Sometimes life can get difficult rather quickly. There will be times of joy, but there will also be times of hardship and sorrow. The world is on a downward slide. The world has come to the point of where it is calling things that are good evil and the things that are evil good. People for the most part are doing what is right in their own eyes instead of paying any attention to what God requires or wants. The Lord is not to be mocked.
We will all someday have to stand before the Creator of all things and give an account of the lives we lived here on the earth. We have a choice either to believe and obey the Lord God and what He says in His Holy Word, the Bible or we can follow our sinful fleshly desires and face eternal separation from the Living God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23)
We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of the glory of God. We can't save ourselves. We need a Savior and thankfully God provided us One. God demonstrated His great love towards us by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to save us from our sins by dying on the Cross and shedding His blood. Jesus took the punishment that we each deserve.
We must receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior by faith. We need to trust in His grace through faith. Then we must continue to live for Him by reading the Word and being led by the Holy Spirit.
It is important to know where we stand with the Lord and we can know that if we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and we are trusting in His finished work alone then we are children of God and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. When live gets difficult and it will we never have to go through the hard times alone for the Lord will be with us each step of the way.
My brother and I took my mother down state to a doctors appointment and found out that the growth that was removed a few weeks ago turns out to be non-Hodgkin's lymphoma low grade which is the type of cancer that she had a few years ago and was treated for. It went away after those treatments, but now this shows up. She feels good and she moves around great. We have to take her back down state and run more test, but I know the Lord will see us through this trial just as He has done every time in the past. God is good and He is faithful. We can trust Him.
I would like to ask for prayers for my mother and my family. I would also ask for prayers for myself in regarding God's will for my life to be made clear to me. I thank you all for your prayers and thank you for reading my blog. May the Lord use these blog postings to bring Him Honor, Glory, and Praise.
Lord,
You are Holy and Just in Your judgments.
I praise Your Holy Name.
Lead us deeper into Your Word.
Help us to show the love of Jesus to those all around the world.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
The God Of All Comfort
There are times in our lives when things can be rather difficult and trying. We may feel like we are being crushed by a heavy load. We know that we can trust the Lord and we try to focus on Him, but we find that hard to do also at times. We all get distracted and sidetracked at times. Thankfully the Lord is patient with us and He is very merciful and full of grace.
There will be trying times that we will each encounter on our journey here on the earth. The trials may be long, dark, and highly uncomfortable. The trials may also be lonely and aggravating as well. We may ask God why these things are happening to us at this moment in our lives, but sometimes we may never truly discover the answer on this side of eternity anyway.
There is a lot of suffering in our world these days. We watch the news on our devices and we read about bad things happening all over the world. It bothers me to see people suffer and it really bothers me when I suffer in one way or another.
When we encounter times of suffering we can be thankful that the Lord our God will comfort us in our times of need. God is the God of all comfort. He will draw near to us when we draw near to Him. The Lord loves us with a deep unconditional love. God loves you! He will never leave you and He will never forsake you.
When we encounter times of suffering may we continue to trust in the Lord and draw near to Him. The Lord may try to teach us something during our trial and suffering. We whom have suffered can minster to others and bring them comfort as the Lord comforted us during our trial.
Let's comfort those who are suffering with various things and let's lift them up in prayer to the Lord.
Lord,
Thank You for comforting us during our trails.
Help us to bring comfort to those in need.
Come soon Lord Jesus.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
There will be trying times that we will each encounter on our journey here on the earth. The trials may be long, dark, and highly uncomfortable. The trials may also be lonely and aggravating as well. We may ask God why these things are happening to us at this moment in our lives, but sometimes we may never truly discover the answer on this side of eternity anyway.
There is a lot of suffering in our world these days. We watch the news on our devices and we read about bad things happening all over the world. It bothers me to see people suffer and it really bothers me when I suffer in one way or another.
When we encounter times of suffering we can be thankful that the Lord our God will comfort us in our times of need. God is the God of all comfort. He will draw near to us when we draw near to Him. The Lord loves us with a deep unconditional love. God loves you! He will never leave you and He will never forsake you.
When we encounter times of suffering may we continue to trust in the Lord and draw near to Him. The Lord may try to teach us something during our trial and suffering. We whom have suffered can minster to others and bring them comfort as the Lord comforted us during our trial.
Let's comfort those who are suffering with various things and let's lift them up in prayer to the Lord.
Lord,
Thank You for comforting us during our trails.
Help us to bring comfort to those in need.
Come soon Lord Jesus.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
God Works Out All Things For Our Good
We live in a fallen world and sometimes bad things happen to us and to those we love. Sometimes we feel like we have been wronged by someone for one reason or another and it makes us mad. I am an imperfect man and sometimes I get upset and angry. Sometimes when we get angry we want to seek revenge, but we must resist that temptation at all cost. We need to leave that into the Lord's hands by releasing the person or persons who hurt us to Him.
It seems to hurt worse when a trusted friend hurts us or even a fellow believer in Christ. I have been hurt before by many people over the years and it never seems to get easy to deal with. Someone told me one time that times will come that people will come against you in some way and it will hurt like a bad word.
Recently I was hurt by some one's words at a certain establishment that shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. This person said I wasn't doing certain tasks fast enough and my production wasn't very good. They also said they would start leaving a list and if I didn't finish the list I would be written up for it. Now I have been at this particular place of employment for nearly 17 years and no one has ever said that my production wasn't very good or anything of the sort. This person who told me these things became really arrogant when he was telling me these things.
I was so very upset and angry. I couldn't sleep at all that night. I may have only gotten an hour and a half of sleep. The next day I went to work and I worked super hard. I was like a mad man putting product out and trying to be more productive. I wear one of those activity tracker devices and usually I average like 4 to 5 thousand steps at work on average. That day I did 14,000 steps. The next day I did 16,000 steps and the day after that I did 18,000 steps. The person who spoke to me seemed shocked and has barely said a word to me. I think I may have scared him.
I have learned something from this experience. I learned that I can work much faster and be more productive. I found out that I very good stamina to work for long periods of time with a break. In our trials the Lord will teach us things about ourselves that we would have never discovered on our own without going through a time of difficulty. God is good and He works out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
I am sure if I handled the situation that when through in a way that honored the Lord, but I hope that He did shine in that moment in a way that only He could because I know I was deeply angry and hurt. The wound still stings, but I know that the Lord will lead my steps and show me the way I must go. I forgive that person and the person who ordered him to tell me those things. I give them in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ to deal with in accordance to His perfect will.
Sometimes we get mistreated by people and sometimes things can seem highly unfair, but we must forgive them as the Lord Jesus Christ forgave us of much.
Lord,
Help us to forgive those who hurt us.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
It seems to hurt worse when a trusted friend hurts us or even a fellow believer in Christ. I have been hurt before by many people over the years and it never seems to get easy to deal with. Someone told me one time that times will come that people will come against you in some way and it will hurt like a bad word.
Recently I was hurt by some one's words at a certain establishment that shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. This person said I wasn't doing certain tasks fast enough and my production wasn't very good. They also said they would start leaving a list and if I didn't finish the list I would be written up for it. Now I have been at this particular place of employment for nearly 17 years and no one has ever said that my production wasn't very good or anything of the sort. This person who told me these things became really arrogant when he was telling me these things.
I was so very upset and angry. I couldn't sleep at all that night. I may have only gotten an hour and a half of sleep. The next day I went to work and I worked super hard. I was like a mad man putting product out and trying to be more productive. I wear one of those activity tracker devices and usually I average like 4 to 5 thousand steps at work on average. That day I did 14,000 steps. The next day I did 16,000 steps and the day after that I did 18,000 steps. The person who spoke to me seemed shocked and has barely said a word to me. I think I may have scared him.
I have learned something from this experience. I learned that I can work much faster and be more productive. I found out that I very good stamina to work for long periods of time with a break. In our trials the Lord will teach us things about ourselves that we would have never discovered on our own without going through a time of difficulty. God is good and He works out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
I am sure if I handled the situation that when through in a way that honored the Lord, but I hope that He did shine in that moment in a way that only He could because I know I was deeply angry and hurt. The wound still stings, but I know that the Lord will lead my steps and show me the way I must go. I forgive that person and the person who ordered him to tell me those things. I give them in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ to deal with in accordance to His perfect will.
Sometimes we get mistreated by people and sometimes things can seem highly unfair, but we must forgive them as the Lord Jesus Christ forgave us of much.
Lord,
Help us to forgive those who hurt us.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Friday, May 25, 2018
Beautiful Picture
I like to take photographs with my camera. I generally like taking pictures of birds, animals, and landscapes. Sometimes I see something that would make a great photograph, but I haven't got my camera. I had one of those experiences tonight. I was taking pictures of hummingbirds eating at the hummingbird feeder that is attached to my kitchen window. I had just put my camera away because it started raining really hard. The rain drops were bouncing off of the pavement on the road that goes by my house. Anyway as I am watching it rain a hummingbird lands on the feeder and he looks directly upward as the heavy rain falls on him. The bird fluttered his wings under the drops of rain. It was a wonderfully beautiful sight.
Sometimes we forget to look at the beauty of God's creation. The world can be so dark and bleak at times that we forget that beauty still exists. The Lord created everything seen and unseen. He is the One that formed the earth and the universe and He placed the stars in their right places. This God, the true living God made you and I as well. God is good.
We live in a fallen world that is getting more wicked as the days go on. We know that all people have a sin problem. We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards. God made a way for you and I to be reconciled back to Himself by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this world. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and He went obediently to the Cross where He bled and died for my sins and your sins and for the sins of every person throughout the world. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day to show us that He is indeed God. He is at the right hand of the Father and one day the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion.
We must repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone for salvation. We can't save ourselves. We can't earn our way into Heaven. There is not one of us that is good enough to obtain forgiveness of our sins on our own merit and there is no one good enough to earn their way into Heaven by good works. Works will not save you and I. Only Jesus Christ can save us, but we must receive Him as our Lord and Savior.
We are saved by grace through faith and that it is not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone of us can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be placed in a literal hell for all eternity because they refused to receive the forgiveness of their sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
It is a beautiful day in Heaven when a sinner repents of their sins and trusts in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There is hope in Jesus Christ. The world can seem like a hopeless place at times, but I tell you that you can have a true living hope by coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
We all face challenges and trials. We may even have emotional ups and downs. We may have problems at work and the stress nearly breaks us. Sometimes we fall and we fail, but if we are trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior God sees us as His child and that is a beautiful picture.
Lord,
I praise Your Name.
I am sorry for being foolish at times.
Have mercy on me O Lord a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.
I pray that You would help me not to be discouraged when other people come against me.
Help our focus to be on You.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Sometimes we forget to look at the beauty of God's creation. The world can be so dark and bleak at times that we forget that beauty still exists. The Lord created everything seen and unseen. He is the One that formed the earth and the universe and He placed the stars in their right places. This God, the true living God made you and I as well. God is good.
We live in a fallen world that is getting more wicked as the days go on. We know that all people have a sin problem. We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards. God made a way for you and I to be reconciled back to Himself by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this world. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and He went obediently to the Cross where He bled and died for my sins and your sins and for the sins of every person throughout the world. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day to show us that He is indeed God. He is at the right hand of the Father and one day the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion.
We must repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone for salvation. We can't save ourselves. We can't earn our way into Heaven. There is not one of us that is good enough to obtain forgiveness of our sins on our own merit and there is no one good enough to earn their way into Heaven by good works. Works will not save you and I. Only Jesus Christ can save us, but we must receive Him as our Lord and Savior.
We are saved by grace through faith and that it is not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone of us can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be placed in a literal hell for all eternity because they refused to receive the forgiveness of their sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
It is a beautiful day in Heaven when a sinner repents of their sins and trusts in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There is hope in Jesus Christ. The world can seem like a hopeless place at times, but I tell you that you can have a true living hope by coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
We all face challenges and trials. We may even have emotional ups and downs. We may have problems at work and the stress nearly breaks us. Sometimes we fall and we fail, but if we are trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior God sees us as His child and that is a beautiful picture.
Lord,
I praise Your Name.
I am sorry for being foolish at times.
Have mercy on me O Lord a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.
I pray that You would help me not to be discouraged when other people come against me.
Help our focus to be on You.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Trusting Jesus When We Feel Discouraged
Do you ever feel discouraged and frustrated? Sure you have. We have all had moments in our lives when situations arise and we get discouraged. I don't particularly like criticism especially when there is some truth mixed into it. We live in a fallen world and there will be things that happen to us that will seem completely and unequivocally unfair.
We have a choice when pressures mount and challenges come against us. We can get angry and frustrated and discouraged or we can hand it all over to God and trust Him to handle everything. The Lord promises us in His Word that He will take care of us if we are trusting in Him.
We may need to adjust our take on the situation and see what God wants us to learn from this. The best place for us to grow spiritually is in the deep dark valley of trials and not the mountain top experiences that we get sometimes. I really enjoy those mountain top moments when we feel close to the Lord and we can sense His presence and all is going well for us, but that is not where our faith grows.
Our faith grows in the battlefield of life as we journey through this earthly sod with our faith transfixed upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us in Scripture that in this world we will have trouble, but we need to take heart and know that He, Jesus, has overcome the world.
I feel like I have been unfairly criticized today and it hurt very deeply, but I know the Lord is going to work through this situation for my good and His glory. I was very upset and angry I must confess. I allow things bother me way too much and I have received criticism before for not being fast enough at my job so I shouldn't be surprised, but it still stings.
Maybe this is the Lord's way to try to humble me and help me see places of improvement in my life so I can better reflect the Lord Jesus to those around me. What ever the trial that comes against us we need to try to see it from God's viewpoint. I need to learn to do that more often.
Lord,
You are Holy and Just in Your Judgments.
Forgive us our sins of commission and our sins of omission.
Help us to forgive those who hurt us.
Help us to grow spiritually and even emotionally from the wounds that others have inflicted upon us.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen
We have a choice when pressures mount and challenges come against us. We can get angry and frustrated and discouraged or we can hand it all over to God and trust Him to handle everything. The Lord promises us in His Word that He will take care of us if we are trusting in Him.
We may need to adjust our take on the situation and see what God wants us to learn from this. The best place for us to grow spiritually is in the deep dark valley of trials and not the mountain top experiences that we get sometimes. I really enjoy those mountain top moments when we feel close to the Lord and we can sense His presence and all is going well for us, but that is not where our faith grows.
Our faith grows in the battlefield of life as we journey through this earthly sod with our faith transfixed upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us in Scripture that in this world we will have trouble, but we need to take heart and know that He, Jesus, has overcome the world.
I feel like I have been unfairly criticized today and it hurt very deeply, but I know the Lord is going to work through this situation for my good and His glory. I was very upset and angry I must confess. I allow things bother me way too much and I have received criticism before for not being fast enough at my job so I shouldn't be surprised, but it still stings.
Maybe this is the Lord's way to try to humble me and help me see places of improvement in my life so I can better reflect the Lord Jesus to those around me. What ever the trial that comes against us we need to try to see it from God's viewpoint. I need to learn to do that more often.
Lord,
You are Holy and Just in Your Judgments.
Forgive us our sins of commission and our sins of omission.
Help us to forgive those who hurt us.
Help us to grow spiritually and even emotionally from the wounds that others have inflicted upon us.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen
Monday, May 21, 2018
Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize
Even in times of stress and frustration we can know that God is still in control. Sometimes this may seem very hard for us to see and understand especially when our situation seems to go from bad to worse. Sometimes we face opposition from the least likely people. We need to remember to keep our eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Sometimes life is hard and sometimes our circumstances feel like they will never get better, but they will eventually if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ an our faith is in Him alone. Things may not get better right away. Things may actually grow much worse. We may even have to suffer for our belief in Jesus Christ.
Things may not get any better for us in this world, but if we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior then we can know that one day we will be with Him in Heaven for all eternity when we pass from this earth. The Lord Jesus has promised that He is preparing us a place for us in Heaven where we who are trusting in Him will be forever. In Heaven there will be no more death, no more pain, no stress, no anxieties, no worries, no bosses to put up with, nothing annoying, no more committee meetings, and no more disease and no more heart ache. There will be love, joy, peace, and the best thing of all we will be with the One died for us. We will be with Jesus.
Times will get tough for us here on this earthly sod, but we must persevere. We must press on and not be discouraged. We shouldn't be surprised at all the trouble that we are experiencing for the devil is running around stirring up trouble because he knows his days are numbered.
One great and awesome day the Lord Jesus will return to the earth as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. HE will judge the living and the dead. Those who have refused to repent of their sins and trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be tossed into a literal hell for all eternity. Those of us who have repented of our sins and have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will enter Heaven and be with the Lord for all eternity.
God doesn't want anyone to perish. Everyone has the opportunity to come to Jesus Christ, but many will reject Him because they refuse to repent of their sins.
We believers in Christ need to persevere in the hard times and keep our eyes on the prize. Our prize is Jesus and spending eternity with Him because of our faith in His finished work on the Cross.
Lord,
We turn our eyes to You.
Help us not to be discouraged.
Help us to persevere in our journey here on earth.
Empower us to live for You through the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Sometimes life is hard and sometimes our circumstances feel like they will never get better, but they will eventually if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ an our faith is in Him alone. Things may not get better right away. Things may actually grow much worse. We may even have to suffer for our belief in Jesus Christ.
Things may not get any better for us in this world, but if we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior then we can know that one day we will be with Him in Heaven for all eternity when we pass from this earth. The Lord Jesus has promised that He is preparing us a place for us in Heaven where we who are trusting in Him will be forever. In Heaven there will be no more death, no more pain, no stress, no anxieties, no worries, no bosses to put up with, nothing annoying, no more committee meetings, and no more disease and no more heart ache. There will be love, joy, peace, and the best thing of all we will be with the One died for us. We will be with Jesus.
Times will get tough for us here on this earthly sod, but we must persevere. We must press on and not be discouraged. We shouldn't be surprised at all the trouble that we are experiencing for the devil is running around stirring up trouble because he knows his days are numbered.
One great and awesome day the Lord Jesus will return to the earth as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. HE will judge the living and the dead. Those who have refused to repent of their sins and trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be tossed into a literal hell for all eternity. Those of us who have repented of our sins and have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will enter Heaven and be with the Lord for all eternity.
God doesn't want anyone to perish. Everyone has the opportunity to come to Jesus Christ, but many will reject Him because they refuse to repent of their sins.
We believers in Christ need to persevere in the hard times and keep our eyes on the prize. Our prize is Jesus and spending eternity with Him because of our faith in His finished work on the Cross.
Lord,
We turn our eyes to You.
Help us not to be discouraged.
Help us to persevere in our journey here on earth.
Empower us to live for You through the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Looking For "God Prints"
My brother and I took my mother down state to have surgery yesterday. Everything went very well and very smoothly. I thank you all who prayed. I definitely sensed God's presence throughout the day. I even saw some "God Prints" I guess I will call them. We have all seen footprints in the sand or in the mud and we know that by seeing those prints we know that someone had been there before. God leaves His prints around to show us that He is there with us. The Bible tells us that He is always with us and that He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us.
I sometimes ask the Lord to show me His presence when I go away somewhere and He always does if I am looking for them. Some people may look at these things as coincidence, but I don't believe in mere coincidences. The operation my mom had was uneventful the doctor said. They didn't have to give her something to put her into a deep sleep, but they gave her a milder one which would have less side effects. Everyone there was friendly and warm. One of the nurses that took care of my mother was named Grace. Another nurse who took mom in a wheel chair ride down to the car after she was discharged looked familiar to my brother. It turns out that a few weeks prior he and his wife down state and ate at a restaurant and that nurse was seated at the next table. The surgeon was a doctor that took care of my mother 20 years ago when she was in the hospital for a month downstate.
The Lord loves us so very much and He cares for us. He wants us to learn to trust Him more and more each and everyday. Life can be hard and stressful, but the Lord is with us each step of the way. We may not understand what He is doing or why He allows certain things to happen, but we can know that He is working out things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Life can be tragic and unfair. Sometimes we feel weary and troubled by all the bad things happening in our world these days. We must remember that God is aware of all the wickedness that is going on and He is still at work in people's lives drawing them to Himself.
There are some people who will resist the Lord and they will reject His invitation. We must continue to look for those "God Prints" that He shows us everyday to remind us each and everyday. We must read the Bible and allow Him to speak to our hearts through His Holy Spirit while we read Scripture.
God is always with us no matter what we are going though and no matter how difficult the path may be.
Lord,
Thank You for showing us little reminders to let us know that You are near us.
We praise Your Name.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
Thank You Lord Jesus for never leaving us and never forsaking us.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
I sometimes ask the Lord to show me His presence when I go away somewhere and He always does if I am looking for them. Some people may look at these things as coincidence, but I don't believe in mere coincidences. The operation my mom had was uneventful the doctor said. They didn't have to give her something to put her into a deep sleep, but they gave her a milder one which would have less side effects. Everyone there was friendly and warm. One of the nurses that took care of my mother was named Grace. Another nurse who took mom in a wheel chair ride down to the car after she was discharged looked familiar to my brother. It turns out that a few weeks prior he and his wife down state and ate at a restaurant and that nurse was seated at the next table. The surgeon was a doctor that took care of my mother 20 years ago when she was in the hospital for a month downstate.
The Lord loves us so very much and He cares for us. He wants us to learn to trust Him more and more each and everyday. Life can be hard and stressful, but the Lord is with us each step of the way. We may not understand what He is doing or why He allows certain things to happen, but we can know that He is working out things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Life can be tragic and unfair. Sometimes we feel weary and troubled by all the bad things happening in our world these days. We must remember that God is aware of all the wickedness that is going on and He is still at work in people's lives drawing them to Himself.
There are some people who will resist the Lord and they will reject His invitation. We must continue to look for those "God Prints" that He shows us everyday to remind us each and everyday. We must read the Bible and allow Him to speak to our hearts through His Holy Spirit while we read Scripture.
God is always with us no matter what we are going though and no matter how difficult the path may be.
Lord,
Thank You for showing us little reminders to let us know that You are near us.
We praise Your Name.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
Thank You Lord Jesus for never leaving us and never forsaking us.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Can you handle the truth?
We live in an increasingly darkening world. There is much anger and despair. There is hurting and pain. There is deceit and wickedness. Thankfully, there is light and there is truth. There is the truth that sets us free. Some may ask, "What is truth?" since it seems so hard to know what is the truth these days.
We don't like to be deceived by people and there are times we really don't like to here the truth because it can cut us to the very heart of our being, but we need to hear the truth and respond to it accordingly. We may not like to hear someone telling us that what we are doing is wrong. We all need correction sometimes because there are times when we are wrong.
There are many people in our world today that have been deceived by the devil and think they are in right standing with God because of their good works or because they are a good person. We know from the Bible that there is no one that does good and we also know from the Bible that we have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's standards which are really high. There is not one of us that is good enough to save ourselves. We can't earn our forgiveness and we can't get into Heaven based upon our merits. Our good works will never out weigh our bad.
There is only one true living God. He alone is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. There aren't many different gods that decided to design everything. There is only the Lord God Almighty. He alone is God and there is no other. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Lord is alone is God and He exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. He is our Maker and He is the sustainer of all things. God is Holy and nothing sinful can ever enter into His presence.
We people are all deserving of eternal separation from God and placed into a literal hell. God made a way for us to be reconciled to Himself by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to live a perfect sinless life. Jesus laid down His life for our sins by dying on the Cross. Jesus shed His precious blood on the Cross to pay our sin debt. Jesus took the punishment that we all so rightly deserve. It is not God's desire that anyone should perish, but He wishes that all would come to faith in Christ Jesus and be saved.
Some people refuse to repent and turn to Jesus Christ because they would rather believe the lie that the devil spreads around the world instead of stepping out of the darkness and into the light by trusting Christ as their Lord and Savior.
We believers in Jesus Christ need to guard the truth of who God is and stand firmly upon the truth of God's Holy Word, the Bible. We need to try to pull people out of the lies and the darkness and into the truth. Unfortunately, there are many people who's hearts have become so hardened that they refuse to hear the truth for their ears have become dull of hearing. Many will argue their point and refuse to come to the truth of who God is.
It is a very sad thing to see a person who has been coming to church for many years, but have no testimony whatsoever concerning how Christ has changed their lives. I am afraid for such people. For it is a scary thing to fall into the hands of the living God. We must all come to repentance of our sins and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and be saved.
God loves us and He wants to have an intimate relationship with each one of us, but we must come to Him on His terms no ours. We need to humble ourselves and come to Christ by faith and trust in His grace. Grace is not cheap, but it is costly. Jesus died for us to have this grace. He rose from the dead to show us that He is indeed God. One Day Jesus will come back as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
God is so very good. We can trust Him to meet all of our genuine needs. God can't be mocked. He knows everyone that is His and if we are trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we can know that He will never let us go.
Tomorrow my mother will be having surgery and I would ask that you would pray for her. I ask for prayers for traveling mercies as well. Please pray that the Lord would direct me to do those things that He wants me to do as well.
Let's cling to the truth of God's Holy Word and of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John14:6)
Lord,
Thank You for being the truth that sets us free.
We praise Your Name.
Search us O God and lead us by Your Holy Spirit.
Touch my mother with Your healing touch.
Come Soon O Lord,
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
We don't like to be deceived by people and there are times we really don't like to here the truth because it can cut us to the very heart of our being, but we need to hear the truth and respond to it accordingly. We may not like to hear someone telling us that what we are doing is wrong. We all need correction sometimes because there are times when we are wrong.
There are many people in our world today that have been deceived by the devil and think they are in right standing with God because of their good works or because they are a good person. We know from the Bible that there is no one that does good and we also know from the Bible that we have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's standards which are really high. There is not one of us that is good enough to save ourselves. We can't earn our forgiveness and we can't get into Heaven based upon our merits. Our good works will never out weigh our bad.
There is only one true living God. He alone is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. There aren't many different gods that decided to design everything. There is only the Lord God Almighty. He alone is God and there is no other. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Lord is alone is God and He exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. He is our Maker and He is the sustainer of all things. God is Holy and nothing sinful can ever enter into His presence.
We people are all deserving of eternal separation from God and placed into a literal hell. God made a way for us to be reconciled to Himself by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to live a perfect sinless life. Jesus laid down His life for our sins by dying on the Cross. Jesus shed His precious blood on the Cross to pay our sin debt. Jesus took the punishment that we all so rightly deserve. It is not God's desire that anyone should perish, but He wishes that all would come to faith in Christ Jesus and be saved.
Some people refuse to repent and turn to Jesus Christ because they would rather believe the lie that the devil spreads around the world instead of stepping out of the darkness and into the light by trusting Christ as their Lord and Savior.
We believers in Jesus Christ need to guard the truth of who God is and stand firmly upon the truth of God's Holy Word, the Bible. We need to try to pull people out of the lies and the darkness and into the truth. Unfortunately, there are many people who's hearts have become so hardened that they refuse to hear the truth for their ears have become dull of hearing. Many will argue their point and refuse to come to the truth of who God is.
It is a very sad thing to see a person who has been coming to church for many years, but have no testimony whatsoever concerning how Christ has changed their lives. I am afraid for such people. For it is a scary thing to fall into the hands of the living God. We must all come to repentance of our sins and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and be saved.
God loves us and He wants to have an intimate relationship with each one of us, but we must come to Him on His terms no ours. We need to humble ourselves and come to Christ by faith and trust in His grace. Grace is not cheap, but it is costly. Jesus died for us to have this grace. He rose from the dead to show us that He is indeed God. One Day Jesus will come back as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
God is so very good. We can trust Him to meet all of our genuine needs. God can't be mocked. He knows everyone that is His and if we are trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we can know that He will never let us go.
Tomorrow my mother will be having surgery and I would ask that you would pray for her. I ask for prayers for traveling mercies as well. Please pray that the Lord would direct me to do those things that He wants me to do as well.
Let's cling to the truth of God's Holy Word and of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John14:6)
Lord,
Thank You for being the truth that sets us free.
We praise Your Name.
Search us O God and lead us by Your Holy Spirit.
Touch my mother with Your healing touch.
Come Soon O Lord,
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
The Battle Is The Lords
We believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are engaged in a major spiritual battle with the forces of evil. The devil is tying to stir up trouble wherever and however he can. Satan has even planted his followers within churches to stir up division and dissension.
We believers in Christ need to pray for discernment and make sure we keep rooted in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. The Lord will help us through the spiritual battles that we will all face for the battle is the Lords.
God will help us and He will empower us to live God honoring lives through the Holy Spirit. We must not become discouraged no matter how tempting it may be. We must not quit and give up either. We must deny ourselves daily and take up our cross and follow Jesus wherever He leads us.
Things will continue to grow worse until the return of Jesus Christ at His Second Coming. Jesus is coming back and it could be very soon. We must stand firm and trust the Lord. The days will grow darker and people's hearts will grow colder as time goes on.
The Lord promised us that He would never leave us nor would He ever forsake us. Let's not become weary from doing good knowing that Jesus Christ is come soon with our reward. God is good and He is in control.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us not to be discouraged.
Help us to take a stand and speak up about those things that are evil and wrong.
Pour out Your Spirit upon all those whom are trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Come soon O Lord.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
We believers in Christ need to pray for discernment and make sure we keep rooted in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. The Lord will help us through the spiritual battles that we will all face for the battle is the Lords.
God will help us and He will empower us to live God honoring lives through the Holy Spirit. We must not become discouraged no matter how tempting it may be. We must not quit and give up either. We must deny ourselves daily and take up our cross and follow Jesus wherever He leads us.
Things will continue to grow worse until the return of Jesus Christ at His Second Coming. Jesus is coming back and it could be very soon. We must stand firm and trust the Lord. The days will grow darker and people's hearts will grow colder as time goes on.
The Lord promised us that He would never leave us nor would He ever forsake us. Let's not become weary from doing good knowing that Jesus Christ is come soon with our reward. God is good and He is in control.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us not to be discouraged.
Help us to take a stand and speak up about those things that are evil and wrong.
Pour out Your Spirit upon all those whom are trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Come soon O Lord.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
The Most Important Thing
I would like to say, "Happy Mother's Day!" to my mother and all mothers out their on this day. May the Lord bless you greatly this day and the days ahead.
I had the great opportunity to preach this morning at the First Baptist Church of Houlton where I serve as the Pastoral Intern and head of the Deacons. I was blessed to my mother and brother and his wife there.
I was really nervous for several days leading up to the very moment that I spoke. I was terrified actually. I had no idea how I was going to start the sermon. I did my sermon preparation so I know what the topic and direction and I prayed. Then I prayed some more. I asked the Lord just to take over and work through me for His glory and He did. I now know why the Apostle Paul said he preached with fear and trembling.
I preached on John 3:1-21 which says,
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
I had the great opportunity to preach this morning at the First Baptist Church of Houlton where I serve as the Pastoral Intern and head of the Deacons. I was blessed to my mother and brother and his wife there.
I was really nervous for several days leading up to the very moment that I spoke. I was terrified actually. I had no idea how I was going to start the sermon. I did my sermon preparation so I know what the topic and direction and I prayed. Then I prayed some more. I asked the Lord just to take over and work through me for His glory and He did. I now know why the Apostle Paul said he preached with fear and trembling.
I preached on John 3:1-21 which says,
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritb gives birth to spirit.
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youc must be born again.’
8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”d
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.e
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,f
15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”g
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
We all have been born into this world by being born. Our mother's brought us into our world along with our earthly fathers, but our mothers had to endure the pain and discomfort of childbirth. Even though we were born into this world as living beings doesn't mean that we are in right standing with God our Heavenly Father.
We must be born again. We need to come to the realization that we are sinners and we can't save ourselves. There is only one way into Heaven and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other name under Heaven in which we must be saved by and that is the name of Jesus Christ. Being a Muslim will not save you, Being a Hindu will not save you, wearing an apron, using a fancy secret handshake, and whispering a secret code into a someone's ear who is standing behind a curtain will not save you. Only Jesus Christ can save you. If you are trusting in something else other than Jesus Christ then I have bad news for you my friend you are on your way to eternal damnation and total separation from God forever.
We must be born again by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. We can't add anything to His finished work and we can't add anything to it either. I preached this sermon today without notes except when I read a story about how a young teenage boy came to know Jesus Christ by listening to a poorly prepared lay minister. The teenaged boy had been convicted and had been feeling horrible for months. The boy had been brought up in church all of his life. His father was a preacher and his grandfather as well. The poorly prepared lay minister (whom I can relate to all to well I am afraid) just kept repeating his text that he had and he pointed towards the boy and said, "You look miserable and troubled, young man. Look to Jesus!" The young teenager did look to Jesus and that young man's name was Charles Spurgeon. He received Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior and was born again. He would later on become one the most well known preachers of his day and his name is still known today even though he lived in the middle to late 1800's.
Jesus Christ can change your life if you will allow Him. You need to look to Jesus Christ and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. If you haven't trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior I pray that you will before it is too late. You must be born again or you will never see the Kingdom of God.
I had a over all good response to my sermon except for one man who came up to me at the end of the service steaming mad. He had hate in his eyes and he said, "Do you have something against social clubs or something?" and I said no. He was mad I guess because of the secret handshake things I mentioned above which is what a certain "social club" uses in their rituals. He says to me, "Do you think that those people aren't Christians." I said, "I don't know their hearts. That is between them and the Lord. They need Jesus."
I just kept saying, "They need Jesus." and He final stormed off all mad. A Pastor friend of mine told me one time to beware of men who wear bow ties and this man was wearing one. I would ask you to pray for this poor man and that he would look to Jesus Christ.
The truth must be proclaimed. It would be easy. It may even get dangerous and deadly for us, but this world is not our home. We have a better place being prepared for us in our eternal home in Heaven because we have trusted Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation.
I am thankful that I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in my late twenties because my sister in law invited me to church and bought me a Bible. I remember hearing that preacher talking about Jesus. I realized I was a sinner and I needed a Savior. I needed to be born again. I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and I am serving Him.
Lord,
I thank You for Your love and Your goodness.
I pray that people will come to know You Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
(Here is a link to the Facebook page of the First Baptist Church of Houlton, Maine. Look for the May 13th service to watch the video. God Bless.)
Friday, May 11, 2018
Stepping Out In Faith
Sometimes we can feel so very ill prepared and inadequate to do those things that the Lord has called us to do. There are times when we must to things that are really hard and we may have to step way out of our comfort zone. I feel the Lord is calling me out of my comfort zone and I must say it feels a little scary. I am unsure of myself and I feel unprepared for the task.
It is alright for us to feel inadequate in our own power because without God we are inadequate for the Lord is our adequacy. The Lord wants us to lean on Him and trust Him. The Lord will lead us through the times of difficulty and He will empower us to do His will through His Holy Spirit who indwells us.
I am not sure what the Lord is doing, but I know I can trust Him to lead me. I am weak and fragile, but God is mighty and all powerful. We just need to be obedient to His call on our lives and leave all the consequences to Him. Sometimes the enemy will try to discourage us and he will try to derail our faith in the Lord. We must resist the devil at all cost and remember that he is a liar and the father of lies.
God's Word will never fail. It will never return void. I have seen evidence of this first hand. Over the years I preached a few really ill prepared sermons. I got into the habit years ago of writing out my sermons word for word and pretty much read them to the congregation. I remember the worst ones where I felt I had done a terrible job would be the ones that people would come up to me and thank me for the message. They would also tell me that it was exactly what they needed to hear. I thanked them and then I gave the praise to the Lord because I knew I had nothing to do with it being impactful.
The Lord won't set up for failure. He will lead us to the place where He wants us and He will use us to do His will.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us to step out in faith in the direction that You would have us to go.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
It is alright for us to feel inadequate in our own power because without God we are inadequate for the Lord is our adequacy. The Lord wants us to lean on Him and trust Him. The Lord will lead us through the times of difficulty and He will empower us to do His will through His Holy Spirit who indwells us.
I am not sure what the Lord is doing, but I know I can trust Him to lead me. I am weak and fragile, but God is mighty and all powerful. We just need to be obedient to His call on our lives and leave all the consequences to Him. Sometimes the enemy will try to discourage us and he will try to derail our faith in the Lord. We must resist the devil at all cost and remember that he is a liar and the father of lies.
God's Word will never fail. It will never return void. I have seen evidence of this first hand. Over the years I preached a few really ill prepared sermons. I got into the habit years ago of writing out my sermons word for word and pretty much read them to the congregation. I remember the worst ones where I felt I had done a terrible job would be the ones that people would come up to me and thank me for the message. They would also tell me that it was exactly what they needed to hear. I thanked them and then I gave the praise to the Lord because I knew I had nothing to do with it being impactful.
The Lord won't set up for failure. He will lead us to the place where He wants us and He will use us to do His will.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us to step out in faith in the direction that You would have us to go.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Singing Praises To The Lord
I really enjoy singing hymns and songs of praise to the Lord. I know that I am not a very good singer, but I enjoy expressing my praise to the Lord by lifting up my voice to Him. God is good and He is all powerful. The Lord is our helper in our time of need. When the Church comes together to worship we should lift up our voices in praise to our Creator and Maker. We may think we sound like a cat stuck in the shower with the water on, but our God loves to hear His children sing His praises and that is always pleasing to His ears.
Every other week I go to a nursing home with my guitar and I sing some Hymns. I lead the residents of that facility in singing some songs of praise and worship to the Lord. I read them a devotional that I have written and it is always a great blessing to be with those dear precious people. They really seem to appreciate my coming a leading them in worship. It never fails though each time I leave there I am the one that feels blessed by being with them. I have been bringing someone from another church to play the piano and they really enjoy that too.
There is just something about music that can touch at the very core of someone's emotions and pierce the very center of the human soul. The is especially true of hymn and songs that proclaim the awesome truth of God and how marvelous God truly is.
When we come to the Lord and sing unto Him with our hands raised we can at times sense His loving presence. God loves us and He shows us everyday, but sadly sometimes we fail to express our love towards Him publicly. I am guilty of this as well. Sometimes I just don't want to stand out in the crowd. It is during those times that I ask myself, "Am I more concerned about what people think or about praising the Lord with my voice and all that is within me?"
We shouldn't be putting on a show as some have, but we should allow ourselves to proclaim our love and devotion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in song with our voices lifted high.
Lord,
I know I can't sing very well, but I want to praise You with my voice as I sing praises to You.
Help me to be brave and courageous to sing out to You from my heart.
Lead us and guide us through Your Holy Spirit.
Come Soon Lord Jesus
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Every other week I go to a nursing home with my guitar and I sing some Hymns. I lead the residents of that facility in singing some songs of praise and worship to the Lord. I read them a devotional that I have written and it is always a great blessing to be with those dear precious people. They really seem to appreciate my coming a leading them in worship. It never fails though each time I leave there I am the one that feels blessed by being with them. I have been bringing someone from another church to play the piano and they really enjoy that too.
There is just something about music that can touch at the very core of someone's emotions and pierce the very center of the human soul. The is especially true of hymn and songs that proclaim the awesome truth of God and how marvelous God truly is.
When we come to the Lord and sing unto Him with our hands raised we can at times sense His loving presence. God loves us and He shows us everyday, but sadly sometimes we fail to express our love towards Him publicly. I am guilty of this as well. Sometimes I just don't want to stand out in the crowd. It is during those times that I ask myself, "Am I more concerned about what people think or about praising the Lord with my voice and all that is within me?"
We shouldn't be putting on a show as some have, but we should allow ourselves to proclaim our love and devotion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in song with our voices lifted high.
Lord,
I know I can't sing very well, but I want to praise You with my voice as I sing praises to You.
Help me to be brave and courageous to sing out to You from my heart.
Lead us and guide us through Your Holy Spirit.
Come Soon Lord Jesus
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Spending Quiet Time With The Lord
Life can get hectic and noisy. There are many things and many people that are vying for our attention daily. We live in a noisy world from the sounds of traffic on the roads, the sounds of construction and building going on, to sounds of the television or radio, and even sounds from our computers, tablets, and smart phones. We are surrounded by noise everyday and a whole lot of it.
In my work space where I work there is a speaker that is directly over my head that plays the local radio station music at a rather loud volume that I can't control and I can't turn the station either. I am forced to listen to whatever is on the radio as I work. I am not a fan of the music, but that is a story for another time.
Sometimes the noise in our lives comes in different forms such as thoughts of nagging doubt or anxiety and worry that just won't go away. Sometimes the noise comes in the form of pressure from other people and their demands for our time. Many people have so much noise in their lives that they feel stressed out and feel like they are at the end of their ropes sort of speak.
I had the day off from work today so I went for a walk outside and I took my camera with me. I ended up walking up back of where I live and just looked into the woods hoping to find a bird or a deer to take a picture of. I stood really still and I listened. Birds were singing and chirping. The slight breeze was gently rustling the branches of the trees that surrounded me. I was being still. My mind was clear. I felt calm and relaxed.
I felt totally peaceful in that moment and I just raised my hands in worship to the Lord. When I stood there with my hands raised and the gentle breeze hitting my face these words came to my mind as a gentle reminder to us all. The words were, "Be still and know that I am God."
Sometimes in the busyness of life and all the things that we need to get done we forget to be still in the presence of our Awesome God and Creator. We are not in control of our lives or our circumstances. God is in control even when the world seems to be floundering in udder chaos.
We need to take a time out and recharge our Spiritual batteries if you will by getting alone with God and just being still in His wonderful presence. We need to read His word, the Bible, as well and learn of Him and fall deeper in love with Him for He loves us so very much. The Lord wants us to spend more time with Him. The many things that we are busy doing have no real eternal value.
Shouldn't we make time to spend quiet time with our Lord and our God?
Lord,
Forgive us for getting too busy and not spending more time with You.
Help us to be still and know that You are God and You are in control.
Help us to remove some of the noise in our lives and be more focused on You O Lord.
Lord Jesus grant us strength and guidance through the Holy Spirit to accomplish Your will for our lives.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
In my work space where I work there is a speaker that is directly over my head that plays the local radio station music at a rather loud volume that I can't control and I can't turn the station either. I am forced to listen to whatever is on the radio as I work. I am not a fan of the music, but that is a story for another time.
Sometimes the noise in our lives comes in different forms such as thoughts of nagging doubt or anxiety and worry that just won't go away. Sometimes the noise comes in the form of pressure from other people and their demands for our time. Many people have so much noise in their lives that they feel stressed out and feel like they are at the end of their ropes sort of speak.
I had the day off from work today so I went for a walk outside and I took my camera with me. I ended up walking up back of where I live and just looked into the woods hoping to find a bird or a deer to take a picture of. I stood really still and I listened. Birds were singing and chirping. The slight breeze was gently rustling the branches of the trees that surrounded me. I was being still. My mind was clear. I felt calm and relaxed.
I felt totally peaceful in that moment and I just raised my hands in worship to the Lord. When I stood there with my hands raised and the gentle breeze hitting my face these words came to my mind as a gentle reminder to us all. The words were, "Be still and know that I am God."
Sometimes in the busyness of life and all the things that we need to get done we forget to be still in the presence of our Awesome God and Creator. We are not in control of our lives or our circumstances. God is in control even when the world seems to be floundering in udder chaos.
We need to take a time out and recharge our Spiritual batteries if you will by getting alone with God and just being still in His wonderful presence. We need to read His word, the Bible, as well and learn of Him and fall deeper in love with Him for He loves us so very much. The Lord wants us to spend more time with Him. The many things that we are busy doing have no real eternal value.
Shouldn't we make time to spend quiet time with our Lord and our God?
Lord,
Forgive us for getting too busy and not spending more time with You.
Help us to be still and know that You are God and You are in control.
Help us to remove some of the noise in our lives and be more focused on You O Lord.
Lord Jesus grant us strength and guidance through the Holy Spirit to accomplish Your will for our lives.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
One Step At A Time
The journey that we find ourselves on in life can be rather hard at times and it also be dangerously treacherous to say the least. Life is full of times of great joy and of celebrating wonderful accomplishments. Life can also bring great sadness and tragic moments of sorrow. We live in a sinful world that is getting increasingly darker and more wicked.
It is easy for a believer in Jesus Christ to get swept away into the tide of negativity if we are not careful. It is easy to just, "go with the flow", but we believers and followers of Jesus must resist that temptation. It is all too easy to compromise our beliefs and start acting as the world does.
Sometimes we fail to walk in the Spirit as we should and we allow our fleshly nature to emerge and that is never good for our witness for Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors here on the earth. That is we are His representatives and I must admit sometimes I am not a very good representative. Sometimes I allow my frustration and anger show especially when I am overtired and when I feel pressured by someone.
When we start acting out in our fleshly sinful nature it is a clear sign for us that our focus is not in the right place. If our focus is on the worldly stuff that is happening then we will start behaving as the world does, but if our focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ and on things above then we will be more apt to walk by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is a step by step approach.
We must no longer walk as the world does, but we need to throw off those things that slow us down and the sin that makes us trip and fall on the journey that we are on. We must put on our new self that we obtained when we trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we repented of our sins and trusted Christ as Savior we were born again. We have been bought through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards. We are all deserving of being placed in hell and eternally separated from our Holy God.
God made a way for us to be reconciled back to Himself through a personal relationship through Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and He laid down His life on the Cross where He shed His blood for our sins. When we trust Christ as Savior the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us and we will never truly be alone on our journey on the earth.
Colossians 3:1-10 says,
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
It is easy for a believer in Jesus Christ to get swept away into the tide of negativity if we are not careful. It is easy to just, "go with the flow", but we believers and followers of Jesus must resist that temptation. It is all too easy to compromise our beliefs and start acting as the world does.
Sometimes we fail to walk in the Spirit as we should and we allow our fleshly nature to emerge and that is never good for our witness for Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors here on the earth. That is we are His representatives and I must admit sometimes I am not a very good representative. Sometimes I allow my frustration and anger show especially when I am overtired and when I feel pressured by someone.
When we start acting out in our fleshly sinful nature it is a clear sign for us that our focus is not in the right place. If our focus is on the worldly stuff that is happening then we will start behaving as the world does, but if our focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ and on things above then we will be more apt to walk by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is a step by step approach.
We must no longer walk as the world does, but we need to throw off those things that slow us down and the sin that makes us trip and fall on the journey that we are on. We must put on our new self that we obtained when we trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we repented of our sins and trusted Christ as Savior we were born again. We have been bought through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards. We are all deserving of being placed in hell and eternally separated from our Holy God.
God made a way for us to be reconciled back to Himself through a personal relationship through Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and He laid down His life on the Cross where He shed His blood for our sins. When we trust Christ as Savior the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us and we will never truly be alone on our journey on the earth.
Colossians 3:1-10 says,
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
We need to now set our minds on Jesus and not on things of this world. The things of this world are perishing and passing away. Our focus needs to be on those things that are above that is our focus needs to be on eternal things that actually last.
We died to sin when we came to know Christ as Savior. We do occasionally sin, but our sins have been paid for by the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He died for our sins past, present, and future. We are saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We need to put to death those things that rise up in us that come from our sinful nature. We need to cast off the anger, the immoral behavior and thoughts, and everything else that is not honoring to the Lord. God's wrath is coming very soon on those who have not repented of their sins and have trusted Christ as Savior. Those who are still in their sin will face the wrath of God because they have refused to turn away from their sin and receive the gift of forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Let's put on the new self that we received through the Holy Spirit when we came to know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. We do this by submitting to the Holy Spirit's lead and direction. I know I am not anywhere near the point where I can say that I am walking in step with the Spirit everyday. I stumble and fall a lot, but I keep getting up and continue on with my focus on the Lord. We must continue marching along with our focus on the Lord Jesus one step at a time.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Thank You for this day.
Thank You for Your great love toward us.
Help us not to be discouraged and angry over things that have no eternal value.
Help us to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.
Come Soon Lord Jesus.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Letting God Out of the Box
There are times when the problems and the troubles that we encounter in life seem so very large and daunting that we are unsure as to what to do or where to turn for help. Sometimes we try to figure things out on our own to no avail. There are also those times when our focus is on the problem that we are facing and it seems so very big and overwhelming.
It is during those moments as we focus on our troubles that our view of God shrinks. When we focus on our trouble the problem seems huge and our God seems small. When our focus is on the Lord our God and Creator our problem seems very small next to who He is. God is still all powerful and all knowing.
Sometimes we place God in a box to fit our needs. Isn't time for us to let God out of the box and allow God to be God. He doesn't need our permission to do such things. He will do what is right and good. He will do everything in accordance to His perfect will and purpose.
The Lord wants us to trust Him more and grow closer to Him in an intimate relationship through Jesus Christ. We need to read the Bible and allow the Holy Spirit of God to reveal what the Word is saying to us today.
We need to learn that all things are still possible with God and He will move heaven and earth to reveal His will to us and He will use us to accomplish His will if we just submit to His authority and His lead.
Times are hard and things will growing tougher as the days go on, but we must remember who our God is. God hasn't changed. God hasn't become weak nor has He grown old and tired. God is the true living God. He is the Lord, the Creator and Maker of all things including you and I. He is all powerful and all knowing. He is the ever present loving God. There is nothing that is beyond His capability.
Sometimes we forget how Awesome God truly is. We think we know everything about how God works, but then He surprises us. He never violates His Word. He is always true to His Word. God is love and He is also the just Judge.
The Lord Jesus will return to this earth one day in Judgment when He will judge the living and the dead. Those who have repented of their sins and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will enter in Heaven to be with the Lord for all eternity. Those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross for their sins will be sent to a literal hell for all eternity outside the presence on Almighty God.
The Lord can't be mocked and He won't be mocked. God will do as He says He will do in the Bible. We must come to God on His terms and not ours. We must submit to His ways and to His perfect will. God does loves us and He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us, but we must come to God the Father through Jesus Christ, God the Son to be saved.
God demonstrated His great love for us by sending Jesus Christ to die on a cruel old rugged Cross for our sins and for the sins of the entire world. In order to get into a right standing with God we need to come to faith in Christ Jesus. We are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus shed His blood for our sins. He tool the punishment that you and I deserve.
There is no other way to obtain forgiveness of our sins except through Jesus Christ. There are no amount of good works or rituals that can perform to earn our way into Heaven. We must come to God through Jesus Christ and place our faith in Him. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes the Father except through Him and Him alone.
God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day and He is now at the right hand of the Father in Heaven interceding in prayer for us. One day the Lord Jesus will return when He brings the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion and He will Judge the living and the dead.
The Lord Jesus didn't leave us to fend for ourselves while we await His return. He gives the Holy Spirit to indwell everyone that has placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We must receive the gift of salvation by faith. No one can believe for you. We need to confess that we are sinners to the Lord and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. I would encourage you, if you have never done so, go to the Lord right now and confess to the Lord that you are a sinner and can't save your self and ask Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior.
It doesn't have to be a fancy prayer, but it needs to be sincere and done with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is who He says He is and we can trust Him. May open the box in our minds that we have placed God in and let Him be God.
Lord,
You are God and there is no other God besides You.
You are God and we are Your creation.
May Your will be done on the earth as it is in Heaven.
Let Your Kingdom come soon O' Lord.
Lord, pull away the veil from the eyes and hearts of those who don't know You.
Open my eyes and my heart to see Your work in my life.
I praise Your Holy Name.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
It is during those moments as we focus on our troubles that our view of God shrinks. When we focus on our trouble the problem seems huge and our God seems small. When our focus is on the Lord our God and Creator our problem seems very small next to who He is. God is still all powerful and all knowing.
Sometimes we place God in a box to fit our needs. Isn't time for us to let God out of the box and allow God to be God. He doesn't need our permission to do such things. He will do what is right and good. He will do everything in accordance to His perfect will and purpose.
The Lord wants us to trust Him more and grow closer to Him in an intimate relationship through Jesus Christ. We need to read the Bible and allow the Holy Spirit of God to reveal what the Word is saying to us today.
We need to learn that all things are still possible with God and He will move heaven and earth to reveal His will to us and He will use us to accomplish His will if we just submit to His authority and His lead.
Times are hard and things will growing tougher as the days go on, but we must remember who our God is. God hasn't changed. God hasn't become weak nor has He grown old and tired. God is the true living God. He is the Lord, the Creator and Maker of all things including you and I. He is all powerful and all knowing. He is the ever present loving God. There is nothing that is beyond His capability.
Sometimes we forget how Awesome God truly is. We think we know everything about how God works, but then He surprises us. He never violates His Word. He is always true to His Word. God is love and He is also the just Judge.
The Lord Jesus will return to this earth one day in Judgment when He will judge the living and the dead. Those who have repented of their sins and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will enter in Heaven to be with the Lord for all eternity. Those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross for their sins will be sent to a literal hell for all eternity outside the presence on Almighty God.
The Lord can't be mocked and He won't be mocked. God will do as He says He will do in the Bible. We must come to God on His terms and not ours. We must submit to His ways and to His perfect will. God does loves us and He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us, but we must come to God the Father through Jesus Christ, God the Son to be saved.
God demonstrated His great love for us by sending Jesus Christ to die on a cruel old rugged Cross for our sins and for the sins of the entire world. In order to get into a right standing with God we need to come to faith in Christ Jesus. We are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus shed His blood for our sins. He tool the punishment that you and I deserve.
There is no other way to obtain forgiveness of our sins except through Jesus Christ. There are no amount of good works or rituals that can perform to earn our way into Heaven. We must come to God through Jesus Christ and place our faith in Him. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes the Father except through Him and Him alone.
God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day and He is now at the right hand of the Father in Heaven interceding in prayer for us. One day the Lord Jesus will return when He brings the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion and He will Judge the living and the dead.
The Lord Jesus didn't leave us to fend for ourselves while we await His return. He gives the Holy Spirit to indwell everyone that has placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We must receive the gift of salvation by faith. No one can believe for you. We need to confess that we are sinners to the Lord and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. I would encourage you, if you have never done so, go to the Lord right now and confess to the Lord that you are a sinner and can't save your self and ask Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior.
It doesn't have to be a fancy prayer, but it needs to be sincere and done with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is who He says He is and we can trust Him. May open the box in our minds that we have placed God in and let Him be God.
Lord,
You are God and there is no other God besides You.
You are God and we are Your creation.
May Your will be done on the earth as it is in Heaven.
Let Your Kingdom come soon O' Lord.
Lord, pull away the veil from the eyes and hearts of those who don't know You.
Open my eyes and my heart to see Your work in my life.
I praise Your Holy Name.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
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