Sunday, March 17, 2024

God's Promises Sunday

A Cataract

     2 Corinthians 4:3-4, But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God should shine on them. 

This title may seem kind of strange to many people. Bear with me and read on, to get a better idea of what we face.

When I reached middle age, I started to notice that my vision was slowly getting worse. I started to think it was an age issue, because I knew some people that started to wear glasses.

It finally reached the point that I was even having trouble reading. I went to an ophthalmologist and found out I had cataracts and needed surgery. After the cataracts were removed, I was astounded by how well I could see. In my entire life I never was able to see so good.

1 Corinthians 2:14, but the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

As is normal during our daily prayer time, a thought came to me that seemed important. You may agree or not, it is naturally your choice.

The entire world, and the vast majority of people are covered in a spiritual cataract. satan put these there to keep us from seeing the truth. People don’t realize that they are not seeing the truth because everyone has their own opinion of what truth is.

The cataracts satan created are in fact a heart issue. The only way to remove these cataracts and see the truth is to call on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

When we call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit starts to remove these spiritual barriers. We start to see the good and the evil.

The Holy Spirit gives us the discernment we need to tell the difference between the two. Since the barriers are spiritual, they can only be removed in the lives of those who call on the Lord Jesus Christ. Stay in the word and grow in faith.

satan will always construct and replace these spiritual barriers so that the unwary will be deceived. If you are saved, count on the Holy Spirit who will always help you to see the truth.

Ephesians 4:18, This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

God bless you and your family.  Praise The Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to save me and to forgive all my sins. I ask you to come into my heart as my personal savior. I Repent of those sins, and I thank you and Praise you for what you did on the cross to make my salvation possible. Amen. 

Praise The Lord!

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Truth About Miracles

Mark 16:17-18, And these signs will follow those who believe; and in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Most people do not believe in miracles and that is a fact. First let us look at the definition of Miracles. A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a Divine agency.

The most obvious examples of Miracles is the creation of the universe, trillions, and trillions of stars and planets, all put in place and following the instructions of the creator. Order, not chaos.

Acts 19:11-12, Now God worked unusual Miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Think about the Earth, and how every bit of it was designed to support all forms of Life. If you look at all the forms of life, we are talking about trillions upon trillions upon trillions of individual cells, each designed to do its part to make every living thing function and reproduce itself. Man, and all his science cannot create even one cell of any kind that will do that. To me this is positive evidence of a Divine Creator.

Luke 1:37, For with God, nothing will be impossible.

When the Lord Jesus Christ was on this Earth, He healed the sick, made the blind see, the deaf hear, and all other sorts of things that no one else could do, including raising the dead. 

John 4:48, Then Jesus said to him, unless you people see signs and wonders you will by no means believe.

Why would anyone doubt that the Creator of the universe could do these simple miracles? When the Lord Jesus was here, He empowered His Apostles to work miracles and to teach salvation.

After the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, and before He ascended to Heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to enable them to do what He did and more. 

John 14:12-14, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

All miracles are not spectacular in our human’s minds, but they are still miracles. One more thing that I have been blessed to understand. Prayers are always answered, usually after waiting. In a life-threatening situation, the Lord God Almighty acts immediately to save us. He is always looking out for us. Every day, we pray Psalm 91 for me, my family, and everyone we pray for. If you don’t believe miracles happen, the chances are you will never see one.

 God bless you and your family. Praise The Lord!

 Remember Jesus loves you.

 Prayer of Salvation.

 My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to save me and to forgive my sins. I ask you to come into my heart as my personal savior. I Repent of my sins, and I thank you and Praise you for what you did on the cross to make my salvation possible. Amen. 

Praise The Lord!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

My Time With Jesus Tuesday

Watchman On The Wall

Ezekiel 32:7-9, So you son of man; I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore, you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, oh wicked man, you will surely die! And you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.

As far back as the history of man goes, every group of people had watchmen, or lookouts, guards, whatever you want to call them. The job of a watchman was to stay awake while everyone else slept.

This system worked very well as the watchman stayed awake and warned the people. When the people took the warning seriously, they were saved. If the watchman fell asleep, and the people had no warning, they perished.

Isaiah 62: 6, I have set watchman on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace, day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent. 

You may be wondering what this has to do with the times we are living in. Think about this. The prophets were God’s watchmen. They told people what God Almighty told them because God was holding them responsible.

In these times every Christian is a Watchman for the Lord God Almighty. If we don’t tell others about The Lord Jesus Christ and being saved through him, they will perish and that will be our fault. If however, we do our best to tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ and they ignore it or reject it they will perish, and it will be their fault.

Nehemiah 4:9, nevertheless we made our prayer to God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

In Our Lifetime we can help people find Jesus. Even if only one is saved through our efforts, we did our job. The best place to start is our children and our family. Teach your children by reading bible stories to them and showing them by your example, by going to church, keeping your word, telling the truth.

A parent is a role model. The father is the spiritual head of the family. You are the Watchmen to guard their souls. Teach them to pray and believe. Your responsibility for the well-being and salvation of your children begins with you.

Going to church is a good thing to do with your children, but if your church is not teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, it becomes your responsibility to continue teaching them the truth as Almighty God sees it.

Warn them about discerning truth from the lies that smother our world. Teach them to take what they hear and compare it to what God says, and not what government or media says. Tell them to rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. Pray with them. God bless you and your family. Praise The Lord!

 Remember Jesus loves you.

 Prayer of Salvation.

 My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to save me and to forgive my sins. I ask you to come into my heart as my personal savior and I Repent of my sins. I thank you and Praise you for what you did on the cross to make my salvation possible. Amen. 

Praise The Lord!

Sunday, March 10, 2024

God's Promises Sunday

Reality Of God’s Word

John 16:33, These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

We are living in times that test our faith. These times were prophesied in years past. This broken world was caused by sin, and satan can take credit for all of the evil because he causes it.

Is there anything believers can do about it? There is. It starts with the Bible. Most people do not realize that verses in the Bible apply to every generation, past, present, and future. If you don’t know the Bible, your trip through life will really be a challenge that you cannot overcome, because it is spiritual warfare.

James 1:12, blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the Crown of Life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

1Peter 5:6-8, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Pastors play a key role as they are Shepherds of the flocks of Jesus. It is their job to keep those in his or her care aware of anything in this world that goes against God’s word.

Truth in this world starts in the pulpit with the word of God. When you don’t have the truth, you will not do as you should. The Church must have courage to stand up for God and biblical principles.

It is not only the pastor’s job, but we also have the duty of due diligence. We can’t just sit back, do nothing, and complain that no one told us. Whether we want to or not, we must realize that the Bible is an instruction manual. Is a real-life guide to survival in a fallen World.

We trust all kinds of people with our lives and well-being, without giving it a second thought. We trust everyone that claims they are something. Pilots, doctors, the media, teachers, and so on. We don’t question, we just accept. We are inundated with lies every day, so we should pay attention to what we believe.

Why do we have such a hard time believing the Son of God? Why do we doubt Him, and don’t doubt anyone else? We cannot compare what we think or do to what God can do and how He thinks. Why is He challenged, and no one else?

We must follow the word of God even it doesn’t seem to make sense or possible to us. He does not see or think as we do, so when we start to compare what we think we are usually wrong.

Isaiah 55: 8-9, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways, My ways says the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Romans 12:2, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

God bless you and your family. Praise The Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to save me and to forgive all my sins. I ask you to come into my heart as my personal savior. I Repent of my sins, and I thank you and Praise you for what you did on the cross to make my salvation possible. Amen. 

Praise The Lord !

Thursday, March 7, 2024

A Letter To Christians

 

1 Timothy 1-2, Therefore I exhort first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

If you look around at what is going on in this world, it’s easy to understand why people are afraid, stressed, and in despair. Let’s look at some facts.

The Lord God Almighty is in charge of everything. He allows what goes on among rulers and those who are ruled. It is all part of His plan which goes beyond just today.

Romans 13: 1-2, Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

Since people do not know God, they don’t receive His best. The Old Testament tells us that people strayed from God. When they got bad enough, He punished them to wake them up.

When the people woke up and repented, and followed God once again, He forgave them and blessed them. So why do people go through that cycle? It has been going on for thousands of years. satan starts working on people by promoting complacency, then things start to get out of hand, and good people say or do nothing, everything gets worse and worse.

As time goes on and things get worse no one notices, and many don’t even care. It goes on until the circle is complete. Think of how many times in history this cycle has been repeated all over the world.

We live in times that look a lot like the Book of Revelation. Is this another wake-up call? People think electing a new leader will fix everything. Sad to say but they are wrong, because only almighty God can get to the real root of the problem and fix it. Constant, sincere prayer moves Almighty God.

If you read the story of Jonah you will discover that the city of Nineveh was ready for destruction but when the king and all the people repented, God spared them.

2 Chronicles 7:14, 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 heal their land.

That’s right. If everyone repented, and lived according to God’s will, he will forgive, and we will have a better life. After we are forgiven though, we must remind each other to keep on praying for God’s Saving Grace and to not fall back into satan’s trap.

If almighty God is not in our lives, don’t be surprised if we are destroyed. We are here to serve Him, but we get abundant blessings, peace, and happiness in return, as well as eternity with Him. God bless you and your family. Praise The Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to save me and to forgive all my sins. I ask you to come into my heart as my personal savior. I Repent of my sins, and I thank You and Praise You for what You did on the cross to make my salvation possible. Amen. 

Praise The Lord!

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

My Time With Jesus Tuesday

Parables

Matthew 20:1-16, Tells the story of a Vineyard owner who hired people at various times during the day. At the end of the day, everyone got paid the same.  Be sure to read these verses to get the whole story of what I’m talking about. 

The Lord Jesus Christ taught using parables. For those not familiar with that word, a parable is a simple story that conveys a greater truth. Years ago, when I first heard this parable, I thought it wasn’t fair to these workers. Everyone I talked to about it pretty much felt the same way.

This was a dilemma. Jesus taught this Parable for a reason. Since the Lord Jesus Christ cannot and will not lie, there must be something I wasn’t seeing.

Every so often I would think of this Parable, and I thought to myself that someday, when I saw the Lord Jesus, I would ask Him what it meant.

The other day, when I wasn’t even reading the Bible, a thought came to me about this parable. It seemed simple and answered my question. I don’t claim I read it in the Bible, or that the Lord Jesus Christ explained it this way. Possibly the Holy Spirit inspired it. You decide.

For the sake of helping explain, let us take a person of 10 years old, one 30 years old, and one 60 years old, and one about to take his last breath. Each of them found the Lord Jesus as their savior on those birthdays.

In the vineyard we had a landowner, and in life we have the Lord Jesus Christ. In this life all of them go to Heaven, just like all the workers in the vineyard got paid all the same, the ages didn’t matter in Salvation.

The explanation that came to me may or may not be true. Let us say that each of them lives to be 80 years old.

The 10-year-old would have 70 years of guidance, blessings, and a life of helping others to find Jesus.  So, each person had the difference between their birthday and their 80 birthdays to do what the 10-year-old did. In other words, each of them enjoyed the blessings for a different amount of time, but they were all saved.

I don’t know if there are different degrees of Heaven based on your life or not. It really doesn’t matter though. Experiencing the joy of helping in even a tiny way, someone being saved, is a reward in itself. Don’t forget, if you save one, and they do the same, it will end up being a lot of others.

Reading the Bible regularly and meditating on what you read, will put you in touch with our Father God. Before you read, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what you read. 10 minutes, or 10 hours, doesn’t really matter, but what does matter is consistency. God bless you and your family. Praise The Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to save me and to forgive all my sins. I ask you to come into my heart as my personal savior. I Repent of my sins, and I thank you and Praise you for what you did on the cross to make my salvation possible. Amen. 

Praise The Lord!

Sunday, March 3, 2024

God's Promises Sunday

The Holy Spirit And You

Matthew 3:11, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Many people are confused about the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that when we are saved, we received the Holy Spirit. Many people are baptized into salvation through a water baptism and think that is as far as it goes.

Galatians 5: 22-23, but the fruit of the spirit is love, Joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

These are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The fruits are actions the Holy Spirit uses to show others that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. We can work on all or one of these, it is up to us. The Holy Spirit does not force anything on us. We still have free will.

1 Corinthians 12:3-11, Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is the Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each for the prophet of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gift of healings by the same Spirit, to another working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

 The Lord Jesus told the apostles what to do after He went back to Heaven. The apostles could do nothing without the direction of the Holy Spirit and His power. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a special experience of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 This relationship with the Holy Spirit is not automatic. You must ask the Lord God Almighty to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and to be filled with the Holy Spirit and His power to serve according to the will and plan of Our Father God.

Romans 8: 26, likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Some years ago, I asked a preacher to baptize me in the Holy Spirit. When he did, I felt good but no fireworks as I’d expected. I was a little disappointed, but I started to notice after a while that things that I thought about and acted on were different.

Peace was in my heart, stress was gone, and I got more understanding when I read the Bible. I started praying in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

I know in my heart that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I even see glimpses of the presence of God Almighty in my day. The hard part of realizing what the Holy Spirit can do in your life is waiting for Him to give you Direction and Power to take advantage of one or more gifts that He gives us. It is all worth it, however. I pray you will find what I found. All you must do is ask our Father. God bless you and your family. 

Praise The Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to save me and to forgive my sins. I ask you to come into my heart as my personal savior. I Repent of my sins, and I thank You and Praise You for what You did on the cross to make my salvation possible. Amen. 

Praise The Lord!