Take up Your Cross

It Is Written, Matthew 10:38-39, and he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Does that scare you? Do you need a little help understanding these two verses? What I now say to you, is what I believe from reading a few sources concerning these verses.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we should commit to living our lives by Jesus example. It does not necessarily involve physical pain or suffering for many of us. It should be pointed out however that even today, there are what is known as martyrs, in this world because they believe in and love Jesus.

Our daily cross is pretty simple, but hard for a lot of people. We are to love our neighbor, help those in need, be kind, forgiving, generous, nonjudgmental, and be thankful for all the blessings we have received from God. We are to live as God directs us. He has the plan and we are to follow it without complaining. When you look at what Jesus did for us, there is nothing to compare to what we go through. His cross was to bring salvation, our cross helps us to get there.

Losing our life, is basically our will for our life. Putting it simply, if we follow our will, and let the world dictate who we are and what we do, we run the risk of not receiving salvation, because the things of the world are against God. By accepting Jesus and loving His way, we will spend eternity with Him. 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

Blessings Are Free

It Is Written, Proverbs 10:22, the blessings of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
At first glance many people think this proverb is about money. What this proverb is really referring to is, the riches of blessings. We are all blessed in different ways, but the problem is most of us don't recognize the blessings, because we take them for granted.
If you have never been sick, you probably don't realize what a blessing good health is. You can probably name dozens of these blessings without thinking too hard. How do we get these blessings? Well that is simple, and a puzzle at the same time. We get them because God loves us. How He decides who gets what blessings, is known only to Him. He does not have favorites, so that doesn't enter into it either.
Since God operates His plan in our lives when we let Him, He knowing all things, blesses us  with the right thing at the right time, for as long as we need it. There is no way to earn God's favor or blessings. There is absolutely nothing we can do to deserve them. God gives us the blessings because we are His children, and He loves us. All we have to do is receive them. By being thankful for everything He has done for us, we are giving Him back some of the love that He gave us. Just as when you give your child something wonderful, and your child really appreciates it, it makes you happy, God is happy when you appreciate what He gave you. 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

Wait on the Lord

It Is Written, Psalm 27:14, wait on the Lord;  be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart;  wait I say on the Lord.
Waiting on the Lord seems to apply to prayer, and seeds we plant, most of the time. The outcome in any case is dependent on faith and trust in the Lord. Lack of faith or trust will always produce negative results. In that way, God does not fail us, we fail ourselves.
First let us take a look at prayer. When we pray, we must trust in and have faith in God, that we will receive what we say. We must see the result as already accomplished. Don't pay any attention to how things look, or what someone says. Your physical eyes lie to you. They show you faith inhibitors,  conjured up by satan.
Planting  seeds works the same way. Seeds do not just apply to money. It applies to everything you do. If you plant seeds of kindness, you will get kindness back. Be helpful and you'll get help. If you sow hate, you will get hate.
Most of us do not realize that everything we do, is a seed. Good or bad, sooner or later, it comes back to us. God sees all. Payback may happen instantly, or take a long time. God adjusts what we get, and when, by whether we believe or not, and in the case of bad actions whether we repent or not.
God's timing is perfect in every situation. He already knows the outcome. He is never early, and He is never late. He knows and orchestrates each step, so all we have to do is wait and see. He never goes back on His word. We really control our own lives, through love and power of God, by what we believe and 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

Repentance Is the Key

It Is Written, 2 Corinthians 7:10, for Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
It is a fact that God sent His only son to die for the sins of the world. He did that because man is expert when it comes to sin. Man has a great imagination and comes up with all sorts of ways to sin, because man cannot keep God's laws.
When Jesus was here, He was here as a man so that He could experience what man had to deal with. He was tempted all the time, but He did not give in.
God knows man is full of sin, even the best of us, when we go by His standards. It doesn't matter how many or how horrible the sins are, He forgives us.
Sin hurts God, because He does not want to see His creation acting that way. What hurts Him more is the lack of repentance. It not only is disrespect to Him, it is condemnation to man. Man cannot have salvation without true repentance from the heart. It deeply sorrows God that even one should perish.
Repentance is more than just being sorry for what you have done. True repentance is a change in the way you look at things, and the things you do. The best way to describe it is, you do a complete turnaround in your life. Repentance, is not frivolous, it defines your relationship to God, and quite possibly where you will spend eternity. 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

Feelings- A Two Edge Sword

It Is Written, 1 Peter 1:8, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
We are all familiar with feelings. They usually come upon us just as reflexes do, without even thinking about it. They are a part of everyday life, and how we read other people. Most people make decisions based on feelings, or maybe you call them emotions. You can get some pretty bad decisions that way.
The Bible tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. It is basically telling us to keep feelings out of it. If you look at what feelings can produce, there are some good and some bad results. I don't think anyone would be happy if they could suppress all their feelings; they would just get depressed and possibly even worse.
Take salvation for example. You are likely to see great joy in some people when they are saved, and not much change that is apparent in others. Both people are probably saved, but one shows outward joy because of their personality, and the other has joy in their spirit.Feelings cannot decide if you are saved or not, faith does. People are all different, so you can't compare yourself to someone else.
Another example is when you pray for something, such as the healing of a sickness. You must have faith that you received it, according to God's promise, and you will have it. If on the other hand you wait for feelings to tell you, you are blocking the very thing you prayed for.
Feelings can also allow you to sin. You may have strong feelings about something the Bible says is sin. Feelings can help you distort the truth and you end up going against what the Bible teaches because you listen to your feelings.
As you can see, feelings can work both ways in any situation. A little "Lord help me decide" Really can keep you out of a lot of trouble.
One last thing, feelings can never replace discernment and faith. Don't judge your faith by feelings, judged by the person you are. Galatians 5:22 will give you an idea. The Lord's plan for everyone involves faith and trust, and not things satan puts in your mind. 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

God Has It Covered

It Is Written, John 10:28, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.
Only a big, Almighty God could make that statement and guarantee it. Our God is that God. He can make that statement, because He planned every single detail ahead of time.
Take the ancient writings, the patriarchs, the prophets, all was foretold many hundreds of years ahead of time. Most of us think that the Israelites should've known, and the Pharisees should have been teaching about Jesus. Sometimes it is very hard to believe that they didn't accept Jesus.
God knew ahead of time who would believe and accept salvation through Jesus. He also knew what it would take to convince us, and save us. He knew every single person who would not believe.
Based on all of this knowledge, God created a plan for mankind. He decided even before Adam, that man would have free choice, even though He knew that some would not believe. He adjusted His plan to cover everything. Jesus saved us, and we received His instructions through the Bible. We are in His plan. If you are His now, you will be His forever. 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 Lord

Trust in God

It Is Written, Isaiah 26:3, you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you.
Think about when you were a child. Most of us were blessed with loving parents. When we had a problem, or there was something we wanted, we told our parents, expecting them to take care of whatever it was. We felt no problem was too big for them to take care of. We then had peace in our hearts, and didn't think about it anymore.
As we grew up and had our own families, we saw things from the other side. Our children were looking to us for answers. On top of this, we saw many occasions of ugliness in the world. Lying, cheating, stealing and worse. It seemed like everyone was trying to hurt someone else. No peace.
So, a small recap. When you were a kid, you went to your parents. When you grew up, your kids came to you. Now, who do you pass the buck to? Can you?
There is an answer, and that answer is the father of us all. When you get to the point where you realize that your life is beyond what you can handle, you can pass it all off to God. Ask Jesus to help you, accept what He did for you, and give Him your whole life. Just as you trusted your earthly father, trust Jesus and your heavenly father, and you will have perfect peace in your heart no matter what. Leave everything to Jesus to take care of, and don't take it back. 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 Lord.
Amen

Choose Jesus

It Is Written,  Romans 10:9, if you confess with your mouth  the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Sounds pretty simple doesn't it? It sounds simple because it is. Let's look at a few things to help us decide if we should believe.
The first question to ask yourself is, if there is a God. If you look at the theories out there that try to explain how the universe and the different forms of life on earth came to be, you must be honest with yourself. You must use your brain with an open mind, and don't accept an explanation from so-called experts without thought.
After you analyze everything they say you'll probably have figured out in your own head that a creator is the only one that makes sense. Some theories are so outlandish they are laughable. It seems to me that Jesus rising from the dead is easier to believe than space dust creating all life as we know it.
Now take a look at other gods. How many died for their creation to save them? Only Jesus. How many require no works for salvation? Only Jesus. How many require just belief? Only Jesus. How many let you know exactly how you can count on being saved? Only Jesus. At this point you could go on and on and analyze all the gods that are out there, and all the religions, but all you will get out of it is a headache. There is only one God, and His name is Jesus Christ.
Now for the big question. If you find yourself taking your last breath, what name would you call on? How about the one who cares for you, and loved you so much He sent His only son to save you.
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

Vulnerability to satan

It Is Written, 2 Corinthians 2:11, lest satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
satan is not stupid. Just as a lion seeks week prey to devour easily, so does satan. There are some types he prefers, because they are easier to get.
A person who does not read the Bible. This person is not aware of what God says, and therefore doesn't know that he can have power over satan. This person gives in to satan because he thinks that satan has power over him. So he gives up, and satan does have power over him at that point.
This next one we will call undecided. This person doesn't know what to believe, because he never really took the time to try to figure it out. He is the type that is susceptible to the things he sees. If he sees something he likes, he goes with it. So you can imagine satan keeps him well supplied with things he likes to see.
Last one is a worldly person. This type of person gets so wrapped up in things of the world, that it takes over his whole life. The things that are common to most people include, money, sex, possibly alcohol or drugs. They have the same opinions about things that everybody else has. This type of person usually doesn't recognize sin, because he never was able to discern right from wrong.
Even if you consider yourself a good person, when you compare yourself to other people, you must remember that just being a good person, will not get you to heaven. satan messes around with good people all of the time, and tries to convince them that they don't need God. Don't fall for that nonsense. The sooner you recognize that you do need God, the better off you'll be, and satan will have a harder time trying to get you. 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

Spend Life Wisely

It Is Written, Ecclesiastes 6:12, for who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow?
Solomon like many of us, became an old man so fast that he couldn't believe it. As most of us do, he looked back on his life and unlike us, he decided to write about it in the book called  Ecclesiastes. In case you haven't read it, it basically tells the story of his life. The futility of wealth and possessions, how short life is, and what will happen to those possessions when you are gone.
I look at the brief time we spend here like a grain of sand. Take every grain of sand in the world, and put it all into one pile. Then take one particular grain and put it in that pile. Then somehow mix the whole pile. Can you see your grain?
I compare eternity to that sand pile, and my life as a that grain of sand. Even if you could make a mountain of sand, for each star in all the universe, and put all of them in one place, my one grain would not even make the start of the beginning of eternity in comparison.
Since a lifespan is that insignificant in the scheme of things, why not take advice from the Bible and live according to it. Eternity is forever, life is not even as long as the blink of an eye. The short life we have will be so much better, with our God in 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

Do You Believe?

It Is Written, Job 13:15, though He slay me, yet I will trust Him even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
A movie just came out by that name. We thought it was very good. One of the biggest reasons is, it makes you ask yourself, do I believe?
We aren't talking words here, we are talking about the real thing. Talk is cheap, action is real . The Bible says faith without works is dead, but don't confuse that with, you are saved by faith and not by works.
A very good way to test yourself about whether you believe or not is to read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Does any of it really apply to you? Be honest about it. If very little describes how you are, maybe you should work at it a little bit. Sometimes we all need a reminder in order to grow in faith.
Take each verse, and meditate on it. Apply it to your everyday life. Even if you take one verse a week, and work just on that verse, it will change your life.
The newspapers are full of Christians being persecuted or killed every day. That gives you an idea of how biblical faith probably was in action. None of us know how we would be under those conditions, but praise God we may all end up with the same kind of faith, even if all we ever do is practice 1 Corinthians chapter 13. The point is, as we seek God, and trust Him, our faith will grow. God loves us as much as He loves those being persecuted, so just do your best.
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

satan The Artist

It Is Written, Psalm 101:7, he who works deceit shall not dwell within My house; he who tells lies shall not continue in My presence.
As we go through our day, we are constantly bombarded by satan, and most of the time we don't even realize it. He is that good at what he does.
You are going to work, and you are listening to the radio. The news comes on, and you hear a few things that make you angry. So now you start to dwell on what you heard, and your subconscious starts to add some fuel to the fire.
As you start fussing over the news, you notice the traffic you are in. It seems extra heavy today. satan just painted a picture that makes everything look worse than it is. Now maybe you cuss at a few drivers and get more upset.
You get to work and you see yet another picture. You see a coworker you don't like, and now all of a sudden you can't stand the sight of that person. The day is now two hours old, and you have already sinned many times according to God's standards.
satan works on our minds with his pictures. He sets us up to sin, so it is almost like a reflex action. We must realize that that is what is happening. Most things are nowhere near as bad as they look. Take control and reject anything that gets you thinking the wrong way.
Beware these are satan's tricks, and talk to the Holy Spirit, and tell satan you are getting off that roller coaster in Jesus name and tell him to leave. We can't help the picture satan paints, but we can decide if we want to buy them or not. The same is true for thoughts that come into our head. They are just another form of picture satan paints, and we don't have to accept them. If we don't accept the pictures, they are not ours, so we haven't sinned. 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

Important Plan Information

It Is Written, Psalm 145:9, the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.
It has been said by many people that God has a perfect plan for your life. While that statement is true, there is what some people call a catch. Technically, I guess they are right.
Let me start with an example of everyday life. You decide you want to fly to California. The catch is, you are not the pilot. So either let the pilot fly the plane because he knows how, or you fly a plane, and probably crash and burn.
If you are driving to California, there is still a catch. You have to follow a map, or probably get lost. Your choice.
God does have a plan for you. The way to get the full benefit, is for you to turn your life over to Him, and let Him direct you. He knows the plan, and He knows the steps. Just trust in His love and relax. Your trip through life will be very fulfilling. There will be bumps along the road, but don't let that bother you, it is part of His plan, but someday you'll see how the bump played a part.
 The Hebrews that left Egypt with Moses, thought they did not need God's direction. They wandered in circles for 40 years trying to do it their way, and never did reach the promised land.
Our God is a loving and forgiving God. If we stray from His plan, all we have to do is sincerely repent, and He will put us back on the right path. The best plan for us, is His plan. He loves us more than we can imagine, so trust Him always. 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 New Birth

It Is Written, John 3:3, Jesus said "most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God".
We have all heard about the new birth and born again. Many people have explained what those terms mean, but for the majority of the explanations, I think they come up a little short. I found one that sure explained it to me.
My Bible is called "The New Spirit Filled Life" it is the NKJV version by Thomas Nelson publishers. It explains hundreds of words, phrases and customs. It is a study Bible that has become my favorite, because it is very good at what it does to help understand the Bible.
New Birth. Upon repentance, a new order of life opens to the believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus used the figure of "New Birth" to dramatically indicate three things: 1) without new birth, there is no life and no relationship with God.(John 14:6} 2) in new birth, new perspective comes as we see the kingdom of God(John 3:3) God's word becomes clear, and the Holy Spirit's works and wonders are believed and experienced-faith is alive. 3) through new birth we are introduced-literally we enter(John 3:5) to a new realm, where God's new kingdom order can be realized(2 Corinthians 5:17) new birth is more than simply "being saved". It is a re-qualifying experience, opening up the possibilities of our whole being to the supernatural dimension of life, and fitting us for a beginning in God's kingdom order.(Matthew 3:1 –2  4:17  Matthew 13:1-52.
The Greek word that was translated as, again, can also be rendered to mean "from above". To enter the kingdom of God, one must be born again, by a spiritual  birth from above. When you see all of this beginning to happen in your life, your spirit will rejoice, and show you that by your thoughts and action, you are like a new person, hence the new birth. 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

How Great Is God's Love?

It Is Written,1 John 4:16, and we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
I thought that I really loved God. I also thought I had compassion for my fellow man, and love people as a result. The Holy Spirit put some things on my heart after I saw the movie "Do You Believe".
I have come to realize that all of us have limits as to what we will do, and how much we love God. I know for a fact that I had limits and didn't even know it. The problem is, we compare ourselves to other people. The common idea that most of us have, is that we are not as good as some, and better than most.
Well my friends, God doesn't operate that way. God gives His all to us and expects us to pass it on to others. God has no limits. God is not partial to anyone. When Jesus was here, and He saw someone in need, He didn't see what sex they were, how old they were, or what color they were. He only saw someone needing Him.
Imagine for a minute, that God is like a high-pressure firehose, putting out a fire. How effective would it be if all of that water had to go through a nozzle with the force of a drinking fountain? When God sends all that water, He expects us to pass all of it to where it is supposed to go, not just a few drops.
Are there any water fountain faucets out there besides me? I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit, to see the real me. Remember convicted does not mean condemned. It means He has brought it to my attention.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will keep getting better at doing it Gods way. I will do my best, but I am human, so I will stumble once in a while, but I won't be condemned.
There are probably a lot of people like me, so when an opportunity comes up, ask yourself, what would Jesus do? I have repented for judging myself by other people, and will use God's standard as much as possible. I know that as long as I love Him and do my best He will be pleased. 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

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