His ROYAL CALLING upon David. And David did NOT WANT to lose God’s Calling and His EMPOWERMENT on his life. He asked God to RETURN to Him the JOY of his SALVATION, that he might TURN other SINNERS AWAY FROM their SINS and that they might TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART in FAITH and OBEDIENCE. 

David called on God to DELIVER him from the GUILT of his sins, David promised God that he would PUBLICLY give GOD ABUNDANT PRAISE. Because he KNEW that God does NOT want mere EXTERNAL WORSHIP and PRAISE, but God wants a TRUE, FAITHFUL, HUMBLE HEART that is TRULY BROKEN over PERSONAL SINS. 

There are many UNBELIEVERS, who think they can HIDE their PERSONAL SINS from the ALMIGHTY GOD. But that is NOT TRUE, because God is ALL KNOWING. And He has the ABILITY to KNOW what you are going to do, way before you do it.

TRUE WORSHIP means that a CASUAL RELATIONSHIP with SIN will KEEP you from EXPERIENCING an AUTHENTIC WORSHIP of God.  And a TRUE WORSHIP of GOD REQUIRES that we GIVE OURSELVES TOTALLY to GOD, without reserve.  It’s ALL or NONE!!

If you are a TRUE CHILD of the LIVING GOD, you SHOULD be SERVING and WORSHIPING Him with a CLEAN and HUMBLE HEART.  If YOU have not given your HEART and LIFE to GOD. This is what YOU MUST DO:  ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY SON, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and RESURRECTED, to SAVE the LOST from their SINS, and to SAVE them from an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  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.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And then ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, with a CLEAN and HUMBLE HEART.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“From Darkness into Light”

 “From Darkness into Light”

 

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.   John 1:5

I, for one, do NOT like the DARKNESS, because it is the absence of LIGHT. And can cause stumbling and falling, physically, and you can end up with BROKEN BONES or worse injuries.  However, on the SPIRITUAL SIDE, which we will be talking about. It may cause irrefutable ETERNAL consequences, which will depend on the CRUCIAL DECISIONS that ARE made during one’s lifetime on earth.

Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son, in Him was LIFE, and the LIFE that was in JESUS was to be a LIGHT for people.  JESUS, the LIGHT of the WORLD, is the SALVATION of mankind and the ONLY HOPE of DELIVERANCE. King David said: “The LORD is my LIGHT and my SALVATION, so why should I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1) Jesus, the LIGHT, is a figure for HOLINESS, REVELATION, and TRUTH.

“If we say we have fellowship with GOD but go on LIVING in SPIRITUAL DARKNESS; we are NOT practicing the TRUTH. But if we are LIVING in the LIGHT, as God is in the LIGHT, then we have FELLOWSHIP with each other, and the BLOOD of JESUS, His SON, CLEANSES US from ALL our sin.”  (1John1:6,7)

Are YOU LIVING in the LIGHT, JESUS CHRIST? If NOT, then you are living in SPIRITUAL DARKNESS, the REALM of SATAN, DEMONS, and UNBELIEVERS.  A place and lifestyle that will send you into DEEP DARKNESS and DESPAIR, a place called HELL, and once you are there, you are there for ALL of ETERNITY and NO WAY to ESCAPE. 

But if you will be willing to TURN AWAY FROM your SINS and BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He was RESURRECTED from the GRAVE, and is in Heaven, making intercession for you before God.  And if you CONFESS your SINS to Him, He is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE you of your SINS. And will PROVIDE you with ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS. 

If you will LIVE in the LIGHT, as God is in the LIGHT, then you will be able to have FELLOWSHIP with God and others who have come to CHRIST and is now part of the FAMILY of God. And you will be CLEANSED from ALL SIN. So, come OUT of the DARKNESS and into His GLORIOUS LIGHT. Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!

Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“How to Have Closeness with God”

 “How to Have Closeness with God”

 

If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t OBEY God’s commandments, that person is a LIAR and is NOT living in the TRUTH.   1John 2:4

This letter of John’s was written to BELIEVERS, and, like the TRUE BELIEVER of today, they wanted to have a CLOSE relationship with God. So, HOW do we go about obtaining the CLOSE, DEEPENING, RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY GOD?

OBEDIENCE ROOTED in LOVE, is the ANSWER for a relationship that is LONG-LASTING, and DEEPENING with God. And the WAY to that kind of RELATIONSHIP is ONLY AVAILABLE through the LORD JESUS CHRIST. God’s ONLY SON, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and RESURRECTED with VICTORY over DEATH and the GRAVE. And by ACCEPTING Him as YOUR SAVIOR and LORD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, you CAN HAVE just such a RELATIONSHIP. 

The phrase, “To KNOW HIM” is a reference to an INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP, and NOT JUSTIFICATION, remember John’s readers ARE BELIEVERS. And we can be SURE that we KNOW HIM if we OBEY His COMMANDMENTS (V3). The TRUE BELIEVER is SAVED BY GRACE and GRACE does not do away with the COMMANDMENTS of God, but it gives you the ABILITY to GROW in LOVE. When this happens, your KNOWLEDGE of a CLOSENESS with GOD will DEFINITELY INCREASE.   Are YOU SURE that you have a LONG-LASTING, DEEP, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with God and Jesus Christ?

Here’s what you MUST DO to OBTAIN SUCH a RELATIONSHIP.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. 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. You MUST CONFESS YOUR SINS to HIM and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and have that CLOSE, DEEPENING, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with GOD and His Son. And be ABLE to spend your ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS. And ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. 

So, do the instructions above, NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!