Blinded By The Darkness

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

We were all at one time we all were none believers, trapped in darkness blinded by the god of this world. The bible represents Satan as the master manipulator of human nature. He uses our weakness combined with his influence  leads to sin. Because of Satan's deceptions and the sinful tendencies of human nature," all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We must understand, however, that the devil cannot force us to sin, he simply influences us through our fleshly weaknesses. But several major areas of our fleshly nature are easily manipulated by Satan.

First, our selfish, fleshly desires often get us into trouble. The lust of the flesh, the desires of the flesh which calls us out side the will of God. Second, our natural deviousness, including self- deception, is a major weakness of the fleshly mind. We naturally look for ways to  justify our lust, our sinful desires, and the behaviors that arise from them. We deceive ourselves into believing that, since our desires are natural, they are not so bad after all. But God's word reminds us that" there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death". Third, we have a natural tendency to resent having our fleshly desires limited by rules, even God's rules. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit.

The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God and blinded to the light of his truth, and love by the deception of the god of this world. One locked in darkness find it hard to see. Those that are in the flesh cannot please God. These and other fleshly weaknesses are what we call human nature. Satan takes advantage of our weak and greedy nature by persuading us to rely even more on our emotions, needs and wants than we normally would. But we play our part. Without the positive influence of God's Spirit, we are simply not naturally inclined to live according to God's instructions. If you live according to the flesh you will die in darkness, but if you live by the spirit of God you will live in the light, in a life everlasting...........

My 911

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

Who can you call when the world comes crashing down on your head? The world of God tells us "To call upon the name of the Lord in your day of trouble, and I will hear you and deliver you". Yet there are many who have refused to call upon Him. Many believe they can make it with the bank accounts, positions, or on their own, but the truth is Jesus Christ is the only way.

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. He is our 911 emergency call.

Let us not look to the hills for our help, let us look to the Lord, He is our help. Cry out to Him, He will hear you and he will save you. Jesus saves................

Jesus Is The Word

John 1:1 In the beginning was the word , and the word was with God and the word was God.

The word of God is a name for Christ. It is the essential word that in the beginning was with God and was God.But it is also the scriptures, the written word of God, but the Lord Jesus is never separated from them.He indeed is the substance of the written word. Scripture is what it is because Jesus himself embodies himself in them. He comes in the vol. of the book.So we have the word of God,which is the power of God and the sword of God.It is the sword of peace and rest, and also a sword of salvation and judgment. It is the instrument by which we are set free from the bondage of sin and death, but by this same instrument the world will be judged and condemned. It is the truth which makes us free, yet because of unbelief all are not free, many wonder aimlessly in a vast wilderness, a prisoner of our own doubt not trusting or believing God's word.Many right now are wondering, lost in the wilderness of worry, because of unbelief, some are lost in a wilderness of  depression, trapped by the cares of this world all because of unbelief. 

Jesus said come unto me all that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Let us cast all of the care of this world upon Him and walk in His truth, rest in His faithfulness and live in His abundant life. remember Jesus never fails

Faithful Leaders

1 Timothy 3:2"Bishop then must be blameless,the husband of one wife, vigilant,sober,of good behavior, given to hospitality,apt to teach";

Paul wrote straightforward requirements for church leaders,as this part of the ministry was extremely important.It was important that those in leadership positions were able to communicate God's word clearly.Needed to be blameless,faithful in marriage,sober minded, watchful against Satan,and good to the flock.The leadership was to serve the people not be served by the people.

In our desire to do things the right way,we can sometimes apply Scripture in a cold, loveless way.Or in our desire to make people feel good about themselves,we may skirt the difficult parts and compromise when it comes to honoring God's Word.We might be tempted to "fudge" on some of the biblical leadership qualifications, for example. Neither approach to applying the commands, instructions, and principles of scripture is good.Truth must be accompanied by love.Love cannot go forward without truth.So when selecting good leadership, it matters that we are true to scriptural instructions and yet loving as we apply them.To those who do not yet qualify for leadership but wish to serve in leadership capacity,we should encourage them to develop in their conduct and character,that they meet God's requirements. For those who do qualify, we must continue to hold them to the standard,yet in humility and love that recognizes our own failings.We can pray for them,encourage them, talk with them(rather than gossip about them) about concerns we might have. If truth and love are our rules,we cannot fail to do well in this area of church life.

Good leadership matters, and the people of God have seen the harm to the reputation of Christ and his church that comes when leaders are selected and upheld for wrong or insufficient reasons,such as a personal charisma, good business skills, exciting vision casting, or celebrity status.These cannot be the reason for choosing leadership for God's people.As you think about your own church leaders, how do they compare with the qualifications listed by Paul?How does your own life and leadership qualities measure up? A good leader cannot be one thing at home and something different at church,if one cannot take care of his own home ,how can he/she be qualified to take care of God's house.

It Is Finished

John 17:4 "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do".

"Verily Verily I say unto you ,except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,it abideth alone;but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit".

Here is Jesus at the end of His earthly ministry,on his way to the grave and he said his soul is troubled. But for this hour he was sent, for He was the only way to redeem lost man back to a Holy God. For this purpose he came into the world. On His way to the grave He went through somethings for our behalf. He was met with conflicts and confrontations, he was alienated, persecuted, and rejected, yet he endured to the grave for our salvation. Look what Jesus did on His way to the grave.

On His way to the grave he glorified the Father, his work now complete, He had given sight to blind eyes, so now man could see that he was lost and in need of a savior. He had put hearing in deaf ears, so man could hear what thus saieth the Lord. He put speaking in the mouth of the dumb, so man could share the good news of the gospel. He put walking in the legs of the lame, so man could stand firm on God's word and walk up right is His righteousness, and He had called the dead back to life, so now man could live in a newness of life as he was no longer dead in sin. On His way to the grave Jesus paved the way for lost man to be found, to be saved and to live in eternal glory. Jesus willing to lay down His life that we might know his love, receive his mercy and live in His grace. Jesus was obedient unto death that we might be obedient unto Life everlasting, all on His way to the grave. Jesus accepted for us the wage paid by sin.Yes Jesus died that we might have life and life more abundantly.

On His way to the grave and Jesus saw you, and loved you, and he died for you. If you were the only person in the world, he still would of died for you.What will you do for Him?

Satan Among The Saints

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 quince 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.

It's 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 condemned to death,"for the soul that sinneth must surely 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?

Slipping Into Darkness

Judges 16:6 " And Delilah said to Samson,Tell me,I pray thee,wherein thy great strength lieth,and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee."

The enemy comes not but to steal, kill and destroy.We must realize that there is nothing good in the enemy.He is a liar and the father of them.Yet many of us get caught daily in the web that he has woven, to capture and destroy that which God has created.The enemy is not going to be in a red suit with horns on his head,often times he will look just like that we are seeking in through the lust of the flesh,the lust of our eyes and the pride of life.

In our story today the enemy came in the image of a beautiful woman.There is a reason God tells us be not unequally yoked.See Delilah was a deceiver. She pretended to be one thing in order to destroy that which God had created.See much like Eve in the garden,Delilah was pleasant to look at in Samson eye, and it was the lust of his eye, that lead to the lust of his flesh, which caused him to tell Delilah the secret of his heart.It is the deception of the enemy which causes us to surrender to him our hearts and hinder our relationship with God.Samson kept toying with her when he should have left her presence.Many of us are playing footsie with the enemy when we should leave him alone.

Satan is real,and as we see in our story after Delilah deceived Samson, she went on to destroy his life. He had to repent and return to God.Satan has deceived many and went on to destroy their lives.the only way back is to repent and turn back to God to be saved.

Lift Him UP

John 3:14 "and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up:"

Here is the glorious invitation to all mankind, to come to the Lord and be saved. Here is God calling His people to assemble themselves together from among the ways of this world and lift up Jesus that those in darkness might be drawn to Him and be saved. His desire is that all turn from sin and return unto Him. He is both a just God and a willing Savior to all who will come. Here we have the way for all to come, If we lift up Jesus, that will draw all men unto Him. He and He alone is God's perfect plan of salvation .There is only one who can save. And as Moses lifted up the serpent to save all who looked upon it when bitten by the fiery serpents in the wilderness, Jesus saves all who have been bitten by sin and look up to Him for salvation.

Look at the glory on the cross; Christ and Him crucified. He accepted for us the wage paid by sin. The world was crucified, as he took on the sins of the world, like a felon executed upon the cross, its character condemned, its judgments condemned, its teachings despised, its treasures, pleasures, joys and toys all rejected by the Savior as is the glory of the cross. The believer crucified, as we by faith accept the death of the Savior and walk in a newness of life." Knowing this, that our old man of sin is crucified with him, and the body of sin is destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin". Let us glory in the light seen at the cross, and tell the world that Jesus died that we might have everlasting life.

Let us look to Jesus in all that we do, He and He alone is the answer to the prayers of mankind. He and He alone is our help from the Lord. He is all and in all. Don't look to the blessing from the Lord for your strength, look to the blessor, Look to Jesus and be saved. Through His death we have life.

Cut To The Heart

 Acts 2:37 "Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart,and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles,Men and brethren what shall we do"?

Peter's sermon was not a fine display of eloquence.Neither was it a very pathetic plea.It wasn't even a loud but empty cry of believe,believe,it was a simple, plain statement and a soberly earnest argument.Its power laid in the truthfulness of the speaker,his appeal to the scripture,the concurrence of his witnessing brothers,and his own evident faith in God's word.Above all the power was in the Holy Spirit who accompanied the truth in the word of God.To be cut to the heart is deadly,but to be pricked in the heart is saving.the truth of the gospel has often,by the power of the Holy spirit,produced life saving wounds to the hearts of all who hears it.

Conversion is the work of argument,for the judgment is gained by the truth.It is the work of conviction, for the awakened are pricked in their hearts.It is a work of inquiry, for they ask "what must we do to be saved".And lastly it is the work of comfort,for its subjects have received remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.Peter preaching was the strongest word in the first oration delievered in the defense of Christianity.The truth of God's word pricked the hearts of those that listened.It wasn't Peter,nor his hoop, not even his style, but the truth of God's word which pricked their hearts.Heart work must be God's work.Only the great heart-maker can be the great heart breaker.The Holy Spirit,the comforter came to convience the world of the truth of God's word.Does it seem strange that in convicting you of your sins,instead of comforting you, he covers you with shame,and confusion causing you to sink into un-utterable anquish and dismay?But in convicting us of sin, he does in fact prove to be a comforter.As we are comforted in the fact that Jesus died to save us from sin, and we can, through faith receive everlasting life.

Through the truth of God's word and the power of the Holy Spirit the message of a few, has lead to the salvation to many.Let us to once again put our trust in the truth of God's word, and the power of His Holy Spirit, and share with a lost world the good news of Jesus Christ the power of God to convict and convert.

So Loved

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".

When the world said we were not fit to live, God felt we were to precious to die, and he gave His only begotten Son. He didn't do it because we loved Him , but because He loved us . Let us now take this love we have been blessed to experience and share it with another, that all may come to know the goodness of the Lord. Let us love in spite of, and share with a lost world the a love given to all who will receive it.

God so loved the world, He loved the whole world. The ideal that God loves the world is a new idea. The Jews believed God loved the religious and hated the nonreligious. These same thoughts are held by many in every generation, especially by the religious community. The Fact that God so loves is shocking. He loves the saint and the sinner. God loves every man, not just those who love Him but also those who reject Him. He loves the unlovable, unloving, the unbelieving, the obstinate, the selfish, the greedy, the spiteful, and the vengeful. The basic of God Love is his nature, for God is love. He didn't just love, He so loved. He loved so much that he gave his only begotten Son. He gave not only all he had but the best that he had, like Abel offering the best of his fruits, like the woman with the two mites, giving all that she had. He gave His only Son to suffer judgment for my sins and yours. He gave His only son to be punished for our sins. God showed His love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He gave His only son to die for sinners. He did this so that we who rebelled against Him, we who cried with one voice "crucify Him and give us Barabbas,  so that we the sinner might have eternal life with Him in heaven. He gave so that we might have, His Son died so that we might live.

He gave His all that we might have His all. God loves us , let us receive His love that we might fulfill His will and none shall perish..

The Lord Is My Strength

Psalm 37:39 "But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble".
God commands that all repent and be baptized, but the choice is up to each person.We are accountable for the choices we make. But how we are saved is not up to us. There is only one way to be save, and we have no say so it that matter. It is never wise to dispute with God, especially upon the matter of salvation. No sinner seeking pardon should be foolish as to dispute how it is to be done with our Savior.

What is salvation? It is the testimony that Jesus the word of God made flesh 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 the 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. It is not about coming to or joining a church congregation, no it is about coming to Jesus and surrendering your whole self over to Him.

Salvation is a big deal and describes the whole life of the true believer. They feel the need of being saved from self, sin, Satan and the world. They trust in God for preservation, and the end there of is eternal rest and peace in the bosom of the Father. The prosperous sinner is on another track, and comes to another conclusion: he disowns all need of salvation, and considers his success to be of his own winning. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off. God is not with the unrighteous; they have neither safety, nor strength, nor salvation in their time of trouble.

How Will You Appear

1 Peter 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.

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....

Lean On Me

Psalm 37:39 "But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble".

Salvation is a big deal and describes the whole life of the true believer. They feel the need of being saved from self, sin, Satan and the world. They trust in God for preservation, and the end there of is eternal rest and peace in the bosom of the Father. The prosperous sinner is on another track, and comes to another conclusion: He disowns all need of salvation, and considers his success to be of his own winning. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off. God is not with the unrighteous; they have neither safety, nor strength, nor salvation in their time of trouble.

The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, he is in the planning of it; the providing of it; the beginning of it; the carrying on of it, and the completion of it. The believer realizes that it is not about anything he has done, but purely out of the love of God. The inward conflicts of the believer makes him know that God alone must work salvation, for we are not able to save ourselves. The outward temptations drive us to the fact that only God can keep us. The world's hate teaches us that greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world. Our daily trials would crush and destroy us if it wasn't for the strength of the Lord, made perfect in our weakness. This truth that unto the Lord belongs the salvation of His saints, leads us to trust in him; excites us into believing prayer to him, and a total dependency upon Him.

All eyes turn on Jesus with looks of love; gratitude glows in every bosom, and swells in every song; now with golden harps they sound his praise; and now descending from their thrones to do him homage, they cast their crowns in one glittering heap at the feet which were nailed on Calvary. Here we learn in whose name to seek salvation, and through whose merits to hope for it; for salvation of the righteous belongs to the Lord Jesus, to him be the glory.

Straight Line To Jesus

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

Many teach all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you go to heaven, there is no need for change just  believe. We must be careful not to be decieved that it is acceptable to to worship God the way we want,refashioning Him in our own image,shaping his word to fit our life style, and thinking this is a godly way of life? Is this traveling on the narrow road?Is simply believing on Jesus as Lord and savior enough to enter eternal Life? Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven. So is simply believing enough? The bible say the devil believes and trembles, so our believing should bring about an action also. What does it mean to believe? Remember God said "your ways are not my ways";Man believes with 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 hearts that we can truly deny ourselves, and follow Christ on the narrow road. It is when we believe in our heart that we can honestly and boldly confess with our  mouth that Jesus is Lord.Then we can live by a faith that will keep us when the cares of this world try to lead us down the broad road.

The way leading to eternal life is the way of living within the boundaries defined in God's law. It is not the broad popular way that approves of any behavioral preference and practice. As it was in Jesus day,many put their faith in the words and opinions of the religious teachers they like the most and whose teaching agrees with their lifestyles. Few look to God's word  in the scripture as the primary source of their belief. If you really want to follow God according to His instructions,let us honestly take a look at where our current worship habits and the way we live our lives come from.We need to ask ourselves whether they come from scripture or not,are the teachers we follow, faithful to God's word or are they teaching ideals and opinions to fill the pews and collection plates.The answer to these question will help you determine if you are on the highway to heaven, and if you are walking the straight line to Jesus.

Then Came Jesus

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

The daily headlines are never very hopeful, they are filled with stories like:mother of 5 killed in gang crossfire;mom charged after baby found neglected in basement;peace talks in middle east break down. All this bad news make it difficult at times to have hope, to hold on,to believe things will ever get better, but there is good news.What we see in our world, does not reflect the ultimate plan God has for it.Our God is a God of peace, love,and joy.God created this world to be a wonderful garden full of people who love him.We are part of God's pleasure.

Upon completetion 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 dispair. 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 comming 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 occuring in the earth, so 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. And then they shall see the Son of man, in the clouds with great power and glory.Then he shall gather His elect from the four winds,from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

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 us"we wait in hope on the Lord he is our help and our sheild" So just when you thought there was no hope then came Jesus, our everpresent help.

The Choosen Few

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? We must be careful not to be deceived. Simply believing on Jesus as Lord and savior is not enough to enter eternal life if you haven't accepted this belief as your way of life.

Many believe but some 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 still do it. Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven. So is simply believing enough? The bible say the devil believes and trembles,so our believing should bring about an action also. What does it mean to believe? Man believes with 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 hearts that we can truly deny ourselves,and follow Christ on the narrow road.

It is when we believe in our heart that we can honestly and boldly confess with our  mouth that Jesus is Lord. Then we can live by a faith that will keep us when the cares of this world try to lead us down the broad road.

Come Back To God

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless  I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love

As the world turns it seems so does the people of God. We have allowed our selves to become so entangled with the things and the ways of this world it is really hard to tell the difference between a child of God and a man of the world. God called us from among them, to be separated, to be in this world but not of this world, but somewhere along this journey we the people of God have lost focus to the things of heaven and have begun to settle and chase after the things of this world.

The word of God tells us that to be friends with this world is to be an enemy to God, but we seem to strive to fit into or conform to the things and ways of this world. We have adopted the worlds social structure, what I mean is the Christian way is the head takes care of the feet, but we have some feet which is taking care of the head. In the book of Hosea Ephraim was condemned for mingling with heathen nations, learning their works, and serving their idols. Ephraim was half baked and good for nothing He had lost his strength and didn't realize it for he was no longer connected to his power source. We must be careful not to get so mingled up with the things and ways of this world that we loose focus to the one that is our savior and our keeper. We cannot come unplugged from our power source.

We the people of God must be careful not to come unplugged from our power source. We must not seek the things which are earthy and began to seek those things which are heavenly and trust God to supply us with our earthly needs. Jesus said to seek ye first the kingdom of God, and the earthly things shall be added to us. Let us not be one thing with our mouth on Sunday mornings, and something totally different in our hearts the rest of the week

Who's On The Lords Side

Joshua 24:24"And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."

Joshua didn't sigh in relief when the Israelite's responded to his challenge to serve the Lord and him only. Instead, he questioned them to say," Do you really mean what you say?" He wanted them to make a conscious decision for God, and he even presented the alternatives so they could make a clear choice. He wanted them to understand this was a commitment for life,and for to them to now the consequences of failing to follow through on their commitment.

This was wise on Joshua's part. Sometimes people are made to feel that choosing God is simple and easy, so they choose to serve Him, but then wonder if they knew what they were doing. Or they choose to follow God, but then don't think much about it. They allow their days just to flow without a focus on serving Him. There is more to serving God than spending a couple of hours in a church house on Sunday morning. Those who haven't chosen to serve God, need to hear the challenge  Joshua's offered."This day", right now is the time to choose to follow Him. Today is the day of salvation. See this is a serious lifetime decision, one that involves putting Jesus in charge of your life. Even if we have already chosen to serve God, we choose everyday whether we will honor that commitment in the things we do and say. It is through a heart felt conviction that we will cleanse ourselves of the things in life that might distract us from our commitment to God. God has lead us through life and with his shepherd's rod, he has pulled us out of ruts and fought off the enemy.

God still calls us to follow Him by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Once we have made that commitment, we must still choose to keep our lives free of those things that can keep us from feeling the joy of his presence, or that divert our attention away from a single-minded devotion to him. This is a commitment for Life.

Hold ON

 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 worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. It is the going through trials which helps in the perfecting us for this long journey home.

Jesus cautions us to count the cost of traveling this road, just as we would with any major endeavor. No man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for God's kingdom. Jesus expects us to finish what we start. Just as a small child learns to walk, we may be wobbly at first, stumbling in this new way of life. The temptations and trials we face will sometimes cause us to stagger and fall. But remember that God the Father and Jesus Christ are there to comfort and help us each step of the way. Our job is to keep striving with God's help and to become mature Christians. Living God's way must always remain our priority. We must continually seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. There are some things 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 fellow shipping 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.

Love Is An Action

John 14:15 " If  you love me, keep my commandments".
We must love as God loves us. God showed kindness and love to all humanity regardless of how they treated him.  He gave his only begotten son that we might have everlasting life. When we love others the way Jesus instructed us to, we show the world we are his and we show the love of God to a lost soul that they might receive everlasting life.

The heart is the seat of man's affections, and devotion. The heart attaches and focuses our  affection, will, and devotion to an object or person. The heart causes a man to will, or to give himself either to good or bad. To love Jesus means that a man focuses his heart, affections, and will, upon God by giving and receiving the love of God. We must give all we have and all we are to Jesus Christ for him to do as he will. We must deny our self daily, not deny our self of things, but deny self, we die to self and our will that we might live in Him for His will. This should be the action of our love for God.

Let us be careful not to give God simple lip service while our hearts lay with the enemy. Let us surrender our whole hearts and live a life of pure love unto the Lord, a life that He might be pleased with our testimony and we have everlasting life.

New Creation

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,to the which also ye are called in one body;and be ye thankful".(read 15-17)

When a new life enters the world,a new heart enters the world.There is no life apart from a heart,a new life necessitates a new heart.When we become a new,born another, along with that new birth come a new heart.See the new man, must have a new heart ruled by the peace of God.He is to let Christ,the peace of God rule in all things and differences.The word "peace", means to be bound,joined,and weaved together.It means to be assured,confident and secure in th elove and care of God.It is to know that God will take care of us no matter what the problem or circumstance,to know that God will not allow anything to swamp or defeat us.But we must realize this peace lies in Christ and Christ alone,and we cannot know this peace unless and until we know and accept Christ in our new heart.It says "let the peace of God rule",this is a command and we must be obedient to experience this peace.

The believer heart must also be rich with the word of Christ,he is to let the word of Christ dwell in his heart.The choice is up to the believer,the word of Christ does not naturally dwell in our hearts.Here the word  "dwell", means to make a home,to abide or live within.We must make room within our heart for the word of Christ.We must let the word enter our hearts and be at home and make a home there.His word must dwell and abide in our heart.We must clean out all the old furnishings of our heart and let the word of Christ settle down as a permanent resident within the heart.The word must abide richly in our hearts,we cannot be satisfied with a quick visit of the word, but it must richly dwell in our hearts. Christ word must furnish our hearts with all the wealth of its commandments, and promises, instructions and warnings.

This will give us a heart of service unto the Lord.As the new man is a servant,he now will have the heart of a servant, he will become a cheerful giver,a willing worker,and a faithful servant unto the Lord.All that is done is done for the glory of the Lord,the spreading of the gospel and the building of His kingdom.Jesus said you don't put new wine in old skins,so we can't put this new spirit into the old heart.This is the new heart,filled with a new spirit, that goes with our new life in Christ..

United

Genesis 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother,and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh".

The life of a truly born again Christian is one of separation and submission.We must totally separate from all the things of the old man.We must mortify all of our members,putting to death the old man and his ways,that our members can now be use unto the righteousness of God.Then we must be in total submission to the new life in the new man in Christ.Choosing Christ and the will of God over the empty pleasures of this world.

In our text we see God establishes marriage.How the two are to become one.The man leaving his mother and father to cleave to his wife.The life of what God intended for marriage to be, is a metaphor of what a life of a Christian should be.We are to separate and submit. We are to leave the ways of the old man,and cleave to the life of the new man, and the two shall be one.Jesus said in the gospel of John the we should become one with Him as He and the Father are one.So just as a man leaves his father and mother and joins his wife, we who profess Christ are to leave the carnal and cleave to the spiritual and become one with Christ Jesus. We are to take on the ways of our new life.Our joy is to be in the new life with Christ.Let us Now separate ourselves from this world and the things of this world and become one with our new life in Christ.

Must like marriage we have the choice of choosing whom we will serve,but we don't have the choice of how we will serve them.Just as you must love honor and obey in marriage,(if you plan on staying married)there is a way you must be in service with the Lord,for they that worship the Lord MUST worship Him in spirit and truth.Let us separate form the old and submit to this new life in Christ to form a more perfect union, as we two can become one.

Empty Worship

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 Live in a very self-absorbed society we have to work to stay away from the self centeredness which surrounds us. We adapt through worship to Jesus. The word worship these days seems to have been limited to the couple of hours we spend in the church house on Sunday mornings. True worship  is done in spirit and in truth. That is in the spirit of God and the truth of how we live our lives daily. It is not a lip service it is a surrender of the heart. Does your worship end when you leave the church house or do you worship Him with your life?


 The word of God tells us to present your body a living sacrifice unto the Lord. We worship God with our life and praise Him with our living. In our text today Jesus says we draw near to him with our mouth and honor him with our lips, we talk a good game, but most times our life tells a different story. Have you ever wondered why you haven't drawn those in your house to the Lord ? Could it be because they see you outside the church house when you have taken off the church clothes. Many today talk about a relationship with Christ, we speak about how good he is, we quote all the biblical saying with our mouth, yet with our life we deny his person, his power, and his presence. With all that Christ has done for us, should He be happy with the few hours a week we spend in ritualistic exercise that we call worship.

Remember Mary worshipped the Lord, by covering him with expensive oil. Now it wasn't the fact that the oil was expensive that mattered. It was the fact that she worshipped him with all she had, she didn't hold anything back, she felt there was nothing to good for the Lord. Are you giving the Lord all and the best that you have, or are you keeping something for yourself? Are you worshipping Him with all your life or is it just Sunday morning lip service.

From Darkness Into The Light

John 12:12" Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Until Jesus came to dwell among men, the entire world was in darkness. The concept of walking in darkness, symbolized the sin and ignorance of the lost. Even the most godly of men relied upon the priest to offer annual sacrifices, first for himself and then for the sins of the people. The coming of Christ, the spotless lamb of God, has taken away our sins and our darkness. His purpose in coming as the "light" was to rescue all who believes in him from Satan's" dominion of darkness" and to bring them "into the kingdom of the Son", Gods kingdom of light and love.

Jesus the "true light" that gives light to every man; but this light is visible only in those who believe in and follow Christ. True believers will never walk in darkness, That is they will not continually abide in sin and spiritual ignorance. They shall walk in the light, the divine truth and holiness of God. The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. When you are born again. God opens your eyes to the spiritual realm, allowing you to see and understand things that you didn't know existed. They are hidden from the world, but revealed unto us. The holy spirit indwelling us reveals to us the path to life,(taking us from darkness into his marvelous light), the will of God ,and the revelation of the word of God.
Now we are the lights of the world, who were sent to open the eyes of the lost, to turn them from darkness to light, and free them from the grips of Satan, and lead the to the mercy God, that their sins may be forgiven. But just as the Father and son are one, we to must be one with Christ, for he alone is the source of our light, without him we to are in darkness...........

He Told Me To Run On

Galatians 5:7 "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth"?

We should always admit and praise that which is good that you may effectually rebuke the evil.Paul did not hesitate to praise  the Galatians and say,"ye did run well". It brings great joy to Christians to see others running this race well.To do this,we must run on the right road,straight forward, and persevering,at the top of our pace,with our eyes on Christ.It is great grief to see the many who are hindered or lead off the road.The way is the truth,and the running is obedience.We are hindered when we cease to obey the truth.It will do us good to check and see who and what has tried to hinder us in our race.

This Christian race is by no means easy.We are hindered in running the race which is set before us, because of our sinful nature still remains in the holiest of us.The entanglements of the world,like heavy or tight fitting clothes,hindering the runners ability to run.Our weakness and infirmities,wear us out, because the race is long and the road can get rough.Some are to busy,they run around to much to run this race well.Some run to fast at the start and are soon out of breath.We have fallen off in the areas of  reading God's word,and family prayer.We have lost God's word in the mist of various other books about the bible that seems to occupy so much of our time, we find no time to read the truth of the bible. Many have read biographies,and commentaries written by religious leaders and famous preachers, but have never read the biography of Jesus Christ,the bible.Many are hindered by the many worldly friends in our lives, none can help us in this race but those who are themselves running it;every one else is a hindrance. When a christian forms a intimate relationship with a ungodly person, from that moment all progress is at a standstill.See the ungodly person is going in a different direction,so to walk with them you must turn from the direction of God .

A man's course in religion may often seem to be right and progressive, but the undercurrent of his besetting sins is driving him contrary to where he is striving to get to.Let us run on to the end.

Will You Really

John 13:37 "Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake."

Here we have Jesus ready to secure eternal righteousness for mankind, preparing to take the final step as the Son of man. Jesus ready to make the final sacrifice for man, ready to pay the supreme price to bring about the greatest event in all history: the salvation of  man. Jesus now ready to triumph over Satan by breaking Satan's power over death and over the souls of man. He had given them a new commandment, to love one another. He told them where he was going they could not follow, not yet, but Peter said he was ready.

Are you ready to follow Jesus? Are you willing to lay down your life for His sake? There is more to following Him than just walking behind Him. To truly follow you must be willing to walk the same way, endure the same things, and suffer the same hardships. Many say they want to follow Christ yet they want to travel on the road of their choosing. But there is only one way to salvation, there is only one road that leads to where Jesus was going, and that road is a narrow road that leads upward. So you will be bumped by the many on the downward road, your feet will be stepped on,your feelings will be hurt, your faith tried,and your commitment challenged. Jesus said if you will follow Him you must deny yourself daily and take up your cross to follow, to lay down your life. Everyday you must place God's will before yours. Everyday you must esteem others , higher than yourself. Everyday you must be willing to lay down your life, lay down your wants, lay down your needs, lay down the lust and desires of your flesh, not have them taken away, but voluntarily give them up, so that others might be saved, while trusting that God will make a way for you.

Peter didn't understand, that he wasn't ready to follow Jesus. The spirit man is willing to do and go where the Lord leads us, but it is the weakness of our flesh and the strength that we sometimes allow it to have over us that causes us to deny Christ. Jesus said "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak". Are you ready to lay down your life for Christ sake.

A Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1 " I beseech you therefore,brethren, by the mercies of God,that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,holy,acceptable unto God,which is your reasonable service."

The servant Jesus, was the perfect representative of God's character.But it was God's intent for Israel to serve that same purpose.It is also something that God wants to accomplish through Christians today. People should be able to look at a Christian's life and see what God is really like.Christians should share the Gospel with the way they live their life, as well as with the words of their life. Christians should focus on living in a way that glorifies God at all times as well as use every opportunity to tell a dying world the good news of salvation. Our lives should tell the truth about God, and our words should communicate God's truth. This will at times require us to put aside our thoughts ,opinions, Ideals, likes,dislikes and desires, that a lost soul might experience the love of God through us.

Sometimes it might seem useless, the complaint that "I have labored to no purpose" could have crossed Jesus' mind as he was nailed to the cross, and those who watched this event, may have thought His mission was coming to an end and his life a failure. But when Jesus died, He knew his death was not to be his end. Three days later, when he rose from the dead, he proved that He is the  Son of God and ultimately convinced His disciples that his death served God's purpose.We too, today might voice these same concerns,wondering if we are laboring in vain, as it might sometimes seems when we talk about Jesus to an unbelieving world, our words seeming to fall on deaf ears. But God wants us to know, even though it seems to be in vain, to  keep on being a living sacrifice for him, keep on laying down our will that His will be done, keep on telling the story of salvation, and it will eventually bear spiritual fruit.  For his word will not come back void,it will do just what it says.

God wants to restore His relationship with all people, a relationship broken by sin and compounded by people's rebellion against him.God doesn't intend to cut off his creation, Jesus death, burial and resurrection provides a way for fallen man to be reconciled to a Holy God.Our mission in life, is to share the truth about God with others, so that they know what they have to do to have a right relationship with God.God's servants are to be the light that penetrates spiritual darkness and will leads others to Jesus.It is through dedication ,self denial, and commitment to the truth in this mission , which will glorify God as we bear fruit, and fruit that shall last.

The Eyes Of The Blessed

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”



The word of God tells us that  with our lips we honor God, but our hearts are far from Him. Outwardly we honor God, we sing songs of praise we pay tithes we even call on Him in prayer, but when it come right down to it we have no love for God. Our hearts our inner person are not pure. We act religious to be noticed by man, but don't live holy to be pleasing unto God. In fact the word of God calls us hypocrites.


When we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior we are given a new heart."And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. God gives us new hearts that want to follow and obey him and pours his Holy Spirit into us who motivates us to sincere obedience. To be pure in heart doesn’t mean we never sin. But it means that now we don’t want to. We hate it when we do, and are grateful for Jesus’ constant cleansing.


Now there are ways to cultivate and maintain a pure heart and live a life acceptable to God. First we can read your Bible regularly for it convicts, warns and encourages us. We can constantly pray and ask God for inner purity. David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart.” Regularly ask God to deliver you from evil and temptation. Be careful what you take in through your eyes and ears. Flee from all temptation. Fellowship with like minded people and confess your struggles and temptations and ask for prayer of one or a few wise, trustworthy believers. The reward for pursuing purity? “They shall see God.”

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (1 John 3:2-3). 

Are You The One?

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.............

Trust In The Word

1 Thessalonians 2:4 " But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts".

Paul and Silas offer up a good example of whole loaf living. They shared, not just the Gospel through words, but they showed how to apply what they were teaching to everyday life. Often it is the testimony of our lives, along side the Gospel that authenticates the message in the eyes of those around us.

Even though our lives might be busy, full of activity and even a great ministry, it's important that we take time to nurture and encourage, to teach and train those believers God has placed in our path.
The Thessalonians likely could see how Paul worked, making tents. They seen how he conducted his business, his quality of workmanship, and how he went about making sales. They could see how he and Silas got along together, how they shared what the had, and how they lived out their faith in the community. How they lived the life they proclaimed. As believers, we have people looking at us. There are many people in our lives with whom we may share the Gospel, but who see only slices of our faith in action. But God also places those in our path who get to see the whole loaf, those with whom we are sharing our lives, as well as the Gospel. These include our spouses and our children. Often though, there may be young or weaker believers in church who may be watching us, or co-workers, friends, and other people we might associate with regularly. How might we open up and share the whole loaf of bread with them . How might we be a living testimony of our Lord and Savior.

 Sharing our lives with them can positively impact their perspective on the Gospel as we faithfully live it out before them. Being doers of the word and not hearers and Sayers only. Ask yourself this question daily "Am I living a life today that supports the Gospel message I Proclaim?"

Harden Not Your Hearts

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, Hannah, Abraham, Rebekah, Job, 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 our self. It tells us to put the needs of others before our own.It tells us to love in-spite 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.So what voices are you listening to?

Power Of Preaching

1 Corinthian 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power.

Where does the power to change a heart of stone to flesh come from? From our words and witness or the Holy Spirit? Many fail to share the truth of God's word fearing they will drive people away instead of drawing them to God. While it is true we can at time run people out of the congregation, we should never be foolish enough to believe we can run them from the church. This would be like saying we have more push than God has pull, for one cannot come to God unless the spirit draws them.

Here we have Paul speaking of his preaching or speaking, Paul spoke solely of Christ and him crucified, and trusted the holy spirit to do what Jesus said it would do. As he determined, so he acted. The subject matter of his ministry was not any of the liberal arts and sciences, or the philosophy and dry morality of the Gentiles, but salvation by a crucified Christ. His style, his diction, his language followed this in his preaching, He didn't try to entice man or impress man of his knowledge or how smart he was with technical words, words of art, contrived by human wisdom to captivate the affections. Nor did Paul come with bare probable arguments, but he spoke in the power of the spirit
partly by making use of solid proofs out of the writings of the Old Testament, indicted by the Spirit of God, and which amounted to a demonstration of the truths he delivered. Besides all these, the Spirit of God wonderfully assisted him in his work, both as to words and matter; directing him, what to say, and in what form, in words, not which human wisdom taught, but which the Holy Ghost taught. The Holy Spirit accompanied his ministry with his power, to the conversion, comfort, edification, and salvation of many.

The Spirit of God directed Paul, and he under the Spirit's influence chose, and by his assistance pursued this way of preaching. He pursued it with this view, and for this reason, that faith in Christ and in the doctrines of his Gospel, which comes by hearing, might not be attributed to the force of human effort but solely on the power of God.

Turn Back To God

Judges 2:13 "And they forsook the Lord,and served Baal and Ashtaroth".

Before Joshua died, the children of Israel made a covenant with the Lord, but shortly after his death they broke it. They turned to the idols they were suppose to destroy, and gave honor to and requested favors from the multiple Baal-gods of the sun, moon, rain, and harvest. They also worshiped Ashtoreth, the mother goddess of love, war,  and fertility. This worship of the false Canaanite gods included child sacrifice and temple prostitution. This greatly dishonored God, who highly regards children and demands sexual purity from His people.The book of Judges pictures graphically the family ups and downs of Israel. But like Israel, parents of the day sometimes fail to teach their children how God wants His children to Live. We must realize that if we don't teach them how to live for our God, the world will teach them how to live for the gods of the world. Through television, radio, and the social media, they learn the values and moral of this world which go against the word of God.

This causes the younger generation to drift towards the modern day Baals of the world, the need of constant entertainment, the pursuit of wealth and obedience to selfish philosophies. The religions of this world much like the Canaanite religion is extremely attractive. The Israelite's could worship the fertility gods of the land and satisfy their sexual desires with temple prostitutes. Next to this easy lifestyle, the true God seemed like a harsh task master. The religion of this world makes the way of life desired by the true God harsh and no fun, But God loved us so much instead of asking us to sacrifice our children, He sacrificed His only begotten son, that we might live with Him in eternity. We want the easy way of the worlds religions, but when crisis hits we seem to seek the Lord in droves. The first Sunday after September 11th, churches all across this country was full, but shortly after they begin to be empty once again, as the people once again were blinded by the gods of this world.

The Lord shows mercy when we turn back to him. Turning to Him is the only way that we ourselves can break the cycle of sin that so easily entraps us. When we are drawn away and enticed, we must seek Him to resist temptation. Let us train up our children in the way of the true God, that in that evil day they might be able to stand. Teach them, so they will know rather times are good or bad, they are kept and loved by the one true God always.

Satan's Challange

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, or the person you believe you are in Him that you love. 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 why we truly worship the Lord. When we look closer at our life we might see we will 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 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 employer, 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 will see that 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?

Keep Fighting

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

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

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

Just as a small child learns to walk,we may be wobbly at first, stumbling in this new way of life.The temptations and trials we face will sometimes cause us to stagger and fall.But remember that God the Father and Jesus Christ are there to comfort and help us each step of the way.Our job is to keep striving with God's help and to become mature Christians.Living God's way must always remain our priority. We must continually" seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.There are somethings that can help us stay the course through the many challenges we will encounter along the way.We must stay in prayer and continue in the study of God's word.Also fellow shipping 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.

Holy Leaders

1 Timothy 3:2"Bishop then must be blameless,the husband of one wife, vigilant,sober,of good behavior, given to hospitality,apt to teach";

Paul wrote straightforward requirements for church leaders,as this part of the ministry was extremely important.It was important that those in leadership positions were able to communicate God's word clearly.Needed to be blameless,faithful in marriage,sober minded, watchful against Satan,and good to the flock.The leadership was to serve the people not be served by the people.

In our desire to do things the right way,we can sometimes apply Scripture in a cold, loveless way.Or in our desire to make people feel good about themselves,we may skirt the difficult parts and compromise when it comes to honoring God's Word.We might be tempted to "fudge" on some of the biblical leadership qualifications, for example. Neither approach to applying the commands, instructions, and principles of scripture is good.Truth must be accompanied by love.Love cannot go forward without truth.So when selecting good leadership, it matters that we are true to scriptural instructions and yet loving as we apply them.To those who do not yet qualify for leadership but wish to serve in leadership capacity,we should encourage them to develop in their conduct and character,that they meet God's requirements. For those who do qualify, we must continue to hold them to the standard,yet in humility and love that recognizes our own failings.We can pray for them,encourage them, talk with them(rather than gossip about them) about concerns we might have. If truth and love are our rules,we cannot fail to do well in this area of church life.

Good leadership matters, and the people of God have seen the harm to the reputation of Christ and his church that comes when leaders are selected and upheld for wrong or insufficient reasons,such as a personal charisma, good business skills, exciting vision casting, or celebrity status.These cannot be the reason for choosing leadership for God's people.As you think about your own church leaders, how do they compare with the qualifications listed by Paul?How does your own life and leadership qualities measure up? A good leader cannot be one thing at home and something different at church,if one cannot take care of his own home ,how can he/she be qualified to take care of God's house.

Because He Lives...

Revelation 1:18 "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and of death.

Salvation is of God and of His Christ." Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. No matter how good or noble a man or woman may believe he or she is, that person can no more save themselves than you could have created themselves.

 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever live and believeth in me shall never die. Before a you can experience the event of the resurrection unto life, you must experience the person who is the resurrection. How can you be apart of something you know nothing about, how can you believe in Him whom you haven't heard?  Without conviction there can be no conversion. You can't experience an resurrected life until you first realize you were dead in sin. As we partake in His death, we will also walk in the newness of life. But to walk new, the old must die, and for the old to die, we must realize there was an old. We are crucified with Christ, and the life which we now live in the flesh we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us.

All things are of God. He is the beginning, He is the process, and he is the end. He is our beginning, he is our path, and he is our life. We must really come to the knowledge of Christ and Him crucified to  become better Christians, obedient servants,  convincing witnesses, and a more accurate reflection of Christ. Let us take the time and get caught up in the thought of being in Jesus' powerful presence. This is our resurrected Lord, and because He lives..

Ready!

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? 

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 motto. 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.

I Am

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

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

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

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

Created For Good Works

Ephesians 2:10 " For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. "

We who profess to be born again. Those who my the confession of their own faith claim to be born of the spirit of God, are thus claiming to be Christ like. These are not words to be just thrown around lightly. We must remember the world is looking, there are others who are reading the word of God in the life that you are living. We who profess Christ are ambassadors to Christ.

Now this I snot to say we are to live a life perfect and sin free, but our short comings should be the acceptation and not the rule. If we believe that Christ rose with all power there should be some evidence of this in the life that others see us living. People should see love for others in our life. Ours should be a life of prayer which offers hope to those lost in darkness. Just as many of us resemble our earthly parents, there should also be some resemblance to our heavenly Father seen in us.

The text says we are  His workmanship; The work of God, the creator and maker of all things. We have been created in Christ, in Him who there is no sin we have now been created in him unto good works. We are to be the example which God ordained , and thus we should walk or live in the profession of our faith.  Jesus rose with all power let us live like we believe this truth.

Answer Your Call

John 21:22 " Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me"
There are times on this christian journey when we will run into distraction which prevent us from following Jesus. These distractions often come in the form of watching someone else walk with the Lord. We often get so caught up in what is going on in other Christians life, that we fail to do that which Jesus has instructed us to do. Now I'm not saying don't be concerned about those who have fallen away or who has been lead astray, but let us not be consumed with their short comings. Let us pray for them and get back to the work of God at hand.

Now in our text, we have Peter concerned about two different things which is none of his business. First he ask who it was that betrayed Christ, and then he wanted to know what was John going to do.  Now on the surface these two question seemed harmless enough. But remember Jesus had left Peter with the instructions to feed his sheep, and this should have occupied all of Peter's energy. He didn't ask how he should go about feeding the sheep instead he was concerned about stuff that had nothing to do with him. We've all been given a task to do which should occupy our every thought and concern. We should be focused on how to lead lost souls to Christ, how to let our lights so shine before men as the lost might seek the Lord Jesus. But like Peter many of us are to busy worrying about what others are doing and thus leaving our work undone.

With all that has taken place in the world over the past few months, many have lost focus of the instructions left to us by our Lord. Instead of worrying about same sex marriage, a man becoming a woman, or what big name preacher is fallen into sin, let us go out and tell every creature the good news of salvation. If we do this everything else will fall in place.

Hold On

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.....

The Hope Of Salvation

Zechariah 10:6 "And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; For I have mercy upon them:and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them".

Hope can come to sinners: God says "I have mercy upon them". Mercy abides in the heart of God even after the hope of it has left the heart of man. God's mercy is coming, and it has come to all who will accept it."Behold he prayeth" is the sure indication of coming deliverance (acts.9:11). God has observed prayer in them, for he said,"I will hear them". The result of mercy coming is exceedingly delightful: "They shall be as though I had not cast them off". This promise may be applied to all penitent sinners, and the wayward backsliders. God's mercy in many ways restores men to their lost positions, and in some cases to the pristine condition they had before the fall.

Let us look at the power of God's mercy; the forgiveness of sin, and justification by faith, makes us acceptable in God's sight.The renovation of our nature, by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, creates a man of righteousness, turning a sinner to a child of God. We are restored to paradise, as we dwell in God's blessed state, God's mercy destroys sin but it saves the sinner. We have redemption from the curse, the curse is gone from us, taken by Him who was made a curse for us, removing the anger of God from us forever.We are employed in God service, a living testimony to the redeeming mercy of God. We have communion with our Savior and have the promise of eternal life, all in His mercy.

Only return to God and live in His reverence, and you shall enjoy all the blessedness of your best spiritual state. You will again enjoy the complete removal of guilt, and have no more consciousness of sin, but have rest for your soul. A renewed Joy, restored purity of heart, fresh communion with your Father; A new usefulness, teaching transgressors the forgiving ways of God. Restoration to the church, not just part of the congregation, but an actual belonging to the church of the living God, you shall strive to avoid all temptations, as you stand more firmly in the grace of our Lord. So at once confess your sin, and humbly plead the Lord, for His mercy. Cry out in prayer, for He will hear you. hold on by faith in the name of Jesus,to the promise,"they shall be as though I had not cast them off". By the mercy of God, I beseech all who have not made Jesus your choice, turn back to God, there is hope.

A Way Of Life

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.

Power Source

Psalm 37:39 "But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble".

Salvation is a big deal and describes the whole life of the true believer. They feel the need of being saved from self, sin, Satan and the world. They trust in God for preservation, and the end there of is eternal rest and peace in the bosom of the Father. The prosperous sinner is on another track, and comes to another conclusion: He disowns all need of salvation, and considers his success to be of his own winning. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off. God is not with the unrighteous; they have neither safety, nor strength, nor salvation in their time of trouble.

The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, he is in the planning of it; the providing of it; the beginning of it; the carrying on of it, and the completion of it. The believer realizes that it is not about anything he has done, but purely out of the love of God. The inward conflicts of the believer makes him know that God alone must work salvation, for we are not able to save ourselves. The outward temptations drive us to the fact that only God can keep us. The world's hate teaches us that greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world. Our daily trials would crush and destroy us if it wasn't for the strength of the Lord, made perfect in our weakness. This truth that unto the Lord belongs the salvation of His saints, leads us to trust in him; excites us into believing prayer to him, and a total dependency upon Him.

All eyes turn on Jesus with looks of love; gratitude glows in every bosom, and swells in every song; now with golden harps they sound his praise; and now descending from their thrones to do him homage, they cast their crowns in one glittering heap at the feet which were nailed on Calvary. Here we learn in whose name to seek salvation, and through whose merits to hope for it; for salvation of the righteous belongs to the Lord Jesus, to him be the glory

Fear Not

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am God: I will strengthen thee; I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

God's promise to never leave or forsake us, is perhaps the best of all promises. In spite of our rebellious hearts toward God, with love he still tells us "I have chosen you and have not rejected you". Did we earn this love? Deserve it?, ask for it? No. God is committed totally to his children, even though our walk with him is inconsistent and shaky. What would we do without God?  We could try and take Solis relationships of all kinds. Rather we chase careers, money, material goods, sex, substance abuse and even religion, they offer us no real peace and certain tee. But the only one true God. He says " fear thou not, for I am with you. We have nothing to fear, for he offers his presence to support us in life, for he is with us, the Lord is our shepherd, He provides for us, He is our provision, our hope, our guide, our direction and his two wonderful sheep dogs goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life.

 With Gods presence in our life we are never at a loss. He is God, so let us be grateful to him, and thankful for him, in our worship and praise to him. Not just  with an empty shouts of joy, or with empty ritualistic hand praise, but by living a life before men, worthy of the name we bear. We are children of the most high God, He is our strength, so let us walk like it; He is our ever present help, so let us talk like it; and he upholds us with the right hand of his righteousness! so let us  live like it. Jesus the Christ, the righteous right hand of God, that hold up all who believes. Live victoriously in Christ..............