New year resolutions

As the year closes out many are preparing for a better new year, looking forward too a better tomorrow making resolutions and hoping to see a brighter future than the days they just came through.

Some of us will make resolutions to loose weight, be financially free, get in better shape, finish our education, the list is endless on the things people resolve too do year after year. While it is grand to have goals and to work at them our goals should not be just about us.

I would challenge each of us too make a resolution that we are unable too do on our own, that without God’s help we will definitely fail.

The 1st part of that resolution would be this.

Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, your soul and your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.

This  will take God’s help for us too seek Him and lay aside our agenda daily.

To love God this way means we need to seek Him in prayer, in His word, in fellowship, in how we work, rest, and play, in our relationship with others, how we serve Him, how we live our lives moment by moment, responding to whatever comes our way in faith, living in His truths and walking in His ways, doing all things to bring glory to His name.

And then to love our neighbors as ourselves, this means that if someone has a need and your able to help them you should, starting with caring for their soul. 

If you’re up for the challenge to lay aside selfish ambitions and pray to God to renew your soul and let Him do great works in you and through you this year will be the grandest year of your life.

Be the light that shines through the darkness this new year, be the beacon of hope people need to see. In an age where everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes, let them see God’s grace, hope,peace and love in us.

““You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16 CSB

“He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Matthew 22:37-40 CSB

“He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

2 Timothy 1:9 CSB

Whose life is it anyway?

If Jesus is not the desire of your heart you're serving the wrong god.

I was in sales for 25 years, 15 without God during that time I was asked what would I consider to be enough money to make in a month, easy I said 50 thousand without blinking an eye.

You see I once walked with the world, I had great hunger for wealth , the same thirst for power and same desires as the world has. I had everything the world could offer, I was empty inside , lonely fearful of losing it all , I had no peace, was filled with anger.

This is what I know now, nothing the world has can satisfy the soul of mankind for everything the world offers is dying, falling apart , covered in moths and rusting.

Only what God offers through a relationship with Jesus Christ can satisfy mankind's soul eternally.

God changed everything through Christ in my life, the same He will do for you. Come broken to be mended, come sick to be healed , come as you are and be made new in Jesus.

If you do not know Him, you're an empty vessel looking to be filled, don't fall for satanic imitations offered in the guise of religion, there is only one way to God through Jesus.

If you say you know Jesus and are not seeking Him you're serving the wrong god, if Jesus Christ is not the desire of your heart then stop now and repent

But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.  Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you   and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent.

Revelation 2:4‭-‬5 HCSB

So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ’ or ‘What will we drink? ’ or ‘What will we wear? ’ For the idolaters   eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God    and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Matthew 6:31‭-‬33 HCSB

The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord ; for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord ? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord , and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.  Selah

Psalms 24:1‭-‬6 HCSB

For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live!

Amos 5:4 HCSB

“But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided for you.   Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.   Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:31‭-‬34 HCSB

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.  What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?   For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:24‭-‬27 HCSB

Are you covered?

When God told Moses that death was coming to Egypt, and would pass over the homes who had the lambs blood on their posts,  He was giving a prelude to His Son Jesus Christ.

Notice He didn't say the angel will look for homes of great workers, or wealthy businessmen, preachers, or anybody in particular and pass over He said those covered with the blood ,the blood of the lamb.

One day soon God will end what we know as this life for all of us, Jesus will return and those who are covered by the blood of the Lamb will be granted eternal life with Him,  those who are not covered by the blood of the Lamb will suffer an eternity far worse than death.

Just like with Egypt and Pharaoh's courts everyone will be warned and given the opportunity to be covered by the blood will you listen and live, or will you reject and die?

They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them. “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. I am Yahweh; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt.  The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:7‭, ‬12‭-‬13 HCSB

For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was chosen  before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Peter 1:18‭-‬21 HCSB

God's grace is greater

I have received God's grace more than any man I know. God in His loving kindness has poured upon my life His grace so thick that it consumes me and compels me to share Him every time He gives me the opportunity.

I grew up doing church , but I truly did not receive salvation until I was 33. I was angry with God because of who I thought He should be, and He was not.

I used the 10 commandments as stepping stones in my anger and broke them all to defy God and make Him hate me.

But God in His grace said I love you, I love you so much that I died for you to become the sacrifice for your sins.

God poured His love and grace on me and broke me.

I don't know your story but God does, this I know His grace and love is greater than your sins.

It is no coincidence that the last words God has John record in the Bible are these.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Revelation 22:21

If you have not received God's grace yet, today is the day you need to ask Him to show you His love, mercy and grace.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O Lord , to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me. There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord , that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Psalms 86:3-13

Would you call God a liar?

I don't know any Christian who would look at God and call Him a liar.

But day after day the way we live says just that, we call God a liar because we doubt Him, we do not trust Him to see us through whatever we face.

Of course this is not always seen on the outside of us, but in our hearts. God searches our hearts and when we fear, doubt God can answer our prayer, worry about our needs, are anxious about things that might happen, we are saying to God I just don't believe you're able to handle this.

But God who created all things says there is nothing impossible for Him

Don't call God a liar by the way you live, seek Him today ask for forgiveness and trust Him. He will never fail you.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25-34

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1:5-8 ESV

What would you do ?

If you knew tomorrow you were going to die what would you do the day before?

Jesus did this , He prayed for His disciples,He prayed for you and me, He taught those around Him still about love, peace, joy and His Father. He took the disciples into the upper room He washed their feet and ate with them, all the disciples were there including Judas the man who would betray Him.

He then went to the garden knowing He would be arrested there and on His way He sang with the disciples except for Judas who was preparing for His betrayal.

He did all this with joy because He knew that all He had prepared for since creation with the Father was coming to fulfillment.

So what would you do if tomorrow you knew you were going to die. Would you face the day with joy? Would you stay with your friends? Would you teach them still? Or would you focus on yourself?

Read the gospel of John chapters 15  - 19 and see what all Jesus did for you and I. Read also the account in Genesis of the fall and remember why Jesus did this.

The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:14-15 

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.  "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:11-13

In America

In America we have been given more blessings than any Nation ever to be on this earth. Because we found favor in the eyes of God and our Nation at one time put Him first.

The Bible tells us that to whom much is given much will be required. You and I have been given everything and we need to guard what we have been given by being faithful to God, not man.

We are His servants, today in Ohio we get the opportunity to do what is right, not what we think is right but what God says is right. God has already chosen this Nations next President, today God ask you and I will we follow Him or our own desires?

The Lord said: “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. I tell you the truth: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces   and assign him a place with the unbelievers.   And that slave who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it   will be severely beaten.   But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.
Luke 12:42-48

Making up your heart.

To many of us have not made up our hearts yet. We say we follow Christ, that is until things go wrong then we stop. In reality we were only following our hearts desire which is self serving pleasure.

When Daniel was taken as a slave the Bible tells us he purposed in his heart not to defile himself, he was going to honor God no matter what.

How many of us can say this?

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8

Here is some modern day Daniels a quick read and very challenging.

Excerpted with permission Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward by Nabeel Qureshi, copyright Nabeel Qureshi. Published by Zondervan

Since Christians will live forever, they are told not to fear in the face of death. Paul says,

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? — 1 Corinthians 15:55

Since we know we will be with God forever, there is no more fear of death for the Christian of true faith. In fact, death is even beneficial to a Christian, because it sends him to God, with whom he is longing to be. Paul writes,

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. — Philippians 1:21

The security of salvation is what liberates Christians to follow difficult teachings of Jesus and to self-sacrificially love one’s enemies, even being ready to die for them.

That is why some Christians have been willing to go to tumultuous Muslim contexts and serve those who could do nothing for them, even in the face of death. Ronnie Smith was a Texan science teacher who decided to move his family to Benghazi when the Libyan revolution was underway. For a few years, he taught chemistry to high school students in the war-torn country, bringing them hope when they had little. He wanted to serve people just as Jesus had, and just as people killed Jesus, so a group of radical Muslims killed Ronnie Smith.

A short time before his death, Ronnie Smith answered a survey indicating that the gospel is what encouraged him to serve people despite the risk of death. He knew his life was in danger before moving to Libya, but Jesus enabled him to answer jihad with compassion. Through the message of the gospel, Jesus made Ronnie Smith invincible. He was able to love without fear.

In February 2015, ISIS beheaded twenty-one Christians on a beach in Libya. In a video the men are seen moments before their execution, calling out to Jesus and mouthing prayers. Most of them were migrant laborers working in Libya to provide for their families in Egypt. Although ISIS slaughtered the men to shock the world with terror, the response of their families sent an altogether different message. In an interview with VICE News, the mother of twenty-four-year-old Abanoub Ayiad said, “May God forgive ISIS,... [but because of them] I gave the best gift to God: my son.” The mother of twenty-five-year-old Malak Ibrahim said, “I’m proud of my son. He did not change his faith till the last moment of death. I thank God... He is taking care of him.” The mother of twenty-nine- year-old Samuel Abraham said, “We thank ISIS. Now more people believe in Christianity because of them. ISIS showed what Christianity is.” The wife of twenty-six-year-old Milad Makin said, “ISIS thought they would break our hearts. They did not. Milad is a hero now and an inspiration for the whole world.”

As with Ronnie Smith, these twenty-one men had been transformed by the gospel, as had their families. They were able to live and die with confidence, and their families were able to rejoice in their deaths because they are now truly alive. Bishop Felobous, himself related to five of the slain men, even expressed sadness upon hearing that the Egyptian military was retaliating against ISIS. “I was very sad when I heard the news of the air strikes led by the Egyptian military against ISIS. God asked us to even love our enemies.” Even after they had slaughtered five of his relatives, Bishop Felobous was able to answer jihad with compassion.

According to numerous reports, one of the men on the beach in Libya was not an Egyptian Christian, but a citizen of Chad. It was not until he saw the faith of the men around him that he was moved to trust in Christ. When the time came to make his decision, asked whether he would denounce Christianity and live or proclaim the gospel and die, he said, “Their God is my God.”

He chose to live for one minute as a Christian rather than for the rest of his life after having denied Jesus.

In Christianity, Jesus shows Christians how to answer persecution with love. Although this suggestion might seem impossible to some and ridiculous to others, Jesus’ teachings were always radical, and they are only possible to follow if the gospel message is true. If we will live eternally with God in bliss, then we can lay down this life to love even our enemies. In the face of jihad, the Christian Jesus teaches His followers to respond with love.

Standing out in the crowd.

Living by faith, most say they do. But few actually follow through. When they are tested by fire they so easily bow as the crowds do and give in.

There have been men and women through the ages that have stood against the crowd walked through the fire and trusted God. Not all of them came through untouched by the flames. But they all came through with God at their side and went on to bigger and better things

I don't know if you're in the fire now, just came through the fire or are standing at the door of the furnace, but this I know you must decide if you are going to bow down to the god of this world, or trust the God of heaven and earth to see you through.

God is not looking for the crowd He is looking for those who will stand out from the crowd.

Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”  Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

Daniel 3:15-27

Men with grit

Oh to have men in the pulpits,  the family rooms, the boardrooms, the halls of government, the classrooms, and in our communities who would stand in the truth of God's word.

Who would lead with Grace and love and be driven by a desire to honor God the Father in all they do. Men who would not compromise their values or morals for dollars, or votes for popularity.

I pray Lord God that I would be such a man and you send men to stand with me against a morally bankrupt society. But if you don't send them Lord, I will still stand for you are my God.

C. H. Spurgeon said this in a sermon.

" I pray God to send a few men with what the Americans call “grit” in them; men who when they know a thing to be right, will not turn away, or turn aside, or stop, men who will persevere all the more because there are difficulties to meet or foes to encounter; who stand all the more true to their Master because they are opposed; who, the more they are thrust into the fire, the hotter they become, who, just like the bow, the further the string is drawn, the more powerfully will it send forth its arrows, and so, the more they are trodden upon, the more mighty will they become in the cause of truth against error."

We need to stand as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did against the crowds and corruption.

Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” 

Daniel 3:15-18

Fair weather fan or disciple?

Those who are fair weather fans of Jesus teach tolerance and acceptance of all. Those who are disciples of Christ teach repentance, grace and forgiveness is available to all.

Tolerance is not a biblical value, or even a trait of God.

Grace is.

What is the difference between Tolerance and Grace?

Tolerance means that although I don’t see things the way you do, I still allow you to continue on doing what you are doing without objecting to it in order to be fair.

Grace is showing love, mercy, and kindness,to others regardless of their circumstances as a reflection of what God does for us.

Jesus said to many your sins are forgiven , go and sin no more. He did not give them a pass, but showed them a better way. How about us, do we tolerate sin in our lives? In our children, friends?

How about showing Grace instead, show them and ourselves a better way by truly becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Read the gospel of John and see what all Jesus has done and said for His grace is greater than our sins.

“Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.  In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say? ” They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? ” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,”  said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”John 8:4-11

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word,    you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus responded, “I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.  A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever.  Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. John 8:31-32, 34-36

Surrender or Search on , you choose.

Jesus says, if you’re looking for friendship, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for acceptance, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for meaning in life, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for healing, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for significance, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for security, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for satisfaction, I know where that is. 

If these are all things your searching for , maybe you stop searching and start surrendering.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me   anything in My name, I will do it.   “If you love Me, you will keep   My commands.   And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be   in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. “In a little while the world will see Me no longer, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live too. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, you are in Me, and I am in you. The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

John 14:6, 12-21

The state of the world.

The state of our world is not good, morality is being redefined daily into whatever people feel like. World leaders believe themselves to be above their people, above the laws, above God.

War, death, hate, famine, disasters, terror rule the headlines daily. Men and women gather around the alters 24/7 daily to hear the priest of perversion spread the message of propaganda from the world, leaders say they know how to fix this , as they lie to our faces and empty the coffers of treasure.

Man is clueless, believing in himself as the answer.

There is no hope in this world outside of Jesus Christ, this world for each of us will be soon be gone, what matters today is who we live for.

Ourselves or Jesus, whose kingdom will you build today the one that will soon be burnt away or the one that will last forever?

Put off the past, do not focus on man seek God above, love those around you. See people and things in light of eternity not the here and now, for soon here and now will be yesterday and gone.

Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.  Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.
Philippians 3:13-21

How will they know?

There are so many who have no hope, who are discouraged and weak. The ways of the world are not the ways of God. Each day we wake with the choice to serve God out of love and obedience and face the world, or serve our own self interest.

When we serve with compassion we will speak with love, kindness and gentleness a lesson I need to relearn each day at times, I can be quick to lash out in my flesh. But the more time I spend with God ,I see I need to confront our world with His passion and love.

God reminds me that the world does not have His Spirit in them, they see things differently because they walk in the darkness, not the light. He says to let the Holy Spirit speak out of gentleness, kindness, peace, and love knowing that He is long-suffering not willing that any should perish. And that if they reject His message it is Him they reject and that truly breaks my heart.

I can do nothing to change that, I can speak , pray and be obedient, today as I read ,God gently reminded me this is how we are to live, I pray His words encourage you today to share the gospel message out of love with someone,for the same gospel that changed me, can change you or someone today, but unless they hear it how will they know?

1st Thessalonians 5:12 Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition  to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace  among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers:  warn those who are irresponsible,  comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient  with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil  to anyone,  but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
16 Rejoice  always!
17 Pray constantly.
18 Give thanks in everything,
for this is God’s will  for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Don’t stifle the Spirit.
20 Don’t despise prophecies,
21 but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
22 Stay away  from every kind of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace  Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit,  soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord  Jesus Christ.  24 He who calls  you  is faithful, who also will do it.

Standing on the outside

The world religions whether they are self religious or organized religion look in at the Church of Jesus and condemn us for being hypocrites ,because we are sinners some are there who have received grace, others in search of grace and still others who are there as plants to lead the lost away from grace.

People on the outside looking in and condemning, are self righteous and believe in themselves that they can make their way to God on their terms.

Jesus makes it clear He is not here for them,  only those who will acknowledge their need for His grace and salvation.

The picture here in Luke is a perfect picture of the Church who is in and who is out, it also is a picture of the world, the self religious and self righteous.

This coming New Year won't you gather with the sinners in a House of Worship that teaches the word of God and hear for yourself the message of God's grace and see the power it has to change the hardest of hearts.

I once to stood on the outside.

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me! ”  So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow Him. Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests with them.  But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? ” Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:27-32

Repent and live!

We are quick to call to a day of prayer and fasting in our churches and even in our nation still.

What we are not quick to do, is call for a day of repentance. Prayer, worship and fasting without a repentant heart is worthless it is vanity and pride and will not be heard by God for He is Holy and will not regard iniquity in our hearts.

Repentance is the first step in salvation when we acknowledge our sin and repent, it is also required of us to come before God repentance is required when we sin against God.

Daniel chapter 9 tells us Daniel repented for himself and his people, because they sinned greatly against God, Psalm 51 David repented of his sins and turned back to God.

The Church today needs to repent, we as the body of Christ have gotten so far off message we no longer speak of repentance, consequences or judgment.

Make no mistake restoration and healing will not come without repentance.

This Christmas as we celebrate Christ let us remember what He said. As we share Jesus with those around us.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news! ”

Mark 1:15

Israel, (we) return to Yahweh your God, for you have stumbled in your sin. Take words of repentance with you and return to the Lord . Say to Him: “Forgive all our sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips. Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods! ’ to the work of our hands. For the fatherless receives compassion in You.” I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger will have turned from him. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. His new branches will spread, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance, like the forest of Lebanon. The people will return and live beneath his shade. They will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from Me. Let whoever is wise understand these things, and whoever is insightful recognize them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Hosea 14:1-9

The heart of man

God's word says the “heart” is who we really are at our core. According to God's word living the Christian life, is about loving God with all of our hearts. God is not content to live on the fringes of our lives.

He will settle for nothing short of the center!

This is in stark contrast to the most popular views of the Christian life. But this is what God says, not man.

For most non believers and believers alike, a believers life is a matter of keeping the rules.

While God knows and cares about our behavior, the Bible tells us about redemption , this picture of a believer’s life is based on the work of Jesus Christ not mankind.

The Bible tells us that believers our life is based on a new relationship with God that brings hope and peace and consumes the very core of our daily lives!

A Christian is someone whose life is installed by the Holy Spirit and love of God. And with all we are hearts we need to seek Him first and foremost , we can not harbor in our hearts any other idols , we can not know Him and serve ourselves, we can not know Him and stay the same, the good news is He changes us we must believe, repent and submit in and to Him.

God's word is clear, His name will not be mocked.

“This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Correct your ways and your deeds, and I will allow you to live in this place. Do not trust deceitful words, chanting: This is the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord . Instead, if you really change your ways and your actions, if you act justly toward one another,   if you no longer oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow and no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods, bringing harm on yourselves, I will allow you to live in this place, the land I gave to your ancestors long ago and forever. But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help. “Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known?  Then do you come and stand before Me in this house called by My name and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts’? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it.” This is the Lord ’s declaration.

Jeremiah 7:3-11

Slavery today!

Do you know that there are 27 million people who are slaves in our modern times there are more people enslaved now than have ever been before in the history of mankind. Most of these children, women and men are involved in sex trafficking, and one third of them are used in pornography video's and pictures.

Every time that men and women click on pornography or purchase pornography you are directly involved in this trade of human life.

God calls you an abomination these people are kidnapped enslaved and sold for pennies. And they are not just in third world countries they are on our streets in small town USA and they need your prayers, your support and for you men and women to stop being a part of the problem.

The next time you think about pornographic pictures or videos think what if this was my child or my neighbors or my spouse who was stolen and sold or forced to do this?

Get off the pornography, repent before a Holy God and sin no more.

We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching
1 Timothy 1:9-10 HCSB

When we can't recognize the problem, we should start by looking in the mirror.

I hear all the time , why does this happen to me? Why is this going on all around us ? Where is God when these things happen?

While these questions on the surface seem like they are legitimate, if we would stop and evaluate ourselves by looking intently in the mirror , we would see the problem: us.

We pray without seeking God, as if He sits ringing His hands waiting on us to talk with Him, 90 % of the time people pray in the course of tragedy, instead we should be in a constant state of prayer.

We preach without power because we do not ask the Holy Spirit to speak we only lean on our own wisdom.

We lie to each other and God, we steal, are angry and selfish, we lust and we put everyone and everything before God and then wonder why God doesn't hear is.

The problem is not God, it is us.

When is the last time you repented ? Most believe they do not need to.

When is the last time you spent time in God's word?

God requires repentance and obedience, it is not an option.

If you think it is and have not come to repentance and obedience then go look in the mirror, for the person you see is the problem that needs to be fixed, and only God can do this.

My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,  for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you.  But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works — this person will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 1:19-27

Prayer: What we must do!

When we come to God in prayer there are conditions that God has put on our prayers, yet we seem to come to God in our prayer lives on our terms, and then wonder why God does not answer us. To receive an answer to prayer as the Bible uses the term, 2 elements must take place.

" (1) We must pray in the will of God and (2) we must be on what old-fashioned Christians often call "praying ground"; that is, we must be living lives pleasing to God. It is futile to beg God to act contrary to His revealed purposes." ( A.W.Tozer)

 We seem to forget what the Bible says when we pray, we must align our will with the will of God, not the other way around which is what we usually do, and second we can in no way live our lives on our terms and then seek favor with God, living in a sinful lifestyle and defying God and His ways is an act of rebellion which the Bible calls witchcraft.

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

God has not placed Himself under obligation to honor the requests of worldly, carnal or disobedient Christians. He hears and answers the prayers only of those who walk in His way. "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight . . . . If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (I John 3:21, 22; John 15:7).

God wants us to pray and He wants to answer our prayers, but we as His children must come before Him with clean hands and hearts and a willingness to submit to His authority.

There are consequences for disobedient and rebellion.