Putting God in Your Life

It Is Written, Psalm 107:8, oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and His wonderful works to the children of men.
If you are searching for God, you go after all of the information you can get. Undoubtedly you have seen many preachers, and plenty of regular folks writing messages similar to this one. Maybe you think everyone is telling you that you must be thinking about God, and reading the Bible all of the time. Possibly some people do, but the rest of us probably don't.
It is a good idea to take some time at the beginning of the day for private time with the Lord. The amount of time isn't as important as the quality of the time. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, guidance, and help for the entire day. Then relax for a while and just listen. There is no set amount of time.
During the day do your best to be the way you would be if Jesus was watching you in person. Be kind to others, even while you are driving.
As you go through the day just say thank you Lord for loving me. Ask Him to make Himself known to people you see. Bless people you see in Jesus name. There is no quota, but don't be stingy. Even bless and pray for people you don't like. Do it all with as loving a heart as the Holy Spirit gives you.  All it takes is about 10 seconds here and 15 seconds there.
Find time to read a chapter or two in the Bible. If you really consider what I have said, you will see that these suggestions do not amount to drudgery. So praise the Lord, and do what you know you should do. Do all of it with the love of Jesus in your heart. As you do, you are praising God, and God is blessing you. One more point. You can be happy knowing that you are doing what God put you here to do. One thing you must realize, is that if you live life this way, it is no less to God than what preachers do. Have a blessed day. 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

Forms of Praise

It Is Written, Hebrews 13:15, therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
I start this message looking at praise as something other than sacrifice. The way I look at it, if you are really praising God, there's joy in your heart, and the praise comes naturally.
When you examine the word praise, you may be wondering what exactly does that mean. There is faith and trust in God, there is thanksgiving, music, following God's law. I believe that if your heart is right, God is pleased regardless of what we do.
Music comes in various forms today. Old-timers like me have a tendency to prefer the old hymns, while young people prefer the much less conservative music  found in most churches. I have heard a couple of pastors saying that they must appeal to young people. Maybe they are right, but I am simple enough to believe that if you teach the word, and welcome the Holy Spirit, the music will take care of itself.
Faith and trust. How do you feel when you realize that whatever you tell your children they believe. When you promise something they trust you will do it. Make you happy and feel warm all over right? God knows it is a little harder for us, because we cannot talk to Him in person, or look Him in the eye. I imagine it means even more to Him, when we ask, and trust in Him.
Thanksgiving. We are made in God's image, so think about that. When you give something to someone, or do something nice for them, how does it feel when it is obvious that they are really thankful? The other side of the coin. If you gave something, or did something, and it was your best, and they did not acknowledge it at all, now how would you feel? If we would feel bad, can you imagine how bad God must feel after all He did for you and me?
When it comes Thanksgiving, I find it very good to think Him all day, every day. A simple thank you for this day Lord, or thank you for my health, it doesn't have to be nonstop. Each of us has dozens of reasons every day to be thankful. It wouldn't hurt to praise God by acknowledging what He does for us. So you see praising God is not all that difficult. The greatest praise you can give Him is to try to live your life the way He wants you to. Have a blessed day. 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

A World Without God

It Is Written, Matthew 24:36, but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my father only.
A world without God would truly be an ugly place. We will take a close look at now, because descriptions in revelation do a very good job of that, in our future. Since God is the light, it stands to reason, that without God it is darkness. As you know darkness is the evil one.
Imagine a life that is filled with chaos. Living in a constant state of unimaginable fear, and endless turmoil, where you had no future. I imagine death would seem like an escape for most people.
Now let's look at a number of things in a life as just described. Would you know what it feels like to love and be loved? Would a warm sunny day feel like something you could enjoy? How about birds singing, a nice breeze, good food, plenty of everything. Would any of it matter?
For many people in this world, it probably seems that it is a world without God right now. For the most part it is, because most people do their best to keep God out of everything. We have a world gone crazy. At this point it may seem like God is not in this world, but he is for some people. God is just biding His time and waiting for the rest of the people that are His to come to Him.
If there were no God at all, and no followers of God, this world and the people in it would have probably destroyed itself years ago. satan would've had things all stirred up, and the consequences are unimaginably bad.
Since at the present time God is still available for those who want Him, I do not understand how people are so quick to reject Him and accept the world the way it is. All it takes is calling on His name, to change your life.
I realize this is a quick look, but do we really want a full picture of a godless world? There are plenty of books out there that will give you a peek at a tiny bit, and it will still terrify you if you think about it. It all comes down to this. We must all make a choice that is forever. Choose well, seek Jesus while you can. Have a blessed day. 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

Access the Gifts

It Is Written, Romans 4:21, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was able to perform.
There are over 7000 promises to us in the Bible. Each promise has already been fulfilled and is in the form of a gift to us. The only thing we have to do, is accept whatever gifts we want, by claiming and receiving by faith. You are probably wondering how. Let us take a look at what we are dealing with.
Jesus said that whatever you ask the father in His name, if you believe, you will receive. You might be thinking, easier said than done. Many of us think that if we lived in Jesus day, we would believe. Well the truth is, maybe not.
Let's look at some facts. When anyone asked Jesus for healing or whatever, He never said "I am tired right now" "you don't deserve it" "come back tomorrow", but He did say yes every time. He did not fail anyone who asked.
It is true that the people that met Jesus, seemed to have an advantage over us. But the truth is, those people did not know Him the way we do. They saw other people healed, so they thought why not me? Faith yes, but possibly a fragile faith, in most cases.
If we are saved, we have Jesus in our hearts. We also have the Holy Spirit. The old-timers didn't have the Holy Spirit yet because Jesus did not send Him until after His ascension.
The gifts I mentioned earlier, cover everything you need in life. Remember, God knew your whole life before creation, so when you go to God in prayer in Jesus name, it is covered in what was set aside for you. A little hint. God will not give you something that will cause you to sin, or take you away from Him.
So let's summarize. Jesus never refuses a sincere prayer. The Holy Spirit was the power behind Jesus. Jesus said that He could do no miracles on His own, but through the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus and His love for us in our hearts. We have the Holy Spirit and His power in us, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
So when you add it all up, what Jesus said and did, the promises, the Holy Spirit, the written word of God. The answer is obvious. If Jesus said it, it is! Believe as a child, and reap the benefits due to a child of God. Ask and you shall receive, if you believe. Stand on the word, and keep standing on it. As I said earlier, all the gifts for you were made available in the spirit world before you were even born.
One more thing I would like to add. The closer you get to God, and the more you sincerely thank God for all He has done for you, the more your faith will manifest. At that point it will be easy to believe. Have a blessed day. 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

Be not Deceived

It Is Written, John 8:51, most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word he shall never see death.
It Is Written, John 1:1, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God.
All of creation was by the word of God. He spoke everything into existence. Jesus spoke all of His miracles. All through the Bible which is the word of God, the word in action is mentioned dozens of times.
By now I think we get the idea, that  the word of God is everything. It is life  to us, and we must treat it as such. It isn't something to be taken lightly.
satan is an interesting character. He knows the word backward and forward. The word is used by satan against us, and we use the word against him. How is that possible you may ask, it can't work both ways. Well my friends, the answer is simple. When satan quotes the Bible to us, it doesn't bother him because he twists it his way, so it only seems accurate if you don't know the word. If you are a believer, you know that the word is the sword of the spirit, and as such is a most formidable weapon on earth. satan cannot flee fast enough.
There are many false religions in the world that do outrageous things in the name of their God. They are satan's followers, and work against the true God and His followers. Many people believe their lies, and don't bother looking for the truth.
Now we come to the most sinister of all, the pulpit. There are countless preachers and so-called experts, and  professors in New Testament or Bible studies, that pervert the word. After listening to some of them, I sincerely doubt that they ever opened the Bible. We could write books about the distortions, some of which you see on TV.  Some of these people basically rewrite the Bible and what it  teachs, and if you don't know the word you can easily be deceived.
Some of these people have even taken Jesus out of the Bible, or say as the Muslims do, that Jesus was a prophet, not the son of God.
So my friends it all boils down to this. I think you realize that your eternity rests on what you believe. Don't take anyone's word on anything they teach. Check it out for yourself, and don't change a word. It is what God says it is,  period, and when you die, pleading that you were misled, is not an excuse. It will be too late. The Bible shows you the way, take advantage of it, and you know if you are being misled. Have a blessed day. 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

Not Guilty

It Is Written, Ephesians 2:8 – 9, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
When God created man, He knew man by nature was weak, and would require a Savior. Sin was so great, that it would be impossible for any man to do enough to erase even a little bit of it.
With salvation comes great joy. People receive the Holy Spirit and want to show God that they are thankful for salvation, or they try to show God that they deserve it.
Many people in their excitement start to figure out how they will change their lives. They plan on reading the Bible a certain amount each day. Sometimes they try to do what other people are doing, the ones they consider holy. They are loaded with good intentions, but usually fall short.
Then you have people who try very hard to follow what is in the Bible about love, forgiveness, charity, etc. When they have to do these things in the real world, they have problems. It is a broken world, with many broken people, and usually they present a challenge only Jesus himself could handle. So these well-intentioned people eventually fail.
Both groups have something in common. They feel like failures, because they feel they have let God down, and at the same time they feel condemned. It's a real shock to their faith, and many sometimes even question whether they are saved.
Well my friends, here are a couple of reminders that we all need at one time or another. God knew before creation that we are weak, and would need a Savior. That is why salvation was a gift, and not earned. He also knew that we would sincerely try to follow His plan and he knew our good intentions. He also considered the fact that the devil would attack us constantly, and the world would do its part to lead us astray.
Well there is good news. You are not condemned. All you have to do is repent your sins, and ask God for forgiveness. He always forgives. Your good intentions that you fell down on, just require you to do your best, and realize God already took care of everything. You are not guilty in His eyes any time you sincerely repent. Remember, we serve a God of love, not condemnation. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in following God's plan for your life, and let Him do it. Have a blessed day. 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 Meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus

it is written, Isaiah 53:1 – 12, a prophecy hundreds of years before the time of Jesus death and resurrection. I will quote verses 4 and 5 for those who may not have a chance to get to the whole chapter.Verse 4, Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;  yet we esteemed Him stricken,smitten by God,and afflicted.  5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;  the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. There is more to the story, so we must go to the beginning of this, the greatest love story of all time, God's love for His creation.
This story starts with the birth of Jesus, the only son of God, who was sent here to save us. I start here because without His birth, there is no story.
As Jesus was growing up, He was a man like us. He put aside His God self, in order to fully experience what we deal with. He experienced temptations, pain, hunger, happiness, and all of the same things we face. He witnessed the evil in the world on a daily basis.
I don't know if He realized who He really was, or what His mission was. I suspect He had at least an idea, and at that point it must have made Him sad, seeing man's inhumanity to man. He saw what the religious teachers were doing in the name of God. He could see how people had practically no chance for heaven.
Jesus went around teaching the good news, and working miracles. While some actually believed Him, most turned against Him, even some of those He healed. Many people hated Him, and wanted to kill Him. At this point in His life, Jesus knew what He was here for. He still taught and healed people He knew would ultimately reject Him. It takes love beyond understanding to do what Jesus did for us.
Let's skip ahead to Jesus betrayal. He had to feel like the whole world was against Him. Even His apostles abandoned Him, and one of them was  the betrayer.
He was lied about, punched, spit on, and all manner of abuse. As bad as all of that was, I am sure it was made worse by the fact that the people He was here to save, were the ones doing this to Him.
What people did not know then, and most don't know today is, that every drop of blood Jesus shed, was washing away all of their sins, past, present, and future. Imagine yourself forgiving someone who hates you and is trying to hurt you as much as possible. I don't know about you, but I doubt that I could.
When He was being scourged, by His stripes we were healed. Everything we needed healing for was taken care of. He took all of that pain for people who hated Him. Some people probably even enjoyed seeing Him suffer.
When Jesus was on the cross, all of our afflictions were on Him. We are told to visualize putting our burdens on Him, so He could take care of them. He died that horrible death to save us, and to keep us from getting what we deserve.
Now we come to the resurrection itself. By rising from the dead, Jesus conquered satan for all time, and made our salvation possible. Now we who believe and accept Jesus as our Savior, will never die. We will be with Him in heaven for eternity.
When Jesus was ascending to our father, He sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit was sent to give us wisdom, teach us, and help us in all things. When Jesus was going, He told all believers to preach the gospel, cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead in His name. This is only possible through faith which He also gives us, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
When I think about Jesus resurrection, I realize how much God our father, and Jesus our brother, loves me. At that point, it is to me a joyous occasion, and more than enough reason to love Him back by doing my best,  planting seeds in people's hearts for their redemption. We all have reason to rejoice and love one another. Have a blessed Resurrection day. 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