Be Alert!

Be Alert!!

 

 

Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.  This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.---------Matthew 24:42,44

 

Now, hypothetically speaking, let’s say that by some really STRANGE act of God, you KNEW that Jesus was returning to gather up ALL of His Children to take them to Heaven, and this incident was going to take place sometime before daybreak, tomorrow.

 

I want to pose a very THOUGHT PROVOKING, SOUL SEARCHING question for each of you.  If you, in fact, had this KNOWLEDGE, how would YOU spend the time before He returns?

 

Would you RUSH OUT to make sure your loved ones were ready?  Would you spend time down on your knees, making SURE that YOU’RE ready?  Would you BROADCAST IT, by putting it on Facebook, Twitter, a blog, maybe?  Would you just fluff it off, as something YOU conjured up?  How would you spend your time till He arrives?

 

I have said this and posed these questions to you because, HE IS COMING BACK!!!  And it could be even sometime TONIGHT!   Are you READY?  Is your FAMILY READY?  Or will they be LEFT BEHIND?  What about YOUR relationship with God?  Have you EVER come to Him, CONFESSING your sins to Him?  Have you EVER asked 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 have you EVER ACCEPTED His gift of SALVATION?  If you have NEVER done this, you can do it NOW, while you STILL have the TIME.  He’s waiting!!!

 

The Power that Works in Us!

The Power that Works in Us!

 

 

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us----to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.-------Ephesians 3:20, 21

 

He is ABLE to DO ABOVE and BEYOND ALL that we ask or think.  What an AWESOME God we serve.  Thanks to Him we don’t have to DEPEND on our own weak, defective, corrupt, inept DEVICES, but because of His POWER, that WORKS in us, we can be ASSURED that our services to Him are being carried on to the generations behind us. 

 

Just WHAT is that POWER that we POSSESS, that is afforded to God’s Children, ONLY?  It is the AWESOME POWER of God’s Holy Spirit that some of His Children have never tapped into, and their service to God, the Father, is weak and empty of ANY POWER.  God gives us His Spirit to WORK in us to accomplish His WILL in our lives and in the lives of the generations that will follow.  We are His TRAILBLAZERS!  What kind of trail are you blazing for Father God?

 

It is up to US as His Children, to ALLOW His POWER to WORK in US, through the WORK of His HOLY SPIRIT.  To set ABLAZE the path for those who come behind us.  Just as the ones before us have done.  Let us too CARRY-ON the BANNER OF CHRIST and to be able to PASS-ON His mission, to be His WITNESSES to a world that is shrouded in DARKNESS, corrupted in SIN and DEPRAVITY, and is DYING without HOPE.  We are His WORKMEN, and we need to ALLOW His Spirit to WORK in us to SPREAD the GOOD NEWS:  JESUS SAVES!!

 

If you have NEVER given your HEART and LIFE to Jesus, you have NO access to HIS power, until you:  CONFESS your sins to God and ask 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.  Do it NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s waiting!!!

 

Who Is That Man?

Who is That Man?

 

 

“Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.” …”If I want glory for Myself, it doesn’t count.  But it is My Father who will glorify Me.  You say, ‘He is our God,’ but you don’t even know Him.  I know Him.  If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you!  But I do know Him and obey Him.--------John 8:47,54-55

 

 

Through the course of time, some people have been led to believe saying that they KNOW GOD!  Is ALL it takes to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him, but KNOWING ABOUT God and TRULY KNOWING God are two TOTALLY different lifestyles. Here in this passage of Scriptures, Jesus is talking to a group of unbelievers, who are struggling with His identity.  Some listened to His words and BELIEVED in Him, but others DID NOT BELIEVE.  So Jesus is clearing a few things up for these SPIRITUALLY BLIND people.

 

I have witnessed to some, who have, in no uncertain terms, let me know that they “KNOW” God, and because they “KNOW “God, they don’t NEED anything or anybody else.  Well, KNOWING ABOUT God and NEVER TRULY KNOWING God will get you an ALL expenses paid, ONE-WAY ticket to a VERY HOT, HUMID, MISERY-LADEN, FLAME-RIDDEN, place for ALL ETERNITY, a place we call HELL. 

Jesus tells these people, who refuse to BELIEVE and ACCEPT what He is telling them,  that they aren’t who they think they are, because:  “ANYONE who belongs to God listens to the words of God.  But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”  Then, those unbelievers, like so many today, who PROFESS it, but DON’T POSSESS it, says that Jesus is demon-possessed.

 

He goes on to tell them that it is GOD who glorifies Him and NOT He, Himself.  Then He really lowers the BOOM, by telling them they may CLAIM that ‘He is their God,’ but they DON’T really KNOW Him.  And that HE KNOWS God, if He said otherwise, He would be as GREAT a LIAR as they are!!  But He TRULY does KNOW HIM and OBEYS HIM. 

 

Those unbelievers, like the unbelievers today, DON’T TRULY KNOW GOD, they may have HEAD-KNOWLEDGE, but a RIGHT, HEART-KNOWLEDGE escapes them, because they have NEVER come to a SAVING-KNOWLEDGE of the ONE TRUE GOD that is made POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.

 

Well, you can CHANGE your DESTINATION on that ONE-WAY ticket, by TRULY KNOWING GOD and you can TRULY KNOW GOD, by: CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking 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.  Do it NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s waiting!!!

The Mighty Hand of Almighty God!

The Mighty Hand of Almighty God!

 

 

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.---------Joshua 4:23-24

 

What a MIGHTY God we serve!!  This was what Joshua told the nation of Israel as they crossed the Jordan River, the Almighty God had performed the same miracle at the Jordan River as He had at the Red Sea.  And Joshua set up a memorial, made of stone, from the riverbed, these verses were his words to the Children of Israel, as to what they were to tell their children, about the memorial.

 

…So that ALL the peoples of the EARTH may know that the hand of the Lord is MIGHTY, that you may fear the Lord your God FOREVER.  This portion of the verses meant that they were to be a WITNESS to others, so that the WORD would SPREAD across the EARTH.  And they were not to be a SILENT WITNESS, (whatever that is), but to TELL others what the Lord has done!  They couldn’t possibly do THAT, unless they OPENED their MOUTHS and PROCLAIMED what MIGHTY WORKS their ALMIGHTY GOD had done.

 

Are you, as a TRUE Child of the ALMIGHTY GOD, who by the way, is STILL performing MIGHTY ACTS for His Children.    Are you TELLING others what a MIGHTY God you serve?  Or do you think that you can get that point across to them by your ACTIONS ALONE?  In Jesus’ Great Commission to His followers, He says that we are to TEACH them to do everything He has told us.  I have been/am a teacher and from EXPERIENCE you can NOT be an EFFECTIVE teacher unless you OPEN your mouth and BRAG on the ALMIGHTY GOD and His SON, JESUS CHRIST.

 

It’s amazing how we can BRAG on our kids, spouses, ourselves and our many accomplishments, but we seem to clam up when it comes to BRAGGING on what Almighty God has done or is doing in our lives.  We NEED to start TELLING others what a MIGHTY HAND our God has, and how He wants to use it to bring SALVATION to a LOST and DYING world.  That we might FEAR or WORSHIP Him FOREVER!

 

If you have never given your HEART and LIFE to Jesus Christ, then you are not EXPERIENCING God’s MIGHTY HAND at work in your life, and you are missing out on so many BLESSINGS.  You can start EXPERIENCING God’s MIGHTY HAND at work in your life NOW, by:  CONFESSING your sins to God and asking 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 EXPERIENCING God’s MIGHTY HAND at work in your life then GO TELL someone, “What a MIGHTY God you serve!”  Do it NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s waiting.

 

Having a Child-like Faith

Having a Child-like Faith

 

 

…Put your hope in the Lord, both now and forever.------Psalm 131:3

 

 

Well, here we are in 2015, a NEW year, a NEW day, and a NEW week coming.  We are facing NEW challenges, NEW opportunities, NEW decisions and possibly NEW problems and heartaches.  Every NEW YEAR comes with its own myriad of UNEXPECTED situations, GOOD or BAD.  Some of which we have NO CONTROL OVER, but nevertheless, we MUST face them and DEAL with them. 

 

Now the question is HOW do we DEAL with them?  Do we try to take matters into our own hands and thus end up making a MESS of things?  Do we get PANICKED and FREAK–OUT?  Do we make the RIGHT decisions?  Should I do this or not? 

 

Well, I am here to tell you that you do NOT have to FACE a NEW YEAR, a NEW MONTH, a NEW WEEK or a NEW DAY ALONE. 

 

When we give our hearts and lives to God, He PROMISES to NEVER leave us nor forsake us.  And when we come to Him, in CHILD-LIKE FAITH, with WHATEVER we are FACING, He is THERE to OFFER guidance and HELP in our time of NEED.  So as the Scripture says: “Put your hope in the Lord, both now and forever.”  Then we can FACE a NEW anything, because we have the HELP of ALMIGHTY GOD.

 

If you are apprehensive or terrified at the thought of FACING the UNKNOWN, and have NEVER given your heart and life to God, you have NO HOPE for PEACE, COMFORT, or SOUND JUDGMENT for a NEW YEAR.  But you can have that HOPE, by:  CONFESSING your sins to God and asking 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 FACE a NEW ANYTHING with HOPE, FAITH, and TRUST in the ALMIGHTY GOD!! Do it NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s waiting!!!   

 

Resolutions for the Child of the Living God

Resolutions for the Child of the Living God!

 

 

You should praise the Lord for His love and for the wonderful things He does for all of us.

You should celebrate by offering sacrifices and singing joyful songs to tell what He has done.------Psalm 107: 21-22

 

The term “resolutions” means to “resolve” something which means: to change or transform something. At this time of year, it seems like everyone wants to make “RESOLUTIONS” that would alter or change them or their lifestyle.  Mostly for GOOD things in their lives.  To help them LIVE a LONG and PROSPEROUS life.  Some want to make changes to their appearances, like losing weight, exercising more, getting more sleep, etc.  Now these things are not bad things to “RESOLVE” to do in the New Year. 

 

But what about your “SPIRITUAL” well-being?  Have you given thought to how you might “RESOLVE” to do some things to “ENHANCE” your spiritual life?  To have a CLOSER relationship with your Heavenly Father?  To learn more about Him and His Son, by reading and studying His PRECIOUS HOLY WORD, the BIBLE.  To have a MORE INTIMATE relationship with Him by INCREASING your PRAYER LIFE to include PRAISE and THANKSGIVING, not just praying, ONLY when you need something. 

 

As a Child of the LIVING God, we need to “RESOLVE”:  to PRAISE the Lord for His LOVE and for ALL the WONDERFUL THINGS HE has done and STILL DOES, for each of us.  We need to PRAISE Him from the SETTING OF THE SUN, to the RISING of the SUN and wake up with PRAISES on our LIPS and in our HEARTS. 

 

We should “RESOLVE” to offer SACRIFICES to the VERY ONE who SACRIFICED His OWN LIFE for US (YOU).  What kind of SACRIFICES do we offer?  PRIORITIES, to start with, just where does the King of kings and Lord of lords, fit into your schedule?   He LONGS to be at the VERY TOP of the list, and DESERVES TO BE THERE.  I mean how many people you KNOW, would give up their life for YOU, by the way that is what we call a SACRIFICE!  How about spending time with other Christians?  After ALL they ARE your brothers and sisters in the Lord, and you can remedy that by going to church more often.  What about USING your God-given talents for Him.  Like, singing in the choir or teaching a children’s Sunday School class.

 

Then we should “RESOLVE” to WITNESS MORE and with a JOYFUL SPIRIT, about the WONDERFUL THINGS that He has DONE and is STILL DOING in our lives.  Our SALVATION should be at the TOP OF THE LIST of WONDERFUL THINGS that He has done for US.   So when you start to make “RESOLUTIONS” make sure you START with your SPIRITUAL LIFE, then all the other “RESOLUTIONS” will be a lot EASIER to KEEP.

 

For those of you, who have NEVER come to Christ, and are NOT ONE of His, that SHOULD DEFINITELY be the VERY FIRST “RESOLUTION” you make.  RESOLVE to come to Him, offering the SACRIFICE of YOURSELF to Him and let Him work WONDERFUL THINGS in your life.  You can come to Him by doing this ONE and ONLY thing:  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 have a TRULY HAPPY NEW YEAR.  Do it NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s waiting!!!

Rejoice, Be Glad, Shout for Joy!

Rejoice, Be Glad, Shout for Joy!

 

 

Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.  So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey Him!  Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!------Psalm 32:10-11

 

 

There is a scripture that says that you will REAP what you SOW.  And as this Scripture says:  MANY sorrows come to the wicked. I believe that what this is telling us, is that when a person is living a wicked life that is full of SIN, and DEPRAVITY, they will have an ABUNDANCE of sorrows to contend with, and life for that person will be MISERABLE to the point of being UNBEARABLE.

 

But for a Child of God, UNFAILING LOVE surrounds that one, who puts their FAITH and TRUST in the Lord, and is LIVING a life that is DEDICATED to the ALMIGHTY GOD.  This SHOULD bring JOY and GLADNESS to their hearts.  So much so that they, who are STRIVING to KEEP a  PURE HEART,  SHOULD REJOICE and be GLAD to the point of SHOUTING for JOY! 

So much for the QUIET, RESERVED, HIGH-CHURCH, attitude, the WORD of the LIVING GOD, says we are to SHOUT FOR JOY!!!  Well, some of God’s children need to practice SHOUTING FOR JOY! Because, some have NEVER DONE IT, and for those of you who have believed that God does not like it.  My question to you is?  If He doesn’t like it then, why would He have it written SO MANY times in His Word?  TRY IT!  You may find SUCH JOY AND GLADNESS oozing from every part of you and giving you some of that JOY UNSPEAKABLE and FULL OF GLORY, attitude that you have been missing ALL these years. 

 

If you are one of those who have been living in SIN and are PRACTICING wickedness in your life.  And find you are experiencing an ABUNDANCE of SORROWS and HEARTACHES, because of your SINFUL living.  I have GOOD NEWS for YOU,  you can change your situation, you may still have sorrows and heartaches, but you will be surrounded by the UNFAILING LOVE of a LOVING, COMPASSIONATE FATHER who will SEE you through those SORROWS and HEARTACHES, and you won’t have to go it ALONE, because He will be right there with you.  But you MUST:  CONFESS your sins to God and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE, in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION.  Do it NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s waiting!!!