Despair

It Is Written, Psalm 42:11, why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God.
A lot of people have the impression that preachers are hardly ever troubled by satan, and never get depressed. They just tell everyone to rebuke satan, and they go on with their happy insulated lives.
I write these messages regularly, and I try to cover things that can be helpful, and I believe help people to know God because I feel I am led by the Holy Spirit.  I don't say anything just because it is my opinion. It is fact as I understand it.
When I woke up this morning, I was totally depressed. I had an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. A big dark, heavy cloud seemed to be over me. And everything in my life suddenly became sickeningly oppressive. I didn't want to get out of bed.
I asked the Lord, what is going on? Why do I feel this way? I said help me Lord. I felt I could not write a message today. I was hardly ever depressed even a little, so you can imagine how I felt. I decided the best thing I could do was talk to the Lord in my office, and read the word. I know from experience that satan cannot hang around where the word is written or spoken.
When I got to my office(in my house) I spoke to the Lord about how I felt, and I asked Him what I am supposed to do today, and then sat quietly waiting for an answer.
As I waited, the depression started to lift. I felt the message from the Lord in my heart. He said. I have just shown you a little bit of what countless people feel all of the time. I wanted you to feel their pain, so that you would understand totally how people suffer because they don't know I love them. Tell them that I am waiting for them to come to me, because I cannot help them unless they ask.
At that point I said to the Holy Spirit, okay Holy Spirit let's do it. The devil is real, and he does attack everyone that doesn't belong to him. He can't get you if you don't let him. Don't get to rebuking him constantly, because it usually indicates fear, and he feeds on that list. Just say help me Jesus. If you mention Jesus name, or read a verse or two and meditate on them, or if you are able to pray in tongues, you are shifting your focus from satan to Jesus.
Jesus loves all of us, and wants us to be happy and healthy. God created each of us to be perfect. When sin came along, satan was able to afflict man with all sorts of things. satan wants to keep people under his thumb,  and put so much pressure on us that we forget what God gave us to protect us from all evil.
God himself loved us so much, He sent Jesus to save us, and Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit and His power with the authority of Jesus name to make  right what satan stole.
God is above all. We are His children and He loves us. If we cling to Jesus, satan wouldn't have the chance of a snowball on the sun. If you are happy knowing that you are a child of God, the depression satan tries to put on you would not have a chance. Keep your mind and heart on Jesus. It may be difficult at first, but Jesus is the answer to all of your problems.
As I always say, remember, Jesus loves you.
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

God Exists

It Is Written, Job 5:8 – 9, but as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause, who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.
Many people have a tendency to reject creation and all other miracles, because they look at them with human, prideful eyes. They search for answers in science. They explain many things away as coincidence, or the world creating itself.
I saw a TV show where scientists tried to explain the plagues of Egypt from Exodus. It amazes me that so-called educated people could come up with the total nonsense that they were spouting. One ridiculous explanation after another. A reasonably intelligent 10-year-old would laugh at what they were saying. It is obvious that their God of science had to be defended against the real God.
I am not judging, but I wonder sometimes if some of these people were actually smart enough to get a degree, or they were awarded a degree by people of limited intelligence. With all the rubbish taught in schools today, it is not surprising that everyone is so misled.
In order to accept creation, you must accept that there is a supreme being. Maybe it's pride or maybe it's fear, that won't let them do that. They look for endless proofs for creation, but at the same time they preach the theory of evolution, which has no proofs, it is a theory.
When you look at all the trillions and trillions of cells in each thing, how likely is it for all of these trillions to function together perfectly, with each group having its own function. All of these cells depending on each other, in order for even the tiniest thing to operate properly. It seems to me and some other people that the only answer to these miracles is creation.
When the largest man-made machine, can gather all materials needed from around the world, and assemble itself to function perfectly, then there may be something to evolution. If creation makes no sense, the idea of evolution is even many times more ridiculous.
So you see, we cannot judge God or think of the things He did, going by our human brains. All things are possible with God, and no amount of denial on our part will change that. The only answer for all the questions in the universe, is the existence of a supreme being. I don't know about you, but I prefer to think that a master builder made me, not some clump of slime or piece of dust. Praise the Lord!
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

About The Heart

It Is Written, Proverbs 23:7, for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
We are all familiar with the workings of the heart on an emotional level. If you suffer loss of a loved one, you actually feel pain in your heart. The heart sets up sadness in your mind, and controls the functions  of your body. When something good happens, your heart feels like it is all charged up. Your mind gets happy, and your body feels great. I believe your heart controls your brain most of the time and the health of your body all of the time.
As you can tell, your heart controls who you are, and how you treat others. God felt the heart was so important, that it was mentioned in dozens of verses in the Bible.
When you see someone in need, you have two choices. You can have compassion(heart) and it tells your brain to help, or your heart is not compassionate, and it tells your brain to find an excuse for not helping.
Jesus spoke in the Bible about worthless sacrifices, and how he hated them. He spoke that way because He knew their hearts. Going through the ritual of animal sacrifice for instance, without a repentant heart is totally meaningless.
When you ask God for forgiveness of your sins, if you are sincere in your heart, He is quick to forgive even the worst sinner. How do you know if you are sincere? I don't speak for anyone else, but I feel an actual ache in my heart, and an anxious feeling in my brain when I have sin on my conscience. A total sense of peace follows the confession.
Think about how you feel when you know for sure that your spouse really loves you. Think about the opposite. When you love someone with all your heart, no sacrifice is too great. If you don't love them, you aren't likely to sacrifice much.
When you pray for someone from your heart, your prayer is heard and will be answered. If you are just saying words, don't waste your time. If you help the poor because of compassion, you will be blessed. However, if you give in order to be noticed, or you give grudgingly, save your money, God isn't impressed.
We could go on and on with examples, but there is no reason to do that right now. The Bible is a great source of wisdom, that is why God inspired it, and Jesus lived it. If you ever wondered about how to improve your life, read God's word. He is the greatest giver, with the biggest heart, ever. It is not called the good news for nothing. Praise the Lord!
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

The Money Guys

It Is Written, Proverbs 23:7, for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Many people look for excuses to criticize preachers because they think all preachers are only after their money. In their minds that is a very good reason for rejecting what they hear, and are thereby rejecting God.
There are a few people on TV, that act like they are promoting a get rich quick scheme to desperate or uninformed people. They take advantage of fears and even greed that some people have.
The Lord God wants us to help the poor, by giving from the heart. He rewards us for the love and compassion we show to others. If you read the Bible, you will find that God condemns tainted sacrifices. Tainted meaning not giving our best from our hearts. Jesus always talked about helping the poor.
We receive everything we have from the Lord. We are to use it to help others. As we give His money to those in need, He replenishes what we gave and more. That Is the Way, God intended. God is all about the heart.
Before you give $1000 to someone because they say by doing that, you will be able to pay off all your bills, or even your mortgage, think and pray about it. Giving is not let's make a deal with God. If it is not God's way, don't do it.
I am not condemning these people on TV. They belong to God just as we do. I am saying however, don't let anything but love guide your giving. Remember God does not honor insincere giveing. Don't let people like this, be an excuse for not doing what we are commanded to do by the Lord.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Spiritual And Physical Self

It Is Written, Ecclesiastes 7:29, truly, this only I have found: that God made man was upright, but they have sought out  many schemes.
We were created in God's image. Since God is a spirit, so are we. He gave us these physical bodies in order to live on Earth, until we decide if we want to be with Him. He also gave each of us a job to do while we are here. The most important job, is to help each other get back to Him.
It isn't as simple as it could be, because now we throw satan into the mix. satan is a spirit too, but he is evil. We all know what he did, and his destination at the end. He wants to get even with God, by stealing God's people.
I don't have to tell you that life on Earth is a constant battle between our spirit self, and our human self. satan is so evil, because he knows everything there is to know about sin. After all, he invented sin. He knows what pleasures to tempt each one of us with.
satan likes to tell us how enjoyable something is, and then tries to work on our minds, to make us think that there is nothing wrong with doing it. He is creative and relentless when it comes to sin. He even distorts the word of God. He causes people to do evil things, , and makes them believe that what they do is alright.
Don't despair. Our spirit selves can keep us from falling into his traps. If we are believers, we have a direct line to the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is ask, and then listen. God did not put us here defenseless. I will write about the armor of God in more detail in a later message. In the meantime read Ephesians 6:13 – 18.
As believers we are more than able to conquer satan through Christ who strengthens us. We have the word of God Himself to help us know the truth, and the path to follow. Another thing to remember, is that God never allows more than what  we are able to handle.
One last point. When Jesus was here, He wasn't here on vacation. He had a job to do, and that job was to save us. He came in a body like ours so that He could know what we go through. The Gospels tell of His temptations in the desert and His victory over satan. As you know He quoted the word back to satan. Even satan's clever distortions were rebuked.
Jesus was a man like us. He had to eat, sleep, take a bath, clean His clothes, etc., just like us. His body did not get special treatment. He defeated satan by talking to, and listening to His father. As I said we can also talk to God, but then we must listen with open hearts, and read His word to get answers. Praise the Lord!
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Stretch Your Faith Muscles

It Is Written, Mark 9:23, Jesus said to him, "if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes".
It Is Written,2 Corinthians 5:7, for we walk by faith, not by sight.
As we all know, there are countless verses about faith. Did you know that faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit? Did you know that God is praised every time we exercise faith? It is like a gift back to God when we trust in Him.
If you read the Bible, you will find that many people did small things through faith, as well as great things by faith. All of these people were just average men and women until they believed. Many people will tell you that if they lived in Bible times and met Jesus, they would have faith too. Really?
The Holy Spirit talks to everyone. Whether they listen or not is up to them. We probably know Jesus better than people He talked to back them. Other people, such as the prophets, heard from God himself in their hearts. So you see, we are much better off today, because all of us have God's word, the Bible. His word spells it all out to those who love Him.
Sometimes you will hear someone say that they don't want to bother God with little things. That is usually just an excuse for little or no faith. God does not look at our requests as big or little, they are all big to Him, because they are big to us.
When we need something, we ask God in Jesus name. We aren't bothering  Him if we ask in faith. We are giving Him praise by trusting in Jesus name, and exercising faith.
God also gets the largest amount of praise when we pray for others, with love and compassion in our hearts. You can never ask too much. You are His child, and His love for you, and His supply, is limitless.
Now a brief explanation of the title of this message. As an example, you can use any profession. Mother, Dr., sports star, and so on. The ability of these people is determined by how hard they work at it. For this example we won't go into the faith aspect.
Each of these people start out small, and build up from there. It  makes no difference if it is brains, or muscles, they must be exercised in order to grow. If you don't keep stretching your physical muscles, or your brain, it will level off and you will not progress.
Faith is the same way. Learn the instructions (the Bible). Start out asking for simple things, like making a headache go away. As you see results, you naturally expand your prayers for bigger things. Answered prayer also requires patience which again is a way of building faith.
One last thing if you concentrate on prayers for others through love and compassion in your heart, they will be blessed, God will be praised, and your wants and desires will be given to you without you even asking. Remember you grow in proportion to your exercise. Praise the Lord!
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Martyrs

It Is Written, Revelation 20:4, and I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands.
Note. Scholars believe these are tribulation martyrs, and the 1000 years is the millennial reign of Jesus.
A Martyr is a person who is killed because of their religious beliefs.
I cannot imagine there is any place on earth, except maybe a jungle, where people have not heard about Christians being slaughtered because they believe in Jesus and will not renounce Him.
Those who are doing the killing are fulfilling prophecy, written in the very Bible that they hate. satan really has them in his grasp. He has them doing his work, while the people they are killing, are doing Almighty God's work.
Our Lord Jesus came to earth to redeem us because He loved us. He spent His brief time on Earth teaching and living love. He commands us to love one another and to help one another. Compassion and mercy are an important part of what love means.
These modern-day mass murderers claim they are killing in the name of their faith, and their God. They believe they will be rewarded for these atrocities. They have a god that does not believe in love, if you look at their faith the way they do. They believe their god wants them to kill, in order to advance the faith.
The argument has been brought up that Christians did the same thing to non-Christians hundreds of years ago. That is true. However you must look at all the facts. Then as well as now, the vast majority of believers are not like that. They do not pervert their faith for personal reasons, or as an excuse that they are serving their god.
When we look at the whole situation today, the normal human response is, to kill every one of these murderers. The big problem is that our God,who is God, tells us to love and forgive. "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord". God will settle this issue in His time.
 I am suggesting something that a lot of people will moan and groan about, or even get angry about. We have the ultimate weapon over evil of every kind. What is that weapon you may ask? Prayer. Only God can straighten out this satan ruled world.
Pray for those being persecuted to remain faithful to Jesus. Pray for the killers to have visions of what really awaits them, if they don't stop killing. Pray for the Holy Spirit to protect the righteous in Jesus.
Our God is a loving God, and has a plan for each person. Even a killer can turn to God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and keep trusting. God is the only answer. Praise the Lord!
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen