“Focusing On the Unseen Things”

 “Focusing On the Unseen Things”

 

So we do NOT focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.    2 Corinthians 4:18

 

This verse of Scripture is very applicable to people in this day and age.  People of TODAY, are more inclined to BELIEVE in what they SEE and TOUCH MUCH MORE than what they cannot SEE or TOUCH. However, for the TRUE BELIEVER, who is LIVING by the SPIRIT, and NOT by SIGHT, but by their FAITH, they are able to see things through the Eyes of the ALMIGHTY GOD.   And it is their FAITH that enables them to SEE the UNSEEN things, this FAITH comes from the Word of the LIVING GOD.  

 

The WORLDLY things that people WORK so hard for and end up LEAVING BEHIND for someone else, are the SEEN things that are TEMPORARY.  Their VALUE and USEFULNESS will waste away someday, and when they LEAVE this WORLD, what they thought was VALUABLE and USEFUL in their sight, and according to the WORLD’S view, will NOT MATTER to them at all. 

 

When I hear about what’s happening in the Ukraine, how the people are SACRIFICING ALL for their FREEDOM.  I think about the fact that ALL the MATERIAL THINGS ( seen things) really don’t mean that MUCH to them NOW, many, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, are FOCUSED on the UNSEEN things, the things that are ETERNAL.  And if they die for their FREEDOM, especially the FREEDOM to be able to WORSHIP the ALMIGHTY GOD and His Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, that will be the price they will pay, because they are FOCUSED on the things that are UNSEEN and are ETERNAL.  ALL the BLESSINGS, JOY, PEACE, LOVE, and an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with NO MORE WARS or THREATS to their FREEDOM, will be theirs for ALL of ETERNITY.  

 

Those who do NOT BELIEVE and are NOT FOCUSED on the UNSEEN (eternal) things, but are WORKING and DYING, and FOCUSED on what this OLD SINFUL WORLD can offer them, the SEEN (temporary) things.  And they are forfeiting the UNSEEN, ETERNAL THINGS that ONLY GOD can give them.  And instead of an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, they end up with ETERNAL LIFE in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there.  What are you FOCUSED on, the SEEN or the UNSEEN things?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then your FOCUS has probably been TOTALLY on what the WORLD has to give you, and that is what you are WORKING for.  And it will LEAD you to an ETERNITY in HELL.  To change your FOCUS, and your DESTINY, you MUST FIRST, ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who PAID the PRICE for your sins, with His OWN BLOOD.  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. And you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL life-style, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And you MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and FOCUS on the UNSEEN, ETERNAL things, which are waiting for you in HEAVEN.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

“The POWER and WISDOM of God”

 “The POWER and WISDOM of God”

 

Because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.    1 Corinthians 1:25

 

The Apostle Paul preached to the Corinthians, The MESSAGE of the CROSS.  The Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but the Apostle Paul preached Christ crucified, which was a STUMBLING BLOCK to the Jews and FOOLISHNESS to the Gentiles. (Greeks)

 

 Because God’s Plan is NOT man’s plan, carried out on man’s terms, mankind cannot appreciate God’s Plans.  The Plan for the SALVATION of MANKIND, did NOT include their terms and plans. But it was by GOD’S PLAN, TERMS and by His INITIATIVE that MANKIND found exactly what they NEEDED; SALVATION, the FORGIVENESS of their SINS.  And an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  And to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there.

 

Mankind is able to receive the POWER and WISDOM of GOD through His ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the ONLY PERFECT SACRIFICE for the REDEMPTION of MANKIND.  He GAVE His LIFE to bring ETERNAL LIFE to a LOST and DYING WORLD, because He provided FORGIVENESS of their sins, and RIGHTEOUSNESS before the ALMIGHTY GOD.  It is by the PREACHING of CHRIST CRUCIFIED that God CALLS people by their FAITH to BELIEVE in JESUS CHRIST and to ACCEPT the POWER and WISDOM of GOD.  Do you have SALVATION and an ETERNITY in HEAVEN?

 

You CAN if you are WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You do that by: First, ADMITTING that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  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 CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and receive God’s POWER and WISDOM in this life and the life to come.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

“Spiritual Warfare”

 “Spiritual Warfare”

 

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (human), but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the Knowledge of God, bring every thought into captivity to the OBEDIENCE of Christ.                           2 Corinthians 10:4-5 

 

We MUST PRAY for the people of the UKRAINE, our thoughts and prayers go out to ALL of the CHRISTIANS in that area.  They are facing WARFARE that is of HUMAN doing, and that depends on fleshly wisdom, human abilities, and physical prowess.  Yet we MUST PRAY for God’s DIVINE intervention, which would be GODLY wisdom, and GODLY power, which DEFINITELY SUPERSEDES human wisdom, abilities, and power.  

 

The TRUE BELIEVER, is constantly in a SPIRITUAL WARFARE, and in NEED, DAILY for PRAYERS for each other.  We NEED GODLY WISDOM, and POWER to help us be VICTORIOUS in the SPIRITUAL BATTLE. The ONLY WEAPONS we NEED are the WORD of GOD and PRAYER, they are the ONLY EFFECTIVE WEAPONS against Satan and his army.  

 

The WORD of GOD is LIVING and POWERFUL, and SHARPER than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the HEART. (Heb. 4:12). So, it is EXTREMELY important that you are READING, STUDYING, and APPLYING the WORD of GOD to your life, DAILY.  This will make sure that one of your SPIRITUAL WEAPONS is READY for BATTLE.  In order to help you WIN the BATTLE, you MUST have KNOWLEDGE of the WORD, and KNOW how to USE it.   

 

Your other SPIRITUAL WEAPON is PRAYER, there is NOTHING that puts FEAR in the Devil’s heart, MORE than when TRUE BELIEVERS PRAY.  James 5:16b tells us that: The EFFECTIVE, FERVENT PRAYER of a RIGHTEOUS person is VERY POWERFUL in its effect.  There is POWER in PRAYER, so, what is your PRAYER life like?  Are you SEEKING GOD DAILY and BELIEVING and TRUSTING in His POWER?  Are YOU ready for SPIRITUAL WARFARE?

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then you don’t KNOW about this SPIRITUAL WARFARE.  You belong to the Devil and are controlled by his influence.  This means that you are DOOMED to spend an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE, once you are there.  In order to CHANGE that DESTINY you MUST become a TRUE CHILD of God, and be WILLING to FIGHT the GOOD FIGHT, the SPIRITUAL WARFARE, through the WISDOM and POWER of the ALMIGHTY GOD, and His Son, JESUS CHRIST, who gave His Life to bring you ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  

 

This is what you MUST DO:  You MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, Jesus Christ.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful life-style, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, for your ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and to be VICTORIOUS in your SPIRITUAL WARFARE.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

“The Goal”

 “The Goal”

 

My goal is to know Him and the power of His Resurrection and the fellowship of His Sufferings being conformed to His Death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.    Philippians 3:10-11

 

Many of us set GOALS in our daily lives, in which we WORK diligently to REACH.  We sometimes have to make SACRIFICES in order to REACH those GOALS.  As a TRUE BELIEVER, we, like the Apostle Paul, NEED to have the SAME GOAL that Paul WORKED DILIGENTLY to REACH.  That GOAL is to KNOW the LORD JESUS CHRIST MORE and to KNOW the POWER of His RESURRECTION and the FELLOWSHIP of His SUFFERINGS.  

 

This KNOWLEDGE is to “KNOW by EXPERIENCE.”  Another GOAL that Paul wanted to REACH was to KNOW or EXPERIENCE the POWER of the RESURRECTION of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  The POWER of His Resurrection was what brought JESUS from DEATH and the GRAVE.  And this word POWER means; to have the ABILITY to OVERCOME resistance.  This POWER now operates in the lives of the TRUE BELIEVER, because they have been RAISED from a SPIRITUAL DEATH to the NEWNESS of an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with GOD and JESUS CHRIST.  And Paul wanted to SHARE in the FELLOWSHIP of the SUFFERINGS of Christ.  These SUFFERINGS were NOT the SUBSTITUTIONARY SUFFERINGS that Christ experienced on the Cross, they could NOT be shared.  But Paul’s GOAL was to EXPERIENCE SUFFERING like Christ for the sake of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Paul did SUFFER for the SAKE of RIGHTEOUSNESS because of his OPENNESS and PERSEVERANCE in SHARING the GOOD NEWS of JESUS CHRIST.  

 

Because Jesus Christ died FOR sins,TRUE BELIEVERS, SHOULD die TO sin, and to LIVE a NEW LIFE by the POWER of the RESURRECTION of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And for some, they WILL experience that RESURRECTION POWER, and others WILL be RAPTURED, SNATCHED AWAY, in the TWINKLING of an EYE.  Either way, the DESTINATION will be the SAME.  They will be ESCORTED into an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  However, for those who have NOT GIVEN their HEART and LIFE to GOD, through the REDEMPTIVE ACT of JESUS CHRIST, they will face JUDGMENT and the CONDEMNATION of an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there.  

 

But God is giving YOU another OPPORTUNITY to ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And to BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then CONFESS your SINS to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION, and like the Apostle Paul, let YOUR GOAL be; REALLY KNOWING the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and having a CLOSER RELATIONSHIP with Him, and have HEAVEN as your ETERNAL HOME.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

“ The SURE and STEADFAST Hope”

“The SURE and STEADFAST Hope”

 

The hope we have is an anchor of the soul, a HOPE both SURE and STEADFAST and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.   Hebrews 6:19-20

 

God, our LOVING Heavenly Father, has given EACH of His TRUE CHILDREN, (the TRUE BELIEVERS), a HOPE as an ANCHOR of our soul.  This HOPE is SURE and STEADFAST, and it is the LORD JESUS CHRIST Himself.  What better ASSURANCE do we NEED?   

 

In Chapter seven, verses twenty- six and twenty-seven, it says:  “For it was fitting for us to have such a High Priest, HOLY, INNOCENT, UNDEFILED, SEPARATED from sinners and EXALTED ABOVE the heavens; Who does NOT need DAILY, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, BECAUSE this HE did  ONCE for ALL  when He offered up Himself.”  Isn’t it GREAT to KNOW that JESUS, our FORERUNNER has OPENED the WAY for us?  And that He is the SURE and STEADFAST ANCHOR of HOPE for our SOUL.  

 

When God SAVES a person it is NOT by what that individual DOES.  If it were because of the WORKS of that INDIVIDUAL then why would JESUS have to SUFFER a HORRIBLE DEATH?  He died, to take on ALL SINS, therefore it is WHAT CHRIST has DONE, not what WE have done. He is the ONLY WAY to receive SALVATION.  He is OUR SURE and STEADFAST HOPE for an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  

 

REMEMBER:  WE are SAVED by GRACE!  God, being RICH in MERCY (NOT getting what we DESERVE), because of His GREAT LOVE with which He LOVED us, EVEN when we were DEAD in our transgressions, MADE us ALIVE TOGETHER with CHRIST (by GRACE, you haven been SAVED) (getting what we DON’T DESERVE).  “For by GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH; and that NOT of yourselves, it is the GIFT of GOD; NOT as a result of  WORKS , so that NO ONE may BOAST.  (Eph. 2:8-9.)

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then you are NOT His Child, and you do NOT POSSESS that SURE and STEADFAST HOPE, and your ETERNAL DESTINY is an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  To change that, you MUST FIRST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER,  in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  And you MUST BELIEVE that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful life-style, and TURN TO GOD.  And you MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and be ANCHORED in ETERNITY.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

 

  

“The ETERNAL Security of the Sheep”

 “The ETERNAL Security of the Sheep”

 

“My Sheep hear My Voice, and I know them and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My Hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s Hand.”  “I and the Father are One.”     John 10:27-30

 

The doctrine of ETERNAL SECURITY, has been a source of controversy, among the different denominations of churches.  So, let us look at the Words of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, when He was at the Feast of Dedication, (Hanukkah) and the crowd of Jews asked Him: “How long will You keep us in suspense?” “If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  Jesus told them that the MIRACLES that He had done were CLEAR evidence that He was from the Father. But they did NOT BELIEVE HIM, because they were NOT His SHEEP.  His Sheep listen to His Voice and they UNDERSTAND His Message of SALVATION and FOLLOW Him in OBEDIENCE to the FATHER’S WILL. 

 

And He gives them ETERNAL LIFE, and they will NEVER PERISH; and NO ONE will SNATCH them out of His HAND.  Not even the person (sheep) that drifts away from Him, as long as they were TRULY SINCERE about BELONGING to Him.   The TRUE BELIEVER, will NEVER LOSE their SALVATION.  BELIEVERS will STUMBLE and SIN, as long as they are in this SINFUL NATURE.    But JESUS , the PERFECT SHEPHERD, will NOT LOSE ANY of His FLOCK. If one TRULY possesses ETERNAL LIFE, they will NEVER PERISH or LOSE IT.  The SECURITY of the Sheep is in the ABILITY of the SHEPHERD to DEFEND and PRESERVE His flock.  And THANK GOD it is NOT in the ABILITY of the WEAK, VULNERABLE, sheep.  

 

NO ONE is GREATER than GOD, the FATHER, nor His SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And therefore, NO ONE is STRONG ENOUGH to SNATCH them out of the FATHER’S HAND, nor can they SNATCH them out of JESUS’ HAND.  The Father God, being OMNIPOTENT (all powerful), secures Jesus’ Sheep (the TRUE BELIEVERS) , by His POWER and PROTECTION.  His Plan of SALVATION for JESUS’ Flock, CANNOT be TERMINATED.  Their SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE, is FOREVER SECURE.  If it could be TERMINATED, then it would NOT be ETERNAL.

 

If you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, then YOU do NOT have the SECURITY we are talking about, because you do NOT belong to JESUS CHRIST, the GOOD, and PERFECT SHEPHERD, who is in COMPLETE CONTROL of the SECURITY of His Sheep.   And you will PERISH, unless you TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And  ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS, God’s ONLY SON, who DIED for Your SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE, and was RESURRECTED from the GRAVE, and having VICTORY over Death. You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS did this for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  And you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and ESCAPE an ETERNAL LIFE in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  And as one of JESUS’ SHEEP, enjoy the ETERNAL SECURITY of being one of His SHEEP.  DO this NOW, while you still can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

 

“The Judge”

 “The Judge”

 

“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given ALL judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”  John 5:22-23

 

Many people in this world has the mindset that if they BELIEVE and HONOR or pay HOMAGE or REVERENCE to GOD, that they will spend ALL of ETERNITY in HEAVEN, but these verses of Scripture tells it VERY differently.  

 

It tells us why God entrusted His Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, with the RESPONSIBILITY of ALL JUDGMENT, which includes the Final Judgment and the WHOLE position of JUDGING.  This was placed in the Hands of JESUS, in order for ALL mankind to HONOR Him.  This position gives JESUS CHRIST FULL and COMPLETE EQUALITY with His Father.  The situation is that the ONLY WAY to HONOR the FATHER is by having a RELATIONSHIP with His SON. 

 

In fact, the ones who do NOT HONOR the Son, does NOT HONOR the FATHER, Who has sent His Son, into this SIN-DRENCHED world, to bring mankind ETERNAL LIFE.  In verse twenty-four, we are told that the one who BELIEVES and TRUSTS in GOD and His Son, CHRIST JESUS, possesses ETERNAL LIFE.  And they will NOT COME UNDER JUDGMENT, because they have ALREADY PASSED from DEATH to LIFE.  And this BRINGS HONOR to FATHER GOD and His SON, JESUS CHRIST.   Are you one, that believes you are going to have an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, because you believe in God and ONLY God?   And you have NOT come to JESUS for your SALVATION, nor have you given your HEART and LIFE to God, through the REDEMPTIVE ACT of JESUS CHRIST, His Son. 

 

In order to HONOR GOD and JESUS CHRIST, and to ESCAPE JUDGMENT and CONDEMNATION, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM you sinful life-style and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and bring HONOR to GOD the FATHER, and His SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the JUDGE, who determines the DESTINY of ALL MANKIND.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!