"The Call"

“The Call”

 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.       Psalm 139:15-16

 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”      Jeremiah 1:5

 

David was a wise man.  He knew from whence he came and realized that he was God’s creation.  He KNEW that God had a specific PURPOSE and PLAN for his life when he penned this psalm.  David gives us a glimpse of God’s AWESOME POWER and His OMNIPRESENCE.  NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE for God.  Even to the act of conception and the knowledge of ALL mankind.  He KNOWS each of us, from our conception to the end of our physical life.  He KNOWS us personally, and KNOWS the person we will be, the person we are, and the person we have been.  He has ORDAINED ALL our days in His book before any of them came to be.

 

 In Jeremiah 29:11, God says:  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  God has our whole life planned even before we are formed in our mother’s womb. 

 

“Before I formed you in the womb I KNEW you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” These were the words God spoke to Jeremiah when He called him to be His prophet, His spokesman.  God had a PURPOSE and a PLAN for both David and Jeremiah.  David to be a King, and Jeremiah a Prophet.  God has a PURPOSE and a PLAN for each of us.  Not to be a KING or a PROPHET, but He does KNOW what He wants to do in and through each of us.  He has APPOINTED EACH of us to the position that He wishes for us to have in His service.  ALL our days have been ordained or established for us by the Almighty God for His PURPOSE. 

 

The questions are:  Will we acknowledge His SOVEREIGNTY and WISDOM over us, as David did?”  “Will we SURRENDER to His CALL on our lives as Jeremiah did?”  Or “will we DENY Him and His CALL, and attempt to do our own thing and go our own way?”  “Who has the WISDOM and POWER, the POTTER or the CLAY?”

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are working against His PURPOSE and PLAN for you, and are determining your own destiny, which will be spending an ETERNITY in Hell with NO WAY of ESCAPE from  ETERNAL torment, torture, heartache, pain, agony and despair.  You MUST come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVEING, 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 SURRENDER to His CALL.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"God's Heart"

“God’s Heart”

 

I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which He is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us---yes, the many good things He has done for Israel, according to His compassion and many kindnesses. 

He said, “Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me”; and so He became their Savior. 

In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them.  In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.               Isaiah 63:7-9

 

How GREAT God’s love is for His people!!  And NOT just the nation of Israel.  The Prophet of Isaiah delivered a prayer for the remnant of Israel.  These verses are a part of his prayer.  When I read this passage, I was immediately moved by how much this related to the relationship between God and His TRUE CHILDREN, today. 

 

God has blessed us beyond what we could ever be worthy of.  He has shown His MERCY and GRACE towards ALL mankind, and actually sacrificed Himself for the REDEMPTION of mankind.  His compassion for His own Children has been exemplified many times and in many ways. 

 

God’s response to Isaiah’s prayer was:  “Surely they are my people, children who will be TRUE to me”: and so He became their Savior.  God provided a WAY for a closer relationship with mankind.  That WAY, being the sacrifice of His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel of His presence.  God through His Son became their Savior.

 

Whenever they were in distress He too was distressed, He KNEW their infirmities, He had become flesh and KNEW what it was to be distressed.  He was not then and is NOT now a God that is out of touch with His own creation.  They needed a SAVIOR and He provided.  Today, our ONLY HOPE is the SAVIOR, Jesus Christ. 

 

God in His LOVE and MERCY REDEEMS mankind.  He will lift them up and carry them till the end of the age.  This is God’s Heart; that ALL come to Him for the SALVATION of their soul, and that NONE would perish and spend an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING, torture, torment, pain, agony, heartache, and despair.  Have you experienced God’s LOVE and MERCY?  You can by coming to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking 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, and become a recipient of His LOVE and MERCY.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!

"Selfish-Ambition and Vain Conceit"

“Selfish Ambition and Vain Conceit”

 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.                                       Philippians 2:3, 4, 21

 

We live in a world full of people who function out of SELFISH AMBITION or VAIN CONCEIT.  They are focused solely on themselves, and seek PRAISE and ADORATION for their accomplishments, even if it is at the risk of others.  They pride themselves in the fact that they are self-centered, and self-confident, along with self-conceitedness. 

 

Their main objective is themselves, and they are reluctant to do anything that would be beneficial to anyone else.  Sadly to say, some of this mindset is in our churches today.  The Apostle Paul was addressing this underlying problem in the Church at Philippi.  That is why he advised them to, “Do nothing out of SELFISH AMBITION or VAIN CONCEIT.”  Then Paul goes on to advise them to, “in HUMILITY value others above yourselves, not looking to your OWN interest, but each of you to the interests of the others.”   

 

As TRUE BELIEVERS, we carry the name of “Christian” which means “Christ-like,” but my question is are we really being “Christ-like?”  Jesus was DEFINITELY NOT self-centered, self-confident or self-conceited.  His MAIN FOCUS was on OTHER PEOPLE.  He came to earth, with the FULL KNOWLEDGE of being crucified for PEOPLE who hated Him to the point of putting Him to death.  They tortured Him and denied Him as the Messiah, the Son of God.  Yet to this very day His love for ALL mankind prevails and is offered to ALL who will ACCEPT it.

 

If you PROFESS to be a TRUE BELIEVER, are you willing to SACRIFICE your own interests, in order to SERVE God, and letting His Spirit use you to SERVE others, bringing them into a SALVATION RELATIONSHIP with Him?  The Apostle tells the Church at Philippi that, “Everyone looks out for their own interests, NOT those of Jesus Christ.”  Paul was sending Timothy to Philippi, to serve the Church, Timothy was an extraordinary young man, with the utmost, godly characteristics of anyone Paul had come in contact with.  Timothy’s life is an EXCELLENT example for EVERY child of God.  He was WILLING to go to SERVE his Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

It is NOT easy to SERVE God in a world of self-seekers.  Are we willing to SACRIFICE our time and interests for the work of Jesus Christ?  SELF-CENTEREDNESS, SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND SELF CONCEITEDNESS are sins and they keep us from doing what God intends for us to do.  We must reevaluate our service to Him, become MORE CHRIST-LIKE, in order to rightly carry the name of “CHRISTIAN.” 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are probably a “self-seeker”  who is only interested in yourself, and you are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, unless you come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and in HUMILITY serve the Lord by serving others, leading them to SALVATION.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Blood"

“The Blood”

 

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.      Hebrews 9:22

Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!        Romans 5:9

 

Many hymns and songs have been penned about the BLOOD of Jesus, one of the old hymns, “There Is Power in the Blood, speaks strongly about the LIFE-GIVING POWER of the precious BLOOD of the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.  One of the verses says:  “Would you be free from your burden of sin?  There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; Would you o’er evil a victory win?  There’s wonderful power in the blood. (1)

 

Only the BLOOD of Jesus Christ can provide FORGIVENESS of our sins.  The Bible plainly tells us that without the SHEDDING of BLOOD there is NO FORGIVENESS.  And that BLOOD had to come from a SPOTLESS LAMB.  Jesus Christ is the ONCE FOR ALL, SPOTLESS LAMB of the LIVING GOD.  He is the ONLY sacrifice that will cleanse us from ALL our SINS.  “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.  O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” (2)

 

When we come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING our sins to Him and seeking His FORGIVENESS, He is FAITHFUL to FORGIVE us of our sins, and we are JUSTIFIED by the PRECIOUS BLOOD of Jesus, the ONLY ONE who can SAVE us from God’s wrath.  He will keep the TRUE BELIEVERS from an ETERNITY in Hell, and from God’s coming TRIBULATION WRATH.

 

Have you come to God for His cleansing power with the PRECIOUS BLOOD of His Only Begotten Son?  If NOT then you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, and you are facing an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, pain, agony, heartache and despair, with NO way of escape.  However, God in His INFINITE MERCY and ABUNDANT GRACE is giving you the opportunity NOW, to turn away from your old, sinful life-style and to turn to Him for the CLEANSING of your soul.  You must come to Him through the CLEANSING POWER of the PRECIOUS BLOOD of Jesus Christ. There is NO OTHER WAY!! 

 

You come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking 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, and be JUSTIFIED by the BLOOD of JESUS.  Do it NOW while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

(1)     There is Power in the Blood”       Lewis E. Jones

(2)     “Nothing but the Blood”               Robert Lowry

"An Anchor for the Soul"

“An Anchor for the Soul”

 

These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when He makes a promise, and He cannot lie when He makes an oath.  These things encourage us who came to God for safety.  They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong.   It enters behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place in Heaven, where Jesus has gone ahead of us and for us.  He has become the High Priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek.        Hebrews 6:18-20

 

The writer of the book of Hebrews, whom I believe to be the Apostle Paul, tells us that there are TWO things that are UNCHANGEABLE:  God cannot lie when He makes a promise, and He cannot lie when He makes an oath.  Once He makes a promise, you can count on Him KEEPING that PROMISE, and even MORE so when He backs it up with an OATH.

 

For those of us who have come to Him for refuge, these two things should encourage us.  They should give us STRENGTH to HOLD ON to the HOPE that we have been given. The Messianic HOPE, being the SALVATION of our souls given to us through the REDEMPTIVE WORK of the Lord Jesus Christ.  That HOPE is an ANCHOR for the soul, and it is SURE and STRONG.  It will HOLD STEADFAST, until we are moved on to our ETERNAL DESTINATION. 

 

Then it will be brought to the SAFEST place of all, behind the curtain of the Most Holy Place in Heaven, the inner sanctuary where the Lord Jesus Christ has gone before us.  Because of the Lord’s entrance into the Most Holy Place, where He functions as a High Priest FOREVER, it gives us who are TRUE BELIEVERS the HOPE of a STEADFAST ANCHOR for the soul, one that will NEVER be shaken loose.  An anchor of HOPE that the TRUE BELIEVER can HOLD ON to.

 

Do you have an ANCHOR for your soul or are you drifting about, being tossed and turned in EVERY direction with NO safe harbor?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT have an ANCHOR for your soul, and you are adrift on a TUMULTUOUS sea of sin, battered by waves of uncertainty and great peril.  You can ESCAPE that life and be brought into a SAFE and SECURE harbor, and ANCHORED in Jesus, the Master of the Sea.  You do that by coming to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking 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, and receive HOPE as an ANCHOR for your soul.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Heaven, Our Homeland"

“Heaven, Our Homeland”

 

But our homeland is in Heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from Heaven.  By His power to rule all things, He will change our simple bodies and make them like His own glorious body.          Philippians 3:20-21

 

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippian believers, whose citizenship was in Rome, and they were living as colonists in Philippi.  Paul was speaking to them as BELIEVERS, about their ETERNAL CITIZENSHP, their TRUE, PERMANENT HOMELAND, being in Heaven.  Even though they were residing on EARTH, which is a TEMPORARY HOMELAND for ALL TRUE BELIEVERS.

 

ALL TRUE BELIEVERS are waiting with bated breath and great anticipation, for the return of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, from Heaven which is known as “THE RAPTURE.”  The time when ALL of God’s TRUE CHILDREN will be caught up in the air, and our lowly, limited bodies will be changed to GLORIFIED BODIES, in a blink of an eye.   Our bodies will be changed to be like the GLORIOUS BODY of the Son of God. 

 

Our GLORIFIED BODY will NO longer have limitations nor will it be buffeted by pain and disease or sin.  We will NO longer have a SINFUL NATURE, but will be like Jesus, we will be FREE from SIN, which will make us SINLESS, just as He was/is SINLESS.   And our SANCTIFICATION will be complete.  What a GLORIOUS TIME that will be.  Are you READY?  He’s coming SOON!!

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT His TRUE CHILD, you are His CREATION, but you are NOT His Child, until you come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, you are LOST and your ETERNAL HOMELAND is a place called HELL, where your UNGLORIFIED body will suffer UNENDING torment, torture, pain, agony, heartache, and despair.  The place where the flame never dies.  You are NOW given the opportunity to TURN away from your SINFUL life-style, and come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, asking 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 and be born into His family, and become a TRUE CHILD of God, who is EAGERLY awaiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the RAPTURE, and receive a GLORIFIED BODY, and HEAVEN as your TRUE PERMANENT HOMELAND.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Renowned Faith"

“The Renowned Faith”

 

And the Lord’s teaching spread from you not only into Macedonia and Southern Greece, but now your faith in God has become known everywhere.  So we do not need to say anything about it.  People everywhere are telling about the way you accepted us when we were there with you.  They tell how you stopped worshiping idols and began serving the living and true God.  And you wait for God’s Son, to come from heaven.  He is Jesus, who saves us from God’s angry judgement that is sure to come.         1 Thessalonians 1:8-10

 

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Thessalonian believers, he commends them for their STRONG, FAITH, a FAITH that was RENOWNED everywhere.  They were in essence, a TRUE WITNESS of God’s SAVING POWER and His AMAZING GRACE.   And they shared what God had done for them, and was STILL doing in their lives. 

 

No, they didn’t have social media to get the word out, but EVERYWHERE they went, and EVERYONE they met was an opportunity for them to grasp, and to SHARE the GOOD NEWS. So they did just that.  They shared about the DIFFERENCE God had made in their lives, by DELIVERING them out of idol-worship, and had BROUGHT them into His presence, where they abide, SERVING and WORSHIPING the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD.  This SHOULD be a CHALLENGE for every TRUE BELIEVER, today.   Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14:  “You are the light that gives light to the world.  A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden.”   Acts 22:15 says:  “You will be His witness to all people, telling them about what you have seen and heard.” 

 

As TRUE BELIEVERS, are we SHARING what God has done and is STILL doing in our lives, to ALL we meet and wherever we go?  Are we making EVERY EFFORT to SPREAD the GOOD NEWS, that JESUS SAVES, and is the ONLY WAY to get to Heaven?  Are we putting out the WARNING that Jesus is coming SOON, and He is the ONE who will save us from the coming, ANGRY WRATH of God?  WE SHOULD BE doing ALL of this and whatever else we need to do, to get the LOST to God. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are one of the LOST, and you are facing God’s ANGRY WRATH, along with an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of FOREVER pain, torment, torture, agony, heartache and despair, to name just a few of what is waiting for you, UNLESS, you TURN AWAY from your SINFUL life-style and COME to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking 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, and have a RENOWNED FAITH, which you will be willing to SHARE with a LOST and DYING WORLD.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Who's in Control?"

“Who’s in Control?”

 

If you use your lives to do the wrong things your sinful selves want, you will die spiritually.  But if you use the Spirit’s help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, you will have true life.  The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them.  And the Spirit Himself joins with our spirits to say we are God’s children.      Romans 8:13, 14, 16

 

When a person comes to God for the SALVATION of their soul, a battle takes place in that person’s HEART.  The battle is between the FLESH and the SPIRIT of GOD.  The FLESH is NOT so quick to relinquish CONTROL to the Spirit.  When we are born, we are born with a SINFUL NATURE, a nature that is inclined to SINFUL ways, and when we become “born again” our NEW nature SHOULD be in control, but the OLD SINFUL nature doesn’t want to SURRENDER to the NEW nature.  Thus it is up to the NEW BELIEVER to put to DEATH the OLD SINFUL nature.

 

Only by the POWER of the Holy Spirit of God, can a TRUE BELIEVER put to DEATH the OLD SINFUL nature.  The Holy Spirit indwells the person at the point of SALVATION, and that person MUST ALLOW the Holy Spirit ACCESS to EVERY part of their HEART, and they MUST ALLOW the Holy Spirit to be in CONTROL of  EVERY PART of their being.  When this happens, the person will have TRUE LIFE, SPIRITUALLY. 

 

This doesn’t mean that a TRUE BELIEVER will never fall to temptation, because as long as we are in the FLESH or this BODY, we will be subject to temptation, the REAL TEST of a TRUE BELIEVER is what they do with the temptation, sometimes we are VICTORIOUS over the temptation to sin, that’s when we ALLOW the Holy Spirit to be in CONTROL, but sometimes we FALL and that’s when the FLESH is ALLOWED to be in CONTROL.  

 

When we ALLOW God’s Spirit to be in CONTROL, we KNOW we are the TRUE CHILDREN of GOD, because His Spirit joins with our spirit to testify that we ARE God’s Children.  Who is in CONTROL of YOU?  If it is your FLESH, then you are SPIRITUALLY DEAD, and will end up spending ALL ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING torture, torment, pain, agony, heartache, and despair, UNLESS you come to God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING 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, and put to DEATH your OLD SINFUL nature and put on a NEW nature that is CONTROLLED by God’s Holy Spirit and makes you a TRUE CHILD of the Living God.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"BEWARE! The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

“BEWARE! The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”

 

Such men are not true apostles but are workers who lie.  They change themselves to look like apostles of Christ.  This does not surprise us.  Even Satan changes himself to look like an angel of light.  So it does not surprise us if Satan’s servants also make themselves look like servants who work for what is right.  But in the end they will be punished for what they do.                                         2 Corinthians 11:13-15

 

The Apostle Paul had problems with FALSE apostles, those who masqueraded as TRUE apostles, but were TRULY NOT, the REAL THING.  Times have NOT changed a bit.  The way they carry out their schemes, their techniques, their abilities and their mode of getting their FALSE doctrines spread across the sea of humanity, has been modified to fit the mindset and the frame of time in which they operate.

MANY have, and MANY will fall into their clutches, and will believe the FALSEHOODS and the WICKED mindset of the FALSE doctrines.  They are enamored by the schemes of shrewd and deceitful people, who do what they do to BETTER their own lifestyle at ANY cost.  They have NO real concern for those who are LOST and GRASPING for any shred of HOPE.

 

BEWARE of those who come declaring a DIFFERENT scenario than the one, which God, Himself has laid out for the SALVATION of mankind.  Jesus said:  “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, NO man comes to the Father, but by Me.”  These are the words of TRUTH, and a person MUST come before the Holy God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING their sins before Him, asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL their HEART, that Jesus died for them, and is in Heaven, making intercession for them, before God, then ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION, and receive the TRUE WAY to ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  DON’T be SWAYED by the LIES of SATAN, but FOLLOW Jesus, READ and STUDY your Bible, in order to KNOW the TRUTH.  Paul says that, “in the end they, the FALSE TEACHERS, will be punished for what they do,” and so will their followers.  So come to God NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Don't Give Up!"

“Don’t Give Up!”

 

So we do not give up.  Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day.  We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles.  We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see.  What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.       2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 

There are many times that I desire to just “give up!”  You know, when you feel like you are not accomplishing whatever you set out to accomplish.  Times when you feel defeated, rejected, ignored.  That’s the time when Satan has a BIG hold on your emotions, and in some cases, He puts a STOP on your mission, and whatever God has planned for you to do, goes undone.

 

However, in this portion of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church, he tells them to NOT give up.  Then he goes on to tell them why they should NOT give up.  First of all, our physical body is becoming OLDER and WEAKER, but at the same time our spirit inside us becomes new EVERY day.  While on the outside we are becoming OLDER and WEAKER, spiritually we are being made NEW EVERYDAY, and experiencing the RENEWING work of the HOLY SPIRIT within us. We are being prepped for God’s ETERNAL Kingdom, and are becoming MORE like His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

While we are still in this AGING, PHYSICALLY  WEAKEND body, our troubles seem to multiply, but Paul says, “that those small troubles is only temporary, and they are helping us GAIN ETERNAL GLORY, which is MUCH GREATER than the troubles. We should keep our eyes on the GOAL that is set before us, and NOT dwell on the troubles that beset us.  When we focus on the GOAL, the troubles will become STEPPING STONES, and NOT STUMBLING BLOCKS. 

 

The KEY to NOT giving up is to NOT set our eyes on what we CAN SEE, but on what we CANNOT SEE.  Because what we SEE is temporary, but what we CANNOT SEE is ETERNAL.  When we do this we will be LIVING by FAITH!  And we will NOT give up!

 

If you’re a TRUE BELIEVER, and feel like GIVING UP, DON’T DO IT!  Take the Apostle Paul’s advice and PRESS ON, by FAITH, towards the GOAL set before you, the END is worth the journey.  

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are living a DEFEATED life.  You really don’t have a goal to work towards, and your END is NOT going to be better than the troubles you will encounter along the way.  However, you can EXPERIENCE VICTORY in your journey, and receive SALVATION, and the CROWN of LIFE, and the HOPE of Heaven, as your goal.  You do that by; coming to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking 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, and DON’T GIVE UP! PRESS ON towards the GOAL.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"One Man's Disobedience Versus One Man's Obedience"

“One Man’s Disobedience Versus One Man’s Obedience”

 

So as one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people, one good act that Christ did makes all people right with God.  And that brings true life for all.  One man disobeyed God, and many became sinners.  In the same way, one man obeyed God, and many will be made right.       Romans 5:18-19

 

When the first man, Adam, sinned against God, that act of DISOBEDIENCE brought about a LIFE-CHANGING experience.  Life that was once PERFECT in EVERY way, became life that was IMPERFECT in EVERY way.  When Adam sinned, ALL of mankind was born with a SINFUL nature that is they have a desire to sin, and so they did and still do.  Sin came into the world and tainted EVERY part of mankind’s soul.  Sin RULED the HEARTS of mankind, and brought with it DEATH, not only DEATH, but SEPARATION from the Almighty God.  Mankind became UNRIGHTEOUS before God.

 

Before the Creation of this world, God, knew that mankind would be DISOBEDIENT to Him.  God in His INFINITE WISDOM, and AMAZING GRACE had a plan to bring mankind back to Him, by the OBEDIENCE of a PERFECT BEING.  So Jesus came to earth as a HUMAN BEING, a Man without a sinful nature, and He dwelt among mankind, then because of the DISOBEDIENCE of Adam, Jesus was arrested, beaten unmercifully, and unlawfully charged with a crime He did NOT commit, then nailed to a cross, where He took on the sins of ALL mankind, He, who knew NO sin, became sin, in order for mankind to have a RIGHT relationship with the Almighty God.     

 

One man’s DISOBEDIENCE brought DEATH and an ETERNITY in Hell, separated from God and ANYTHING that is GOOD.  Hell is a place of UNENDING heartache, pain, agony, torture, torment, and despair.   But because of One Man’s OBEDIENCE, mankind has the opportunity to ESCAPE Hell and be made RIGHTEOUS before the Almighty God, through the FORGIVENESS of their sins, which is PROVIDED by the ACCEPTANCE of His Son’s OBEDIENT act of SALVATION.

 

Where do you want to be, on the side of the DISOBEDIENT or the OBEDIENT?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are on the DISOBEDIENT side, and your destiny is HELL.  However, you can come over to the OBEDIENT side, and receive God’s gift of SALVATION and the HOPE of Heaven, by coming to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING 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, be OBEDIENT to Him, and receive His gift of ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"When the Light of the Word was TURNED ON!"

“When the Light of the Word was TURNED ON!”

 

Then Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He said to them, “It is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that a change of hearts and lives and forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to all nations, starting at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.”       Luke 24:45-49

 

The disciples or followers of Jesus were disappointed that their Brother, Friend and Leader, had suffered such a horrible death at the hands of the religious leaders and the Roman government. They were depressed and anxious about what would happen next. 

 

And therefore, they huddled together in a small room, thinking that their demise would come next.  They were still in shock, wondering if He really was ALIVE like they had been told, or if He was GONE from them. 

 

So when Jesus appeared in their midst, they thought they were seeing a ghost.  They were TERRIFIED, because they TRULY didn’t BELIEVE all that He had told them about what would take place, they STILL could NOT believe it.  They were AMAZED and HAPPY.  And they were STILL in the DARK about His DEATH, BURIAL and RESURRECTION.  After they had eaten a meal, Jesus said to them, “Remember when I was with you before?  I said that everything written about me must happen—everything in the Law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms.”

 

Then Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  The LIGHT had finally dawned on them, and they were ENLIGHTENED to the Word of the Living God.  Then Jesus said to them.  “It is written that He Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that a change of hearts and lives and forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to ALL nations, starting at Jerusalem.  You are WITNESSES of these things.”

 

Not only were they ENLIGHTENED, but they were to go to ALL NATIONS, or ALL PEOPLE, and share the GOOD NEWS, that JESUS SAVES, and in return they ENLIGHTEN others to the TRUTH of GOD’S HOLY WORD.  And the LIGHT will SPREAD throughout the WHOLE WORLD. 

 

The question is; are you a BELIEVER, who is living in the DARK, NOT knowing what God’s Word says or means?  You can come into the LIGHT of His Word by ALLOWING the Holy Spirit FREE ACCESS to your HEART and MIND.  Get into a GOOD, STRONG, BIBLE BELIEVING, BIBLE PREACHING Church and DEPEND on the HOLY SPIRIT to ENLIGHTEN YOU!  So you can ENLIGHTEN OTHERS.  ASK for HIS HELP!!

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are gambling with your destiny and will end up in HELL, the place of UNENDING torture, torment, heartache, pain and despair for ALL of ETERNITY.  You need to come to God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking 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, AND become one of His WITNESSES, ENLIGHTENING the WORLD to the HOLY WORD of the LIVING GOD.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"The Resurrection of the Light"

“The Resurrection of the Light”

 

The day after the Sabbath day was the first day of the week.  At dawn on the first day, Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary went to look at the tomb.  At that time there was a strong earthquake.  An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance.  Then he sat on the stone.  He was shining as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid.  I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified.  He is not here.  He has risen from the dead as He said He would.  Come and see the place where His body was.  And go quickly and tell His followers, ‘He Jesus has risen from the dead.  He is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see Him there.’ Then the angel said, “Now I have told you.”      Matthew 28:1-3, 5-7

Lord, you give light to my lamp.  The Lord brightens the darkness around me.     2 Samuel 22:29

 

Mary Magdalene, a woman who really KNEW what it was to LIVE in DARKNESS.  She was possessed with SEVEN demons, who COMPLETELY controlled her.  She suffered greatly.  Her peace of mind and the control of her will was destroyed.  She lived at times, in a state of derangement.  But when she met the LIGHT of the world.  He brought her OUT of the DARKNESS, and INTO the LIGHT of His AMAZING LOVE.  He delivered her from the demonic control that she had suffered greatly from.  He gave her a NEW LIFE, with NO MORE DARKNESS.

 

No wonder Mary Magdalene, was such a FAITHFUL FOLLOWER.  She was one of many women who followed Jesus and His disciples, and ministered to them.  She was at the CROSS, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus and also John, His beloved disciple.  Now she was at the TOMB, with another woman, named Mary. 

 

They felt the earth strongly shake and move, then saw the BRIGHTNESS of the Angel, who moved the stone away from the entrance of the tomb,  He was SHINING as BRIGHT as LIGHTNING, and his clothes were WHITE as snow.  And the darkness of the beginning of the dawn was dispelled by his radiance.  Then the angel spoke to them, telling them that ‘Jesus has RISEN form the dead.’  He invited them to investigate the empty tomb, then he instructed them to go tell the other followers of Jesus, that He would meet them in Galilee. 

 

What an emotional time that must have been for Mary Magdalene, whose WHOLE LIFE had be so drastically changed, and the One responsible for that change had been BRUTALLY killed, by His own will, and NOW He was ALIVE.  Mary must have felt like Samuel, the Old Testament priest, who said:  “Lord, you give LIGHT to my lamp.  The Lord brightens the darkness around me.”  Jesus Christ had brought LIGHT to Mary’s once DARKENED lamp, and the LIGHT of her Lord dispelled the DARKNESS that surrounded her, but would NEVER again consume her.  Are you living in the DARKNESS and controlled by a SINFUL lifestyle?  If you are, you like Mary have the opportunity NOW, to let Jesus, the LIGHT of the world, LIGHT your lamp and brighten the DARKNESS that surrounds you.  You do that by coming to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking 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, and be brought out of the DARKNESS and experience the RESURRECTION of the LIGHT.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Light that Shines Out of the Darkness"

“The Light that Shines Out of the Darkness”

 

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.   And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.   When He had said this, He breathed His last.        Luke 23:44-46

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.        2 Corinthians 4:6

 

Jesus had been hanging on the cross for quite some time, weak physically from loss of blood, and lack of oxygen.  Darkness had covered the WHOLE land, the sun stopped shining, because DEATH was approaching.  This must have brought relief to Satan, the prince of darkness, at last he had EXSTINGUISHED the LIGHT, or at least, that’s what he thought.  But SUNDAY is COMING!!

 

Jesus had already told those who arrested Him, “This is your hour---when DARKNESS reigns.” Darkness was reigning because of His death by crucifixion.  But SUNDAY is COMING!!

 

The curtain that separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two.  This curtain kept people from the place where the presence of God dwelt.  The tearing of the curtain from top to bottom signified that because of Jesus Christ’s death, people had freer access to God, and they no longer had to go through the sacrificial ritual, because Jesus was the ONLY SACRIFICE NEEDED to obtain a proper relationship with the Almighty God.

 

When Jesus called out in a LOUD voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  Indicated that Jesus Christ gave up His life WILLINGLY, at the exact time He deemed, not by the hands of anyone else.  He was in CONTROL.  The Scripture goes on to say, “When He had said this, He breathed His last.”  How Satan must have danced, believing he had won!  But SUNDAY is COMING!!

 

 What the devil didn’t realize was, in that DARK period of time, the LIGHT was PIERCING the DARKNESS.  For God said, “Let LIGHT shine out of DARKNESS,” and it truly did, He made His LIGHT shine in our HEARTS to give us the LIGHT of the KNOWLEDGE of God’s glory displayed in the FACE of CHRIST.  Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was NOT the EXSTINGUISHING of the LIGHT, but the ILLUMINATION of mankind’s relationship with Almighty God, brought to us by Christ, the LIGHT of the World.  

 

Has His LIGHT pierced your DARKNESS?  If NOT, you are headed for Hell, for ALL ETERNITY, with NO WAY of ESCAPING.  In order to ESCAPE the DARKNESS and HELL, you must come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking 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, AND let your LIGHT shine in the DARKNESS of this LOST and DYING world.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON

 

 

 

 

"The Attempt to PUT OUT the Light"

“The Attempt to PUT OUT the Light”

 

Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.  But they kept shouting, “CRUCIFY HIM!  CRUCJIFY HIM!”

For the third time he spoke to them:  “Why?  What crime has this man committed?  I have found in Him no grounds for the death penalty.  Therefore I will have Him punished and then release Him.”

But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that He be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.  Luke 23:20-23

If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.      1 John 1:6-7

 

Satan had entered the hearts of man and used them to carry out what he thought would be the END of the Light that had come into his world of darkness, to dispel the darkness and to bring SALVATION to a LOST and DYING world.  Little did he know that his intervention was part of God’s plan. 

 

God used Satan’s tactics to bring the LIGHT of Jesus Christ into a DARK and DOOMED world, and the ONLY WAY to accomplish this mission was the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, which was the shed blood of the ONLY PERFECT LAMB, Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain for the REDEMPTION of mankind.  Satan thought that by CRUCIFYING the PERFECT SON of the Living God, he would PUT OUT the LIGHT that was dispelling his dark domain.   However, God, in the end, proved that, that was IMPOSSIBLE. 

 

The purpose of Satan’s plan to rid this DARK and DOOMED world of the LIGHT of Jesus Christ is exemplified in 1 John 1:6-7.   The very last thing that Satan wanted or wants still is for people to have FELLOWSHIP with God or His Son.  It is his mission to keep people in the DARKNESS and away from the TRUTH.  He is STILL trying to extinguish the LIGHT, which is a LOST cause.  Though many will remain in the DARKNESS, Jesus Christ WINS in the END and, the LIGHT will PREVAIL. 

 

Those who WALK or LIVE in the LIGHT has FELLOWSHIP with the Almighty God, and with each other, and the BLOOD of JESUS will PURIFY us from ALL our sins.  We will POSSESS God’s gift of SALVATION, and will receive the HOPE of Heaven.  Are you in the darkness?  Doomed to spend an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of perpetual torment, torture, agony, heartache, pain and despair?  You can come OUT of the DARKNESS and into the GLORIOUS LIGHT of LIFE, by coming to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking 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, and begin WALKING in the LIGHT, and having FELLOWSHIP with the Almighty God.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!