Know The Truth

1  Corinthians 2: 14

What 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.

Today I would like to tell you a story that you could probably relate to. It is a true story, with a happy ending. 

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, and to those who are then called according to his purpose.

When I first became a Christian, I was very anxious to serve the Lord. Like many others, I looked into what it took to become a pastor. Time and circumstances were not in my favor.

As time went on, I prayed for the Lord Jesus to show me how I could serve Him, and be the man He created me to be.  I started reading the Bible, because I was told that it is God's set of instructions for me to be saved, as well as learning the way to live in order to lead the life He wanted me to have. call this preparation time.

I looked for a church, and overtime attended one then another. It didn't work out. I still felt empty, and kept on praying. I attended one church for two years. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and my life changed. I felt the Holy Spirit was urging me to write blogs, or as I understood it, plant seeds for the Holy Spirit to make grow. I started doing that.

A person at church asked me to baptize them in the Holy Spirit, so I did.

Over time, I baptized my wife, my son, two sister-in-laws. Still praying about serving Lord Jesus. One morning after our prayers, I heard a voice in my heart saying “you are privileged to serve the Lord. You have a part in the salvation of others.”

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed. The whole point of the story is to show you that you have a part in other peoples salvations too. When you follow what the Lord puts in your heart, you are doing what He created you to do. Every Christian has the privilege of serving the lord, but you need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help you find it. The best advice I can give you is, keep asking the holy spirit for guidance, and wait on the Lord for His timing. God bless you and your family. Praise the Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only you. 

Praise the Lord! 

Amen

The Two Sides of Patience

It Is Written, 2 Peter 3:9, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

If you talk to just about anyone about prayer, they will probably tell you that God is super slow to answer prayers. Prayers aren't magic. If a prayer is made with faith and a clean heart, God always hears. If the prayer is according to His Word, it is answered.

If all of this is true, which it is, why does God take so long?  One reason it takes a long time in our eyes, is our concept of time is not God's concept of time. Time is nothing to God. Time is a human thing.

Another reason for the apparent slowness is, God is answering millions of prayers. God has to manipulate circumstances for each person, in order for each person to receive God's best.

Suppose we apply the same expectations to ourselves, as we apply to God. How long does God have to wait in order for us to do what He expects of us?  God has unlimited patience toward us. He doesn't complain about us, or our slowness to act, so why do we dare to complain about Him?

I believe that the closer we are to God, the fewer things He must arrange to answer our prayers, because we are following him to some extent in the first place ,and that includes His plan. Think about that. God bless you and your family. 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

Is This The End

1  John 2: 18

Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

This message is not meant to scare anyone, or to predict when Jesus will come. This message is intended to help all who will listen. It is also intended to help explain the times we live in.

 Read the following versus carefully. Pray for wisdom and understanding by asking the Holy Spirit to make everything clear enough for you to make a wise decision. After the verses, there is a brief commentary.

Matthew 24:36

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

2 Timothy 3: 1 - 5

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.

When you look at what is happening in the world, or even our own country, can you see how we are following prophecy? Did you ever think you would ever see what is happening right now in the US?

 I believe this is a wake-up call. 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 sins and heal their land. This tells us that we have another chance. It applies to people of any country, that will listen. There is no doubt the end is coming someday, the Bible tells us so. When it does it will come as written in 2  3 :10, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 

Now, this minute, is it time to repent and accept Jesus into your heart as your personal savior. None of us knows if we will be alive, 5 minutes from now. Eternity is forever. every prophecy that was supposed to happen until now, did happen. It is wise to think what is prophesied for the future will also happen.  God bless you and your family. Praise the Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve Only You. 

Praise the Lord!

Amen

The Tongue

It Is Written, James 1:26, if anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.

It Is Written, Proverbs 18:21, death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

There are dozens of verses in the Bible about the tongue and it's power for destruction. Even though the tongue can be a force for good, by uplifting people and speaking positive things, most of the time it is used for destruction of people and their reputations.

One of the biggest offenders is gossip. Reputations and lives have been destroyed because of gossip. What starts out as a statement by one person, often grows to unbelievable levels, because it feeds on itself by way of the gossipers recklessness, and their willingness to hurt others. The so-called mob mentality takes effect with words.

Lying is another. There is no such thing as a small lie. Psalm 101:7 tells us what God thinks. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. One of the 10 Commandments tells us not to bear false witness. God hates lies. Revelation 21:27 tells us, there shall by no means enter in anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Adam and Eve lost the garden of Eden, because they were deceived by satan. He lied about the truth, and evil among mankind came into the world, and is with us today.

I believe God gave us the tongue to praise him and uplift others. God bless you and your family. 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

Living Water

Isaiah 12:3 

Therefore with joy you will draw water, from the wells of salvation.

The purpose of a dam is not to just block water flow, but to control the flow. After the damn you will find farms, towns, and empty stretches of land that all need water.

A dam regulates the flow based on the needs of the people and places downstream, no matter how far they are from the dam. The dam also solves the problem of seasonal water. Rain or drought, the water is dependable.

The Holy Spirit put on my heart, that each Christian is like a dam. The difference is, Christ is the living water as found in the Bible. When you become a dam at salvation, it becomes your duty to release that Living Water to those that thirst.

You may be asking yourself, how can I possibly do that? It is simple. Ask the Holy Spirit. Start out by offering the Living Water to family members. Share the Word of the Lord with friends and neighbors, as well as people you work with, or go to church with. Yes even those that go to church, because not all of them are saved.

The world is full of thirsty people out there, looking for the water that you can pass on to them. If you open the floodgates in your heart, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.  By studying God's Word, the Holy Spirit's voice will become very clear to you. One other fact. You can ask the Holy Spirit to send people to you that need what you have to offer from God's Word.  The Holy Spirit Will Never Let You Down.

Isaiah 44: 3

For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,  and floods on the dry ground, I will pour My spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.

John 7:38 

He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of Living Water.

 God bless you and your family. Praise the Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

Lord Jesus, please  forgive all of my sins, and to come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only You. 

Praise the Lord! 

Amen

Check Yourself

Matthew 7: 1 - 2

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

 All of us should know by now that we should not judge others, that is God's job. When we complain or criticize, we are in effect judging God. Since each person is living according to God's plan, we are telling Him that He did a poor job of planning in our case.

Romans 2: 1 - 3

Therefore you are inexcusable, o man, whoever you are  who judge, or in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the Judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, o man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgement of God?

Now it comes to us. Is this verse describing you? Do you pass judgment on yourself? Are you happy about who you are, and how you act? There are answers. Make a list of what you don't like about yourself. Ask yourself about the kind of relationship you have with God. Talk to Him, study His word, etc.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Realize that no one can change on their own. We must go to God and ask Him for help, because only He can make it happen. If you are not saved, say the Prayer of Salvation from your heart, that is the way to get on the right track.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.

With the love of God for you, Jesus and the Holy Spirit with you always, you will fulfill God's plan for your life. You may slip once in a while, but Jesus is always there to strengthen you. When you have Jesus and the Holy Spirit with you, you will begin to see other people through spiritual eyes and not physical eyes.  Looking at others with spiritual eyes you will have a lot less tendency to  judge others because you realize that they are living God's plan for their life. God bless you and your family. 

Praise the Lord!

 Remember Jesus loves you.

 Prayer of Salvation.

 Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only you. 

Praise the Lord!

Amen

Taking Things For Granted

It Is Written, Philippians 4:19, but my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Most people, including Christians, often take things for granted without even realizing it. Why do you suppose that is? There is no one answer.

We are so used to things happening automatically, that we give little or no thought to the fact that they are blessings. We are so spoiled, by God's grace, that when something we expect doesn't happen the way we expect, we usually get angry, and disappointed.

Suppose that you couldn't breathe all of a sudden. Imagine getting up in the morning and you couldn't see. If you thought about all these things, you can make a list that would shock you. It is at this point that most of us realize that we have overlooked these blessings, and the fact that they are blessings.

It is time we stopped taking God for granted, and start appreciating His blessings. He does not owe us anything, we owe Him far more than we can hope to repay. Thanking God every day for every single thing, would take hours. Here is a simple solution. Get a notebook, and every day write down one thing, and sincerely thank God for that blessing.

If you write about one blessing each day, you will end up with hundreds over time. Remember, it is by God's grace that we are able to get up in the morning, and see another sunshine. God bless you and your family.

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

The Role Of Anxious

Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The definition of anxious is, worried, uneasy, nervousness. If this describes how you usually feel, it is time to figure out why.

We have all heard the old adage that 90% of what you worry about doesn't happen, and 10% you can't do anything about anyway. It may sound crazy, but that Old Chestnut is mostly true.

Anxiety usually comes from focusing on the wrong thing. As you dwell on the possible outcome, the problem goes all out of proportion. Kind of like making a mountain out of a molehill. This by the way is one of satan's favorite tools, to plant a seed of worry in your mind, and to make that anxiety grow.

Just suppose you have a dental appointment in 2 weeks. You can imagine the discomfort and pain, as you consider the worst possible situation. When you finally get there, you have a small cavity, which turns out to be a painless fix. You spent 14 days and nights of torture for no reason. The actual fact you could not avoid dwelling on, probably took a matter of minutes. Quite a trade-off.

1 Peter 5 and 7

Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

If you make up your mind to put a problem in the hands of someone who loves you so much, you can have total peace in your heart. Millions of people have learned, if they focus on Jesus, their faith will grow, and they will have a victorious outcome.

Philippians 4:  6 - 7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God bless you and your family. 

Praise the Lord!

 Remember Jesus loves you.

 Prayer of Salvation.

Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only you. 

Praise the Lord! 

Amen

A Choice

Ephesians 1: 4 - 5

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption, as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. 

This verse confuses many people. Most think that God decided who is saved, and who isn't. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let's take a good look at it.

 Life is full of choices. We make dozens of choices every day. Most of us make choices with no thought to the consequences’

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you, except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the Temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

So step number one is, God knew before you were born, how and when you would be tempted. He gave you a way out,  each time, but it was your choice for the way to go. You had to decide if you would trust God, and follow what you knew in your heart,  was the right thing to do.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

Call this another step that God took for your good. There are countless steps to God's plan for your well-being on earth and in eternity.  It all boils down to this. God knew before anyone was born, the path that they would follow. He knew who would choose Him and who would not. God did not decide, we did. You must choose whether to serve Him or not. Remember, God sent His only son to save us, it says so in the New Testament. Realize  this important fact. You must know what is in the New Testament in order to make the right choices. So there you are. The most important choice you will ever make. God bless you and your family. 

Praise the Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only you. 

Praise the Lord!

Amen

Prayer Warriors

It Is Written, 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.

At one time or another, you may have heard the term prayer warrior, and wondered what it meant. In simple terms, prayer warriors are dedicated to God's Word, and apply everything they know to praying for others.

These warriors spend time studying the Word of God, because as it says in 1 John 5:14-15, now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. The Bible is the only place to discover what the will of God is.

Without a doubt, praying in the Spirit for others, is the most powerful prayer there is. We may not know what to pray, but the Holy Spirit prays the perfect prayer through us. It is in tune with our Father, every time.

A prayer of petition is a written request to God for something in particular. Scriptures  related to the request are quoted, and the request is specific and detailed. When it is completed, two or more people read it out loud, agree, and believe.

Warriors spend hours each day, and pray as they are led by the Holy Spirit. All prayers are ended with Thanksgiving to our Father for the results. We claim and receive them as we pray. God bless you and your family. 

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

Pray / Praise the Way Ahead

It Is Written, Psalm 34:4, I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Have you ever been concerned about the situation in the world today? How about your future in your personal life?  Do you worry, or are you at peace?

If you have a personal relationship with Jesus, you have nothing to fear. You know that you are with God, and God is with you.

If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, everything is dark and scary.  satan could be running wild in your life, and your fears are becoming your reality.

Consider this. Everything that is happening, can in fact be a wake-up call. satan will tell you that God is punishing you for who you are, or things you did. It is a lie. He's trying to deceive you, to keep you from going to Jesus.

You can determine your future. Turn to Jesus, and open your heart. Listen for His voice, and read His instruction book, the Bible,  it's all there.  satan cannot control your life, if you give your life to the Lord.

As far as the world situation goes, remember this. The children of Israel were not touched by the plagues that devastated Egypt in the days of Moses. God bless you and your family. 

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

The Great Undiscovered

 John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

This verse describes the greatest event in man’s history. Right behind is another event that most people are unaware of. The sad thing is that most of those that do know, don't realize the significance.

John 14:16

And I will pray, the Father, and He will give you another helper , that He may abide with you forever.

John 16: 13

However, when He, the spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. 

Once you realize that the same power that worked through Jesus, including all of His miracles, and His resurrection, has been given to all at Salvation, a new world opens up.

The Holy Spirit really does help with all of our needs. He teaches, guides, even helps us pray. His purpose in our lives is to help us know and do God's will. 

The Holy Spirit doesn't just help with our spiritual needs, but also our day-to-day physical needs. I have come to rely on Him for help and guidance all day, every day, in every way. Literally. I honestly believe He is my constant companion, just like if He was physically there.

I could go on and on. He has never let me down, and He won't let you down either. Just put everything in His hands and believe. By the way, in case you haven't figured it out yet, the great undiscovered just happens to be the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3: 5-6

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his Mercy he saved us, through washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Will be poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ Our Savior.

 Remember Jesus loves you.

 Prayer of Salvation.

Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only you. 

Thank You Lord

Amen

A Tough Situation

 James 1:19-20

So then, my beloved Brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

This message concerns something that is extremely difficult to deal with for most of us. When we look at the world around us, it takes a real toll on us. Those of us who are called baby boomers can hardly recognize the country we love.

Times were not perfect, but God was still in the picture, the news media told the truth at least some of the time, and everything was not corrupted by politics, hatred, and out and out deceit. 

Ephesians 4: 31-32

Let all bitterness, rage, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

 If you grew up with some measure of the meaning of accountability, and responsibilities, it is very difficult to avoid getting angry at what we see. Even though most of us know what the Bible says about anger, it is almost impossible to avoid getting angry in today's world, without God’s help.

Romans 12 :19

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

All of us know that only the creator has the right to judge anyone. Jesus was an example of how we should live. He lived as a man, and He had a man's feelings, even though He was God. He didn't give in to those feelings, no matter what happened, around Him or to Him.

You probably think that it was easy for Him because He was God. You would be wrong. The New Testament constantly refers to Jesus talking to His Father, and reading scripture.

Jesus had something else, the Holy Spirit to help and guide Him. The Holy Spirit also bolstered His faith. Guess what folks, we have the same Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has the same mission today as He had in Jesus time. We have the same Father as well. We have the bonus of the New Testament. If we make our God the number one in our lives, read His Word, and utilize the help of the Holy Spirit in Jesus name, we can conquer anything.

Romans 8:37

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. 

Thank You Lord

Amen