Somebody's Watching You

Hebrews 12:13 "And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way;but let it rather be heald".

     Every shepherd would love to have a flock where all the sheep are fleet of foot ,and have a joyous spirit. But the truth is that in every flock there are weak, lame and feeble sheep; yet all belong to the shepherd.Sheep are liable to many diseases which make them weak and feeble, some become weak through a bad diet, eating contaminated food, giving them foot rot hindering their ability to walk upright. Then some are lame from birth, weak by nature(called the runt of the litter),these are the sheep the good shepherd will take pitty on and seek to heal and strengthen. We the saints of God are also subject to diseases which can cause us to become weak and feeble.(worldly concerns,inward conflicts,trials tribulation all effect our walk).This has moved God with great compassion for the weak and feeble of his flock, in fact he rebukes those who neglect the diseased and sick of his flock, his word says" the diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye heald that which was sick".Saints the strong have a responsibility to the weak and feeble of the flock It is our duty, to with courage and in faith to help one another forward on the way to heaven, to help the weak and feeble thru their afflictions that they might be strengthened to a greater degree of holiness, as trials are ment to make us , stronger.(we should do for other what others did for us in our growth).

  There are many on their way to heaven, who yet walk lame and weak, but they still try to stay the course, many who are in need of spiritual strenght, having fallen hands and weak knees,but still are pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God.So let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us,(some hands have fallen and knees are weak because we carry things God wants us to leave behind).Let us with prayer and supplication bear one anothers burdens with patience ,that we might all reach this journeys end.(Gods will is that none shall parish).Lift up the hands that hang down, and strenghten the feeble knees which can depress and discourage many on this walk.Let the strong first make sure the paths are straight for our feet, that we might better run this race and stay the course. straight paths by staying away from crooked customs, religious rituals and self serving doctrines which trip up many on the way.Strait paths thru faith that God is; with the patience that God will, and the holy courage to stand firm in your faith, having an undying Joy in the Lord.This will make your walk steady and prevent wavering and wandering along this journey.Let us encourage and not discourage others that are traveling in the same way, for this may cause the lame and weak to turn away.( when christians fight among each other it causes doubt and distrust amoung the weak and unstable of the flock)Those with little hope, limited faith,living in doubt and fear, as they might begin to backslide,neglecting the grace of God.They might give in to the evil influences of others,listening to haters, neysayers,and non believers.We can't let the weak parish thru neglect, forgetting Christ died for them too, we can't dispise them as though they are worthless as the blood of Christ was shed for them also.So let us not lose hope and give up on them. We must strengthen them with comfort, relieving them their distress, showing them the love of God and assuring them they are never alone;we must restore them, rebuild their hope ,faith and trust in God through the power of our testimony and the truth of Gods word.Jesus the Christ , the good shepherd, the door to the sheep, who will bless us comming and going. So let us lead them in THE WAY;feed them with THE TRUTH, and expose them to THE LIFE; Jesus Christ the way,truth and the life...........Got Jesus? tell a friend change a life

I've Come TO Far.....

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

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 works  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 endeavor. 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 be our priority. We must continually" seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

There are something's 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

The Spirit And The Bride Say Come

Matthew 11:28 " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".

The invitation, Jesus said "come" to him, a different command than that of the Pharisees who said you must do this or that. Jesus offered a different kind of yoke. Jesus is asking us to come to Him so that we could receive a well fitting yoke, one that is not a burden, but will bring us rest. Jesus yoke is tied to the grace of God and results in salvation, based on faith, and not on personal effort, we need to only believe. Jesus wants those of us who follow him to throw off the yoke of legalism we were once hitched. To cast all of our cares, concerns, problems, and circumstances on Him. Jesus' plan to lift the yoke off all who are shackled to their circumstances.

Jesus invites the weary to come to Him so they can experience rest for their souls. The key to experiencing this rest is having a right relationship with God, something that can happen only if you have a personal relationship with Jesus. We all have responsibilities that drain us and difficulties that wear us down. We can let the world drag us down its weary path, or we can join our lives with Jesus, who wants us  to know that He's eager to have us in His yoke of care, guiding us, giving us help for our present needs, and assuring us that He has a plan for us that includes rest, peace, and everlasting life.

So he tell us to come, leave where you are, the situation you are in and come to him.The promise is when you come to Him with everything he will give you rest. Rest from worry, from need, from doubt, rest from the cares of this world, for He has over come the world. Come seek first His kingdom and He will supply your every need. Come to Jesus and live life everlasting in a peace which surpasses all understanding...

Still Saves

1John 4:14 " And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world".


Jesus was made in the image of sinful man that man could once again take on the image of a Holy God. We who know the goodness of God, must lift up Jesus to a dying world. We must lift Him up by living a life that shows a dying world that our savior lives, and He has the power to save all who look to Him. All who are saved owe their salvation to the work of Jesus on the cross. We are then obligated to elevate Jesus, it is because He lives that we can have life. Let us lift Jesus and save a lost world. It is not about us being saved, it is about the savior who can save.

Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to ever creature that all might be saved. Equipped with the truth of His word, the power of  His spirit, and the testimony of our witness, we are to lead a world lost in darkness, to Jesus the light of the world. We are to take up the fragments of broken lives and bring them to Jesus that none should be lost. Jesus saves, let us pass it on...

Like He Loves Me

Luke 6:27-28 "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you,"


Jesus instructs us to love without respect of person. We are to love ye one another as Christ loved us. this kind of love does not result from any merit or attractiveness in the other person, but comes solely from the heart of the one loving. Our love for others must cause us to seek the best interest of the other person, despite how they feel towards us. Now this love does not result from a weakness or failure to stand up for truth or justice, it is a purposeful love that flows from a strong heart that seeks the eternal salvation of others. This sacrificial love demonstrates that our purpose for living is larger than self, not our will but God's will be done. Our love must be strong and purposeful in accepting mistreatment, as it shows our trust in the Lord and his ability to use the situation for his Glory. Jesus not only taught us our love must be strong and purposeful when mistreated, but we must also be merciful to others in our daily lives, as the Father daily pours out new mercy on us.

The standard of sacrificial love goes beyond what others might do or what we might feel we should do, but it is what Jesus teaches us to do. The prime example of selfless giving is our heavenly Father himself, who showed kindness to all humanity in spite of as he gave his only begotten son that we might have everlasting life.

What Will You Do With The Gift From God

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have ever lasting life.


Jesus gave His life that you might live yours, what will you do with this precious gift from God?

The Unknown Hour

1Thessalonians 5:8 "But Let us,who are of the day,be sober,putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet the hope of Salvation".



None of us know when this will occur, but Jesus is comming back.Jesus Himself said," No one knows except the Father". Like a thief coming in the night or a woman who goes into labor,we have no idea when these events will occur.So what shall we do in the meantime? Live in expectancy of Jesus' return. Live out your days in His light,not in the darkness.Jesus reminded believers to remember Noah.The people were partying, drinking, paying no attention to the message Noah was preaching,and all out side the Ark when the floods came parished.Paul warns us "Don't be like others,sleeping and getting drunk, having no awareness of  what's going on around you.Put on faith,love and the hope of salvaion". The point is, Jesus is coming back.Unbelievers laugh and mock,"where is this Jesus" (some believers live as though they don't believe he is coming back).Believers can lose faith and become discouraged,so Paul tells us to encourage one another and build each other up.

Paul instructed the Thessalonians to arm themselves with three virtues:faith and love as a breastplate, followed by the hope of salvation as a helmet. A Roman soilder's breastplate protected his vital organs from neck to waist.In spiritual warfare,it protects the heart from satan's attacks as the helmet of salvation protects the mind,reminding us that we are saved,thus children of the light.

The idea of faith ,hope, and love being armor may sound strange to us.Armor is a military image and faith ,hope, and love are not exactly military mottos.See these three virtues protect us from the root of most of our sin:selfishness.In selfishness,we think about what we want and how we can get more of what we want and control situations. But to welcome faith ,hope, and love in our lives(with the help of the Holy Spirit) is to move away from selfish craving,clutching,and fussing over things.Instead of trying to control situations, we choose to trust God, thus having faith he will work it out.Instead of being cynical about ourselves and our life, we choose to pray in times of trials and tribulations, holding on to the hope that lies within God and his word.Instead of putting ourselves first, we choose to do what is best for another,like Christ when His love for us put our needs above His own.

Let us live in the faith that Jesus has all power, the hope of our salvation and having love one for another the way Christ loved us.

Ride On King Jesus

Mark 13:26 "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."

The daily headlines are never very hopeful, they are filled with stories of hopelessness. But we are to be of good cheer, none of this has any bearing on what God has in store for His children. His word says he will supply our every need. This is not His plan for us, let us not be blinded by the gods of this world, to the good things which God has for those who love Him.

Upon completion of each intricate part of his creation, God said, " it is good! " Each element of creation was brilliant! Today's headlines are but a representation of how the evil designs of Satan, and our own sin, have taken the beauty of God's creation, and changed it into a distorted world of chaos and despair. Hatred, plagues, murder, and hunger are not God's will for His creation. Jesus, our blessed hope, will  come and set things right. Jesus is coming back, and when Jesus returns to earth, He will return as our triumphant King, and all eyes will see him. Every knee will bow to him, and every tongue will confess of him, that he is Lord. He is greater than anything on earth and anything occurring in the earth be not discouraged. He is our reigning Lord, Savior and conquering King. When Christ returns, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, as the true light will take center stage, Jesus the light of the world who will then be seen in all His glory.

But until he returns, we have his Holy Spirit to comfort us, and his word to assure us and to hold on to. His word tells to wait in hope upon the Lord, for He is our help and our shield.

Blinded From The Light

2 Corinthians 4:4" In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believed not,lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,who is the image of God should shine unto them".


The sad fact remains that this is not God's world.God's kingdom is still not of this world,as Jesus Christ made clear in Jn.18:36. Who is the god of this age?He is none other than Satan,he is the worlds ruler. Jesus said (in Jn 12:31) "the ruler of this world will be cast out".Although we cannot see Satan, his influence on the world is pervasive.The result of the devils influence is that before conversion,we all conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we were by nature children of wrath.Satan spiritually influences us to reject God and God's words.Under Satan's influences the carnal mind is enmity against God. Separated from God we choose to go our own way,with devastating and tragic results."There is a way that seems right to a man,but its end is the way of death".


Satan's influences is so great that he "deceives the whole world".The entire world lies under the sway of the wicked one.Under Satan influences man has rejected God's revelation and with his vain thinking has started worshiping that which is from his own imagination.He has built societies,civilizations,and even religion on the wrong foundation.God's kingdom is one built on the foundation of Love, but man has chosen to build his on a monetary success driven foundation."For the love of money is the root of all evil", yet man in his limited canal thinking has built everything around the haves and the have not. We no longer love our neighbor as we love ourselves ,cause we are in competition with our neighbor.So there is no sharing, or watching out one for another , we no longer have that "if i got it you got it" attitude. It is more like I got mind better get your own mentality.We have mega churches worth millions of dollar and many of their members can't even pay there bills.

We must be careful not to be blinded from the light by the trick and wiles of the devil.Satan's world built on a foundation of  lies and deception will come crashing down.The light of God's truth will conquer the deception of Satan darkness and expose all that are hiding under the cover of said darkness. Jesus died on a cross and rose with all power, that we might walk in his marvelous light and be a light  on a hill for all who are blinded from the light trapped in darkness.We who was once blind and now see, must do all that we can to help others to see the truth of God's word.If we are children of the light ,let us walk in the light, "for God is light and in him is no darkness at all".

Just Shall Live By Faith

1 Thessalonians 5:8 "But Let us,who are of the day,be sober,putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet the hope of Salvation".



None of us know when this will occur, but Jesus is coming back.Jesus Himself said," No one knows except the Father". Like a thief coming in the night or a woman who goes into labor,we have no idea when these events will occur.So what shall we do in the meantime? Live in expectancy of Jesus' return. Live out your days in His light,not in the darkness.Jesus reminded believers to remember Noah.The people were partying, drinking, paying no attention to the message Noah was preaching,and all out side the Ark when the floods came perished. Paul warns us "Don't be like others,sleeping and getting drunk, having no awareness of  what's going on around you.Put on faith,love and the hope of salvation". The point is, Jesus is coming back.Unbelievers laugh and mock,"where is this Jesus" (some believers live as though they don't believe he is coming back).Believers can lose faith and become discouraged,so Paul tells us to encourage one another and build each other up.

Paul instructed the Thessalonians to arm themselves with three virtues:faith and love as a breastplate, followed by the hope of salvation as a helmet. A Roman solder's breastplate protected his vital organs from neck to waist.In spiritual warfare,it protects the heart from Satan's attacks as the helmet of salvation protects the mind,reminding us that we are saved,thus children of the light.

The idea of faith ,hope, and love being armor may sound strange to us.Armor is a military image and faith ,hope, and love are not exactly military mottoes. See these three virtues protect us from the root of most of our sin:selfishness.In selfishness,we think about what we want and how we can get more of what we want and control situations. But to welcome faith ,hope, and love in our lives(with the help of the Holy Spirit) is to move away from selfish craving,clutching,and fussing over things.Instead of trying to control situations, we choose to trust God, thus having faith he will work it out.Instead of being cynical about ourselves and our life, we choose to pray in times of trials and tribulations, holding on to the hope that lies within God and his word.Instead of putting ourselves first, we choose to do what is best for another,like Christ when His love for us put our needs above His own.

Let us live in the faith that Jesus has all power, the hope of our salvation and having love one for another the way Christ loved us.

Who's Fooling You

Romans 8:7-8 " Because the carnal mind is enmity againstGod:for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God".

There are many religions and religious groups today. In fact religion is the fastest growing organized group in the world today.But all religion is not holy,and all is not of Christ.There are many beliefs falsely labeled"Christian" and are taught under the name of Jesus Christ.His name is used as a mask for religious philosophies and doctrines that didn't originate with Him or any of His apostles.There are many teachings and followings of gospels full of lawlessness and counterfiet righteousness and is just a natural expression of what we call human nature.

Paul wrote"the mind is hostle to God.It does not submit to God's law nor can it do so.Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God". Our natural choice isn't to obey God,but to resist Him and His way of life.As a result, alternatives to the true message of Christ have been devised to accommodate the natural human unwillingness to live by God's commandmants.Most people who accept these lawless precepts are no doubt sincere.They have accepted and truly believe a fake message which has been taugh and preached for centuries.This delusion is very powerful."The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of satan,with all power, signs, and lying wonders,and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish,because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.And for this reason God will send them a strong delusion,that they should believe the lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11).

Under the influence of Satan,"the god of this age", mankind has been thoroughly blinded.The devil's unseen power so dominates huminity that "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one"Many people have accepted a counterfeit gospel,a message full of fluff, with no conviction. There must be conviction if there is going to be a true conversion.You cannot be pardon of a crime unless you have been convicted of a crime.Don't be deceived by your nature, seek the truth of God's message.

Did He Ride With You

Job1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord,and Satan came also among them".

Every time we come together to present ourselves before the Lord, Satan has a tendency to be among us. But clearly this cannot be acceptable worship,for nothing that satan does can be accepted.We must come to God by faith,or our worship is dead and unprofitable.We must learn to walk in the spirit putting to death the flesh and the lust thereof so that when we come to present ourselves to the Lord Satan is not among us.He come but to still the word, kill the spirit and destroy the soul of all he comes in contact with.He brings mischief to the sons of God by accusing them before the Lord night and day; by causing them to take their thoughts off the heavenly and they begin to worry about earthly concerns Jesus has already overcome.He causes division in the body by sowing dissensions and the people criticize one another, instead of hearing the gospel message.He causes preachers,teachers, choir singers and even a good praying deacon to become filled with pride and seek glory that belongs to God alone.He tries to quinch the spirit , silence the prayer and even chill the praise of the worship service.

He distracts the unsaved from hearing the message that might lead them to Christ,by raising doubts, putting the man before the master.He may cause them to delay giving there life to Christ,showing them all that is wrong so the enjoyment felt is now hindered, as he takes away the word sown to the heart like a bird eating up newly planted seed.You cannot destroy a hornets nest without being attacked in return. Since we know satan will enter our assemblies,we must make sure we are not the one he is riding with, and we don't give him a place to sit when he enters the congregation.

We must continue to present ourselves to the Lord, even though we know many who confess a false profession will be in attendance.But let us do a great soul searching and ask ourselves daily "Lord is it I",so that we are not the ones with the false profession. We must be more watchful as we pray, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,that we give not into the temptations of the flesh.Our preachers and teachers must be more faithful to the gospel truth,that the devil will not find comfort in the congregation, but will be annoyed by the truth which he hates.We must allow the truth of God's word to convict  the heart,then it will convert the soul and bring about true confessions from the mouth.(You cannot confess to something you are not guilty of.).Let us strive for the perfect assembly above where there be no mixture, but a sinless congregation.

Close Mouth Don't Get Fed

James 4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,that ye may consume it upon your lusts.".

We are our biggest enemy.We are the reason that we don't receive all that God has for us.God cannot lie so all that He promises us is before us for the taking, but we hinder our own ability to grab hold of the promises of God.God has done His part,Jesus has done His part,And the Holy spirit has done His part.Now let us do our part and only believe to receive all that God has for us.

Many of our trials and tribulations that we face come from within and not without.Some of  the toughest battles we will fight are the ones between the inner man and the outer man.The war between the lust and desires of our flesh and the moral values of our spirit.we desire so much from the Lord, but we cannot obtain it because of our own lack of faith and disbelief.We have not, because we ask not,and when we do ask, we don't ask believing we will receive it,no it is with doubt and unbelief that we petition God.We ask Him to give us strength as we are preparing to give in to the temptations of the devil.Why bother asking God to save you from that you are willfully giving in to.Why ask Him for something that in your heart you either don't want or you don't believe you will get it.Don't you know it is a sin not to believe God.

 It seems that it is who we are that keeps us from becoming who God has called us to be.It is what we don't have, that prevents us from obtaining what God has for us.We are our biggest enemy.

Evil Is Always Present

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 persistent, 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, he 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 recommendation 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.

My Ways Are Not Your Ways

1Peter 4:18 "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear"?

"Scarcely saved" points out the difficulty of salvation. Some think it easy to believe, but the prophets cries, " who hath believed"? and Jesus asks, "when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth"? Some may also think it easy to persevere to the end, but the godly are hard put to it to keep their faces toward Zion. It is no light thing to be saved; omnipotent grace is needed. It is no trifling thing to be lost, but it can be done by neglect. Salvation is more than you just saying you are saved.

The fact is the righteous scarcely are saved. The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. It can be hard to lay hold to and hold on Christ simply as sinners. There is a challenge to give up and overcome the desires and lust of the flesh day after day, and moment by moment. To resist the world with its blandishments, threats, and customs. To vanquish Satan, his horrible temptations, and all the false hoods he promises.  It will not be easy to perform duties in a humble and holy spirit, to forsake the earthly in search of the heavenly, and continue in them. When the apostle uses the phrase if the righteous scarcely be saved, he does not doubt salvation, he is speaking of the difficulty of making it through the fire and the water, coming through many trials and tribulations, and staying faithful to the call. It wasn't easy to get Lott out of Sodom, and Israel out of Egypt, and it is no easy matter to get man out of his state of corruption.

Where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? IF the saints scarcely reach heaven, what of the ungodly? What can they do who have no God? what can they do who have no savior? What can one do who are without the spirit of God? What without prayer, the word, the promise of God etc. What without truth? If the saints be sorely chastened, what will the justice be to the openly defiant sinner? Surrender unto Christ rest in the peace of the savior of the world. Jesus never fails....

The Man

John 19:5 "Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!"

"I am the door, by me if any man enters in he shall be saved. Here we have the greatest event ever recorded in history. A night when the world witnessed the evil in man , and beheld the love of God. A night when the sin of mankind came face to face with the salvation of the world, when all was revealed as they beheld the man. It was the night they crucified my savior.

 This precious lamb of God shedding his blood for the remission of sin, so man could be reconciled back to God. Jesus perfecting his glorious body, preparing a people for his prepared place. Jesus the love of God ,giving us the word of God that we might be led by the spirit of God. A perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people, a lamb without spot and or blemish, taking on the sins of the world; Jesus making himself a curse that we might be free from the curse. Behold the man whipped for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. Behold the man being led from judgment hall to judgment hall, as they search in him for sins that lied within me.  Behold the  man marched up Golgotha's hill, baring the sins of the world  on his shoulders, he who knew no sin , made to bear our sin that we might have eternal life. Oh Saints behold the man." Behold the man", hung high between heaven and earth, like he is unworthy or either, but the creator of both. Behold the man in the mist of two thieves, separating the old man from the new. Behold the man, God stretch out like a bridge over troubled water, bridging the gap reuniting fallen back to his righteous Father." Behold the man", Gods , Gods word made flesh, mans healing, mans deliverance, mans salvation.

  The work now complete, and Jesus cries with a loud voice, that all the world should hear, a loud voice that his death should be proclaimed out loud to all the world, a loud voice that we may know that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the Ghost. And the veil was ripped, Jesus died and behold heavens doors were opened. Jesus gave up the Ghost and the veil was torn, the veil of sin, the flesh which separated man from God now destroyed. Behold the man Jesus, the answered prayers of a dying world; Behold the man, Jesus manna from heaven, bread in a starving land; Behold the man Jesus, Gods mercy on fallen man, Behold the Man, Jesus the way past the flaming cherubim, giving man access to the tree of life. Behold the man, Jesus the Christ, Gods perfect plan of salvation.....

Thanks For Giving

John 3:16 " for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life".

 In this time of thanksgiving we find ourselves being thankful for many things. We are thankful for our jobs, health, food ,clothing, family, and for the day. But none of what we have would be possible if it wasn't for what God gave us. Let us be sure we are thankful for Jesus.

Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God went through all that He did for us and because of us. The Son of God became the son of man, so that the sons of man could become the sons of God. By His stripes we were healed. Because of His shed blood we are saved from sin. Because He chose us we can live a life everlasting with our Father. Jesus paid for it all, as He accepted for us the wage paid by sin. Let us be thankful for Jesus. Let us share Him this thanksgiving day. Offer Him to a hungry soul that they too might feel the joy of salvation on this thanksgiving day.

Bless our Father in heaven this day by sharing with others that which He shared with you. Say thanks by giving the meat that will last a lifetime, break the bread of heaven with a hungry soul that they might eat to life everlasting. Let the day of thanks be about more than sharing cakes and pies, turkey and dressing, football and beer with friends and family. Let this Thanksgiving day, be a day of thanks by giving. Share with a lost and hungry soul the blessings given to us from our Heavenly Father.

Example To Follow

Hebrews 12:13 "And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way;but let it rather be healed".

Every shepherd would love to have a flock where all the sheep are fleet of foot, and have a joyous spirit. But the truth is that in every flock there are weak, lame and feeble sheep; yet all belong to the shepherd. Sheep are liable to many diseases which make them weak and feeble, some become weak through a bad diet, eating contaminated food, giving them foot rot hindering their ability to walk upright. Then some are lame from birth, weak by nature(called the runt of the litter),these are the sheep the good shepherd will take pity on and seek to heal and strengthen.

 We the saints of God are also subject to diseases which can cause us to become weak and feeble. Worldly concerns, inward conflicts, trials tribulation all effect our walk. This has moved God with great compassion for the weak and feeble of his flock, in fact he rebukes those who neglect the diseased and sick of his flock, his word says" the diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick". We the strong, have a responsibility to the weak and feeble of the flock. It is our duty, to with courage and in faith to help one another forward on the way to heaven, to help the weak and feeble thru their afflictions that they might be strengthened to a greater degree of holiness, as trials are meant to make us , stronger. Let the strong first make sure the paths are straight for our feet, that we might better run this race and stay the course. straight paths by staying away from crooked customs, religious rituals and self serving doctrines which trip up many on the way. We should do for other what others did for us, to aid in our growth.

There are many on their way to heaven, who yet walk lame and weak, but they still try to stay the course, many who are in need of spiritual strenght, having fallen hands and weak knees, but still are pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God. Let us truly become our brothers keeper and walk together up the kings highway....

My Delieverer

2 Corinthians 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doeth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us".

Here we have yesterday, today and forever; as we consider the past , present and future, each one by itself. We may also view them in their relation to each other. Our text points out the delivering mercy of God as it is working out the safety of his people. God has and will continue to deliver all who calls upon the name of the Lord.

Now the text suggest three trains of thought, memories of deliverances in the past. delivered from the   grips and death of sin. Deliverances in the present, by the hand of the Lord, from the unseen dangers of this life, and the constant and subtle assaults of Satan. Our present standing is solely due to the grace of God. With expectation let us look upon the future. Faith rest alone in God, in whom we trust, and through him we seek our future deliverance;  from all future trails and tribulation. We know God will deliver us and it is in him we trust. 

We know that the Lord will preserve us to the end, and thus we say "In whom we trust that he will yet deliver us". When we learn to trust in God, we will then know He is our deliverer.

Time To Go To Work

Luke 9:2 "And He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick".


Paul tells us to "Take up the whole armor of God, that you be able to stand in that evil day". See Satan will do all he can to discourage us, to induce us to become disillusioned and afraid, and to abandon our confidence in God. We must Stand fast in the truth we have learned, concentrating on living righteously regardless of circumstances. We must be careful not to let our circumstances determine if we are Christ like or not. We also must be active in doing our part in furthering the spread of the true gospel, never losing sight of eternal life as our goal and using God's Word as the sword that cuts through all deception.

We were given a duty, to proclaim through word and deed the good news of the gospel, and no matter what the situation is we should use it as a opportunity to  proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.But equally important is that we pray in the spirit on all occasions. With this in mind, we must be alert and always pray for others. Our ability to stir up God's spirit within us and remain spiritually strong and active, depends on how much we truly rely on God. One of the main keys to keeping the working of God's spirit  active and stirred up in our lives, is keeping our minds on the big picture of what God is doing. If we make it about us, dwelling on ourselves and our own problems we become far more vulnerable to Satan's negative influences. We must see ourselves as part of a great work that God is doing, and remember it is not about us, but about our Savior and his ability to save the lost. It is important that we keep our confidence in God alive and active, so we ought to always pray. It is through prayer that we are able to draw near to God, and thus keep his spirit stirred up within us.

We must stay focused on the goal, to present everyman perfect in Jesus Christ, that all might have everlasting life with our Father which art in heaven.

Not Just A Sunday Morning Thing

Matthew 5:20 "For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven".


Many have been deceived into believing that attending church is enough. We must be careful not to feel like we are doing God a favor by coming to church for a couple of hours on Sunday morning. We must remember if going to church was all it took Satan himself would be heaven bound, for we know he too comes into the church house.

Here in this fifth chapter of  Matthew we have Jesus giving the famous sermon on the mount. Now through a series of scriptures Jesus teaches us on what it means to truly be Christ like. He covers in detail the behavior we as Christian are suppose to put on display that a lost world might see in us the love of God. We are to let our light so shine that the world sees our good work and glorifies our Father in heaven. This walk we are on is an inward thing not an outward show.

The Scribes and Pharisees looked like people of God as the wore their long white robes and entered the synagogue's like they were so important. They said all the right things but the heart was in the wrong place. We must be careful not to just look like we are a child of God, but we must also live like a child of God. It's not just a Sunday morning thing.

Called To Duty

Romans 1:1" Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God."

In our need for self gratification, it is easy for us to get lost in regards to the mission which we have been called to.God called us into His ministry, that we might be His servants to do His will, building His kingdom. It is not about who we are ,but whose we are. The title we wear means nothing, it is the work that we have been called to do that will change the world.

Here we have Paul, now with all that he accomplished he says he is a servant of Jesus Christ. In fact he often refered to himself as a bond servant or slave for Christ. He never refered to himself as Rev. Paul or Pastor Paul or even the apostle Paul, he was just a servant of the Lord. Paul realized it wasn't about him, or the position he had, but it was simply about Christ and Him crucified. He was just a unworthy vessel, called to be an apostle, separated for the purpose of spreading the good news of the gospel. Paul used every opportunity he had to proclaim the salvation of the Lord. Rather in bonds or free his message was the same, Jesus christ and Him crucified. He had to preach the gospel, for he was a prisoner of the gospel. He new it was the gospel that saved him, kept him, protected him, and provided all that he needed. He knew it was the power of God unto salvation.

It is not about us being saved. The world don't care what position or titles we hold. The sinner can't be saved because we have fancy degrees in various religious studies that allow us to call ourselves these fancy names and hold important positions.The only thing that we have that matters, the only thing we have that can save a lost soul, is the good news about Jesus Christ. Let us just be called servants for the Lord, and hear the word "well done my good and faithful servant".

Saved By The Cross, Not From The Cross

Luke 23:39 " and one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying if thou be Christ save thyself and us ".

Contrary of the popular belief and the self serving messages of today, Jesus came to save. He said, He came to call the sinner to repentance. We have begun to allow the worlds doctrine, ideals and belief structure start to dictate the why Jesus came into this world. We celebrate His birth with the giving and receiving of material things. Making it about the treasures and pleasure of this world and many have lost track of the true gift and meaning of this holyday season.

Our text today is a picture of the prayer and desire of many of todays believers. There were two thieves hanging with Christ. They were both near to Christ Physically, so they both saw the same thing. They both prayed, but their prayers were for different things. While one prayed to be saved from the cross, the other prayed to be saved by the cross. One prayed to be saved in his sins, while the other prayed to be saved from his sins. Many of us today want to bypass the suffering and the necessary death needed to truly enjoy a life with Christ. We desire to be saved from the cross instead of by the cross. Jesus came to save and if you truly want to receive the spirit of Christ surrender your life to Christ. Be saved by His new birth into your life and the dying of the old man. Deny yourself and take up your cross daily and be saved by the cross and not from the cross.

The Gift From God

Acts 13:26 "Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham,and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent".

What is the word of this salvation? It is the testimony that Jesus is the promised Savior. The word which promises forgiveness to all who exhibit repentance of sin, and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In a word, it is the proclamation of perfect salvation, through the risen Savior. It is a word, as being spoken by God, and as being his present utterance even at this moment. It is a word which reveals "the word", Jesus the living word of God. It is a word of salvation; for it declares, describes, presents and presses home salvation. It is a word sent, for the Gospel dispensation is a mission of mercy from God, the gospel message, Jesus the Messiah, and the Holy Ghost himself is sent to work salvation among men. Will you decidedly and honestly refuse it? Will you delay and put off your acceptance of this Free gift? Will you play the hypocrite and pretend to receive it, while in your heart you reject it. Will you be a temporary convert, or will you accept the word of salvation with delight?

We have an invitation. Let us exercise our freedom, we can choose or reject the plan of salvation set before us. Be sure of  what you know by personal observation and experience, and let your decision be based on unquestionable knowledge. Decide for your self, but let it be done with much prayer and spiritual thought, for your decision is for an eternity.

Losing Your Head, To Surrender Your Heart

Revelation 20:4"And I saw thrones and they sat upon them,and judgment was given unto them:and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,and for the word of God ,and which had not worshipped the beast,neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or their hands;and they lived and reigned with Christ  a thousand years.

There are many who are lost in the church who truly want so badly to live holy for the Lord.They are lost to who God truly is and what it is he truly requires from us.Many try and apease God the way we apease the people in our life.We try to serve, worship and give to a spiritual God,with a carnal mind. Until we are willing to give up our head,we can't fully give God our heart.

The problem is our head, or carnal mind is enemy to God and the spiritual things He stands for. So it seems everytime we want to give God our all, the carnal mind gives us a reason not to. It tells us things like "it don't take all that" or you don't have to put up with that" or God understands you are only human" and all these things may be true to the will lust and desires of the flesh and the carnal mind, but they hinder us from giving God our whole heart. We must remember God dosn't want our things He wants our whole heart. It is when we give Him our heart that He will give us eternal life. We must come to the realization that the carnal man has no understanding of the spiritual man. The carnal man can't understand suffering for another, can't understand self sacrifice, can't understand losing your life to save it, or the thought of denying ones self taking up a cross and following a crucified savior. So we must be willing to lose our head and let Christ be our head that we might surrender to Him our whole heart.

Standing In Shakey Times

Luke 22:31 "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desire to have you, that he may sift you like wheat".

Are you the Christian you profess to be? Will your profession stand on shakey ground? Does Satan desire to have you? Ours is a life in a glass bowl, all eyes are on the Christian in these troubled times. The world is watching to see if we will protests or pray, have a revival or revolt, if we will stand on Christ or fall for the wiles of the evil one.

Times are hard and getting harder. But we who profess Christ must realize that we are not to behave the same way as the world. We have been called from among them and the Lord God is our provider. The enemy is trying to sift us to show the world we are hypocrites and that we are more like chaff  than wheat. He wants us to react as the world would, protest in stead of praying for he knows our power in in our prayer life. He wants us to hate, find fault and judge all that we disagree with as he knows that will show we are rebelling against the will and way of God. No matter what you believe God is always in control and everything happens for His reason not ours. Satan is still using his same old tricks trying to divide and conquer. Trying to separate us from God that he might destroy or testimonies and make worthless our witness.

We have reached an impasse in this country that has shed light on actions and hatred unbecoming a child of God. Satan has requested permission from God to sift His children and many are coming up short. There is a saying what ever you are full of is what will spill over when pushed, and there is a bunch of non- Christ like stuff coming out of some of us profess Christians. Let us remember who we are and whose we are and stand strong for Christ and in Christ that a lost world  might be saved.

The Enemy Among Us

Job1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord,and Satan came also among them".

Every time we come together to present ourselves before the Lord, Satan has a tendency to be among us. But clearly this cannot be acceptable worship, for nothing that satan does can be accepted.We must come to God by faith, or our worship is dead and unprofitable. We must learn to walk in the spirit putting to death the flesh and the lust so as when we come to present ourselves to the Lord Satan is not among us. He come but to still, kill, and destroy all he comes in contact with. He brings mischief to the sons of God by accusing them before the Lord night and day; by causing them to take their thoughts off the heavenly and they begin to worry about earthly concerns ich Jesus has already overcome. He brings about division in the body by sowing dissensions among the people hindering the hearing the gospel. He tends to lead some preachers, teachers, choir members and even a good praying deacon to become filled with pride and seek glory that belongs to God. He tries to quinch the spirit , silence the prayer and even chill the praise of the worship service.

He distracts the unsaved from hearing the message that might lead them to Christ, by raising doubts, putting the man before the master. He may cause them to delay giving there life to Christ, showing them all that is wrong so the enjoyment felt is now hindered, as he takes away the word sown to the heart like a bird eating up newly planted seed.You cannot destroy a hornets nest without being attacked in return. Since we know satan will enter our assemblies, we must make sure we are not the one he is riding with, and we don't give him a place to sit when he enters the congregation.

 

Saying And Doing....

Matthew 15:8 "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me".


We see the Lord says that many draw near to Him with lip service, but our hearts are far from Him. We say we love the Lord but in fact we really love the things that we receive from God. We have begun to worship the blessings more than the one who has  blessed us.

We must be careful not to confuse surrendering our lives to Christ with surrendering it to the things of this world. He said we follow Him because the things we receive not for the truth of the word. It is easy to say let go and let God, but to do this we must truly let go. We have to be willing to let go of everything and everyone. We must be willing to let go of family, friends, material gain, jobs, and most importantly, we must let go of self and our will. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything, give it to the poor, take up his cross and follow; and this is where we lose so many. We must let it go and let God give us that he wants us to have, according to his will, not our want.

Love is a action word, and when we say we love the Lord it should be seen in our action. We should show our love one for another. The world should see how we care for the widows orphans and the fatherless. we should be a walking example of the Lord from God to a dying world. Those in darkness should see our light. The world should be able to see Christ in us and the life we live.

Crucified at The Cross

Galatians 6:14 "But God forbid that I should Glory,save the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

Paul vigorously rebuked those who went aside from the doctrine of the cross(vs.12-13).When we rebuke others we must make sure that we ourselves are going the right way.So he says "God forbid that I should glory, save the cross".Our own resolve to stand on the truth,when carried out is a very powerful argument against opponents.Paul gets heated when he thinks about those who oppose the cross, and yet he has reasons which he states in the latter words of this text.

See Paul knows his Lord was Crucified;"The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ".He mentions the atoning death of Jesus in the plainest terms.Though the cross was shameful,he give full reverence and honor to him who hung on the cross saying "our Lord Jesus Christ".He refers to the doctrine of free justification and full atonement by the death of Jesus upon the cross.In this did he glory,as it was a display of devine character(God was in Christ 2 cor.5:19).He saw it as the manifestation of the love of the savior,and the putting away of sin by atonement, giving hope,peace, joy, touching hearts, changing lives, and ensuring heaven to all believers.Paul also seen the world crucified;"The world is crucified unto me".Its character condemned,its judgment condemned, its teachings despised,its treasures,pleasure,honors all rejected.Its pursuits and spirits cast out. Its threats and blandishments made to be nothing and it in itself, soon to pass away.Then Paul seen himself as being crucified;"and I unto the world".To the world Paul was no better than a man crucified.If faithful, a christian can expect to be treated much like our savior was, bullied, ridiculed, misrepresented,despised,lied on and  falsely accused.Let us glory in the cross,,because it exposes the false hood of the world's glory,honor and power!

The crucifiction is the subject of glory,because of him who was crucified and the blessing we recieved because of his crucifiction on the cross.The innocent died for the guilty; we were pardoned;and we became dead to the world and all its ways.Brethren the cross of christ is our crown,the reproach of Christ our riches,and the shame of Christ is our glory,so be crucified with Christ that you might also glory with Him....

Unseen Riches

Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor percieved by ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God beside thee, what he hath prepared for them that waiteth for him"

This christian journey we have embarked upon has many unknowns.It is full of challenges, obsticals, opportunities ,temptations, stumbling blocks, and barriers.It is a narrow road we must travel, and along the way we will slip, trip and fall; we will stumble, have doubts and sometimes even entertain the thought of giving up. But the word of God tells us to press on towards the mark, so quitting is not an option.No matter where the journey leads us we must trust that Jesus will never fail.With every twist and turn with every peak and valley we overcome, it brings glory to God and salvation to a dying soul. Every obsticals and challenge we are faced with is a opportunity for us to be molded, shaped and fashioned into that which God has called us to be. No matter what it is we are going thru it is working together with Gods purpose for our good. Whatever happens is part of God amazing plan of salvation, which he ordained from the foundation of the world.

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard; they have not either by hearing or seeing come into the full knowledge of Gods goodness. No man have seen, nor can understand the provision made by God for the future happiness of holy souls. Neither seen by eye nor heard by any ear, nor has entered into the heart of any man, what God has prepared for them who love him; those that wait for him,that await the promise salvation designed for us.No eye has seen ,nor ear heard because it is hid in God, our true happiness bound up in the richness of Christ, obtainable by his guidance and thru his grace. The goodness God has prepared for us and preparing us for, laid up in the riches of Christ for those that fear him and trust him. The goodness which awaits all believers; the things made available to all who commune with him in spirit and in truth. What God has for those who work righteousness, for those who are cheerful in doing the whole duty, as he delights himself in the Lord. Those who obey him and submit to his will, making mention of him in all that we do, as we walk in a way worthy of the name by which we are called.

For the eye hath not seen another God beside thee O God ..... A God who was accused of my faults, a God tried for my charges, a God convicted of my sins and yet he never said a mummling word; a God whipped for my transgressions, bruised for my iniquities, a God who served my sentence as he suffered bled and died on a cross that I might have a right to the good things God has in store for me. Jesus the Christ the good thing God has for all who will believe.

Lip Service

Matthew 15:8 "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me".


We see the Lord says that many draw near to Him with lip service, but our hearts are far from Him. We say we love the Lord but in fact we really love the things that we receive from God. We have begun to worship the blessings more than the one who has  blessed us.

We must be careful not to confuse surrendering our lives to Christ with surrendering it to the things of this world. He said we follow Him because the things we receive not for the truth of the word. It is easy to say let go and let God, but to do this we must truly let go. We have to be willing to let go of everything and everyone. We must be willing to let go of family, friends, material gain, jobs, and most importantly, we must let go of self and our will. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything, give it to the poor, take up his cross and follow; and this is where we lose so many. We must let it go and let God give us that he wants us to have, according to his will, not our want.

Love is a action word, and when we say we love the Lord it should be seen in our action. We should show our love one for another. The world should see how we care for the widows orphans and the fatherless. we should be a walking example of the Lord from God to a dying world. Those in darkness should see our light. The world should be able to see Christ in us and the life we live.

Have You Been Washed In The Blood?

Hebrews 9:22 " And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God; there is none righteous, no not one,there is none who wants to obey the Lord, none who wants to do His will. There is not one who is able to walk in the Holy manner in which we have been called to walk in, we all had to be born again. If we could have done better, Jesus would not have had to die.

The love God has for mankind is beyond the understanding of the carnal mind. How can one who is holy love something so unholy? How can one who is love, love someone so unloving, un-giving, unkind, uncaring and unforgiving. God is so perfect and without flaw while we are so flawed without perfection, and yet God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Why? What is man that thou art so mindful of Him? When Adam sinned the soul of man was condemed to death,"for the soul that sinneth must surley die". So God took His precious word and wrapped it up in the sin of man and sent Jesus, the word of God made flesh to be sacrificed on the behalf of mankind. All who by faith accepts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus shall be saved. His Shed blood for our salvation.

Blood had to be shed to accept for man the wage paid by sin. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for such a imperfect people. The precious lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. His blood for my sins, will you accept His blood for your sins?

Free By The Son

John 8:36 "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

How many of us would like to be king or queen for a day? Imagine having all of that power, and liberty to do what ever we wanted. Jezebel was once queen of Israel, she likely adorned herself in the finest royal apparel. But she pranced around unaware of the invisible robe made up of satanic chains wrapped tightly around her. She believed she had the liberty to do what ever she wanted, she even convinced her husband Ahab, to take what did not belong to him, simply because he was the king, and could do so.

But every time she did what she wanted, she tightened her shackles. Jezebel thought she had everything and could do as she pleased, but she was in fact totally enslaved. Remember, liberty isn't freedom, liberty just means we have the freedom to choose, it is a free will, but we must make the right choice. Sadly, we live in a generation of Jezebels. Our society has convinced us that doing as we please, having a lot of money, and being famous, brings freedom. Because we feel "free", we think we can do as we please. We do not understand how our selfishness and sinful desires can steal our freedom, making us a slave to many masters.

When we believers fail to fellowship with God and meditate in his word, we return to our former bondage and ways. Christ has indeed freed us, removing the desire, passion, and appetite for sin without withdrawals or symptoms; however to remain free, requires us to remain in his presence and in his word. Only Jesus can free us from the bondage of sin and death, and if we are not free in Christ, we are no more free than Jezebel was, and are destined for the same terrible end. Jesus Christ the truth that makes us free

Is It You?

Matthew 26:22"And they were exceeding sorrowful, and begin every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I?"

We must all examine ourselves in our walk with the Lord. We must begin to look within for those things which hinder our relationship with Christ. Look within for the gods of this world that blinds us to the will and way of the Lord. Then each looked within and ask the question "Lord is it I", Is it I betraying you for the love of money, selling you out for a hand full of silver. Is it I committing spiritual adultery and fornication, as I confess with my mouth, my marriage to the lamb, but secretly climb in and out of the bed with the gods of this world. Lord is it I, being led by the powers of Satan unaware, captivated by his lies, and false promises, blinded to the things of heaven, trapped in the flesh, a slave to the old man and his ways, while confessing a new life in Christ. Lord is it I, causing division within your flock, proclaiming and teaching a self serving doctrine, catering your word to fit my beliefs, and lifestyle, Lord is it I; Am I denying you three times before the cock crows, denying you in my walk, in my talk, and in my appearance, as I bear no resemblance to you at all. Lord is it I who dips with you in the love of the Father with one hand, while stabbing you in the back with the other. Lord is it I, Who serves you with my lips, while my heart is far from you, dressed up on the outside looking like a new man, but on the inside just dead lifeless bones, walking on the same crooked path. They all asked" Lord is it I",eating bread with you while, lifting my heals up against you, they wanted and needed to know for themselves,"Lord is it I."

We must be absolutely sure as to where we stand with Christ, salvation is real, and the choices we make are eternal; have you with all sincerity of heart, ask the question" Lord is it I". Because we are the "I" who was lost in sin, the"I" on the way to hell, and the "I" that Jesus suffered ,bled and died to save. So let us ask daily, "Lord is it I" and then pray for the strength not to betray the Lord of Glory.............

Just Going To Run On

Matthew 24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end, that same shall be saved.


The life of a Christian is not a Sunday morning thing, it is a life long commitment. It is a life of total surrender. Once you confess Christ there is no turning back, for whosoever put his hand to the plough and look back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus tells us to count up the cost before we begin this journey. This is not easy. It is a long uphill journey on a narrow road, but it is the road that must be traveled if you want to be with Jesus.

When you confess Christ, when you truly give your life to Jesus, you will find that many who said they were your friends and family will begin to stray away. They will blame you by saying things like, you think you better than us, or you changed, you're so holy you are no fun. But don't be discouraged by how others act towards you, just make sure you act like Christ towards them. Jesus warns us that we will be hated for His name sake, He didn't say to hate them back, He said to endure to the end and you shall be saved. Don't let the way others treat you, dictate how you treat them. My mother use to always say, "you be the Christian if no body else will". It is not you they are hating it is the perfection which lies within you, that now exposes the imperfection of their lives, it is called conviction of the heart, and this must take place before there can be conversion of the soul.

So as you make this journey there are times when you might feel like you are all alone, but remember Jesus said He will never leave you nor forsake you, so hold to His hand and trust in His word and endure unto the end and be saved. This is a marathon and not a sprint, so just run on....

He Who Has a Ear...

Deut.13:18 "When thou shalt harken to the voice of the Lord thy God,to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day,to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God".

We live in a sophisticated age where technology rules.This high-tech living causes us to hear many voices,radio "shock jocks",television talk show host, and outrageous sitcoms that offer everything but comedy. We are inundated with noise, yet in spite of all that we hear, there are really only two voices to be heard. The voice of the almighty God, and the voice of the enemy, Satan. The bible is full of many who listened to the wrong voices,The hebrews in the wilderness, Jonah, Job, Hannah, Abraham, Rebekah, and a host of others at one time found themselves listening to the voice of lack and limitations, but they soon heard the voice of God and did what was right.

 

Both voices come from different forms, through any type of medium. The voice of God may direct you to do that which seems least desirable, while the lure of satan seems to call us to paradise. Many of us have muddled our lives because we have not listened to the right voice. We must remember the devil is a liar, he is incapable of telling the truth. Jesus is our shepherd, He is our provider, He leads us along on this journey, He will take care of us and our every need. Every person is free to listen to what ever voice he/she wishes, but when we confessed to be Christians, we no longer belong to ourselves, and once you've chosen there is no turning back, and being His sheep we must hear His voice and obey it. His voice the right voice, tells us that we are to seek out that which serves others as well as ourself. It tells us to put the needs of others before our own. It tells us to love inspite of. It tells us to be Christ like even when all others have fallen away. It tells us to follow Jesus even when the road seems to rough to travel.

 

If we listen to the wrong voices, we will be full of fear and worry about doing God's will. The wrong voices fills our head with negative, limited thinking. From the wrong voices we get the what if's, these are the voices that get us in trouble. The truth is God will take care of us. When we obey the voice of God, he will never bring us to a place and leave us alone. 

The Lord Will Fight Your Battles

Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.


We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, but the good news is the battle is not ours it is the Lords. God is absolutely always in control, all he wants from us is a willing vessel. A vessel He can use to do His will and bring Him glory. He tells us we shall not fight the battle, but just to prepare ourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Here in our story Judah was about to be attacked by three enemies, and the king was told fear not that for the battle was not theirs it was the Lords. They were to go, be prepared but stand still and let the Lord fight the battle. Today we are under constant attack by three enemies, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. These are the same three which Satan used to tempt Eve in the garden, Jesus in the wilderness and what he tries to trip us up with today. But we have a keeper, for Jesus said He has power over all flesh, he rose with all power in His hands. We to must be prepared, for the attack, but stand still and let the Lord fight our battle. Let Him work through us as we deny our self in total surrender to His spirit and stand still in His promise that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

Jesus said to cast all of our cares upon Him for He cares for us. Jesus wants us to call upon Him in our day of trouble that He might deliver us. He called us and choose us for this life, He knows all that will come up against us, He just wants us to trust that He will do just what He said. After all the battle is not our it is the Lords and He is faithful and just, so just hold your peace and know that God be with you, so who can be against you.....

Behold The Power Of The Lord

2 Chronicles 20:17 " ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.


We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, but the good news is the battle is not ours it is the Lords. God is absolutely always in control, all he wants from us is a willing vessel. A vessel He can use to do His will and bring Him glory. He tells us we shall not fight the battle, but just to prepare ourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Here in our story Judah was about to be attacked by three enemies, and the king was told fear not that for the battle was not theirs it was the Lords. They were to go, be prepared but stand still and let the Lord fight the battle. Today we are under constant attack by three enemies, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. These are the same three which Satan used to tempt Eve in the garden, Jesus in the wilderness and what he tries to trip us up with today. But we have a keeper, for Jesus said He has power over all flesh, he rose with all power in His hands. We to must be prepared, for the attack, but stand still and let the Lord fight our battle. Let Him work through us as we deny our self in total surrender to His spirit and stand still in His promise that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

Jesus said to cast all of our cares upon Him for He cares for us. Jesus wants us to call upon Him in our day of trouble that He might deliver us. He called us and choose us for this life, He knows all that will come up against us, He just wants us to trust that He will do just what He said. After all the battle is not our it is the Lords and He is faithful and just, so just hold your peace and know that God be with you, so who can be against you.....

Blinded To The LIght

2 Corinthians 4:4" In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believed not,lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,who is the image of God should shine unto them".


God's kingdom is not of this world, as Jesus Christ made clear in John.18:36. Who is the god of this age? He is none other than Satan, he is the worlds ruler. Jesus said (in John 12:31) "the ruler of this world will be cast out". Under Satan's influences the carnal mind is enmity against God. Separated from God, we tend to choose to go our own way, with devastating and tragic results.

Satan's influences is so great that he "deceives the whole world". The entire world lies under the sway of the wicked one. Under Satan influences man has rejected God's revelation and with his vain thinking has started worshiping that which is from his own imagination.He has built societies, civilizations, and even religion on the wrong foundation. God's kingdom is one built on the foundation of Love, but man has chosen to build his on a monetary, success driven foundation."For the love of money is the root of all evil", yet man in his limited canal thinking has built everything around the haves and the have not's. We no longer love our neighbor as we love ourselves ,cause we are in competition with our neighbor. So there is no sharing, or watching out one for another , we no longer have that "if i got it you got it" attitude. It is more like I got mind better get your own mentality. We have mega churches worth millions of dollar and many of their members can't even pay there bills.

We must be careful not to be blinded from the light by the tricks and wiles of the devil. Satan's world which is built on a foundation of  lies and deception will come crashing down. The light of God's truth will conquer the deception of Satan darkness and expose all that are hiding under the cover of said darkness. Let us who profess to be children of the light, walk in the light, that others might no longer be blinded to the light.

The Action Of Love

1John 3:18 "My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue:but in deed and in truth."
Do you love the Lord? Now I know we will all say yes with our mouths, but what does the life you life say. The word of God says "if you love me keep my commandments". So I ask do you love the Lord. Many who say they love the Lord spend most of their time hating those whom He died for. How can we say we love God whom we have never seen , yet hate our brother who we see every day.

In word and deed-Love is not piety. It is not sitting on the sidelines complaining about how pathetic everything is. Love is revealed by what we do, not just by what we say. God so loved that He gave, He forgave, He sacrificed, and He saved. He is commanding us to love not in word only, but in deeds."but whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of  mercy and compassion from him, how can the love of God dwell in him?"(1Jn.3:17) If our faith and love do not compel us to action, then how can they profit us or anyone else?

Pure Love as described in 1corin.13 which is perhaps the most poetic, profound and powerful description of pure love written and of course, Christ is the embodiment of pure love.The apostle Paul's prayer for the family of God was that as Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, and we are rooted and grounded in his love, That we may be able to comprehend, the breath, and length, and depth, and height, of Christ love for us; to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. It is a love that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,nor depth,nor any other creature,shall be able to separate us from.Love is not having knowledge of God but knowing God. Knowing God comes from communion with God. That is what Christ had with God. The love of God is a reflection of God's heart flowing through Christ, one spirit, one heart, one mind. As we draw upon Jesus' unselfish love,we too can better love others.

Motives Of The Heart

Job 1:11" But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face".


Do you truly love the Lord or is it the things He has given you? Do you love Him just because of who He is or is it because of what you have? Now this is not a judgment on ones salvation, but just a question of self examination of ones motives for our worship of God. Can we honestly look at our lives and answer truthfully the reason for our worship and praise.

Now I don't expect anyone to say anything other than it is God we love, but if we look at the things that we place importance on, we might question our relationship and worship of the Lord. When we look closer at  our life, we might find we tend to marry a person with a good job and no relationship with God, before one with a good relationship with God and no job. We tend to push our kids to get a secular education but  the attending Sunday school and bible study often times is optional. We go to work on time, but come to church when we feel like it. We do things in front of God that we would never do in front of our employers , and we go out of our way to please our spouse, but make no sacrifices when it comes to living a life pleasing to God. When we take a closer look at our life we might see that we tend lean more on His love for us, than we do our love for Him.

Here in our text Satan questions the motive behind Job's worship of the Lord. He tells God that if he is allowed to take all that Job has , Job will curse God to His face. If Satan made the same statement to God about you would he be right. If everything you have was removed what would we see? would there be a heart desiring a  relationship with the Lord, or a  heart with a desire for the things of this world. Would you bless God with a life pleasing to Him or would you curse Him and die?

Death By Temptation

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 persistent, 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 recommendation 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.

Believing Is An Action

Acts 16:31" And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. God has done all that is needed for man to be saved. Jesus said from the cross "it is finished". Now we must only believe.

The spirit and the bride say come. The word of God says come, make Jesus your choice. If you truly believe you will come. Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, knocking let Him in. In our text today the jailer after the quake had open the jail doors, found himself in darkness, thinking the prisoners had escaped he was seeking the light (vs29). He fell at the feet of the apostles and asked what must I do to be saved? There is a dying world out there, trapped in darkness seeking the light of the world, lost and scared, wondering what must they do to be saved. We the redeemed of the Lord must tell them as Paul told the jailer,"believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved." It is not about joining church, or a certain denomination. It is not about what leadership you are under, it is simply about your belief in Christ and Him crucified. You must believe that Christ died on cross, and rose on the third day with all power in His hands, and in faith belief that you died with Him and rose a new creation in Christ.

Do You Believes

John 6:69 "And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God"

   

Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God?  Is your belief  a committment to follow Him. Is your belief one of total surrender, or is it just the fact that you believe that Jesus lived, died and rose again, but not strong enough to bring you to action. Do you know enough about the Lord to truly believe.

Think about your relationship with Christ. How much time do you truly spend with Him.If He was to do with you the way you do Him, would you feel like you were in a good relationship with Him?

Only Light Can Over Come Darkness

Isaiah 49:6"And he said,it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth".

We have a call to duty, just as Israel did and Jesus did, and that duty is to share the truth about God with others,so they can have a relationship with God. God wants to restore his relationship with all people and nations.A relationship broken by sin and compounded by people's rebellion against him.

People seems to have one or two approaches for sharing our Christian faith with others. Some feel strongly, that they should live the Christian life to the best of their ability, and only talk about Jesus if asked. Although others might know them to be kind and considerate, but because they seldom speak about Jesus or the gospel, few will ever know about their faith in God. The other way is to share the gospel with our words as well as our lives. Working hard, trying to live in a way that is pleasing to God, and also looking for opportunities to talk about God, Jesus, our faith, and what it takes to have a right relationship with God. Jesus said, this about the relationship between our lives and our words:
"you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before man, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."

We are called to be God's light in our world today. It's through our lives that people see what God is like and hopefully become attracted to him. But it is through our words that they hear what's true about God, (For faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God) and what it takes to have a right relationship with him. God's servants are to be the light that penetrates spiritual darkness and leads others to a relationship with Jesus. It is our dedication to this mission which glorifies God,and in the process help reconnect others to him. This is our call to duty in 2014, will you answer the call?

The Living Dead

Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life".

Genuine repentance leads us to unconditionally surrender our will to God. When we come to that point  Peter said the next step is to be baptized for the remission of sins(acts 2:38). Baptism is a reminder of several deep spiritual truths. It represents death, burial, and resurrection, of both Jesus and ourselves. Baptism shows that we accept the shed blood of Christ for our sins and pictures the death of the old man in the baptismal grave. As Jesus was resurrected into a new life, our coming out of the grave, rising out of the baptismal water, symbolizes our new life in Christ. Our understanding of the true meaning of repentance and conversion lifts baptism to much more than just a symbol; it becomes a life changing event which symbolizes a life change. It was so important that Jesus himself was baptized by John at the Jordan.

Baptism is not the conclusion of the conversion process, it marks the beginning for us. Now I am not speaking so much on the act of baptism, the going into the water, no I am speaking more to the definition of baptism, the dying to the old man and being raised to a new life in Christ. Paul tells us in our scripture, that going down into the water symbolizes putting to death the old man, his ways, and his will, so we are no longer servant to sin and the lust there of, and being raised out of the water we come up a new creature in Christ, a new man, walking in the spirit as to no longer fulfill the lust of the flesh. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change of heart and mind. We are no longer like the old man, rebellious, disobedient to the will ,word and way of God. We have taken off the old self with its practices and have  put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.

Hebrews 9:14 tells us that Jesus' sacrifice, which we formally accept when we are baptized, cleanses our conscience from dead works, to serving the living God. Through Christ's sacrifice, the waters of baptism washes away the sin in our lives (acts 22:16), we can go forward with a clear conscience. Until our baptism the bible describes us as enslaved to our self serving human nature. But, once we are baptized and our sins are forgiven, God regards us as servants of righteousness. We are redeemed, bought back from a life of slavery to sin, to be raised to a new life in Christ.

Are You On The Road To Hell?

Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,which leadeth unto life,and few there be that find it".

Are you traveling on life's highway, or are you on the downward road to destruction? Are you on your way to Hell. We must be careful not to be deceived, simply knowing about Jesus  is not enough to enter eternal life, remember the devil believes, he comes to church and even knows what the word of God says. But the bible says as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man; only those in the ark of salvation will be saved. We have to believe to the point that our belief brings about the action which lead us to accepted this belief as our way of life, and leads us to enter the ark of our salvation.

Many believe, but have yet to accept this truth as a way of living. Many of us know and believe eating unhealthy without exercise can be harmful to the body, yet many still have not accepted this truth as a way oif life. Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven. So is simply believing enough? Believing is an action word, so our believing should bring about an action. What does it mean to believe? Man believes in his mind, but God's word says to believe in thine heart. See our belief in Jesus must be in the heart, so that it can change our heart. It is when we believe in our heart, that we can truly deny ourselves daily and take up our cross and follow Christ, on the narrow road. The road that leads to life which He says few will find.

Living In The New Life

Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life".

"The way of God" can be described as a way to live. A life separated them from those of the world. It is called the way because it is living the way Christ lived. It is following his example, and obeying His instructions. The way was then, and still is, a way of living and thinking that is different from that followed by those of this world.

This focus on unselfishness rather than the self-serving approach produced by our natural way of thinking, brings about a dramatic change in the way we live and everything we do. God ask that we reorder our priorities,allowing his spirit to change our thinking, serving God by doing his will and seeking his kingdom. When we put God first ,he promises to provide ways for us to meet our needs. He will with hold no good thing from us.Living a godly life is much more than merely calling on God's name as though that alone will excuse us for doing whatever we please. Living a godly life is doing what pleases God. It is practicing what he commands, and living a way of life defined by his word. Jesus taught a way of life based on observing God's commandments from a heart of love that willingly makes personal sacrifices for the sake of others, focusing on giving rather than receiving. A true Christian cannot base his way of life, his new way of living on his own ideas about right and wrong.

 

 God's law and Christ example of perfect obedience to those laws, set the standards for the genuine Christian way of Life. Our new life is based on giving, a free gift given by God to all who will receive it." For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son",Giving is the way of God and the foundation of His love to mankind. Let us use this same foundation as we give to a lost world that which God gave to us, His only begotten Son.

Still Saves

Psalm 120:1 " In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me".


When the cares of this world makes you a prisoner of distress, as you are held captive to lying lips, and a deceitful tongue, know that there is one who awaits your call. When your personal desires, and need for self elevation leads you away as sheep without a shepherd, no that He is the good shepherd who will never leave you nor forsake you. He tells us to cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us. God wants us free from worry that we can go out share the good news of salvation to a dying world.

Let us not look to the hills for our help, let us look to the Lord, He is our help. Cry out to Him, for a broken and contrite heart He can't refuse. He will hear you, for whoso ever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Jesus saves, that what He does come to Him and live................

MedicineTo Heal A Sick World

2Timothy 3:16 " All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works".


We have been called and separated from this world to be ambassadors for Christ. Called to live a life that bears witness to the truth of Gods' word, that Jesus saves. Called to let our light so shine before man that they see our good works and glorify God in heaven. We have been given all that we need to live this life, yet we tend to fall short of Gods calling.

The word of God instructs us and to go out into a sinful world and live a holy and fruitful life that lost man might seek the salvation of the Lord. We must learn to trust the whole word of God, not only to comfort and encourage us, but also to instruct and correct us. God's word is the lamp which is to guide our steps. For the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Gods word are the principles by which we should live by. It is the standard we shall be judged by, and all that we need to be complete in the service for which God has called us into. With the word of God we are thoroughly and fully equipped to handle all that comes upon us, that we might lead a lost world to the salvation of the Lord.

Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to ever creature that all might be saved. With the truth of His word, the power of His spirit, and with and the witness our testimony, we are to lead a world lost in darkness to Jesus the light of the world. We are to take up the broken lives and bring them to Jesus that none should be lost.