Aim Higher

Psalms 121:1-2"I Will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord,which made heaven and earth"

We must look to Jesus in all circumstances of our life.It is in him we should look,in him we should trust, and to him we should we sacrifice in in times of uncertainties.The psalmist here says "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills".

Many are lifting our eyes to the hills and not to Jesus, looking to the elevated high places and the things we have elevated to the high places in our lives,when it is Jesus who saves.Many are looking to our Jobs,bank accounts positions and other things we have placed in high esteem in our lives.Why do we look to the hills, why do we say we are going to look to the hills,it is looking to the hills which has gotten most of us in the situations we find ourselves in today.Looking to the hills have taken our eyes off of God, and his purpose in our life.This causes us to stray to the left and to the right,as we begin chasing the lust and desires of our own hearts,no longer being led by the spirit of God.Sometimes God wants us to go through the valley of the shadow of death, but looking to the high places we sometime feel we are to good or to important to go through the gutters of life,even if it means to save a lost soul.Our vain thinking and need for variety sometimes returns us to the very world the gospel has called us out of,the world of darkness God has delievered us from.Looking to the hill can cause us to become selfish,seeking power, prestige,and popularity,instead of leading a lost soul to the salvation of the Lord.

The psalmist says he "will lift up his eyes unto the hills", then he ask a question"from whence cometh my help",He say where does my help come from, is it comming from the idols I have placed in the hills and the high places of life.( The hills and high places was where they placed the false god whom they made sacrifices too.)Saints is our help comming from our Jobs, bank accounts, or friends,the things in our life we often make sacrifices for.Where does our help truly come from? Saints are we worshiping the blessing and not the blessor? He goes on to say my "Help cometh from the Lord".Truly the Lord is the salvation of the world.Our help comes from the Lord, it always comes from the Lord.So aim higher and to look to Jesus the Christ our help from the lord.

Staying Faithful

John 6:66-67 "From that time manyof His disciples went back,and walked no more with Him.Then said Jesus unto the twelve,Will you also go away?

" No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." For which of you , intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it. Who hath believed our report?And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Do you believe? Have you truly counted up the cost? Will you go on with Jesus regardless of the suffering that comes alone with the journey.Will you continue on, when the road gets rough,when your friends turn there backs on you. Will you stay the course when you find that you might not get rich,or that you might have to let go of some of the material things in your life,or will you go back, and walk no more with him.

Here in this chapter of John we have what can be called the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus reveals who he is,why he came and our work in this great plan of salvation.Since the fall of man ,it has always be about reconciling man back with God, from  Noah's ark, to Joseph in egypt, Moses leading the children of Israel from Egypt and even Samson's battles, were all about the salvation of  mankind. Here in the story we have a great multitude following Jesus, all following Jesus were not Follwers of Jesus,are you following him or a follower of his, many followed seeking the miracles he preformed and the food which they ate.We have many today seeking Jesus for material and worldly possessions and not for the salvation of their soles. Jesus reveals to us our work in this great plan, he took the loaves Blessed it then broke it and gave to the disciples, who then distributed it among the people, Jesus then instructed them to gather up the fragments that none be lost. See Jesus came that none be lost,he has given us the blessed word of God for us to take out and share with a dying world, that none be lost, we are then to take up the fragments of broken lives, and lead them to Jesus. Then Jesus reveals who he is, stating that all who don't eat of his flesh and drink of his blood shall not enter the kingdom

 Jesus must live on the insideof us, he is the living word by which we shall have everlating life. He is the abundant life promised us by Gods word. God never promised us big cars, fancy houses, large bank accounts, he never said the road would be easy , a narrow uphill road is never an easy roadespecially when so many are bumping into you on the downward road. But what he did promise is that he would never leave you nor forsake you, and life more abundantly.What can be more abundant tha a life lived in the arms of our savior.

He's Still Knocking!

Revelations 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock:if any man hear my voice,and open the door,I will come in to him,and will sup with him and him with Me".

" He came unto His own,and His own received him not.But as many as received Him,to them gave he power to become the sons of God,even to them that believed on His name". Jesus suffered, bled and died on an old rugged cross to save the whole world.But to be save you must accept His death as your own,you must believe Jesus died for you.You must let Him in to your life.Is Jesus still knocking or have you opened the door to your heart and let him in?

Jesus says "I stand at the door and knock".Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts and He is knocking. He came to seek and to save the lost.He is humbling asking to come in,For if any man hears His voice and open,He will do the rest,He will come in.He said "the day that you hear my voice harden not your heart".See today is the accepted day of salvation,so open your heart to receive Him,and open your mind to believe Him.He will come in and sup with you and you with Him.Feast on the bread of life,O taste and see the goodness of the Lord.He is no respect of person he said if "any man" hear My voice,So he is standing and knocking on the door to the hearts of all men, and all women.he is calling out to you, let him who has an ear hear Him and open the door that he might come in.

Jesus came from heaven to earth to show us the way to salvation.He did everything that was needed for us to enjoy everlasting life with the Father.All he ask of us is just to believe and let Him in.Let receive the free gift of salvation and everlasting life with our Savior.

Behold The Lamb Of God!

John 1:29 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,and saith, Behold the Lamb of God ,which taketh away the sin of the world."

One day when I was lost ,Jesus died upon a cross,to take away the sin of the world.He saved me;God took on the image of man, that man might once again be made in the image of God.He took on my image,endured my punishment and suffered my death, to take away my sin.Behold the Lamb of God.

Jesus the Christ, the precious lamb of God,who is standing at the door of our hearts knocking,will you let Him in? John said "he seeth Jesus coming unto him"; Do you see Jesus coming unto you?Will you invite Him in? Today is the accepted day of salvation harden not your heart.John said "behold or Look" the Lamb of God".We must look too the Lamb of God that we might be saved from our sin.What must truly look to Him when we fall into divers temptations,for Jesus said "I have power over all flesh". Jesus and Jesus alone has the power to make the flesh behave.It is when we walk in the spirit of Christ that we don't give in to the lust,will and desires of the flesh.John tells us why we must look to Him,he says "which taketh away the sin of the world".Notice sin is singular,the sin that started all this was mans disobedience to God.When man obeys God man is without sin, it is our disobedience to God that opens the door to all the evil of this world.Jesus is the only way man can be obedient to God.

Now I'm not saying you will never have sin in your life.The flesh is full of sin, and you have to carry it where ever you go.But think of it like a bottle full of whiskey,you can have it in your pocket,but as long as you don't open it and drink of it, you won't get drunk.Look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

Denied Before Man

John 18:17 "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter,art not thou also one of this man's disciples?He saith, I am not.

Here we have a cowardly denial,of both the world and Peter.Peter was innocently questioned by the door keeper.Peter denied any association with Jesus.Peter made an attempt to be known as one of the crowd.He joined the crowd,standing around with the many, joining in their activites and conversation.

Too many today deny being associated with Christ.People see us in church or associating with other believers,and when we are asked,we deny any association to Christ.We deny him in the way we live our lives,our love for one another, in our ability and willingness to forgive one another,and give to one another.We deny him on our jobs,at school and in social functions.At the time when a witness is needed many deny Christ in an effort to fit in or be accepted by the crowd,or to hold to a loved one,to keep a position our for a self serving purpose.We deny Him by not learning His doctrine,and by not proclaiming His teachings,we may not verbally deny Him as Peter did, but we deny Him in our actions. The worlds religion allows man to be as he is, do what he wishes and still feel acceptable to God. Just think for a moment! How few religions,how few churches,how few preachers and teachers proclaim the true doctrine of Jesus Christ, and how many of us are willing to hear and accept the truth of His word.When we are confronted with the truth ,we say "you are judging me".We hold to false fables that "God isn't through with me yet", although Jesus said from the cross "It is finished".So few are willing to sacrifice their love for the world and all they have to stand with Jesus,and so we deny Him when a witness is needed.

 

When we deny Christ we deny the lost the chance afforded us, to know Christ and have a chance at salvation.How can we truly say we love one another, yet deny each other Christ.How can we say that we love the Lord with all our heart ,soul and life,and yet, let His blood be trampled under foot,for when a witness is needed,when we need to stand up and speak for Christ,we sometimes hide in the crowd and deny Him.

Ready or Not!

Matthew 24:44 "Therefore be ye also ready:for in such an Hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh".

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man,no, not the angels of heaven,but my Father only".Jesus is coming back,and he is coming for a church without spot or blemish.He has done everything needed for man to be ready at His return, He said from the cross "it is finished".Excuses won't do,they all went to the cross with the sin of the world. When he comes it will be like the ten virgins,those who are ready will go in with Him and those who are not will be left out,regardless of the title or position.He will separate the wheat fron the chaft,the saved from the lost.Are you ready?

Jesus could come back right now today ,and every prophesy in the bible would have been fulfilled.The danger is many have begun to sleep and slumber,when God's word tells us to watch and pray.Just like in the days of Noah,we have become a people of pleasure and self gratification.We have become self righteous,living based on our interpetation of God's word and not on the truth of God's word.We have lost focus to the truth in God's word and the purpose of His sacrifice. We are no longer doers but hearers only of His word, even though He said "only those who DO the will of my Father will enter in".We have gotten so focused on worldly pleasures and material gain,we no longer lift Jesus,it has become more of look what Jesus gave me.Getting things have become more important than saving people,positons and titles are more important than purpose, the size of the church congregation more important than the church's service to God,and religious rituals has replaced worship.Jesus is coming back, and he said at the time you least expect it.Are you ready?

Jesus tell us to also be ready.This is a prepared place for a prepared people,and Jesus has done all needed to prepare us.It is when you don't think He is coming that he will come.So what ever you want the Lord to find you doing when he comes ,you should be doing right now.Are you ready?

True Confessions

Matthew 10:32 " Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men,him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven".

Does your life confess Christ before men?Does the life you live before this world confess that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God? Does it tell a dying world there is a Savior who loves all and who can save all.Does your life confess the power of God unto salvation?

Jesus wants the world to know we belong to Him.He said they will know by the love we have one for another.He wants us to confess Him openly,like the children of Israel when they openly placed the blood  of the lamb over the door post so the death angel would know they were of the Lord.We too must confess our alligence to Christ openly.We must openly walk in obedience to His word,do His will, and lead a lost world His way.Our life must put the savior on display.The world must see His love working in us, His mercy coming from us, and His power keeping us on the path of righteousness.It is easy to confess Him with our mouth,in fact he says "with our lips we do honor Him but our hearts are far from Him",but He wants us to live a life before men that will lift Him up that a lost soul might be drawn to Him and be saved.To live a life before men that will produce fruit and fruit that will last.

Many who confess Christ with their mouth ,deny Him with the way they live their lives.True to deny him one time will not make you unworthy,but living a life which deny's His love,grace,mercy and power, is not the life of a true believer.Let us do a self examination and honestly ask if the life we live in the real world confess that there is a savior who saves us from sin...Confess Him before men,that He will confess you before His Father.

Can He Be seen in You?

Psalm 34:3 "O magnify the Lord with me,and let us exalt His name together".

Can Christ be seen in your life?Now I'm not talking about people seeing you with a bible or dressed up on Sunday morning going to church.No I'm asking can Christ the person be seen in your life?Yes we all can talk about Jesus,we all can shout a hallelujah life,we all speak about being saved ,santified and filled with the Holy Ghost,but will the deaf man see what the blind man hears?If a stranger sees you on Monday,do they see the Christian the church heard on Sunday?

David says "Oh magnify the Lord with me". To magnify means to make bigger,in order to be seen clearly.Now being a muscian he didn't say let's amplify the Lord,which means to make louder.We are to live a life that puts Jesus on display.John said he must decrease and allow Christ to increase,so I ask can Christ be seen in your life?Does your life produce the fruit of the spirit? Can the love of God be seen in your treatment and acceptance of others.Does his mercy show when others falsely accuse you.Is his longsuffering present in your dealings with the lost of this world.Are you kind,giving, and forgiving to all that you see?David said magnify the Lord,let him be seen in all that you do.Let His love reign in your heart.Let His mercy fill your speach,and your hands be full of His giving.Magnify the Lord and let us exalt His name together.It is when the world can see Christ in your life that He is exalted.If you truly want to praise the Lord ,live the life he called you to live.If you truly want to say hallelujah,live a life before man that will cause a lost soul to come to Jesus. 

Many have gotten caught up in the "worship" and have left out the Lord.We spend more time showing the world we are saved, that we sometimes over shadow the Savior.Let us make sure we magnify the Lord with how live before man that there is no doubt in our praise.Let us make Jesus the biggest part of our life.Let us be truly hid with Christ in God,that all the world can see is the Christ in us, and a lost soul might be saved.

Follow Me:

Matthew 9:9 " And Jesus passed forth from thence,he saw a man named Matthew,sitting at the receipt of customs:and he saith unto him,follow me,and he rose,and followed Him".

Follow Me: These are the instructions given us by our Savior.He said to take up our cross, deny ourself daily and follow Him.He is the way so let us follow Him.He is the way out of darkness,for he is the light of the world ,so follow Him.The way out of damnation, for in Him is our salvation.The way out of confusion,for He is our Prince of Peace.The way out of sin, for he is the Savior,so let us follow Him.

Here we have Jesus, on His mission journey.He was delievering many from the captivity of sin when he passed by and saw a man named Matthew sitting collecting taxes.Jesus saw him and said follow me. Matthew then raised up and followed Him.He didn't question Him, he didn't try to finish up what he was doing, he didn't go back to doing that which Jesus had called him from ,it says he rose up and followed Him.Jesus is passing through the lives of many today, calling them out from among this world to follow Him.Today is the accepted day for salvation;"the day you hear His voice harden not your hearts".Do you hear him calling at your heart strings?Don't let salvation pass you by.Rise up and follow Him.Rise up from the muck and mire of this world,rise up above the cares and concerns of this world, rise up from the grip and hold of the lust, will, and desires of the old man and follow Jesus.He calling you,He came to save you deny yourself and follow Him.

Jesus asked Matthew a tax collector to follow Him and become a soul collector.He i scalling today for us to leave that of the world and become builders of the Kingdom.He said to "Follow Him", there is more to following a person than just walking behind them.So let us follow Him in total commitment to His word,will and way.Let us follow Him with our whole heart,walk in the truth of His word and the power of His Spirit, that others might follow us as we follow Christ to Glory.

God's in Control!

Genesis 50:19 "And Joseph said unto them,fear not: for am I in the place of God".

On this road we have been called to travel,there are going to be times when we find ourselves in some uncomfortable situations.There will be times when we will ask"why me Lord" and "why here Lord". There will be times when we will question and doubt if we are still walking with the Lord.But rather we like it or not, we will endure trial and suffer unjustly on the walk we have embarked upon.Contrary to the popular message being proclaimed today, the pathways of righteousness will take you through the valley of the shadow of death.But fear not, for God is in control.

See here Joseph was a man of great integrity and character.He was one who walked with the Lord.Yet on his journey he was sold into slavery by his own brothers,he was thrown in prision because of a lie that was told on him.But all along the wayGod was in control.Each trail that came upon him, was preparing him, and elevating him into a position to accomplish God's will for his life. There are some roads we must travel to get  us to the place God has for us.We must be like Joseph and remain faithful knowing that God is always in control and He always has our best interest at heart.He never promised us a walk through the park,but He did tell us to "be of good cheer for I have overcome the world", and that he would never leave us nor forsake us.God's will is that none should perish,so he will use us as He will, to accomplish His perfect plan of salvation.

So when you find yourself in a uncomfortable position don't focus on you, but look to what it is in the situation that can bring God glory, and salvation to one that might be lost.We must remember it is not about us, or about us being saved, it is about a Savior who can save anybody,we are just tools in His garden of salvation.So when the world put you in a situation intending evil,know that God meant it for good, for we know "all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord,them who are the called according to his purpose."

Higher Calling !

1 Thessalonians 4:7 "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness,but unto holiness".

"You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"This quote has become a common catch phrase among believer.Anyone can grow up in church or hang around church people and pick up church language."I'm too blessed to be stressed"."I'm saved,santified,and filled with the holy ghost". Does the public and private life of a believer reflect his or her church jargon, or are these just catchy phrases used to cover up ones short commings?

God is calling us to a higher calling.He is calling us to stand up in the holiness of his darling Son he sent to die that we might live. Perhaps we've heard the still small voice of his spirit directing our spirit.Or maybe our conscience has screamed at us when we've headed toward something we know isn't pleasing to God.Maybe some instruction in God's word has hit us squarely between the eyes when we've needed it most.And then there are the timely conversations with the other Christians that brings us a needed word of encouragement,direction,or warning. Yes God is speaking to us,calling us to holiness.But are we listening? Sometimes we're so busy with us, we don't really stop long enough to acknowledge or absorb what He's saying to us. At other times we may not want to hear what He's saying because it dosn't suit us. Or we may just not take the time when we have it, because we're "not in the mood" to spend time with God,(let us be honest with ourselves).Hopefully, though this isn't the norm for us.As Christians, we should long to hear from God and approach Him with a heart that is eager to listen and please him.But it can be a battle to fight against our own will, as well as the will of the world's demands pressing in on our time and attention.That's why it is so important to have some quiet time set aside everyday,maybe 2 or 3 times a day, just to spend time with God. Time set aside to listen to his instructions. The time of day we do this is not as important as having the readiness of heart and mind to not only receive what God is telling us, but also to obey what he tells us. God is calling us to holiness, the word says "be ye Holy as I am Holy", but we'll need to be listening in order to hear His call.

Jesus said that those who follow Him should live in such a way, that others would see their good works and glorify God in Heaven.So our holiness is more than just a matter of personal spiritual growth; it's a matter of honoring God and proclaiming Him to the world.To most of the world we are the only way they will see God. Are you an accurate reflection of our Saviors? Does your actions, attititude, and way of life ,show Christ like characteristics? Will you answer God's call to Holiness?

Come To Far To Turn Back Now

2 Timothy 4:7 "I have Fought a good fight,I have finished my course, I have kept the faith".

Baptism and the related steps we must take are only the beginning of the road to eternal Life.Before we arrive at our ultimate destination, we have many miles of road to travel.Remember we are traveling up a narrow road.A clear sense of purpose and direction can help us stay the course.When we respond to God's calling through repentance and baptism, many blessings and opportunities await us.Our minds will change,we will grow in wisdom, knowledge and understanding.We will learn to think and act as God wants us to think and act.

We must keep moving forward,trials will come and sacrifices will be required, but we must stay the course.These test help us to build godly character.James wrote" count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.But let patience have her perfect work,that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.It is the going through trials which helps in the perfecting us for this long journey home.Jesus cautions us to count the cost of traveling this road, just as we would with any major endevor.No man putting his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for God's kingdom.Jesus expects us to finish what we start.

Just as a small child learns to walk,we may be wobbly at first, stumbling in this new way of life.The temptations and trials we face will sometimes cause us to stagger and fall.But remember that God the Father and Jesus Christ are there to comfort and help us each step of the way.Our job is to keep striving with God's help and to become mature Christians.Living God's way must always remain our priority. We must continually" seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.There are somethings that can help us stay the course through the many challenges we will encounter along the way.We must stay in prayer and continue in the study of God's word.Also fellowshipping with other true believers can be a tremendous encouragement in living our new lives dedicated to God.Jesus said not everybody who says Lord Lord will enter into His Kingdom, only those who do the will of the Father.We are given a choice as to what we will do,but Jesus clearly expects that we do our part in remaining faithful to Him.We must produce fruit in our lives that is pleasing to God.Stay the course, we come to far to turn back now.

Follow A Proven Leader

Ephesians 5:1 "Be ye therefore followers of God,as dear children".

Whom are you following,are you following a proven leader,or some fancy title and position?Have you been swayed by the lust,will and desire of your flesh into choosing leadership.Is your walk to please God or those around you.Paul said "follow me as I follow Christ".Are you following Christ in your walk?

Following Christ is not something we do only once and then return to our former self directed ways.We must continually trust, believe and depend upon Him.He is a proven leader.As the children of Israel traveled throug the wilderness on their way to the promise land,they faced many difficult situations and frequently had their backs up against the wall.Sometimes their enemies were nations who wanted to destroy them or keep them from reaching their destination.But sometimes their enemies were the harsh conditions of the wilderness,the lack of food or water,or anxieties they had about the unknown.Their initial response when times were tough was to complain as the enemy planted doubt in the hearts and minds of the weary travelers.But time and time again God delievered them from their trials and comforted them in tribulations.They were being led by a proven leader,a God who could be trusted and who would not let them down.

This journey we travel will be full of troubles and uncertaintees,but we must trust that God is God and that he will do just what he said.He is a proven leader and those he has been given he has lost none.Jesus never fails.......

Blessed To Bless Others

Genesis 45:7"And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,and to save your lives by a great delieverance."

We were all called out of darkness into God's marvelous ligt.All of us were at one time a prisoner,caught up in the of the wiles of the enemy.We were all sold into the bondage of sin, by the lust of the flesh,lust of eye and pride of life.But thanks be to God that he blessed us with salvation through the death of His son Jesus Christ, that we might save others.

In our story today Joseph was made head of all Egypt.A journey that started when his brothers out of envy,sold him into slavery,and ended with him being a father to Pharaoh,lord of his house and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt(vs.8).But God didn't do all of this for Joseph for him to  be a big shot,no God blessed Joseph that he might be a blessing to others.God didn't reveal Himself to us so that we can sit high and look low,He didn't deliever us that we might wear important titles,sit in the high seats of self-righteousness.No God saved us that we might reach back and save someone else. God revealed the dangers that lied ahead to us that we might tell others that are lost in darkness that there is a famine coming and only those who are here in the care of the Lord shall be saved.God blessed us to bless others.

God shared Jesus with us.He is not your to keep,he is not to be your best kept secret,He was given to you that you might share Him with all you see."It is more blessed to give than to receive" it is in sharing Christ with others that we are truly blessed.Receive Christ and be blessed,share Christ and be a blessing.......

We Shall Overcome

1John 5:5 "Who is he that overcometh the world,but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God?"

In the world,"those who achieve are those who receive." In the Christian faith, the phrase is "those who believe are those who receive."Those who try to pull themselves up to God by their own bootstraps find that they have no boots. We are born into the Kingdom by faith.Not only that,faith is also the means of growing and overcoming. When we come to our heavenly Father,all he asks is that we take him at his word.God has ordained that all of us enjoy spiritual realities through faith,simply believing and trusting in God.Those who truly believe that Jesus is the promised delieverer,will experience a spiritual rebirth,for you must be born again.Also, those who truly believe that Jesus is God's Son are those who conquer the magnetic pull of the world.

We are witness for the Son.John calls for the witness of heaven and earth to verify the reality of Jesus' mission of redemption.Using the accepted principle that two or three witnesses are needed to establish truth,he proceeds to support his case.Our power comes from our faith in God's only begotten Son,Jesus Christ.Imagine an irrigation pipe leading from a spring to a barren field.On it's own the pipe can do nothing to bring life to the field,It needs to tap the source of life which is the spring.Once it taps into the spring, then the pipe can become a powerful tool for feeding the land and bringing new life.Christians are like that irrigation pipe.Our faith opens the door of God's power to work through us to channel His saving power to the world, like the pure spring water nurishing a desert.There is one important difference,however.In time the pipe will rust through and become useless.Faithful Christians,on the other hand,can grow stronger in their ability to withstand corruption and can remain strong through faith in Christ.

 We need the power of our faith in Christ, working daily in our lives so we can defeat sinful influences and overcome the decifulness of this world.If we place our confidence in anything other than Christ to overcome sin,we will be disappointed, for only He has defeated sin and offers the power we need to gain freedom from sin and escape the threat of sinful influences.It is in Him and through Him that we shall overcome.



Fallen? You Can get up!

James 1:14-15 "but every man is tempted,when he is drawn away of his own lust,and enticed.Then when lust hath concieved,it bringeth forth sin:and sin,when it is finished,bringeth forth death."

God wants to live among His people,but sometimes we don't want Him around.(let us be honest).See sometimes do to our fallen nature there are lusts and desires we choose to surround ourselves in, that keeps God on the outside of our lives.Sin doesn't rush in and over take us,it is first a simple suggestion,then it becomes a strong imagination,then a delight,then it is accepted.In other words, sin at first does not necessarily appear disgusting to us.In fact sin frequently fascinates us and appeals to our fallen nature. Unless we immediately flee from it, we can easily get caught up in the grips of sin.We must reconize it for what it is, a rebillion against God.

Despite God's faithfulness to His people,time and time again, we turn away from him and worship and serve the Idols we have built in our lives.We reject God and embrace the lust of the flesh and the worldly desires that appeal to our carnal nature.Though the Idols and the packaging of sin may appear different than it did to the Israelites,its basic nature is still the same.Sin can hide itself  so that it becomes so beautiful to look at, so wonderful to touch, and so sweet to taste, yet the end there of is still death.Idols today are still made of wood,stone,and metal, but we call them houses, cars ,money, and the biggest Idol is the god we've made out of flesh, ourself.As the writer of Hebrews said, its always tempting to "enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season". In many forms and guises, sin still allures and entices us and charms us to do its bidding, by offering to satisfy desires that are pleasurable to us, but violate God's truth and commandments.

Once sin has won one victory in our lives, it will be even more persistent in securing greater victories. Therefore, we give it power over our lives every time we surrender to it, until sin no longer has to hide its true hideous nature.But by then we are already firmly locked in its grip.Let us not dabble in sin and fall into its pitfalls.But if we find that we have fallen, the good news is we can get up.Jesus The Christ,the power of God over sin and the guilt of sin.

Author and Finisher

Revelations 1:8"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,saith the Lord,which is,and which was,and which is to come,The Almighty".

Jesus is amazing in His power and in His Love.He exercised both perfectly,never flinching and never fighting.He stood His ground,doing everything His Father indicated,but He never reacted in self-defense when His enemies taunted Him.Jesus' authority and humilty were perfectly attuned to the Father's heart.It is beautiful and breath-taking when we stop to consider it.What is sobering,in light of this, is that we are called to be like Jesus.We have authority in Him, and yet we are mandated to walk in humility.It's a call we must take seriously and one we must pursue with care.

His mighty works "what manner of man is this,that even the winds and the sea obey him!" The elements, demons, disease,and even death were subject to the Lordship of Christ.Death had no dominion over Him, who could kill God? Jesus had to surrender to death and give up everything before he could die. He"became obedient[or submissive] unto death".The world percieved the cross as a moment of weakness when it was actually a temporary surrender of power,without which it would have been impossible for Him to die.

Jesus has all power, but He chose to excercise it in submission to His Father, in humility and Love. Abuse could not provoke Him to abuse His power; abandonment could not compel Him to abandon His humility.It was His love for us and His obedience to the will of the Father that allowed Jesus to lay down His power over death, and in humility, let it take Him temporary captive.He walked in both power and humility with utter integrity, and looked to His Father to show Him how. We must do no less.We must walk in his power to over come sin, and in His humility lead a lost world to the salvation of the Lord.

Faith That Holds On

Job 14:14"If a man die,shall he live again?all the days of my appointed time will I wait,till my change come."

Job lived with an expectation that even when he died, a change would come;that's faith.Faith in God is more than a wing and a prayer,more than a wish for God to do something for us.Faith in God is trustful waiting when nothing makes sense,when everything is dark,when there seems no end in sight. This kind of faith places its confidence in God's goodness,even though everything in life seems to shout to the contrary.

But how do we remember to hold on toGod in faith, when all of our circumstances seem to be tearing us apart? Here are somethings to help us remember God when things seems hopeless.We must trust in the truth of His word; remember to cry out to him in our day of trouble,instead of excluding him because of anger, mistrust, fear, or neglect.He tells us in His word to "call upon on me in your day of trouble and I will deliever you". We must remember to speak truth into the lies of our enemy. When doubt and fear tells you God don't care about your situation, rebuke the lie with the truth of God's word"to cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you." Then remember God requires times of thanksgiving.We must give thanks in all circumstances.If all seems hopeless,everything falling apart,if we have nothing else in life,our God has made a way for us to have eternal life through his only begotten son.

Friends may try to offer explanations for our suffering and struggles. Many will have word of advice or insights,some of it good, some will be bad, but only God knows the content of our heart.It is his truth, presence and revelation we need to seek.As we look to him and call out to him,as we read his word and meditate on his promises, we will find hope rising up in us, and in this hope we will find the faith that will carry us through.

Remembering God during hopeless times will carry us through them,but learning to remember him before those times come, will strengthen our faith in him, and prepare us for the "dark nights" of our lives. "For we know that all things work together for the good,to them who love God,to them who are the called according to his purpose."

A Blessed Man

Psalms 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

 I'm too blessed to stress; Blessed and highly favored: These are popular saying we throw around all the time,but are you really blessed? Truly blessed? The word of God says that "Blessed is the man that don't continue to walk in the advice of the wicked, or stand in the way of the sinner, or sits in the seat of the scornful.It's the character of a Godly man which allows him to walk in the righteousness of God. God knows those that are his by name, but we only know them by their character.The character of a Godly man is given by the rules he chooses to walk by and the advice he takes his direction from.

The Godly man takes his direction from the word of God,  he meditates on it day and night. This keeps him on the narrow road, the straight path ,so he is blessed not to walk in the ways of the wicked. The ungodly are unsettled, they have no pacific goal or aim, they don't walk by any certain rule, as they stand for nothing and seem to fall for everything.Thinking they are free, they become slaves to many masters.They are at the command of every lust, and the beck and call of every temptation.The Godly man sees them with a sad heart, but he does not do what they do, his character won't allow him to follow their advise, stand in their unrighteousness or to seek rest in their unbelief. He takes his rest in the word of God, and is blessed with a blessing which flows like a flowing river of water, and in all that the Godly man does, he  prospers.
  

So if you think you're blessed now, just think of how blessed you will be when you meditated on the word of God day and night.When you truly have your steps ordered by the Lord.When you really walk in the faith of God's word and stand solely on His promises.

The Power Of One !

Ephesian 4:5"One Lord one faith and one baptism"

We all belong to Christ,and are of one spirit,living in one body with one heart, and answer the call to one hope, the hope of eternal life.Christ is not divided, and neither are we.There is only one Christ we hope in,one heaven we hope to get to, and only one way to get there, so let us with one voice profess and proclaim him,for there is one Lord,one faith, and one baptism.

One baptism;to be immersed into the word of God, and to be covered with the blood of the lamb.One baptism;Baptised with the holy spirt, the spirit which joins us all together.This spirit which causes us to walk worthy of the name by which we are called.Through the washing of regeneration,we begin a purification process,changing us from that which did not, into that which now does.Bringing about a new birth, making us another, different from the first, giving us the characteristics,and attributes of our adoptive Father,putting to death the ways of our natural father.Baptised, burried with Christ, that we can be raised with him in faith, to a newness of life.

One faith;A faith which pleases God. A faith that says that he is, and he is a rewarder of all who diligently seek him.One faith, a unified body of faith, which shows to the world, the substance of things hope for,as we are a walking recommendation to Christ,we are his ambassadors, and being his ambassador, we are the evidence to an unbelieving world that God is.Proof that his love is real and everlasting. The evidence that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.One faith that says every word of God is true. One faith by which we live as a unified body,not knowing what we will be, but trusting we will be like him, for he is the author and the finisher of this faith. Jesus Christ our Lord.

One Lord;who is my shepperd, who is my savior,my provider, and my keeper. One Lord who was given power over all flesh,and he should give eternal life to all who believes on his name.One Lord by whose shed blood, we are made the righteousness of God.One Lord, my redeemer, my strength,my rock and my salvation.One Lord,Jesus Christ, the beloved lamb of God,the word of God made flesh,the spirit of God made humble, the mercy of God shared,the grace of God given, and the love of God sacrificed.

With all the choices of religion before us, there is only one God; There are many bibles printed, but there is only one truth.We have the freedom to live any life, but there is only one life.And with the many roads we can travel there is only one way. Jesus Christ, the truth of Gods word, his life everlasting, the way to eternal peace. One Lord,One faith, and one baptism.....There is only one Jesus!

I Am!

Isaiah 45:22"Look unto me,and be ye saved,all the ends of the earth:for I am God,and there is none other"

Saints in this day of I, me,and myisms,the concept of God has taken on many different forms,shapes,and meanings.In a era of religious rights and freedom, you can talk about and worship openly any god, but the true and living God.In our christian nation we live in,Christ is not welcome in our schools, courts, government funded programs, and on any given sunday he might not be welcome in his own church house.In a country which has laws protecting gay rights, civil rights,womens rights, animal rights, gun rights, and criminal rights, it still is not politically rights to profess Christ openly in public.

God is real and it is time for the redeemed to say so.We sometimes try so hard to please the world, that we get caught up in its confusion, adopting it's ways, and we begin serving and worshiping it's gods. This brings about a suffering due to sin. But the good news is with all we've done,even though we sometimes turn from the real God to worship idols,God comforts us through his word,as he lets us know he hasn't forgotten us.He let us know that he is still good ,still God and still saves as he still sits upon the throne.Look to Him when you are feeling down and left out.Seek Him if you are lost in a world of darkness.hold to His hand if you feel yourself falling into the grips of sin.He is God and there is no other.

God has always had a plan of salvation, a way to deliever us from the bondage of our captivity. A way to repair the broken relationship between the creator and his creation. God says assemble yourselves and draw near, and return to me.We must turn from our ways to draw near to God. God is both a just God and a perfect savior, for all who comes to him. God wants us to come to him, for there is none other like him,look to him in faith, look away from all the pretenders in our lives and fix our eyes,and the desires our heart on the true God.Seek him out, look to him and be saved. Look to the great "I AM" 

Repentance Of The Heart!

Joel 2:12"Therefore also now saith the Lord,turn ye even to me with all your heart,and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning:"

There is a feast prepared with the bread of heaven,gather all those we can, and bring them into the house of the Lord;and cry unto the lord"spare thy people O Lord and "Forgive us for we no not what we do.Let us come together, all the people, and hear what thus saith the Lord;for the Lord says "Turn to me".

Christians, there are many going the wrong way,doing the wrong thing,following the wrong leaders,and traveling on the wrong road.Many on the broad road,yet Jesus said narrow is the way.God says turn, turn from our wicked ways,just turn and turn loose.Let go of the earthy and grab hold of the heavenly. Don't just turn your head giving the appearence of change,(you know walking different but still going in the same direction).Let us turn our hearts with weeping and mourning,rent our hearts like it greatly grieves our souls to have sinned against God,rent our hearts, as we desire to never do it again.Rent our heart not our garments, make this an inward commitment and not an outward show.Rent our hearts, and turn to God with fasting,not the commitment of doing without meat for a day,but the commitment of doing without sin for a lifetime, as Jesus told the lady go and sin no more.Crucify the old man and his ways,walk in a newness of life.Turn and fast,as to fasten to him,and fasten on him,like Jacob holding on to the angel,and refusing to let Go,as our blessing are in holding on to God.Fasten on to him with true devotion and loyalty,hold fast weeping for the wrong we have done to him,and the shame sin has brought to us, his beautiful bride.Hold on and wait for our change to come.

Let us truly turn back to God, truly repent from the heart, and become an accurate reflection of the one whose name we bear, that we might truly lead a lost and dying world, to the salvation of the Lord.Let us lead in truth ,teach in honesty,and reprove in love,for our Fathers desire is that none shall parish.Reach out in love to save the souls Chirst died for.Turn to God for He is the only way. 

Just Praise Him!

Psalm 145:2"Every day will I bless thee;and I will praise thy name for ever and ever."

Jesus is worthy to be praised- it is impossible to overstate the worthyness of the Lord to be praised,for he is both the giver and substainer of every living thing.All of creation owes its glory,strength,and honor to God.Even the lions seek their meat from God, and who provides food for the raven.Man and beast, the blade of grass, the valley,and the sea all find purpose and presence in God; even the rocks will cry out if we fail to do so.

Gods greatness is so vast that it cannot be understood or measured.God's goodness and compassion is extended to all people,even the unbeliever, the wicked, the atheists, and the agnostics have received God's patience and grace,if only they would turn and repent. God shows compassion and mercy to all, acknowledging the simplest prayer,and the faintest cry that is made to him. Every living thing benefits from the sun and the rain, seasons, and his substance.He is worthy to be praised, it is the responsibility of all believers to declare God's glory, not only to their children, but also to strangers,and to an unbelieving world.All his creation, including his saints,will praise him.Now not with the ritualistic hand clap or empty lip service praise, but by living a life before men that tells all who see, that he is worthy to be praised.His praise should be proclaimed( in our walk and our talk)by those who know him, and can testify of his goodness.Saints as good as God has been to us, how can we afford not to praise his name.

God has placed each of us where he wants us in order to be his witness. There are people we can talk to that no one else can reach.We have unique relationships with certain people, family members, friends,neighbors,and co-workers; people who look up to us, and value our input. God expects us to tell them what he has done for us, our assignment from God is to live a life worthy of the name by which we are called that others will seek the salvation of the Lord;thus living a hallelujah life,which gives God the highest praise.

A God of Second Chances!

Luke 13:7-9"Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard,Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree,and find none: cut it down;why cumbereth it the ground.And he answering said unto him,Lord,let it alone this year also,till I shall dig about it, and dung it:And if it bear fruit, well:and if not,then after that thou shalt cut it down."

Here we have Jesus telling a parable about a fruitless fig tree. A vineyard owner planted a fig tree, which he left in the care of his gardener. three years later, the owner returned to see if the tree had produced any fruit.It hadn't. In spite of the care and attention of the gardner, the tree was fruitless.In this parable the fig tree represents Gods people.

God wants his peoples lives to be a reflection of his character,and proclaim His love for a lost world. He wants us to live a life that will lead a lost soul to believe on Jesus Christ and Him crucified that they might be saved.God has nurtured and protected us that he could accomplish this purpose.He has given us the best that he had that we might once again bear His Image and His likeness.God wants his careful attention to us to produce spiritual fruit, and fruit that will last.He wants us to be careful not to slip into a fruitless life,giving the appearence of holiness but lacks the quality of true righteousness that God cares about.Simply turning away from our sins is not enough, we need to replace our sinful ways with something better,something more pleasing to God.Just believeing in Jesus is not enough,the devil believes and trimbles,our belief must be an attitude of action.Even though the fig tree deserves to be cut down, the gardener didn't want the tree cut down. Like Jesus did for us , he spoke up against destroying the tree. Jesus continious care is so that we might bear fruit.Through this parable we should learn an important lesson about repentance. Though we might deserve judgment, we have time to repent of our sins and live in a way that honors God.Our past sins may have resulted in a fruitless life , but God is willing to give all who will a second chance.

God expects those who want a right relationship with him to live in a way that honors him. It's not enough just to belive in God or to turn away from sin. We must live a life of belief and obedience that will bear fruit.

He Cried For You and Me

luke 19:41"And when he was come near, he beheld the city,and wept over it"

Compassion, one of the most beautiful virtues of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.A genuine heart felt concern, and deep rooted unconditional love for others.

Here we have the great ambassordor from heaven,overcome with emotion,as he was making his public entry into Jerusalem.Jesus, on an ass colt,desending down Mount Olive,as he approached the city,when he was come near,he could look down into the city.He could look into the heart of the city,he wasn't elevated with the applause and acclamation of the people or impressed by the size of the crowd, but when he came near he beheld the city,and seen its impending doom.Christ looks into the heart of man, not impressed with the hand praise and lip service,not over taken by the size of the congragations,for he sees the impending doom of all who haven't accepted him as their Lord and savior.The gospel has been preached, salvation has been offered,Yet in the mist of our praise ,many still have not made peace with God.We cry out his name,but many have yet to accept him as Lord and Savior.Many are still blinded by the gods of this world, to the accepted day of salvation.The day you hear his voice, is your accepted day of salvation.

When he was come near he beheld the city with a weeping eye.He wept for the lost souls who continue to live unrepented lives.He approached the city, and his eyes effected his heart, and his heart effected his eyes,and he wept.He didn't weep because he was betaryed,and sold out by his own.He didn't shed a tear when they whipped him all night long and hung him on a cross to die, for this reason he came.No he wept because Jerusalem had not made the most of the day,and Jesus weeps now for those who still don't realize now is the accepted day for salvation.There is still time to repent,yet Christ knows few will make use of it.He wept at the condition of the temple,once a house of prayer set apart for worship and communion with God,but now has become a den of thieves,greedy of filthy lucre.He wept because if only they had known the things that would bring them peace.He wept because in the day of salvation they harden their hearts.

Yes, Jesus loves us so much ,he weeps for those who has yet to receive his salvation. It is his will that none shall parish, he died that we all might have a right to the tree of life,let not his death be in vain, in your life.Yes Jesus cried for you and me.
 

The Enemy's Persistance

Genesis 39:10 "And it came to pass,as she spake to Joseph day by day,that he harkened not unto her,to lie with her,or to be with her".

Rather we know it or not there is an enemy out to destroy us.From the time we are born, before we know anything or anybody,before we have made a friend or foe,there is one who is set out to destroy our lives.He is persistant, relentless and will use anything and anybody to accomplish his mission. Nothing is off limits to him,and he plays by no rules.His tools are mans own weakness and faults,the lust of the eye,the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.The same tools he used in the garden,the tools by which he tried to tempt Jesus with, are the same tools he uses to temp man in an effort to destroy his character,his witness and his testimony.

Here in our story today we see first hand the wickedness of the enemy.Joseph was a slave given great authority over all his master had,except for his wife.Now the enemy in an effort to destroy the character of Joseph and to get him to turn from God,tries to tempt him with the one thing which has been kept from him.The enemy will always try and get us to focus on what we don't have in an effort to turn us against God.But the word says,"contentment with God is great gain". The scripture says she "spake to Joseph day by day"; the enemy is not going to take a day off, he will speak to you personally,he truly believes you will give in before he gives up.But Joseph "harkened not unto her,to lie with her or to be with her";see we cannot listen to the enemy,when we give him our ear ,then he will began seeking our hearts.We must resist the devil by turning to God and he will flee. But if you notice the enemy might flee but he won't give up,as our story tells.It says that when all were out of the house,she grabbed hold of him to make him lie with her,and he ran off and left his cloak.

When you are all alone the enemy will grab hold of you by telling you,"nobody will know you can get away with it".But remember God sees all,and you are a walking recomendation to the grace and mercy of God.So what ever the enemy grabs hold of to get you to lie with him,leave that with him and flee.The bible says if the right hand offends you ,cut it off,it is better to go to heaven with one hand than to hell with two.