The Poisonous Root of Bitterness

“Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” (Hebrews 12:15b)

We are warned to “WATCH OUT!” for the root of bitterness. The Holy Spirit refers to bitterness as a poisonous root that will grow up to trouble us. Here are just some of the troublesome synonyms and related words for bitterness:

resentment, sarcasm, HATRED, bad blood, harshness, HOSTILITY, ANGER and venom.

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Get rid of ALL bitterness, rage, ANGER, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Brothers and sisters we are living in an evil and corrupt world with a selfish and sinful people. There will be times when people will fail us, offend us, talk about us, take us for granted, neglect, abuse, and betray us. Of course when these things happen it will hurt us and even anger us. Anger is not the problem, staying angry and sinning in response to the anger is the problem. You see bitterness is the evil behavior or sin resulting from unresolved anger. It will corrupt our hearts and will keep us from producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. (Galatians 5:19-23)

Bitterness in our heart will most certainly result in hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, dissension, and division. Jesus said that from the treasury of our heart we will speak. Meaning what is coming out of our mouths shows what is truly in our hearts. What is in our hearts can defile us which is why we must guard our hearts above all else, for it determines the course of our life. If our hearts are consumed with bitterness, resentment, and anger then our life is definitely not on the right course. We have fallen off the narrow road and started taken the broad road. (Matthew 12:33-37, 15:16-20, Proverbs 4:23)

“Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:21

When we are allowing bitterness to rule in our lives we are actually nursing hatred in our hearts. We can try to hide it but the Holy Spirit says that, “Hidden hatred will be exposed publicly”.

”People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you. They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.” (Proverbs 26:24-26)

It is best for us to not ignore the signs of bitterness but to acknowledge them and go before the Lord to find help before the day comes that we explode in front of everyone and make utter fools of ourselves. Oh that we would be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to search out our hearts and expose any roots of bitterness that have crept in to trouble us, but not only us those around us also.

Let us follow our Lord’s example. He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. We know that our Lord is for us and is on our side, so who can truly be against us? We also know that what the enemy means to destroy us our heavenly Father works out for our good, so we don’t need to seek revenge on those that hurt or betray us because our Lord will take revenge for us. He will pay them back. We need don’t need to harbor unforgiveness and bitterness. (1 Peter 2:23, Romans 12:17-21)

Instead let us conqueror the evil and wrongs done against us by doing good. Our Lord has given us these instructions on how to deal with the haters and users in our lives,

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you..” Matthew 5:44

When we handle our offenders like this then we are acting like true children of our Father in heaven.

The Holy Spirit is always reminding me of what He has said through Paul in Colossians 3:12-17:

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, YOU MUST clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive ANYONE who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so YOU MUST forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, DO IT AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LORD, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

Clothing ourselves in love is the answer. Love through the power of the Holy Spirit will teach us to be long suffering, patient, and forgiving. I believe with all my heart that when we remember and truly meditate on how merciful our Lord has been with us, and how much He has forgiven us for, then we should be more willing to forgive and make allowances for others faults and offenses against us. After all we are supposed to be imitators of our Father. (Ephesians 5:1)

Also, let us always remember that we are not battling against flesh and blood people that we see, but we are battling against the evil spirits and principalities that are manipulating and oppressing people. We must learn to love the person and hate the sin. That is why our Lord has commanded us to pray for those who use and persecute us. He wants them to be delivered from their bondage and rebellion because if they continue in their sin they will most certainly suffer consequences.

So let us rid ourselves of the poisonous, venomous root of bitterness so that we can be true representatives of the Lord. Let us not let the sun go down on our anger because that is how we give foothold to the devil and allow room for the root of bitterness. Instead let’s chose to forgive and rejoice in the opportunity to suffer for doing good because it is pleases God when we suffer for the good. May we keep on doing what is right and trusting our lives to the God who created us, and who will NEVER fail us. (Ephesians 4:26, 1 Peter 4:19, James 1:12)

You Never Know Who You're Influencing

Influence=the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others

Recently I received a message on WeUsed2bu from an old friend. She said, "Even though many years have passed I just wanted to take some time out to say thank you". Apparently I showed her courage and guidance which God used to help her press forward in her calling. She updated me on how she is involved in ministry and the great work that the Lord is doing in and through her. She said little did I know that it was my influence that helped motivate her along the way. I was shocked and humbled. It had been years since we had spoken. I really I had no idea that I had any influence on her at all. I was in awe and humbled to know that our Lord used me to help her and that it caused such a ripple of effect. The Spirit of the Lord said, “See you never know who you’re influencing”. I have meditated on those words ever since.

This is not the first time that the topic of influencing others has come up. I did a posting called ‘Do You Walk The Talk?’ last year after meditating on 2 Corinthians 6:1-4. However, this letter from my old friend brought this question up again, ‘What influence am I having on others in my life?’ I hope with all my heart that it is good.

This experience is further confirmation to me that whether we realize it or not our conduct and speech is either having a positive or negative influence on those around us. We have the power to either encourage and edify others in their faith, or cause them to stumble. Our influence on the unbeliever can either draw them closer to the Lord or push them further away. So each of us should carefully evaluate our lives and consider how our behavior will affect others. (John 2:10, Psalm 40:3)

Since we bare the name of Christ, “Christians”, many will look to us to identify with Him. Will they see Christ-like attributes in us? Will they see the fruit of the Spirit -love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Or will they see sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and foul talk? (Galatians 5:19-22)

“You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

We should desire will all of our hearts for others to see the goodness of God in our lives. Our Lord Jesus sacrificed His life to save us from slavery to sin and the consequences of sin which is death. He doesn’t want us still living in darkness, enslaved to our sinful nature, and selfish desires. He has called us out of the darkness and into His wonderful light. This means leaving our former way of life, no longer participating in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or immoral living, bickering, obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes. These are not for us any more. If we live decent lives for all to see and allow our light to shine we can expel the darkness around us, then our Lord can use us to influence those that are hurting, lost, confused, and in need of our Savior. This is the least that we can do considering all that He has done for us. (Romans 13:12-13, Ephesians 5:4, Romans 12:1)

I just love Psalm 40:1-3, especially the last part of verse three

“Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.”

When others see how God has changed our attitudes, filled us with faith through His Word, delivered us from addictions and bondage, healed us, restored our families, given us a new heart that longs to please Him they will be amazed. They will be inspired by the fruit that they see in our lives and our testimonies of God’s goodness. This is the influence that will draw people to Christ Jesus in us, prompting them to want to know more about the Hope we have. Then we can give an account to them of God’s faithfulness and they too will believe and put their trust in Him.

May our lives and conduct be living witnesses of God’s goodness. May our influence empower, edify, and inspire others to draw closer to Him. May we be willing to lay down our self centered desires and lifestyles and instead live to glorify Christ so that we can be a positive influence, a light in the darkness of this world. In Jesus name..Amen!

Citizens of Heaven

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” John 15:18-19

We are no longer part of this world. We are here as ambassadors on earth. Our Lord chose us to come out of the world. We are citizens of heaven and therefore we must live as citizens of heaven, conducting our selves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Over and over again we see in the Word of God where we are given instructions on how to live as children of light and citizens of heaven. We are instructed to throw off our old sin nature and to leave our former way of life when we were living for the world. (Philippians 3:17-20, 1:27)

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” Ephesians 4:17-22

Since we have been raised to new life with Christ, we are to set our sights on the realities of heaven. We are to seek the kingdom of God and live rightly. We can not allow ourselves to be conformed to the world’s way of doing things and it’s views on life. We are to have the mind of Christ in everything we say and do. We must not copy of the behavior and the customs of this world, but we must allow the Word of God to transform our minds so that it lines up with the Word of God and not the word of men. (Colossians 3:1, Kingdom 6:33, Romans 12:2)

Too many ‘believers’ are allowing themselves to be deceived by the evil one and are going around saying foolish things against the Truth and supporting immoral behavior then claiming to be ‘Christians’. They see no problem with homosexuality, abortion, fornication, sexual promiscuity, participating in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, lying to cover their sin, quarreling, and jealousy. They have become attached to the things and customs of this world and allowed their contact with the world to corrupt their minds and ruin their testimony for Christ. They love the world and their selfish desires more than the Word of God. Instead of gathering souls with Christ they are scattering them by misrepresenting the church. (Matthew 12:30)

Brothers and sisters we have to be careful to not love this world. Remember what John said in 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

Our Lord has called us to come out of the world. To be different to stand up as citizens of heaven and speak the truth of God’s Word to the rest of the world even though others will say that we are zealots or radicals and peculiar people. The world will not receive us but that is ok because this is not our world anyways. We are only on a journey, a mission from God saved by Christ to share the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus. Our hearts desire should be that none would perish but that all would be saved. God can use each us in these ends days to share the Gospel message with a perishing world if we will accept the call to come out of the world first and truly live for Christ. Our lives will be proof to them that we belong to Christ and that our treasures are in heaven.

He Chose To Walk That Road For You & Me

Isaiah 53:4-8

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Jesus chose to walk that road of pain and suffering for you and me. God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering of our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. We were bought with a high price. Therefore we must honor our God with our entire lives. It is the least that we can do. We must not bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit with the way that we live. We must be imitators of God in everything that we do. We must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (2 Corinthian 5:20, 1 Corinthians 6:20,Ephesians 4:30,5:1, Philippians 2:5-11)

Let us follow Christ's example and show our love for Christ by also laying down our lives daily. Let us lay aside every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Remember that we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal to the world through us. He wants us to speak up for Christ and plead with the world and those that have gone astray "Come back to God!" We are suppose to be the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, we must let our good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise our heavenly Father. May our lives be a living testimony to all so that they too will believe and put their trust in Christ Jesus. (Hebrews 12: 1-2, Matthew 5:14-16)

May we never take for granted the sacrifice that our Lord made for us so that we could be free from sin and the power of sin in our lives. May we glorify in Him in all that we do and remember to always be about our Father's business. Lord help us to walk that road, the narrow one, that leads to you. In Jesus name..Amen.

P.S.

This video is great! I pray that when you listen to the song and watch the video that you would be moved to serve Christ with all of your heart and with a sense of fervency to speak the truth of God's Word to all those that will listen. There are souls at stake. Please open your mouth and profess the Gospel. Jesus Christ is returning soon!



Via Dolorosa -

They Too Will Believe

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
And He turned to me and heard my cry,
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
Out of the mud and the mire,
He set my feet on solid ground
And he steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing.
A hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

I love this Psalm! It’s the story of my life. I was a mess before Jesus. Then one day I realized it and I cried out to Him for help. That was the day my life changed forever. He began lifting me up out the terrible mess that I had made of my life. He drew me closer to Him with the hunger He put in my heart for His Word. That is the solid ground that I walk on today, His Word. He truly has steadied me as I walk on this journey through life with Him. He is there holding my hand so that when I stumble I do not fall.

His praises..Well I am always singing praises to our Lord. I love worshipping Him. I lift my hands up and close my eyes knowing with all my heart that I am in His presence. I can be in a crowded church and I don’t care. I sing and worship Him with all of my heart.

This is something that the old Lisa would have never have done. Today I am new creation in Christ Jesus. The old has gone and the new has come. What the enemy tried to use to destroy me the Lord turned for my good and for His glory. I now stand on the Rock. He is my source of hope, strength, wisdom, and determination. He is the new song that I sing. Many have seen what He has done for me and are amazed. They too have put their trust in Him.

When I read these verses in Psalm 40 I receive comfort and confirmation that I need not be ashamed to share my testimony. You see I know that I am not the only one who was a mess and had to cry to Jesus for Him to lift them up out the pit of despair. Many people today are in despair and our drowning in the mud and miry clay. They are stuck.

What can give them hope and faith? Our testimonies can. Our lives can. We are to be living testimonies for all to see.

“Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.”

It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Others need to know that they are not alone in their mess. They need to know that we were in the pit also at one time but that we cried out to Jesus for salvation and He saved us. Then they will understand why we try to live our lives pleasing to God. Then they will understand why the name of Jesus is always on our lips. Then they too will believe and be saved. Your life can give others hope. So live to glorify Him and be ready to share your story of deliverance. If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it and do it as a representative of our Lord. (1 Peter 3:15)

“You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 4:16-17

"Well Done Good and Faithful Servant!"

“Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys. Matthew 25:21 Amplified Bible

This is what Jesus says to us when we are good stewards of all that He has entrusted to us. I have been seriously evaluating my life and I have asked the Lord to help me properly manage all areas of it. I want to be a better mother, wife, sister, friend, and teacher. I want to manage our money properly. Sow our financial seeds when and where He says to give. I want to help harvest and labor wherever He wants me to be. My gifts and talents are His to do with as He pleases. I just want to hear Him say these words to me, or something like it, “Well done good and faithful servant. I have expanded your territory. Begin the joyous tasks that I have assigned to you”.

Well we can hear those words one day if we are responsible with everything that the Lord has entrusted to us. Remember that all that we have belongs to our Lord. We do not own anything. We are merely caretakers of our Master’s stuff. Our gifts, special abilities, money, and material possessions have been entrusted to us by Jesus. Our increase is really His increase for the kingdom.

He expects us to use what we have wisely. Each of us has received our proportion according to the ability that we have to manage what we have been given. For those of us who use well what we have been given we shall be given even more, and we shall have abundance. But for those who are unfaithful, unfruitful, and abusive with what the Lord has entrusted to them, even what little they have will be taken away from them. Then because of their own irresponsibility and self-centeredness they will be subject to punishment. (Matthew 25:29-30)

So how do we really become good caretakers of the blessings that the Lord has given us and entrusted to us?

1) First and most importantly I think we have to remember that everything that we have comes from Jehovah-Jireh-God our Provider. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. He is the one that gives us the ability to obtain wealth. He is the one who has blessed us with wisdom to do our jobs and ministries. He is our Source and our Provider. If we will remember this always then He will always have first place in every area of our life. (James 1:17)
2) Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income. DO NOT give God your left overs!!! When you give the Lord the first 10% of your income you are showing that He truly is first priority in your life and that you trust Him to provide. Tithing is putting action to your faith. The purpose of tithing is in fact to teach us always to put God first in our lives. (Proverbs 3:9-10, Deuteronomy 14:23)
3) Become a willing and cheerful giver. Look for opportunities to give and help others. Remember that our Lord has blessed you so that you can be a blessing to others. I am not just talking about financially, although you should be willing to give above your tithe and offerings if the Lord leads you to. God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more, so that there will not only be enough for your own needs, but plenty left over to give joyfully to others.

Give your time to help someone else move, do repairs in their homes or car, visit someone in prison, a hospital, or a retirement home. Share your house and car by inviting others over for dinner, use your home to host a bible study, drive someone to church or work. Giving is about sharing your material belongs, gifts, and talents with the body of Christ as well as the unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
4) Be willing to use your spiritual gifts generously and immediately when you are prompted by the Holy Spirit. Do not hold back. The Holy Spirit has given each of us gifts and powers as a means of helping the church. Whether you have the ability to give wise advice, have the power to heal, are especially good at studying and teaching, have special faith, or the power to prophesy and preach; dedicate your gifts to God’s service not for your own personal gain. (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
5) Remember that you are the temple of God, so give yourselves to Him completely. Your body should be a living sacrifice, holy-the kind He can accept. Exercise, eat right, and do not pollute your body with drugs, alcohol, and smoke. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind by reading the Word of God. Beware of what you watch on TV, movies, and what you read. The Holy Spirit which lives in you will prompt you when He is grieved, don’t ignore Him. Be a living testimony, it is the least we can do after all our Lord has done for us. (Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 4:30)

Our entire lives belong to Christ Jesus. Everything we have is His and meant to be used to advance His kingdom. We were saved to bring Him glory. He has gone to prepare a place for us and He has promised to return one day. May our Lord come back and find us diligently doing our Father’s work so that we can all hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

Light Up The Room

“You are the world’s light-a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16

While I was shopping this past Christmas I found a beautiful mosaic candle holder. Its red and gold with two gold crosses on the front and on the back. I just had to get a closer look so I took it into my hands. As I held it I heard the Holy Spirit say,

“This candle holder is just like the believers. You are covered in the blood of Jesus and marked by the Holy Spirit with His mark. Your life was shattered into pieces and then I came and put the pieces back together for you. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit. You are beautiful and have become a beautiful mosaic that I have put my light in. When you are full of my Spirit you brighten the room and provide light and direction for others to find their way to Me.”

When I saw the price I just had to have it. As soon as I got home I immediately took this unique candle holder up to my bedroom where it would be safe from our many children. I put the candles in it and turned off the lights so that I could see its beauty. Just as I expected the cross gleamed in the darkness of my room. I couldn’t take my eyes of it. I just had to smile at the thought of being like this beautiful mosaic candle holder lighting up the darkness.

As believers I think that one of our hearts desires is to want to be the light in the darkness, to be the light in a dark room, in a dark world. We should honestly ask ourselves, “Do I bring light to what ever room I’m in with words of life and encouragement? Am I the light in my family, at my job, or at my school? Do others know that I belong to Christ? Does my walk match my talk?

You can tell if others know that you belong to Christ and see your light because they act different when you enter the room. Maybe they don’t curse as much, or apologize when they do, dirty conversations will stop when you walk in, and they respect the Holy Spirit in you. When you are around they want to act right or be good.

Our Lord has said that we are the world’s light-a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all. Our Lord wants us to let everyone that comes into contact with us see the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We must be careful not to hide our light. We are hiding our light when we:

• Stay quiet when we know we should speak the Truth. Don’t be scared to speak the Word of God. He has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. Remember that not everyone will receive what you have to say, but you have to trust the Lord’s promise that His Word never returns void, but it will accomplish all that He sent it out for, it will prosper. (2 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 55:11)


• Compromise the Word of God and go along with the rest of the world. We are supposed to be different than the world. Our ways, thoughts, and desires should line up with the Word of God. If we look the same and act the same as the rest of the world then how will those who need Christ know that we are different? When unbelievers see us walking in love, caring for the needs of others, and speaking truth and life they will know that we are different and will be drawn to the Love that is in us. When we compromise they will think that we are no different then they are, lost in sin.


• Give into sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. When you are deadened to sin you are freed from all its allure and its power over you. So then we should not allow ourselves to get caught up in the former things that use to keep us in bondage or ensnared by new sinful practices. No one who has become part of God’s family makes a practice of sinning, for Christ, God’s Son, holds him securely and the devil cannot get his hands on him. (Romans 6:6-7, 1 John 5:18)


• Don’t share the Gospel with the many lost souls around us. We have been commissioned by Jesus Christ to share the Gospel with the world. It is not just the job of our pastor or the missionaries. You can not financially support some missionaries or your church and say that you have done your part. You are not to go to church to get full of the Word just to become a fatter Christian. Exercise by sharing the Gospel with others. The Lord will give you the Words to speak. (Matthew 28:18-20)


• Ignore the needs of others. But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him-how can God’s love be within him? Let us stop saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. (1 John 3:17-18, Isaiah 58:10—11)
  
  You are the light of this world. Don’t hide your light share it with others! Let your light shine! Light up the room!! Light up the world!! This is God’s will for our lives.

You Have Something To Say

Several weeks ago I was invited to share my story on a site called Power Up Love. Power Up Love is a site where real people are sharing real stories, about how Love has really impacted and changed their lives. I went ahead and shared my story with their readers last week. I am trusting God to bring the right people who need to read my story to their site. I know that it will help someone to know that they are not alone and that God is no respector of persons, what He has done for me He will do for them.

What about you? I know you have something to say. A God story. A praise report. A story of deliverance.

You have something to say that someone needs to hear. Don't be ashamed or afraid to share your story of how our Lord delivered you from whatever it is. I had been in and out of jail since I was a young teenager and eventaully ended up in prison because I was so rebellious and full of rage. I was on drugs, involved in gangs, rude, angry, selfish, a thief, and so many other ugly things. I am not happy about who I was, but I am no longer ashamed.

I am one of God's many trophies of grace. He saved me and cleaned me up. He washed away all of my sins and gave me a solid foundation to build my life on, Jesus Christ. Today I share my story without fear. I don't care what the religious Pharisees of today think or what the self-righteous Christian says. I live for Jesus, not for man.

We can not not allow the enemy to try to hold us back by making me us feel that we are worthless because of our past. We have to be sure and confident of who we are in Christ Jesus. I know that I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, so have you. Our sins are at the bottom of the ocean to be remembered no more. We are no longer worthless and lost. We are children of the most High God saved to serve and help save the lost. We do this by sharing our stories.

I encourage you to not be afraid to share your testimony. Don't allow what you went through to be in vain. Allow our Lord to use these experiences to help others. We defeat the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. We lay down our own lives when we share it with others. (Revelation 12:11)

You have something to say... Don't quench the Holy Spirit of God when He is directing you to speak to someone in love. This is not of yourself. It is not about you. It is about the person that needs to hear what God wants to say through you. Open your mouth, do not be afraid. The Lord will give you the Words to speak and when He does it will be annointed with His power to heal, deliver, and confirm. He will give you courage if you will only allow Him to have His way. Be his conduit.

Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

Every Christmas my church, Calvary Chapel Ft.Lauderdale, has a huge sign in Christmas lights on their property that says ‘Calvary Chapel Says Jesus Is The Reason For The Season’. I love it because the church is on a main road which gets a lot of traffic so the sign gets a lot of visibility. I pray and hope that when the motorist drive by and read that sign that it helps them put Christmas back into perspective. Perhaps they will stop and give thanks for the birth of our Savior. Hopefully their children will read the sign and ask what it means. But what answer will these small children be given? If they are not Christians who knows what their parents will say.

What about us Christians? What are we telling our children about Christmas? Is our children’s faith in Jesus or in Santa? Perhaps their hope and faith are in both. Is this right or are we in error?

I don’t know about you, but as for me and my household we will serve the Lord. We serve a jealous God who has said, “You may worship no other god than me.” (Exodus 20:3) By teaching your children to make their requests known to Santa, teaching them that he is “all knowing”, “always present”, “all powerful”, and the giver of good gifts you are putting in their mind that he is a god. You are leading these small children down the wrong path telling them that Santa knows when they are sleeping, he knows when their awake, he knows if they’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake. Santa-Clause to a child is an exact representative of God to an adult.

Imagine how hurt and confused your child will feel when they find out the truth that Santa is not real, that he is just a myth, a fairytale. The truth will be that you have spent the past several years misleading and lying to your own children. Have we forgotten that the Word of God says that no liar will inherit the kingdom of heaven? (Revelation 21:8)


Our children trust us to lead them down the right path honestly and carefully. Lying to them and teaching them to believe in this false god is cruel and inconsiderate to the child because we know that the day will come that you will have to burst their bubble by telling them that Santa is not real. This could destroy their faith. This may hinder their trusting Jesus Christ because they may be afraid that one day they may be told that Jesus is not real, that he is just a myth, and a fairytale. You may be causing your own children to stumble and lose faith.

Jesus said, “But if any of you causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose his faith it would be better for you to have a rock tied to your neck and be thrown into the sea.” (Matthew 18:6) As parents we will be held accountable by our Lord for how we have affected our children “these little ones” ability to trust. Jesus has warned us that there would be severe punishment for leading them down the wrong path.

Let us be good stewards of our children. We owe it to them to teach them the true meaning of Christmas. It is not about Santa, his reindeers, and elves. Santa is not the gift giver. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from our heavenly Father. (James 1:17) It is because of His provision that we are able to bless our children and family with gifts during the holiday. He is the one that meets our every need.

Jesus is the reason for the season. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who was born to die for us. This is what our children need to know, the TRUTH.

Do Not Let Sin Control You

“Do not let sin control your puny bodies any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God-every part of you-for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.” Romans 6:12-13

A couple of postings back I wrote on how our Lord gives us 'Do Overs'‘ when we mess up and sin. I feel the need to follow up that posting by clarifying that all though we know that our Lord Jesus is merciful, quick to forgive us, and gives us ‘Do Overs’ when we sin, that does not mean that we are to take advantage of that. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. We are Christians saved to be living testimonies for the world to see Christ. We are the walking Gospel. Our lives will either be an encouragement and inspiration to others, drawing them to Christ or our lives will be a hindrance to others faith and could possibly be the reason why they stumble and fall away.

We must stay away from sin. We are not to make plans to sin doing things that we know are unpleasing to our Lord. We are called to live holy and pure lives. This is not an impossible request from our Lord. He would never ask us do something that He has not empowered us to do. It is by His power, the power of the Holy Spirit that we can resist the temptation to sin. It is by reading and hearing the Word of God that our minds are renewed and our desires are changed. When we are constantly in the Word we will desire to please our Lord instead of gratifying our own sinful desires. The secret is staying close to the Lord, being in the Word of God consistently because our Lord promises that if we keep looking steadily into His Word that we will not only remember it but we will do what it says, and God will greatly bless us in everything that we do. (1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:25)

But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God. So if we stay close to him, obedient to him, we won’t be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning, they should realize this: They sin because they have never really known him or become his. Oh, dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: if you are constantly doing what is good, it is because you are good, even as he is. But if you keep on sinning, it shows that you belong to Satan, who since he first began to sin has kept steadily at it. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the devil. The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning. Because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him, he has been born again. (1 John 3:4, 6-9, 1 John 5:18)

There should never be an area of our lives that is reserved and devoted to sinful practices. We are to give ourselves completely to God. Instead of being defensive and self excusing, we must acknowledge our sins and renounce them. We should continually look at all areas of our lives asking our Lord to reveal to us anything in us that is unpleasing to Him. By not exempting any part of our life from continuous self-scrutiny I believe the Holy Spirit will show us any hidden sin that hinders us and may even be a stumbling block to others around us.

Just as you used to be slaves to all kinds of sin, so now you must let yourselves be slaves to all that is right and holy. You choose your master. You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself-he will take you and be your master and you will be his slave. (Romans 6)

Holy Spirit search us through and through. Show us any unconfessed sin that we need to renounce. We long to be slaves of righteousness. We do not want to be slaves to sin. Thank you for the power to resist temptation and sin. May our lives bring you glory and draw others to your Son, in Jesus name. Amen..

Read the posting "Do Over!" now

Overflow With Hope In Him

“So I pray for you Gentiles that God who gives you hope will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. I pray that God will help you overflow with hope in Him through the Holy Spirit’s power within you.” Romans 15:13

Up until Wednesday night my heart felt troubled and unsettled over the condition of our nation. To see the evil rebellion against the Judeo-Christian principles and values that this country was founded on and America fearlessly forsaking God brought great concern and turmoil to my spirit. I prayed and fasted, asking God to have mercy on us. It felt like I was in mourning for three days.

Then Wednesday night on my way to church I began to feel encouraged. I was excited and ready to get my worship on. There is something awesome about praising and worshipping the Lord in the sanctuary full of other believers. That’s exactly what my spirit needed and cried for. As we sang and lifted up His holy name I felt refreshed, excited, and expectant. The sadness lifted and I began to be filled with joy and peace knowing that our Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ will be returning soon! I was overflowing with hope in Him!

While worshipping Jesus, His Spirit reminded me that He is always in control. I immediately knew that all that was happening in our nation was part of our Father’s master plan to usher in the return of our Lord and Savior. I remembered that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. I was filled with emotion and determination to fulfill my calling in these end days. Then right before the next song Pastor Clay, who leads praise and worship, said these words..

“Up until last night many of us had pinned our hopes on 2 different men. And for many this morning there was great celebration and for many others there was great concern. These 2 men have represented to all of us to some degree a new hope. But it has also brought about a lot of concern and in some cases some division; and as we continue to worship may I share with you what God’s Word says about where our hope lies in. 1 Timothy 4 we read, we have put our hope in the living God who is the Savior of all men. So as we worship we know where our hope is and we pray for those in leadership and in authority. But at the end of the day it is God who guides. It is God who leads, whether they know it or not and that is our hope. And let us praise and worship His name.”

I knew that the time for mourning was over. Now is the time to rise up and stand to fight the good fight of faith. It is time for us to realize who we truly are! We are children of the Most High God! Power and dominion have been given to us to conqueror and overcome all things through Christ Jesus. Our calling is to boldly walk in that authority and stand up for the Word of God at all times, no matter what! Let us put our hope in Jesus (The Word of God) and never compromise our faith, making sure to run from anything that would cause us to stumble and fall into sin.

I leave you with Paul’s final instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-14 and I pray you heed His commands.



“Run from all these evil things and work instead at what is right and good, learning to trust Him and love others, and to be patient and gentle. Fight on for God. Hold tightly to the eternal life which God has given you, and which you have confessed with such a ringing confession before many witnesses.

I command you before God who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus who gave a fearless testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you fulfill all he has told you to do, so that no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”

Be about our Father’s business!

The People's Choice & His First Fruits

"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do." -- Senator Barack Obama on 7/17/07 addressing Planned Parenthood.

Hear it for yourself.

http://www.nrlc.org/foca/index.html

Proverbs 24:11-12

Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

"A new dawn of American leadership is at hand."

American's have made their choice. She has elected a leader who has promised that his first fruits as president of the United States of America would be to sign The Freedom of Choice Act. Signing the Freedom of Choice Act would over turn all 300 plus local, state, and federal abortion restriction laws, such as the partial birth abortion band and parental notification regulations for minors. A nation that once stood for God now goes against our country's Judeo-Christian values and principles. May God have mercy on us.

We as Christians were given the Bible (God's Word) as a literal guide for our lives and were therefore obligated to cast our votes for the candidates that best supported the positions and moral values set forth within its pages. To cast a vote that promotes or serves to further causes that are contrary to the commands and moral values given to us in God's Word by which we live, profess, teach, and witness, certainly does not reflect the will of God.

Now we will reap what we have sown because we have desired to have our own way and have become lovers of ourselves and money. The issues that should have mattered the most to us the moral issues of abortion, the homosexual lifestyle, and marriage were compromised. Many believers sided with the world and chose instead to put their hope in a man and his promise to restore our enconomy.

"When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan." (Pr. 29:2)

"Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Pr. 14:34)

Our leaders are to some extent a reflection of us. We often times become a reflection of our leaders! Remember King Ahab, may have been one the worst kings in the history of Israel. The Bible says that Ahab "provoked me (God) to anger and caused Israel to sin." (1 Kings 21:20-22)
One thing is for sure there will be change! Our new president will have a dramatic impact and influence on the country as a whole.

Let us pray and humble ourselves before Almighty God to have mercy on America. We know that our God is Almighty and Powerful. He is using this situation to fulfill prophecy that must come to pass. May our Lord give us the courage to continue to stand for Truth and the Word of God in the following days to come.

Is It Right In God's Eyes or Your Eyes?

My spirit is grieved within me. All day yesterday I kept hearing the Lord saying to me “In the end day’s people will do what they think is right in their own eyes.” I searched the Word until I found Judges 17:6 which says, “For in those days Israel had no king, so everyone did whatever he wanted to-whatever seemed right in his own eyes.”

God’s people did not care about their God and his standards for living. They had an attitude of doing whatever they wanted, not what God wanted for them. They had His laws and His directions but they still wanted to have their own way disregarding His Word. This sounds so familiar to the attitude that infuses our culture today. This mind-set does not just permeate the world but has also leaked into the church.

There are believers doing what they think is best for themselves, compromising God’s Word, ignoring what the Word (Jesus) says and hardening their hearts to the Truth. Have we forgotten that we are to be Christ like desiring God’s will for our life and not our own? Lord please have mercy on us.

We must be careful to not become like the children of Israel who constantly hardened their hearts against God and His will for their life. They did not believe Him, did not trust Him, and complained against Him. That generation of unbelieving, disobedient and rebellious people sealed their own fate and did not enter into the Promised Land.

“But,” God says, “I was very angry with them, for their hearts were always looking somewhere else instead of up to me, and they never found the paths I wanted them to follow.” Hebrews 3:10

“Beware then of your own hearts, dear brothers, lest you find that they, too, are evil and unbelieving and are leading you away from the living God. Speak to each other about these things every day while there is still time, so that none of you will become hardened against God, being blinded by the glamour of sin. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as we did when we first became Christians, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

But now is the time. Never forget this warning, “Today if you hear God’s voice speaking to you, do not harden your hearts against him..” Hebrews 3:12-15

The children of Israel had no king but we have the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. He is the Word of God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the standard that we as Christians are to follow. Our conduct and our opinions should be based on the Word of God. We can not allow ourselves to be conformed to this world, society’s attitudes, and ways of doing things. We are children of light and we must let our light shine for all to see by living the Word of God and standing for truth at all times. There is no room for compromise. These are perilous times. Everything we say and do counts.

“The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.” 2 Timothy 3:16

The Word of God must be our standard for living and making all decisions in our lives because His Word stands firm like a great rock, and nothing can shake it. His Word must be our guide not our own selfish desires or our own way of thinking. The Word (Jesus) is the only way. When making decisions we should ask ourselves is this right in God's eyes? Then see if it lines up with the Word of God.

Lord help us to stay on the narrow road. Gives us courage and faith to stand for truth. Let us not follow our own agenda or man’s agenda, but let us follow you. Our faith is in You alone..In Jesus name.. Amen.

A Story of A Champion

Let me introduce you to my brother in law and brother in the Lord. He is living proof that our God is still in the business of doing miracles. After a 15 year drug addiction he has been delivered by God and is now completely sold out to Jesus. He is a JESUS FREAK!! I asked him to share his story and his experience from this weekend. I give you Mike Colon.. A story of a champion.

My name is Mike Colon and I am 30 years of age. This weekend I was blessed to have an opportunity to go into the prisons with the Bill Glass Prison Ministry WOC. Before I explain the awesome experience I had I figured I should give my testimony so you can understand just how big our God is.

My early childhood was pretty normal, grew up in a family with parents, an older brother, and a younger brother. We had a typical American Puerto Rican family. We lived in a nice home, had family vacations and grew up very close to our extended family. I was always a model student, played lots of sports and was actively involved in music in school. When I was going into the 8th grade we moved from New Jersey to Hollywood, FL and the transition really started my downward spiral. Within just a couple months of moving to Florida I was hanging with the wrong crowd, skipping school and started smoking marijuana. It was in my freshman year of high school when I just started living for the flesh.

My days started and ended with drugs, I was always late to class, grades fell and the things that were once important in my life didn’t matter anymore. It’s to no surprise that soon enough marijuana was not enough. My school was in a very “upper-class” neighborhood but that just meant drugs were easier to find. I started doing a lot of LSD and cocaine. By the time I was a junior I had gotten arrested several times and had gotten one of my girlfriends pregnant. I dropped out of high school in my senior year with 2 children and started selling drugs. I was seeking every possible fleshy way of filling the void that was empty this whole time.

From this point on in my life I was a “functioning” drug addict… I always had good jobs and even got my GED and was in college for pre-med/nursing. It wasn’t until recently that I realized even though I denied God as a young adult (I even went as far as considering myself agnostic) God always protected me. I continued on this path of destruction, always justifying my actions because I had a job and a family. In the years to follow I dropped out of college and continued living crazy. In that time I met my wife… about 8 years ago.

Our lifestyles were identical. We partied and did drugs routinely; I was a terrible boyfriend and a bad father. We had 2 beautiful daughters that I never appreciated until recently. And before I realized it I found myself deeply addicted to oxycontin and other pain killers.

In early December 2007, my older brother and his wife basically did an intervention on me and I went to a detox facility. Before entering the detox center, I was given a book called “Lose That Man and Let Him Go” by Bishop TD Jakes. This was the beginning of the end of my previous life. On my detox bed I prayed to God and asked him to help me change my life and I promised that if He did this I would dedicate my life to the Gospel.

Well, here I am! I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior on December 19, 2007 at Calvary Chapel Ft.Lauderdale and have never looked back. The addictions, the strongholds and the person I had been were instantly and miraculously gone. Our God, the Ultimate Redeemer, changed what many thought was the unchangeable… ME.

Since being born again, I’ve married my loving wife. God’s miracles didn’t just stop at me; they also impacted my wife… The change God has done in her life is just a whole other story. I’ve redeemed my relationship with my kids and I have dedicated my life to the Gospel. I am now actively involved in my Church and various ministries including the prison ministry event this past weekend.

I have to start by saying this weekend was AWESOME. I kinda expected to have a blessed weekend doing Kingdom work but never expected to be this fulfilled. This was my very first prison ministry event and I was really concerned that I wasn’t going to be ready. After praying over and over, God comforted me and explained that I didn’t need to be “prepared” I just needed to trust God and He would do the rest. Talk about a “conduit”. I truly felt God’s presence in the prison and I knew the words I spoke were the words of our heavenly Father. This experience was confirmation to me that God has a bigger plan for me and I could almost relate to the joy the Apostles must have felt leading people to know Jesus.

There were several incredible experiences I had this weekend doing Gods work but my best experience was at Dade Correctional Facility. After the guest speaker concluded his testimony he asked the inmates to take a look around to see the volunteers who were there to help talk to them about God. I noticed an inmate acting very “hardcore” just a couple feet in front of me (I mean what can we expect of these guys, they are in prison). But when he began looking around we caught eyes and to my surprise, standing in front of me was one of my best friends from middle and high school. When we caught eyes, immediately the “hardcore” image disappeared and in front of me was a very lost, broken individual, screaming for help. At this point I knew why God sent me to that particular prison, we talked for a little while and he proceeded to tell me he needed to change and he knew by my very presence that Jesus was the way. He pretty much said, “If God can change you, I know he can change me.” My heart screamed “THANK YOU JESUS!” and I was privileged to lead my once very carnal best friend to the love of our Almighty Savior, Jesus! Seeing my old friend and leading him to the Lord was incredible and took the cake!

This weekend helped me realize that we are all ministers in the Body of Christ and we are called to spread the Good News. I was able to lead a total of 16-18 once lost men to Christ this weekend and I am confident God will help them change. One of the guest speakers said this weekend we “increased the enrollment in Heaven and decreased the enrollment in hell.” The Bible says angels in heaven rejoice when just one sinner repents. Could you imagine the party in heaven this weekend… Hallelujah and thank you Jesus for this ministry. It has changed me!

Do You Walk the Talk?

“We try to live in such a way that no one will ever be offended or kept back from finding the Lord by the way we act, so that no one can find fault with us and blame it on the Lord. In fact, in everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God.” 2 Corinthians 6:1-4

Our lives are living testimonies of our faith. The way we act, our speech, our attitude, our level of patience and understanding, our reaction to persecution, trials and problems are a witness to others of what we truly believe. We can claim to be Christians to those around us, but do our lives reflect true faith and submission to the Word of God? What influence are we really having on those around us?

How we live will either draw people to the Lord or keep them from finding Him. If unbelievers find fault with our lives then they will blame it on the Lord and reject the message of the Gospel. I know from personal experience that there are those people who will always try to find fault in us. However, we are still to prove ourselves to be true Christians by living blameless lives, knowing the Word of God, and staying true to the Lord even through persecution. Read what Paul says below.

“We have proved ourselves to be what we claim by our wholesome lives and by our understanding of the Gospel and by our patience. We have been kind and truly loving and filled with the Holy Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 6:6

“We stand true to the Lord whether others honor us or despise us, whether they criticize us or commend us. We are honest, but they call us liars. The world ignores us, but we are known to God” 2 Corinthians 6:8-9

Witnessing to others is more than just passing out tracks and going out in groups to share the Gospel. We are witnessing all the time to those around us with the way we live our lives and conduct our business. That is why it is imperative that we “Walk the Talk” being doers of the Word, not just hearers. If we are living daily to please God by obeying His Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, others around us will notice. They will see the love of God in us and the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). We become living testimonies to everyone around us of the power of God.

Paul’s life was proof to those that he ministered to that his message was truly from God. When Paul brought the Good News to the Thessalonians, it was not just meaningless chatter to them, no, they listened with great interest. What he told them produced a powerful effect upon them because the Holy Spirit gave them full assurance that what he said was true. Paul’s life was further proof to them of the truth of the message. So they also became followers of the Lord, becoming living examples to all the other Christians and unbelievers in Greece. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-10)

When our friends, family, and co-workers see our wholesome lives they will be more willing to receive our message from the Holy Spirit. We may even be the one who gets to reap the harvest of leading them to the Lord. Let us all walk the talk and prove ourselves to be what we claim to be, followers of Christ Jesus

Are You Ready To Fly

“So be prepared, for you don’t know what day our Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42)

Do not ignore the signs of the times. These are crucial days that our Lord warned about in Matthew 24. There is war and rumors of war. Famine and pestilence is every where. Evil men are claiming to be Christ and there are false prophets doing wonderful works and miracles deceiving many. Even some of those who claim to know our Lord and His Word believe the works of these lying spirits.

Jesus said, “Just so when you see all these things beginning to happen, you can know that my return is near, even at the doors. Then at last this age will come to a close.” (Matthew 24:34)

Brothers and sisters in the Lord there is no more time to be playing around. We have to be prepared to fly. The rapture of the church can happen at any time. We are called to be strong in our faith looking forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We all have a specific job to do here on this earth. ALL OF US that are His are called to serve. Each of us has been given a special talent and gifting so that we could bring glory to His kingdom. He saved us to help fulfill the Great Commission (spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth).

Just as a man can prevent trouble from thieves by keeping watch for them, so you can avoid trouble by always being ready for our Lord’s unannounced return. Be a wise and faithful servant of our Lord by being about our Father’s business fulfilling the tasks that He has put on your heart. Allow Him to do His will in your life and use you to win others to the Lord. There will be blessings on you if He returns and finds you doing your work faithfully. (Matthew 24:43-47)

We must not allow ourselves to be entangled by this world and all of its distractions. We have to watch for his return and be on guard. We are God’s building stones which He is using to build His house/His church and Christ is our precious Cornerstone. The world and unbelievers are looking at us so we must be careful how we behave among them. Its God’s will for us to live good lives so that we silence those who have foolishly condemned the Gospel without even knowing what it could do for them; having never experienced its power. If we set the example and protect our witness they will end up praising God for our good works. (1 Peter 2: 11-17)

“Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls.” (1 Peter 2:11)

But if you say to yourself, “Jesus is not coming back soon”, and you act like the rest of the world gratifying your flesh you will produce evil results just like the world: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasures, idolatry, spiritism, hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group-and there will be wrong doctrine, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing. Let me tell you that anyone living that sort of life will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)


Instead let us acknowledge that we are in the end days and that Jesus will be returning to rapture His church soon. Be ready to fly. Live as children of light and of the day staying sober, protecting ourselves with the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the happy hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8)

Repost: Will The Real Christians Please Pick Up Your Swords?

Repost from 4/11/08

Warning..Not for the sensitive

Do you realize that we are in a battle? There is a war raging constantly for the souls of mankind. Take a look around you. The enemy is working overtime destroying families. Listen to all the tragedy in the news. He has young children disillusioned and trapped in drugs, sex, and gangs. He even has Christians deceived into thinking that it is ok to be on the sidelines or pew warmers.

As Christians we are called to be about out Father’s business. I remember the Lord once told me, “You take care of my business and I’ll take care of yours.” We are called to be doer’s of the Word, not just hearers. This is not a time for us to be selfishly seeking our own desires. We need to be fervently spreading the Gospel and setting an example as Christians. ALL of us, if willing, can be used of God. This will bring us all the blessings and fulfillment that we could ever imagine. It is in our service to the Lord and others that we learn and grow in the knowledge and love of God.

Have you personally lead someone to the Lord? Do you realize that you are called to share your testimony? That is how we overcome the enemy. We overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the Word of our testimony. You don’t have to rely on yourself. The Lord will give you the Words to speak if you allow Him to. I pray that the Lord would ignite us all with his Holy Spirit. I pray that we would be on fire like the early church.

Christ’s return is near! Perhaps some Christians don’t really believe that. So many times we get caught up in just going to church and going through the motions. We begin to seek God more on what He can do about our problems that we forget that someone out there has it worse than we do. The enemy would have us get so caught up in our own selfishness that we do not make time for reaching out to others. Someone needs to hear your story.

Let us examine ourselves and see if we are truly being doers of the Word or are we on the sidelines? Christians pick up your Sword and put on your armor! Let us stand side by side with one purpose to preach the Gospel. We are in this fight together.

May God bestow on you all love, wisdom, and courage. In Jesus name..Amen!

Revelations 12:11, Ephesians 6:10-17, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Philippians 1:27-30

Articles Listed by Title

Articles Listed by Subject

Prayer Requests

The Old Me

I know I said I wasn't going to write this week, but I just have to share this..

Saturday night was movie date night. We went on a triple date with my brother in law and his wife, and one of our best friends and his date. We arrived at the mall where the movie was playing more than an hour early. The plaza was full of teenagers. I thought to myself this is the perfect place to hand out WeUsed2bu cards. I quickly pulled out about twenty cards that I had in my bag and immediately headed toward the first group of girls that I spotted.

I walked up all happy and said, “Hey girls check out our site! Visit out MySpace.” The first girl I handed the card to read it and said, “O this Christian ****! **** this!” She crumbled the card. I seriously thought she was going to throw it at my face. There was a young boy near by taunting and also making rude comments. I became so bothered. I immediately felt my old nature rise up inside of me. The old me tried to resurrect herself. I wanted to retaliate so badly! I managed to maintain my composure while I passed out the rest of the cards.

I walked back to our group so shocked, not only by the way the girls reacted but by how I internally reacted. The love that I felt when I walked up to them was overcome now by emotions of anger, rejection, hurt, confusion, disappointment, and nervousness. What happened to me? Here I am giving them cards that say WeUsed2bu; however what used to be me wanted to present its self all over again. Although I did not retaliate I wanted to. I hated that feeling. I felt guilty and ashamed within myself. This was a reality check for me that the old me will try to come back any time if I allow it to. I have to be careful of it.

We must never let our guard down because our enemies are real, the devil and our old sin nature. The enemy will try to set traps along the way to trip us up. He provokes the war within us between our old sinful nature and our new nature Christ gave us. If given the opportunity he knows that our old sinful nature will rise up and attempt to enslave us all over again. When we give in to our old nature we can make a mess of everything that God is trying to do in our lives. I do not need any unnecessary set backs because of lack of self control and submission to the Spirit of Love.

Thank God for the Holy Spirit who reminds us that we are new creations in Christ Jesus, the old has gone, and the new has come. We are no longer slaves to sin or our old sin nature. Therefore we don’t have to surrender to those sinful desires. We are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within us. Through the power of Christ we can live and act in a way worthy of those called to such blessings. (Romans 6, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 3:10)

I thank God for giving me strength in my moment of weakness. It was truly by His power that I did not act out in foolishness. To God be the glory.

Lord, thank you for power to help us overcome our old sinful nature and desires. Without You we are weak and small. You make us strong and powerful. We are glad to be slaves of righteousness. May our lives always bring your glory. In Jesus name..Amen.

Instructions On How To Minister To Others

Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord and if anyone asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way. (1 Peter 3:15)

We all have friends and family that we long to be delivered from the hands of the enemy. The Lord has put it on our hearts to want to see them receive the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and start living life more abundantly. With the power of the Holy Spirit we can lovingly and gently lead our confused or blinded loved ones to the Lord. However, it is important to remember that we are to minister to them with a meek, gentle, and patient attitude. They will be more willing to receive what we have to say if we are truly courteous and respectful. (1 Peter 3:15)

The Holy Spirit will give us direction, wisdom, and discernment as to how we are to handle each individual situation. Asking the Lord to give us the words to speak when we are trying to share the gospel is a must. This person needs more of Christ and less of us. If we are lead by the Spirit of Love then when the opportunity presents it’s self we will make the most of it by being wise and allowing our conversation to be gracious as well as sensible. Then we will have the right answers for them. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Remember that we are not in a battle against flesh and blood, but against unseen spirits that influence and manipulate anyone who is not careful. The enemy does not want to allow these precious souls to be freed from the bondage that he has them in. He will try to create an atmosphere of division and confusion. Therefore we must be careful, wise as serpents but gentle as doves avoiding getting into quarrels or arguments with those we are trying to help. For when we are angry we give a foothold to the devil. (Matthew 10:16, Titus 3:2, James 5:8, Ephesians 4:27)

Through Paul, the Holy Spirit gave Timothy very specific instructions as to how to minister to those who were confused about the truth.

2 Timothy 3:23-26 says, Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish arguments which only upset people and make them angry. God’s people should not be quarrelsome; they must be gentle, patient teachers of those who are wrong. Be humble when you are trying to teach those who are mixed up concerning the truth. For if you talk meekly and courteously to them they are more likely, with God’s help, to turn away from their wrong ideas and believe what is true. Then they will come to their senses and escape from Satan’s trap of slavery to sin which he uses to catch them whenever he likes, and then they can begin doing the will of God.

Let us also follow these instructions and share the Word of God humbly, patiently, and courteously so that we may bring glory to God.

Lord, please help us to be patient and gentle when ministering to others. Give us the wisdom, self control, and words to speak that will help these individual receive the Truth. Please don’t allow their hearts to be hardened. Let them see Christ in us and let them desire to know Him also. In Jesus name. Amen.

Serving One Another

Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s to whom all power as been given, got on his hands and knees and washed his disciples feet because he loved them. He wanted to show them that because of His love for them He was willing to serve them to the point of getting down and dirty. He wanted them to understand that if they were to be leaders then they too would have to be willing to humble themselves and loving serve others.

(Matthew 13:1 & 4) Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. Rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

He wasn’t afraid of what people thought of him. He stripped down and got to work. His Father had given all things into His hands. He had come from God and was going to God. He knew who He was and the power given to him and yet he was still willing to serve them to the point of washing their feet like the lowliest servant would do. This is true love and true leadership. This is the example that he longs for us to follow.

(Matthew 13:12-17) After washing their feet he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Master’ and ‘Lord’, and you do well to say it, for it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you out to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow: do as I have done to you.”

A true leader is also a servant. If Jesus is willing to serve, than we too as his servants must be willing to serve Him and others with a humble and meek heart. It does not matter what leadership responsibilities we have, our notoriety, or what our reputation maybe. If we are to be effective leaders than we must chose to serve others with a loving and compassionate heart.

What if we are called on by the church to help distribute food to the poor, minister in the prison, help out in children’s ministry, maybe even clean up a bathroom? Would we be willing to sacrifice our time? How would our attitude be? Could we do it lovingly?

How about at home? How do we serve our family? Do we feel because we have contributed that our work, our part is done? What if more was required? Do we serve in our own home without expecting something in return or needing recognition for our sacrifice? I truly believe with all my heart that ministry begins at home. If we are willing to serve outside of the home with sincere hopes of helping change someone’s life, then how much more should we be willing to serve our own family with those same hopes and expectations? May our Lord help us to be leaders willing to serve with a loving heart.

Lord, thank you for setting these examples for us to follow. They help humble us and put our lives into perceptive. Give us the heart of a servant. We long to follow your example and serve others in love. We reject any feelings of pride or superiority that may try to hinder our hearts from being more subservient. We thank you. In Jesus. Amen.