For unto us is born this day in the City of David. A savior, which shall be to all people.....His name is Jesus Christ.
Christmas is all about Jesus. It is a day that had been set aside to celebrate Hid birth. We all know that He, more than likely, was not born on December 25th. But it is STILL His birthday. I like to hear Merry Christmas. I love saying Merry Christmas to everyone I meet. We cannot take CHRIST out of Christmas. I heard that Happy Holiday's was short for Holy Days....that is the same as saying you can just pout a "X" instead of using Christs name. If we continue to "dumb down" our faith in Jesus, then no one will KNOW. The enemy has already won a battle to keep Jesus' name out of the public's eye.
Have you seen the billboard what an atheist group put up? Blasphemy. Pure and simple. It says NO ONE NEEDS CHRIST. Oh, my friend, how wrong they are. We need Jesus for FAR more things than just Christmas. We need Him in our every day. We need His forgiveness. We need His love. We need His protection from the enemy. We NEED Him.
God sent His only begotten son, that whosoever....that means ANYONE....that whosoever believes on Him should have everlasting life. God loved you enough that He allowed His son, part of Himself, the Second person of the Trinity, to come here, to die on a cross, a cruel, cruel death, to rise up from the grave 3 days later, to ascend up to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Because He was victorious over all that, we can be too.
So, Merry Christmas! Jesus is the reason for the Season.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
I was just thinking about a posting that is going around Facebook. It says something like this, "God has seen you struggle with something in your life. "Like" and re-post this and in 5 minutes you will have your miracle"
How sad is it that Satan has deceived people into believing that God is like a Genie in a bottle. That is exactly what is going on. Christian people re-post these and I'm not sure that they know what they are doing. God is not there to give you everything you ask for. No He is there for His true children.
Did you know that if you are not saved and living your life for God, He is not under any obligation to answer any prayer you pray except the prayer of salvation. The definition of Obligation is....something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc. So if you don't belong to Him, He don't have to even listen to you.
God was and still is under an obligation to Israel. He has NEVER said that they were not His chosen people. He still loves them and He has sent people to them to tell them of the saving grace only found through Jesus Christ. They are STILL God's children.
The great thing about grace is that when you come to Jesus and confess your sins to him, you have become God's child. Now you are to turn from your sinful ways, and follow Christ. When you do that God WILL hear you when you pray. He WILL move on your behalf. He WILL give you the desires of your heart......unless that desire is not what He wants for you. If your desires of your heart line up with the Word of God, you will hear the word Yes from Him. Just remember God's timing is not our own.
So don't "share" the above mentioned thing on Facebook. God don't work like that.
How sad is it that Satan has deceived people into believing that God is like a Genie in a bottle. That is exactly what is going on. Christian people re-post these and I'm not sure that they know what they are doing. God is not there to give you everything you ask for. No He is there for His true children.
Did you know that if you are not saved and living your life for God, He is not under any obligation to answer any prayer you pray except the prayer of salvation. The definition of Obligation is....something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc. So if you don't belong to Him, He don't have to even listen to you.
God was and still is under an obligation to Israel. He has NEVER said that they were not His chosen people. He still loves them and He has sent people to them to tell them of the saving grace only found through Jesus Christ. They are STILL God's children.
The great thing about grace is that when you come to Jesus and confess your sins to him, you have become God's child. Now you are to turn from your sinful ways, and follow Christ. When you do that God WILL hear you when you pray. He WILL move on your behalf. He WILL give you the desires of your heart......unless that desire is not what He wants for you. If your desires of your heart line up with the Word of God, you will hear the word Yes from Him. Just remember God's timing is not our own.
So don't "share" the above mentioned thing on Facebook. God don't work like that.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
How do you live your life?
I had lunch yesterday with my best friend. Her brother was dying of cancer. My best friend has lost a lot of very close people to cancer in the past 5 1/2 years. First her sister was diagnosed with cancer and Tammie took care of her when she couldn't take care of herself, then she died. Then when things were just starting to return to normal, her best friend was diagnosed, again Tammie helped as much as she could with her and then she died within a couple of months. Things returned to normal, I started going to her church. meeting Tammie for the first time...really meeting her, was just really getting to know her when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Tammie took care of her mother until the end which was 2 years ago now. Then about 18 months ago her brother was diagnosed with cancer. He gave up the ghost late yesterday afternoon.
When Tammie and I came out after eating, we hugged, because I know she had to get back since the end felt near for her brother, while we were hugging she started crying and said to me, "I have been begging God not to let anything happen to you, because I wouldn't be able to handle it at all" I told her that God heard her prayer.
Paul said, "I have fought a good fight ,I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." II Timothy 4:7 As long as you keep your eyes on the prize, which is Jesus, you will make heaven. Tammie's brother is now rejoicing in Glory. He is singing the Redemption song. The only song that the angels in heaven cannot sing. Jack was bought with a price. His soul was saved. He is now in the very presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. He is looking on the very FACE of our Lord! What a sight it is sure to be! He heard "Well done, thy good and faithful servant, enter into they rest." I don't see Jack resting. I see him dancing in the spirit, knowing he is home and with the Lord, evermore to be.
I am a little homesick now. It is so strange to long to see, I mean really long to see heaven. It seems like this journey we are traveling on is long but in reality it is very short. Praise God for His loving mercies.
When Tammie and I came out after eating, we hugged, because I know she had to get back since the end felt near for her brother, while we were hugging she started crying and said to me, "I have been begging God not to let anything happen to you, because I wouldn't be able to handle it at all" I told her that God heard her prayer.
Paul said, "I have fought a good fight ,I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." II Timothy 4:7 As long as you keep your eyes on the prize, which is Jesus, you will make heaven. Tammie's brother is now rejoicing in Glory. He is singing the Redemption song. The only song that the angels in heaven cannot sing. Jack was bought with a price. His soul was saved. He is now in the very presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. He is looking on the very FACE of our Lord! What a sight it is sure to be! He heard "Well done, thy good and faithful servant, enter into they rest." I don't see Jack resting. I see him dancing in the spirit, knowing he is home and with the Lord, evermore to be.
I am a little homesick now. It is so strange to long to see, I mean really long to see heaven. It seems like this journey we are traveling on is long but in reality it is very short. Praise God for His loving mercies.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Life is full of questions.
What are you doing? This is a question I get asked a lot. What AM I doing? Am I about my Father's business? What am I doing while I wait for the trumpet to sound? These are valid questions I must ask myself.
I try to make sure I spend time with the Lord each day. Like I read the other day on face book....prayer is when you talk to God..... meditation is when you are listening for the voice of God. Spending time with God is both. Talking AND listening.
Another question that comes to my mind is....Do I praise the Lord during my prayer time, or do I use that time to complain about my situations and the troubles of other people on my list? Ummmm. Makes me stop and think. I should look inside of myself and make sure that I am really where I need to be with the Lord. Am I stepping out from under the Blood of Jesus and doing what I want to do? Am I living in the flesh?
Our salvation is the most important thing that we have to lose. We lose our salvation because we CHOOSE to step out from under the Blood and walk away from God, doing what pleases us and not what is pleasing to God. While it is true that the Word says that "no man can pluck you out of the Fathers hand" you CAN walk away on your own.
I challenge each one of you that reads this blog....ask yourself each one of these questions. How do you answer them? Just think about it.
I try to make sure I spend time with the Lord each day. Like I read the other day on face book....prayer is when you talk to God..... meditation is when you are listening for the voice of God. Spending time with God is both. Talking AND listening.
Another question that comes to my mind is....Do I praise the Lord during my prayer time, or do I use that time to complain about my situations and the troubles of other people on my list? Ummmm. Makes me stop and think. I should look inside of myself and make sure that I am really where I need to be with the Lord. Am I stepping out from under the Blood of Jesus and doing what I want to do? Am I living in the flesh?
Our salvation is the most important thing that we have to lose. We lose our salvation because we CHOOSE to step out from under the Blood and walk away from God, doing what pleases us and not what is pleasing to God. While it is true that the Word says that "no man can pluck you out of the Fathers hand" you CAN walk away on your own.
I challenge each one of you that reads this blog....ask yourself each one of these questions. How do you answer them? Just think about it.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thoughts
Have you ever thought that God has told the enemy that He knows that you will stand in the face of adversity?
That is what I have felt like the past few weeks. There is an old saying...What don't kill you makes you stronger....well....what they didn't say is that you may feel like you are being killed. Some of the things that we go through are not our fault at all. Some of it is because the enemy wants to harm you.
Jesus wasn't spared from Satan tempting Him in the desert, so I wonder why we think we are better than Jesus. What makes us today, think that we are above being tempted? I can tell you why. It is because the majority of America who CLAIM to be Christians really are not. They have bought into the idea that there really ins't any evil in the world, only the evil that we humans make for ourselves.
People have turned away from the true teaching of the Word. It comes in all kinds of ways. Like the different religions. If you believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and that he has been crucified on Calvary, died, was buried, and then rose on the 3rd day, and believe that your sins are forgiven by His shed blood, you are saved. That is it. Nothing else will get you into heaven.
Paul says that we can't EARN our salvation. James tells us that Faith without works is dead. This may seem like a contradiction but it is not. We can't BUY our way into heaven. We can't WORK our way into heaven. Jesus said that the only way to the Father is through Jesus. BUT once we accept the forgiveness of Jesus and want to live for Him, we will do the work of "preaching" the gospel. Sowing seed, watering the seed, and harvesting the seed. It may not be anyone thing we do. The works we do here will be our crowns we will receive in heaven.
If a religion tells you that you have to WORK to be one of the FEW people to get to heaven, you are being lied to. If a religion tells you that you can go to a man and tell him things, and he has the power to FORGIVE you, you are being lied to. If a religion tells you that you have to be baptized right away and that you will never loose your salvation no matter WHAT you do, you are being lied to. If a religion tells you that you have to be baptized into THAT church to be a member, you are being lied to.
This is what is wrong. People only want to hear what they WANT to hear. The Bible says that people will have tickling ears. They will only listen to what they want to hear. People don't want to feel the conviction that comes with hearing the Word when it is spoken with determination, and love.
God is not only a God of love like people want to believe. He is also a Jealous God. He don't want to send anyone to hell, and in truth He isn't, you are. If you don't trust God and want to live for Him, you are sending yourself to hell. God wants ALL of our praise and love and service. He is jealous. He says so Himself. "Thou shall have no other gods before me for I am a jealous God."
If God brings you to the troubling time, He will see you through the troubling time.
That is what I have felt like the past few weeks. There is an old saying...What don't kill you makes you stronger....well....what they didn't say is that you may feel like you are being killed. Some of the things that we go through are not our fault at all. Some of it is because the enemy wants to harm you.
Jesus wasn't spared from Satan tempting Him in the desert, so I wonder why we think we are better than Jesus. What makes us today, think that we are above being tempted? I can tell you why. It is because the majority of America who CLAIM to be Christians really are not. They have bought into the idea that there really ins't any evil in the world, only the evil that we humans make for ourselves.
People have turned away from the true teaching of the Word. It comes in all kinds of ways. Like the different religions. If you believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and that he has been crucified on Calvary, died, was buried, and then rose on the 3rd day, and believe that your sins are forgiven by His shed blood, you are saved. That is it. Nothing else will get you into heaven.
Paul says that we can't EARN our salvation. James tells us that Faith without works is dead. This may seem like a contradiction but it is not. We can't BUY our way into heaven. We can't WORK our way into heaven. Jesus said that the only way to the Father is through Jesus. BUT once we accept the forgiveness of Jesus and want to live for Him, we will do the work of "preaching" the gospel. Sowing seed, watering the seed, and harvesting the seed. It may not be anyone thing we do. The works we do here will be our crowns we will receive in heaven.
If a religion tells you that you have to WORK to be one of the FEW people to get to heaven, you are being lied to. If a religion tells you that you can go to a man and tell him things, and he has the power to FORGIVE you, you are being lied to. If a religion tells you that you have to be baptized right away and that you will never loose your salvation no matter WHAT you do, you are being lied to. If a religion tells you that you have to be baptized into THAT church to be a member, you are being lied to.
This is what is wrong. People only want to hear what they WANT to hear. The Bible says that people will have tickling ears. They will only listen to what they want to hear. People don't want to feel the conviction that comes with hearing the Word when it is spoken with determination, and love.
God is not only a God of love like people want to believe. He is also a Jealous God. He don't want to send anyone to hell, and in truth He isn't, you are. If you don't trust God and want to live for Him, you are sending yourself to hell. God wants ALL of our praise and love and service. He is jealous. He says so Himself. "Thou shall have no other gods before me for I am a jealous God."
If God brings you to the troubling time, He will see you through the troubling time.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Storms in our Lives.
I know that this is out of sequence of the Armor of God, but I felt it was just right for today.
Are you going through a Storm in your life?
Storms come into each of our lives. The trick is to know where they come from. Storms may be a trial that we are going through that the Lord is wanting to teach us something. At other times storms may be something that we brought upon ourselves and yet at other times it could mean the enemy is out to snare us.
If the storm you are facing is one of your own making, take heart to know that God will not let you flounder in the storm. He is there to guide you to the port He wants you in. Circumstances of our choosing gets us in all sorts of trouble. When that happens...IF you are a child of God...then He will help you thru it. But only if you ask for help. You see God is not going to pull you out of something that is your fault just because He can. he wants you to ask for His help. He wants to help you get thru whatever it is. Sometimes we have to live through the storm knowing that God is in control no matter what.
If the storm is something that the Lord is wanting to teach you, the best thing to do is wait it out. He will not let you sink. He wants to teach you something valuable, something that he wants you to understand. Not every storm comes from the enemy. Like I said last time....Satan cannnot be everywhere at once. God has plans for us, He tells us that. He has plans to make us prosper. Plans that sometimes we don't know anything about. If that is the kind of storm you are going through, let Him guide you. Don't try to do it all by yourself. He wants you to grab hold of Him and let Him be your teacher.
If the storm is something that the enemy has thrown at you, that is the time you need to call on Jesus to help you. The only way you are going to defeat the Devil is by the BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST. Period. Jesus paid the price for our sins. He paid the price for our victory. he paid the price for us to trod upon the enemy. Jesus is the only way you are EVER going to beat the enemy. Stop trying to do it all on your own. We cannot win this war for souls...and our own in particular...without the strength of Jesus to back us up. The Devil will just laugh at us like he did when soome men were trying to cast out demons...the demon said..."Jesus we know and Paul we know but who are you?" The enemy is not scared of you if you do not have Jesus Christ in your life.
Dear friend...if you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior I ask you ask Him to forgive you of your sin and ask Him into your life as your Savior and Friend. HE will come in and give you life like you ahve never known before. Remember the storms of life are going to happen....do you want to face them all alone, or do you want the Lord to help you through them? you decide.
Are you going through a Storm in your life?
Storms come into each of our lives. The trick is to know where they come from. Storms may be a trial that we are going through that the Lord is wanting to teach us something. At other times storms may be something that we brought upon ourselves and yet at other times it could mean the enemy is out to snare us.
If the storm you are facing is one of your own making, take heart to know that God will not let you flounder in the storm. He is there to guide you to the port He wants you in. Circumstances of our choosing gets us in all sorts of trouble. When that happens...IF you are a child of God...then He will help you thru it. But only if you ask for help. You see God is not going to pull you out of something that is your fault just because He can. he wants you to ask for His help. He wants to help you get thru whatever it is. Sometimes we have to live through the storm knowing that God is in control no matter what.
If the storm is something that the Lord is wanting to teach you, the best thing to do is wait it out. He will not let you sink. He wants to teach you something valuable, something that he wants you to understand. Not every storm comes from the enemy. Like I said last time....Satan cannnot be everywhere at once. God has plans for us, He tells us that. He has plans to make us prosper. Plans that sometimes we don't know anything about. If that is the kind of storm you are going through, let Him guide you. Don't try to do it all by yourself. He wants you to grab hold of Him and let Him be your teacher.
If the storm is something that the enemy has thrown at you, that is the time you need to call on Jesus to help you. The only way you are going to defeat the Devil is by the BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST. Period. Jesus paid the price for our sins. He paid the price for our victory. he paid the price for us to trod upon the enemy. Jesus is the only way you are EVER going to beat the enemy. Stop trying to do it all on your own. We cannot win this war for souls...and our own in particular...without the strength of Jesus to back us up. The Devil will just laugh at us like he did when soome men were trying to cast out demons...the demon said..."Jesus we know and Paul we know but who are you?" The enemy is not scared of you if you do not have Jesus Christ in your life.
Dear friend...if you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior I ask you ask Him to forgive you of your sin and ask Him into your life as your Savior and Friend. HE will come in and give you life like you ahve never known before. Remember the storms of life are going to happen....do you want to face them all alone, or do you want the Lord to help you through them? you decide.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Armor of God ----Part 3
Belt of Truth.
Have you ever considered what the Belt of Truth is? A belt goes all the way around the body. It is intended to hold up the lower part of your garment. Back in Bible times men wore robes. They were long just like the women but when men went into war they took the hem of the garment, pulled the back up between their legs and tucked it into the belt. This gave them the ability to run and not trip in battle. That is why it was very important to have a belt on.
The Belt of Truth is like that. We are to wrap ourselves about in the Truth's of God. That means that the TRUTH goes ALL THE WAY AROUND us. This is only 1 of 2 items in the Armor of God that goes all the way around the body. The other is the Helmet of Salvation.
What are some of God's truths? Let's examine a few. 1) God is a jealous God.. He says so Himself. He don't want us to have any other god's (notice the little "g"). We are to put God FIRST in our lives. When we do that we have a better life.
2) God states what is an abomination to His eyes. Idolatry, Incest, Adultery, Homosexuality, Child sacrifice, Witchcraft, Talking to the dead, and Cross dressing. We are not to do any of these things.
3)Jesus is our Savior. Period. There is no other way to God except through Jesus. He says so Himself. There is no other way to get to heaven. It doesn't matter what other religions say, it only matters what the WORD of GOD says.
We are to hold these truths around us. Not just in the front of us but to wrap the truths of God around us. Envelope us like a cloak, to stay within the truths that God has given us. Let us hold these truths as self evident.... make ourselves wholly acceptable unto God.
Next time we will talk about the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Have you ever considered what the Belt of Truth is? A belt goes all the way around the body. It is intended to hold up the lower part of your garment. Back in Bible times men wore robes. They were long just like the women but when men went into war they took the hem of the garment, pulled the back up between their legs and tucked it into the belt. This gave them the ability to run and not trip in battle. That is why it was very important to have a belt on.
The Belt of Truth is like that. We are to wrap ourselves about in the Truth's of God. That means that the TRUTH goes ALL THE WAY AROUND us. This is only 1 of 2 items in the Armor of God that goes all the way around the body. The other is the Helmet of Salvation.
What are some of God's truths? Let's examine a few. 1) God is a jealous God.. He says so Himself. He don't want us to have any other god's (notice the little "g"). We are to put God FIRST in our lives. When we do that we have a better life.
2) God states what is an abomination to His eyes. Idolatry, Incest, Adultery, Homosexuality, Child sacrifice, Witchcraft, Talking to the dead, and Cross dressing. We are not to do any of these things.
3)Jesus is our Savior. Period. There is no other way to God except through Jesus. He says so Himself. There is no other way to get to heaven. It doesn't matter what other religions say, it only matters what the WORD of GOD says.
We are to hold these truths around us. Not just in the front of us but to wrap the truths of God around us. Envelope us like a cloak, to stay within the truths that God has given us. Let us hold these truths as self evident.... make ourselves wholly acceptable unto God.
Next time we will talk about the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
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