Friday, September 29, 2017

"Align"

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  Matthew 6:33

When I prayed about the word the Lord has for us this morning, I heard the word "align".  The word align means to arrange or place in a straight line; to adjust according to a straight line. 

When my back get out of alignment, I have to go get an adjustment.  As long as it is out of alignment, I am suffering pain in my body.  When my car has gotten out of alignment, I have to go get it lined back up.  If I don't, it does not drive properly and it wears out my tires faster.  Anything that is out of alignment has to be put into alignment.  If it isn't it will give you problems. 

Our lives can get out of alignment as well.  Sometimes when we can't seem to get things straight, when there is confusion, when we feel like we are spinning our wheels, when things just aren't happening for us, it could be that we are out of alignment spiritually speaking.

In order to enjoy peace, abundant living, soundness, joy, and so on, our lives have to be in alignment.  They have to be in alignment with God's will and God's word.  Our thoughts have to line up.  Our words have to line up.  Our lifestyle has to line up.  Our actions have to line up with God's word and will.  When they don't, things just won't go right for us.

Is your life out of alignment?  Does it line up with God's word?  Are you aligning yourself with His will?  Are you aligning with His plan or your own?  Sometimes the problem that we are facing can be corrected by an adjustment--- getting back lined up with God's plan, will, purpose and word.

Have a great day.  Are you out of alignment with God's word and will?

Thursday, September 28, 2017

"Anxious Solution"

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."  Philippians 4:6

The word careful here also means anxious.  How do you handle life's situations?  Is your solution to be anxious and worry?  Do you think that if you worry enough about it it will go away?  Or that it will solve it?  Many people must think that worrying and being anxious is the answer to their problems because they spend a whole lot of time and effort doing it.

Worrying about the problem never solves it.  Being anxious about the situation has never made it better.  On the contrary, it only made it worse.  It robbed you of peace.  It made you feel more hopeless.  It leads to depression.  It consumed your energy.  And so on. 

The only true solution when facing a problem is prayer.  Take it to the Lord.  Let Him handle it.  He knows how to take care of it.  He knows what to do about it.  You don't have to worry that He can't or won't have the solution.  He has your answer.  So don't worry or be anxious about the problem, pray about the problem and give it to God instead.

Have a great day.  The solution for your problem is prayer, not worry. 

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

"Enough Is Enough"

"..... yet will I trust in him..."  Job 13:15

We all face problems, trials and difficulties.  But some times they come in multiples.  It seems like we can't get though one problem before another comes.  And before we can get through that one, here comes another one, then another, then another.  They are compounded upon top of each other-- one after another.  It is enough to make you say-- enough is enough.  When are they going to stop?  When will I get a breather?  When will I get a break?  Am I ever going to see daylight again?  Enough is enough.  They push you to your limit.  They try you to the point where you don't think you can go through one more thing.  They make you want to give up.  They test you beyond your capacity.  Enough is enough.

What do you do when enough is enough?  When you can't take any more? When you have reached your limited?  When you are tried beyond the breaking point?  Many will decide to end their lives.  Some will turn to the pill bottle, alcohol or some other drug of choice.  Some will throw themselves into activity, entertainment, work, etc.  What do you do?  Where do you go?  Where is your answer to make it through the times when enough is enough?

Let's look at the life of a man who went though a time like this and see where he found his answer.  Job had it all.  He had all the things we aspire to have in this life.  Then one day tragedy hit.  He lost his flocks, his servants, his children, his wife's support, his health and the compassion of his friends.  Talk about one trouble after another.  The bad news didn't let up, it just kept coming and coming.  Enough is enough.  But Job found the answer.  "Yet, I will trust Him/the Lord".  

This is our answer today as well.  Jesus is the Answer.  When enough is enough, when problems just keep coming, when they keep mounting up, when you can't catch your breath before another one comes, you will find your answer in Jesus.  Keep holding on to Him.  Keep trusting in Him.  Keep looking to Him.  Keep putting your faith and confidence in Him.  Don't stop trusting Him.  He knows how to bring you through it.  He knows how to make a way.  He will give you grace and strength.  He will turn it around and work it out for your good.  He will give you restoration.  He will give you help, peace and hope.  He will give you all that you need in the midst of your "enough is enough" to make it through it.  Make your heart's motto:  "Yet, I will trust Him."

Have a great day.  When you have gone through all you can take, when enough is enough, Jesus is your answer to make it through it.  Keep trusting in Him.   

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

"Spiritual Entitlement"

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."  Ephesians 2:8

There is a mentality in this country called entitlement.  It is a "devilish" mindset.  It believes that a person is entitled to the same thing as someone else has yet without paying the price to receive it.  It believes it should receive the same wages for flipping hamburgers as someone who went to college for eight years in order to earn a degree.  It believes it should have the same things that it took others years, or a lifetime, to work for.  It believes that what you have should be theirs also.  They are entitled to your things.  Many believe that just because they are alive and breathing that entitles them to anything and everything they desire. 

This entitlement has moved into the "spiritual" area.  People think they are entitled to go to heaven and to have eternal life just because they go to church.  They believe they are entitled to go to heaven because they attend on Easter and Christmas, because they put a few dollars in the offering plate, because they do some religious duty within the church or because they were born in a "Christian" nation. 

None of these things entitle you to heaven.  None of these things-- no matter how religious they may be-- entitle you (give you the right) to eternal life.  Salvation is not an entitlement.  It is a gift.  The gift of God is eternal life.  And it comes through faith and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life. 
Just because you were born doesn't entitle you-- give you the right-- to go to heaven.  As a matter of fact, the opposite is true.  If there is any entitlement spiritually speaking it is the fact that you were born a sinner, and as a sinner you are entitled to hell.  That is the only right you have.  That is the only "reward" that you have coming to you. 

Have a great day.  You have no entitlement to heaven unless you have received the gift of eternal life through faith and surrender to Jesus Christ.   

Monday, September 25, 2017

"His Strength"

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."  Ephesians 6:10

The Lord has made His power and strength available to you.  As a matter of fact, He has placed them in you by His Spirit.  So be strong today, in His strength.  Stop being a weakling.  Stop letting things destroy you.  Stop cowing down to the enemy.  Stop giving in to his threats, accusations, condemnations, intimidations, lies and negative words.  Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

The Lord's strength has been given to you so you can stand tall, firm and unmovable.  So be strong.  Press on.  Carry on.  Go on.  Don't stop.  Victory is yours through the One who strengthens you.  Be strong in Him because through His strength you can do all things.

Have a great day.  You have the Lord's strength residing in you... so be strong and walk like it.     

Friday, September 22, 2017

"Favorite Verse"

"The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation."  Psalm 118:14

This happens to be my favorite verse.  I believe it is my favorite because it defines who the Lord is to me.  He is my strength.  Apart of Him I am weak.  Apart from Him I fall short.  Apart from Him I can do nothing.  Apart from Him I am powerless. 

He is my song.  He is the song that I sing.  He is the song of my heart.  It is a song whose lyrics are full of love, mercy, grace, compassion, goodness, majesty, kindness and patience.  I love to sing about Him-- who He is and what He has done for me.

He has become my salvation.  His salvation has always been extended to me, though I resisted and rebelled against it for such a long time.  He whispered His invitation to my heart on many occasions yet I would not reply.  Though I constantly resisted, He patiently waited and kept inviting.  When He offered it one more time, I accepted it.  He became not only my Savior but my salvation.  I could find salvation no other place.  I couldn't find it in my religious works, in my good deeds, in another person, in joining a church.  No place that I searched for it could I find it accept in Him.  Once I came to Him and accepted His gracious invitation I found that He forgave me so completely-- throwing my sins into the depth of the sea.  I found He saved me from all my sins.  I found that He left nothing undone and no trace of my sins.  He took my sins and in exchange gave me His grace, forgiveness and righteousness. 

Now you know why this is my favorite verse.  It is so personal.  What is your favorite verse?  Why?  What does it mean to you?

Have a great day.  We all have favorite verses, but those verses should have a personal meaning to us. 

Thursday, September 21, 2017

"Wanting Truth"

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears".  2 Timothy 4:3

If ever we were living in the time spoken of in this verse, I believe it is now.  People don't want you to tell them the truth.  They want their own truth.  They want to believe what they want to believe.  If you try to tell them differently, they either ignore you, get mad at you, accuse you of being offensive and label you as a fanatic or heretic.  Just try to tell them the truth-- it is almost impossible.  They already have their minds made up.

Your truth, if it is in opposition to God's truth, is not truth at all.  There are not "many" truths.  There is one truth.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  He is also the Word.  That means that His Word is THE Truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Anything else outside of His truth is false.  

You may think I am being dogmatic, a fanatic, bold, or even mistaken.  No, this is the truth.  And this is the root of the problem as to why people aren't enduring-- or want-- truth (sound doctrine).  It is because no one is calling what is truth truth and what is false false.  We have let people believe what they want to believe for so long that now they don't want to believe the real truth.  We have failed to stand up for the absolutes and unchanging doctrines of the Word.  We have compromised it and watered it down.  We have added to it and taken away from it in order to fit in with society, culture and the ebb and flow of humanity. 

Believe the false if you want to, but it will not get you into heaven.  It will not give you abundant life or eternal life.  Only belief in God's Word of Truth will do that.

Have a great day.  People don't want the truth because they have had a compromised version of it for so long, that they like it more. 
 

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

"Think Correctly"

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil".  Matthew 5:17

Our thinking is what gets us into trouble most of the time.  We can either think correctly about something or incorrectly.  Correct thinking will produce correct living.  On the other hand incorrect thinking will produce incorrect living and behavior.  This is seen true in the area of grace.  Many people think that grace is a license.  Since we are not under the law but under grace they think they have the liberty to do whatever they want to do and it is all right.  This is incorrect thinking. 

Grace doesn't excuse us from living a holy, pure, consecrated, righteous, disciplined and obedient life.  Grace does not give you permission to sin.  Grace does not withhold the consequences of your sin.  Grace isn't a ticket to live anyway that pleases you.  Grace is a gift that empowers you to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

If you think you can live like you want to with no regard to God's commands; if you think you can live after the flesh and not the Spirit; if you think you can ignore God's will and pursue your own; if you think you can live an adulterous, unholy, greedy, unforgiving, ill tempered, with uncontrolled anger, with hate in your heart for your neighbor, in drunkenness, sexually immoral and in rebellion against God's Word all because you are under grace, then think again.  Your thinking is incorrect.

Have a great day.  How you think about grace determines how you will live.  Therefore, you better think correctly.   
 

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

"September 23"

"Watch and pray...."  Matthew 26:41 a

I am sure many of you have heard about September 23; many of you may not have.  If you haven't, it seems as though there are those who believe that there will be a fulfillment of Revelation 12 because of events that are taking place that day in the Solar System, namely the Constellations. 

I have watched videos and television programs about it as well as discussed it with other people.  There are many varying views-- and much speculation.  Some believe the rapture may take place.  Some believe this may be the start of a great war.  Some believe the Tribulation will begin.  Some believe nothing will happen.  Some believe it is a hoax.  Some believe it is the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and a true sign from heaven.  So, which is it?   

To be honest, these types of things intrigue and interest me.  You can't help but wonder when you put all things together.  When you start doing the math on the timeline, when you put the Blood moons in the equation, the fact that it is on the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year, a Jubilee year, etc.  Is this for real? 

I would like to add my "two cents" to it.  There is much speculation about it, and that is all I can say myself.  I don't know what it means, if anything.  We will have to wait until the day gets here to find out.  The day may come and go as usual or there may be some major event unleashed.  But what I really want to say is this-- we need to live everyday sold out and surrendered to the Lord.  Then it won't matter what does or doesn't happen.  We need to live our lives as my husband always likes to say-- with our lamps full and our wicks trimmed. 

Whether anything happens or not is in God's hands.  We just need to make sure we are in His hands too.  Don't be consumed with signs.  God does give signs, and signs in the heavens, so we can't just completely ignore things.  But the thing we need to most concern ourselves with is being right with God.  So if something does happen, it won't destroy us, make us fearful or lead us astray.  The thing that is most important is to be right with God.  He is coming again.  I believe by the signs of the time that it won't be long.  Are you ready?  Have you made peace with Him through the shed blood of His precious and only begotten Son Jesus?  Do you know beyond a doubt that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life?  Do you know that when you stand before Him one day that He will say to you, "Well, done good and faithful servant, enter in"?  These are the things we need to concern ourselves with.

What do I believe about September 23?  The same thing I believe about every other day of the year--  "Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes." (Matthew 24:44)  He can come for me at anytime, through life or through death.  So I must be ready.  Are you? 

Have a great day.  Stay focused on what is sure to happen, not on what might or might not. 

Monday, September 18, 2017

"Holding On To Jesus"

"For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee".  Isaiah 41:13

I woke up with another old hymn repeating over and over in my thoughts: 
I'll keep holding on to Jesus,
I'll keep holding on to Jesus
I'll keep holding to those precious
nail scarred hands.
 
Though I cannot see way clearly,
And my step become so weary
I'll keep holding to those precious
nail scarred hands.
 
I want to encourage you this morning to keep holding on to Jesus.  Keep holding tightly to HIs hand.  When my daughter was growing up and we went into a store or other place, I would tell her to hold my hand.  I do the same with my granddaughters now.  Why?  There was safety while she was holding my hand.  Also, I knew where I was going, she did not.  As long as she held on to my hand she would not get lost. 
 
I remember on one occasion we were at the county fair and she let go of my hand.  It only took a moment for her to wonder off and get lost.  I remember when my brother was about four or five years old our family went to the beach.  We went early one morning.  My brother was holding my mother's hand, then he broke loose of her hand and headed straight to the water.  The moment he hit the water he disappeared out of sight.  The tide had come in and it was deeper and the under current was strong.  Thankfully, we got to him before it became tragic. 
 
As long as we keep holding on to the hand of Jesus, we will be all right.  It is when we "break loose" and try to go in our own direction, follow our own will, desires and plan that we get in trouble and the situation of our lives become serious. 
 
Keep holding on to His hand.  He knows where He is going-- you don't.  He knows where He is leading-- He can be trusted.  He knows the safe path-- you can't see it.  It might look dark.  It might look like He is leading the wrong way.  You may be getting weary of going in His direction and holding on to His hand.  But keep on no matter what because there is safety in holding on to Him.
 
Have a great day.  Keep holding on to Jesus no matter what-- it is safer than letting go.

Friday, September 15, 2017

"From Mistake To Miracle"

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose".  Romans 8:28


When we "mess up", make a mistake or sin, there are consequences to our actions.  Some consequences follow us the rest of our lives.  Some are temporary.  Some affect only ourselves and some affect everyone around us.  They have the capacity to haunt us, condemn us, make us fearful, depress us, steal our joy, rob us of our peace and take our hope away.  We don't need to let them do this to us.  There is still hope even in our mistakes.  Hope that the Lord can take our mess and mistakes and turn them into miracles.


This was the case with Lot.  Lot and his daughters wound up in living in a cave after they fled from Sodom and Gomorrah.  While there Lot's daughters got him drunk and then "slept" with their father.  Talk about a major "mistake"!  The two daughters wound up pregnant.  I am sure the hopelessness and guilt remained with him-- especially each time he looked at his pregnant daughters or into the face of his grandchildren that he fathered. 


The act was a fact.  The consequences were evident.  But when the Lord stepped into the equation, the hopelessness, the guilt, the shame, the condemnation, fear, etc. had to go.  That was not the end of it.  That was not the end of Lot's life.  That was not his "life sentence".  If you will remember, from one of the daughter's came the tribe of Moab.  Ruth was a Moabite.  Ruth married Boaz.  Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David.  She was also in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.


Note to self:  I may mess up, really bad, but God can take what I did and bring something good out of it.  He can turn my mess into a miracle.  He can give me hope even when I threw hope away.  It doesn't always have to punish me.  He can restore me, heal me, deliver me and work all things together for the good.


Have a great day.  My mistake doesn't have to end my life.  God can make something good out of it and give me hope and a future.    

Thursday, September 14, 2017

"Where You Are - Part 2"

"For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly".  John 4:18

Yesterday we talked about how God knows where you are.  He knew where Adam was but asked him anyway because He wanted him to "own up" to what he had done.  He also wanted to give Adam his solution to his sin.

This morning I want to talk more about where you are internally.  God not only knows where you are physically but He knows where you are "inside".  Nothing is hid from Him.  He is the All-Seeing, All-Knowing God.  There is no place where you can go, no state of mind, no emotional place, no secret place and no dark place that He does not see you.  (Psalm 139)

When Jesus encountered the woman at the well, He knew just where she was.  He knew she was discontent.  He knew she was searching.  He knew she was rejected.  He knew she had issues with relationships.  He knew she was looking for love but could not find it.  He knew "all" about her.  

He knows all about you.  He knows where you are.  He knows you are hurting.  He knows you are grieving.  He knows you are feeling rejected.  He knows you are feeling empty.  He knows you are not satisfied.  He knows you are in pain, fearful, angry, feeling abandoned, betrayed, condemned and lonely.  He knows you are desirous of more.  He knows you want to feel fulfilled, want to spread your wings, and want to move on.  He knows where you are. 

Take comfort in that fact.  But don't only take comfort, do what we talked about yesterday-- own up to what you are feeling and where you are.  Let Him give you your solution.  This woman talked with Jesus and received what He was offering-- her answer.  She left His presence forever changed.  Talk to the Lord about where you are.  Let Him forever change you.

Have a great day.  He knows where you are internally. 

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

"Where You Are"

"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden".  Genesis 3:8

When God asked Adam where he was, it wasn't because He didn't know.  Neither was He asking Adam where he was physically.  God knew exactly where Adam was hiding and why he was hiding.  He wanted Adam to "come clean".  He wanted Adam to "own up" to it.  He wanted Adam to confess what he had done. 

Instead of running to God when he sinned, he ran and hid from Him.  Isn't that just like us.  We try to hide from God.  We run from Him when we should be running to Him.  We let fear-- fear of what He will do or say keep us away from Him. 

We don't need to hide from the Lord when we make a mistake, sin, disobey or fail.  We need to run to Him.  Often we hide or draw away from Him because we don't want to face the "punishment" for what we did, just like when we were children.  I was afraid to face my parents when I did wrong.  I was afraid of what they might do.  I later learned that in some cases the punishment wasn't as bad as I had imagined it would be.  Also, I realized that the punishment, or chastisement, was a sign of their love for me. 

We don't need to run and hide from the Lord either for the same reasons:  the punishment may not be what we were expecting, we will discover that He loves us because of His chastisement, and we will discover that He has an answer and provision for what we have done.      

When Adam acknowledged what he had done, God had his solution and answer waiting for him.  Adam was hiding in shame because he was naked-- exposed before God.  God had the solution-- He made clothes out of animal hides to cover him. 

The point, in a nutshell, is-- don't run and hide from God when you "mess up".  He already knows what you did, and where you are.  Come clean with Him-- confess it.  He has your solution.  And you will see His love manifested to you.

Have a great day.  The Lord knows where you are and what you did-- so don't run and hide.   


Tuesday, September 12, 2017

"Get Your House In Order - Part 2"

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"  1 Corinthians 6:19

We spend time and effort getting the things of this life in order-- our education, our careers, our relationships, our future, our comforts and even our physical homes.  But how much attention are we giving to our "spiritual houses"? 

The most important thing in getting our "spiritual house" in order is what we talked about yesterday-- not neglecting the state of our eternal soul.  But, what else in your life needs to be "put in order"?  It is time we stop neglecting our spiritual houses and make sure all is well with them. 

This means laying aside every weight of sin that would easily beset us.  This means getting things right with others.  This means forgiving those who have trespassed against us.  This means putting the Lord in His rightful place in our life-- first place.  This means we stop living compromised, unholy, fleshly, self-centered lives.  It also means that we are crucifying the flesh from its earthly and material desires and inordinate affections. Getting our house in order primarily means that we are rearranging our priorities-- God first, others second, self last.  It means that our love, devotion, faithfulness and obedience is to the Lord first above everything else.  Is it? 

If He isn't first, if doing His will isn't what is most important to you, if your total allegiance to Him isn't above your allegiance to anyone or anything else, if you aren't following Him with your whole heart, if pleasing Him isn't your priority, if your desire isn't captivated by Him, then your house is not in order.  It is time to get it in order.  It isn't a time to be neglecting your spiritual house.  It is time to do some "house cleaning" and some "rearranging".  

Have a great day.  It is time to get your spiritual house in order.   

Monday, September 11, 2017

"Get Your House In Order"

"In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live".  Isaiah 38:1

Death is a certainty in life.  It is appointed for man once to die.  No one escapes it.  From the moment we are born we start heading to the grave.  Death isn't something we like to think about-- especially our own.  But it will happen to each of us one day and when it does we have to make sure we are ready to face it.  I attended three funerals in the past three days and each of the ladies who had passed away had made sure that they were prepared when death came to them.  The question this morning is-- are you prepared?  Is your "house" in order?

This is not a morbid subject today.  It is a realistic subject.  We must make sure that our house in the order when that time comes.  We can't wait until it is here.  We don't get a second chance.  We can't come back and do it all over again and make preparation then.  We have our chance while we are alive to make arrangements for when we die. 

We spend so much time and effort on so many things that have no value or have temporary value.  But we are neglecting the most important thing-- preparing for life after death.  Regardless of what some believe, when we die we either go to heaven or we go to hell.  That is it.  Those are the only choices.  What we do here and now determines which place we will spend eternity.  If we will spend eternity in heaven, then we must receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord now while we still have the chance.  If we don't, the wages of sin is death. We will spend eternity in hell-- a place of torment beyond description.  

The Lord God loves us so much that He does not want us to die and go to hell.  He provided a way so we could go to heaven.  That way is through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is how you get your house in order.  Is your house in order today?  Have you taken care of your eternity?  If not, don't wait another day because there is one thing for sure-- death will come and it doesn't always tell us when.

Have a great day.  Is your house in order?  

Friday, September 8, 2017

"Thanks Among The Heathen"

"Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name".  Psalm 18:49

The enemy wants to stop our praise, our thanksgiving and our testimony.  We doesn't want us to talk about the Lord, much less praise and worship Him.  He knows that praise is powerful.  It brings the very presence of God into our situation.  It builds us up and gives us strength to walk in victory.  It increases our faith. 

In order to get us to stop he will try to use intimidation and fear.  The word this morning is:  don't be intimidated!  Give Him thanks anyway.  The verse above says to give the Lord thanks among the heathen.  That means we should not withhold our praise and thanksgiving to God because of anyone.  I know the scriptures tell us not to "cast our pearls before swine".  But there is a difference in that and being intimidated to keep our mouths closed and not say anything about the Lord.   

We should continue to give Him thanks even in the presence of the heathen, the ungodly, the rebellious, the unbeliever, the atheist, the agnostic, the prodigal, the blasphemer, etc.  Don't be intimidated by them.  The Lord is worthy to be praised.  He is great and greatly to be praised.  Don't let them steal your praise.  Keep on praising the Lord.  Keep talking about His goodness and His wonderful works that He has done in your life.  Keep on praising Him not only in the congregation of the righteous, not only when you are with your Christian friends, but even when you are among the heathen.  They need the power to touch their lives that comes through praise and thanksgiving. 

Have a great day.  Don't be intimidated to withhold your praise to the Lord, no matter who is around.   

Thursday, September 7, 2017

"I Think, God Says"

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."  Revelation 20:12

The world has a way of thinking.  The church has a way of thinking.  The religious crowd has a way of thinking.  Individuals have their own way of thinking. 

You may think that living together outside of marriage is all right.  You may think homosexuality is all right.  You may think that lying and cheating and taking advantage of others is all right.  You may think there is nothing wrong with drinking, smoking, cursing, doing drugs, watching pornography, etc.  But in the end, it doesn't matter what you think, it doesn't matter what I think, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.  The only thing that will matter is what God says about it. 

In the end we will be judged.  We won't be judged by what we thought about a certain subject, we will be judged according to how God thought about it.  There will be books that will be opened as we stand before Him and we will be judged out of those books.  Those books contain His Word and the way we lived our lives according to His Word.  Then there will be another book that is open that will determine whether we have eternal life or eternal damnation.  If the record shows that we didn't live according to His Words in the books, then it is sure that our name won't be in the Book of Life. 

It is not God's will or plan that any should perish.  This is why He gave us "books"- His Word.  They show us His love for us, His plan for us, how to receive His love, how to walk in what is written in the books, how to surrender to Him and live for Him.  Are you living your life by the way you "think" or by what God says?  In the end that will be the only thing that matters-- what God says.

Have a great day.  It isn't about what you think or what I think, it is about what God says.   

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

"Adultery"

"Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother".  Mark 10:19

I saw a commercial last night and it was advertising birth control.  The women were panicky that they may have forgotten their pill.  It was obvious that those women weren't married but were concerned about getting pregnant while having intimacy with a partner.  I want to address this this morning because it doesn't seem like many, if any, are addressing this issue.

If you look around there seems to be a view that is of "epidemic" proportion concerning pre-marital sex.  People are engaging in it as if it were normal and there was nothing wrong with it-- even in the church.  The majority of people have thrown marriage out the window and just either live together or go from one relationship with one partner to another.  They think nothing of it.

I want to remind you that sex outside of marriage is sin.  I didn't say that but the Lord said that.  This is not His plan for mankind.  The Lord wants us to have a fulfilled life.  This does not fulfill it.  It only complicates it.  The woman at the well that Jesus encountered had had six husbands and was living with a man she was not married to.  Jesus spoke truth to her and offered her abundant and eternal life.  From the very beginning, back in the Garden of Eden, God revealed His plan for men and women to marry.  His plan has not changed.  His view has not changed.  His command has not changed.  His thoughts on the subject have not changed.  Pre-marital sex is still against His will, it is still sin and it will reap consequences.  Society changes, men change, opinions change, cultures change, a person's view may change, but He never changes. 

Doing things His way is always the best way.  Why?  Because He loves us and has our best interest at heart.  When He gives us commands, He is trying to "deprive" us of something.  He is trying to protect us from something and give us something better

Have a great day.  God's ways are always the best ways.  Living in adultery is not God's way. 

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

"The Last Minute"

"And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son".  Genesis 22:8, 13

The Lord God sees everything ahead of time and makes the provision when He sees it.  He is not a last minute God.  Although, the manifestation of His provisions often show up at the "last minute". 

Before Abraham had obeyed and surrendered to the Lord's command to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, God had already seen his obedience and provided a ram in the thicket.  He didn't wait to decide or figure out what to do at the last minute.  He had it already waiting, already planned out and already provided.  The manifestation of His provision didn't show up until Abraham had climbed the mountain, made the altar, tied his son to it and drew back the knife.  Talk about "last minute" manifestation-- but it was not a last minute provision.

God has your provision already.  Whatever it is you need, whatever it is you have been praying and seeking Him about, whatever act of obedience you are doing, wherever you are following Him, it is already provided.  It will manifest at the appropriate time.  It will come at what you think is the "last minute".  So, don't give up.  Hold on.  Exercise your faith.  By faith Abraham offered his son Isaac and God manifested what was already provided.  Believe this:  what you need is already provide and it will manifest at just the right time-- even if you think the time is last minute. 

Have a great day.  God doesn't wait until the last minute to provide for your need, but He may wait until the last minute to manifest it. 

Friday, September 1, 2017

"Misplaced Affections"

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth".  Colossians 3:2

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".  Matthew 6:19-21

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal".  2 Corinthians 4:18

"Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven".  Proverbs 23:5

I don't consider myself "old" but I have lived long enough to see many things happen that remind me of just how temporary the things of this life are.  Floods that destroy the things we have worked so hard to attain.  Tornadoes that have taken away everything we possess.  Fire that consumes a lifetime of treasures and reduces them to mere ashes.  The bombing of buildings that wipe out years of records, transactions and wealth.

In just a matter of days, hours or even minutes the things that we deem important, the things that we have worked hard to attain, the things that we have poured "blood, sweat and tears" into, the things that have consumed our time, talents and efforts, the things that we hold dear as treasures can be gone-- all that is left is a memory.

This morning the Lord has laid on my heart that we need to become refocused.  We have set our affections on things below and lost sight of what is truly valuable.  Riches come and go-- they are temporary.  Houses, lands, and material possessions come and go-- they are temporary.  Riches can take wings and fly away.  Moths damage things.  Rust destroys.  Thieves steal our possessions.    

There is nothing wrong with having things.  The Lord Himself promised to meet all our need.  He promised that we would not lack.  Whatever we need, He will provide.  But the issue lies in what we have set our affections upon.  If our hope, our joy, our peace is attached to material things, then when material things-- which are temporary-- are gone, so is our hope, joy and peace.  

We not only have to refocus, but we have to reattach ourselves to what is eternal.  We have to reattach ourselves to things that are above-- which have eternal value.  Moth, rust, thieves, flooding, bombing, tornadoes, fire, economic collapse, draught, etc., can't take away or destroy what is eternal.  When our affections are set on things above not on things below, when we are more attached to the eternal than the temporary, when our focus is above, they can't take away our peace, our hope or our joy.  Why?  Because it is anchored in something greater.  It is anchored in something that will never pass away.  It is anchored in something more powerful.  It is anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal One, the Prince of Peace, our Blessed Hope, our Strength and Joy

Have a great day.  We need to refocus and reattach ourselves to that which is eternal, not temporary.