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.