“Rejoice, Be Patient, and Be Persistent “

 “Rejoice, Be Patient, and Be Persistent”

 

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying.  Romans 12 :12

 

The Apostle Paul gives us a list of PERSONAL ATTITUDES that will ENHANCE our SERVICE to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.  These attributes describe how we should SERVE the LORD. At the end of v11, he tells us to SERVE the LORD ENTHUSIASTICALLY! So how can we do that?

First, Don’t COPY the BEHAVIOR and CUSTOMS of this WICKED WORLD, but LET GOD transform you into a NEW PERSON by the way you THINK. Then you will learn to KNOW GOD’S WILL for you, which is GOOD, PLEASING, and PERFECT. (V2)

Don’t THINK you are better than you REALLY ARE. Be HONEST about YOUR EVALUATION of yourself, measuring yourself by the FAITH GOD has given you. Do ALL things as unto the LORD. Serve Him well.

DON’T PRETEND to LOVE others. REALLY LOVE THEM.  HATE what is WRONG. HOLD TIGHTLY to what is GOOD.  Don’t be LAZY, WORK hard and SERVE the LORD ENTHUSIASTICALLY!!

And REJOICE in the CONFIDENT HOPE we have in GOD, which is made POSSIBLE because of our RELATIONSHIP with His SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  BE PATIENT in TROUBLE, just because you are a CHILD of GOD, does NOT mean that you will be FREE from TROUBLE. IF anything, you will probably have MORE TROUBLE than you need.  But because of your CONFIDENT HOPE in GOD, He will get you THROUGH IT, SO, BE PATIENT and WAIT on the LORD.  And while you are WAITING, PRAY and KEEP ON PRAYING until SOMETHING HAPPENS, and it WILL in HIS OWN TIME!!

Now, if you DO NOT have a RELATIONSHIP with GOD, ALMIGHTY, then it will NOT HELP YOU to believe that you can apply these attributes to your PERSONAL ATTITUDES and you’ll have a RELATIONSHIP with GOD, because you are doing all these things. It is NOT by WORKS that you do or what kind of person you are that will get you into HEAVEN.  It’s a GENUINE RELATIONSHIP with JESUS CHRIST, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and was RAISED from DEATH and the GRAVE. So, when you feel the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD, STIRRING your HEART and bringing GUILT FEELINGS upon you.  You MUST SURRENDER, by ADMITTING that you are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONLY SON, who GAVE HIS LIFE to SAVE your SOUL 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.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and REJOICE, BE PATIENT and BE PERSISTENT IN PRAYING.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“Believing, Hearing and Declaring”

 “Believing, Hearing and Declaring”

 

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.  Romans 10:9-10

When a NON-BELIEVER, is under CONVICTION for their SINS, they MUST be WILLING to HEAR the WORD of GOD. They MUST NOT REJECT the WORD of GOD. So, to be able to CALL on JESUS for His FORGIVENESS, they MUST HEAR the WORD and BELIEVE in the WORD.

Verse fourteen asks this question: “How can they CALL on Him to SAVE them unless they BELIEVE in Him?  And how can they BELIEVE in Him if they have never heard about Him unless someone tells them?” And verse fifteen goes on to say;  “And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?”  When one believes in Christ Jesus, they will CALL on Him. And BELIEVING, is based on someone DECLARING the WORD of GOD to them. This PROCLAMATION is NOT held ONLY to a PREACHER, preaching from a pulpit. 

The TRUE BELIEVER is commissioned to WITNESS or TELL the unbeliever what the WORD of GOD says about being able to ESCAPE GOD’S ETERNAL JUDGMENT for their sins. Also, WHAT the WORD says about GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION.

That is to SHARE the GOOD NEWS, which is that God SO LOVED this WRETCHED world, that He GAVE His ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, to ALL of HUMANITY, as the ONLY WAY for HUMANS to be FORGIVEN of their SINS and to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and to be ABLE to SPEND ETERNITY in HEAVEN with all its BLESSINGS.  THEY must BELIEVE, HEAR and DECLARE to EVERYONE they meet, that THEY ARE FORGIVEN and on their way to HEAVEN!!!

SADLY, though NOT EVERYONE who HEARS the GOOD NEWS will WELCOME IT. And because of their rejection, they will face the JUDGMENT SEAT of the ALMIGHTY GOD. When one comes under conviction and REJECTS the GOOD NEWS, JESUS SAVES.  They will have SEALED their FATE. And it will be TOO LATE. 

So, if you are an UNBELIEVER and you are under CONVICTION, SURRENDER YOURSELF to the ALMIGHTY GOD. And ACCEPT His FREE GIFT of SALVATION.  YOU don’t have to PAY a THING for it.  JESUS has ALREADY PAID IT IN FULL.  To ACCEPT IT; 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-STYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and BELIEVE, HEAR, ACCEPT, and DECLARE that JESUS is YOUR SALVATION!!  Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

.”Amazing Love”

 “Amazing Love”

 

For the Love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all,  so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  2 Corinthians 5:14-15

The Apostle Paul shared that the LOVE of CHRIST controls the TRUE BELIEVER, and having come to that conclusion, the message, Paul wanted the people to know was that ONE died for ALL, therefore ALL died to their OLD LIFE.

Christ died for EVERYONE so that those who receive His NEW LIFE will no longer LIVE for themselves, but they will live for Him who DIED and ROSE again on their behalf. And since we TRULY KNOW HIM, means that ANYONE who KNOWS HIM has become a NEW PERSON. The OLD LIFE is GONE, and a NEW LIFE has begun. 

God has given the TRUE BELIEVER the TASK of SHARING the GOOD NEWS: JESUS SAVES!! For God was in Christ, RECONCILING the WORLD to Himself, no longer counting people’s SIN against them.  WOW! What an AMAZING LOVE!!

And God has given the BELIEVERS this message of RECONCILIATION to SHARE with a LOST and DYING world.  SADLY, there will be MANY who will reject the message. But there will be SOME who will ACCEPT it.  It is up to the BELIEVER to be OBEDIENT to God, and be about His business of RECONCILING this WRETCHED, WICKED WORLD from the HORRORS of and ETERNITY in HELL. 

If you are NOT a BELIEVER, you NEED to be NOW.  Don’t put it off!! Time is RUNNING OUT.  Here is what you MUST DO to COME to JESUS.  You MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR; JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S SON, who DIED to give us ALL ETERNAL LIFE.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is 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 a “WELL DONE!” From the LORD JESUS for fulfilling the TASK of RECONCILIATION!!   Do this NOW, while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“God’s Invitation’

 “God’s Invitation”

 

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have NO money! Come take your Choice of wine or milk—-it’s all FREE!   “Come to Me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find LIFE.  I will make an EVERLASTING COVENANT with you.  I will give you all the UNFAILING LOVE I promised to David.  Isaiah 55:1&3

 

This invitation was given to Israel, however most of Israel REJECTED IT. And it is very applicable for ALL people, Jew or Gentile.  I felt led to use verses 1and 3 as my introduction, giving you an idea of God’s LOVE and PATIENCE for the JEWS and GENTILES, alike. So, we will look at verses 6 and 7. 

The Prophet Isaiah is giving instructions on what to do to be able to accept God’s invitation. Verse 6 tells us to:  “SEEK the LORD while you can FIND Him. CALL on Him NOW while He is NEAR.”  There are a few things people MUST DO to ACCEPT GOD’s INVITATION; they MUST SEEK the LORD while they can FIND Him.  When the HOLY SPIRIT begins to deal with people's hearts, and they feel REMORSEFUL for their sins, then that person MUST SEEK, meaning to CALL OUT to the LORD while you can FIND Him, because when JUDGMENT COMES it will be too late. In verse 7, It tells the wicked to CHANGE their ways and PUT AWAY the VERY THOUGHT of doing wrong.

Then they should TURN TO the LORD so that they may have His MERCY on them.  And when they TURN TO GOD, He is FAITHFUL and JUST to GENEROUSLY FORGIVE them of their WRONG DOINGS. And they can then ACCEPT HIS INVITATION of SALVATION and REAP the REWARDS HE has STORED UP for them, when He RETURNS, which will be SOON and VERY SOON.  ARE YOU READY? 

Here is what you MUST DO to be READY:  ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, God’s Only Son, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and ROSE from DEATH and the GRAVE to SECURE you a place in HEAVEN for all ETERNITY and to KEEP YOU OUT OF 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 in HEAVEN making intercession for you before God.  You MUST CONFESS YOUR SINS to Him and ASK Him for His SALVATION.  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 INVITATION to SALVATION and His gift of ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  So, do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“He’s EVERYWHERE! He’s EVERYWHERE!”

 “He’s EVERYWHERE! He’s EVERYWHERE!”

 

“I can never escape from Your Spirit!  I can never get away from Your Presence! If I go up to heaven You are there; if I go down to the grave, You are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, and Your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—-but even in the darkness I cannot hide from You. Psalm139:7-12

 

King David confesses that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, has examined his heart and that God knew EVERYTHING about him.  He KNEW when David SAT DOWN or when he STOOD UP.  The King acknowledged that God KNEW his THOUGHTS even when he was FAR AWAY. YOU SEE me when I travel and when I REST at home. 

You, God, KNOW EVERYTHING I DO!  You KNOW what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You GO BEFORE ME and FOLLOW ME. You PLACE Your Hand of BLESSING on my head. Such KNOWLEDGE is too WONDERFUL for me, too GREAT for me to understand!

In this Psalm, we see the three attributes of God.  His OMNISCIENCE, OMNIPRESENCE, and OMNIPOTENCE. This is what those three words mean: OMNISCIENCE-ALL KNOWING, OMNIPRESENCE-EVERYWHERE at the SAME TIME, OMNIPOTENCE-ALL POWERFUL.  And this Psalm, is a good example of all three attributes.  And just like He did with DAVID, God does with His CHILDREN.

He KNOWS ALL ABOUT US! He GOES BEFORE US, because He KNOWS where we are going and is there BEFORE we are, and yet He is STILL with us.   And he is ALL POWERFUL, David knew that God is ALL POWERFUL. In verse 19, David cries out to God:  “O God, if only you would DESTROY the WICKED!”

 What an AWESOME GOD!

We NEED to HUMBLE ourselves before the ALMIGHTY GOD and INVITE HIM to: “SEARCH ME, O God, and KNOW my HEART; TEST ME and KNOW my ANXIOUS THOUGHTS. Point out ANYTHING in ME that OFFENDS YOU and LEAD ME along the PATH of EVERLASTING LIFE. (VV 23,24)

Do you belong to GOD?  Is He LEADING you along the PATH of EVERLASTING LIFE in HEAVEN? If NOT, He can be, if you will ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, SON of the LIVING GOD, who gave his LIFE to SAVE your soul.  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.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be able to proclaim with a JOYFUL HEART: “He’s EVERYWHERE, He’s EVERYWHERE!!”  Do this NOW while you STILL can He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“Repent and Turn to God”

 “Repent and Turn to God”

 

“Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets has foretold about the Messiah—-that He must suffer these things.  Now repent of your sins and TURN TO GOD, so that your sins may be WIPED AWAY.” Acts 3:17-19

The Apostle Peter had just healed a lame man at the Temple gate, the one called the ‘BEAUTIFUL GATE.’ And when the crowd noticed that the man was the LAME BEGGAR that would beg at the Temple Gate, they were ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDED! And as the crowd grew, Peter saw an opportunity to PREACH to them.  He told them that: “Through FAITH in the Name of JESUS, this man was HEALED—-and you know how crippled he was before.” “FAITH in JESUS’ NAME has HEALED him before your very eyes.”

Peter continued:  “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to JESUS was done in IGNORANCE.” But GOD was fulfilling what ALL the prophets had PROPHESIED about the TRUE MESSIAH. The fact that He MUST SUFFER ALL that had taken place, the SUFFERING of the CRUEL CROSS.  Then Peter, continued with an INVITATION for them to REPENT of their SINS, especially the part they had in the SUFFERING of GOD’S ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who WILLINGLY TOOK upon Himself the SINS of ALL PEOPLE, EVERYWHERE, and for ALL TIMES, PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE.

The invitation included the SECOND PART of REPENTANCE, which was for them to TURN AWAY FROM their SINS and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, so that their SINS may be WIPED AWAY as far as the EAST is from the WEST.  And if they accepted the INVITATION, then times of SPIRITUAL STRENGTH would come from the Lord.

And then you will be ABLE to LOOK FORWARD to spending an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS and to ESCAPE HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  For this to HAPPEN, You Must ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE.  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.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and when you fill God TUGGING on your HEARTSTRINGS, REPENT and TURN TO GOD. Do this NOW while you STILL can!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“Purity of Heart”

 “Purity of Heart”

 

 Teach me Your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me PURITY of HEART, so that I may HONOR You.  Psalm 86:11

 

This Psalm is a PRAYER of David, David was a man AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART. He was a person who KNEW GOD and TRUSTED in Him. And I believe that David SOUGHT after God continuously. SEEKING to KNOW Him more DEEPLY.  NOTICE: David says:  “TEACH me YOUR WAYS, O LORD.” Now, if DAVID was KING, why would he HUMBLE himself to be the STUDENT and GOD the TEACHER? Why would he not think that he KNOWS ALL he SHOULD KNOW? 

 I believe that David was so CLOSE to GOD that he wanted to TRUST HIM MORE than he did.  David’s plea was that God would TEACH him His ways, that David might LIVE according to GOD’S TRUTH, not his own. David wanted to be OBEDIENT to GOD in his DAILY LIFE. And David’s desire was that GOD would grant him a PURE HEART, for David to HONOR GOD, and NOT HIMSELF.

David’s prayer was based on his KNOWLEDGE of WHO GOD IS, this is how David felt about God’s CHARACTER: “O LORD, You are SO GOOD, SO READY to FORGIVE, SO FULL of UNFAILING LOVE for ALL WHO ASK for YOUR HELP.” (v 5) “For You are GREAT and perform WONDERFUL DEEDS.  YOU ALONE ARE GOD!!”(v10)

David’s prayer was a declaration of his FAITH in GOD’S AWESOME, UNFAILING LOVE and POWER to do ALL that DAVID would ASK or NEED.  And DAVID desired to KNOW GOD’S WAYS, so that he could DEDICATE himself WHOLEHEARTEDLY, to GOD, and that is why DAVID asked God to GRANT him PURITY of HEART. 

David lived in FEAR for his LIFE, because he was a MAN of WAR, and there were many of his enemies that would have LOVED the opportunity to deliver David’s HEAD on a silver platter. But that was NOT to be.  David prayed for STRENGTH in the FACE of PERIL, which was based on GOD’S GREATNESS. 

In verse 13 David proclaims:  “I will give GLORY to YOUR NAME FOREVER, for YOUR LOVE for me is VERY GREAT.  You HAVE RESCUED me from the DEPTHS of DEATH.”  

What kind of RELATIONSHIP do you have with ALMIGHTY GOD?  Is it like King David’s?  Do you have the DESIRE to be taught GOD’S WAYS, that YOU might LIVE ACCORDING to His TRUTH? And how many times have you asked GOD to give you a PURITY of HEART?  Are you interested in DEDICATING YOURSELF to GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY?  I PRAY that you have done all of these things and that you have a CLOSE, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with HIM. If you don’t KNOW HIM, but have been CONVICTED about your LIFESTYLE CHOICES, This is what YOU NEED to do:  FIRST, ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, and have NO RELATIONSHIP with GOD.  Then you MUST BELIEVE that GOD’S ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, SUFFERED, BLED, and DIED on an OLD RUGGED CROSS, but DEATH and the GRAVE had NO HOLD on Him.  In THREE DAYS, JESUS came OUT of the GRAVE, HE was RAISED from DEATH and the GRAVE. And He is NOW 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 SINS and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  YOU MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and ASK HIM for a PURITY of HEART.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! 

Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!