"The Acceptable Time"

“The Acceptable Time”

For He says:  I heard you in an acceptable time and I helped you in the day of salvation.  Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.       2 Corinthians 6:2



What is the ACCEPTABLE TIME?  The Apostle Paul, says NOW is the ACCEPTABLE TIME, because the Lord God, says:  I heard you in an ACCEPTABLE TIME, and I helped you in the DAY of SALVATION.  This refers to the RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST.  Mankind’s ACCEPTABLE TIME, and the DAY of SALVATION, was brought about by the RESURRECTION of the LORD JESUS CHRIST from the dead.

So, the Apostle Paul, knew that the ACCEPTABLE TIME for the DAY of SALVATION to take place is NOW.  However, that ACCEPTABLE TIME is NOT determined by mankind.  They cannot decide when they will be SAVED.  It will be when the Holy Spirit of God, draws them, bringing them under CONVICTION for their sins, and providing an opportunity for them to ACCEPT or REJECT the LORD JESUS CHRIST as their SAVIOR and LORD.  John 6:44 says: “No one can come to Me (Jesus) unless the Father (God) who sent Me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day.”  These were the Words of the Lord Jesus.  In other words, YOU can NOT decide that you will wait until you are dying and then call out to God.  He may not deal with you that long. And, you could die SUDDENLY WITHOUT any advance notice or warning. 



So, NOW is the DAY of SALVATION, it is the ACCEPTABLE TIME for you to answer His call, if He has been dealing with you, CONVICTING you of your sins. Times when you feel GUILTY and UNEASY with your sinful lifestyle.  If you continue to REJECT Jesus as your SAVIOR and LORD, you will end up spending your ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  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.  BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, because it is the ACCEPTABLE TIME.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Obedience and the Word"

“Obedience and the Word”

But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.        Deuteronomy 30:14



OBEDIENCE is the act of being SUBMISSIVE to someone or something.  Moses instructs the Nation of Israel, that if they OBEY the Voice of the Lord God, to keep His Commandments and His Statutes, which are written in the Book of the Law, and if they turn to the Lord God with ALL their HEART and with ALL their SOUL, the Lord God would BLESS the work of their hands.  He would bring them PROSPERITY. 



This COMMANDMENT, which he brought them was not too mysterious for them nor was it far off.  But the Word IS very NEAR, it was in their MOUTH, they KNEW it and SPOKE it.  It was also in their HEART, and therefore, they SHOULD DO whatever the Word commands.



The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 10:9-10, that: “If you declare with your MOUTH, “Jesus is Lord,” and BELIEVE in your HEART that God raised Him from the dead, you will be SAVED.  For it is with your HEART that you BELIEVE and are JUSTIFIED, and it is with your MOUTH that you PROFESS your FAITH and are SAVED.”



In order to BELIEVE, you must FOLLOW or OBEY the WRITTEN WORD of GOD so that your FAITH will be in the Word, who was with God in the beginning, and the Word was God.  The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among mankind.  The Word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ.



For mankind to be able to have a relationship with God, and receive SALVATION, they MUST be OBEDIENT to the WORD of GOD.  They NEED a KNOWLEDGE of His Written Word, and a RELATIONSHIP with the Word that became flesh and dwelt among mankind.  This means you MUST READ and STUDY the Written Word, which is the Holy Bible, and SPEAK it to your friends and relatives, especially the children.   And have a RELATIONSHIP with the Word that became flesh by, ACCEPTING Him as your SAVIOR and LORD.



You start by:  BEING WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING 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.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be OBEDIENT to His WORD.  And be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and GAIN an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Speaking Boldly"

“Speaking Boldly”

And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.      Acts 4:29



The Apostles Peter and John were speaking to some people, about Jesus being raised from the dead.  When they were confronted by some priests, the officer in charge of the Temple guards, and some Sadducees, who were annoyed with what the Apostles were teaching.  So they arrested Peter and John.  But many who had heard the message, about five thousand, BELIEVED. 



Then members of the Council were amazed at the BOLDNESS of Peter and John.  So, they told them that under NO CONDITIONS were they to SPEAK or to TEACH in the name of JESUS.  But Peter and John answered: “You yourselves judge which is right in God’s sight---to obey you or to obey God.  For we CANNOT STOP speaking of what we ourselves have SEEN and HEARD.”



When the BELIEVERS heard what happened they all joined together in prayer to God, asking God to take notice of the threats that were made, and to allow them, His servants, to speak His message with ALL BOLDNESS.  Notice, they didn’t cower down, and wring their hands in dismay, but they PRAYED to God, that they might SPEAK His message with BOLDNESS.  And the result was:  When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was SHAKEN.  They were ALL filled with the HOLY SPIRIT and began to PROCLAIM God’s message with BOLDNESS.  (v 31)



Can you imagine, if ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, would SPEAK God’s MESSAGE with BOLDNESS?  When Peter and John SPOKE with BOLDNESS, there were five thousand who came to BELIEVE the MESSAGE of JESUS CHRIST.  We, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, seem to shy away from SPEAKING BOLDLY. Instead, we have a tendency to NOT SPEAK GOD’S message at all, much less to do it BOLDLY.  And I am GUILTY of NOT being BOLD in my witnessing too.  So, the thing to do is to PRAY that God would give US the BOLDNESS in SPEAKING His message to a LOST and DYING world.  And to let His Holy Spirit have COMPLETE CONTROL of our witnessing techniques. 



If we will be OBEDIENT to His command to:  “Go therefore and make disciples of ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe ALL that I have commanded you.” (Mat. 28:19-20), we could make a HUGE difference in a lot of people’s destiny.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then your DESTINY is an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  But, SPEAKING BOLDLY, “SALVATION is found in NO ONE else, ONLY JESUS CHRIST, for there is NO OTHER NAME under Heaven given to mankind by which we MUST be SAVED!” (v 12) 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.  Then BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and start SPEAKING BOLDLY about what God has done for you.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!


"

"Favor in God's Sight"

“Favor in God’s Sight”

Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I will know You and find favor in Your sight.     Exodus 33:13



Moses found FAVOR in GOD’S SIGHT.  He desired to KNOW GOD intimately, and LEARN His ways.  God had just told Moses: “I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.”  Guess what!  God knows your name, but the question is: Has He found FAVOR with you, in His sight?



Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land.  He did this under the LEADERSHIP of the ALMIGHTY GOD, and for the most part he was OBEDIENT to God’s direction. He did DISOBEY God once, and it cost him dearly, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. 



In order to find FAVOR in GOD’S SIGHT one MUST be FIRST of all, a Child of the Living God, then they MUST be OBEDIENT to His Will.  Psalm 18:24 says: “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.” 



In our Scripture, Exodus 33:13, we can see that Moses is asking God to TEACH him His ways, and then he would KNOW Him.  What Moses was basically saying was: “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; ESTABLISH the work of our hands for us---yes, ESTABLISH the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17)  If God would TEACH Moses His ways, and Moses grew to TRULY KNOW GOD, he would be able to do what God wanted him to do.  This is the way it is with God’s TRUE CHILDREN, today, if we were OBEDIENT to God and FAITHFUL in ALL He wants us to do, we like Moses, could ask God to ESTABLISH the work of our hands that we might find FAVOR in GOD’S SIGHT.  Have you found FAVOR in GOD’S SIGHT?



If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, and have been REJECTING His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, you have NOT found FAVOR in GOD’S SIGHT.  And your DESTINY is an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  In order for you to find FAVOR in GOD’S SIGHT, and change your DESTINY, you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then BELIEVE, 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 find FAVOR in GOD’S SIGHT.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!
"

"The Faithful Servant"

“The Faithful Servant”

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of your master.’       Matthew 25:23



These are words that EVERY TRUE CHILD of the Living God, hopes to hear when they stand before the Lord Jesus to receive their rewards, for their service to Him.  This is a part of the parable of the talents, spoken of by our Lord Jesus.  It concerns the rewards that were given to those who were FAITHFUL, with what their master had provided for them to use.  Some were FAITHFUL in using their talents, even though their tasks were small, they remained FAITHFUL.



However, there are those who do NOT use their talents, because they are NOT FAITHFUL to their master.  They may try to HIDE them, so no one will know that they even have them, much less use them.  They may use them for some purpose, other than FAITHFULLY USING them for the Lord. In this case, it may be doubtful that they are TRULY CHILDREN of God, and if that is the case, the reply to them is: “You wicked and slothful servant!”  Then the Lord will say: “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (v41) Which group are you in?  Those who are the FAITHFUL or those who are the UNFAITHFUL?

If you are part of the UNFAITHFUL, that means you are destined for ETERNAL PUNISHMENT in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  In order to ESCAPE ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you should CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And BELIEVE, 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 be one of His FAITHFUL SERVANTS, who will enter the JOY of your Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, and enter your ETERNAL HOME, HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Finding the Knowledge of God"

“Finding the Knowledge of God”

Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the Knowledge of God.      Proverbs 2:3-5



To be able to have the KNOWLEDGE of God, I believe would be bitter-sweet, because the KNOWLEDGE of God is UNLIMITED.  He KNOWS ALL THINGS, whether GOOD or BAD.  He KNOWS when there is TROUBLE, HEARTACHE, CALAMATIES, EVILNESS, SICKNESS, AND DESPAIR, even before it happens.  



Yet, to SEEK after the KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM of God, provides us with UNDERSTANDING, INSIGHT, and DISCERNMENT into the Word of God, which will help us to be a BETTER servant to Him.  Obtaining this KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM takes EFFORT to HEAR with the ear, and APPLY with the heart, the things that God wants you to KNOW.  And you find out “what things”, when you ASK for KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM. Then you will UNDERSTAND the FEAR of the LORD and find the KNOWLEDGE of GOD.  This word FEAR means to REVERANCE the LORD GOD. 



Proverbs 1:7 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and discipline.”  The Lord God is the SOURCE of ALL KNOWLEDGE, and as a person “fears” or REVERANCES the Lord God, they gain KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM.  In order to obtain KNOWLEDGE of the LORD GOD, you MUST SEEK Him with ALL your HEART.  Then you will KNOW that HE ALONE is your HOPE for an ETERNITY in HEAVEN. 



In order for you to have this KNOWLEDGE and the HOPE that it brings, 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 you HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and GAIN, KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM, along with the HOPE of an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Love and the Blood"

“Love and the Blood”

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.      1 John 4:10

To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father---the glory and dominion are His forever and ever.  Amen.       Revelation 1:5b-6



People will be expressing their LOVE for each other, in many different ways, today, because it is Valentines Day.  That SPECIAL time when there is a very concerted effort to do something SPECIAL for the one they LOVE.   And many years ago, God did something VERY, VERY SPECIAL for ALL of the people on earth.  He sent His ONLY SON to earth as their own SACRIFICE that they might be SAVED from their sins and be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.



God, has proven His LOVE for mankind, by providing for us the ONLY WAY we can be FREE from our sins and to ESCAPE HELL, and GAIN HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Hebrews 9:12, tells us that:  Jesus 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. 



Therefore, Jesus, the One who LOVES us and has SET us FREE from our sins by His BLOOD, which He shed on an old rugged cross, has made us a kingdom of priests to His God and Father, and GLORY and DOMINION are His FOREVER and EVER.  So, why not experience TRUE, ABIDING, UNFAILING, and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, which Father God is waiting to lavish upon you.  If you will just TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO HIM, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then 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 God’s gift of SALVATION, and let God LAVISH upon YOU His LOVE and an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, because of the SHED BLOOD of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!