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.