"Lord, Lord"

So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” Luke 6:46-49 (NLT)

Here in Luke 6 Jesus says to some of those who have been calling Him Lord, “Why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord! When you don’t do what I say?”

Jesus is addressing those who were just giving Him the lip service, “Lord, Lord”. They had not truly made Him Master of their lives. With their mouth it may have seemed that they believed, but their lives did not reflect the teachings of Christ. We know this is true because He said to them, “you don’t do what I say”. It is not enough to just 'say' we believe in Jesus. Even the demons believe and they tremble with terror. It is not enough to just 'say' we have faith. He wants us to show that we truly believe and have faith in Him by obeying His Word. Calling Jesus Lord is something that anyone can just ‘say’. You see to call Jesus Lord is to call Him our Ruler or Master. To call Him Lord means that we want Him to have authority, dominion, and control over our entire lives. We surrender our lives, our will, and our selfish desires to follow His teaching because we know that His ways are righteous and true. We surrender because He loved us so much that He laid down His life for us. Therefore we trust Him with our lives and lay them down at His feet to do with as He pleases. (James 2:19)

“And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:3-6

In the Gospel of John Jesus says, “If you love Me, obey My commandments.” (John14:15 NLT)

Our obedience to His teachings is for our own good. He says, “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.” (Luke 6:48 NLT)

When we truly make Jesus Lord of our life and allow His teachings to go down deep into our hearts and take root we will be able to stand firm against the floodwaters of life’s problems, testings, and persecution. His Word will rise up in us and bring us comfort and assurance that He has not forgotten us but that He is with us every step of the way. The Sovereign Lord will be our strength! He will make us as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon heights. We will not be shaken or moved because He has set our feet on the Rock of our Salvation. He becomes our Fortress and Strong Tower then we are able to withstand the floods and the winds that beat against us. We won’t collapse under the pressure because we are standing on the Word of God which is our solid foundation!

However, Jesus said that it is very different for anyone who hears His Word and doesn’t obey. He said they are, “Like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” How sad to have heard the voice of God and ignore His leading. Ignoring Him only leads to destruction and chaos. Our lives will surely end up a mess and ruined without implementation of His Word.

There are so many people who have heard the teachings of Jesus Christ and have seen His miracles but refuse to submit to Him. They continue to want their own way, enslaved to their sinful nature. They have convinced themselves that they are fine without Him. So they continue on the broad road most commonly taken that sadly leads to hell. It reminds me of what Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death”. (Galatians 5:16 & 19-21)

Brothers and sisters let us truly examine and test ourselves to see if our faith in Christ is genuine or not before it is too late. For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. Each day it is our own choice to decide whether or not we will be doers of the Word or just hearers. But let us remember that it is sin to know what we ought to do and then not do it. (2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Peter 4:17, James 1:22, 4:17)

Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day MANY will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Each of us needs to stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old godly way, and walk in it. May we be truly repent for our sins and turn to God so that He may forgive us and wipe away all of our sins. Let obedience to His Word be our number one sacrifice. Let us call out “Lord, Lord” because we desire for Him to teach us His Ways, believe in His commands, and obey His Word. Let us be like the person who built their house on the Solid Rock! (Jeremiah 6:16, Acts, 3:19, 1 Samuel 15:22, Psalm 119:66,11,9)

Do You Have A Sense Of Urgency

A couple of weeks ago one of our pastors had us spend some time looking at the story in Mark 2:1-12. It’s a story of four men who brought their friend to Jesus for healing. This story is special because these friends loved and cared for their paralyzed friend so much that when they saw that they could not get through the crowds they carried him up to the roof and then dug a hole through the roof to lower him down to Jesus.

Our pastor explained, “They didn’t want to see their friend suffering any more. They were determined to get their friend to Jesus because they were convinced that Jesus could heal him. They didn’t let the crowds stop them. They were creative. They were committed and determined to go to any length to get him to Jesus. Getting their friend to Jesus was their focus.”
Then he purposed some practical application questions to us and I purpose them now to you.

• Who has God put in your life that you need to bring to Jesus?
• Do you care enough to take initiative? Will you drive them to church, bible study, or a small group?
• Are you convinced that Jesus is the only way? If you think that there is another way then you will not have a sense of urgency.
• Are you willing to be creative?

I think that out of all of the questions above the one that hit me the most was the third question and comment. If we truly believe that Jesus is the ONLY Way, the Truth, and the Life then we should have the same desire and urgency that our heavenly Father has, that none should perish, but that they too should repent and turn to God (Jesus) for salvation. (2 Peter 3:9)

Our sense of urgency to see souls saved should come from knowing what the Word of God says is the destiny of those who refuse to believe in Christ Jesus. The Word says:

“..But whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18)

“There will be a day of judgment for all unbelievers, those who rejected the Truth and refused to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

Our urgency should come from knowing that HELL IS REAL and it is where all unbelievers go when they die. (Luke 12:5 & 16:23, Matthew 10:28 & 23:33)

This urgency for saving the lost should NOT come from a condemning, judgmental, or religious spirit. It should could from a Spirit of love and patience. Our Lord was loving and patient with us as He drew us to Himself. It was His kindness, mercy, grace and PATIENCE that actually led us to repentance. We must remember that the same Holy Spirit that drew us to Him is the same Holy Spirit that will draw others around us to Him too. We are not the ones who save anyone. No one can come to Jesus unless it is the Spirit that draws them to Him. Bringing someone to Christ usually is a process. Our job is simply to be a ready and willing vessel that the Lord can use. (Romans 2:4, John 6:44)

It very important for us to remember that we are in a spiritual battle. We are battling against unseen forces of darkness that do not want to let go of these people’s souls. The Word says that the enemy has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand the message about the glory of Christ. They often times consider the message of the cross foolish. Therefore we must use wisdom and patience when ministering to unbelievers, asking the Lord to give us the Words to speak, to know when to speak, and when to keep a cover over our mouth. (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 6:44, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 2 Corinthians 2:16-17)

A close friend recently said to me, “We don’t have to cram the bible down people’s throats”. I agree, however I do believe that we can spoon feed them and allow them to taste the Word without saying all the time, “The bible says” or “In Matthew 6:25-27...” All we have to do is speak the Word of God into their lives in normal conversation and trust the Lord’s promise to not allow His Word to return void. Then we should pray over the seed, that it not be stolen, but that it would be watered and cultivated by the Holy Spirit. But no matter what we can be sure of this, that even if some refuse to obey or receive the Good News, our godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by our pure and reverent lives. (Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 13:18-23, 1 Peter 3:1-2)

I believe with all my heart that our lives will be the most affective witness to the unbeliever and to those who are searching for Truth. Most need to see to believe. What is that they need to see? They need to see the love of Christ flowing in our lives. They need to see us serving and caring for others. They need to hear words full of faith, words that encourage and edify. How we react to life’s problems, trials, and tests will also be a witness to them of where our faith and hope lies. When they see that in the middle of life’s storms we are immovable and still praising God regardless of our circumstances, they will be inspired and influenced by our faith. I love Psalm 40:1-3. My favorite part of these verses is the part that says, “Many will SEE what He has done and be amazed. They WILL PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE LORD.” You see it’s because of what others see that God has done or is doing in our lives that they too will put their trust in the Lord. Our friends and family remember who we were when we were in the world so our life in Christ will be the most convincing testimony of Jesus’ faithfulness to save and change those who put their trust in Him. (1 Peter 3:1-2, Philippians 1:27)

If we are convinced that the Bible is the infallible Word of God then there should be that sense of urgency that the pastor spoke of and that the four men had to bring their suffering friend to Jesus for deliverance. We should make the most of every opportunity that the Holy Spirit provides us to share the Good News with those He has put in our lives. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our faith in Jesus or minimize it because we don’t want to offend anyone or want to be politically correct. We have been given the responsibility of being ambassadors for Christ. We should never be ashamed to acknowledge Jesus. God wants to make His appeal to the lost and the backslidden through us. We are speaking for Christ when we say “Come back to God!” We are His messengers entrusted with the Good News. We know the way to have eternal life and right standing with God so we must tell others without fear of persecution. There should be a sense of urgency to bring people to Christ because we know that their souls are at stake. (Matthew 10:32, 38 & 39, 2 Corinthians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 2:4)

Lord teach us to be living witnesses for You. Let us not be afraid of persecution. When fear or inadequacy come against us remind us that you have anointed us to share the Gospel with the world. Help us to speak boldly for Christ. In Jesus name, Amen.

Moving Backwards Instead of Forward - Do What God Has Called You To DO!

Over the past couple of weeks I have felt a leading to read the book of Jeremiah. I am ashamed to say that I knew that upon reading it the Spirit would reveal to me a Word of reproach that our Lord wanted to speak to me and through me, so I prolonged reading it. I guess the truth is that there is still this fleshly side of me that longs to be accepted and not persecuted for speaking God’s Word. But I love Him too much not to allow His Spirit to speak through me. I love Him with all my heart and I long to please Him and be His faith filled handmaiden; therefore I must be obedient to His leading. He constantly reminds me that if I am going to try to win the approval of people, then I will not find approval with Him. If pleasing people ever becomes my goal, then I could NOT be Christ’s servant. (Galatians 1:10)

I only got to chapter 6 when I had to start writing this. My spirit is so grieved within me. All our heavenly Father has ever wanted was for us was to truly surrender our pride and power. He has wanted us to trust Him and change our hearts before Him. He wants us to be humbly sorry for our sins. To go before Him with broken and contrite hearts, with weeping and mourning because of the sins that we have committed, instead of acting nonchalant and ignoring the Holy Spirit’s tugging at our hearts to do what is right. He wants us to have a reverential fear of Him. A holy respect and honor for our God that will keep us on the narrow road that leads to life. He wants our obedience.

All we have to do is acknowledge our guilt, admit that we have rebelled against the Lord and wanted our own way, and confess that we refused to listen to His voice. Can’t we see that His kindness and patience has always been meant to lead us to repentance? But so many take His kindness for granted and continue in their rebellion and sin forgetting that our God sees everything. There is no where that we can hide from His Spirit. We can hide from others. We can lie to them and to ourselves, but we cannot lie to our omnipresent God.

There is a lack of reverential awe for God in the church today. This lack of fearing the Lord has caused many believers to ignore the direction the Lord is giving them for their lives. Many Christians are refusing to receive the Lord’s correction and then are wondering why their families are falling apart, their businesses are in trouble, their finances are mess, and they have no peace. They are doing work for God and making sacrifices in Jesus name, but they have forgotten what the Lord told His people when He led them out of Egypt. Listen to what the Spirit of the Lord says through Jeremiah about this,

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: ‘Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ “But My people would not listen to Me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward..” Jeremiah 7:21-24

How many of us today feel like we have moved backwards instead of forward. If so then we need to allow the Holy Spirit to show us where we have gone wrong. Where we have rebelled and refused to listen to the Lord and instead followed our own desires. We need to get back to doing what we know is right. We need to get back to truly loving God. Loving Him means obeying Him. That is how we truly know that we are in Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, obey My commandments.” (John 14:15)

1 John 2:3-6 says, “And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live as Jesus did.”

It is time for us to start living in the truth. No matter what our Lord is calling us to do, whether it’s something we need to change, to leave behind, to surrender to Him, to step out in faith and go, the time has come to step out in obedience and faith. Remember that He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He never asks us to do something that He has not equipped us to do. Sometimes we will not feel equipped for what or where He is calling us, but we have to believe that He will honor our obedience and give us everything we need to do His will.

Don’t be fooled when we know what we ought to be doing and instead we choose to ignore God’s direction, then we are in sin and rebellion against God. (James 4:17) We can be sure that because He loves us so much that we will receive His divine discipline and punishment if we don’t repent and do His will. Oh but too many believers are following teachings of those who water down the Word and glorify a God that they have made up that is so merciful and forgiving that He does not judge, correct, punish or rebuke us. But this is not the God of the bible. This is not our Heavenly Father. You see our Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child. He disciplines us so that He can produce a harvest of right living in us. (Hebrews 12:5-12)

No more excuses it’s time to do what He has called you to do! If not, your rebellion will deprive you of wonderful blessings. Your sin will rob you of many good things that the Lord has planned for you. (Jeremiah 5:23-25)

“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

Brothers and sisters it is time for us to go before the Lord and humble ourselves in His presence asking Him to forgive us for being rebellious and giving in to fear, doubt, anger, bitterness, unbelief, compliancy, or whatever other hindrances’ we have allowed to keep us from obeying His direction. He will not reject a broken and contrite heart. If you want to see change in your life then it’s time to humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor. Make a choice today stop moving backwards and start moving forward. (James 4:7-10)

You May Need Heart Surgery?

I think we all know that the human heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. I read online that our hearts are a pump, composed of muscle which pumps blood throughout the body, beating approximately 72 times per minute of our lives. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials which help our bodies function and removes the waste products that we do not need. If the heart ever ceases to pump blood the body begins to shut down and after a very short period of time will die.

We can take care of our hearts by maintaining a healthy body weight, having good eating habits, not smoking, exercise, and changing lifestyles that are overly stressful or unhealthy. If you are already experiencing chest pain or chest discomfort, palpitations, light headedness or dizziness, loss of consciousness, fatigue, lethargy, or shortness of breath you should really go get your heart checked out. These are warnings signs that your heart is in trouble.

Just like our body needs to have a healthy heart to function properly we need to have a healthy spiritual heart as well to live our Christian lives. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”(NIV) The New Kings James says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Here we are being warned to guard our hearts because it is where the real issues of our life are. The meaning of heart here is our motives, feelings, affections, and desires, but also our will, the aims, the principles, the thoughts, and the intellect of man. In fact, it embraces the whole inner man. This is the center of who we are. We are to diligently protect our hearts because if we allow them to be contaminated then we will begin to see the manifestations of a spiritual heart condition.

We should give ourselves spiritual checkups often, especially when we begin to detect some of the symptoms of a potential heart condition. The Holy Spirit will gladly help us to self-diagnosis our condition. Like many doctors examine the tongue to help diagnosis their patient’s condition, the Holy Spirit will help us evaluate our tongue and mouth. The reason why is because like Jesus said “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say”. (Matthew 12:34)

The symptoms of an unclean heart can be heard in the words that we speak and in the fruit that we are producing in our lives. If we are speaking or producing evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly then we must accept that the issue is deeper then what we are manifesting. The issue is in our heart. All these evils come from inside and make us unclean. We need healing. Thank God we have Jesus who is our Healer. (Mark 7:20-23)

I truly believe that the first part to healing our spiritual heart condition is acknowledging that there is a problem. If we refuse to admit that the issue is deeper than just what’s coming out of our mouth than we will most surely not be able to see change. Our hearts with remain full of the excess fleshly junk and will clog our spiritual arteries. There will only be destruction ahead for those who remain in denial.

Second I believe that we must know and believe with all of our heart that Jesus is more powerful than any problem in our lives. He can deliver and heal us from anything.

Now it is time to go boldly to the throne room of God to receive mercy and grace. We must pray, repent and ask God’s forgiveness for our words and actions.

We should ask the Holy Spirit to give us God’s MRI, a full body scan. Ask Him to reveal anything any where in us that is not pleasing to Him and that is defiling us. Whatever it is bitterness, anger, abandonment, betrayal, unforgiveness, pride, or jealousy the Lord is willing to have the Holy Spirit perform surgery on us. The Holy Spirit will circumcise our heart and cut away all the unnecessary junk that only serves to block the Holy Spirit from flowing through our hearts. (Romans 2:29)

After having a major surgery it is important to be sure to take better care of ourselves. We can be sure to maintain a good spiritual health by submitting our entire bodies and our lives as a living and holy sacrifice to our Lord. Hold nothing back. Then we will be sure to have a strong and healthy heart ready to be used of God to bring glory to His son’s name. (Romans 12:1)

Lord, please shine the Light of your Word on our hearts and reveal in us anything that would keep us from serving you with pure hearts. Let us not be in denial but help us to be willing to receive your diagnosis. We want to be healed. We receive your Word and submit our entire bodies, our will, emotions, thoughts, and heart to you. Thank you Lord for creating in us a clean heart! In Jesus name..Amen!

What's Holding You Back?

Last night I attended our Out of the Miry Clay monthly support group meeting. Out of the Miry Clay is a ministry formed by ex-offenders for ex-offenders. The ministry’s vision is to provide a place of refuge and accountability for ex-offenders. We are meeting, mentoring, and encouraging one another that we can overcome our battles by faith and hope in Christ Jesus.

Last night’s topic was ‘What’s holding you back?’ As I listened to some of the others share I truly asked God to help me see what has been holding me back or hindering my walk. Then I realized that lately I have been attacked with fear. Fear has tried to creep in and hinder my progress. I shared that the fear has been affecting me the way the wind affects me when I am running in the morning. When we are jogging and we turn onto a new block often times the wind is pushing against us. It slows me down me for a second but then I find that I just have to press forward harder. It’s like that when fear attacks me. The fear slows me down for a second mentally and emotionally, but I know that I have the power of Christ that is more powerful so I learn to do it afraid.

I sat back and listened as our wise mentors of the group lovingly gave their godly counsel. I humbly received their wods of encouragement and edification. I will treasure them and remember them, but most of all I will apply the counsel received to my walk with Christ. I do not want anything to hinder me from fulfilling the visions that our Lord has given me.

Through attending this support group, which of course I thought I did not need, I realized that if we are going to accomplish what our Lord has planned for us we have to constantly evaluate ourselves. That is the only way that we can truly progress in our Christian walk. If we try to pretend that nothing is wrong with us and that we have arrived then we are only lying to ourselves. If we ignore our shortcomings, temptations, or fears these will most certainly become the hindrances that cause us to stumble and more than likely cause us to become entangled in sin again. So we must keep it real with ourselves.

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”– Hebrew 12:1

Today I want to encourage you to honestly ask yourself ‘What’s holding you back?’ Better yet, ask the Holy Spirit. Heed the Holy Spirit and throw off that hindrance. Is it your attitude, fear, hidden or unconfessed sin, lust, sexual immorality, denial, feelings of unworthiness, pride, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, or doubt? What ever it is don’t allow yourself to try to carry these burdens on your own. Go to a strong believer and follower of Christ that you can trust and confess this hindrance. Ask them to pray with you and help keep you accountable to overcoming this issue. Be prepared to receive their words of encouragement, concern, and instruction.

Most importantly confess your need for help to the Lord. I believe that when we confess our hindrances or sins to the Lord that He not only forgives us but He gives us an increase of power and determination, through the Holy Spirit to overcome our battles with these shortcomings. He promised that He would continue the good work that He started in us; therefore He will not abandon us to deal with these things on our own. But first we must start by taking a look at ourselves and making an honest evaluation of whether we are in complete surrender and obedience to the will of God. Keep it real..

Lord please show us anything in us that is hindering our walk with Christ and affecting our testimony. We long to be hindrance free. We do not want to be entangled in any sin. Help us Lord. If there is anything hidden in our hearts shine the light of Your Word on it and let us not deny the Truth. Help us to confess our sins to not only to You but to someone we know that loves You and loves us too. We want to godly counsel and true constructive criticism. We receive correction and instruction with a wiliness to change. Thank You for loving us so much and changing us daily. In Jesus name I pray..amen.

"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!”

From the Archives: Abundant Life

“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

An abundant life is what Jesus came to give us. As believers we can live free from fear, bondage, guilt, shame, debt, strongholds, worry, and anxiety. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to be more than conquerors. The One who lives in us is more powerful than he who lives in this world. We have been given the mind of Christ. When we are surrendered to the Word of God and allow ourselves to be lead by His Spirit we can live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

We don’t have to be overcome and defeated by temptation and troubles. We can live free from all strongholds and bondages. However so many Christians live defeated lives. They are struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, pornography, consumed by debt, lying, unforgiveness, resentment, robbing God of tithe and offerings, and so much more. The enemy is just having a field day with their lives while they just stand by and wonder why this is happening to them. Telling themselves that they’re good Christians because they go to church all the time and volunteer for different ministries.

I spent many years living a scarce Christian life. I allowed myself to be defeated by addictions and destructive emotions. I was in bondage. I allowed myself to get beat up all the time by the devil and his demons. My marriage was in trouble. My family was under severe attack. I knew the Word of God. I had spent several hours, days, months, and years reading it. But I was just a hearer, not a doer of the Word. I was not surrendered to the Word of God or His will for my life. In a lot of ways I had harden my heart to His Word because I still wanted my own way. I did not fully trust Him even after all He has done for me.

I began to seek God’s face about why I was struggling so much. I was tired of playing church. I was tired of allowing the enemy to steal my joy, peace, and mental stability. I decided that instead of just sitting down to read the Word for knowledge of scripture, that I needed to sit down to read the Word expecting God to show me how to improve my life. I would pray before I began to read for God to change my heart and renew my mind through the reading of his Word. I desired more than ever for Him to search every corner of my heart, even the hidden places, and purify me. I began to long for Him to create in me a clean heart. I abandoned my own will and craved His heart and His will for my life.

If we are to walk with God and live a more abundant life now, then we need to surrender ourselves completely to Him. There’s no room for half stepping or compromise. Our emotions, problems, enemies, unforgiveness, addiction, any hindrances, and our complete will must be laid down on the altar and presented as a sacrifice to God. He will honor the sacrifice, cleanse us, and give us new heart that longs to please Him. The joy of our salvation will be renewed. Then we will be able to live this abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

Father, thank you for your sacrifice of Love. We know that this sacrifice was made so that we can live in freedom as conquerors free from any bondage or stronghold. We lay our will down at your feet and ask that Your will be done in our lives. Teach us how to live this life more abundantly. In Jesus name. Amen.

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

"Do Over!"

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23

Recently I have been thinking about how many believers allow themselves to be tormented by feelings of guilt and condemnation when they sin and fall short of our God’s glorious standard. They get so down on their selves when they realize that they are still susceptible to sin. We must remember that we are going to make mistakes as long as we are here in these sinful bodies living in this world full of sin and temptation.

Satan and his demonic forces are determined to keep us bogged down under feelings of condemnation and guilt when we sin. These forces immediately try to attack our minds with negatives thoughts like..

“Do you think God is really going to keep forgiving you when you’re always messing up.”

“Real Christians would never say or do that. You’re not a real Christian.”

“See you’re not good enough, smart enough, or know enough for God to use you. You can’t even stop sinning.”

I seriously doubt that I am the only one that enemy attacks with thoughts like the ones above. I know this because the Word of God says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10) These accusing thoughts and words are straight from the pits of hell. The Accuser wants us to have a “woe is me” attitude and give up. He knows that if we are busy beating ourselves up, feeling guilty, condemned, and unworthy we will not want to enter God’s presence to receive His forgiveness, mercy, and grace when we need it most. We will be bound by these emotions, unable to be used by our Lord.

Instead of sitting and meditating on our mistakes and our shortcomings we need to remember what 1 John 2: 1-2 says.

“My little children, I am telling you this so that you will stay away from sin. But if you sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely.”

You see our Heavenly Father knows that we are not perfect and that we will sin, so He has given us Jesus Christ to be our Advocate. So we can go boldly before the throne to ask forgiveness and healing. Our joy and peace will be restored because we know that all is well between us and our God.

I remember when we were kids we used to love playing kickball. For those of you that don’t know kickball, it is a mixture of baseball and dodge ball, only the ball is much bigger and softer and you kick the ball. When the pitcher rolls the ball if you miss it or kicked a foul everyone would yell “BALL!” or “FOUL!”, “DO OVER!” You then were given another try, a ‘Do Over’ to kick the ball as far as you could.

That is how it is when we fall short of God’s glorious standard and sin. As followers of Christ Jesus we are trying to live each day pleasing to God, avoiding sin, but sometimes we just miss it and mess up. But if we confess our sin and repent He is faithful to let us try again. So rebuke those negative thoughts and reject that “woe is me” attitude and remember that our Advocate, Jesus Christ gives us ‘Do Overs’. Thank God for that!

p.s.

I suggest also reading Don't Let Sin Control You

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.

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

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Abundant Life

“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

An abundant life is what Jesus came to give us. As believers we can live free from fear, bondage, guilt, shame, debt, strongholds, worry, and anxiety. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to be more than conquerors. The One who lives in us is more powerful than he who lives in this world. We have been given the mind of Christ. When we are surrendered to the Word of God and allow ourselves to be lead by His Spirit we can live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

We don’t have to be overcome and defeated by temptation and troubles. We can live free from all strongholds and bondages. However so many Christians live defeated lives. They are struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, pornography, consumed by debt, lying, unforgiveness, resentment, robbing God of tithe and offerings, and so much more. The enemy is just having a field day with their lives while they just stand by and wonder why this is happening to them. Telling themselves that they’re good Christians because they go to church all the time and volunteer for different ministries.

I spent many years living a scarce Christian life. I allowed myself to be defeated by addictions and destructive emotions. I was in bondage. I allowed myself to get beat up all the time by the devil and his demons. My marriage was in trouble. My family was under severe attack. I knew the Word of God. I had spent several hours, days, months, and years reading it. But I was just a hearer, not a doer of the Word. I was not surrendered to the Word of God or His will for my life. In a lot of ways I had harden my heart to His Word because I still wanted my own way. I did not fully trust Him even after all He has done for me.

I began to seek God’s face about why I was struggling so much. I was tired of playing church. I was tired of allowing the enemy to steal my joy, peace, and mental stability. I decided that instead of just sitting down to read the Word for knowledge of scripture, that I needed to sit down to read the Word expecting God to show me how to improve my life. I would pray before I began to read for God to change my heart and renew my mind through the reading of his Word. I desired more than ever for Him to search every corner of my heart, even the hidden places, and purify me. I began to long for Him to create in me a clean heart. I abandoned my own will and craved His heart and His will for my life.

If we are to walk with God and live a more abundant life now, then we need to surrender ourselves completely to Him. There’s so room for half stepping or compromise. Our emotions, problems, enemies, unforgiveness, addiction, any hindrances, and our complete will must be laid down on the altar and presented as a sacrifice to God. He will honor the sacrifice, cleanse us, and give us new heart that longs to please Him. The joy of our salvation will be renewed. Then we will be able to live this abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

Father, thank you for your sacrifice of Love. We know that this sacrifice was made so that we can live in freedom as conquerors free from any bondage or stronghold. We lay our will down at your feet and ask that Your will be done in our lives. Teach us how to live this life more abundantly. In Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer Hindrances

The Lord longs for us to pray and to seek his face. He wants us to cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. He has told us that what ever we ask in His name we will receive. He assures us that if we seek we will find and if we knock the door will be opened. He tells us that our heavenly Father will most certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them. So we can be confident that when we pray that he hears our prayers and He will be faithful to answer them. (John 16:24, Matthew 6:7-12)

But do you ever feel like your prayers are not being answered or God can not hear them? What if there is something blocking our prayers from reaching the throne room? What if our prayer line was clogged or contaminated? Is that possible? Yes..there are hindrances that can creep into our lives and clog or block the communication lines with God keeping our prayers from being heard and answered. Prayer hindrances. The bible speaks clearly of these prayer blockers. So what are they?

Ø Iniquity and unconfessed sin (Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 66:18)
Ø Unforgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35, Matthew 6:14-15)
Ø Selfish prayers & prayers with wrong motives (James 4:3, Luke 22:42)
Ø Husband and wives mistreating each other (1 Peter 3:7, Ephesians 5:22-24)
Ø Wrongs not made right (Matthew 5:24-24)
Ø Unpaid tithe and offering (Malachi 3:7-9)
Ø Disobedience and rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23, Deuteronomy 1:41-45)

All of these will hinder our prayers and our relationship with the Lord because they keep us from God’s will.

When we go into the presence of the Almighty God we must remember that He is holy and righteous. Therefore we should enter into his presence with thanksgiving, praying with holy hands lifted up to God, free from sin, anger, resentment, and asking forgiveness for our hidden faults and deliberate wrongs. (2 Timothy 2:8, Psalm 19:12-14)

“But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be free from guilt and innocent of some great crime.” (Psalm 19:12-13)

“Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where he lives? Who may stand before the Lord? Only those with pure hands and hearts” (Psalm 24:4)

The Word of God and the Holy Spirit work as our filter system helping us to keep our prayer lines clean. These prayer hindrances do not need to have a stronghold on us. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth of God’s Word, with daily repentance and confession of our sins we can be free from any prayer hindrances. (1 John 1:9, Psalm 51)

Lord, we thank you for your Word because we know it is true and teaches us what is right, helps us realize what is wrong in our lives, it straightens us out, and helps us to do what is right. Show us if there is anything hindering our prayers. We long to come into your presence free from any obstructions or distractions. In Jesus name..Amen.

Complaining Attitude

When things don’t go our way we may have the tendency to complain or grumble. However, nothing good comes from a complaining and grumbling attitude. When we complain about our circumstances we are tearing ourselves down and anyone else that has to hear it. It takes more energy to grumble and complain than it does to just build your faith and trust in the Lord. Sometimes we are so busy talking negative about our situations that we never speak God’s Word over it. Then we wonder why our situations get worse. Go figure..

When we complain we are speaking idle and useless words. As believers we are called to set an example. People don’t need to hear us complaining and grumbling.

Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves], That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guiltless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world,

We are to bless the Lord at all times. His praise should continually be on our lips. When we feel tempted to complain about out situations we need to think about the wonderful provisions that God has made in our lives. We need to think on all the good things that He has done for us. Why do we complain about having to do the laundry, clean the house, having to go to work, and pay the bills? We should thank God we have clothes wear and wash, a home to clean and care for, and a job to pay the bills that we created!

Our Lord delivered the children of Israel from their oppressors in Egypt, parted the Red Sea right before their eyes, provided food and water miraculously, led them by a pillar of cloud in the day and pillar of fire at night; and still these people complained and grumbled against the Lord. The Lord heard all of their complaining and was angry. As a result of their complaining they were forbidden to enter the Promised Land. Forty years the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness until that ungrateful and complaining generation died. If they would have just kept their mouths closed and trusted God they could have made that journey in 11 days. (Deuteronomy 1:2, Numbers 14:20-38)

If we choose to have a complaining and grumbling attitude we too will not be able to enter into the fullness of what God has for us. We don’t want to anger and offend The Source of Our Hope. We need to thank God at all times no matter what happens.

Lord, you are an Awesome God. We are sorry if we have had a complaining attitude. You are our Source and Hope. We leave all of our situations in your hands because you care for us. Today we choose to praise you because we love and trust you, but most of all because you are worthy of all our praise. Thank you for your Word which brings us freedom. In Jesus name..Amen


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