Only By The Grace of God

A lot of us are struggling with legalism in our lives and the lives of those around us, even though we know that it is the grace of God that saves us. We try hard to live by the rules, and we assume God will love us more, reward us more and overlook our mistakes. We make hundreds of rules up to live by, in reality Jesus said, Matthew 22:37  "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great commandment. 39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

We make it so hard on ourselves and those around us, no wonder people are turned off by us, I've been a dedicated rule-keeper and I struggle with this, knowing God will never love me anymore than He does right now or when He sent Jesus to the cross for me. My parents taught me some basic rules, and most of them were excellent, but they're not really biblical, and have nothing to do with me standing before God.

Rules like we all need a solid eight hours of sleep each night (I have broken this rule every day of my life.) You brush your teeth in the morning, and before going to bed, wash your hands before every meal. Period. Close your eyes when you pray, I peeked during prayer time as a kid many times, and the Pastors and older people in the congregation didn’t always close their eyes, so I decided that either he was a phony, or that this  "eyes-closed" rule might not be iron-clad.

 We define Christianity by a list of arbitrary rules, therefore reducing our relationship with God through Jesus Christ to an exercise of futility of rules. God cannot and will not be put into a box. He's so much bigger than that. And His grace is greater than anything our finite minds can muster up .

Make no mistake. We will stand right before God, not on the basis of our ability to keep an exhaustive list of rules, the Pharisees and Sadducees did this but only the by the  shed blood of Jesus Christ. In Christ alone we are found Justified, and Righteous.

 When our faith is in Him, His grace "covers" us.

Romans 5: 1Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ 2We have also obtained access through Him

by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3And not only that but we also rejoice in our afflictions,  because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Freedom

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
Gal 5:1


Freedom, man longs for it everywhere, people die for what they believe freedom is. But outside of Christ there can be no freedom for freedom is a gift from God.


The chains of religion invoke mankind to slavery so they may earn something they can not, salvation , if your religion demands or suggest that you must work for or work to keep what God alone gives freely, you have become a slave and are deceived. 


1 But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment, 5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world, 6 and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly, 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless men, 8 (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) 9 - if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment, 10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority.Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones, 11 yet even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these men, like irrational animals - creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed - do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed, 13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, they are stains and blemishes, indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you. 14 Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children! 15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 yet was rebuked for his own transgression (a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet's madness). 17 These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved. 18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error. 19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved.
2 Pet 2:1-19


4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you are saved! - 6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
Eph 2:4-9


Are you tired of being enslaved to sin? Being held captive by death? Then call upon the name of Jesus Christ and be saved, for salvation and freedom come by no other name they are found in Christ alone.

A Patriots Prayer

People still believe that we will make this world a safe place to live in, and that there will be peace on this earth, the educated and the ignorant believe this, and they believe we will do it by human means. Some Christians think that preaching the Gospel will do that, but that is not why we were given the Gospel! Before you hit delete please read on,We should be encouraged by the freedom we have in Jesus Christ, it should challenge us to daily be responsible for the way we live our lives and carry on,” to whom much is given comes great responsibility” someone once said.

God has not forgotten man, it is man that has forgotten God. And God gave us the Gospel to win souls for Heaven, not to save the world from the wreckage, it will come to and end. He gave us the gospel to save mankind from the wreckage of the world.

As Christians, brothers and sisters we should know our nation is in serious trouble.

There is little doubt we’re in a moral free fall. History as we know it is coming to an end. We are seeing precepts of the Battle of Armageddon.. It could be today, tomorrow, or forty years from now, but the road is being paved, and soon we will hit Rock bottom and there will be no repair. America will become another ancient empire in history’s landfill if something radical and dramatic is not done.

Should this make you fear the future? It shouldn't, as Christians first our citizenship is in Heaven, and we know God is the Author of hope, and we can stand on His sovereignty, He has always been, and will always be. God alone is Unshakable. America's first line of defense is not the military or government, it is God Himself.

Christians everywhere should be asking, what can we do to bring our nation back to God? Well it is not to late to begin with, if we can breathe, read the word of God, pray and ask God for help, there is Hope.

GIVE ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! 2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, And come and save us! 3 Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! 4 O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure. 6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves. 7 Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! 8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. 9 You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land. 10 The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs. 11 She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River. 12 Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? 13 The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it. 14 Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine 15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself. 16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. 17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. 18 Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. 19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! Psalms 80:1-19

This is a prayer from the heart of a patriot, who sees his nation being destroyed systematically and ask God to revive this one flourishing land, just as we are today. This is a great psalm to pray for America, God has blessed this nation because of the principles we were founded on and based our judicial and government on, His laws and word.

If we have any hope it lies solely in the hands of God's mercy. We have to look to God our Creator and cry out.. Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! vs. :19

Revive us again oh Lord! we need to come humbly to God with fasting, praying and weeping, a revival of the heart for this our nation. That is one thing that comes from calamity, either it will revive a nation or destroy it, there can be no middle ground. The middle ground gives way, and that is where we are today.

Revival must come from within every individual heart. God will not bring revival through Washington. This is something we need to realize and change our ways of thinking on, God called His people, not a government.

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Prayers from unrepentant people is an insult to God. Religion without righteousness is repugnant and that is what we have today in America. It does not matter if we hold a public spectacle for a National day of prayer, where even Washington’s elite politicians will gather to pray. While cesspools of iniquity are full and running over into our homes and churches and schools, six days a week people are out eating, drinking and being merry and come Sunday they come in wondering why America is the way it is, dying on the vine, it is because we have dead prayers going no higher than the ceiling. So much of our prayers are “God bless us. Just bless us, anyhow.” But God will never do this as long as we continue on this path, you and I and every one who calls themselves a Christian must make every day a National day of prayer and we must start with confession and turn from our wicked ways.We have the God given right and responsibility to Speak up and Speak out .

Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name vs. 17 & 18

That name is the name above all names the Son of God Jesus Christ and we must stand strong, and we must speak up. And if they tell you, you can’t you simply reply (these are my favorite verses to quote to the liberal minds and mouths)

So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." Acts 4:18-20

If your told separation of church and state, which is the most UN American thing a liberal mouth could say, answer them as someone once said “ The church is not the master of the state, nor is the church the servant of the state. The church is the conscience of the state.”

We have to speak up and say what God's Word says. Satan's strategy is to keep Christians silent, and he is succeeding.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. 4 The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. Psalms 18:2-7

The victory is ours, either way God will go before us, and the wrath of God will strike down the nations that gather against Him and His children, whom shall we fear, NO Man, or power other than Him. We stand on The Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ!” We don't need great multitudes. Jesus said "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20

Jesus Christ and me or you, that is the majority no one else is really needed, It's time that we who call ourselves God's people were filled with this unshakeable attitude and we stand up and say “Oh God, give us deliverance!” Look We have the King of Kings, on our side, The Holy Spirit is our ally , God’s Word, our weapon The Victory is already ours through the Man who sits on the God's right hand, Jesus Christ.

In Christ

brian

The life we live

One of the greatest hindrances to the peace of God for Christians is learning to walk according to the word of God, we are to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. Most never understand what this means, we have a habit of dividing our lives into two areas, the spirit and the flesh and try to live in both.

These two areas were created to exist apart from each other they are morally and spiritually incompatible.

Romans8:1-11 NKJV - [1] There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, [4] that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. [8] So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [9] But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. [10] And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

We are told to walk by the spirit, not the flesh we are easily persuaded by life to go back and forth from one to the other and we live a divided instead of a victorious life. We try live in two worlds, the spiritual and the natural. We are not immune to the things of the world, such as the ills of life , we do live among men but we are not to let them influence our lives.

1st John 2:15 HCSB Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.16 For everything that belongs to the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,and the pride in one’s lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world.17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

In direct contrast is the way we are to live by the Spirit. Here we have peace with God, and the peace of God, we learn the ways of God and how to live among men and be the salt and light we are called to be by enjoying an intimate fellowship with Christ. When we are walking by the Spirit , our lives are an aroma and are pleasing to God. We pray, read our Bibles, are faithful in our church attendance, we bring our praise and worship with us wherever we go, I love walking in the Spirit, but it is something I do not do 100% of the time.

While living here there are things we do like eat, sleep, work, pay bills, and just try to make that seem mundane and uninteresting, how do I make my life a living sacrifice to God, while I am doing these meaningless task?

God's word says a lot about how we are to live,

Romans 12:1 HCSB Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1st Corinthians 15:33 HCSB Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”34 Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame...50 Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. 51 Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep,but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye,at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,and the dead will be raised incorruptible,and we will be changed.53 For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 56 Now the sting of death is sin,and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The dilemma we have is false the devil has easily swayed us into believing that we have to live and compromise our faith in this world, we don't when you look at the life of Jesus Christ, we see that all He did to live He did as a man, not as God and all though He was fully God, He was also fully man, He overcame temptations, and life as a man to give us the example of a Spirit filled life.

Philippians 2:5 HCSB Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God,did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form,8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death —even to death on a cross.

Jesus Christ is our perfect example, He did not live a divided life. From His birth to His death on the cross, the life of Jesus was a total offering to God the Father, the first words recorded that Jesus spoke are these found in

Luke 2 :41 HCSB Every year His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When He was 12 years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. 43 After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know it.44 Assuming He was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. 46 After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. 48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.” 49“Why were you searching for Me? ”He asked them. “Didn’t you know that I had to be in My Father’s house? ” 50 But they did not understand what He said to them.

Jesus was in His Fathers house teaching, He was always going about doing the Father's business, and He made it a point to live that way, we can do this to.

JOHN 3:5 HCSB Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 

When we became born again, our flesh was crucified and we are born again into the Spirit of God, now we must learn to walk by the Spirit, it really is not as hard as it sounds, it takes a simple act of surrender daily.

Galatians 5 16-25 NKJV - [16] I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. [17] For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [24] And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

1st Corinthians 6:9 HCSB Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, 10 no thieves,greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. 11And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Life is about choices, we can chose to walk in the Spirit by living according to the word of God, or we chose to walk in the way of the world our flesh by going about doing things our way, but make no mistake we can not live both ways. We can do this by living with an aggressive faith. Not a passive faith.

Colossians 3:1 HCSB So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.2 Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. 4When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature:sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, 7and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 14 Above all, put on love — the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Through the power of Jesus Christ we have already overcome the world, and it is He who lives in us, so why don't we learn to offer all our acts to God and believe He accepts them whether we eat or drink, work or play live or die do it all for the Lord.

Galatians 2: HCSB 16 know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. 17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuildthe system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.19 For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ 20and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

We must hold firmly to this position and live making every act of every hour of the day and night be an offer of praise, thanksgiving, and total sacrament to God in our times of private prayer in our continual prayer a thousand times a day as we live we must seek God out in everything, when we do this we will discover that He is always with us, and in our simplest deeds we can acknowledge Him.

Romans 14:5 HCSB One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God.7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

We can live every moment for Christ if we take the attitude of Christ, by making our lives a living sacrifice to God, we must learn to worship Him in Spirit and Truth and put away the flesh everyday by taking our thoughts captive and applying the word of God to our lives. God's word gives no room for compromise we must be immovable when it comes to living as we are called, we can do this, if we ask for the Lord's help and learn to do all things for His glory.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

In Christ

brian

Heaven Bound

I listened to a sermon this week and this is what was said “ What do you think of first thing in the morning? Do you think of yourself and your day, or on God. If you answer yourself your dwelling on earthly things if you dwell on God then it is Heavenly things. We need to dwell on God.

So this what we know Heaven is the spiritual realm in which the glory of God's presence is manifest, and in which dwell the angels of God, and all believers who have departed this world . “ But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews. 12:22-24.

The few glimpses of Heaven given in Scripture reveal a pervading sense of the holiness of God Isaiah 6;1-7 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged."And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'
If you read Revelation, 4 & 5, you will see glimpses of heaven that are not pleasant to the unbeliever, and they haD an overwhelming impact on those who saw them. Paul in 2 Corinthians . 12:2-4 said this “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. “ What he saw was not only impermissible but impossible to describe in human terms!

Heaven is certainly among those things he described elsewhere as "things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man" 1 Corinthians. 2:9! No wonder Paul says in another place that we shall be "astonished" when we see the Lord at His coming in glory.

Heaven is the immediate home for those saved in Christ . To the thief on the cross, Jesus said, "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" Luke 23:43. Paul said that "to be absent from the body (is to be) at home with the Lord" 2 Corinthians . 5:8,’’.

We know "we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is" 1 John 3:2-3 One day we will see Him "just as He is." And when we do, we will be purified from all sin and bound eternally to Him! Part of this transformation will be perfecting our relationships with one another. On earth, even among the most mature of us, our relationships are hindered by barriers created by fear, pride, jealousy, and shame. But the Bible says that "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). When we fully apprehend the perfect love which God has for us, and are cleansed from the sin that presently indwells us, our relationships with one another will finally be what God intended them to be.

Paul says that "though now we see through a glass darkly," then we shall "see face to face" and "shall know fully, as we are known" 1 Corinthians . 13:12. We shall know all things about God, without fail. We will praise Jesus Christ like never before, I believe right now we do not know truly know what true praise and worship is, we can’t because we truly do not understand the Love of God, remember the saying “ Christians don’t usually speak lies, they sing them” well one day we will join the heavenly chorus in singing hymns of praise to Almighty God in Heaven we will gain much clearer insight into the wisdom of God and His love in creation, and in redemption.

When our bodies are transformed, they will possess in actuality all that we can now only dream of being capable of. Not only will our bodies be freed from illness and aging, but we will not be held by gravity, or bound to a dying body we will be new!" Wow!

 Revelation 21:1-5 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
Peter asked Jesus what we would have since we forsake all for Him, Jesus said this Matthew 19: 27-30 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. "But many who are first will be last, and the last first. The new heaven and earth are a transformation of the creation as "the regeneration" That same term is used to describe our new birth of a believer.

All things we have given up, every thought will be nothing and forgotten in heaven, because God’s glory will out shine it all.  Isaiah 65:17 says this 'For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind! Being in the presence of Jesus Christ will be eternally gratifying for eternity, we will not have want, or need, or pain or sorrow, we will serve our Lord and be able to praise Him as never before.
 The rest of this I will finish and send out, Heaven is a place we should all be dwelling on, let’s set our minds on heavenly things, and all that we will gain, and cast off the cares of this world to our Lord, and know He will provide all we need.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17
In Christ
brian

God is not gray

The world we live in seems to be filled with gray matter. Truth is out of reach of most people, because they refuse to acknowledge it. People say that it’s to hard to be good, and I am not as bad as most people. As a matter of fact, most people say that they are better than anyone around them, making themselves the lights in a dark world based upon their own morality.

Justification of ones own acts ,or life is something that continues to go on based on their ideas of good and bad, because we all have our opinion of what good and bad truly are, after all we are all human right? But God has a different opinion, He says that He is the light. And as His children we are commanded to walk in the light. God is not gray, God is not black, God is light.

1John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

These words are not an easy task for us to undertake, and on our own we will not, but if we trust in Jesus Christ we will. We know when we do wrong, the Holy Spirit is always communicating to us and teaching us, we just don’t choose to listen to Him. But that is why John included verse 9, God is faithful He will forgive us, but we must be repentant, not just oh I’m sorry, we must hate our sin.

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 "At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. 25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

So many people want a god of their own making, because the gray area is really a greater place to live in. When Jesus said to keep His commandments, to Obey Him, people shy away, because it is easier to live our lives without thinking about consequences. But again God says that there is know gray area for His children.

Matthew 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. 31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 33- "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34"Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.35"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

I hope you really read the word of God, and to what Jesus is saying, we are held accountable on the day of judgment, think about that before you say something out of hate, or anger without repenting, think about what Jesus says, about if your not with Him, then your against Him, again no gray area, God is a God of light. We try to serve two masters, one is the system of the world and all it offers, and the other id God, we can not serve both.

Luke 16:11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12- "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." 14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Jesus says again here do not justify yourself, before men. God knows our hearts, and our hearts or flesh wars against the Spirit. Again there is no gray in the kingdom of God, we must learn to walk in His light and keeps His commandments. Obedience is our act of love back to Christ, not that works saves us, but faith without works is dead according to God’s word.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5- For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6- Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. 8- For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

Here we are told not to partake of darkness, for we once where I it, we know what it is, but now we are light in the Lord , and need to walk as children of light. If we are honest, just review the events of the day, how much light did we shine today, did we serve a gray god today, or the God of light?

Exodus 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5- you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

God told us in the 10 Commandments not to make a god for ourselves, that means any gray god whom we would choose, today we can submit to the god of choice, for marriage or abortion, tomorrow we will submit to the god of thievery, the next day the god of adultery, the next the god of hate, the next the god of whatever needs we have. It is a slippery slope we slide on once we bow our knees to these gray gods. We can’t make gods to suit ourselves, we will have to face Jesus Christ one day, and he knows what it is like to live on this earth.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4- In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5- And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

We as children of God, must comprehend the light, the light of this world is Jesus Christ, He is the way, the truth and the life, and we must live our lives as He has told us, we can not go around bearing false witness, serving grays gods. We must serve Him, and Him alone.

1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

As children of God we have lived to long in the gray, we need to come to the light, live in the light, and fellowship in the Light. And we can no longer have fellowship with the darkness. Again there is no gray area in God’s kingdom, our God is light.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
In Christ
brian

God's word not ,mans.

America’s heart has strayed far from God. We have bowed down to the gods of death through the abortion industry, the gods of sex trough the homosexual agenda, the gods of money through our nation’s compulsive habit to borrow money, and the many idols of gods through the entertainment industry, I could name more but any one of these is sickening on it’s own, and every child of God should be appalled at what is happening, we have walked away from the very principals of God’s word.

I know that we are not Israel, and that we in no way replace them, but God’s word is applied to all His children, in my opinion because Paul says there is no difference between Jew and Greek, and we are all Spiritual descendents of Abraham.

God said this to the Jewish people after Joshua died, Judges 2:10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. 11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. 13- They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14- And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. 16 Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so.

Israel was defeated and handed over to the enemy because of their rebellion, but God delivered them and set judges over them, and after the Judge died they returned to their evil ways, and God judges them again, until eventually, God turns them over to themselves, and they destroy one another and are scattered all over the world.

In our nation, Christians have strayed far from what God says. We have lost touch with God because we have watered down the word of God. The church has anointed liberal preachers, that one day will stand before God, but even more than that those who listen and accept these liberal teachers will be held accountable before God, because they have the Word of God available to them.

1Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3- forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7- But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.


People in the Church are being defeated and handed over to the enemy through the pulpits of our Churches. Some are possessed by Satan, and they purposely twist the Word of God and lie to the people who sit and believe them just as Satan lied to Eve and she foolishly listened. The difference is that those of us who see this, must stop Eve or the body of the Church from eating this fruit. Verse 6 specifically states this .On the flip side some of theses Pastors teach without knowing that they are serving Satan. Either way we must stand up for the truth.

People are easily swayed when they are not in the word of God as they should be, and others are swayed when they think they are above these things. Jesus Christ is the only perfect one, let us never forget that.

2Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3- By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. 4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5- and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6- and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 - and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)--9- then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."

God’s word not mine is what is important, warning after warning is spoken throughout the word of God. Judgment comes to the children of God, when they rebel against Him, God is longsuffering when it comes to His children, He raises up judges to set over His children, and rule. And His children still rebel, after each judge leaves we have seen this in our Nation, not only with Political leaders, but also with Judges in our courts, and Preachers on a national stage.

It is time that We The Body of Christ, come together, warn our brothers and sisters, and teach strictly the word of God. We are the watchmen God has appointed for this time, we are to blow the trumpet of warning and teach the truth. If people deny God after that it is upon them, and them alone.

Ezekiel 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 When he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 'then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 'He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.' 7 "So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 "Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
In Christ
brian