"Praise to the Lord!"

“Praise to the Lord!”

 

Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.  Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.  One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.  

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.

Psalm 145:2-4, 8-9

 

King David the writer of a lot of the Psalms, talked a lot about PRAISING the LORD.  This Psalm is one of my favorites, because David gives us VERY VALID reasons for PRAISING the LORD.  And he also suggests how often we should offer PRAISE to the Lord. 

 

He says, “EVERY DAY I will PRAISE You and extol Your name for EVER and EVER.  So our PRAISE to the Lord should be EVERY DAY and FOREVER, throughout ETERNITY.  Is this your habit too?  I need to work on making sure that I am offering PRAISE to the Lord DAILY.  How about you?

 

David tells us that the Lord is MOST WORTHY of our PRAISE, because of His GREATNESS, a GREATNESS, which seems to have NO END, NO WEAKNESS, NO LIMITS.  There is NOTHING that can compare to God’s GREATNESS.  That is one reason that one generation commends His Works, and MIGHTY acts to another.  So that they might KNOW just how GREAT God is.

 

We should offer PRAISE to the LORD, because He is GRACIOUS and COMPASSIONATE, SLOW TO ANGER, and RICH in LOVE.  These parts of God’s character, has been exemplified through the SACRIFICAL ACT of REDEMPTION for mankind, in the CRUCIFIXION and RESURRECTION of His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  His GOODNESS and COMPASSION is for ALL He has made.  This in itself is MORE than ENOUGH to offer Him our PRAISE.  Can you offer your PRAISE to Him for this MIGHTY ACT of REDEMPTION?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to the ALMIGHTY GOD, then your answer is NO.  And your ETERNITY is a PLACE called HELL, the place of UNENDING, torment, torture, pain, heartache, agony and despair, with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  But because of God’s AMAZING GRACE, and ABUNDANT MERCY, which is possible because of He is GRACIOUS and COMPASSIONATE nature and His UNFAILING LOVE for YOU.  He is offering you the opportunity to ESCAPE HELL and to GAIN HEAVEN.   You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO Him, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And you MUST 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 you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be able to offer your PRAISE to the LORD, EVERY DAY and THROUGHOUT ETERNITY.  Do this NOW, while you still can He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Living a Full Life in the Lord"

“Living a Full Life in the Lord”

 

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.       Psalm 34:11-14

 

These verses of Scripture, are instructions from the Psalmist, David, instructing the reader on how they can LIVE a FULL LIFE in the LORD.  What he is saying is:  Whoever of you that LOVES LIFE and DESIRES to see MANY GOOD days, these are some of the things you MUST do to achieve the FULLNESS of LIFE that ONLY GOD can provide.

 

First, you MUST “keep your TONGUE from evil and your LIPS from telling lies.”  This seems to be one of the HARDEST things to accomplish, because, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.  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 body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.  (James 3:5-6)  The only way I know we can keep our tongues from evil and our lips from telling lies, is to PRAY diligently for HELP from the Holy Spirit, who indwells us and is ABLE to keep our tongues from evil, and our lips from telling lies.

 

The next thing we must do, in order to procure a FULL LIFE in the Lord is to TURN FROM evil and do GOOD; SEEK PEACE and pursue it.  You cannot live a FULL LIFE in the Lord and still cling to your OLD, SINFUL lifestyle.  When you come to Him for the SALVATION of your soul, one of the FIRST things you MUST be WILLING to do is to TURN AWAY from that lifestyle and TURN TO God.  You cannot have it both ways.  It’s ALL or NOTHING.  Are you WILLING to TURN FROM evil and do GOOD?  Do you desire to live a PEACEFUL life, enough to PURSUE it? 

 

If you feel in your HEART that you are SEEKING for something that will give you a FULL LIFE, a life FREE from the wicked games that this old, sinful world is playing, a FULL LIFE.  Then this is what you MUST be WILLING to do.  First, be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your old sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to God, 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 START LIVING a FULL LIFE in the LORD.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"The Plans of the Wicked"

“The Plans of the Wicked”

 

Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed.      Psalm 140:8

 

We live in a world full of WICKEDNESS.  The wicked one plans and schemes ways to put down and destroy what the Word of God tells us about living by His Spirit.  They, like the rest of us, KNOW that time, as we know it, is about to come to an END.  And it is the plan of the devil to take as many souls to HELL with him as possible.  

 

King David writes this psalm PRAYING for God’s DELIVERANCE from the WICKED and their WICKED plans.  This verse in Psalm one hundred forty, should be the DAILY PRAYER, of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  The WICKED are determined to change our lifestyle, from an OBEDIENT, RIGHTEOUS lifestyle to a DISOBEDIENT, EVIL lifestyle, one that is LAWLESS, IMMORAL, and UNGODLY.  A lifestyle that will send you to an ETERNITY in Hell with UNENDING, torment, torture, heartache, agony, pain, and despair.  And with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  Is that what lies ahead for YOU?

 

Another of David’s Psalms tells us that; “the wicked make evil plans against good people.  They grind their teeth at them in anger.”  “But the Lord laughs at the wicked, because He sees that their day is coming.”   “The wicked will die.  The Lord’s enemies will be like the flowers of the fields; they will disappear like smoke.”   (Psalm 37:12, 13, 20)

 

“For those who are EVIL will be DESTROYED, but those who HOPE in the Lord will Inherit the land.”  “The MEEK will inherit the land and enjoy PEACE and PROSPERITY.”  (Psalm 37:9).  So are you going to FOLLOW the PATH of the WICKED or the PATH of the RIGHTEOUS?   Now you KNOW the ending for both, the DECESION is YOURS. 

 

If you choose to FOLLOW the path of the WICKED, you WILL end up in Hell with NO WAY of ESCAPE, and you will be experiencing the UNENDING HORRORS of Hell.  If you choose to FOLLOW the path of the RIGHTEOUS, you will end up in Heaven, and you will experience JOY UNSPEAKABLE, PEACE, LOVE, and NO MORE PAIN, AGONY, HEARTACHE or DESPAIR.  In order to GAIN HEAVEN and ESCAPE HELL, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM  your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN for ALL of ETERNITY.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting, and coming SOON!!!

"The Scriptures"

“The Scriptures”

 

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:4-6

 

Have you ever wondered why we have the OLD TESTAMENT as well as the NEW TESTAMENT?  After all, to some the Old Testament is antiquated and so much of it is not applicable to the Church Age.  At least that is the mindset of a lot of people.  However, in my own opinion, I believe that God’s Word is applicable to us today, ALL of His Word.  And I believe that it is applicable because it TEACHES us GOD’s ways and His expectations for His Children.  It also shows us the ENDURANCE of God’s people and the Old Testament Scriptures, as well as the New Testament Scriptures, gives us ENCOURAGEMENT that we might have HOPE for our future.

 

In these Scriptures, the Apostle Paul tells us of the PURPOSE and MINISTRY of the SCRIPTURES.  They are for our INSTRUCTION, and to promote ENDURANCE or STEADFASTNESS in our DAILY walk with the Lord.   As we LEARN from the PAST, the HISTORY, of God’s people, we will be ENCOURAGED as we LEARN of their FAITH and their DESIRE to PLEASE GOD and NOT themselves.  We are motivated to PRESS ON in our FAITH, and to ENDURE whatever we face in the PRESENT, and we then can look FORWARD to the FUTURE with HOPE or CONFIDENCE in what lies ahead.

 

God, who gives us ENDURANCE and ENCOURAGEMENT, through His Holy Word, the Scriptures, will also give us, the TRUE BELIEVERS, the SAME ATTITUDE toward each other like Christ Jesus had.  In order for us to GLORIFY God with ONE mind and ONE voice, UNIFIED, working together, because of the HOPE we have through the PURPOSE and MINISTRY of the SCRIPTURES.

 

Do you have the ENDURANCE and ENCOURAGEMENT to PLEASE God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?  Are you READING and STUDYING the Scriptures, God’s Holy Word?  If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, and your answer to these questions is “NO” then you cannot possibly have the ENDURANCE and ENCOURAGEMENT, afforded to you, through the SCRIPTURES, and given to you by God.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you’re headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  The Scriptures, both OLD and NEW tells us of the FATE of an UNBELIEVER.  God wants to give you the HOPE for an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, but you MUST FIRST 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, and LEARN and GROW in the LORD, through the SCRIPTURES, and through the work of the Holy Spirit.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Spiritual Victory"

“Spiritual Victory”

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.      Romans 8:1-2

 

In the life of a TRUE BELIEVER, it seems as though, the closer one walks with the Lord God, the more they are tempted to fall into sin, even allowing  some sins to indwell them.  So the questions that are on the MIND and in the HEART of the TRUE BELIEVER are, “Must they spend their lifetime fighting battles of the sins that are CONTINUALLY PLAGUING them?  And is there NO POWER available to help them be VICTIOROUS over the sins?   

 

The answer to the first question is; NO, being a TRUE BELIEVER, doesn’t mean that your NEW LIFE will be TOTALLY SINLESS, you will come under attacks from the FLESH and from Satan.  The TRUE BELIEVER is in a BATTLE, and we CAN have the VICTORY over the FLESH and the DEVIL.  Paul tells us that there is NOW NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus.  This means that they will NOT be held GUILTY for their sins, because they have BELIEVED and have ACCEPTED what Christ Jesus has done to BLOT OUT ALL of their SINS.  There is ONE sin that will CONDEMN a person.  That is to REJECT Christ and DENY His sacrificial act of REDEMPTION, and to deliberately live a SINFUL lifestyle. 

 

The answer to the second question is; YES, there is a POWER that is AVAILABLE to win this SPIRITUAL VICTORY!  The Apostle Paul tells us; through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set the TRUE BELIEVER FREE from the law of sin and death.  Meaning that they will NOT be under any CONDEMNATION or held GUILTY of any SINS, PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE, because they are COVERED BY THE BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST, our REDEEMER and LORD.  This POWER is the Holy Spirit of the LIVING GOD, who indwells EVERY TRUE BELIEVER, and is our ONLY source for SPIRITUAL VICTORY.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are UNDER CONDEMNATION, and will be held GUILTY of ALL your sins.  And you will be sentenced to an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  The Lord God is NOW offering you the opportunity to change your destiny by, TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, 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 released from CONDEMNATION and the sentence of an ETERNITY in HELL, and be WELCOMED into your HEAVENLY HOME.  That is the ULTIMATE SPIRITUAL VICTORY!   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Animals"

“Animals”

 

But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand.  They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.        2 Peter 2:12

 

In this epistle of the Apostle Peter, he gives the TRUE BELIEVER instructions on how to live by FAITH in the latter days.  One thing he addresses is FALSE TEACHERS.  Now it seems that the first century false teachers were like BRUTE BEASTS or UNREASONING ANIMALS, now if it bothers you that Peter used the term BEAST or ANIMAL, in describing another human being’s actions, you will have to take it up with God.  This is His Holy Word, written by Peter, and INSPIRED by GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT. 

 

Peter, describes these false teachers as CREATURES of INSTINCT, they followed their OWN NATURAL instinct, like wild ANIMALS in a jungle.  They were INTENT on going AGAINST or BLASPHEMING in the Spiritual matters, in which they did NOT understand.  Peter describes their worth as being born to be CAUGHT and DESTROYED, and like WILD ANIMALS they too will PERISH. 

 

They were BLOTS and BLEMISHES, they NEVER stopped sinning, and they LOVED the wages of wickedness.  Peter’s harsh language indicates just how SERIOUS he considered their actions to be.  They were influencing others to FOLLOW their FALSE TEACHINGS, and encouraging them to FOLLOW them in their SINFUL DEEDS.  Thus Peter classifies them as ANIMALS, and like ANIMALS they too will PERISH.

 

Who are you FOLLOWING?  Are you like these FALSE TEACHERS, living by your OWN NATURAL DESIRES, like WILD ANIMALS, are you a CREATURE of INSTINCT, headed for DESTRUSTION?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God that is exactly where you are headed.  You will spend ALL of ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.   This is NOT God’s plan for YOU.  He wants you to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN 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 LIVE by FAITH in these LAST DAYS.  And ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN, throughout ETERNITY.   Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

":All One in Christ Jesus"

“All One in Christ Jesus”

 

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs to the promise.       Galatians 3:28-29

 

There may be some of you who will read this and NOT agree, but it is the Word of the Living God, and I will ALWAYS seek the WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE, which is imparted to me, by God’s Holy Spirit, and to the BEST of my ABILITY and UNDERSTANDING, I will share with you what God’s Spirit tells me.

 

It is PLAIN and SIMPLE, there are NO DISTINCTIONS between JEW nor GENTILE, SLAVE or FREE, MALE and FEMALE, in the BODY of Christ, for we are ALL ONE in CHRIST JESUS.  A BELIEVING JEW does not have a higher ranking than a BELIEVING GENTILE.  This also applies to the BELIEVING SLAVE over the BELIEVING FREE PERSON, or the BELIEVING MALE over the BELIEVING FEMALE.  We, no matter who WE are, if we have ACCEPTED God’s plan of SALVATION for our lives, and have TURNED AWAY FROM our OLD, SINFUL lifestyle, for a SAVED, SANCTIFIED lifestyle, then we are a part of GOD’S FAMILY, because we are ALL ONE in CHRIST JESUS and we are HEIRS to the PROMISE. 

 

The BELIEVING GENTILE is adopted into God’s Family, and because Christ is the Seed of Abraham, and ALL BELIEVERS are in CHRIST, we are a part of that seed and an heir to the promise.   We must also take into account, the NATURAL seed of Abraham, which are the descendants of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel.  Within that group, is a remnant of believing Jews who will inherit the Abrahamic promises that are specifically for them.

 

The Spiritual seed of Abraham, the BELIEVING GENTILES, will inherit, the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH.   Are you a part of that Spiritual seed, ADOPTED into God’s Family? If you are, then you are a part of ALL who are in Christ Jesus, and will receive the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH.  Those who have NOT ACCEPTED God’s plan of SALVATION, but have continually REJECTED it, you are NOT a part of His Family, nor are you in Christ Jesus.  And you are NOT an heir to the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH, but you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, a place of UNENDING HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  God is giving you the opportunity NOW to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle, and to TURN 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 part of Abraham’s Spiritual seed, adopted into God’s Family, an heir to the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH, because you are in CHRIST JESUS, and spend an ETERNITY in Heaven.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

Righteousness = Blessings and Wickedness = Violence"

“Righteousness = Blessings and Wickedness = Violence"

 

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.        Proverbs 10:6

 

One thought on this particular proverb is, that not only do the RIGHTEOUS receive BLESSINGS, but their TESTIMONY or their LIFESTYLE, from the past to the present times, becomes Spiritual BLESSINGS to those who are striving to live a RIGHTEOUS LIFE.  It is a JOY to look back into the history of some of the RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE of the BIBLICAL TIMES, and to GAIN wisdom about their RELATIONSHIP with the Lord God, ALMIGHTY.

 

However, this is NOT the case with those who have and is presently choosing to live a WICKED lifestyle, rejecting God’s Son as their Savior and Lord, and TURNING AWAY FROM GOD, and TURNING MORE and MORE TO their WICKED ways.  It is definitely NOT a JOY to look back at some who have done just that.  Their MOUTHS not only CONCEALS VIOLENCE, but their FATE is of a VIOLENT nature.  Jesus said:  “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.    (Luke 6:45)

 

What category do you find yourself in?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Him.  And you are considered to be WICKED in your HEART, and are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell with ALL its HORRORS, and with NO WAY OF ESCAPE.  In order, to ESCAPE HELL and GAIN Heaven for ALL of ETERNITY.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 RIGHTEOUS in His eyes, and be BLESSED throughout ETERNITY.   Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Enlarging the Harvest of Your Righteousness"

“Enlarging the Harvest of Your Righteousness”

 

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.        2 Corinthians 9:10-11

 

The Apostle Paul is now ENCOURAGING the Corinthian believers to be GENEROUS with all that God has blessed them with.  He tells them that God, who supplies seed and bread, will also SUPPLY and INCREASE their store of seed, because of their GENEROSITY of supplying the needs of God’s people. 

 

He says that God will ENLARGE the HARVEST of their RIGHTEOUSNESS.  This means that through their acts of being GENEROUS to others, they become MORE CHRISTLIKE, which should be the goal of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  We NEED to emulate the acts of our Lord Jesus Christ, to become MORE and MORE like Him in ALL of our actions.  Meeting the needs of others, when we are in the position to be able to do so, and to be able to do it with a CHEERFUL HEART, will TRULY ENLARGE the HARVEST of our RIGHTEOUSNESS.  The Bible teaches us that it is MORE blessed to GIVE than to RECEIVE. 

 

And through our RIGHTEOUS, GENEROUS acts of GIVING to others, we will experience God’s enrichment to us, in order for us to be GENEROUS on EVERY OCCASION.   And through our GENEROSITY, we will see the RESULT of THANKSGIVING to GOD, and NOT only on the part of the RECEIVER of the act, but also on the part of the GIVER, as well.  It is such a BLESSING, when we can GIVE to someone in NEED, and we NEED to experience God ENLARGING the HARVEST of our RIGHTEOUSNESS, resulting in our being MORE CHRISTLIKE.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you cannot enjoy the BLESSINGS of God, to His Children, when they are GENEROUS to others, and when He ENLARGES the HARVEST of their RIGHTEOUSNESS.  You do NOT possess any form of RIGHTEOUSNESS, because you are NOT a Child of the Living God.  You are His CREATION, but NOT His Child.  And you cannot be Christ-like, unless you have TRULY GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD.  Instead you are LOST and HEADED to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its Horrors, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God, in His INFINITE MERCY and ABUNDANT GRACE, is offering you the opportunity NOW to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and to TURN 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 GENEROUS to others, and let God ENLARGE the HARVEST of your RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Opposites That Should NOT Be Together"

“Opposites That Should NOT Be Together”

 

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?  Or what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?  For we are the temple of the Living God.         2 Corinthians 6:14-16

 

The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian believers, about LIVING for Christ.  And in this part of his letter to them, he warns them about being connected with UNBELIEVERS.  Paul says:  “Do NOT be yoked together with UNBELIEVERS.”  It seems that the Corinthian BELIEVERS were MARRYING and having BUSINESS connections with those that were NOT TRUE BELIEVERS of the ONE and ONLY HOLY, RIGHTEOUS GOD nor His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.  They may have been FALSE TEACHERS, and could be a THREAT to the RIGHTEOUS RELATIONSHIP of the TRUE BELIEVER and the Almighty God. 

 

The Apostle Paul, asks them a series of contrasting questions:  “What do RIGHTEOUSNESS and WICKEDNESS have in common?  Or what FELLOWSHIP can LIGHT have with DARKNESS?  What HARMONY is there between CHRIST and BELIAL? (the Old Testament name for Satan) Or what AGREEMENT is there between the Temple of GOD and IDOLS?  For WE are the Temple of the Living God.   What Paul was getting at was that there MUST be a SEPARATION between the TRUE BELIEVER and the WORLD and its SINS.  We are NOT to ISOLATE ourselves from the world, but it DOES MEAN that we KEEP OURSELVES FROM THE DEFILEMENT of the WORLD and its SINS. 

 

We MUST NOT be CONNECTED to those who are OPPOSITE from us in our BELIEFS and our LIFESTYLES.  YET, we SHOULD be a WITNESS for JESUS to this world and those who are LIVING a LIFE that is DESTINED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS.   We MUST be the LIGHT in their DARKNESS, yet NOT participating in their acts of SIN.  Remembering ALWAYS, that we are the TEMPLE of the LIVING GOD.  We are the ABODE of the HOLY SPIRIT, therefore, we MUST STRIVE to LIVE in the SPIRIT and NOT in the FLESH.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you are living in the SINS of the WORLD, and are DESTINED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God has PROVIDED a WAY for you to ESCAPE HELL and to GAIN HEAVEN.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN 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 LIVE a LIFE, SEPARATED from WICKEDNESS and DARKNESS.  Be a LIGHT for others to COME to.  DON’T BE YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Do NOT Receive God's Grace In Vain"

“Do NOT Receive God’s Grace In Vain”

 

As God’s co-workers we urge you NOT to receive God’s grace in vain.  For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.          2 Corinthians 6:1-2

 

This is a very crucial part of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.   There was a problem with FALSE TEACHERS, who could have been Judaizers, who may have denied that Godly RIGHTEOUSNESS, was obtained through FAITH.  The Judaizers would have wanted the message to say that the Mosaic Law was a means of obtaining RIGHTEOUSNESS.  But Paul refused to say anything of the sort, which would NOT have been the TRUTH.

 

Chapter five, verse twenty-one is the basis of Paul’s message:  “God made Him (JESUS) who had NO sin to be sin for US.  So that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.”  PLAIN and TRUTHFUL.  ONLY through the shed blood of JESUS CHRIST, can an individual obtain RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Any other ATTEMPT is receiving God’s grace in VAIN.  You cannot BUY, CHEAT, STEAL, COMPROMISE or use ANY other MEANS to obtain God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

 

Paul quoted the Prophet Isaiah, saying; “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  God has had a PLAN from ETERNITY PAST up to ETERNITY FUTURE, and NOW, is the DAY of SALVATION, which is the present AGE of GRACE.   And His PLAN is the PLAN of SALVATION, coming to God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, who took on the SIN of ALL mankind, in order for them to RECEIVE the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.  Paul says; “NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the DAY of SALVATION!   Don’t put it off!  You may NOT have another opportunity.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT POSSESS His SALVATION or His RIGHTEOUSNESS.  And you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPING.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your old sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 His RIGHTEOUSNESS.  And ESCAPE Hell and GAIN Heaven.    Do it NOW, while you still can, because NOW IS THE TIME.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Your Ministry and Your Message"

“Your Ministry and Your Message”

 

Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.   Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, certain that God is appealing through us.  We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”         2 Corinthians 5:18-20

 

In this part of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the TRUE BELIEVERS in Corinth, he states that ALL things are from GOD.   EVERYTHING that was created at the FIRST CREATION and ALL that is created during the NEW creation of a SINNER, when they come to Him for the SALVATION of their souls.  They become a NEW CREATION.  (v 17) 

 

Our scriptures summarizes the Apostle Paul’s MINISTRY and MESSAGE.   The MINISTRY and MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION between GOD and mankind.  The act of RECONCILIATION was initiated by God and carried out by His ONLY SON, Jesus Christ.   This MINISTRY is shared by ALL TRUE BELIEVERS.  It is to bring others to the place of RECONCILIATION between them and the HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, GOD.  In other words it is OUR MINISTRY to be AMBASSADORS of Jesus Christ, and to go out and EVANGELIZE the world. 

 

The MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION is based on the symbol of God’s ABUNDANT MERCY, AMAZING GRACE and His UNFAILING LOVE for ALL mankind, the CROSS of Christ.  The MESSAGE is what Jesus died for; the RECONCILIATION of mankind with the ALMIGHTY GOD.  Paul, on Christ’s behalf says:  “Be RECONCILED to GOD.”   As TRUE BELIEVERS, this is YOUR MINISTRY and MESSAGE, be FAITHFUL to the FATHER and His SON, by being OBEDIENT to YOUR MINISTRY and DELIVERING YOUR MESSAGE. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are in NEED of being RECONCILED to God, through the work of Jesus Christ.  In order to do that and ESCAPE an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 work your MINISTRY by getting the MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION out to a LOST and DYING world.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"Your Righteousness"

“Your Righteousness”

 

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”       Matthew 5:20

Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.         Romans 10:3

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.   I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ---the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”               Philippians 3:8-9

 

In Isaiah 64:6, it tells us that; “our righteousness is like filthy rags,” we cannot PLEASE the RIGHTEOUS, HOLY God with our own RIGHTEOUSNESS.  In Matthew, chapter five and verse twenty, Jesus says:  “Unless your RIGHTEOUSNESS surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  The RIGHTEOUSNESS of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law was that of their own doing.  They thought that as long as they did what the Law said, they were RIGHTEOUS in the sight of God.  That is RIGHTEOUSNESS by WORKS.  And that does NOT give you the RIGHT to enter Heaven.

 

In the book of Romans, chapter ten, verse three, the Apostle Paul says that, since they the Israelites, including the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, did not know the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God and sought to establish their own RIGHTEOUSNESS, they did NOT submit to God’s righteousness, and was lost in their sins.  You see, the Pharisees PROFESSED their RIGHTEOUSNESS, but they did NOT POSSESS the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God, which is ONLY obtained by ACCEPTING the Lord JESUS Christ as your Savior and Lord.   And therefore they were LOST and DOOMED to an ETERNITY in Hell. 

 

Paul, also in his letter to the Philippians, told them, “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, NOT having a RIGHTEOUSNESS of my OWN that comes from the law, but that which is through FAITH in Christ---the RIGHTEOUSNESS that comes from God on the basis of FAITH.”  This is exactly what we ALL NEED, if we are planning to have an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.

 

The ONLY WAY that you can have the SALVATION, which will give you RIGHTEOUSNESS and an ETERNITY in Heaven, is to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 His RIGHTEOUSNESS, which will be by FAITH, and you will be able to TRULY PROFESS what you ACTUALLY POSSESS, and it will bring you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"When Grief Turns To Joy"

“When Grief Turns To Joy”

 

Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.  You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

So with you:  Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

John 16:20, 22

 

These are the words of Jesus to His Disciples, concerning His DEATH and RESURRECTION.  He tells them that He will be leaving them, and they will not be able to see Him, but after a little while they will see Him. 

 

While He’s DEAD and in the GRAVE, they will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice, because of their HATE for Him.  He tells them they will GRIEVE, but their GRIEF will turn to JOY.  He says that “NOW is your time of GRIEF, but I will see you again, (speaking of His RESURRECTION), and you will REJOICE, and NO ONE will take away your JOY. 

 

His Disciples would GRIEVE over the DEATH of their Lord, but in time they would REJOICE because of the work of God’s Holy Spirit’s interpretation, which would enlighten them, to be able to ACCEPT His DEATH, and to cause them to UNDERSTAND that His DEATH would bring them the FORGIVENESS of their sins.  Their seeing Him, after His RESURRECTION, would bring them JOY that would NEVER end.  Jesus Christ DIED ONCE for the SINS of ALL mankind, but He is ALIVE in Heaven, FOREVER.  And because of His RESURRECTION, we have the HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven with Him too. 

 

Just like the DISCIPLES, we are living in times, which brings us much GRIEF, because of the NEGATIVITY and HOSTILITY towards our CHRISTIAN VALUES.  The TRUE BELIEVERS, though, KNOWS that because of the DEATH of Jesus Christ, the OVERCOMER of this sinful world, has brought the GREATEST gift, ever given to mankind, the gift of FORGIVENESS of sins, and an ETERNAL HOME in HEAVEN. 

 

When He comes and calls His TRUE CHILDREN home (the Rapture), we will be able to experience JOY UNSPEAKABLE, that NO ONE or NOTHING can take away from us.  Do you have JOY in your HEART because of the FORGIVENESS of your sins, and the Hope of HEAVEN?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you cannot experience the JOY I am talking about, and your destiny is HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.  In order to ESCAPE HELL, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, and GAIN an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with NO MORE GRIEF, just JOY UNSPEAKABLE.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"The Flesh Versus the Spirit"

“The Flesh Versus the Spirit”

 

Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.   At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.  It is the same now.   Galatians 4:28-29

 

The Children of Promise are those who have been REDEEMED by the BLOOD of Christ Jesus and ADOPTED into God’s Holy Family.  They are the ones who are born by the power of the Spirit, like Isaac, they are the Children of Promise. 

 

Those who are living by the FLESH are likened to Ishmael.  Ishmael was NOT the child of promise, he was NOT the one God promised to Abraham and Sarah, Isaac was.  But Abraham and Sarah sinned against God, by moving ahead of Him and taking matters into their own hands.  And by doing that they set the TENSIONS between Ishmael and Isaac into motion, and from the days of Abraham and Sarah, the descendants of Ishmael, which are the Arabs, and the descendants of Isaac, the Jews, STILL live with TENSIONS and WARRING among themselves. 

 

Ephesians 6:12, tells us:  Our struggle is not against FLESH and BLOOD, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Two brothers, Ishmael, born NOT of the PROMISE from God, but by the SINFUL plans of SARAH and ABRAHAM.  Ishmael, born to Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah, and Abraham.  Ishmael, born according to the FLESH.  Isaac, born of the PROMISE, from God, the son of ABRAHAM and SARAH and born by the power of the SPIRIT of God, to this VERY DAY  are STILL FIGHTING with each other, and ALL because of ABRAHAM and SARAH’S sin.  The sin of NOT TRUSTING the PERFECT WILL of the LIVING GOD in their life.  They tried to USURP the will of God, and look what SIN has done to the relationship between the ARABS and the JEWS. 

 

When we move on our OWN without the LEADERSHIP of God’s HOLY SPIRIT, we are vulnerable to the POWERS of this DARK WORLD and the SPIRITUAL FORCES of EVIL, and we MUST PAY the CONSEQUENCES for our OWN SINFUL  DOINGS.  Just like ABRAHAM and SARAH, with two sons who were and STILL are at each other’s throats.  Are you going down the SAME road as ABRAHAM and SARAH, by NOT TRUSTING GOD’S leadership in YOUR LIFE?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LIVING by the FLESH and NOT by the Spirit.  You are destined for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, that is NOT God’s plan for YOU.  He is offering you the opportunity NOW, to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and to TURN 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 ADOPTED into His Family, by the POWER of His Holy Spirit, and TRUST His WILL and LEADERSHIP in your life.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON   

 

 

 

"Wailing Into Dancing

“Wailing Into Dancing”

 

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.  Lord my God, I will praise you forever.        Psalm 30:11-12

 

Have you ever been in situations that seem HOPELESS, and there seems to be NO WAY of changing the things that have put you into those situations?  Have you sinned against God, and felt like He has given up on you?  That maybe His LOVE, MERCY and FORGIVENESS has dissipated from you?  Well, PRAISE GOD, His LOVE is UNFAILING, His MERCY is ABUNDANT, and His FORGIVENESS is ETERNAL.

 

King David had sinned against God, on more than one occasion and this Psalm is a song for the dedication of the temple.  It describes how God DELIVERED David from situations that seemed HOPELESS and with NO WAY to make things better.   BUT, God gave David HOPE and A WAY to make CHANGES in his bleak situations.  David says:  “For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

 

God CHANGED David’s WAILING into DANCING, David was JUMPING with JOY, because God REMOVED his SACKCLOTH (a garment worn, when in mourning), and CLOTHED him with JOY. So much so that David could NOT be SILENT, but is INTENT on PRAISING GOD FOREVER.    Sometimes when God DELIVERS us from HOPELESS situations that seems to provide NO WAY out, we FORGET to OFFER up THANKSGIVING and PRAISES to Him for ALL He has done.   

 

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, you SHOULD have PRAISES in your HEART and on your LIPS CONTINUALLY, because He has made a WAY for us to be DELIVERED from our sins and from an ETERNITY in Hell, with all its HORRORS.  A HOPELESS situation with NO WAY of ESCAPE. 

 

However, if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are DOOMED to an ETERNITY in Hell with NO WAY of ESCAPE, unless you TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN 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 DELIVERED from a HOPELESS SITUATION by letting God make a WAY for YOU to ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Testimony of a TRUE BELIEVER"

“Testimony of a TRUE BELIEVER”

 

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. “     Acts 20:24

 

These are the words of the Apostle Paul.  He was speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus.  He had just told them that he was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to him, however, he says that the Holy Spirit has warned him that prison and hardships are facing him.   Yet KNOWING what could lie ahead of him, it does NOT deter him from his mission of taking the GOOD NEWS to a LOST and DYING world, at ANY COST.

 

Paul says that he considers his life NOTHING to him.  His determination was to see PRECIOUS SOULS SNATCHED from the FIRES of Hell, and brought into the GLORIES of Heaven, even at the RISK of his own life.  Paul had the ASSURANCE that his DESTINY would be an ETERNITY in Heaven, and that he had NOTHING to LOSE, but EVERYTHING to GAIN.    

 

He was DETERMINED to FINISH the RACE, and to COMPLETE the task that the Lord Jesus had given him.  Even if it cost him his life.  He was WILLING to RISK his life for the SALVATION of LOST SOULS. I think of the many people who have not only RISKED their lives, but have GIVEN their lives in order to bring some to the SAVING KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ.  Do you and I have that kind of DETERMINATION, knowing that there are those who are dying, every day, WITHOUT CHRIST?  We too, like Paul, have the MISSION or TASK of TESTIFYING about the GOOD NEWS of God’s AMAZING GRACE.

 

Are you WILLING to make some SACRIFICES, in order to bring SALVATION to LOST and DYING SOULS, by SHARING the GOOD NEWS about God’s AMAZING GRACE?  If you are one of the LOST and DYING SOULS, you are HEADED for an ETERNITY in Hell, unless you are WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN 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 share YOUR TESTIMONY of God’s UNFAILING LOVE, and AMAZING GRACE, to those, you KNOW are LOST and on their way to HELL with ALL its HORRORS.  Be a LIGHT in their DARKNESS.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!