I must confess sometimes I fail to understand how God could possibly love me so much. I know my heart and my thoughts. Sometimes they aren't very nice places I must admit. I make mistakes and fail a lot. I sometimes step directly into sin with no thoughts of how much it would hurt God. Deep down inside I am a wretched sinful man. How could God possibly love me?
Thankfully, He does love me and He loves you as well. The Lord knows our hearts and our past and our thoughts and He loves us anyway. God demonstrated His great love towards us in that while we were still sinners He sent Christ to die for our sins. Jesus Christ loves us so much that He endured the pain and torment of the Cross to reconcile us back into a right relationship with the Heavenly Father.
We may read in the Bible that God loves us and we sing songs of God's love, but do we really believe it deep down in our very souls? God's love is hard to understand and we won't understand it completely this side of Heaven, but we can definitely experience His love toward us by coming to faith in Jesus Christ and realizing what Jesus did for us on the Cross. "Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends", Jesus said. That is what Jesus did for us. He laid down His life for our sins because He loves us.
We know that is we confess our sins that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).
It is only with the Holy Spirit's help that we can fully grasp the truth that God loves us and that He is crazy about us. We are the apple of His eye. The Lord's love for us is not based on our performance. If it was we would all be in trouble. God's love is unconditional. His love is deeper, wider, and higher than anything we could possibly think of.
Sometimes we have a hard time believing that God loves us because when we were growing up we didn't experience love from a parent. That is a hard thing to endure, but we can rest assure that God's love is perfect and perfect love cast out all fear.
We need to embrace this love that Father has showered upon us. We believers in Jesus Christ have been should this great love through Jesus sacrifice on the Cross on our behalf. What an Awesome God we serve. Oh how much He loves us.
May we always remember that the Lord loves us deeply.
Lord,
Thank You for loving us so greatly.
Help us to understand just how much You love us.
Holy Spirit help us to comprehend the Father's love in a powerful way.
I love You Lord and thank You for loving me.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Monday, July 30, 2018
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Standing On The Truth Of Who God Is
When we are following the Lord Jesus and living by faith in Him we will most certainly face opposition at some point in our walk with the Lord. There will be people who won't like us and they won't like what we have to say. We believers in Jesus Christ may experience persecution of various degrees. We must not back down from our beliefs and we must stand firm upon the Word of God.
The Holy Bible is the only Holy book that proclaims the absolute truth about who the true living God is and how we all can be reconciled back to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. The way the world is going things will grow increasingly difficult and dangerous for people who cling to the truth of God and His Holy Word, the Bible.
The Lord Jesus told us that in this world we will have trouble, but He also told us to take heart because He has overcome the world. We believers in Christ have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and He will help us to proclaim the truth about God and He will help us have courage when persecution comes.
The times are growing very difficult and we are getting very close to the time when the eastern sky will open and the Lord Jesus Christ will descend from Heaven on His white horse and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion.
When people hate us and say mean things about us we must forgive them and stay focused on the Lord Jesus. Let's lift our eyes unto the hills for our help comes from the Lord who made the Heavens and the earth. May we not get discouraged, but may we lift our heads high for our redemption is drawing ever so near.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us not to get discouraged when people treat us badly.
Empower us to love others as You love us.
Lead us and guide us by Your Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
The Holy Bible is the only Holy book that proclaims the absolute truth about who the true living God is and how we all can be reconciled back to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. The way the world is going things will grow increasingly difficult and dangerous for people who cling to the truth of God and His Holy Word, the Bible.
The Lord Jesus told us that in this world we will have trouble, but He also told us to take heart because He has overcome the world. We believers in Christ have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and He will help us to proclaim the truth about God and He will help us have courage when persecution comes.
The times are growing very difficult and we are getting very close to the time when the eastern sky will open and the Lord Jesus Christ will descend from Heaven on His white horse and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion.
When people hate us and say mean things about us we must forgive them and stay focused on the Lord Jesus. Let's lift our eyes unto the hills for our help comes from the Lord who made the Heavens and the earth. May we not get discouraged, but may we lift our heads high for our redemption is drawing ever so near.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us not to get discouraged when people treat us badly.
Empower us to love others as You love us.
Lead us and guide us by Your Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Friday, July 27, 2018
When We Are In A Blazing Furnace
Sometimes the trials that we face in life are really hard and some are very difficult for us to handle. Thankfully, if we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we can know that we never have to face a difficult trial alone. The Lord is always with us each step of the way and we know that He promised us in the Bible that He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us.
There are times when we will have to walk through that dark lonesome valley with the shadow of death lurking over our shoulder, but we who know the Lord never have to fear for the Lord Himself will help us and comfort us throughout that journey. We believers in Christ Jesus even have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to help us and direct our steps.
Sometimes the trials that we face in life make us feel like we have been thrown into a blazing furnace of fire. We may feel overwhelmed and hurt. We may feel pressured and stressed to the max and we wonder if we will survive. It reminds me of what happened to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they did not bow down to the king's idol. We can read of that account in Daniel Chapter 3 which says,
"1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
There are times when we will have to walk through that dark lonesome valley with the shadow of death lurking over our shoulder, but we who know the Lord never have to fear for the Lord Himself will help us and comfort us throughout that journey. We believers in Christ Jesus even have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to help us and direct our steps.
Sometimes the trials that we face in life make us feel like we have been thrown into a blazing furnace of fire. We may feel overwhelmed and hurt. We may feel pressured and stressed to the max and we wonder if we will survive. It reminds me of what happened to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they did not bow down to the king's idol. We can read of that account in Daniel Chapter 3 which says,
"1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud: "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up;
6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews.
9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever!
10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image;
11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up."
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?
15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here." Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this."
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3:1-30 NKJV)
Nebuchadnezzar set up this huge image of gold and he wanted everyone to bow down and worship it when several musical instruments were played. Then some people told the king that three men did not obey the orders and they were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The king even gave the men another chance to bow down to the image, but they refused to bow down to a false god. They served the true Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had faith that the Lord would deliver them from the blazing fire in the furnace. The king was so mad that he made the furnace much hotter than usual. It was so hot that the soldiers that took the men to the furnace died.
The three men were tossed into the flames of the furnace bound. Once they were in there the king noticed that there were four men walking around inside the furnace and all we untied. The fourth was like the son of the gods as the king described him. The men came out of the furnace unhurt. They made it through the flames.
We can learn something from this as believers in Jesus Christ we to will face fiery trials, but we can know that Jesus will be with us in that furnace and if we are trusting in Him we can know that He will bring us through. He will rescue us from our hardship in a few ways. Sometimes He takes the problem away. Sometimes He leads us through it and we learn to draw nearer to Him. There will be times when He will take us home to Heaven to be with Him for all eternity. That will happen to each one of us that have placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior one day.
When we are facing difficult times and we know we will may we continue to trust the Lord Jesus Christ and keep our focus on Him no matter how hot the furnace may get. The Lord is Mighty and He will go with us through any adversity that we may encounter.
Lord,
We praise Your Holy Name.
Help us to look to You Lord Jesus when we feel like we are in a furnace during a trial.
Empower us through Your Holy Spirit to endure and persevere with our eyes upon You O Lord.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Thirsting for God
It is raining outside right now. We haven't had much rain this summer so it is very welcomed. The rain will help the potato crops and other things that require water. Things have been rather dry around where I live. I took some photographs down by the river that flows though the town where I live. I could see rocks sticking up out of the water which meant the river was really low.
Sometimes droughts come to the lands in which we live and the ground begs for water, but none comes for a season. Spiritual droughts come to us as well. We uses to be so fruitful and full of joy and love for the Lord then something happened. We don't feel as on fire as we once did. Sometimes we drift away from God for one reason or another. The drift was so gradual maybe we didn't even notice right away until we had traveled really far from the Lord.
No matter how far we have drifted and no matter how dry we feel we can always come to the Lord for a time of refreshing. When we drift away from the Lord we are only one step away from Him. We need to repent and confess of our drifting or our dryness and He will help us.
We need to make spending time with the Lord and reading His Word, the Bible, a top priority in our lives. When we fail to do that we become dry like a land that has no water. May we earnestly seek the Lord and thirst for Him only. There are many things that we turn to in life to dry to quench our thirst, but only the Lord can fully satisfy that deep longing in our souls.
Psalm 63 (NKJV)
1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God; Early
will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
Sometimes droughts come to the lands in which we live and the ground begs for water, but none comes for a season. Spiritual droughts come to us as well. We uses to be so fruitful and full of joy and love for the Lord then something happened. We don't feel as on fire as we once did. Sometimes we drift away from God for one reason or another. The drift was so gradual maybe we didn't even notice right away until we had traveled really far from the Lord.
No matter how far we have drifted and no matter how dry we feel we can always come to the Lord for a time of refreshing. When we drift away from the Lord we are only one step away from Him. We need to repent and confess of our drifting or our dryness and He will help us.
We need to make spending time with the Lord and reading His Word, the Bible, a top priority in our lives. When we fail to do that we become dry like a land that has no water. May we earnestly seek the Lord and thirst for Him only. There are many things that we turn to in life to dry to quench our thirst, but only the Lord can fully satisfy that deep longing in our souls.
Psalm 63 (NKJV)
1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God; Early
will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
We all feel dry at times spiritually. Sometimes we get busy doing our same old routine and we take our eyes off of the Lord. We may feel far away from Him, but in actuality He is close beside us. He is only one step away from us. All we have to do is to take that step toward Him.
We believers in Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit dwelling with in us and we are sealed for the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit is working in us to make us more like Christ. We need to submit to His lead and His direction and His timing.
We live in a fast paced world and we want things done fast, but God's timing is not our timing and we need to wait on the Lord. The Lord is the One that is in control. God is the One with the vision for our lives and He knows exactly what He is doing. We are His servants and our job is to love the Lord with all of our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls and we are to love others as He so greatly loves us.
When we are in a spiritual dry spot our witness is affected. We need a fresh rain of the Holy Spirit and we need to sense His presence in our lives in a powerful way. Sometimes the Lord uses those times when we feel dry to get our attention and draw us back to Him.
Let's go to the Lord in prayer and receive the Living Water that He promises us that we may no longer be thirsty.
Lord,
The Body of Christ is thirsty for You and Your Word.
Send us a fresh faith in You and a fresh power of the Holy Spirit.
Lord live through Your Church and make we believers Your vessels to do Your will.
Reach the lost and lonely and those in need through Your Church.
Forgive us for drifting away and becoming dry.
Forgive me O Lord for being dry and ineffective at times.
I am weak and I fail a lot O Lord.
I get so very dry and I sorry.
Revive me O Lord by Your Holy Spirit.
Empower me to live for You.
May You receive all the Glory, Honor, and Praise.
Thank You Lord my God.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Monday, July 23, 2018
Making Prayer Our Top Priority
There are times when people run into trouble one way or another. Some people get sick or have an accident or something else happens to them and they need help. Sometimes it's hard for us to know what to do to help someone. We can help them by providing financial help if we can or we can also provide material support as well. There is something else we believers should do as well and that is we can pray for them.
Sometimes we treat prayer like a last resort kind of thing. We try to figure things out in our own power and strength then after that fails then we turn to God in prayer for help. How foolish we are at times? We should be calling out to the Lord Jesus for help the moment we have a need placed on our heart. The Lord told us to call out to Him in prayer and He said He would answer in accordance to His will and His timing. We must come to Him in faith.
Sometimes our prayers don't seem to have much faith attached to them I am afraid. I feel that way sometimes. Sometimes I just get into a rut or I am not fully engaged as to what I am actually doing. Sometimes we fail to realize who we are talking to in prayer. We are talking to the Lord the Creator of all things. We cry out to the Holy One who is the Ancient of Days who has no beginning and no end. He knows all things and He is present everywhere. He knows our thoughts and the words that are in our mouths even before we speak them. Our God is an Amazing God and He invites us to come boldly to the throne of Grace in prayer. He wants to hear from His children. What parent wouldn't?
He promises to answer us and the Holy Spirit will help us to pray even when we have no idea how to pray. There are so many situations and people to pray for these days. There are people that the Lord will bring to our minds to pray for and we should stop what we are doing and lift them up to the Lord in prayer.
The Lord will work through our prayers to further the Kingdom of God and draw people to Himself for His Honor, Glory, and Praise. When I think of things to pray for I think of the United States of America and the need of a Spiritual Awakening to happen in this country and spread to every country in the world. We are living in dangerous times. These are trying times. People need the Lord Jesus.
There are many people who are hurting and facing sorrows and heartaches that need our prayers. I am thinking about that duck boat accident where 17 people died. The families are heart broken and some feel guilty because they survived while their family members didn't. I know a woman who was in a car accident and has been seriously hurt. Her name is Karen. I would ask you to lift her up in prayer for healing and pray for her family as well.
I visited my aunt in a nursing home in Presque Isle yesterday and I would ask for prayers for her and all those in nursing homes and the staff of those facilities as well. Let's pray for our leaders of our countries and let's pray for our Pastors and church leaders as well.
Call out to the Lord that He would place His hand upon every believer in Christ and fill them with a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit to bring Glory and Praise unto the Lord our God and Redeemer.
When trouble comes our way let us pray.
Lord,
There are so many things going on in our world today and we are finding it hard to pray.
Help us to pray with a fresh faith in You and Your abilities. For You are able and willing to answer our calls for help.
Help us O Lord.
I ask that You would send a Spiritual Awakening to the United States and to all the Nations of the world. I uplift Karen for healing and strength and I uplift my Aunt Joyce.
I uplift the President and our leaders of this Nation. Lead them and guide them to do Your will.
Touch every believer in Christ this very night with a fresh empowering of the Holy Spirit O Lord.
We praise Your Name. Send Revival among Your people.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Sometimes we treat prayer like a last resort kind of thing. We try to figure things out in our own power and strength then after that fails then we turn to God in prayer for help. How foolish we are at times? We should be calling out to the Lord Jesus for help the moment we have a need placed on our heart. The Lord told us to call out to Him in prayer and He said He would answer in accordance to His will and His timing. We must come to Him in faith.
Sometimes our prayers don't seem to have much faith attached to them I am afraid. I feel that way sometimes. Sometimes I just get into a rut or I am not fully engaged as to what I am actually doing. Sometimes we fail to realize who we are talking to in prayer. We are talking to the Lord the Creator of all things. We cry out to the Holy One who is the Ancient of Days who has no beginning and no end. He knows all things and He is present everywhere. He knows our thoughts and the words that are in our mouths even before we speak them. Our God is an Amazing God and He invites us to come boldly to the throne of Grace in prayer. He wants to hear from His children. What parent wouldn't?
He promises to answer us and the Holy Spirit will help us to pray even when we have no idea how to pray. There are so many situations and people to pray for these days. There are people that the Lord will bring to our minds to pray for and we should stop what we are doing and lift them up to the Lord in prayer.
The Lord will work through our prayers to further the Kingdom of God and draw people to Himself for His Honor, Glory, and Praise. When I think of things to pray for I think of the United States of America and the need of a Spiritual Awakening to happen in this country and spread to every country in the world. We are living in dangerous times. These are trying times. People need the Lord Jesus.
There are many people who are hurting and facing sorrows and heartaches that need our prayers. I am thinking about that duck boat accident where 17 people died. The families are heart broken and some feel guilty because they survived while their family members didn't. I know a woman who was in a car accident and has been seriously hurt. Her name is Karen. I would ask you to lift her up in prayer for healing and pray for her family as well.
I visited my aunt in a nursing home in Presque Isle yesterday and I would ask for prayers for her and all those in nursing homes and the staff of those facilities as well. Let's pray for our leaders of our countries and let's pray for our Pastors and church leaders as well.
Call out to the Lord that He would place His hand upon every believer in Christ and fill them with a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit to bring Glory and Praise unto the Lord our God and Redeemer.
When trouble comes our way let us pray.
Lord,
There are so many things going on in our world today and we are finding it hard to pray.
Help us to pray with a fresh faith in You and Your abilities. For You are able and willing to answer our calls for help.
Help us O Lord.
I ask that You would send a Spiritual Awakening to the United States and to all the Nations of the world. I uplift Karen for healing and strength and I uplift my Aunt Joyce.
I uplift the President and our leaders of this Nation. Lead them and guide them to do Your will.
Touch every believer in Christ this very night with a fresh empowering of the Holy Spirit O Lord.
We praise Your Name. Send Revival among Your people.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Faith or Fear
We are living in troubling times. There is a lot of anger all around. Many people are anxious and filled with fear. There are many things in this world that can cause us to be anxious and worried. If we are looking for something to cause us to be anxious we don't have to look very far. We can watch the evening news on our television sets or read an article on our tablets and find something that strikes fear and worry into our hearts.
The Bible tells us over 300 times not to fear, worry, or be anxious, but sometimes that seems easier said than done. Many people in our world these days have developed anxiety disorders and panic disorders. Sometimes the fear in our hearts are irrational and we know that they are irrational, but we just can seem to shake it on our own.
The Lord Jesus taught us to not to worry about our daily lives and we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We need to believe that our God will provide for our every need. The Lord doesn't want us to live in fear and anxiety. Worry robs us from enjoying the presence of the Lord.
I must confess I am a worrier. I struggle with anxiety and at times panic attacks. I even developed a fear of driving on the Interstate and also driving long distances. I am getting better at dealing with that fear with prayer and meditating on God's Word. I have also learned as I am driving to keep my mind engaged by looking for three things as I driving. These three things can be a road sign, a mail box number, or a sign of a business. I say the object out loud to myself sometimes to stay in the moment. It seems weird and people probably think I am crazy when they see me talking to myself, but if they really knew me they would know that I am little out there anyway.
When we worry and when we are anxious we are showing a lack of faith in the Lord. We don't intend to, but that is what we are doing. Fear is one of the devils most effective weapons against we believers in Jesus Christ. If he can get us to take our eyes off of Jesus then he can cause us to doubt and be ineffective.
We must submit ourselves to the Lord and resist the devil so that he will flee from us. We need to chose to believe and trust to Lord Jesus to take care of us and to protect us. God is one our side and He will lead us and protect us from harm. The Lord is Mighty and Strong. The Holy Spirit will help us in our time of worry and fear and thinking upon God's Word will help as well.
I know there will be times when I will feel anxious and afraid and worried, but I know that the Lord will help me through those moments each and every time. I am going to choose to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for He is my Lord and Savior. He is my closest friend and I can trust Him.
Lord,
Sometimes I get so very afraid with the way everything is going, but
I am thankful that You are ultimately in control and that You hold me close.
I love You Lord Jesus and I thank You for loving me so much that You took my place at Calvary.
I praise Your Holy Name.
Touch each person that has an anxiety problem and heal them O Lord.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
The Bible tells us over 300 times not to fear, worry, or be anxious, but sometimes that seems easier said than done. Many people in our world these days have developed anxiety disorders and panic disorders. Sometimes the fear in our hearts are irrational and we know that they are irrational, but we just can seem to shake it on our own.
The Lord Jesus taught us to not to worry about our daily lives and we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We need to believe that our God will provide for our every need. The Lord doesn't want us to live in fear and anxiety. Worry robs us from enjoying the presence of the Lord.
I must confess I am a worrier. I struggle with anxiety and at times panic attacks. I even developed a fear of driving on the Interstate and also driving long distances. I am getting better at dealing with that fear with prayer and meditating on God's Word. I have also learned as I am driving to keep my mind engaged by looking for three things as I driving. These three things can be a road sign, a mail box number, or a sign of a business. I say the object out loud to myself sometimes to stay in the moment. It seems weird and people probably think I am crazy when they see me talking to myself, but if they really knew me they would know that I am little out there anyway.
When we worry and when we are anxious we are showing a lack of faith in the Lord. We don't intend to, but that is what we are doing. Fear is one of the devils most effective weapons against we believers in Jesus Christ. If he can get us to take our eyes off of Jesus then he can cause us to doubt and be ineffective.
We must submit ourselves to the Lord and resist the devil so that he will flee from us. We need to chose to believe and trust to Lord Jesus to take care of us and to protect us. God is one our side and He will lead us and protect us from harm. The Lord is Mighty and Strong. The Holy Spirit will help us in our time of worry and fear and thinking upon God's Word will help as well.
I know there will be times when I will feel anxious and afraid and worried, but I know that the Lord will help me through those moments each and every time. I am going to choose to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for He is my Lord and Savior. He is my closest friend and I can trust Him.
Lord,
Sometimes I get so very afraid with the way everything is going, but
I am thankful that You are ultimately in control and that You hold me close.
I love You Lord Jesus and I thank You for loving me so much that You took my place at Calvary.
I praise Your Holy Name.
Touch each person that has an anxiety problem and heal them O Lord.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
Thursday, July 19, 2018
The Beginning of Knowledge
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
- Proverbs 1:7
- Proverbs 1:7
There are many things that are missing in our world these days that is for sure. We know there is a lack of love for our fellow man and there is a lack of love for the truth so it seems. Sometimes it seems really hard to figure out who is telling the truth. There is so much anger and bickering back and forth from those people who are supposed to be leading our country. There are so many things going on in our world these days and things can seem very scary and concerning to say the least.
There is another thing that appears to missing in our world these days and that is the fear of the Lord. When we speak of fear we do not mean to cower in terror as if a lightening bolt might come out of nowhere and strike us when we mess up. What we mean is a reverential fear of the Lord. We need to stand in Awe of who He is and have a sense of awesome wonder as well.
Many people don't seem to believe that God exist and if they do they act as if He is not even there. The Lord God does exists and He loves us and He cares for us. God created the Heavens and the earth. He didn't leave His creation to fend for itself after He made everything. He is still around working in our world these days and He is a present help in our time of need. He is a mighty awesome God. He is the true living God. There is no other God, but the Lord God Almighty. He is the One that is revealed to us in the Holy Bible. The Bible is the only Holy Book that proclaims the absolute truth about who God is, who we are (sinners), and how we can be reconciled back to God through sacrificial atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ through His death on the Cross for our sins.
A person can go to University and study under the best and brightest professors that money can buy, but unless the Lord is in the foundation of that education then it is all for nothing. Scripture tells us that a fool says that there is no God. I don't want to be a fool. True knowledge comes when we come to know that God exists and we have a relationship with Him by trusting in the One He sent, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord,
We stand in Awe of You.
We praise Your Name.
Grant the wisdom we need everyday as we serve You.
Holy Spirit lead us and work through us to draw others to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Are You Robbing God?
Sometimes life can be extremely challenging and very stressful. Everyone at times will face trials and difficulties. We believers in Jesus Christ are no exception for we too have troubles. The Lord Jesus told His disciples and us that in this world we will have troubles and we surely do at times.
Sometimes the troubles are so great that we wonder if we will survive them. We believers in Jesus Christ also need to know that we have an enemy, the devil, who goes around like a roaring lion trying to stir up trouble for us and trip us up. Thankfully, we believers have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us. The One dwelling within us is greater than the one that is in this world.
The Lord will see us through those difficult times. He will help us in our times of need. The Holy Spirit will encourage us and strengthen us even when the enemy attacks. The devil uses his same old tricks and lies that he has been using for a very long time. Unfortunately they are very effective so we need to be on our guard.
The most effective place the enemy loves to attack us is in our finances. If he can convince us that money is more important than obeying God then he has succeeded in making us place our faith in money rather than in the Lord. May it be never said of a child of the Living God who has cattle on a thousand hilltops. The Lord is our provider not we ourselves. When we fail to believe God's promises that He spells out for us in His Word then we run into trouble.
Malachi 3:8-12 says,
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
Sometimes the troubles are so great that we wonder if we will survive them. We believers in Jesus Christ also need to know that we have an enemy, the devil, who goes around like a roaring lion trying to stir up trouble for us and trip us up. Thankfully, we believers have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us. The One dwelling within us is greater than the one that is in this world.
The Lord will see us through those difficult times. He will help us in our times of need. The Holy Spirit will encourage us and strengthen us even when the enemy attacks. The devil uses his same old tricks and lies that he has been using for a very long time. Unfortunately they are very effective so we need to be on our guard.
The most effective place the enemy loves to attack us is in our finances. If he can convince us that money is more important than obeying God then he has succeeded in making us place our faith in money rather than in the Lord. May it be never said of a child of the Living God who has cattle on a thousand hilltops. The Lord is our provider not we ourselves. When we fail to believe God's promises that He spells out for us in His Word then we run into trouble.
Malachi 3:8-12 says,
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty.
12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
When we fail to give our tithe and offering unto the Lord we are actually robbing Him and showing a total lack of faith in Him. God is not mocked. He knows our hearts and our motives. He knows our very intentions. Jesus tells us in Scripture that where your heart is that is where your treasure is. If we are trusting in the Lord in every area of our lives then we will be willing to make a sacrifice by giving the Lord out of the first fruits of what He has giving to us.
Our tithe and offering are important for the Lord uses them to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to those people all around the world who need to hear the life changing message of Jesus Christ. When we approach God with our tithe and offering we shouldn't do it begrudgingly. We should do it cheerfully for we are entrusting the Lord with our money to expand the Kingdom of God by supporting the ministry of our local church bodies and ultimately the entire body of Christ as a whole.
What an honor and privilege the Lord has blessed us with by allowing us to take part in His work here on the earth through our faithfulness in giving. God tells us to test Him in this one thing and He will pour out a great blessing upon us. We can't out give God.
May we honor the Lord by giving our tithe to our local church and may we do it for the Lord Jesus Christ and the bringing more people into a life changing relationship with Jesus.
Lord,
We praise You.
Thank You for all that You bless us with.
Help us to be a cheerful giver.
Help us to tithe to our local Church body to be faithful to Your Word.
We thank You for all that You have done for us and are doing in us through Your Holy Spirit.
Help us to be faithful to You.
May Your will be done.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Jesus Cares For Us
There are times in our lives when we feel overlooked and even rejected. The pains of rejection can sting deeply and leave long lasting scares in our very hearts. We often times teach children that, "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The truth of the matter is that words do and can hurt when they are used in a careless matter. Words can cause lasting damage and ruin reputations and stir up anger.
There have been many times in my life when I have felt mistreated, overlooked, and even rejected. Sometimes I have the bad habit of digging up those past hurts from years past and chewing on them all over again. Sometimes it is hard to leave the past hurts alone and it hard not to dig them back up again, but we need to give them to the Lord Jesus and leave them there with Him.
Sometimes we need to realize that some people just will not like us for one reason or another that may have really nothing to do with us necessarily. We need to forgive them and let the Lord deal with them in accordance to His will.
I am thankful, that even if some people don't like me or care for me ,I know that the Lord Jesus loves me and that is what truly matters. The Lord will see us through the most difficult hurts in life if we are trusting in Him.
We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards. There is not one of us that is good enough to earn God's forgiveness and there is not one of us that is good enough to enter Heaven on our own merit. God demonstrated His love toward us by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to this earth to live a perfect and sinless life. Jesus went obediently to the Cross where He shed His blood for our sins. Jesus rose to life on the third day and He is now at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. One Day the Lord Jesus will return as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We must repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior in order to have our sins forgiven and have a Home in Heaven.
If you fail to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you will face the ultimate rejection because you rejected the free gift that was offered to you by rejecting Jesus Christ. There is only one way into Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.
Lord,
Sometimes people hurt us with there words and actions.
Help us to forgive them and allow you to deal with them.
Forgive us when we hurt people with our words and help us to do better.
Help us to love You more and more and help us to love others as You love us.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
There have been many times in my life when I have felt mistreated, overlooked, and even rejected. Sometimes I have the bad habit of digging up those past hurts from years past and chewing on them all over again. Sometimes it is hard to leave the past hurts alone and it hard not to dig them back up again, but we need to give them to the Lord Jesus and leave them there with Him.
Sometimes we need to realize that some people just will not like us for one reason or another that may have really nothing to do with us necessarily. We need to forgive them and let the Lord deal with them in accordance to His will.
I am thankful, that even if some people don't like me or care for me ,I know that the Lord Jesus loves me and that is what truly matters. The Lord will see us through the most difficult hurts in life if we are trusting in Him.
We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards. There is not one of us that is good enough to earn God's forgiveness and there is not one of us that is good enough to enter Heaven on our own merit. God demonstrated His love toward us by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to this earth to live a perfect and sinless life. Jesus went obediently to the Cross where He shed His blood for our sins. Jesus rose to life on the third day and He is now at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. One Day the Lord Jesus will return as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We must repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior in order to have our sins forgiven and have a Home in Heaven.
If you fail to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you will face the ultimate rejection because you rejected the free gift that was offered to you by rejecting Jesus Christ. There is only one way into Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.
Lord,
Sometimes people hurt us with there words and actions.
Help us to forgive them and allow you to deal with them.
Forgive us when we hurt people with our words and help us to do better.
Help us to love You more and more and help us to love others as You love us.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Keeping Our Eyes On Jesus
Do you ever feel discouraged? Sure you do. We all feel rather discouraged at times. We may even feel like giving up, but we must resist that temptation. Our enemy, the devil, wants us to give up. That is the devil's goal for us to give into discouragement and throw in the towel. God hasn't gone to all the trouble of sending Jesus Christ into this world to save us from our sins and granting us entrance into Heaven and giving to Holy Spirit to dwell with in us and have us just quit.
We may be tempted to quit, but we must not. The Lord will be with us through the darkest of days and the loneliness of times. We may feel all alone and people may have abandoned us, but the Lord us right by our side until the very end. We must trust in Him no matter what hardship and sorrow comes our way.
Sometimes we have those pity parties and wonder if anyone cares about us or even likes us, but we must remember that Jesus loves us no matter what. There is nothing that separate us from His great love if we are trust in Him as our Lord and Savior.
I just want to take this moment and thank you for taking the time and reading my blog postings. Sometimes I feel like I ramble on and I probably have repeated myself time and time again. Thank you for putting up with me as I try to faithful present God's Word and the Truth and Hope that we have in Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless you and keep you close to Himself as you serve Him.
Let's continue to encourage one another as we run the race of faith that the Lord has called us to while keeping our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us not to be distracted by worldly things.
Help us to be encouraged by Your Word.
Draw us ever nearer to You O Lord.
May we be an encouragement to each other in the Body of Christ.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
We may be tempted to quit, but we must not. The Lord will be with us through the darkest of days and the loneliness of times. We may feel all alone and people may have abandoned us, but the Lord us right by our side until the very end. We must trust in Him no matter what hardship and sorrow comes our way.
Sometimes we have those pity parties and wonder if anyone cares about us or even likes us, but we must remember that Jesus loves us no matter what. There is nothing that separate us from His great love if we are trust in Him as our Lord and Savior.
I just want to take this moment and thank you for taking the time and reading my blog postings. Sometimes I feel like I ramble on and I probably have repeated myself time and time again. Thank you for putting up with me as I try to faithful present God's Word and the Truth and Hope that we have in Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless you and keep you close to Himself as you serve Him.
Let's continue to encourage one another as we run the race of faith that the Lord has called us to while keeping our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us not to be distracted by worldly things.
Help us to be encouraged by Your Word.
Draw us ever nearer to You O Lord.
May we be an encouragement to each other in the Body of Christ.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Sunday, July 8, 2018
God Is Not Dead, He Is Alive!
There are times when I have a hard time trying to think of something to write in my blog and there are times when there many topics that pop in my head that I want to talk about, but I have to chose just one. I have about three topics that are floating around in my head tonight and admittedly there isn't must space up there anyway so I am going to chose one to write about and it is going to be about what happened to me today.
I went to church as I usually do on Sunday morning. This morning Jason Runnels sang wonderful songs proclaiming the truth about God and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Jason ministered to us and it was well received by those in attendance. I pray that the Lord would continue to bless Jason and his ministry. It was a really wonderful time listening and also participating in lifting up our voices to sing praises to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am thankful for all of those who minister whether they are preaching a sermon and proclaiming the truth of God's Holy Word or they sing wonderful Gospel music proclaiming the wonderful truth about God. I am thankful that I know that I know that I know that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I know that if I were to die right now I would be in Heaven with Him for all eternity. I am not saved by good works or church attendance or anything like that. I am sinner saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ. I saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 28 years old after being invited to Church by my sister in law and reading the Bible. During the time I started reading the Bible I realized that I was a sinner and I was in need of a Savior. I knew if I were die that I would be sent to hell forever and that really bothered me because I really don't like pain or excessive heat.
I confessed my sin to the Lord Jesus and invited Jesus Christ into my life as my Lord and Savior. My life changed for that moment on, but I must say it hasn't been perfect. There have been trials and troubles. There have been sin and more confessing to the Lord. There have been times of growth Spiritually and there have been times of doubt, but thankfully God is patient and merciful and full of Grace. He continues to work in my life and I know He will continue to use me until He takes me Home to Heaven to be with Him for all eternity. What a wonderful blessed Day that will be.
God loves you and He is crazy about you. He doesn't want you to be separated from Him and placed into a literal hell forever. That will happen if you die in your sin and you fail to repent of your sin and trust Christ as Savior. God demonstrated His love for you and I by sending Jesus to die on the Cross for our sins. We need to confess our sin to the Lord and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We need to receive God's gift of forgiveness by receiving Christ as Savior. We can't save ourselves no matter how hard we try. We will never be good enough in our own power. I am still not good enough on my own power to save myself. I prove that to myself and others everyday. I still make mistakes and fail miserably in my walk with the Lord, but thankfully I am covered by the blood of Jesus Christ because I know Him as my Lord and Savior. I am thankful for His Amazing Grace that I have received by faith.
Jason Runnels asked a question towards the end of his singing and the question was, "If you were to die to today, do you know where you would spend eternity?" That is a very good question that we should consider. Are we trusting in our own good works, church service, title that we have, charity, or are we trusting in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross? I am trusting in Jesus Christ and in His finished work on the Cross. Thank You Jesus for saving a poor wretch like me.
What I wrote above was one of the topics that popped in my head and I was just going to chose one topic to talk about tonight, but I think I will continue to talk about something else that happened today as well if you wouldn't mind. The concert came to an end this morning and Jason was selling some CD's of his music and I noticed a hat that was also for sale. I bought the hat since I already own his CD's. The hat says on the front, "God is NOT dead" and on the back it says, "He is surely Alive" and it also says, "Jesus loves you." I really liked the hat and I felt kind of bold so I wore it to a few stores in town this afternoon.
While I was wearing the hat I said, "hello" to people and some ignored me. Which is really no surprise because I usually get that from people anyway on most days. I talk low sometimes and people don't always hear me (that's what I tell myself). I heard others whispering about my hat and others just gave me weird looks (which again sometimes happens without the hat, odd) I heard one little girl say to the woman she was with, "Auntie, did you see that guy's hat?" and the woman replied in a not so nice tone, "Yes!, I saw it." She sounded kind of irritated for some reason. I don't know why, it is a nice hat.
I moved on to another store which was a mart that had walls (that was a little hint to tell you where I was so I wouldn't give them free advertising, just saying). While I was there I noticed that school supplies were on sale (sorry teachers and students). I know it's early, but I instantly thought about Operation Christmas Child which is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse which is headed by Franklin Graham (Billy Grahams son). I was so excited so I bought some things (ok, several things for the shoes boxes that I will pack Lord willing in October. I made my way to the cashier while wearing my hat. She noticed all the school supplies that I was buying and she asked me, "Why are you buying all of these school supplies?" So, I told her about Operation Christmas Child. She never heard of it so explained that people by stuff and pack it into a shoe box to send to needy children around the world so they can receive a gift at Christmas and learn about Jesus. The cashier girl smiled and thought it was a great idea. I paid for my items and she said, "Thank you and thank you for what you are doing." I said a thank you back and I must say felt really blessed and encouraged.
I think there was a seed sown there and I would ask you to pray for that young lady. I don't know her name or her story, but the Lord knows and I pray that He would introduce Himself to her in a powerful way if she doesn't yet know Him.
The Lord invites us into a relationship with Himself and we need to come to Him by faith. Then we are to go out into this world a draw others to Him. May we continue to walk in the Spirit and be good representatives for Him and the Kingdom of God.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
You are Holy and Just in Your Judgments.
We praise Your Name.
I pray for those in this community that don't know You.
Lead us and guide us through the Holy Spirit,
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
I went to church as I usually do on Sunday morning. This morning Jason Runnels sang wonderful songs proclaiming the truth about God and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Jason ministered to us and it was well received by those in attendance. I pray that the Lord would continue to bless Jason and his ministry. It was a really wonderful time listening and also participating in lifting up our voices to sing praises to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am thankful for all of those who minister whether they are preaching a sermon and proclaiming the truth of God's Holy Word or they sing wonderful Gospel music proclaiming the wonderful truth about God. I am thankful that I know that I know that I know that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I know that if I were to die right now I would be in Heaven with Him for all eternity. I am not saved by good works or church attendance or anything like that. I am sinner saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ. I saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 28 years old after being invited to Church by my sister in law and reading the Bible. During the time I started reading the Bible I realized that I was a sinner and I was in need of a Savior. I knew if I were die that I would be sent to hell forever and that really bothered me because I really don't like pain or excessive heat.
I confessed my sin to the Lord Jesus and invited Jesus Christ into my life as my Lord and Savior. My life changed for that moment on, but I must say it hasn't been perfect. There have been trials and troubles. There have been sin and more confessing to the Lord. There have been times of growth Spiritually and there have been times of doubt, but thankfully God is patient and merciful and full of Grace. He continues to work in my life and I know He will continue to use me until He takes me Home to Heaven to be with Him for all eternity. What a wonderful blessed Day that will be.
God loves you and He is crazy about you. He doesn't want you to be separated from Him and placed into a literal hell forever. That will happen if you die in your sin and you fail to repent of your sin and trust Christ as Savior. God demonstrated His love for you and I by sending Jesus to die on the Cross for our sins. We need to confess our sin to the Lord and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We need to receive God's gift of forgiveness by receiving Christ as Savior. We can't save ourselves no matter how hard we try. We will never be good enough in our own power. I am still not good enough on my own power to save myself. I prove that to myself and others everyday. I still make mistakes and fail miserably in my walk with the Lord, but thankfully I am covered by the blood of Jesus Christ because I know Him as my Lord and Savior. I am thankful for His Amazing Grace that I have received by faith.
Jason Runnels asked a question towards the end of his singing and the question was, "If you were to die to today, do you know where you would spend eternity?" That is a very good question that we should consider. Are we trusting in our own good works, church service, title that we have, charity, or are we trusting in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross? I am trusting in Jesus Christ and in His finished work on the Cross. Thank You Jesus for saving a poor wretch like me.
What I wrote above was one of the topics that popped in my head and I was just going to chose one topic to talk about tonight, but I think I will continue to talk about something else that happened today as well if you wouldn't mind. The concert came to an end this morning and Jason was selling some CD's of his music and I noticed a hat that was also for sale. I bought the hat since I already own his CD's. The hat says on the front, "God is NOT dead" and on the back it says, "He is surely Alive" and it also says, "Jesus loves you." I really liked the hat and I felt kind of bold so I wore it to a few stores in town this afternoon.
While I was wearing the hat I said, "hello" to people and some ignored me. Which is really no surprise because I usually get that from people anyway on most days. I talk low sometimes and people don't always hear me (that's what I tell myself). I heard others whispering about my hat and others just gave me weird looks (which again sometimes happens without the hat, odd) I heard one little girl say to the woman she was with, "Auntie, did you see that guy's hat?" and the woman replied in a not so nice tone, "Yes!, I saw it." She sounded kind of irritated for some reason. I don't know why, it is a nice hat.
I moved on to another store which was a mart that had walls (that was a little hint to tell you where I was so I wouldn't give them free advertising, just saying). While I was there I noticed that school supplies were on sale (sorry teachers and students). I know it's early, but I instantly thought about Operation Christmas Child which is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse which is headed by Franklin Graham (Billy Grahams son). I was so excited so I bought some things (ok, several things for the shoes boxes that I will pack Lord willing in October. I made my way to the cashier while wearing my hat. She noticed all the school supplies that I was buying and she asked me, "Why are you buying all of these school supplies?" So, I told her about Operation Christmas Child. She never heard of it so explained that people by stuff and pack it into a shoe box to send to needy children around the world so they can receive a gift at Christmas and learn about Jesus. The cashier girl smiled and thought it was a great idea. I paid for my items and she said, "Thank you and thank you for what you are doing." I said a thank you back and I must say felt really blessed and encouraged.
I think there was a seed sown there and I would ask you to pray for that young lady. I don't know her name or her story, but the Lord knows and I pray that He would introduce Himself to her in a powerful way if she doesn't yet know Him.
The Lord invites us into a relationship with Himself and we need to come to Him by faith. Then we are to go out into this world a draw others to Him. May we continue to walk in the Spirit and be good representatives for Him and the Kingdom of God.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
You are Holy and Just in Your Judgments.
We praise Your Name.
I pray for those in this community that don't know You.
Lead us and guide us through the Holy Spirit,
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Friday, July 6, 2018
Having Compassion On The Hurting
Life can be very hard at times and highly uncomfortable as well. We are living in difficult times and it would seem that troubles are on the increase. We live in a fallen and sinful world. The world is a dangerous place to live, but we must not cower in fear. We must not allow anxiety and worry to take a foothold in our lives. We all have things that cause us to fear and worry. Those things will come to all of us especially in this increasingly darkening age in which we find ourselves living.
Our focus must not be on the things of this world because the things of this world are passing away just as this world is passing away. Everything that we see with our eyes now will soon pass away. The things we see are temporary and the things that are unseen are eternal. God is eternal. He has no beginning and He has no end. God has always existed and He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. He made you and I as well. The Lord loves us with a deep unconditional love. We have hope in the Lord and in Him alone. There is nothing in this world that can grant us lasting hope. Politicians can't give us hope. A President or a world leader can't give us hope. The only hope we have is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to the earth on a rescue mission from the Father to save us sinners by going to the Cross and shedding His blood for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Everyone who repents of their sins and receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be saved. When we come to faith in Christ and trust in his grace we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and we belong to the Lord forever. What an Awesome God we serve.
We look at the world today and we see tragedies taking place. There are wars and murders and natural disasters all over the world. God sees what is going on and He cares. We believers also need to have compassion on those in need and in trouble. We need to tell them of their greatest need which is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It has been about 14 years since I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and I know that I need Jesus more and more every second of everyday. I am thankful for all the people the Lord put in my path to lead me to Himself.
The Lord wants everyone to come to Him through Jesus Christ. There is only one name under Heaven in which we must be saved by and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. We believers and followers of Jesus have a mission and that mission is to tell others about Jesus. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. There are many people all around us that are lost and have no eternal hope. Many people are dying every day and if they don't have a personal relationship with Christ then they will spend eternity in a literal hell outside the presence of a Holy God because nothing sinful can ever enter into His presence. It is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that we are saved and we are able to enter into God's presence through our faith in Christ and His finished that He accomplished on our behalf.
I think of all the things going on in our world these days and I can't help to think about those twelve boys and their soccer coach trapped in a cave in Thailand. There is rain heading to that area and their oxygen is running out. I pray that the Lord would bring them out alive and be reunited with their parents. I know the Lord will watch over them and that He is there with them even in that dark murky cave that is full of water. I pray for the parents and all the rescue workers there in that region. I pray that the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed there in that country and people would find everlasting hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We all need to be ready for we don't know what tomorrow may bring for us. We each need to be ready for it has been appointed for us to die once and then face the judgment. The Lord Jesus is coming back very soon to take those who are trusting in Him Home to Heaven to be with Him forever. We must and we need to warn those around us that they need to be ready as well.
Let's have compassion on the hurting and the lost. Let's find ways to bring the Gospel of Christ to them right where they are and love them enough to tell them the truth about what God's Word says.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us to show compassion more often to those hurting and lost.
Help us to love one another as You love us so dearly.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
I pray for the boys and their coach and the parents to be comforted by Your presence.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Our focus must not be on the things of this world because the things of this world are passing away just as this world is passing away. Everything that we see with our eyes now will soon pass away. The things we see are temporary and the things that are unseen are eternal. God is eternal. He has no beginning and He has no end. God has always existed and He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. He made you and I as well. The Lord loves us with a deep unconditional love. We have hope in the Lord and in Him alone. There is nothing in this world that can grant us lasting hope. Politicians can't give us hope. A President or a world leader can't give us hope. The only hope we have is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to the earth on a rescue mission from the Father to save us sinners by going to the Cross and shedding His blood for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Everyone who repents of their sins and receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be saved. When we come to faith in Christ and trust in his grace we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and we belong to the Lord forever. What an Awesome God we serve.
We look at the world today and we see tragedies taking place. There are wars and murders and natural disasters all over the world. God sees what is going on and He cares. We believers also need to have compassion on those in need and in trouble. We need to tell them of their greatest need which is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It has been about 14 years since I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and I know that I need Jesus more and more every second of everyday. I am thankful for all the people the Lord put in my path to lead me to Himself.
The Lord wants everyone to come to Him through Jesus Christ. There is only one name under Heaven in which we must be saved by and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. We believers and followers of Jesus have a mission and that mission is to tell others about Jesus. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. There are many people all around us that are lost and have no eternal hope. Many people are dying every day and if they don't have a personal relationship with Christ then they will spend eternity in a literal hell outside the presence of a Holy God because nothing sinful can ever enter into His presence. It is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that we are saved and we are able to enter into God's presence through our faith in Christ and His finished that He accomplished on our behalf.
I think of all the things going on in our world these days and I can't help to think about those twelve boys and their soccer coach trapped in a cave in Thailand. There is rain heading to that area and their oxygen is running out. I pray that the Lord would bring them out alive and be reunited with their parents. I know the Lord will watch over them and that He is there with them even in that dark murky cave that is full of water. I pray for the parents and all the rescue workers there in that region. I pray that the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed there in that country and people would find everlasting hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We all need to be ready for we don't know what tomorrow may bring for us. We each need to be ready for it has been appointed for us to die once and then face the judgment. The Lord Jesus is coming back very soon to take those who are trusting in Him Home to Heaven to be with Him forever. We must and we need to warn those around us that they need to be ready as well.
Let's have compassion on the hurting and the lost. Let's find ways to bring the Gospel of Christ to them right where they are and love them enough to tell them the truth about what God's Word says.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us to show compassion more often to those hurting and lost.
Help us to love one another as You love us so dearly.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
I pray for the boys and their coach and the parents to be comforted by Your presence.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Declaring Our Dependence Upon the Lord
Today is Independence Day here in the United States of America when we celebrate our nation's breaking free from British rule 242 years ago. We tend to like the word independence. It brings to mind freedom. We must realize however that freedom is never truly free. Over the many years there have been many men and women who have laid down their lives while serving in our Military forces. We should remember them and the sacrifice that they made so that we are able to live in the greatest nation in the world.
Many Americans have the independence attitude ingrained deeply within their being. This however may not be a good thing in the long run of things. When a people become independent in spirit they don't want anyone telling them what to do and that includes God. Freedom is a great thing. Every person should be free and every person should be delivered from a tyrannical ruler and government. People should be free to make their own decisions about things, but they also need to know that there are consequences to their choices.
I am proud to be an American and I so thankful that the Lord allowed me to be born and live in this great land. I am thankful on this Independence Day for the freedom I have this day. God has richly blessed this nation, but I am afraid that this nation has gone off course and it needs to make a course correction and soon before it is too late.
This nation was founded upon Godly principles that are laid out in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. The Lord used to be honored in every facet of society, but not anymore. We used to be a nation that was dependent upon the Lord God Almighty. Someone once said, " A Nation that puts God first is One Nation under God, but a Nation that has forgotten God is a Nation that has gone under."
We need to get back to the Lord our God. We need to declare our dependence upon Him and on Him alone. I am dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation and for my daily life. I am sinner saved by His grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
We need a great revival to sweep across this mighty land from sea to shinning sea. We need to humble ourselves and repent of our sins. We need to speak the truth about who God is to our neighbors and our friends and our families. People need Jesus and we need to tell them and point them in the right direction toward Him.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says,
"if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Many Americans have the independence attitude ingrained deeply within their being. This however may not be a good thing in the long run of things. When a people become independent in spirit they don't want anyone telling them what to do and that includes God. Freedom is a great thing. Every person should be free and every person should be delivered from a tyrannical ruler and government. People should be free to make their own decisions about things, but they also need to know that there are consequences to their choices.
I am proud to be an American and I so thankful that the Lord allowed me to be born and live in this great land. I am thankful on this Independence Day for the freedom I have this day. God has richly blessed this nation, but I am afraid that this nation has gone off course and it needs to make a course correction and soon before it is too late.
This nation was founded upon Godly principles that are laid out in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. The Lord used to be honored in every facet of society, but not anymore. We used to be a nation that was dependent upon the Lord God Almighty. Someone once said, " A Nation that puts God first is One Nation under God, but a Nation that has forgotten God is a Nation that has gone under."
We need to get back to the Lord our God. We need to declare our dependence upon Him and on Him alone. I am dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation and for my daily life. I am sinner saved by His grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
We need a great revival to sweep across this mighty land from sea to shinning sea. We need to humble ourselves and repent of our sins. We need to speak the truth about who God is to our neighbors and our friends and our families. People need Jesus and we need to tell them and point them in the right direction toward Him.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says,
"if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land."
We believers in Jesus Christ need to humble ourselves and seek the Lord and live for Him while being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our land needs healing. We need our dependence upon the Lord to be reestablished. We need to take the Gospel message to the lost who desperately need Jesus Christ.
Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Thank You for the freedom we have in Christ Jesus.
Thank You for Your love and mercy.
Lead us and guide us by Your Word and Your Spirit.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Monday, July 2, 2018
Finding Rest In God Alone
Life can be hard and seemingly full of troubles. Sometimes we feel discouraged with the way everything is going in our lives and in the very world in we find ourselves living. Sometimes it is easy for us to get a little bit cynical and critical about everything. When we allow that to happen we end up losing our joy and our witness for the Lord is damaged.
We need to be careful that the world doesn't pull us down into an attitude of despair and negativity. We should be concerned about the things that are going on in our world these days and we should have compassion on the afflicted and those who are struggling, but we must remember that this world is not our home. We must also remember that our hope is not in a political party or a president or any world leader. The hope that we believers have is firmly established upon the person of Jesus Christ and the truth of who He is.
Jesus is the Son of the Living God. He came to earth on a rescue mission to save us from our sins. Jesus went obediently to the Cross where He shed His blood for our sins and whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. We must repent of our sins and confess our sinfulness to the Lord and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
We believers also know that on the third day Christ arose from the dead showing us that He is indeed God and that He conquered death and sin. Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father and one great and glorious day He will return to this earth and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion.
We believers haven't been abandoned, however, for everyone that has trusted Christ as Savior has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them so they are never truly alone. The Holy Spirit helps us to grow to be more Christ like as we submit to His lead and direction and the Holy Spirit will help us to understand the Bible as well for it was inspired by Him.
Sometimes in our walk here on the earth we can grow weary and rather tired. We may feel Spiritually dry and even frustrated with the way things as going to us and the Church as a whole. The good news is we can find rest for our souls in God alone through our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus invites all who are weary and troubled to come to Him to find rest for our very souls (Matthew 11:28-30).
I am reminded of Psalm 62 which says,
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
We need to be careful that the world doesn't pull us down into an attitude of despair and negativity. We should be concerned about the things that are going on in our world these days and we should have compassion on the afflicted and those who are struggling, but we must remember that this world is not our home. We must also remember that our hope is not in a political party or a president or any world leader. The hope that we believers have is firmly established upon the person of Jesus Christ and the truth of who He is.
Jesus is the Son of the Living God. He came to earth on a rescue mission to save us from our sins. Jesus went obediently to the Cross where He shed His blood for our sins and whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. We must repent of our sins and confess our sinfulness to the Lord and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
We believers also know that on the third day Christ arose from the dead showing us that He is indeed God and that He conquered death and sin. Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father and one great and glorious day He will return to this earth and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth in full completion.
We believers haven't been abandoned, however, for everyone that has trusted Christ as Savior has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them so they are never truly alone. The Holy Spirit helps us to grow to be more Christ like as we submit to His lead and direction and the Holy Spirit will help us to understand the Bible as well for it was inspired by Him.
Sometimes in our walk here on the earth we can grow weary and rather tired. We may feel Spiritually dry and even frustrated with the way things as going to us and the Church as a whole. The good news is we can find rest for our souls in God alone through our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus invites all who are weary and troubled to come to Him to find rest for our very souls (Matthew 11:28-30).
I am reminded of Psalm 62 which says,
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down— this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”
We will have trouble in this world that is a guarantee. We may feel the pressure mounting all around us, but we must cling to the Lord Jesus and the truth if His Word like never before. Our rest comes from God and Him alone. We can be facing the most horrible of situations and we can still feel at rest because we trust in the Lord to lead us and walk us through the dark valley of trial and challenge.
Our God is our rock and our refuge. He is our protector when things get difficult. We need to trust the Lord and have faith that He knows what He is doing. We may not always understand what God is up to because His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts soar way above our tiny thoughts. God knows the full picture of all that is happening and just by knowing Him personally through our faith in Christ Jesus we can find rest for our weary souls.
I would encourage you to rest in the Lord and trust Him to be your refuge and your strength in these difficult days. Let's turn our eyes upon Jesus and find rest for our souls in Him.
Lord,
Thank You for loving us so very much.
Thank You for being our refuge and strength.
Help us to experience a great joy in our hearts just by knowing You.
Help us to love each other as You love us so greatly.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
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