Incredible Faith!

Consider this passage of Scripture; 1John 5:3-5 “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” No matter what the circumstances, we Christians should keep our heads. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. It is a dismal thing to see a son of Heaven cringe in terror before the sons of earth! We are taught by the Holy Spirit in Scriptures of truth that fear is a kind of prison for the mind and that by it we may spend a life-time in bondage. To recoil from the approach of mental or physical pain is natural, but to allow our minds to become terrorized is quite another thing. The first is to reflex action; the latter is the result of sin and is a work of the Devil to bring us into bondage. Terror is or should be foreign to the Redeemed mind! So many people, maybe even some reading this post, do not like to think of a place reserved for the damned. That place of Eternal fire, Eternal punishment, Eternal separation and Eternal suffering. I say to you this place is real even though you may not believe. Whether a person believes or not does not change reality. This is what the devil wants for all mankind. “True faith delivers from fear by consciously interposing God between it and the object that would make it afraid. The soul that lives in God is surrounded by the Divine Presence so that no enemy can approach it without first disposing of God, a palpable impossibility.” Tozer The victory is that the believing soul overcomes low spirits, a sinking heart, whispers of the devil and all the discouragements of this lower world. The Redeemed mind never fears such a damnable place because he knows that Jesus has already given us the victory! We recently sang Onward Christian Soldiers at a worship service. Listen to the words of this victorious song. “At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doeth flee; On, then, Christian soldiers, on to Victory! Hell’s foundation quiver at the shout of praise; Brothers lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise! Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the Cross of Jesus going on before.” The way to sum up this devotion is a quote from D.L. Moody; “Don't let scoffers laugh you into hell; they cannot laugh you out of it.

A Happy heart is a Pure heart!

Are you happy? Listen to the Psalmist; “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” The childish clamor after happiness can become a real snare. One may easily deceive himself by cultivating a religious joy without a correspondingly righteous life. No man should desire to be happy who is not at the same time holy. He should spent his efforts in seeking to know and do the Will of God, leaving to Christ the matter of how happy he shall be. For those who take this whole thing seriously, I have a suggestion: Go to God and have an understanding. Tell Him that you desire to be holy at any cost, and then ask Him never to give you more happiness than holiness. When your holiness becomes tarnished, let your joy become dim. And ask Him to make you holy whether you are happy or not. Be assured that in the end you will be as happy as you are holy. “ The work of the Holy Spirit is, among other things, to rescue the redeemed man’s emotions, to restring his harp and open again the wells of sacred joy which have been stopped by sin!” A.W. Tozer. So Christian are you more concerned with your own happiness more than personal holiness. Or is it truly the other way around. The evidence is clear to your fellow Christian and is certainly clear to the one and only Holy God who wants you to be Holy as He is Holy. What is your heart desire? To live a life the way you want or to loose you life for the sake of Righteousness? Which is it? It cannot be both! You will either serve your own interest or you will surrender your life to the One who died for your life! Easy to say but harder to accomplish. Listen to Jesus; “Matthew 10:37-39 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Just something to ponder as we seek happiness and holiness. Who is worthy?

Going back to the beginning!

Image yourself living in a place where there is no sin. No need for doctors, hospitals, insurance, electric bills, cars, trains, planes etc... No need to worry about your house being broken into when you decide to take a walk. Just imagine yourself talking with animals and them talking with you without fear. How about walking with God in the cool of the day? No knowledge of evil! This scenario is not a fairy tale but reality. Allow me to ask a question; Is it a good thing to know good from evil? Most will say YES! I will tell you, NO. Adam and Eve lived without knowledge of good and evil. Totally oblivious of anything wicked. When you study the text in Genesis you will notice that Adam and Eve lived this reality before they disobeyed God’s simple command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for if you do you will surly die! When they disobeyed God and ate from the tree of knowledge their eyes were opened and all Hell broke loose in their lives. Listen to the discourse. Genesis 3:7-10 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" Notice Adam and Eve where not afraid of their Creator until after their eyes were opened. The problem with this is simple; God our Creator Loves us so much and wants to fellowship with us but man chose to disobey and choose evil instead of good! Knowledge of good and evil is at the heart of the sin nature. When man has the choice he will choose evil every time. This is where Jesus comes into the picture. God promised redemption to his Creation. Genesis 3:15; And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Jesus fulfilled this verse in His death, burial and Resurrection. The restoration is that we do not need to be afraid of our Creator anymore. Jesus paid that debt of disobedience and has given us the Holy Spirit so that we can now choose the good and shun the evil! The Truth is that we can live in this ideal scenario. We who are Redeemed can walk and talk with our Creator without fear of punishment. Walking with God in the cool of the day is possible with a personal relationship with Jesus. Listen to what will soon happen as God finishes His redeeming work in the near future. Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The curse is gone(knowledge of good and evil). What a Glorious thing our Creator has done and is going to do to restore us back the way it was before evil entered the picture! Even so Lord Jesus come quickly!

New heart, Pure heart!

Consider this passage of Scripture. Hebrews 12:14" Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Sounds very important does it not? The fact is that we are not today producing saints. We are making converts to an effete type of Christianity that bears little resemblance to that of the New Testament! The average so-called Bible Christian in our times is but a wretched parody of true sainthood. Yet we put millions of dollars behind movements to perpetuate this degenerate form of religion and attack the man who dares to challenge the wisdom of it. Clearly we must begin to produce better Christians. We must insist on New Testament sainthood for ourselves and for our converts, nothing less; and we must lead them into a state of heart purity, fiery love, separation from the world and poured-out devotion to the Person of Christ. Only in this way can the low level of spirituality be raised again to where it should be in the light of the Scriptures and of Eternal values. “It is well to remember that a new heart is one thing and a pure heart is another. They are not synonymous. Any man can have a new heart which loves God and yet not possess a pure heart from which self, man-fear, love of praise and other like things are banished.”Tozer A new heart is given when a sinner repents and believes in the Death, burial and Resurrection of Christ Jesus. A pure heart is produced when the new heart rids itself of self. Purity of heart comes from denying the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Purity comes from taking up your cross and following Jesus. We need this type of Christian today. A new heart that is not only converted to Christ but is sold out as well. Christian’s like Paul the Apostle, Peter, John, James, Barnabas, Timothy, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Charles Finney, D.L.Moody etc. One of my pastor friend’s was weeping over today’s Christianity. His conclusion; Where is Holiness and who sets the standard for us to live by? Have we become content with living just to get by from day to day? Here's something to chew on. "Most church members live so far below the standards, you would have to backslide to be in fellowship. We are so subnormal that if we were to become normal, people would think we were abnormal." Listen to a holy saint of old; “Php 3:8-11 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. We need new hearts yes, but we need pure hearts more!

3 Things!

I know it is not just me but many of you have wondered about why things
seem to be moving so fast. So called economic crises, healthcare reform,
bailouts and so many other things seem to overwhelm most. I am not a
prophet but I know what the Bible says. Regardless of the situation you and
I find ourselves we need to remember what Paul the Apostle writes; 2Ti 3:1-
5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of
godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do w ith them. From this
passage of Scripture I would like to sugg est three things to ponder. 1) F aith
2) Holiness 3) Prayer. Faith is not an option in order to please God. We
must believe and put our Trust in Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus said that
before He comes many with wonder from the faith, so we need to be
Trusting in Him to bring us through every situation and not trusting in
government or men. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Second thing to consider is Holiness. Paul states that in the last days many
will have a form of godliness but denying its power. Many people all around
us seem to be religious. But Christian s now that religion does not bring
about a Holy life. The Bible says that without Holiness no one will see God.
So how do we live H oly lives amongst a religious godless society? Obedience
to Jesus Commands! Jesus Blood makes us Holy and we need to be Holy as
He is Holy! The H oly Spirit helps us to live Holy and G odly lives. The lost
world needs to see true believers living what they profess. Thirdly we need
prayer. This is the weapon of the believer. Paul talks about our strugg le in
this life in Ephesians chapter 6:10-18. Each piece of armor can only be put
on through prayer. Listen to Paul  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full arm or of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm then, with th e belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this,
take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the S pirit on all occasions w ith
all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always
keep on praying for all th e saints  . With everything th at is going on in life
we all need these 3 things; Faith, Holiness and prayer!

Money and God!

I sure wish I could win the lottery! I could do so much for the Church, my family and friends. I would love to be financially wealthy. Never having to worry about finding the money to pay bills; electric, doctors, water, groceries, housing, car, insurance, cloths, cable and tithes all need to be paid. Where I am going to find the money to pay for all these necessities of life? These are statements that have crossed my mind before and I am quit sure I am not alone. Lets see what Jesus has to say concerning money. Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. So much for my thoughts of financial health. Jesus can’t be saying this to my situation. “Preacher, God understands I can’t give my tithe because I have so many bills and I don’t have much left over. God accepts me giving what I can, when I can.” In other words, God I will pay my bills and you get what is left over! Dear friends you cannot love God and love your money at the same time. If our lives are dedicated to making ends meet then something is wrong! A Christian should never be focused on the things of this Earth. Listen to the Apostle Paul “1Ti 6:9-11 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” Question: Can you say and mean it that you hate money so I might love God? Jesus said we can’t love God and love money at the same time. Is Jesus lying? All of us are struggling with fiances during this so called recession in the economy. It is only a recession if you are focused on money. May I close with this challenge? If we are having trouble tithing (giving a small 10%- 1 penny out of a dime) then we are loving money more than God. We are storing up treasures upon Earth instead of treasures in Heaven. The only solution to our Idiolatry is repentance. Turn away from your pursuit of money and find yourself in pursuit of Jesus Christ! If you don’t have enough money to make ends meet, you have too many things. Jesus knows we have a problem with serving God and ourselves. He shed His Blood upon a cross to wash our sins away, even our love of money. Money is not evil, it is the love for money. So do you love God or money? Jesus will not accept split loyalties. Either Him or money, the choice is ours! Father forgive me for loving money instead of only loving You. Cleanse me from this stronghold of sin in my life through the blood of your Son Jesus. Holy Spirit I pray You will convict me and lead me to full devotion to the Kingdom of God. Help me to see the Truth and lead me to Victory over the love for money. In Jesus Name!

Declaration of Dependence upon Christ

Whereas we hold these truths to be self-evident...
*that all men, according to God’s Word, are sinners.
*that the wages of sin is death-eternal separation from God.
*that no man is able to save himself, not by his character, his good works, his religious resolves, or by any other means.
*that Jesus Christ is the only Savior for lost mankind.
*that He died to redeem us and pay the penalty for our sin that we might be free.
*that by simply believing in His death, burial and Resurrection and receiving Him as your personal Savior we have Eternal Life.

We do hereby affirm our signatures to this declaration to make known our belief of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and to acknowledge our complete dependence for time and eternity upon Him and Him Alone!

Signed by Millions upon Millions now living and dead.

Homosexuality and Christianity

What about homosexuality and being a Christian? Is this possible? Is living in sin and being saved from the penalty of sin even possible? Woe to a people who calls evil good and good evil! We all have sinned, yes. We all will from time to time fall into sin. What does God’s Word say about this. 1Jo 3:4-6 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Again 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Now read this article that lays out a scenario. “As more states-like Iowa-approve same-sex “marriage,” conservatives are claiming that freedom of religion is in peril. Same-sex “marriage” supporters accuse them of engaging in hysterical gay-bating. Who’s telling the truth?
Let me share some stories with you from an excellent news broadcast produced by National Public Radio. Then you decide.
Two women decided to hold their civil union ceremony at a New Jersey pavilion owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. This Methodist group told the women they could not “marry” in any building used for religious purposes. The Rev. Scott Hoffman said a theological principle-that marriage can only exist between one man and one woman-was at stake. The women filed a discrimination complaint with the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights. The Methodists said the First Amendment protected their right to practice their faith without being punished by the government. But punish the Methodists is exactly what New Jersey did. It revoked their tax exemption-a move that cost them $20,000. Then there’s the case of the Christian physicians who refused to provide in vitro fertilization treatment to a woman in a lesbian relationship. The doctors referred her to their partners, who were willing to provide the treatment. But that wasn’t good enough. The woman sued. The California Supreme Court agreed with the woman, saying that the doctors’ religious beliefs didn’t give them the right to refuse the controversial treatment. In Massachusetts, Catholic Charities was told they had to accept homosexual couples in their adoption service, or get out of the adoption business. They chose correctly-get out of the business.
In Mississippi, a mental health counselor was sued for refusing to provide therapy to a woman looking to improve her lesbian relationship. The counselor’s employers fired her-a move that was backed up by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In New York, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University refused to allow same-sex couples to live in married student housing, in keeping with the school’s orthodox Jewish teachings. But in 2001, the New York State Supreme Court forced them to do so anyway-even though New York has no same-sex “marriage” law.
In Albuquerque, a same-sex couple asked a Christian wedding photographer to film their commitment ceremony-and sued the photographer when she declined. An online adoption service was forced to stop doing business in California when a same-sex couple sued the service for refusing, on religious grounds, to assist them. Convinced? Clearly, homosexual “marriage” and religious liberty cannot co-exist-because gay activists will not allow them to. As marriage expert Maggie Gallagher puts it, same-sex “marriage” advocates claim that religious faith “itself is a form of bigotry.” I know this may sound alarmist, but it’s true. If we don’t work to stop this juggernaut, we may soon find ourselves hunted down at work, at school, and even at church-as others have been-by those determined to force us to accept as a moral good what God calls evil. Our attitude toward all sin must change. All sin will lead to Hell! May the Holy Spirit give all of us reading this conviction to view sin the way God does. Let us truly be Born again in Christ Jesus!

To die is to Gain!

VERY soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come! Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death. If you are not prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertain day; how do you know you will have a tomorrow? What good is it to live a long life when we amend that life so little? Indeed, a long life does not always benefit us, but on the contrary, frequently adds to our guilt. Would that in this world we had lived well throughout one single day. Many count up the years they have spent in religion but find their lives made little holier. If it is so terrifying to die, it is nevertheless possible that to live longer is more dangerous. Blessed is he who keeps the moment of death ever before his eyes and prepares for it every day. If you have ever seen a man die, remember that you, too, must go the same way. In the morning consider that you may not live till evening, and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourself the dawn. Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will never take you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly, for in the unexpected hour the Son of God will come. When that last moment arrives you will begin to have a quite different opinion of the life that is now entirely past and you will regret very much that you were so careless and remiss. How happy and prudent is he who tries now in life to be what he wants to be found in death. Perfect contempt of the world, a lively desire to advance in virtue, a love for discipline, the works of penance, readiness to obey, self-denial, and the endurance of every hardship for the love of Christ, these will give a man great expectations of a happy death. Great Day it will be when I die in Christ Jesus!!

Can you Repent?

A lady recently commented on a devotion about repentance I posted on a blog. “She told me that a person could not repent until after they are saved. That a person does not have the power to change their mind about sin or turn away from committing sin.” First let it be known that Jesus does not lie! Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” After Jesus was tempted to go against His Holy Nature by the arrogance of the Devil, He began preaching Repentance. Question: if we could not turn from sin to faith in Christ, then why did Jesus tell us to repent? The possibilities of a sinner to turn away from sin is an act of God’s Grace. Every since the fall in the Garden The Holy God has called sinful man to turn back to Him. The New Covenant is of utmost importance! The work which our Lord Jesus has done has made repentance possible, available, and acceptable. The law makes no mention of repentance, but says plainly, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” If the Lord Jesus had not died and risen again and gone unto the Father, what would your repenting or mine be worth? We might feel remorse with its horrors, but never repentance with its hopes. Repentance, as a natural feeling, is a common duty deserving no great praise: indeed, it is so generally mingled with a selfish fear of punishment, that the kindliest estimate makes but little of it. Had not Jesus interposed and wrought out a wealth of merit, our tears of repentance would have been so much water spilled upon the ground. Jesus is exalted on high, that through the virtue of His intercession repentance may have a place before God. In this respect He gives us repentance, because He puts repentance into a position of acceptance, which otherwise it could never have occupied. When Jesus was exalted on high, the Spirit of God was poured out to work in us all needful graces. The Holy Ghost creates repentance in us by supernaturally renewing our nature, and taking away the heart of stone out of our flesh. Oh, sit not down straining those eyes of yours to fetch out impossible tears! Repentance comes not from unwilling nature, but from free and sovereign grace. Get not to your chamber to smite your breast in order to fetch from a heart of stone feelings which are not there. But go to Calvary and see how Jesus died. Look upward to the hills whence comes your help. The Holy Ghost has come on purpose that He may overshadow men’s spirits and breed repentance within them, even as once He brooded over chaos and brought forth order. Breathe your prayer to Him, “Blessed Spirit, dwell with me. Make me tender and lowly of heart, that I may hate sin and unfeignedly repent of it.” He will hear your cry and answer you. “From the right hand of God our Lord Jesus rules all things here below, and makes them work together for the salvation of His redeemed. He uses both bitters and sweets, trials and joys, that He may produce in sinners a better mind toward their God. Be thankful for the providence which has made you poor, or sick, or sad; for by all this Jesus works the life of your spirit and turns you to Himself. The Lord’s mercy often rides to the door of our hearts on the black horse of affliction. Jesus uses the whole range of our experience to wean us from earth and woo us to Heaven. Christ is exalted to the throne of Heaven and earth in order that, by all the processes of His providence, He may subdue hard hearts unto the gracious softening of repentance.” Therefore the act of repentance is given by God’s Grace to bring us to the point of turning to Him for Salvation. If you feel you are convicted and need to repent, then do it because God is calling all men to Repentance!

Christ must be greater to achieve Joy!

Consider the words of John the Baptist; John 3:29-30 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less. The Bride of Christ are those who have been Baptized in His blood and raised by His Resurrection! We who are listening to His voice through the Holy Spirit are filled with joy. The question I would like to ask is this; is your joy complete as John mentions here in the text? If we honestly ponder this question, most of us reading this devotion would so no my joy is not complete. Why? Because Christ is not greater! Maybe we should confess; LORD, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You visit him? What has man deserved that You should give him Your grace? What cause have I, Lord, to complain if You desert me, or what objection can I have if You do not do what I ask? This I may think and say in all truth: “Lord, I am nothing, of myself I have nothing that is good; I am lacking in all things, and I am ever tending toward nothing. And unless I have Your help and am inwardly strengthened by You, I become quite lukewarm and lax.” Self denial is not an option if we want to have complete joy. The Bridegroom stands waiting! He wants His Bride to be complete. Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. How has the Bride made herself ready? Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. May I also say that He wants us to be filled with joy! Listen to the prayer of Thomas E. Kempes; “Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities.” We must become less and He must be greater in order to be filled with complete Joy!

Got Truth?

What is Truth? Is it objective or subjective? Absolute or relative? Do you consider yourself to be wise and intelligent? I must say dear reader that the Truth does not depend upon you! Man is incapable of understanding Truth without Guidance from the Author of Truth. Where did Truth come from? Did it just appear randomly? Did it have an Origin? What good is much discussion of involved and obscure matters when our ignorance of them will not be held against us on Judgment Day? Neglect of things which are profitable and necessary and undue concern with those which are irrelevant and harmful, are great folly. We have eyes and do not see. What, therefore, have we to do with questions of philosophy? He to whom the Eternal Word speaks is free from theorizing. For from this Word are all things and of Him all things speak -- the Beginning Who also speaks to us. Without this Word no man understands or judges aright. He to whom it becomes everything, who traces all things to it and who sees all things in it, may ease his heart and remain at peace with God. 1Co 1:18-21 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” If you are interested in finding the Truth, it will be revealed. The only stipulation to finding Truth is honesty, if that is even possible, for man must seek the Truth for Truth sake not for his own sake! Whether you believe in Jesus or not listen to His statement; “John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." How many there are who perish because of vain worldly knowledge and too little care for serving God. They became vain in their own conceits because they chose to be great rather than humble. He is truly great who has great charity. He is truly great who is little in his own eyes and makes nothing of the highest honor. He is truly wise who looks upon all earthly things as folly that he may gain Christ. He who does God's will and renounces his own is truly very learned. My fellow Truth seeker, the Truth is here but it may not be your truth because of self-seeking. Only seek the Truth and you will find!

Honor God by Honoring thy Mother!

Do you have Moral principals that guide your world view? Everyone sees the world through preconceived moral principles. What is right, what is wrong and who or what determines that foundation. Listen to God; “Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Wow what a principle and a promise! I would like share a thought about Mothers day. First off I think Mothers day is under rated. What is my problem with that idea? The World views mothers as a means to an end, money. Can you put a price tag on your mother? Proverb 31:10 “A wife (or mother) of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” I am blessed to have such a mother that all the flowers, gifts and money in the World could not replace a hug, kiss and a I love you. To show honor to my mother daily and not yearly brings more wealth to my soul than all the money in the World! I must say shame on you if you cannot honor your mother who gave you life. Besides the fact God’s promise is void for those who do not honor their mother. It is incomprehensible to me that one day a year is set aside to honor mothers. If I cannot honor my mother everyday than I need to be shamed! One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters. There is none, in all this cold and hollow world, no fount of deep, strong, deathless love, save that within a mother's heart. I think Lincoln said it best “No man is poor who has had a Godly mother. Proverb 31:27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: If I could recount the numerous times my mother spent praying for my safety and health it would add up to years and I thank God for such a mother as this, she is BLESSED! I must say to my mother; "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” Some refuse to praise the Lord for their mother, but for those who have a God fearing mother knows that Mothers Day is everyday!

Consider the Risen Christ!

Up from the grave He Arose, with a mighty Triumph over His foes! What a wonderful thing to know that Jesus did not just pour His life’s Blood upon the Cross of Golgotha’s Hill but overcame the power of sin and Death by His Resurrection from Hades (abode of the dead). It has been over a week since the Church celebrated that marvelous Victory, but what now? Is it Church as usual? Are Christians going to put Jesus back in a box until next year? I pray the answer is Absolutely Not! So many Christians get caught up in the Pagan celebration of Easter with little emphasis on Christ. They mention the Resurrection of Jesus and go about their lives until the next Easter bunny time! I want to challenge you to examine your Easter Celebrations. What does the Easter bunny and egg hunts have to do with the Resurrection of Christ Jesus? Have you ever studied what Easter really means? Did the early Church in the Bible celebrate the Resurrection by having egg hunts to reach children? Best question to ask is; would Jesus go to a Easter egg hunt at His Church? I know this goes against the grain of most people. The only motive of writing this is to ask; is Jesus enough? This World that is in darkness sees what we followers of Jesus are doing. Does the World see the Resurrected Christ exemplified in the Church or only a side issue? Are we as believers putting Jesus first or are we blending the ways of the World with Church? James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. All I can say is Christ is Risen and has overcame the World! So Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Jesus is ENOUGH!

Where are the Holy men of God?

Great Day we need Holy men of God to lead their families today! We live in a sinful and wicked world. Everything in the world; lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life, continually distract us from Holy living in Christ Jesus our Lord. Men, WAKE UP from your slumber and start leading your family in Spiritual matters! Listen to Holy Scripture: Ephesians 5:23-28 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing {26 Or } her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. You know men, the greatest thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. Love her as Christ loves us. Hear is where to start. 1. Commit yourself to living a Holy life in Jesus. Stop saying your to busy and don’t have time for Spiritual things. If you are too busy for Jesus and using providing for your family as an excuse for not getting involved in their Spiritual livelihood, then you are to busy. Consecrate yourself to Jesus and obey His Word. This is the way to Holiness.
2. Take them to a Bible believing fellowship. There are many available if you just pray about it and look for them.
3. Have prayer time with wife and kids. Quit making excuses why you can’t pray with your family.
O Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit to the men reading this, that they may see their God giving responsibility for their family. Help them to Love their wives as your Son Jesus loved the Church. Give them a Spirit filled Holy desire to live a Holy Consecrated life for the sake of their families and for Christ Sake Amen!

Need personal Revival?

Great Day it is a hard thing to keep refreshed Spiritually! Paul the Apostle encourages young Timothy: 2Timothy 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. From this passage it appears that we must also fan the flame of the Holy Spirit. This is done as Paul explains by the Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. Our Spiritual walk with Jesus depends upon our surrender to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said; Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. We must have a hunger and a thirst. Our refreshing also comes from love and self-discipline. Jesus spoke to the Ephesian Church in Revelation 2 that they forgot their first love and they needed to repent and do the things they did at first. This indicates being busy with the ministry without regards to the first thing of importance; our intimate relationship with Jesus! Our intimacy with Jesus is to our spirit as wood is to fire. Without wood there is no fire, without intimacy with Jesus there is no refreshing! How do we fan the flame? One important way to fan the flame is meditating upon the Word of God and obeying what it says. Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. The best way to plow up the ground of our hearts is the Living Word. This takes effort, time and self discipline. Here’s a question; do you need renewal? Do you feel your fire waning? Do you have a hunger and thirst for Jesus? A Hymn to remember; come to the Fountain so rich and sweet, cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet, plunge in today and be made Complete, Glory to His Name. Another is; Revive us again, fill each heart with thy Love, may each soul be rekindled with fire from above....Revive us again! Come Lord Jesus, Come Holy fire!!!

Real Change!

Great Day I have seen with my own eyes such marvellous changes of moral and spiritual character that I despair of none. I could, if it were fitting, point out those who were once unchaste women who are now pure as the driven snow, and blaspheming men who now delight all around them by their intense devotion. Thieves are made honest, drunkards sober, liars truthful, and scoffers zealous. Wherever the grace of God has appeared to a man it has trained him to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world: and, dear reader, it will do the same for you. Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. I cannot make this change,â says one. Who said you could? The Scripture which we have quoted speaks not of what man will do, but of what God will do. It is God's promise, and it is for Him to fulfill His own engagements. Trust in Him to fulfill His Word to you, and it will be done.

But how is it to be done? What business is that of yours? Must the Lord explain His methods before you will believe him? The Lords working in this matter is a great mystery: the Holy Ghost performs it. He who made the promise has the responsibility of keeping the promise, and He is equal to the occasion. God, who promises this marvellous change, will assuredly carry it out in all who receive Jesus, for to all such He gives power to become the Sons of God. Oh that you would believe it! Oh that you would do the gracious Lord the justice to believe that He can and will do this for you, great miracle though it will be! Oh that you would believe that God cannot lie! Oh that you would trust Him for a new heart, and a right spirit, for He can give them to you! May the Lord give you faith in His promise, faith in His Son, faith in the Holy Spirit, and faith in Him, and to Him shall be praise and honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.

Blessings for those who believe!

Blessed are you who believe and have not seen the Son of God! It is a wonderful blessing to hear this beatitude, but it is greater still to Believe in the One who spoke it! So many people in Jesus day wanted a sign or other manifestation of a miracle in order to believe the claims of Jesus. Is it any different in our day? Does any person reading this devotion know of someone who always wants a sign from God? If we examine this blessing from Jesus it is an assumption that it takes little or no faith to believe something you can see with your physical eyes. We know the Scripture that says “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6. A few suggestions to address to unbelievers who want a sign is this; Jesus is not a showman but the Savior. He is not a genie but a Master Teacher! Jesus is not a Miracle worker, He is the Miracle giver! He is not a mere man but the God Man. All of us believers need to show our Faith not in words alone but in actions. James 2:17-18 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. If we are to be True witnesses of the Life changing Power of Faith in Jesus we must not only talk the Christian talk but walk the Christian walk. Do as Jesus did! Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men to Myself. Honor Jesus, love Jesus, speak about Jesus and most importantly obey Jesus. John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." The world is lost and needs to see Jesus in our lives! The greatest of all signs and miracles are the Transformed souls of believers. Be Blessed!