It's Already Been Taken Care Of!!
I was RED now I'm WHITE
I don’t know about you but this is still hard for me to believe sometimes. I know it is true and yet there is always that BUT….”But God I have sinned too many times in the face of your Glory”, “BUT Lord I haven’t learned after all these years to be a loving and gentle man even when I know you and fellowship with you” “BUT, I have failed with so much that you have entrusted to me.” BUT, BUT, BUT
I have to receive this by faith and be reminded of it constantly. Maybe you need this word today too. Maybe you have your “BUT Lords” I don’t know. I just encourage you with these following words because they are true. Praise the Lord they are True! In the same Spirit that Paul spoke in I know many of us can and will say of ourselves, “I AM THE CHIEF OF SINNERS!” "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am Chief .“—I Tim. 1:15.
Have a refreshing day knowing that Jesus has taken care of all your many sins past, present and future. What HOPE and PEACE we have when we put our faith in Jesus and his Word!!!!
Love you and God Bless.
THERE HE BROKE THE FLASHING ARROWS, THE SHIELD, THE SWORD, AND THE WEAPONS OF WAR.
Psalm 76:3 Our Redeemer's glorious cry of "It is finished" was the death-knell of all the adversaries of His people, the breaking of "the weapons of war." Behold the hero of Golgotha using His cross as an anvil, and His wounds as a hammer, dashing to pieces bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned "flashing arrows," trampling on every indictment and destroying every accusation. What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more powerful than the fabled weapon of Thor! How the diabolical darts break in pieces, and the infernal swords are broken like old clay pots! Consider how He draws from its sheath of hellish workmanship the dreadful sword of satanic power! He snaps it across His knee as a man breaks dry sticks and throws it into the fire. Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow bringing death, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, and a full atonement was made for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety. Who now accuses? Who now condemns? Christ has died, yes, has risen again. Jesus has removed the weapons of hell, has quenched every fiery dart, and has broken the head off every arrow of wrath; the ground is covered with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell's warfare, which are only visible to us to remind us of our former danger and of our great deliverance. Sin no longer has dominion over us. Jesus has made an end of it and put it away forever. Our enemy's destructions have come to a perpetual end. Declare all the wonderful works of the Lord, all you who make mention of His name; do not be silent, neither by day, nor when the sun goes down. Bless the Lord, O my soul. -- Devotional from Truth for Life Ministries
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
It is a big responsibility to encourage one another in these changing times and not to be silent. It’s on my heart to encourage you in 3 important areas:
ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE DEPENDANT UPON GOD’S WORD
WE EACH HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PRAY & FAST ACCORDING TO HIS WORD.
1. The first encouragement is continue in your faith with Jesus Christ and, above all else, work hard to stay close to him in your hearts. Everything that matters, namely our souls and salvation depend upon Jesus alone and He will provide and protect you in changing times. In Jesus we have peace in all circumstances and we do not fear. The immoral climate of our country, the worldly ideas that constantly barrage through the airwaves, the tolerance of sin, the intolerance of biblical truth, and so much more all contribute in making our hearts and minds susceptible to a weakening of our faith in Jesus Christ IF we do not remain in the WORD of GOD. So stay close to Jesus by staying in the Word of God and begin practicing your prayer life. Talk to the Lord again and repent of your sin and humble yourself before Him. This will be a sure recipe for getting healthy again.
2. The second encouragement is to stand strong with Israel in faith according to scripture no matter the pressures or persecutions that will come along with that. For the Christian standing with Israel is like standing for your brother and not only that there is a blessing for those who will support and love the Jewish people.
3. The third encouragement is to continue or to begin praying with fasting for America in earnestness. This is the one thing we must do in order to make a real and lasting change for this country. Our commitment to prayer to God will eventually change us and this country will change when we change.
REGARDING AMERICA
HOW TO PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AMERICA? By Adrian Rogers
Please take the time to listen to this message. I pray you will not pass this by. It is very important.
4 That is where the tribes go up,
5 There the thrones for judgment stand,
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
7 May there be peace within your walls
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
"This article assumes the reader has some familiarity with Romans 9-11, the most concise teaching on Israel's relationship to the Church. Among other pivotal truths, Romans 9-11 clarifies that God's Covenant calling on Israel is irrevocable; the Church has not replaced the Jewish Nation in His heart or prophetic plans."
WHY STAND WITH ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Why_Stand_With_Israel_S.pdf?docID=1227
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL & EXCELLENT ARTICLES THAT WILL NOT BE A WASTE OF YOUR TIME!!!!!!!
TO WHOM WAS ISRAEL PROMISED: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/To_Whom_Was_Israel_Promised.pdf?docID=1225
HOW TO PRAY FOR ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/How_to_Pray_for_Israel.pdf?docID=1223
WHY NOT DIVIDE ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Why_Not_Divide_Israel.pdf?docID=1226
JERUSALEM IN PROPHECY: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Jerusalem_in_Prophecy.pdf?docID=1224
___________________________________________________________________
The move was an attempt to score points with many in the Jewish and evangelical communities who, given Obama's past political relationships with terrorist sympathizers, racists, and other undesirables, have been wary of how, as president, he would treat the Jewish State.
The rousing applause from the audience, including some of the most powerful politicians in America, was immediate.
Almost as immediate, though, was Hamas' condemnation. Leaders of the terrorist group had previously endorsed Obama as their choice for America's Commander in Chief.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said he "totally rejected" Obama's Jerusalem pronouncement.
"The whole world knows that holy Jerusalem was occupied in 1967 and we will not accept a Palestinian state without having Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state," he added.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
To read Obama's speech in its entirety, please click HERE.
What a difference a day makes.
On Thursday, when queried by CNN, Obama said he was misunderstood.
"Well," Obama explained, "obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations."
Despite telling the AIPCAC conference what it wanted to hear and believe, an undivided Jerusalem was, in fact, never his campaign's position.
Obama's adviser for the Middle East, former Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, in May told the Israeli mass circulation daily, Haaretz, that his campaign considers it "impossible to make progress on serious peace talks without putting the future of Jerusalem on the table."
In the Democratic primaries, 53 percent of Jewish voters chose Hillary Clinton compared to 45% who chose Obama.
(Washington, D.C., June 6, 2008) -- Using some of his most apocalyptic rhetoric yet, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is vowing that the United States and Israel will soon be "annihilated," even as he refuses to abandon Iran's nuclear program. Marking the 19th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, Ahmadinejad said: "Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started." He also insisted that "I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene." Are Israeli leaders thus planning to launch a massive air attack on Iran before the end of the year, or even before new national elections in Israel which may take place as early as November? Or are they trying to persuade the U.S. to do it before President Bush leaves office? Perhaps both. Which underscores the point I've been making for some time -- while we intensify our efforts to pray for peace in the epicenter, we also need to be intensifying our efforts to prepare for war. "An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites looks 'unavoidable' given the apparent failure of Western sanctions to deny Tehran technology with bomb-making potential," Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said Friday, according to Reuters report. "If Iran continues with its program for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective," said Mofaz. "It was the most explicit threat yet against Iran from a member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government, which, like the Bush administration, has preferred to hint at force as a last resort should United Nations Security Council sanctions fail to achieve the desired abandonment of nuclear development by Tehran. Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, has defied Western pressure to abandon its uranium enrichment projects. The leadership in Tehran has also threatened to retaliate against Israel -- believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal -- and U.S. targets in the Gulf for any attack on Iranian turf. Mofaz also said in the interview that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, 'would disappear before Israel does.'" "[T]he White House sidestepped questions about the Israeli threat to attack Iranian nuclear sites, saying it would not respond to hypothetical question," reported Ynet News in Israel. "'The world community, I believe, is united in the desire to make sure that Iran doesn't develop a nuclear weapon and have a severe threat that we don't want to see come to fruition,' White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters. But asked specifically whether the United States would support an Israeli strike on Iran, he said, 'I'm not going to talk about hypotheticals. I think we've been pretty clear in recent weeks and months about our approach on Iran.'"...Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is warning that Israel may soon be forced to launch a major military operation in Gaza to stop thousands of rockets, mortars and missiles which continue raining down on the southern cities and towns of the Jewish State....Reports the Jerusalem Post: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert returned to Israel from the US on Friday morning and, echoing the previous day's remarks by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, hinted that Gaza's day of reckoning was fast approaching. 'We are constantly evaluating between the possibility [of a deal] to reach complete quiet and the lack of a possibility of reaching such an agreement,' he said. 'The absence of the latter option will draw us closer to an operation that will be much harsher and tougher against the [terror] groups. "According to the information we have now, the pendulum is closer to a decision to embark on a harsh operation in the Gaza Strip than it is to an agreement with the terror organizations,' continued Olmert. Olmert's comments came a day after Amnon Rozenberg, 51, a father of three, was killed by a Gaza shell that hit the Nirlat paint factory at Kibbutz Nir Oz. The Security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a response to the incessant attacks from Gaza. Olmert told an Israel Radio reporter that Israel was exploring all the options available in order to achieve complete quiet for southerners without the need to enter into a violent and severe confrontation with terror groups in the Strip, adding, however, that there was a distinct possibility Israel would need to embark on an offensive and extensive operation against Palestinian terror groups." Weighing heavily on Olmert as he makes decisions about Iran and Gaza is his own precarious political position, and the fact that both he and President Bush will be out of office soon. Olmert was in Washington earlier this week, meeting with President Bush and other senior administration officials, as well as addressing the annual conference of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. But Olmert's trip may be his last to D.C. as premier. The buzz out of Israel is that early elections are increasingly expected, perhaps this November or December. While this is not yet official -- and Israeli politics are notoriously turbulent and unpredictable -- leaders and field workers of the major parties are working under the assumption that the Olmert government, tainted by the failed Second Lebanon War and new allegations of corruption, is on its last legs and that they need to be ready for snap elections in the fall. For now, all eyes are focused on June 18th, the dates the Knesset could vote to dissolve itself, automatically triggering new elections. New polling indicates the Likud Party, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is not only far ahead but surging. Were elections held this month, Likud would be expected to pick up as many as 35 parliament seats, up from an estimated 30 seats last November. The Labour Party, by contrast -- led by current Defense Minister Ehud Barak -- has lost significant ground since last November, garnering support for only 19 seats currently, down from 23. Olmert's Kadima Party, meanwhile, continues to slide. Current polls show Kadima -- likely to be led by current Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni after Olmert's departure -- would receive only 11 Knesset seats, rather than 15. Polling Data: Prospective results of a Knesset election (Results presented in seats) Likud -- 35 seats (up from 30 in Nov) Labour -- 19 seats (down from 23 in Nov) Kadima -- 13 seats (down from 15 in Nov) Israel Our Home -- 11 seats (same as Nov) Shas -- 11 seats (up from 9 in Nov) United Torah Judaism -- 6 seats (same as Nov) National Religious Party -- 5 seats (down from 6 in Nov) Yachad -- 5 seats (up from 4 in Nov) Social Justice -- 2 seats (down from 4 in Nov) Green Party -- 2 seats (up from 0 in Nov) Arab parties -- 11 seats (down from 10 in Nov) Retired People's Party -- 0 seats (down from 2 in Nov) Source: Dialog / Haaretz Methodology: Interviews with 467 Israeli adults, conducted on May 27 and May 28, 2008. Margin of error is 5 per cent.
To read the latest news from the Middle East and Russia, please go to Joel's WEBLOG.
To join 54,000 other >> FLASH TRAFFIC <<>
To read the first chapter of DEAD HEAT for free, or purchase a copy from Amazon.com, please click here
Would you consider making a $25, $40 or $60 monthly donation to The Joshua Fund? To learn how, and/or make a secure, tax-deductible financial contribution -- by mail or on-line -- please click here.
To watch the Epicenter Conference speeches on-line, and learn more about the conference's purpose, please click here
PRAY FOR PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR
Looking for more ways to bless Israel? Here are three specific options that are particularly appropos given recent developments. Each are taken from our list of "60 Ways To Bless Israel At 60." The full list is available on our weblog at www.joshuafund.net. 2.) Stock one bomb shelter in northern Israel with food, water, a first aid kit, other emergency supplies and a secure storage locker. There are currently some 5,500 bomb shelters that need to be urgently stocked with supplies before the next war. The Joshua Fund is currently raising funds to stock 100 as soon as possible. Cost per bomb shelter: $5,500. 3.) Provide one ton of food to care for needy families in northern Israel who were hit by 4,000 rockets and missiles during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. These families are still recovering from that war. Many live on less than $500 a month. And food prices are rising in Israel, as they are around the globe. Every month, therefore, The Joshua Fund pays for about 10 tons of food to be purchased by one of our allies in Israel, distributed to the needy in the north, as well as stockpiled for the next war. Cost: $2,500 per ton. 4.) Help purchase desperately needed medical equipment such as respirators, ventilators, operating room lamps, mobile x-ray machines and the like for under-funded regional hospitals in Israel. At the request of hospital administrators, The Joshua Fund has adopted the Barzilai Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon to help them raise funds for such equipment. Barzilai is the only hospital and trauma center serving the 500,000 Israelis living near the Gaza border and facing a nearly constant barrage of rockets, missiles and mortars. They are doing heroic work, but they do need our help. Cost: Some of this equipment is very costly, averaging between $20,000 to $80,000 each. A donation of $5,000 would help significantly towards meeting these vital needs. The Joshua Fund will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, brief you on how those projects are proceeding, and let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible. To contribute to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to "The Joshua Fund" and send to: The Joshua Fund 18950 Base Camp Road Monument, Colorado 80132-8009 Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus -- especially at this moment of Israel' 60th anniversary.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE DEPENDANT UPON GOD’S WORD
WE EACH HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PRAY & FAST ACCORDING TO HIS WORD.
1. The first encouragement is continue in your faith with Jesus Christ and, above all else, work hard to stay close to him in your hearts. Everything that matters, namely our souls and salvation depend upon Jesus alone and He will provide and protect you in changing times. In Jesus we have peace in all circumstances and we do not fear. The immoral climate of our country, the worldly ideas that constantly barrage through the airwaves, the tolerance of sin, the intolerance of biblical truth, and so much more all contribute in making our hearts and minds susceptible to a weakening of our faith in Jesus Christ IF we do not remain in the WORD of GOD. So stay close to Jesus by staying in the Word of God and begin practicing your prayer life. Talk to the Lord again and repent of your sin and humble yourself before Him. This will be a sure recipe for getting healthy again.
2. The second encouragement is to stand strong with Israel in faith according to scripture no matter the pressures or persecutions that will come along with that. For the Christian standing with Israel is like standing for your brother and not only that there is a blessing for those who will support and love the Jewish people.
3. The third encouragement is to continue or to begin praying with fasting for America in earnestness. This is the one thing we must do in order to make a real and lasting change for this country. Our commitment to prayer to God will eventually change us and this country will change when we change.
REGARDING AMERICA
HOW TO PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AMERICA? By Adrian Rogers
Please take the time to listen to this message. I pray you will not pass this by. It is very important.
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REGARDING ISRAEL
In these last days the actions that will PROVE AND DISTINGUISH true Christianity from false Christianity will be those actions that produce an UNDYING & UNDIVIDED support of Israel and the Jewish people.
Psalm 122
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
2 Our feet are standing in your gates,
O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
REGARDING ISRAEL
In these last days the actions that will PROVE AND DISTINGUISH true Christianity from false Christianity will be those actions that produce an UNDYING & UNDIVIDED support of Israel and the Jewish people.
Psalm 122
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
2 Our feet are standing in your gates,
O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
to praise the name of the LORD
according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There the thrones for judgment stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your prosperity.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This link contains a very good article that will shed a lot of light as to WHY? Israel is such a big deal in today's world, and what the true Christian's stance toward Israel should be.
"This article assumes the reader has some familiarity with Romans 9-11, the most concise teaching on Israel's relationship to the Church. Among other pivotal truths, Romans 9-11 clarifies that God's Covenant calling on Israel is irrevocable; the Church has not replaced the Jewish Nation in His heart or prophetic plans."
WHY STAND WITH ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Why_Stand_With_Israel_S.pdf?docID=1227
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL & EXCELLENT ARTICLES THAT WILL NOT BE A WASTE OF YOUR TIME!!!!!!!
TO WHOM WAS ISRAEL PROMISED: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/To_Whom_Was_Israel_Promised.pdf?docID=1225
HOW TO PRAY FOR ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/How_to_Pray_for_Israel.pdf?docID=1223
WHY NOT DIVIDE ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Why_Not_Divide_Israel.pdf?docID=1226
JERUSALEM IN PROPHECY: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Jerusalem_in_Prophecy.pdf?docID=1224
___________________________________________________________________
As mentioned, in these last days the actions that will PROVE AND DISTINGUISH true Christianity from false Christianity will be those actions that produce an UNDYING & UNDIVIDED support of Israel and the Jewish people.
Jewish World Review June 6, 2008 / 3 Sivan, 5768
Mere hours after becoming Israel's new ‘best friend’ Obama backtracks on status of Jerusalem
By Binyamin L. Jolkovsky
Original 'misunderstood' statements contradicted campaign policy
www.JewishWorldReview.com
Mere hours after becoming Israel's new ‘best friend’ Obama backtracks on status of Jerusalem
By Binyamin L. Jolkovsky
Original 'misunderstood' statements contradicted campaign policy
www.JewishWorldReview.com
Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Barak Obama stood before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee parley Wednesday morning and declared his complete, unqualified support for a Jewish Jerusalem. The Holy City, he said, "will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."
The rousing applause from the audience, including some of the most powerful politicians in America, was immediate.
Almost as immediate, though, was Hamas' condemnation. Leaders of the terrorist group had previously endorsed Obama as their choice for America's Commander in Chief.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said he "totally rejected" Obama's Jerusalem pronouncement.
"The whole world knows that holy Jerusalem was occupied in 1967 and we will not accept a Palestinian state without having Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state," he added.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
To read Obama's speech in its entirety, please click HERE.
What a difference a day makes.
On Thursday, when queried by CNN, Obama said he was misunderstood.
"Well," Obama explained, "obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations."
Despite telling the AIPCAC conference what it wanted to hear and believe, an undivided Jerusalem was, in fact, never his campaign's position.
Obama's adviser for the Middle East, former Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, in May told the Israeli mass circulation daily, Haaretz, that his campaign considers it "impossible to make progress on serious peace talks without putting the future of Jerusalem on the table."
In the Democratic primaries, 53 percent of Jewish voters chose Hillary Clinton compared to 45% who chose Obama.
Other sources: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659672984&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *
AHMADINEJAD VOWS U.S., ISRAEL WILL BE "ANNIHILATED" SOON Senior Israeli official says war with Iran may be "unvoidable." Meanwhile, Olmert's government on verge of collapse.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
AHMADINEJAD VOWS U.S., ISRAEL WILL BE "ANNIHILATED" SOON Senior Israeli official says war with Iran may be "unvoidable." Meanwhile, Olmert's government on verge of collapse.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., June 6, 2008) -- Using some of his most apocalyptic rhetoric yet, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is vowing that the United States and Israel will soon be "annihilated," even as he refuses to abandon Iran's nuclear program. Marking the 19th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, Ahmadinejad said: "Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started." He also insisted that "I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene." Are Israeli leaders thus planning to launch a massive air attack on Iran before the end of the year, or even before new national elections in Israel which may take place as early as November? Or are they trying to persuade the U.S. to do it before President Bush leaves office? Perhaps both. Which underscores the point I've been making for some time -- while we intensify our efforts to pray for peace in the epicenter, we also need to be intensifying our efforts to prepare for war. "An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites looks 'unavoidable' given the apparent failure of Western sanctions to deny Tehran technology with bomb-making potential," Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said Friday, according to Reuters report. "If Iran continues with its program for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective," said Mofaz. "It was the most explicit threat yet against Iran from a member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government, which, like the Bush administration, has preferred to hint at force as a last resort should United Nations Security Council sanctions fail to achieve the desired abandonment of nuclear development by Tehran. Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, has defied Western pressure to abandon its uranium enrichment projects. The leadership in Tehran has also threatened to retaliate against Israel -- believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal -- and U.S. targets in the Gulf for any attack on Iranian turf. Mofaz also said in the interview that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, 'would disappear before Israel does.'" "[T]he White House sidestepped questions about the Israeli threat to attack Iranian nuclear sites, saying it would not respond to hypothetical question," reported Ynet News in Israel. "'The world community, I believe, is united in the desire to make sure that Iran doesn't develop a nuclear weapon and have a severe threat that we don't want to see come to fruition,' White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters. But asked specifically whether the United States would support an Israeli strike on Iran, he said, 'I'm not going to talk about hypotheticals. I think we've been pretty clear in recent weeks and months about our approach on Iran.'"...Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is warning that Israel may soon be forced to launch a major military operation in Gaza to stop thousands of rockets, mortars and missiles which continue raining down on the southern cities and towns of the Jewish State....Reports the Jerusalem Post: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert returned to Israel from the US on Friday morning and, echoing the previous day's remarks by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, hinted that Gaza's day of reckoning was fast approaching. 'We are constantly evaluating between the possibility [of a deal] to reach complete quiet and the lack of a possibility of reaching such an agreement,' he said. 'The absence of the latter option will draw us closer to an operation that will be much harsher and tougher against the [terror] groups. "According to the information we have now, the pendulum is closer to a decision to embark on a harsh operation in the Gaza Strip than it is to an agreement with the terror organizations,' continued Olmert. Olmert's comments came a day after Amnon Rozenberg, 51, a father of three, was killed by a Gaza shell that hit the Nirlat paint factory at Kibbutz Nir Oz. The Security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a response to the incessant attacks from Gaza. Olmert told an Israel Radio reporter that Israel was exploring all the options available in order to achieve complete quiet for southerners without the need to enter into a violent and severe confrontation with terror groups in the Strip, adding, however, that there was a distinct possibility Israel would need to embark on an offensive and extensive operation against Palestinian terror groups." Weighing heavily on Olmert as he makes decisions about Iran and Gaza is his own precarious political position, and the fact that both he and President Bush will be out of office soon. Olmert was in Washington earlier this week, meeting with President Bush and other senior administration officials, as well as addressing the annual conference of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. But Olmert's trip may be his last to D.C. as premier. The buzz out of Israel is that early elections are increasingly expected, perhaps this November or December. While this is not yet official -- and Israeli politics are notoriously turbulent and unpredictable -- leaders and field workers of the major parties are working under the assumption that the Olmert government, tainted by the failed Second Lebanon War and new allegations of corruption, is on its last legs and that they need to be ready for snap elections in the fall. For now, all eyes are focused on June 18th, the dates the Knesset could vote to dissolve itself, automatically triggering new elections. New polling indicates the Likud Party, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is not only far ahead but surging. Were elections held this month, Likud would be expected to pick up as many as 35 parliament seats, up from an estimated 30 seats last November. The Labour Party, by contrast -- led by current Defense Minister Ehud Barak -- has lost significant ground since last November, garnering support for only 19 seats currently, down from 23. Olmert's Kadima Party, meanwhile, continues to slide. Current polls show Kadima -- likely to be led by current Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni after Olmert's departure -- would receive only 11 Knesset seats, rather than 15. Polling Data: Prospective results of a Knesset election (Results presented in seats) Likud -- 35 seats (up from 30 in Nov) Labour -- 19 seats (down from 23 in Nov) Kadima -- 13 seats (down from 15 in Nov) Israel Our Home -- 11 seats (same as Nov) Shas -- 11 seats (up from 9 in Nov) United Torah Judaism -- 6 seats (same as Nov) National Religious Party -- 5 seats (down from 6 in Nov) Yachad -- 5 seats (up from 4 in Nov) Social Justice -- 2 seats (down from 4 in Nov) Green Party -- 2 seats (up from 0 in Nov) Arab parties -- 11 seats (down from 10 in Nov) Retired People's Party -- 0 seats (down from 2 in Nov) Source: Dialog / Haaretz Methodology: Interviews with 467 Israeli adults, conducted on May 27 and May 28, 2008. Margin of error is 5 per cent.
To read the latest news from the Middle East and Russia, please go to Joel's WEBLOG.
To join 54,000 other >> FLASH TRAFFIC <<>
To read the first chapter of DEAD HEAT for free, or purchase a copy from Amazon.com, please click here
Would you consider making a $25, $40 or $60 monthly donation to The Joshua Fund? To learn how, and/or make a secure, tax-deductible financial contribution -- by mail or on-line -- please click here.
To watch the Epicenter Conference speeches on-line, and learn more about the conference's purpose, please click here
PRAY FOR PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR
Looking for more ways to bless Israel? Here are three specific options that are particularly appropos given recent developments. Each are taken from our list of "60 Ways To Bless Israel At 60." The full list is available on our weblog at www.joshuafund.net. 2.) Stock one bomb shelter in northern Israel with food, water, a first aid kit, other emergency supplies and a secure storage locker. There are currently some 5,500 bomb shelters that need to be urgently stocked with supplies before the next war. The Joshua Fund is currently raising funds to stock 100 as soon as possible. Cost per bomb shelter: $5,500. 3.) Provide one ton of food to care for needy families in northern Israel who were hit by 4,000 rockets and missiles during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. These families are still recovering from that war. Many live on less than $500 a month. And food prices are rising in Israel, as they are around the globe. Every month, therefore, The Joshua Fund pays for about 10 tons of food to be purchased by one of our allies in Israel, distributed to the needy in the north, as well as stockpiled for the next war. Cost: $2,500 per ton. 4.) Help purchase desperately needed medical equipment such as respirators, ventilators, operating room lamps, mobile x-ray machines and the like for under-funded regional hospitals in Israel. At the request of hospital administrators, The Joshua Fund has adopted the Barzilai Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon to help them raise funds for such equipment. Barzilai is the only hospital and trauma center serving the 500,000 Israelis living near the Gaza border and facing a nearly constant barrage of rockets, missiles and mortars. They are doing heroic work, but they do need our help. Cost: Some of this equipment is very costly, averaging between $20,000 to $80,000 each. A donation of $5,000 would help significantly towards meeting these vital needs. The Joshua Fund will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, brief you on how those projects are proceeding, and let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible. To contribute to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to "The Joshua Fund" and send to: The Joshua Fund 18950 Base Camp Road Monument, Colorado 80132-8009 Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus -- especially at this moment of Israel' 60th anniversary.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Personal NOTES: From John MaCarthur's Message / HEAVEN? The Narrow Gate OR The Broad Gate: Which Path Are You On?
One Soul said, “I am heartily sick of the type of religion that insists my soul and everyone elses needs saving. Whatever that means. I have never felt that I was lost. Nor do I feel that I daily wallow in the mire of sin, although repetitive preaching insists that I do. GIVE ME A PRACTICAL RELIGION that teaches gentleness and tolerance; that acknowledges no barriers of color or creed; that remembers the aged and teaches children of goodness and not sin. If in order to save my soul I must accept such a philosophy as I have recently heard preached, I prefer to remain forever damned. The Broad Choice
A West Indian who had chosen Islam over Christianity said, “My Reason is because Islam is a noble and broad path. There is room for a man and his sins on it and the way of Christ is far too narrow.” That is the Broad choice.
THIS WAY TO HEAVEN! The Broad Way: Once you come in through the wide gate the whole gangs there. It’s easy livin’ man! Right? There’s no precipice. There’s lots of room. You can just stroll and roam. No rules. No morality is particularly binding. There’s room for diverse theology. There’s tolerance of every conceivable sin. Just as long as you love “Jesus” or as long as you’re religious. There are no curbs. There are no limits. There are no boundaries. All of the desires of the fallen heart are fed. There’s no need for a beatitude attitude. There’s no need for humility. There’s no need to study the Word of God. There’s no need for hard internal moral standards. You can just go along with a typical, mechanical, religiosity that is no more then hypocrisy. It takes absolutely no character. It’s like a dead fish floatin’ down stream. Very easy. Current does it all. It is the way that seems right to a man but in the end thereof it is the way that leads to death. This is the Broad way. No rules! No stance except those made by men that helps them fit into their own comfortable system. “The way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1:6)
THIS WAY TO HEAVEN! The Constricted Way; The Hard Way; The Narrow Way; The Way that is Pressed Together and Confined. The Way that is a Narrow Path on a Precipice. The Way that Demands a Walk that is Circumspective. The Way that Demands Your Eyes be Open because You Can’t Float or Flip-Flop; The Way that is Hemmed in on Both Sides By the Chastening Hand of God. The Way Where the Requirements Are Great and Strict and Refined and Clear Cut Where There’s No Room for any Deviation or Departure. The Way Where These Things Are Your Desires to Fulfill Knowing Full well that When You Fail God Will Chasten and Then Wonderfully and Lovingly Forgive and Set You on Your Feet Again. It’s the Way that is Hard and Narrow and Restrictive and Sounds Like Something You Would Never Want. But it is the Way Where All the Hardness and Narrowness and All Restrictions Were Born By Jesus Christ Himself so That His Yoke is Easy for You and His Burden is Light for You. It is the Way that You Don’t Just Get Onto Without Taking Stock of What is Being Asked of You. It is the Way that is As Hard As It Can Possibly Be Made. It is the way where you hate your father, mother, wife, brother, sister, and your own life. It is the way where you step out of the crowd and say goodbye to everyone you love or you’re not worthy to be on this Way. It’s the Way you pick up your own Cross and live a crucified life. It’s the way Where You Count the Cost Before Getting On. “So likewise whosoever he is of you who forsakes not ALL that He has cannot be my disciple.” Jesus Christ. This is the Hard Line that Jesus Drew. You can walk on this path only in God’s Strength and Grace and where you say I WILL only as He enables you to walk that narrow walk and not in your own achievement but in your weakness through his strength because you can not walk this way on your own. It is the Way where you are willing to walk this way and where you expect persecution and will run from those who want to kill you. It’s the Hard way where you don’t walk with your bare feet because it is not a lush meadow or soft path. It is the Path that is for those desiring to be real Christ Followers and is not a soft option for the weak kneed or weak in heart. It is the path where you declare war on Hell itself and find Hell declaring its full fight back onto you. It’s a lifelong path where you constantly fight your own selfish will, and arrogant pride and rebellious desires knowing that victory over them will cost you your LIFE. It’s the way that demands these terms. It’s The Hard Narrow and Confined Path…that becomes the way of Beauty because of Christ. It’s The Way of Christ.
A West Indian who had chosen Islam over Christianity said, “My Reason is because Islam is a noble and broad path. There is room for a man and his sins on it and the way of Christ is far too narrow.” That is the Broad choice.
THIS WAY TO HEAVEN! The Broad Way: Once you come in through the wide gate the whole gangs there. It’s easy livin’ man! Right? There’s no precipice. There’s lots of room. You can just stroll and roam. No rules. No morality is particularly binding. There’s room for diverse theology. There’s tolerance of every conceivable sin. Just as long as you love “Jesus” or as long as you’re religious. There are no curbs. There are no limits. There are no boundaries. All of the desires of the fallen heart are fed. There’s no need for a beatitude attitude. There’s no need for humility. There’s no need to study the Word of God. There’s no need for hard internal moral standards. You can just go along with a typical, mechanical, religiosity that is no more then hypocrisy. It takes absolutely no character. It’s like a dead fish floatin’ down stream. Very easy. Current does it all. It is the way that seems right to a man but in the end thereof it is the way that leads to death. This is the Broad way. No rules! No stance except those made by men that helps them fit into their own comfortable system. “The way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1:6)
THIS WAY TO HEAVEN! The Constricted Way; The Hard Way; The Narrow Way; The Way that is Pressed Together and Confined. The Way that is a Narrow Path on a Precipice. The Way that Demands a Walk that is Circumspective. The Way that Demands Your Eyes be Open because You Can’t Float or Flip-Flop; The Way that is Hemmed in on Both Sides By the Chastening Hand of God. The Way Where the Requirements Are Great and Strict and Refined and Clear Cut Where There’s No Room for any Deviation or Departure. The Way Where These Things Are Your Desires to Fulfill Knowing Full well that When You Fail God Will Chasten and Then Wonderfully and Lovingly Forgive and Set You on Your Feet Again. It’s the Way that is Hard and Narrow and Restrictive and Sounds Like Something You Would Never Want. But it is the Way Where All the Hardness and Narrowness and All Restrictions Were Born By Jesus Christ Himself so That His Yoke is Easy for You and His Burden is Light for You. It is the Way that You Don’t Just Get Onto Without Taking Stock of What is Being Asked of You. It is the Way that is As Hard As It Can Possibly Be Made. It is the way where you hate your father, mother, wife, brother, sister, and your own life. It is the way where you step out of the crowd and say goodbye to everyone you love or you’re not worthy to be on this Way. It’s the Way you pick up your own Cross and live a crucified life. It’s the way Where You Count the Cost Before Getting On. “So likewise whosoever he is of you who forsakes not ALL that He has cannot be my disciple.” Jesus Christ. This is the Hard Line that Jesus Drew. You can walk on this path only in God’s Strength and Grace and where you say I WILL only as He enables you to walk that narrow walk and not in your own achievement but in your weakness through his strength because you can not walk this way on your own. It is the Way where you are willing to walk this way and where you expect persecution and will run from those who want to kill you. It’s the Hard way where you don’t walk with your bare feet because it is not a lush meadow or soft path. It is the Path that is for those desiring to be real Christ Followers and is not a soft option for the weak kneed or weak in heart. It is the path where you declare war on Hell itself and find Hell declaring its full fight back onto you. It’s a lifelong path where you constantly fight your own selfish will, and arrogant pride and rebellious desires knowing that victory over them will cost you your LIFE. It’s the way that demands these terms. It’s The Hard Narrow and Confined Path…that becomes the way of Beauty because of Christ. It’s The Way of Christ.
Which Way To Heaven Is It? Narrow or Broad? Both do not go to Heaven. One goes to Hell and Destruction.
...God Says Narrow....it's through my son Jesus Christ alone...Believing in Him is the Only way I Have provided entrance into Heaven.
...The World and Man says Broad.... it is through many ways of belief. Not just one....and it is through mans efforts and goodness that he will get into heaven.
Whom will you Believe?
It's a life or death decision.
God says choose life
"For God so Loved the World that He Gave His Only Son That Whosoever will Believe in Him Will not Perish but have Everlasting Life" John 3:16
There's not much time left to choose. Don't allow your heart to become more hardened by the world. Allow God's Words ...the Bible...to speak to you and change your heart. Eternity with Christ is worth it....
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world (power, fame, pleasure, riches) but forfeit his soul." Jesus Christ.... Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36
"Wounds from a friend are better then many kisses from an enemy." Proverbs 27:6
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
BREATH
My new little boy was born 4/10. I held him for the first time on 4/20. It's his 13th day in NICU. It was great to hold him. When I did my heart leaped toward him. He was born with lung illness which is not uncommon, but here I am with my wife experiencing something new that is not easy. Ventilators, IV's, Retraction, O2, Life or death all depending on breath. It's been tolerable cause it's a common condition and the Dr's have seen it all before. So they are reassuring and hopeful.....because he is showing improvement. But, if my boy was going into more negative health- even into death- I would hope to choose to experience that in God's strength, with thankfulness and sorrowful tears, because I have already given my son back to Jesus. The truth I lean on is that Landon is Jesus' who cares for him the most. Another truth I am leaning on during this time is so comforting. It's that God never changes. I trust that whatever comes my way, whether easy or hard ,it will not change God, but rather will give me the opportunity to respond in faithfulness and growth toward Jesus Christ.
I thank the Lord for this experience. It's showing me where my faith and endurance are. It's also showing me who my family truly is: all those who have come around to intercede for Landon's health in Jesus' name. I believe all these prayers are making a difference because it's only in the name of Jesus Christ and all that he represents that there is true power for healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually in life.
No one remembers their early early years too well... if at all. Knowing this gives me some peace because my little guy won't remember the difficulty, discomfort, pain of ventilators, pokes and prodding IVs and little surgeries that he is going thru. What's interesting in this for me is that while I'm aware of the ETERNAL value of Landon's life, he is going through things that he won't remember. I will remember it but he won't. I will remember all the feelings I had while he was going through his bout to stay alive. I don't remember all the inconveniences in my life so what's the point? The point is that the Bible in the Psalms reveal that Jesus knows what my son is going through and cares for him more than I do. God feels for Landon more than I do. That's what really has been impacting to me. Jesus, Landon's Creator, will remember what he went through as an infant just as he remembers my infancy and yours. This matters because it reveals that God cares and is merciful. The more I start thinking about this the more I appreciate Jesus Christ, because who really cares about conception to 3 yrs like he does? Of course the parents, nurses and doctors do, but the reality is that God put all these key people into place for Landon's sake and all of our care. I never think about those early early years because I don't have a memory of it. I can't remember the last time I thanked God for watching over me in the womb and through my "no memory" days. I really take it for granted and don't give enough thanks to him because those moments were the most critical to my overall life.
Spiritually speaking, each one of us is so young in faith. Some people have not even been born into FAITH yet! Their faith has yet to be conceived but one day will be! Maybe when we get to heaven the Glory and Purity and Awesomeness of God will be so all consuming that we won't remember much of what we went through during our 75+/- years of physical life here on earth. Much of me says that everything I will experience here on this earth is part of a spiritual birth process or preperation process for living in eternal faithfulness in heaven. Could it be that our whole lives on earth, with it's every experience, can be likened to our first 3 years of life? My first memories are from 3yrs and on. Conception to 3 years is empty, but it is there. And as I am learning, those first 3 years of my life were the most important to my physical, social, spiritual and...overall development as a person. In this context, it makes good sense to me WHY everything I do in this life will count and have eternal ramifications. If I eat well as an infant more then likely I will have a good nutritional base for the rest of my life: healthy bones, nerves, blood cells, etc. That's a sobering thought because the same is true spiritually: the more I read, trust and apply God's Word before I die the more glory God will get from my life in my eternity with him.
Jesus knows each of us so intimately...more intimately then we know ourselves! Does that knowledge make it easier for you to entrust and yield your life to him if you haven't done so already? He really cares for you more then you care for yourself! My son does not know how much I love him, but I do greatly and I can't wait for him to know and learn of my love! So in speaking of Jesus, what a Caretaker he is! Even while you were in your mother's womb HE WAS THERE forming you for his purposes! Read Psalm 139:
The Bible reveals that the deepest desire that God has is to become a Father to the fatherless and then to love his adopted children with all his strength. As I was saying, Landon does not know that I love him right now but one day he will. At one point in my life I did not know how much God really loved me. Then as I grew and became more aware I learned about his love for me and that he had to give up his own life so that I could have the opportunity to receive his love. The older my son gets I hope that it will be a blessing to him to realize how much I love him. I hope it breathes life into him and assurance. I will do everything to make it so he knows that he knows that he knows that he is loved unconditionally.
I pray that you will act on that desire you have to get to know the love that your Creator has for you. His name is Jesus Christ and you will learn about him more in the Bible. You must read it for yourself to learn about him. I pray you will trust him enough to breathe his breath of life into you.
Our journey with Landon:
http://carolsphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/4704969_rqmGh#P-1-15
My new little boy was born 4/10. I held him for the first time on 4/20. It's his 13th day in NICU. It was great to hold him. When I did my heart leaped toward him. He was born with lung illness which is not uncommon, but here I am with my wife experiencing something new that is not easy. Ventilators, IV's, Retraction, O2, Life or death all depending on breath. It's been tolerable cause it's a common condition and the Dr's have seen it all before. So they are reassuring and hopeful.....because he is showing improvement. But, if my boy was going into more negative health- even into death- I would hope to choose to experience that in God's strength, with thankfulness and sorrowful tears, because I have already given my son back to Jesus. The truth I lean on is that Landon is Jesus' who cares for him the most. Another truth I am leaning on during this time is so comforting. It's that God never changes. I trust that whatever comes my way, whether easy or hard ,it will not change God, but rather will give me the opportunity to respond in faithfulness and growth toward Jesus Christ.
I thank the Lord for this experience. It's showing me where my faith and endurance are. It's also showing me who my family truly is: all those who have come around to intercede for Landon's health in Jesus' name. I believe all these prayers are making a difference because it's only in the name of Jesus Christ and all that he represents that there is true power for healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually in life.
No one remembers their early early years too well... if at all. Knowing this gives me some peace because my little guy won't remember the difficulty, discomfort, pain of ventilators, pokes and prodding IVs and little surgeries that he is going thru. What's interesting in this for me is that while I'm aware of the ETERNAL value of Landon's life, he is going through things that he won't remember. I will remember it but he won't. I will remember all the feelings I had while he was going through his bout to stay alive. I don't remember all the inconveniences in my life so what's the point? The point is that the Bible in the Psalms reveal that Jesus knows what my son is going through and cares for him more than I do. God feels for Landon more than I do. That's what really has been impacting to me. Jesus, Landon's Creator, will remember what he went through as an infant just as he remembers my infancy and yours. This matters because it reveals that God cares and is merciful. The more I start thinking about this the more I appreciate Jesus Christ, because who really cares about conception to 3 yrs like he does? Of course the parents, nurses and doctors do, but the reality is that God put all these key people into place for Landon's sake and all of our care. I never think about those early early years because I don't have a memory of it. I can't remember the last time I thanked God for watching over me in the womb and through my "no memory" days. I really take it for granted and don't give enough thanks to him because those moments were the most critical to my overall life.
Spiritually speaking, each one of us is so young in faith. Some people have not even been born into FAITH yet! Their faith has yet to be conceived but one day will be! Maybe when we get to heaven the Glory and Purity and Awesomeness of God will be so all consuming that we won't remember much of what we went through during our 75+/- years of physical life here on earth. Much of me says that everything I will experience here on this earth is part of a spiritual birth process or preperation process for living in eternal faithfulness in heaven. Could it be that our whole lives on earth, with it's every experience, can be likened to our first 3 years of life? My first memories are from 3yrs and on. Conception to 3 years is empty, but it is there. And as I am learning, those first 3 years of my life were the most important to my physical, social, spiritual and...overall development as a person. In this context, it makes good sense to me WHY everything I do in this life will count and have eternal ramifications. If I eat well as an infant more then likely I will have a good nutritional base for the rest of my life: healthy bones, nerves, blood cells, etc. That's a sobering thought because the same is true spiritually: the more I read, trust and apply God's Word before I die the more glory God will get from my life in my eternity with him.
Jesus knows each of us so intimately...more intimately then we know ourselves! Does that knowledge make it easier for you to entrust and yield your life to him if you haven't done so already? He really cares for you more then you care for yourself! My son does not know how much I love him, but I do greatly and I can't wait for him to know and learn of my love! So in speaking of Jesus, what a Caretaker he is! Even while you were in your mother's womb HE WAS THERE forming you for his purposes! Read Psalm 139:
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
The Bible reveals that the deepest desire that God has is to become a Father to the fatherless and then to love his adopted children with all his strength. As I was saying, Landon does not know that I love him right now but one day he will. At one point in my life I did not know how much God really loved me. Then as I grew and became more aware I learned about his love for me and that he had to give up his own life so that I could have the opportunity to receive his love. The older my son gets I hope that it will be a blessing to him to realize how much I love him. I hope it breathes life into him and assurance. I will do everything to make it so he knows that he knows that he knows that he is loved unconditionally.
I pray that you will act on that desire you have to get to know the love that your Creator has for you. His name is Jesus Christ and you will learn about him more in the Bible. You must read it for yourself to learn about him. I pray you will trust him enough to breathe his breath of life into you.
Our journey with Landon:
http://carolsphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/4704969_rqmGh#P-1-15
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
I'm Not Surprised the Devil is a Distractor!
I am a part of a program that essentially reveals to people the basics of the biblical faith. It's the ABCs/123s of the bible. It's a program that bypasses the bright light - big show kind of grandeur that we see in many churches today which honestly is a huge distraction from Whom we should be focused upon to begin with. In addition, it can be hard to find the real Jesus in many churches today because of all these BIG distractions. At this church, Jesus can be found working in this program. Men and Women keep coming back because they are finally hearing what they have been searching for.....the Truth! As a result real change is happening in these peoples lives and it's not easy because in many ways the Truth is setting these people free from lies and deception, unforgiveness and anger, depression and selfishness, pride and self righteousness. These are the strong parts of our sin nature. Being seperated from these things by believing in the truth found in the bible hurts initially but brings real life sooner then later. Usually, where God is working you can expect unusual things to happen.
With that said, on Monday night I was a part of one man's most unusual experience as He was seeking after God with a true heart. I had met this man only three times before and had in only three sessions seen his radar for God hone in on Him and the key issues that would allow him to become truly free. On this particular night he decided to pray to God alone in the desert about all that he had been learning. The really cool thing about this man is that he has not been hardening his heart towards God as he is learning about who God is and who he is as a man, but instead he has responded with sincerity and is really seeking after what the Devil apparently wants to distract him from. Whether you're a Christian or not the Devil will do whatever is necessary to distract you from this one critical piece of the salvation process. Satan says, "You can do everything else, even play your religion, but don't you dare ______________!" Do you know what that blank is? I'll tell you in a minute...
So he was up on the hill praying before the cross and thinking about his guilt and what it really means to give his life to Jesus Christ. He came to realize that he is not to control those things that God is in control of --- namely everything including his own life!, he came to realize that he is not his flesh when once he enters into faith in Jesus Christ, he came to realize what it means to really be IN CHRIST. And now he was working it all into his heart through prayer. So he's praying at the cross and it is dark out and he begins walking down the hill back to class. And along the path he can see the signs of encouragement. He happened to stop at the sign that spoke of REPENTANCE and he stood in front of that sign thinking about what that really meant. And as he was thinking and praying he was lead to remove his hat and bow his head to the Lord and he began to pray in the heart of REPENTANCE and WHAM!!! He was hit in the back hard enough to make him fall to the ground. He turned around in that split second and it was dark and he saw nothing. He heard nothing........................So he runs down the hill and grabs me as we are breaking out into groups and says, Hank, I have to tell you what just happened to me. We went outside and He described what happened and lifted up his shirt to show me where he was hit, and to our surprise there were four claw marks on his back that had broke his skin. The first thing I thought was the verse in Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 10-12 that says, " A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." I saw the concern on his face as he was realizing the truth that there is a spiritual realm. We prayed together and asked the Lord to continue to work the life of Repentance into his spirit. And he began reading the book of John that night.
Satan says, "You can do everything else, even play around in your nice religion, but don't you dare ______________ to Jesus Christ!" Friends, the word is REPENT. This man was about to REPENT of his sins before the Lord and WHAM!!! What does that tell you! Even if it was an owl or hawk whatever it was that slammed into him without a trace was right at the time of his faithful and sincere moment to get right with the Lord!!! I am not surprised! Are you? Even if you don't believe in Jesus are you surprised? The devil is a distractor. He even wants us to emphasize the fact that this man got nailed in the back hard enough to leave claw marks. He even wants us to watch the latest shows that emphasize ghosts and spirits and psychics and magic arts. The paranormal. Are you being distracted by the things of this world! Do you realize that Satan is putting on a big show for you .... EVEN IN THE CHURCHES!!!! Satan masquerades as an Angel of Light so that he can bring you down with him.
The ABC's/123's of the Christian Fundementals are childlike and require real faith. The fundementals/basics of biblical faith are dangerous because believing in them produces the kind of change that God is pleased with. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter into it." I can tell you this man has been receiving a gift from God and I have been witnessing it. It's a powerful childlike faith that speaks through his eyes and the humble actions of prayer and repentance.
There's going to be more of this kind of thing happening around us. Whether you are a Christian or not do not be taken by these paranormal incidents. The God who loves you faithfully demonstrated his love for you by breaking himself on the cross for you. Think of all the sins you have committed with your hands...is it stealing, violence, angry gestures, sexual impurity? Because Jesus loves you and does not want you to go to that place prepared for the devil and his demons, He pierced his own hands instead of yours. Think of all the sins you have committed in your mind...Is it lustful adulterous thoughts? Jesus said that if you have lusted after another person that you have already committed adultry in your heart with them. Is it prideful self righteouse thoughts? I am better then everyone else! Is it angry murderous thoughts? Jesus said that if you are angry with someone that you have already murdered them in your heart. Because Jesus loves you he wore the crown of thorns on his head so that the punishment for mental sins would be paid in full. If you are reading this you must understand that you put Jesus on the cross. No one else is to blame but you. In the same way, I put Jesus on the cross. I am to blame because of my personal sins! Jesus' love is so great that even while we were in the act of sinning he took the beating that we all deserved. He died a naked and humiliating death for the pornographer so he or she would not have to. He died a brutally violent death so the terrorists, and murderers wouldn't have to. He died a mocking and unfair death so the thief and liar and fool would not have to. Can't you see God's love!!!! Can't you see God's Justice!!! Don't be side tracked by Satan's big shows and tricky lies. Jesus PAID IT ALL IN FULL ALREADY! You are not being invited by God to do anything to earn this gift of free life in His Son Jesus, because you can't do enough. You are are not good enough and never will be. If you've lied, stolen, cheated, lusted, or hated even once in your life you are guilty because God is Holy. If you choose to put your faith in Jesus Christ and his love for you He will make you Holy. There is no other way you will meet God's standard of Holiness because only Jesus Christ lived that life of perfect Holiness. Praise God that there is a way of escaping what we all deserve. We deserve what Jesus got. Get it? I praise the Lord that he has helped me get it! It's about getting repentance. It's about turning away from ourselves, our wills, our reasoning, our good actions, our SELF and entrusting our SELF to God. Only he can make you truly live! GIVE HIM PRAISE!!!!
God bless you as you sincerely approach God in a repentant spirit!!!
Love your brother in Christ
I am a part of a program that essentially reveals to people the basics of the biblical faith. It's the ABCs/123s of the bible. It's a program that bypasses the bright light - big show kind of grandeur that we see in many churches today which honestly is a huge distraction from Whom we should be focused upon to begin with. In addition, it can be hard to find the real Jesus in many churches today because of all these BIG distractions. At this church, Jesus can be found working in this program. Men and Women keep coming back because they are finally hearing what they have been searching for.....the Truth! As a result real change is happening in these peoples lives and it's not easy because in many ways the Truth is setting these people free from lies and deception, unforgiveness and anger, depression and selfishness, pride and self righteousness. These are the strong parts of our sin nature. Being seperated from these things by believing in the truth found in the bible hurts initially but brings real life sooner then later. Usually, where God is working you can expect unusual things to happen.
With that said, on Monday night I was a part of one man's most unusual experience as He was seeking after God with a true heart. I had met this man only three times before and had in only three sessions seen his radar for God hone in on Him and the key issues that would allow him to become truly free. On this particular night he decided to pray to God alone in the desert about all that he had been learning. The really cool thing about this man is that he has not been hardening his heart towards God as he is learning about who God is and who he is as a man, but instead he has responded with sincerity and is really seeking after what the Devil apparently wants to distract him from. Whether you're a Christian or not the Devil will do whatever is necessary to distract you from this one critical piece of the salvation process. Satan says, "You can do everything else, even play your religion, but don't you dare ______________!" Do you know what that blank is? I'll tell you in a minute...
So he was up on the hill praying before the cross and thinking about his guilt and what it really means to give his life to Jesus Christ. He came to realize that he is not to control those things that God is in control of --- namely everything including his own life!, he came to realize that he is not his flesh when once he enters into faith in Jesus Christ, he came to realize what it means to really be IN CHRIST. And now he was working it all into his heart through prayer. So he's praying at the cross and it is dark out and he begins walking down the hill back to class. And along the path he can see the signs of encouragement. He happened to stop at the sign that spoke of REPENTANCE and he stood in front of that sign thinking about what that really meant. And as he was thinking and praying he was lead to remove his hat and bow his head to the Lord and he began to pray in the heart of REPENTANCE and WHAM!!! He was hit in the back hard enough to make him fall to the ground. He turned around in that split second and it was dark and he saw nothing. He heard nothing........................So he runs down the hill and grabs me as we are breaking out into groups and says, Hank, I have to tell you what just happened to me. We went outside and He described what happened and lifted up his shirt to show me where he was hit, and to our surprise there were four claw marks on his back that had broke his skin. The first thing I thought was the verse in Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 10-12 that says, " A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." I saw the concern on his face as he was realizing the truth that there is a spiritual realm. We prayed together and asked the Lord to continue to work the life of Repentance into his spirit. And he began reading the book of John that night.
Satan says, "You can do everything else, even play around in your nice religion, but don't you dare ______________ to Jesus Christ!" Friends, the word is REPENT. This man was about to REPENT of his sins before the Lord and WHAM!!! What does that tell you! Even if it was an owl or hawk whatever it was that slammed into him without a trace was right at the time of his faithful and sincere moment to get right with the Lord!!! I am not surprised! Are you? Even if you don't believe in Jesus are you surprised? The devil is a distractor. He even wants us to emphasize the fact that this man got nailed in the back hard enough to leave claw marks. He even wants us to watch the latest shows that emphasize ghosts and spirits and psychics and magic arts. The paranormal. Are you being distracted by the things of this world! Do you realize that Satan is putting on a big show for you .... EVEN IN THE CHURCHES!!!! Satan masquerades as an Angel of Light so that he can bring you down with him.
The ABC's/123's of the Christian Fundementals are childlike and require real faith. The fundementals/basics of biblical faith are dangerous because believing in them produces the kind of change that God is pleased with. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter into it." I can tell you this man has been receiving a gift from God and I have been witnessing it. It's a powerful childlike faith that speaks through his eyes and the humble actions of prayer and repentance.
There's going to be more of this kind of thing happening around us. Whether you are a Christian or not do not be taken by these paranormal incidents. The God who loves you faithfully demonstrated his love for you by breaking himself on the cross for you. Think of all the sins you have committed with your hands...is it stealing, violence, angry gestures, sexual impurity? Because Jesus loves you and does not want you to go to that place prepared for the devil and his demons, He pierced his own hands instead of yours. Think of all the sins you have committed in your mind...Is it lustful adulterous thoughts? Jesus said that if you have lusted after another person that you have already committed adultry in your heart with them. Is it prideful self righteouse thoughts? I am better then everyone else! Is it angry murderous thoughts? Jesus said that if you are angry with someone that you have already murdered them in your heart. Because Jesus loves you he wore the crown of thorns on his head so that the punishment for mental sins would be paid in full. If you are reading this you must understand that you put Jesus on the cross. No one else is to blame but you. In the same way, I put Jesus on the cross. I am to blame because of my personal sins! Jesus' love is so great that even while we were in the act of sinning he took the beating that we all deserved. He died a naked and humiliating death for the pornographer so he or she would not have to. He died a brutally violent death so the terrorists, and murderers wouldn't have to. He died a mocking and unfair death so the thief and liar and fool would not have to. Can't you see God's love!!!! Can't you see God's Justice!!! Don't be side tracked by Satan's big shows and tricky lies. Jesus PAID IT ALL IN FULL ALREADY! You are not being invited by God to do anything to earn this gift of free life in His Son Jesus, because you can't do enough. You are are not good enough and never will be. If you've lied, stolen, cheated, lusted, or hated even once in your life you are guilty because God is Holy. If you choose to put your faith in Jesus Christ and his love for you He will make you Holy. There is no other way you will meet God's standard of Holiness because only Jesus Christ lived that life of perfect Holiness. Praise God that there is a way of escaping what we all deserve. We deserve what Jesus got. Get it? I praise the Lord that he has helped me get it! It's about getting repentance. It's about turning away from ourselves, our wills, our reasoning, our good actions, our SELF and entrusting our SELF to God. Only he can make you truly live! GIVE HIM PRAISE!!!!
God bless you as you sincerely approach God in a repentant spirit!!!
Love your brother in Christ
Monday, March 31, 2008
Where Does the Power of The Blood Of Christ Come From?
Something is influencing you! What is it that you are allowing to influence you? Is it the Truth? Do you even know what is true anymore? It's very easy to become confused in this time we live and it will become more and more confusing as time passes. So watch out dear friends!! Do you remember who Pontious Pilot was? He was the Roman Governor who asked Jesus, "What is Truth?" Here's what happened in context:
Jesus before Pilate
Something is influencing you! What is it that you are allowing to influence you? Is it the Truth? Do you even know what is true anymore? It's very easy to become confused in this time we live and it will become more and more confusing as time passes. So watch out dear friends!! Do you remember who Pontious Pilot was? He was the Roman Governor who asked Jesus, "What is Truth?" Here's what happened in context:
Jesus before Pilate
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"
They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you." So Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death," to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him. "But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?" So they cried out again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a robber.
Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"
They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you." So Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death," to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him. "But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?" So they cried out again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a robber.
Are you a Pontious Pilot? Is Truth stairing you in the face and you can't see it anymore. My dear friend if so, SNAP OUT OF IT! I say this with all the compassion and love that is running through me right now. In Proverbs it says "Better the rebuke from a friend then kisses from your enemy." I am your friend. And I am not afraid to rebuke you because there is so much at stake. I am at risk of being deceived if I will not deal with what is naturally inside of me that wants to run away from the truth. I am a man as you and we have the same problem...namely pride. If we don't deal with our pride it will deal with us. So much of what I am trying to convey can only be understood if that stiff necked attitude is dealt with. My sincere question to you is, Do you have a stiff -neck, or an angry spirit, or a rebellious heart toward the One who is trying to show you the one way to live that will make you truly fulfilled and complete. I hope the following excerpt will help you see that living in the Truth will truly set you free!
The Way of The Cross:
"Let us look at the book of Revelation. in this book the blood of Christ is described as the "blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14). These words give us part of the answer to our question: Where does the Power of the Blood of Jesus Christ Come From? It was not the blood of the Lion or the Fighter, but the blood of the Lamb. The power of the blood comes from the lamb-like nature of the One who shed it. That is why it is so powerful with God for men. It was in His death that the Lord Jesus showed most completely His lamb-like nature.
Why is the Lord Jesus described as the Lamb? First of all, it is a description of His work. He came to be the Sacrifice for our sin. What did an Israelite do when he knew he had sinned and needed to get right with God? He would bring a lamb (or goat) as a sacrifice. The animal would be killed and it's blood sprinkled on the altar. The Lord Jesus, the Son of God, was the One who showed the true meaning of all the lambs which man had sacrificed. "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)
But the name " the Lamb" has a deeper meaning as well. It shows us His nature. Like a lamb, He is gentle and humble in spirit (Matthew 11:29) He did not take revenge. He Himself said, " I have come down from heaven to do the will of Him who sent me, NOT MY OWN WILL" (John 6:38). He came so that men might be blessed and saved. If his nature had not been that of the Lamb, He would have had hard thoughts when men treated Him badly. But "He was humble and walked the path of obedience even to death--His death on the cross." (Philippians 2:8) He loved His Father and He loved us, and so endured it all to save us. Men did what they wished to Him. For our sakes He gave Himself into their hands. " When He was insulted, He did not answer back with an insult; when He suffered, he did not threaten." ( 1 peter 2:23) He did not claim His rights. He did not hit back. He had no hard thoughts. He did not complain. He was very different from what we are! When He knew it was God's plan that wicked men should put Him on the cross, He bowed His head to death. He was put to death like a lamb. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus as the Lamb: "He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He stood silent before the ones condemning Him" (Isaiah 53:7) men flogged Him with a whip. They laughed at Him. They spit on Him. They pulled the hair from His beard. They laid the cross on His back and made Him carry it to Calvary. There they nailed Him to the cross. he was lifted up to die. After he died a soldier pierced His side with a spear, and His blood flowed out. All these things happened because the Lord Jesus was the Lamb. He did all this to pay the price of my sin. It is true that He was the Lamb because He died on the cross, but it is also true that He died on the cross because He was the Lamb.
Let us always remember this fact about the blood. Jesus' blood shows us the humbleness and self-sacrifice of the Lamb. This is what gives the blood its wonderful power with God. Look at Hebrews 9:14. There the writer links together the blood of Christ and His offering Himself as a sacrifice to God. "How much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal spirit He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to God." This is why the blood has such power with God. God the Father places great value on that which is offered to Him. He wants to see in men the nature of the Lamb. He want men who will humbly obey Him. He wants men who will give up their will to do His will. That was why God made man in the first place. Man sinned when he refused to walk in the path of obedience to God. This has been the real heart of sin ever since. The Lord Jesus came to earth as a Man to live in obedience to God. When the Father saw His Son always obeying Him He said, "This is my dear Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) In obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus shed His blood on the cross. This is why His blood is so precious to God. This is why His blood can wash away all the sins in our hearts." p84-p87
I pray you can understand this, and I pray you will want to get to know Jesus by reading the Bible. More than that I pray that you would ask Jesus Christ to save you from yourself and your sin nature. What a wonderful act of love he performed for you!!! He proved His love for you by going to the cross even while you were sinning against Him. He knew that if He did not die for you that you would not have a chance to choose Him and His forgiveness. The Lord Jesus is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all might have eternal life in Him. I have written about Hell, a most unpopular subject, because it is becoming the eternal reality for all those whose sins have not been covered by the blood of Jesus. It is real place and people are falling into Hell right now. One by one souls are falling into this aweful place forever. It is beyond words and not one of us could withstand the sorrow that God feels for these souls especially when He has provided a way of escape. The alternative is true as well. Right now souls are entering into the presence of God because they have received His free gift of eternal life found in His Son Jesus. They will be in paradise forever.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Sobering UP!
Do you believe that hell is a real place? This world we live in and the entertainment we watch has watered down the reality of the two places souls will spend their eternity. Heaven and Hell. I am sending this video to my close Christian friends who I believe will not take this testimony about hell lightly or cast it aside as a joke…because it surely is not a joke. I have been blessed as I have thought about hell…if that makes any sense…and I want to know more about the reality of eternity and the passion of Christ’s love for souls. Do you? Think clearly about what Romans 13: 8-14 is saying to us and let the truth of God’s word change you:
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Every second there are souls entering into “hell.” Have you studied hell to know what that place is really like? There are over 400 references on hell in the bible. If we love Jesus we will love others by sharing with them the hard stuff about faith and life and salvation. I encourage you to set aside some time to listen to Bill Weise’s testimony and consider the terrible reality that those without Christ will face and also those “Christians” who are living in sin without repentance. There is no such thing as a Christian who does not repent of their sins. The Holy Spirit is calling you to live powerfully in righteousness and his strength can only work through you if you yield and surrender ALL of yourself to him. Let’s work hard to enter through the narrow gate that leads to life. This is what working hard back to Jesus looks like remember:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA
Jesus see’s your heart when you start running back to him and he steps in and fights for you…he dies for you daily. Let’s repent and ask the Lord to renew our love and fear for him. The time is now! It truly is time to awaken out of our sleepiness by behaving properly as in the day. ALREADY, Our money worship is his, our drunkenness is his, our sexual sins are his, our idols must be thrown away, our vanity image is his, our unbelief is his FOR HE BECAME SIN FOR US and saved us from a real wrath born out of pure and righteous Justice. Let’s live what we believe…and do what Noah would say, “GET IN THE ARK”
Lets encourage one another in these days to sober up in the spirit of humility and real Christlike love.
Sincerely, your bro in Christ Hank
A testimony about Hell:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3453111670261816567
Do you believe that hell is a real place? This world we live in and the entertainment we watch has watered down the reality of the two places souls will spend their eternity. Heaven and Hell. I am sending this video to my close Christian friends who I believe will not take this testimony about hell lightly or cast it aside as a joke…because it surely is not a joke. I have been blessed as I have thought about hell…if that makes any sense…and I want to know more about the reality of eternity and the passion of Christ’s love for souls. Do you? Think clearly about what Romans 13: 8-14 is saying to us and let the truth of God’s word change you:
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Every second there are souls entering into “hell.” Have you studied hell to know what that place is really like? There are over 400 references on hell in the bible. If we love Jesus we will love others by sharing with them the hard stuff about faith and life and salvation. I encourage you to set aside some time to listen to Bill Weise’s testimony and consider the terrible reality that those without Christ will face and also those “Christians” who are living in sin without repentance. There is no such thing as a Christian who does not repent of their sins. The Holy Spirit is calling you to live powerfully in righteousness and his strength can only work through you if you yield and surrender ALL of yourself to him. Let’s work hard to enter through the narrow gate that leads to life. This is what working hard back to Jesus looks like remember:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA
Jesus see’s your heart when you start running back to him and he steps in and fights for you…he dies for you daily. Let’s repent and ask the Lord to renew our love and fear for him. The time is now! It truly is time to awaken out of our sleepiness by behaving properly as in the day. ALREADY, Our money worship is his, our drunkenness is his, our sexual sins are his, our idols must be thrown away, our vanity image is his, our unbelief is his FOR HE BECAME SIN FOR US and saved us from a real wrath born out of pure and righteous Justice. Let’s live what we believe…and do what Noah would say, “GET IN THE ARK”
Lets encourage one another in these days to sober up in the spirit of humility and real Christlike love.
Sincerely, your bro in Christ Hank
A testimony about Hell:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3453111670261816567
Saturday, February 23, 2008
A WARNING TO THOSE WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES CHRISTIAN!
I have been a Christian for 15 yrs. At the age of 16 I confessed my sins to the Lord Jesus and asked him to forgive me and help me live a repentant life for him alone and to live a life where he has complete Lordship in my life. Since then my life has been transformed and it is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ that has made all the difference. It is through reading the bible that I learn how to be changed and find new direction. I have an incredible assurance that the Lord has saved me from the consequences of my sin nature, the sinful choices I have made that have made me guilty before God and from hell. I do not live in fear of death or eternal punishment for my sins. I am free of guilt and shame because I have a new past and a hopeful future in Christ. I have peace and the power to forgive anyone for anything. I am truly free. I am happy in all circumstances and am joyful because I am saved. And I give all my praise and thankfulness to Jesus Christ because he is showing me more and more who he is and who I am as a child of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says: "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Lately, I have been asking the Lord to show me what his heart is feeling for those who call themselves Christians, and what is being revealed to me is very sobering and fearful.
Read these verses carefully in Matthew 7. This is a direct warning from Jesus to those who call themselves Christians:
13"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20"So then, you will know them by their fruits. ******21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' *****24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27"The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."
If you call yourself a Christian in this country or this world it is automatically presumed that we share the same faith, read the same bible, and are drawing close to the same Jesus Christ in the same Holy Spirit. But this is not necessarily true. When I read the bible and then look around in this country I see a great confusion about what being a Christian really is. The truth is that you are not a Christian if you just say that you are. You are a Christian IF you live according to what the Bible says in it's entirety. It is the Bible alone that reveals what God expects. It is Jesus Christ's expectations that matters not the pastor at your church or on TV. It's not the seemingly wise family member or friend who always talks about Jesus and God stuff. It is not the opinion of the politicians, hollywood stars, scientists, or economists that matters. It's not your opinion that matters. It is the Bible alone that has the ultimate authority on our lives. It is not the Bible and the book of Mormon. It is not the Bible and the Catechism. It is only the Bible. I understand if this last statement is hard to accept if you are not a Christian, but if you call yourself a "Christian" and this bothers you then beware! Those above verses are for you. There is a song called, "The Real Jesus" by Downhere that speaks of all the many Jesus's that are popping onto the scene but the message of this song is: just give me the REAL Jesus! Believing in the REAL Jesus makes you a REAL Christian.
A real Christian believes that Jesus Christ is the one true GOD. That it is Jesus Christ who created this world and you and me. A real Christian believes that GOD is THREE seperate persons IN ONE: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Much like the SUN or WATER or MAN each have THREE seperate parts but are still considered ONE. A real Christian believes that Jesus is the only way to heaven and that there are not many ways to heaven. WHY? Because NO ONE in all of history has died and rose again from the dead as Jesus has. NO ONE has proven themselves as GOD except Jesus Christ. NO ONE has showed more love then Jesus Christ. The Bible says in John 15:13: there is no greater love then when a man lays down his life for his friends. A real Christian believes that Jesus is the only way to heaven because he is the only one who lived a SINLESS life and therefore is the only one worthy to save souls. Jesus Christ is the only one who died for the purpose of saving humanity from their SIN NATURE and then rose from the dead to prove that he is the one true God. A REAL CHRISTIAN LIVES BY FAITH IN THESE THINGS and the Bible says it is impossible to please God without faith.
A Christian is REAL if they believe in all of these things and the rest of what the Bible teaches and follows Jesus daily in a repentant life.
Jesus said that not everyone who thinks they are a Christian will enter the kingdom of heaven. There will even be those who performed miracles and healed and cast out demons that are cast into hell because they were false Christians. If this doesn't rattle your heart then I don't know if anything will. When I read Matthew 7 I sober up because it is warning religious people to stop being religious and start getting right with Jesus Christ with a sincere heart of humility. Only the pride in your heart will keep you from receiving Jesus as who he really is.
Friday, February 22, 2008
IT'S NOT SAFE TO DIE!
DEAR FAMILY & FRIENDS,
This may very well be the hardest thing I ever write, but to help you understand the urgency I feel and the motive in my heart to warn you, I can share with you two scenarios from a book I just read called "23 Minutes In Hell" by Bill Wiese.
I. Imagine you are sleeping in a hotel room, and it's very early in the morning. Someone starts yelling, "FIRE! FIRE!" You not only wouldn't mind that person waking you up, but also you would be extremely grateful for the warning if there was a real fire. The inconvenience and unpleasantries you would experience would be welcomed in exchange for your life.
II. Try to imagine how you would feel if you were sitting beside a pool and saw a tanker truck pull up with some evil-looking men in it. The men got out of the truck and began to drain the pool water about half-full. Then they filled it back up with another liquid from the large truck. However it's not water --it's acid! You watch the men throw a wooden board into the pool, and the board immediatly disintigrates. Obviously, these men are planning on killing whoever jumps into the seemingly harmless pool. Then the men drive away. A few seconds later, some children come running up to the pool to swim. You immediatly scream and warn them of the acid in the water, but they don't believe you. You desperatly yell, telling them to stay out of the pool. However, the water looks great to them--it's inviting. How frustrated you would be! You couldn't let them jump in, even if they insisted. You would feel compelled to do whatever it took to save them.
It would be nothing less then criminal if someone knew there was impending danger ahead and did not do everything in their power to warn and stop those from moving into harms way! The phrase, "With all due respect" would take on a whole new meaning in these critical moments. And so it is with all due respect and love for you that I write to you with this urgency and obligation to warn you to avoid the coming danger by doing what's necessary.
This is not a joke.
Do you realize that there is a real fire to avoid and it's not your local wildfire. It's much worse and has a much greater threat on you then just burning up all your stuff. This fire is in a very real place called Hell. I mentioned Bill Weise. This man had a real life experience in hell that lasted for 23 minutes back in November of 1998. I just read his book and his experience is horrifying and unmentionable. What he describes is like nothing you or I have ever experienced or want to experience. Not only that but everything he experienced is not new news. Actually it's all found in the bible which is the one book that has been warning all humanity about this place for millenia.
Think on the following words and try to put the real meaning back into them. Try to feel what these words really mean and convey and remember that our societies and cultures and methods have watered down and desensitized us to the true meaning and context of words throughout the ages but mostly in the last 50-60 years:
APPOINTED // ASSIGNED // BODY IN HELL // DARKNESS // DEGREES OF PUNISHMENT // DESTRUCTION // ETERNAL SEPERATION // FEAR // FIRE // BURNING // HELL // HELL DESOLATE // NO LIFE OF ANY KIND // HUMILIATION // SHAME // LOCATION // HOPELESSNESS // NO MERCY // NO PEACE // NO PURPOSE // NO REST // ODORS // STENCH // PIT // PROFANITY // RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT // THIRST UNENDING // TORMENT IN HELL // WORMS // WRATH // WEEPING // KNASHING OF TEETH // ANGER // HATE // PAIN // NO LOVE // TERROR // EVIL // BITTERNESS // NO WATER // DEMONS // NO FOOD ...
These words are describing what happens in this place called hell and it is all going to last an eternity for those people who do not repent or turn away from their sins and place their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you have lied, stolen, cheated, lusted after a person, used God's name as a cuss word, have lived a sexually immoral life, you are guilty of breaking God's moral law: The Ten Commandments, and you will be guilty as charged as you stand before God who is the Righteous Judge. I plead with you to get right with God today, right now!, by receiving his free gift to you. His free gift is his son Jesus Christ. He is the one who chose to die in your place and you must receive him into your heart by faith. If you place your faith in him and confess that you are a sinner and ask him to forgive you he will do so. By doing this He will become Lord of your life and you will choose to live a repentant life daily and choose to take up your cross daily. You will choose to stop living for your self and will live for his will. Please read my posts Have You Made Your Final Decision Part 1-4 and The Best and Final Decision to help you understand more of this serious decision.
There are close to 400 references about Hell in the bible. Consider some of these warnings:
Revelation 21:8 - ...all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.
Matthew 10:28 - Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
2 Peter 2:4 - ...cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness...
Job 31:3 - Is it not destruction for the wicked, and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
Deuteronomy 32:22 - For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell.
Isaiah 38:18 - For Hell cannot thank you, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
Ecclesisastes 9:10 - ...for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave.
Amos 5:18-19 - It will be darkness and not light...leaned his head on the wall, and a serpant bit him.
Psalm 74:20 - ...for the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.
Also, consider these quotes in light of what the bible is talking about:
"He who provides for his life but takes no care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever"- John Tillotson
"Sin and hell are married unless repentance proclaims the divorce"- Charles Spurgeon
"A lot of people are rooting for me to go to heaven. Why? Because if I go, then everybody goes!"- Jerry Springer
"Between us and heaven or hell there is only life, which is the frailest thing in the world."- Blaise Pascal
"There are two kinds of people: Those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."- C.S. Lewis
"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned or unprayed for."-Charles Spurgeon
"Satan...will do everything in his power to hold people captive in sin and to drag them down to the prison of eternal seperation from God."- Billy Graham
"Hell is a place of unrelieved torment and horrible misery...a place of impenetrable darkness...a place of fire...a place of unrelieved torment for both body and soul. Hell will be horrible for everybody there, but some people will suffer more than others."- John MacArthur
It is not an accident that you are reading this.
Your soul is very valuable to Jesus. He does not wish that you go to hell and he has proven this by his death on the cross. His choice to die for you is what has made it possible for you to escape hell. But in order to obtain a gift you must receive it. You must receive Jesus by faith. If you reject this narrow way of escape only pure justice will remain to judge you and hell is that place you will be appointed to.
My friend, in the same motive that I hope success for you and the best that life has to offer I also hope you choose life in Christ.
Only in Christ is it safe to die!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
ARE YOU AWAKE?
I read a devotional recently titled: The Test of His Coming. To sum it up would be to say that when Jesus arrived on the scene the first time not many people were in the right heart and mind to recognize who he really was. After reading this devotional my mind went directly to the few who were waiving palms around Jesus as he was riding into Jerusalem on the donkey. Can you see this picture! To understand the picture is important. On that day of arrival, very few people recognized that Jesus was indeed the Messiah that all the prophecies were pointing to in the major prophet’s writings. It’s obvious that these people were reading their bibles and were waiting and watching for the prophecy to unfold. I imagine that these people were familiar with the heart beat of the word of God. How else could they be at the gate worshipping and praising Jesus as King already, especially if he was on a donkey? Yes, they recognized Jesus by all the miracles he had done for the 36 months prior, but because they were in the word watching and studying and putting the signs together they were at that very special place; the place where Jesus rode into Jerusalem. I often ask myself and I ask you also: Would we have been one of those at the gate welcoming Jesus as the Messiah, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as the Long Expected One? Or would we be at church, eating dinner at home, at the local bar, or living in sin? Whatever the case I hope we would be quickened to be AWAKE so we could see where we really needed to be which is at the gate with a palm and a voice proclaiming his praise! Something inside me says we can answer that question now and it’s dependant upon how we are preparing and expecting for his second coming. You see we are now in the same scenario awaiting Jesus’ second coming as the people were in Jesus’ time awaiting his first coming! And now our minds should flash to the story of the Ten Bridesmaids in the gospels. If you don’t know this parable please work to understand it, because it reveals the heart and mind we must be working for in these last days before Jesus returns.
Matthew 25
Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
1 "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids* who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.3 The five who were foolish didn't take enough olive oil for their lamps,4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 "At midnight they were roused by the shout, `Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!' 7 "All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, `Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the others replied, `We don't have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, `Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!' 12 "But he called back, `Believe me, I don't know you!' 13 "So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
Are you AWAKE? Is your Lampstand trimmed with OIL? If you are not careful and proactive to study the scripture and know its heart beat in context the world we live in today will speak in your ears loudly, flash in your eyes brightly, and will fill your other senses completely drowning out the urgent call to prepare yourself for your Bridegroom. The time is nearly hear when Jesus will ride into this world again. Let’s be AWAKE and TRIMMED with OIL for the Long Awaited One. Do not let your heart be moved or shaken when the things Jesus warned of begin to shake this world. Only let your heart be moved by Jesus Christ through the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit.
I read a devotional recently titled: The Test of His Coming. To sum it up would be to say that when Jesus arrived on the scene the first time not many people were in the right heart and mind to recognize who he really was. After reading this devotional my mind went directly to the few who were waiving palms around Jesus as he was riding into Jerusalem on the donkey. Can you see this picture! To understand the picture is important. On that day of arrival, very few people recognized that Jesus was indeed the Messiah that all the prophecies were pointing to in the major prophet’s writings. It’s obvious that these people were reading their bibles and were waiting and watching for the prophecy to unfold. I imagine that these people were familiar with the heart beat of the word of God. How else could they be at the gate worshipping and praising Jesus as King already, especially if he was on a donkey? Yes, they recognized Jesus by all the miracles he had done for the 36 months prior, but because they were in the word watching and studying and putting the signs together they were at that very special place; the place where Jesus rode into Jerusalem. I often ask myself and I ask you also: Would we have been one of those at the gate welcoming Jesus as the Messiah, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as the Long Expected One? Or would we be at church, eating dinner at home, at the local bar, or living in sin? Whatever the case I hope we would be quickened to be AWAKE so we could see where we really needed to be which is at the gate with a palm and a voice proclaiming his praise! Something inside me says we can answer that question now and it’s dependant upon how we are preparing and expecting for his second coming. You see we are now in the same scenario awaiting Jesus’ second coming as the people were in Jesus’ time awaiting his first coming! And now our minds should flash to the story of the Ten Bridesmaids in the gospels. If you don’t know this parable please work to understand it, because it reveals the heart and mind we must be working for in these last days before Jesus returns.
Matthew 25
Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
1 "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids* who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.3 The five who were foolish didn't take enough olive oil for their lamps,4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 "At midnight they were roused by the shout, `Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!' 7 "All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, `Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the others replied, `We don't have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, `Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!' 12 "But he called back, `Believe me, I don't know you!' 13 "So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
Are you AWAKE? Is your Lampstand trimmed with OIL? If you are not careful and proactive to study the scripture and know its heart beat in context the world we live in today will speak in your ears loudly, flash in your eyes brightly, and will fill your other senses completely drowning out the urgent call to prepare yourself for your Bridegroom. The time is nearly hear when Jesus will ride into this world again. Let’s be AWAKE and TRIMMED with OIL for the Long Awaited One. Do not let your heart be moved or shaken when the things Jesus warned of begin to shake this world. Only let your heart be moved by Jesus Christ through the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
PSALM 128
The way for me to get out of a bout with discouragment or to break a bad habit or to eliminate unbelief in my life is to open up the bible and start reading it and to start talking to God about my problem. That's because God's word is like water and it has never failed me. But even when I know this I continue to neglect it more than I would like to admit. The truth is I'll never know how much the words of the bible will FULLY cleanse me until I dive into it. I mean like dive head long into it without any string attached without anything competeing against it in my heart! I desperately need to start reading the bible like I read my favorite magazines, or like I watch my next blockbuster movie, or search the internet for the latest current events around this tumultuous world. How passionate are you towards your media entertainment compared to God's word? What's the quantity and quality of time that you spend in the bible vs your media or shopping? If you're like me your quantity and quality time is spent away from God's words doing other things. This is called idolatry and it is a serious problem.
Idolatry is a serious problem because it removes God's rightful place in our lives, and the result of this is disastrous. So even though I have been convicted about this in my walk with God I haven't done too much about it. God has allowed me to do this media thing and at the same time he is allowing me to experience the disastrous consequences of it. Which could be described as a very subtle and slow chipping away of all that is good. It's like nicotine or caffeine quick addiction but slow health decline. As a Christian, I hate that I have something inside of me still that won't prioritize my time with God and give him complete Lordship of my life. This is something God is still working out of me. So I finally decided to shut my door and start reading and praying to God to help me come out of this media thing and back to him in a right relationship. And God in his faithfulness sang a song to me in Psalm 128. I have to say that all along this journey of putting things before God that he, in his caring faithfullness, has shown me exactly what is at risk of being eroded away. All of which are the most important things to me: My relationship with Christ emotionally, spiritually and physically, My relationship with my wife and children and their health and quality of life, my work, the bride of Christ, Jerusalem. These are truly the things in my personal life and heart that matter most. And so this song God sang to me was Psalm 128 and it is a song that consists of everything that is crucial to me but in its right condition. The word of God has started cleansing me because it brings hope. Everything he told me I was slowly losing by putting this media thing before him will be restored IF I do my part. My part is the first verse of Psalm 128. It says it all and it is where I am going to plant my heart. Please pray for me if you are one who can identify with this struggle. I don't want anything to be before God's rightful place in my life.
1 How joyful are those who fear the LORD— all who follow his ways!2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!3 Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home.Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.4 That is the LORD's blessing for those who fear him.5 May the LORD continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.6 May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!
The way for me to get out of a bout with discouragment or to break a bad habit or to eliminate unbelief in my life is to open up the bible and start reading it and to start talking to God about my problem. That's because God's word is like water and it has never failed me. But even when I know this I continue to neglect it more than I would like to admit. The truth is I'll never know how much the words of the bible will FULLY cleanse me until I dive into it. I mean like dive head long into it without any string attached without anything competeing against it in my heart! I desperately need to start reading the bible like I read my favorite magazines, or like I watch my next blockbuster movie, or search the internet for the latest current events around this tumultuous world. How passionate are you towards your media entertainment compared to God's word? What's the quantity and quality of time that you spend in the bible vs your media or shopping? If you're like me your quantity and quality time is spent away from God's words doing other things. This is called idolatry and it is a serious problem.
Idolatry is a serious problem because it removes God's rightful place in our lives, and the result of this is disastrous. So even though I have been convicted about this in my walk with God I haven't done too much about it. God has allowed me to do this media thing and at the same time he is allowing me to experience the disastrous consequences of it. Which could be described as a very subtle and slow chipping away of all that is good. It's like nicotine or caffeine quick addiction but slow health decline. As a Christian, I hate that I have something inside of me still that won't prioritize my time with God and give him complete Lordship of my life. This is something God is still working out of me. So I finally decided to shut my door and start reading and praying to God to help me come out of this media thing and back to him in a right relationship. And God in his faithfulness sang a song to me in Psalm 128. I have to say that all along this journey of putting things before God that he, in his caring faithfullness, has shown me exactly what is at risk of being eroded away. All of which are the most important things to me: My relationship with Christ emotionally, spiritually and physically, My relationship with my wife and children and their health and quality of life, my work, the bride of Christ, Jerusalem. These are truly the things in my personal life and heart that matter most. And so this song God sang to me was Psalm 128 and it is a song that consists of everything that is crucial to me but in its right condition. The word of God has started cleansing me because it brings hope. Everything he told me I was slowly losing by putting this media thing before him will be restored IF I do my part. My part is the first verse of Psalm 128. It says it all and it is where I am going to plant my heart. Please pray for me if you are one who can identify with this struggle. I don't want anything to be before God's rightful place in my life.
1 How joyful are those who fear the LORD— all who follow his ways!2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!3 Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home.Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.4 That is the LORD's blessing for those who fear him.5 May the LORD continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.6 May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Compelled by His Kindness...
It is an impossible thing to fully express how kind God is to adopt a person as his child when they come to believe in His Son Jesus. But those who do confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of their life have come to know a little bit of His awesome kindness because of the unending grace and mercy they receive in their new life with Christ. Their new life is rougher not smoother then before because the love they have for themselves is still there fighting against the new way they are to live...which is to love and choose Christ in ALL things. Their new life is rough because it is to be lived strictly through God the Holy Spirit's strength but their natural strength keeps rising up. It is rough because it is not easy or popular to live for Jesus Christ...the One who said, " I Am the Truth."
And so the one who is experiencing this spiritual battle is the one working out their salvation with fear and trembling. They wake up, live life and go to sleep working to beat down their old flesh through the Spirit of God. In this daily battle the reality brings both victory through obedience and at times set backs by choosing sin, but it is at those places of victory and defeat that the child of God still sees the awesomeness of His lovingkindness. They see that the ultimate battle of life and death has already been won through Jesus' death on the cross and Jesus' life through the resurrection, and by this they know without a doubt that they have been forgiven of all their past, present and future sin. They know they are dying with Jesus daily and that they will be raised with him in a moment. They know they already have victory through Christ's works and not their own. They come to learn that God is truly Kind.It is this kindness of God expressed through His Son Jesus Christ that compells a person to turn away from their self pleasing life to a life that is God pleasing. It is God's kindness expressed through His Son Jesus Christ that fuels the heart to hate sin and to sincerely turn away from it. The one who loves God will not turn away from Jesus Christ. The one who believes in Jesus Christ loves Him and will not keep on sinning. The reason to keep trudging ahead is because of his kindness towards us!
The following quotes are by Francois Fenelon in the book The Royal Way of the Cross. Fenelon's books are mostly an archive of personal letters that were written by him to his friends during the late 17 century. I have been blessed reading Fenelon because he cuts to the chase in regards to how we naturally love ourselves more than Jesus himself. He helps the mind bring its spinning wheels down to the ground so there's more potential for faith seen in action.
“Do you want the consolation God can give, or do you want God Himself?”
“What right do we have to complain? We suffer from an excessive attachment to the creature-above all to self. God orders a series of events which detach us gradually from the creature first, and finally from self also. The operation is painful, but our corruption makes it needful, and therefore it is we who suffer so keenly.”
“That is false humility which believes itself unworthy of God’s goodness and dares not look to it with trust. True humility lies in seeing our own unworthiness and giving ourselves up to God, never doubting that He can work out the greatest results for and in us.”
“You wait to be familiar till God shows a smiling face; but I tell you that if you will open up your heart thoroughly to Him you will cease to trouble about the aspect of His face. Let Him turn a severe and displeased countenance upon you as much as He will, He never loves you more than when He threatens, for He threatens only to prove, to humble, to detach souls.”
“Leave it all to God; it is not your business to judge how He should deal with you, because He knows far better than you what is good for you. You deserve a certain amount of trial and dryness. Bear it patiently! God does His part when he repulses you. Try to do yours too, and that is to love Him without waiting for Him to assure you of His love for you. Your love is a guarantee of His; your confidence in Him alone will disarm Him, and turn all His severity into tenderness. Even if He were not to grow tender, you ought to give yourself up to His just dealings, and accept His intention of nailing you to the cross in union with His beloved Son, Jesus.”
It is an impossible thing to fully express how kind God is to adopt a person as his child when they come to believe in His Son Jesus. But those who do confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of their life have come to know a little bit of His awesome kindness because of the unending grace and mercy they receive in their new life with Christ. Their new life is rougher not smoother then before because the love they have for themselves is still there fighting against the new way they are to live...which is to love and choose Christ in ALL things. Their new life is rough because it is to be lived strictly through God the Holy Spirit's strength but their natural strength keeps rising up. It is rough because it is not easy or popular to live for Jesus Christ...the One who said, " I Am the Truth."
And so the one who is experiencing this spiritual battle is the one working out their salvation with fear and trembling. They wake up, live life and go to sleep working to beat down their old flesh through the Spirit of God. In this daily battle the reality brings both victory through obedience and at times set backs by choosing sin, but it is at those places of victory and defeat that the child of God still sees the awesomeness of His lovingkindness. They see that the ultimate battle of life and death has already been won through Jesus' death on the cross and Jesus' life through the resurrection, and by this they know without a doubt that they have been forgiven of all their past, present and future sin. They know they are dying with Jesus daily and that they will be raised with him in a moment. They know they already have victory through Christ's works and not their own. They come to learn that God is truly Kind.It is this kindness of God expressed through His Son Jesus Christ that compells a person to turn away from their self pleasing life to a life that is God pleasing. It is God's kindness expressed through His Son Jesus Christ that fuels the heart to hate sin and to sincerely turn away from it. The one who loves God will not turn away from Jesus Christ. The one who believes in Jesus Christ loves Him and will not keep on sinning. The reason to keep trudging ahead is because of his kindness towards us!
The following quotes are by Francois Fenelon in the book The Royal Way of the Cross. Fenelon's books are mostly an archive of personal letters that were written by him to his friends during the late 17 century. I have been blessed reading Fenelon because he cuts to the chase in regards to how we naturally love ourselves more than Jesus himself. He helps the mind bring its spinning wheels down to the ground so there's more potential for faith seen in action.
“Do you want the consolation God can give, or do you want God Himself?”
“What right do we have to complain? We suffer from an excessive attachment to the creature-above all to self. God orders a series of events which detach us gradually from the creature first, and finally from self also. The operation is painful, but our corruption makes it needful, and therefore it is we who suffer so keenly.”
“That is false humility which believes itself unworthy of God’s goodness and dares not look to it with trust. True humility lies in seeing our own unworthiness and giving ourselves up to God, never doubting that He can work out the greatest results for and in us.”
“You wait to be familiar till God shows a smiling face; but I tell you that if you will open up your heart thoroughly to Him you will cease to trouble about the aspect of His face. Let Him turn a severe and displeased countenance upon you as much as He will, He never loves you more than when He threatens, for He threatens only to prove, to humble, to detach souls.”
“Leave it all to God; it is not your business to judge how He should deal with you, because He knows far better than you what is good for you. You deserve a certain amount of trial and dryness. Bear it patiently! God does His part when he repulses you. Try to do yours too, and that is to love Him without waiting for Him to assure you of His love for you. Your love is a guarantee of His; your confidence in Him alone will disarm Him, and turn all His severity into tenderness. Even if He were not to grow tender, you ought to give yourself up to His just dealings, and accept His intention of nailing you to the cross in union with His beloved Son, Jesus.”
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