Good Friday Remembrance

Isaiah 52 : 14

Just as many were appalled at you - His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man and His form did not resemble a human being. CSB-Christian Standard Bible

Many people do not realize just how bad the whole process of crucifixion can be. It was the Roman's favorite source of execution for non Roman citizens. Let me briefly describe the process.

Before a person was crucified, it was normal practice for them to be scourged. Scourging involved a whip with nine long  pieces of leather, each piece of leather had pieces of bone and even some metal embedded in them. It was a form of cat of nine tails. When a person was whipped the idea is that they would swing the whip hard enough to get the pieces of bone to penetrate the skin and then the person whipping would jerk sharply, tearing skin and muscle  from the poor victim's body.

Stop to consider this. the Roman army in Israel, basically consisted of some of the worst there was. These so-called soldiers took great pleasure in inflicting as much pain on the victim as they possibly could. They had it down to a science knowing how much damage they could do to the body without killing them out right. They wanted the victim to suffer as much as possible before they died.

Isaiah 53: 1 - 12, basically tells the story about what Jesus did for us. It says in the Bible that Jesus sweat blood. Many people do not believe that that is possible. Let me Enlighten you. A medical condition known as hema tidrosis is the fusion of blood in perspiration, caused by extreme anguish or physical strain. Subcutaneous capillaries dilate and burst merging blood with sweat. The vast majority of people who suffered this problem, died.

Stop  to consider  the fact that Jesus knew all of this way ahead of time.  Can you imagine how horrible that was?

Each lash was called a stripe. If you read Isaiah 53, you will see that by His stripes we are healed. His blood that was spilled, forgave all of our sins, past, present, and future. He did it in our place, so we wouldn’t have to.

As horrific as it was, He would have done it for even just one of us.

If you doubt the description I just gave, check it out on google.  If anyone in history should be glorified or praised, it is Jesus Christ. All we have to do is admit to Him that we are sinners, ask for forgiveness, and invite Him into our hearts as our personal savior. That is what He suffered and died for. He wants us to spend eternity with Him. 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 Power Of The Blood Of Jesus

Hebrews 9:14

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

If you read the last message, you are somewhat familiar with the meaning of the blood covenant. The blood of Jesus is a covenant between God and us through Jesus Christ .  Christians have known about the Power of the Blood for as long as there are Christians.

A hundred or more years ago, they pleaded the Blood of Jesus over themselves, their families, and everything they owned or was precious to them. For a long time many in the church thought it was blasphemy, while others knew the true power of the Blood.

For years, I believed that if someone wiped up Jesus blood at the crucifixion, that if they touched a sick person with that towel or rag, that person would be healed. At the time I had no idea just how true that was.

Since I was convinced that the Blood had immense power, I started reading all I could, about the Blood Of Jesus.  I was getting both sides of the issue. As I usually do, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me know the truth. I believe I have found out.

When we pray, we have been taught about the power of the name of Jesus when we ask something in that name. It seemed logical to me, that if Father God had so much love for His Son, that He would answer prayer, the Blood must have powerful meaning too.

It was when I found out the true meaning, and power of a blood covenant, that the old light bulb went on. If God has a Blood Covenant with us, that guarantees certain rights to us, and we have certain promises to Him, He cannot go back on His word, unless we do.  A covenant was unbreakable, without severe consequences, from the party who broke it.

Now follow me on this. If we pray to the Father, and plead the Blood of Jesus, in our prayer, there is no way Father God is going to dishonor the blood of His Son. Therefore, it stands to reason, that if we hold up our end, He will not, and cannot, ignore our prayers. So my conclusion was, as long as we keep our end of the covenant, and pray according to the Word, Father God will, and must answer our prayer.

Just tell Father God, that you are pleading the Blood of Jesus over what you are asking. One thing that my wife and I do, is tell Father God that we are washed in the blood of Jesus. According to what I read, satan is made totally powerless against the blood. You should plead the Blood over each one you love, every day.

1 John 1:7, But if we walk in the light, vas He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

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

God, The Ultimate Parent

It Is Written, Psalm 103:13, as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.

It is difficult for many people to accept the idea that God is our father, in every sense of the word.

To get a better idea about how God feels about us, try looking at it from a different perspective. Instead of comparing God the father, to our earthly father, look at it as your relationship to your children.

Any good parent wants the best for their children. You teach them right from wrong, and what it takes to be a good person. When they hurt, you hurt even more, because you love them.

A parent is prepared to make any sacrifice for the benefit of their children. You guide them in the way they should go, and to keep them from making mistakes.

In spite of all your efforts, the children do not listen, and end up learning the hard way. It doesn't  matter what they do, you still love them and forgive them.

So you have to ask yourself, if our creator gave His only son to save us, and the Holy Spirit to guide us, how much more of a parent is He to us?

Just as we appreciate our children's love for us, God our father, appreciates our love for Him. 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. I only want to serve you.

Thank You Lord

Amen

My Time With Jesus Tuesday

Clean The Closet

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old has passed away, behold the new has come.

Sound like a strange title for a spiritual type message? Here comes the answer.

My wife and I live in a small house by today's standards. After years and years, it gets to a point that you have no room for new and good stuff. The only answer is to get rid of the stuff you thought was important at one time or another.

You have to decide what was a mistake to keep, and get rid of it, no matter what it cost at the time. Especially hard to get rid of  is the item or items that someone recommended highly, but was disappointing to you. It kind of always mocked you for being a dummy, every time you saw it.

Life is a lot like that closet. We have things we did or didn't do. Get rid of it. Maybe someone gave you bad advice, and it cost you. Get rid of it. And so the story goes. This stuff still robs you of making good prayerful decisions.

It doesn't matter how old you are,or how much baggage you carry. Talk to Jesus, ask for forgiveness of everything you have been burdened with, and ask Him to take over your life. Talk to Jesus the way you would talk to someone you love, because He loves you.

The only sure way of getting good advice  is through the Bible, and the Holy Spirit. Start an uncluttered new life with Jesus. Best of all leave your sins behind you. You are a new creature in Christ, and your new life, begins with Him.  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 Bible in your life

2  Timothy 3:16 - 17

All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The  Bible is the Word of God. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

Isaiah 40: 8 tells us the grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.

The Bible is a set of instructions given from God to help us get back to Him in Heaven. With these directions anyone who follows them, will have a better life here, and eternity with God.

There are a number of reasons many people don't read the Bible. One of the most common is, it is too confusing. With so many plain english bibles around, confusing isn't really a valid answer.

Romans 10: 17, so faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.

Another excuse you hear is the one that says God is cruel. He punishes people and kills them. If someone actually reads the Old Testament, they will see God's actions are justified. That answer usually comes from someone who heard it from someone, and so on.

With the world in its present condition, it would make sense to see what God says will happen. It is all in the Book of Revelation. If you don't know what is in the Bible, satan can steal your soul without you even knowing it. Don't spend eternity in the wrong place because you didn't take the time to find out what the answer to Salvation is until it was too late.

John 3: 36 tells us whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

The NLT version of the Bible is one of the simple language bibles. Your eternal soul is worth more than 15 minutes a day reading God's Word instead of watching TV. 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 During Hard Times

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you,  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. 

In times like these, these verses are very hard for most of us to live by. the next one requires a lot of thought.

Luke 6:28, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. In looking at this verse, I do not think that the idea is to bless in the way we usually bless people.. God hates sin, so it must be another way to bless evil doers. We do not want them to succeed in their evil ways.

I'm not trying to rewrite the Bible. I say what I really believe is the meaning behind praying for those who abused others. I ask the Lord to open the hearts and minds of abusers of others so that they change their ways, and stop the evil they are doing.

1  Timothy 2: 1 - 2,  therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. Everyone on earth will face God someday, and answer to Him for what he has done. God will reward good and punish evil.

As Christian's most of us are aware of all of the crimes against God's law in a large part of our society. Our job as followers of Christ is to pray that people, especially our leaders, see the light of Jesus, before it is too late.

Whether you believe it or not, sincere prayer is always answered. Remember this truth also. Everything is in God's time, not ours. God created us, so He gets to decide when enough is enough, and it is time for all to be judged. 

Job 12,  23 - 25, He makes nation's great and destroys them; enlarges nations and guides them, He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a  pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light and He makes them stagger like a drunken man. 

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

My Time With Jesus Tuesday

Take A Look

Proverbs 25:26

A righteous man who falters before the wicked, is like a murky spring and a polluted well.

If you were born 60 or 70 years ago, you're probably wondering what country you are living in. Back then we didn't have Facebook, Twitter, or a media that promotes ideas that are contrary to God and our constitution.

The people we trusted to teach our children, turned kindergarten through college into a political organization,  indoctrinating rather than teaching. They start with  the youngest. Teaching against God, our Constitution, and preaching doctrine of self-loathing, and division by race, gender, politics, and all kinds of crazy things. It has now become known as the cancel culture. where nothing is safe, not even Mr. Potato Head, or Dr Suess.

The Bible prophesied all of this a couple of thousand years ago, Peer pressure, politics, all sorts of twisted ideas held by the world, have contributed to the destruction of our society and that of the world. Teachers at all levels, especially those teaching the young and innocent take note.

Matthew 18: 6

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.

Still not convinced about any of this?  2 Timothy 3: 1 - 5,  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

Look around with an open mind. See any similarity between what you see, and what the Bible says? If these times don't scare you, read the book of Revelations, and compare it to the times we live in. What you don’t know can decide your eternity. 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 we are blessed.

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 Word Is Life

It Is Written, 2 Timothy 3:16, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instructions in righteousness.

As most of us know, the Bible is the Word of God. The writers copied what the Holy Spirit told them. It is God's blueprint for salvation.

As most of us realize, there are two forms of life. There is spiritual life, and human life.

Life as most people know it, is the here and now. The problem with here and now, it is dominated by satan.  satan wants everyone to spend eternity with him. satan has no blueprint for getting to hell, because if most people knew it, they wouldn't follow it. Instead, he looks for weaknesses, and he exploits them. Doubt, fear, and all forms of deceit are among his favorite weapons.

The Word on the other hand, is totally opposite. When you know and follow the Word of God, it is always tougher, and satan's way seems pleasurable.

The result of following God's Word, includes blessings of all kinds. Peace in your heart and mind, as well as a fulfilling life. The eventual outcome is eternity with God. His Word has all the answers for whoever will follow it. 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

My Time With Jesus Tuesday

Forgive You

1 John 3: 19 - 20 

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He  knows everything.

The other day, I was talking to someone I have known most of my life. As we talked it became obvious that something was troubling him. I felt in my heart that he needed to talk, so I flat-out asked him if he wanted to tell me about it. He seemed to jump at the chance.

He told me that as he gets older, he looks back at his past, and has an awful lot of regrets. He told me about a number of things that he did, and then almost an equal number of things he didn't do. All were bad decisions with very big consequences.

He went on to say that life was no blessing to him. He had been blessed, but he had no real gratitude to God. He said he was running out of time to do anything, and that the thought of maybe going to Heaven did not make him grateful either.. 

Philippians 3:13, brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do is forget what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. 

I must admit it was all a shock. I asked him if he ever talked to the Holy Spirit before he made a decision. His answer was no, because he thought he knew what was best for him. I gave him the following verses.

Proverbs 19:21,  many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Jeremiah 29:11,For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare, and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Ephesians 1: 7 - 9, in him we have Redemption through his blood goodness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us all wisdom and insight. Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ.

I suggested to him that God had allowed what happened, because he didn't seek God's answer. On the rare occasion that he did seek God he didn't wait for God, but just jumped into his own decision.

God forgave all of that. A few things are required though. First acknowledge what we did to God. Second, I told him to forgive himself, and ask the Holy Spirit to help with the right decisions, and wait for a clear answer before doing anything.

He looked like a huge load was lifted. It is too soon to determine the outcome, but I expect he learned some lessons. If you are a little like my friend, remember all things are possible with God. Hindsight can be a killer. don't compare how you think now in comparison to what could or should have been in your opinion. Just let the Holy Spirit do the thinking according to God's plan. God bless you and your family,

Praise the Lord!

Remember Jesus loves you.

Prayer of Salvation.

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

Praise the Lord! 

Amen

Proverbs 19: 21

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Why is probably the most asked question in the world. A great number of the why  is directed at God. People as a rule question anything they don't understand, and why things happen is number one.

First of all, we live in a fallen world. It is full of evil, corruption, hate, and everything else that  satan stands for. He is the king of all that leads to  destruction.

We must realize that each of us has a free will. We can choose God or satan. God has to allow what goes on, because He cannot take back free will.

Joshua 1: 9, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

The Bible tells us that those who are condemned at the judgement will know that they deserve condemnation. Their thoughts and actions through life brought them to where they are. Their rejection of Jesus was the ultimate transgression.

Life is a test for those who call on Jesus too. The testing helps us to see how we are doing. If we are honest with ourselves, we come to the realization that we are sinners and need a savior, and that Savior is Jesus.

There are other times God allows something, because it is a part of His overall plan for us or someone who is a part of His plan along with us.

Jeremiah 29:11, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Everything that happens in our lives, is the cross we are to take up if we follow Jesus. Jesus is the son of God but He still had to take up His cross literally. He did it without complaining, trusting our father, and keeping His eye on Heaven. Great example for us. If we forget about asking why so much, and think about what the Bible says, about trusting God, we will realize that we have the answer to why. 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

Exciting Times

Psalm 56 : 3 - 4

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose Word I Praise, In God I trust; I shall not be afraid, what can flesh do to me?

My wife and I were having our regular coffee time, and briefly discussed the news. We once again invited the Holy Spirit into our day and home, and thanked God for another day.

1 John  5: 4-5,  for everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

The Lord is a God of suddenly. Suddenly we got a reminder of how God is in charge of everything. Nothing happens in this world unless God allows it. Therefore we realized  since that is true, it all must be a part of God's master plan. All of a sudden we got excited about the fact that we knew it was God's plan. So as many people do, we began to speculate about what the Lord is up to.

The first thing we thought of was that maybe God was allowing all of these events that are going on, to give all those who will be saved, the time to accept Jesus as their savior. Another thought was that the times are a wake-up call to all believers, to pray for a revival. After all, 2 Chronicles 7:14 says,  if My people who are called by My name, 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 will heal their land.

Then reality struck. No man can know the mind of God in these things. It is useless, because God is the creator of all things, so only He gets to decide who, what, when, where, and how.

1 Peter 5-7, Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

What we must all remember is that faith and prayer is what God expects from each of us. Faith helps us to see with spiritual eyes the way God sees. Fear prevents us from being able to see God's way. Fear always gets in the way of what God is doing.

Yes these are exciting times, because our Redemption is near, and our final destination is in sight. Remember this. Fear is a tool of satan. Fear is Darkness. Faith is trust in  Jesus. Jesus is light. Darkness is always  overcome by light. So my friends it all boils down to this. Just get close to God, trust in Him,  take one day at a time,  and don't worry about what comes tomorrow. Everything on this earth is temporary. Our future home is forever. 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

My Time With Jesus Tuesday

Indifference

 Revelation 3: 15 - 16

I know your works:  you are neither cold nor hot, I would thou be either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Some of the churches and worshippers in these times, fit perfectly in this verse. How did they get that way? Maybe the churches were a little lacking in their teaching. Maybe the people got caught up in other things.

When a person is very young, he may or may not learn about Jesus from his parents. If the parents send him or her to a school run by a religion, it pretty much depends on how that school is run, and what it teaches.

When I was about eight or nine years old, I went to a parochial school. On Sunday the whole school went to church together. A few verses were read and I was really interested, and wanted to hear more. Unfortunately the person preaching, talked about something that had nothing to do with God.

After many such disappointments, I became indifferent to God and my religion. I became very good at ignoring God. This went on for many years. I went through the motion on a few occasions to please a loved one.

Fast forward 50 or so years. By the grace of God, I found Jesus, or I guess I let Him find me. My whole life changed in fantastic ways. My faith grew to the point where it is a matter of fact concerning prayer and God. I have no doubts in His power and love for me. Even through many difficult times, the hand of the Holy Spirit was on me. He never ever let me down.

It is very hard to find a church that helps you grow in your love for Jesus. The human element is always there. So if you're not getting what you need at that church, find one where you will.

Many people aren't sure they really love God. They go by feelings instead of faith. Loving Jesus is not like your first love when you were young. You know what I mean.

Loving Jesus is a hard thing to figure out sometimes. Know this. Your spirit loves Jesus all of the time. It reminds you of that when you hear a hymn, or think of Jesus crucifixion, how you got those tears in your eyes, or that feeling in your heart..

The Holy Spirit gives each of us little promptings in our heart. You know how that feels. Follow those promptings, because they will lead you and those you love to eternity with Jesus. Jesus doesn't give up on you, don't give up on Him. Get into God's Word the Bible, and find out who Jesus really is, and how much He loves you. 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