The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This is the most wonderful and joyous time of the year. In a world of troubles on every hand, trials, tests in our every day life, threats of war and terrorism, we can still have hope. Jesus came from heaven to us as a child born of the virgin Mary so we could have hope. Hope of salvation and a right standing with God. Jesus gives hope because He will be with us through all that we experience here in this world. Hope that there is a better place to live when this life is over. There is so much hope for those who know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. We don't have to wait till we die to experience the joy and power that comes into our lives when we ask Jesus to forgive our sins against God and invite Him to come into our lives and take charge of us. The birth of Christ we celebrate this month means that God so loved us that He sent His only beloved Son into our world to save us and then fill us with His presence in the person of His Holy Spirit so we could live our lives here in His power.
John 3:16 (NKJV) 
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

Romans 5:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
No other religion has what the Christian faith has. That is a risen Savior. Think about that! I wonder why so many would refuse to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all who would believe in Him.
Romans 5:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Christmas means we can have eternal life through Jesus Christ.
John 10:28 (NKJV) 
²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. This verse says salvation is a gift from Jesus.Why would anyone try to please God by their works instead of receiving the free gift of eternal life that Jesus wants to give everyone who believes and asks for it. The bible tells us that our works will never be sufficient for our salvation. Works can not change a sinful heart.

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV)
⁶ But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. 
This verse tells us there is no work man can do to please God.
The birth of Jesus Christ means we can be made right with God and live with Him forever when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Not only have we been given salvation through Jesus but He has made us heirs of God and joint-heirs with Him.
Romans 8:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
¹⁷ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are His? If the Spirit of God bears witness that you are His child then this is the most wonderful time of the year. You can celebrate Christmas with all joy because you belong to Him and you are an heir of His and a joint-heir with Christ. There is much more to come when this life is over.
 If the Spirit of God does not bear witness with your spirit then Christmas has no real meaning for you. Your eternal destination will be Hell. But the good news is that there has been born a Savior which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11 (NKJV)
¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
If you will confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you, then you will see why this is the most wonderful time of the year. You will have a home in heaven when you leave this world. Jesus invites you to come to Him and let your soul enter into His rest. Stop struggling against God and be made right with Him.
Matthew 11:27-30 (NKJV)
²⁷ All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 
Christmas is not about our gifts to each other which will soon become old , but it's about God's gift of salvation to us in the person of Jesus Christ, His Holy Son.
If you have never asked Jesus to forgive your sins, just say "Dear Jesus, I realize that your word tells me I am a sinner. Romans 3:23 (NKJV) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
I ask You to forgive me. I invite you into my heart to take charge of me and help me to live for You. Grant me a home in heaven when this life is over.
Thank You Jesus for saving me." Then you will have the most wonderful blessed Christmas you have ever had.

Provision For Your Needs

As you read this article you have some kind of need in your life. It may be a big need or a small need, but we all have needs. Notice I said needs and not wants. There is one sure way to have all your needs met. In fact it is the only way to have them all met. Many times we think we have a physical need when in reality it is a spiritual need. When we get the spiritual part of our life right then the physical needs God will supply. There is only one source for all mankind's needs. The bible tells us that God will supply our every need.       Philippians 4:19 (NKJV) 
¹⁹ And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

For God to supply our every need we must be seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness.               Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 
³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
 His promise in this scripture is all the things you will need in life will be added to you. So if you have a need seek after God's Kingdom and His righteousness. You seek after God by first of all coming to know God by entering into a  personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. You do this by asking Jesus to forgive your sins against God. Then invite Jesus into your life to take charge of you. Then be baptized and begin to attend regularly the church where you are baptized. Begin to read God's word daily, pray daily, and live your life in obedience to God. When you come to God through His Son Jesus Christ you become a child of God.

Galatians 4:6-7 (NLT) 
⁶ And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
⁷ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Let's look at those scriptures. Verses six says when we become God's children, God sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. The Spirit of God's Son in us prompts us to call out to our "Daddy, Father." Now we are no longer slaves to sin and the devil, but we are God's own children. Then verse 7 goes on to say that since we are His children, God has made us an heir of everything He owns. Our Father God owns it all because He made everything and He keeps it all together. Now if God is our Father, is there anything He would withhold from us. 

Romans 8:32 (NLT)
³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Look at this verse. What a promise God has given us! Not only did God give up Jesus for us, but He goes on to say that He will give us everything else we need through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

So, we conclude from God's word that there is nothing He will not give us who are His children. So, if you are God's child, you will never have a need that God can't meet. Your part  is to seek God's kingdom and His way of  righteous living and all the other things you need will be added. This is God's word to us. Don't listen to the devils voice any longer. Our part is to believe what God has said and seek after Him and His righteousness. Then we can claim God's provisions for our needs. There is no where else to go to find the things we need in life. No one or no thing can give us all the needs we have in this life and the life to come.

Get your needs met by getting to know God in a personal way as described earlier in this article and then live for Him by the power of His Spirit He has placed within you. When you do these things, God will keep His promise to meet your every need.

 Philippians 4:19 (NKJV) 

¹⁹ God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He said it, let's believe it and then receive it by Christ Jesus our Lord.

I close by praying for all your needs to be met according to God's word because He can not lie. Seek God daily and watch what happens. What have you got to lose but your needs. Believe and receive in Jesus' name. Amen! Hallelujah!

Is God Able?

This is the question we will all have to face in our lives at one time or another. As we face the trials and tests of this life on earth, we will all be looking for an answer to help us out of, around or through every situation. When people have tried all the things the world has to offer and those things have failed them, then they will look to God with this question. Is God able to deliver us from what we are going through? Is God able to do anything with this mess in my life? This happened to the Israelite's as they journeyed through the wilderness.                                                                                                                                        Psalms 78:19 (HCSB) 
¹⁹ They spoke against God, saying, “Is God able to provide food in the wilderness? As you read this chapter you will find that they had seen God deliver them time and time again. He gave them water from the rock in the wilderness. He sent them manna  from above to eat and sustain them while they were in the wilderness. God had delivered them from bondage in Egypt by parting the red sea. He led them by a cloud in the daytime and a cloud of fire at night. He had worked so many miracles for them and took care of their every need but in verse 19 they still questioned God's desire and ability to provide for them through every circumstance and situation. We look at this and wonder where their brain was. We don't understand how they could question God's ability to provide for them at all times because of what God had already done for them in the past.                                                                                                      Psalms 78:41 (NKJV) 

⁴¹ Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. Their attitude deeply hurt and wounded God's heart. Their actions tempted God to let them wander in the wilderness for 40 years. And their actions limited God from acting on their behalf then and in the future.  

But, are we guilty of doing the same thing? Are we tempting God to let us wander on in our misery, pain, and suffering? Has God reached the limit of His ability in your life and is not able to lead you on to new places and new resources and new developments? Surely He can do new things in all of our lives. The bible tells us with God nothing is impossible.(Luke 1:37)     

Yes, God can do new things in our lives. Unheard of- hidden things that will bless us. May we enlarge our hearts and not tempt or limit God from doing His work in our lives. Think of it, the only thing greater than God's ability to move in our lives is the limits we impose on Him through our unbelief. Yes, you and I can limit the very God who made everything and who keeps it intact. We must desire and believe God to work in our lives. Then we will see great and mighty things we know not. We will miss many pitfalls and problems in our lives as we allow Him to lead, guide, and direct our way. We must ask and look for unheard of things. We must set our faith on Him. He  is more than ready to do wonderful exploits in our lives and the lives of our families and those around us. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask or think according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20)

God is ready and willing to surpass all our expectations as we trust and believe in His willingness and ability to do great things in our lives. 

If you don't know God personally and you have never been forgiven of your sins against Him, you can come to personally know Him and have your sins forgiven by asking Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and by inviting Jesus to live in you, take charge of your life and do these great exploits in your life. Read the scriptures at the bottom of this page to help you understand what you need to do.

He is waiting for your decision, what will it be?  

Remember God is able!

Limiting the Ministry of Jesus

John 4:11 (NKJV) 
¹¹ The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
Just like the woman at the well we can limit Jesus' ministry in our lives by not understanding who Jesus really is, the power He has, and not understanding His care for us. He is unlimited in His ability to do for us what we really need in any circumstance or situation we find ourselves in as the woman at the well found out. The thing that limits Jesus' working in our lives and situations is us alone. Sometimes the well of our problems, worries and doubts are so deep we don't think Jesus can draw anything good from them. The woman at the well had a life of many deep troubles and problems, but when she allowed Jesus to draw out of her bad situation, she received the most wonderful gift of eternal life which changed everything in her life for the best. When we think and say our situation or circumstance is to deep for even Jesus to draw anything good out of it, we limit His working in our lives. Suppose our hearts are deeply troubled and we read God's word where Jesus says " Let not your heart be troubled." Then we say, but Lord even You can't draw up comfort and quietness out of this trouble.  Mine is an impossible situation. Jesus does not draw up anything good out of human resources. We must remember that His supernatural abilities are unlimited. He will bring what resources we need down from above out of God's unlimited supply. We limit God by holding on to past failures and disappointments. We must open our hearts to what God is trying to do in our lives. When we doubt God's ability or desire to move in our situations, we limit what He wants to do in our lives. Then we forget that God loves us with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV) 
³ The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
Any limit to God's working good in our situations and circumstances comes from within our hearts, not from God's inability. We have to come to the place in our lives that we allow God to do in our lives what He tells us in His word that He wants to do. He loves us this verse says with an everlasting love. Everlasting means just what it says. God will never change from that promise because He can not lie. No where in the word of God does it ever indicate God will withhold His blessings and favors from those who seek Him with all their heart. In fact, God tells us as His people what His plans are for us in His word. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV)
¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
¹² Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
¹³ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Look at these scriptures and then believe them with all your heart because God cannot lie nor does He ever change. Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.                                                                                                                                                  

God says He thinks thoughts of peace and good toward us. He will never change His mind about that. Believe it! Then He says He wants to give us a wonderful future and a hope. That hope is based on the word of God. This is God's will for all of those who belong to Him. Those that have confessed and repented of their sins and asked God's Son Jesus Christ to forgive them. Those that have invited Jesus to live within their hearts and are trying to live for Him each day. If you haven't received the salvation Jesus provides, then do it now. Read the scriptures at the bottom of this page and act on them. Those who have already received Jesus' salvation, are you limiting God's working in your life because you have slipped away from that close relationship you used to have with Him? You are not as interested in the things of God as you once were. You can change all that right now by asking Jesus to forgive you of that. Verses 12&13 of Jeremiah tell us that if we call upon God and pray to Him, He will listen to you. (verse 12) That's His promise to you! He also says if we seek Him we will find Him when we seek for Him with all our hearts. (verse 13)

Beware of your sinking back and saying-"It can't be done;" when you know it can be done if you look to Jesus. The well of our incompleteness is great, but we must make every effort and look to Jesus as we seek Him through the word of God. Remember the scriptures we have read. Let's believe God and seek Him with all our hearts and experience the blessings and favors of God as they flow into our lives and change our situations. Do not be guilty of limiting God in your life. Stop and pray right now! Invite God to invade your life with His presence. You will be glad you did. 

Time Alone With God

I would like to ask you a personal question. How much time alone do you spend with just God and you away from all distractions? Since I am not there to look you in the eye you can be honest with God about that question. The reason I ask is because I see so many Christians going and doing for God but never take time themselves to get alone with God and just relax and enjoy His presence. God wants to spend time alone with each of His children. He is more than happy to have us take time with Him. We can not serve in the power of the Holy Spirit if we never take time alone with God to let Him talk to us and fill us with His Spirit. God is wanting us to take more time with Him so He can fully bless us. He is jealous over us and our time.
The bible says in: Galatians 5:17 (NKJV) 
¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another. Each day of our lives we have to make a decision to do what God wants or do what we want. We are free to make our own decisions because God will not make you do anything. We are also responsible for the decisions we make. If we do what God wants we are fully blessed of Him. If we choose to obey self, we suffer loss because God will not bless our choices because without Him to help us we will always make the wrong choice. That's why we need to spend time alone each day with God. It makes for a blessed day whereas if we don't spend time with God we pay the price with pain and misery of one kind or another. God is not punishing us, we just will not have His blessings for our disobedience. All choices have a consequence attached to them. If we could just begin to realize it's not God's fault when things go wrong, but it is due to our wrong choices. Time alone with God will make us strong to stand up to the trials and troubles of life.

The bible says in:  Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.The filling of the Spirit is a continual filling, not just a one time filling. We will face something each day that we must have the fullness of God's Spirit in us if we are going to handle those situations that surprise us in life. If we are not filled with God's Spirit we will wind up frustrated and upset. We will give up. To be filled with the Spirit each day takes time alone with God. The filling of the Spirit does not come automatically. We have to break away from the hustle and bustle of the day and take time to be in God's presence where we can hear Him speak to our hearts and minds. This also helps to keep our focus where it belongs which is on Him and not the worries and cares each day might bring.
We have a personal invitation from Jesus to each of us in:  Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) 

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Look at those verses! What an invitation! If we heed this invitation we will be blessed as He promised. The yoke represents our daily frustrations and cares. The burdens of life. He promises He will share our concerns as we allow Him to share that burden with us and He will give us the soul rest we need to keep from fainting under the pressures of life. What a wonderful Savior and Lord. Help your self and take time to be alone with God. You will be glad you did. Your life will change for the better and you will be able to face whatever comes your way with Jesus' help.

There may be some of you who are reading this and you don't even know Jesus as Savior and Lord. You do not have His blessings on your life and you will not go to heaven when you die. But the good news is you can change all that right now if you choose to do that. Simply acknowledge that you are a sinner as the bible says we all are.  Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.Ask Jesus to forgive you and ask Him to save you from Hell. Then invite Jesus into your life and let Him take charge of you and He will share your burdens and you will begin to overcome those things in your life which now seem to hold you down. You will experience the most wonderful blessings from God when you make Jesus your personal Savior and Lord. He will always be with you to help you. He will never leave you.  Hebrews 13:5b (NKJV) 

^{5 b}For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

     You will want to go to church and make a public profession of your salvation. Then be baptized and begin to attend services there. 

Jesus said if you are ashamed of Him He would be ashamed of you before the Father.                            Mark 8:38 (NKJV) 

³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Don't be ashamed of Jesus but tell everyone that will listen. He will not be ashamed of you when you stand before God.

May God help each of you to do what He is telling you to do in Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

           

How Desperate Are You For God?

This article is for those who are desperate for the presence of God in your life? Are you growing in your relationship with God or have you lost Him along the way?  If you have lost a sense of the presence of God in your life or if you don't have a desire for the things of God such as reading your bible daily or praying or attending church you must go back to where you lost interest and find it again. If you don't you will stay a miserable person. At this point of going back and revisiting the past, find where you lost interest in God and then develop a new desire for God that will change your life. Desire means-a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment: 
The writer of Psalm 42 had this desire for God.

Psalms 42:1-4 (NKJV) 1.  As the deer pants for the water brooks,So pants my soul for You, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God?"

⁴ When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went
with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

David here is in the wilderness running for his life and he misses the times he had with God when he could go and worship in the temple of God. In those days the Temple was considered the only place to worship God and be assured your prayers would be answered.
He remembered what good times he had in God's presence. Today we can experience the presence of God where ever we are.
Nothing will fill your longings and cravings like the fullness of God's Spirit. If you have been born again by the Spirit of God, His presence is within you. But it could be you have quenched God's Spirit by sin in your life, or through neglect of reading His word, or through the lack of prayer and church attendance or all of these things. God word says He wants to richly bless you. But you must be desiring -(longing-craving) God as the most important thing in your life. Have you ever stopped and thought about how much of the things of God you are missing out on and what you could have if you had a close relationship with Him? Our relationship with God is like a marriage in the respect that it can either be a good or bad relationship determined by how much both love and desire to be with each other. A good marriage is one where both desire the best relationship they could possibly have. God desires a very intimate relationship with you. The question is, do you have that same desire for Him? So how do we have this intimate relationship with God as He desires for us? The word of God has the answer!
James 4:8 (NKJV) ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts,
you double-minded.
We are to draw close to God first as it says here by cleansing ourselves of sin or in other words, stop sinning.
We are to purify our hearts by not having a divided loyalty to the world and God. We must give up the things of the world that take our attention away from God and the things that pertain to Him. We are to give God first place in our lives. He must come before anything else. We must stop changing our minds about our relationship to God and it's importance. We must stop this one minute we want God, next minute we want the worldly things.
When we make up our minds to do these things, we are in for the blessings of God and the sweetness of His presence in our lives. I have been a Christian follower of God for a long time and I can honestly say there is nothing to compare to a very intimate relationship with God. I ask you to truly consider where you stand with God at this point in your life.
If you are not a born again follower of Jesus Christ, you will never have the peace and blessings of God on your life, but you can change that right now by asking Jesus to forgive your sins against a Holy God. Tell Jesus you are sorry for your sins and you invite Him to live in you and take charge of you. Then be baptized in His name and begin to live for God and watch your life change. You will become a new creation in Jesus Christ and you will begin to desire more of God in your life.
Christian, if you truly belong to the Lord why would you not want to draw as close to Him as you can. I pray you have a desire for God like you have never had before and you will seek Him with all your heart. He says in His word that if you seek Him you will find Him.Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) ¹³ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. We truly need God in our lives like never before to face the challenges of today. My pray is for you to experience the presence of God in your life every day as you draw close to Him. 

Power and Provisions of Jesus

As we look at Matthew chapter 5 we can see what all Jesus has provided for us who belong to Him and for those who will receive Him as their Lord and Savior. We have much to thank Jesus for. Let's look!
Matthew 5:3-12 (NKJV)
³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 
First in verse 3, Jesus makes it possible for us to inherit the kingdom of God.


Second in verse 4,Jesus turns our mourning over our sin and it's consequences into comfort that we are forgiven.
Third in verse 5, Jesus made it possible for us to inherit the earth. We will rule and reign with Him when He sets up His Kingdom here on earth.
Revelation 20:6 (NKJV) 
⁶ Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Fourth in Verse 6, Jesus made it possible for those of us who hunger and thirst to see righteousness done to be filled, or in other words He will provide these things for us eternally.

Fifth in verse 7, Jesus made it possible for us to be merciful to others. We could never do this in our own strength.  He also made it possible  for us to receive His mercy forever.

Sixth in verse 8, Jesus made us pure in heart by His sacrifice for us on the cross, so we could see God and live with Him through out all eternity.

Seventh in verse 9, Jesus has made us peacemakers toward all mankind and has made us sons of God.

Eighth in verse 10, Jesus has made it possible for us to endure persecution because He has given us the kingdom of heaven and no one can take it away no matter how much persecution.

Ninth in verses 11-12, Jesus rewards us for withstanding persecution and reviling of mankind. These rewards will be great He said and will last through out all eternity.

What a great Savior and Lord we have in Jesus Christ.

Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord? If not none of these wonderful things will be yours and you won't be able to live this kind of life. Jesus is waiting for you to ask Him to forgive your sins against God. When you are sincere and you ask for Jesus' forgiveness the bible says He will not turn you away. 

John 1:12 (NKJV) 

¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
Will you receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord right now? If you will, He will give you the right to become a child of God and when you die and leave this earth you will be with Jesus and God forever. Every need taken care of through out eternity.

Stop right now and ask Jesus for His forgiveness of your sins and receive Him into your heart to take charge of your life from this day forward. Then to show you are sincere, got to church and be baptized. Worship and praise God there. May God give you the grace to do this.

And Christian, give praise, honor, and glory to Jesus Christ, God's only Son for all these things He has so graciously provided for you. He is worthy of all praise. Hallelujah forever!

Top Priorities In Life?

The title of this article is to get you to think about what your life is all about. What is important to you? Have you ever thought about why you are here? What are you to accomplish in this life? Where you are going when this life is over? God has put eternity in the heart of man. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV) 
¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
If God has put eternity in our hearts then it was for a reason. I believe the reason is for us to live our lives on this earth with a constant thought about our final destination when this life is over, so we could have ample time to prepare for that eternity. So knowing this we should take action to prepare for that eternity which we will all face. That should be top priority in life. Most people go through life with little if any thought about eternity. Yet from this scripture God does want us to not only think about eternity but to make plans for our final destination. Even if we are Christians, we must live our lives with eternity in mind so that we will avoid a lot of sin in our lives knowing we will have to give account of what we have done in this life. Romans 14:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Unbelievers will stand before the great white throne judgment of God and then sentenced to Hell.
Revelation 20:12 (NKJV)
¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Anyone not having received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord will not be in the Book of Life.
 John 14:6 (NKJV) 
⁶ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

They will be judged according to their works and found to be guilty before God. God says no work can give you eternal life. Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV)
⁶ But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. So should not our eternal destiny be the main thing we hope to accomplish in this life? What is man's duty in this life according to the bible? What's the top priority in this life?
 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NKJV)
¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
The one commandment of God we must all keep is to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

 John 3:16-18 (NKJV) 
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
So this should be the priority in our lives. Nothing else matters if we gain the whole world and lose our souls. Mark 8:36 (NKJV) 

³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? So the top priority in life is to make sure you ask Jesus to forgive your sins and then invite Him into your life to take charge of you. Then go to church and be baptized. Make your decision public as Jesus asked us to do.

Those who are Christians should make sure your main accomplishment is to live for Jesus. This should take priority in our lives. Remember that previous scripture that we all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of our lives as Christians. We will either be rewarded or there will be a loss of rewards. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV) 

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Should not this be our top priority in life? Make sure you have your priorities right in this life. Eternity depends on it! Your place in God's kingdom depends on it. Truly without question the things of God should have priority in our lives.

Assurance and Peace

How many Christian's do you know who are unsure of their relationship with God? They do not have that peace in their hearts about their relationship with God. Assurance that every Christian needs is a gift from God. The world would call it peace of mind which means all is well for the future. The bible sets forth the gift of assurance as a certainty, a knowledge concerning one's personal relationship to God. For the believer, assurance is something that God wants each Christian to possess. It is a gift from God to you.
1 John 5:13 (NKJV)
¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. This scripture plainly says that we can know that we have eternal life if we believe in the name of the Son of God. His name is Jesus Christ. This fact brings assurance and peace to the believer. So assurance is an inner consciousness and confidence that we have a right relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. As I said at the beginning so many that call themselves Christian's or believers do not have the assurance of salvation.
It is not honoring to God for us to doubt and have a lack of assurance. You will always be miserable and be a poor witness for Christ. The word of God clearly explains that: Romans 10:9 (NKJV) 
⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

 Romans 10:13 (NKJV)  For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." If we doubt this word from God then we make Him a liar. He says whoever believes in the Lord Jesus' resurrection from the dead and calls on His name will be saved. [This is God's promise to you.]
To ever have the peace of mind and soul, assurance is an absolute necessity. In every area of life you must have assurance of your abilities to  do work, assurances of others love for you. Assurance that you have good health brings peace of mind. God wants you to have joy in your assurance of His salvation of your soul.
God in His word has promised that nothing can separate us from His love.
Romans 8:31-39 (NKJV)
³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
³³ Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
³⁶ As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If you still have doubt, ask Jesus to forgive you and save you for heaven. Then invite Him into your life to take charge of you. If you are sincere, then believe His word.
1 John 1:8-9 (NKJV) 
⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You have been cleansed from all sin. Now begin to live your life in the assurance and peace that God intends for you to have. You are now right with God. Live for Him, go  to church and be baptized if you have not done that, and begin to worship and praise God there. Then over a period of time you will want to serve Him in that church.

Then you will have assurance and peace of mind that you didn't think you could have. You will experience joy unspeakable and full of glory. Hallelujah!

Bringing Happiness To Others

The Holy word of God tells us to love one another. This is the second greatest commandment according to the bible. Peter reminds us of this in his sacred writings in:
1 Peter 3:8-9 (NKJV)
⁸ Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
⁹ not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. Have you ever stopped and thought about how your daily happiness depends on how others express themselves toward you. The looks and tones of those in your own household. The conduct of your fellow workers, the faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the people you rely on. The letters and cards you get, the friends or foes you meet. All these make for a happy or unhappy day.


So turn that around and then think how you and your actions affect others around you and those whom you deal with. Are you adding misery to another person each day by your actions or are you bringing happiness to others and lifting them up with your encouraging attitude.  We as Christians must begin to do as Jesus did and consider those around us and especially those whom we worship with.
Some things that happen in our lives we can't control. But we can control the way we either give happiness or suffering to others. I hope you will consider these things and take it to heart and begin to notice the way you affect others either for good or bad.
As Christians we can call on the power of God's Holy Spirit to help us love those around us. The question we need to ask is what would Jesus have me do? And when we ask that question we get His answer in:
Matthew 22:35-40 (NKJV) 
³⁵ Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
³⁶ "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
³⁷ Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.
³⁹ And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." 

Let us be like Jesus and "love your neighbor as yourself."

If you don't know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord there is no way you can do what Jesus commands. Also your eternal destiny will be Hell and you do not want to go there. If there has never been a time in your life where you stopped and asked Jesus to forgive you and save you from Hell, now would be a perfect time to do that. Ask Jesus right now to forgive your sins against God and then ask Him to give you a home in heaven. Please don't put it off!

Christian, if you have not been loving toward your fellowman, you are not living your life pleasing to God the Heavenly Father. He tells us in His word to: 1 Peter 1:16 "Be holy, for I am holy."

 Just ask yourself how would you like Jesus to treat you as you treat others. When you look at it from His eyes we see the necessity to bring happiness and joy to others.

May God forgive us Christians and move us on to be more like Jesus. That is His plan for our lives.

Romans 8:29 (NKJV)
²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
May you choose to be more considerate of others. God bless you and I and fill us with the power His Spirit to live as He intends for us to do.

Growing In Grace

Have you ever heard someone say "I know Jesus!" What they really mean is they have a head knowledge of Him but they really don't know Him because they hardly ever or never read His word, pray, or spend  any  private time in praise and worship of Him. 2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)  tells us to 
¹⁸ grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. If we have been saved by Jesus Christ then there are no reasons why we should not be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. It is our privilege and duty. We belong to Jesus Christ. We have been purchased by His blood. To know someone well we have to spend some time with them. Could I ask how much time do you spend with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Why would anyone not want to grow in the grace-(unmerited favor) of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Jesus has much more grace He wants to pour out on us. If we don't grow in Christ, the devil will give us misery. The bible says in John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Jesus wants to bless us more abundantly than we could even begin to imagine. But if you are not reading God's word  the devil will steal from you. He will steal your peace, joy, confidence, and weaken your faith in God and His Son Jesus. He will put doubt and worries in your mind because your mind is not being filled with the powerful faith filled words of God. As I said before but it needs to be repeated, how much time do you give God's word and prayer compared to t.v., newspapers, or other books? If you are not growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ then you have become stagnant in spiritual things. You have all kinds of problems that you can't seem to get on top of. You lack God's power in your life and the list goes on and on. Having been saved you know the power of God but you are not now experiencing it. The good news is you can change all the negative things in your life by repenting of  your sin of putting other things before God and His word. The word of God puts power in our lives. Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

It also shows us the way to live the most successful lifestyle. It is a "lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path." 

Let this message penetrate your heart and soul. As a Christian you deserve better than what Satan is giving you. You have to resist the devil. James 4:6-8 (NKJV) 

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

As you humble yourself before God, He will give you more grace. Draw near to God through prayer and bible reading and He will draw near to you. What have you to lose but your misery? May God bless you as you draw closer to Him.

If you are not a Christian you don't stand a chance against the devil because you can't resist him till you submit to God and turn from your sin of ignoring Jesus Christ and your need of His salvation of your soul. If you are ready for a change, ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins against God and for ignoring your need of Him to save your soul from hell. Invite Jesus into your life to take charge of you, and then go to church and tell the pastor you have been saved and want to be baptized publicly. Don't be ashamed of Jesus. Luke 9:26 (NKJV)
²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. Lets all grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He is coming soon!

2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)
^18b To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.  May God bless our every attempt to grow in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Come quickly Lord Jesus! 

Finding Peace In God's Presence

Psalms 46:1 (NKJV)
¹ God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Use your imagination as we study this chapter. Think about what a refuge is. It's a cover from the storm. When I carried mail for the Postal Service I had a walking route for a long time. I remember one day as I was walking along with a load of mail in my pouch when a hailstorm hit. There I was with hail falling on my head. As I looked to my next house to deliver to I noticed they had a covered porch. What a sight for sore eyes. I made a mad dash under that porch for my protection and it protected me from the storm. This is the image you get from verse one of Psalm 46. God protects us from physical as well as spiritual storms. He is always near by. He is A very present help in trouble. You can run to Him and He will protect you and get you through whatever you are facing right now. Run to Him in prayer, come under His cover and cast your cares upon Him.                                                             1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV)
⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
God stands waiting for you to call on Him. He is able to help you overcome any situation you find yourself  in. You must first according to this scripture humble yourself under God's mighty hand. This means to subject yourself to His will and way. If you do He will exalt you over the situation you find yourself in. When you place yourself under God, He becomes your covering from whatever storm you are facing.  Then the second part of verse one says God is our strength. Sometimes we don't have the strength to go on so God becomes our strength. God by His word and by the power of His Holy Spirit within us becomes our strength to go through whatever we might have to face.                                                                                                                                                          Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)      
¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God's word is powerful because when He speaks things are done. Speak and claim His word over your situation right now and watch things change. In the second and third verse the Psalmist King David says God protects from the most severe circumstances so there's no need to fear. Let's look at these scriptures.                                                                                                                                         Psalms 46:2-3 (NKJV)
² Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
So, we are protected by our Father God no matter what we face.Your responsibility in all of this is to make sure you know God through His Son Jesus Christ. If you don't have a personal relationship with God, just ask Jesus to forgive your sins against God and then invite Jesus into your life to lead, guide, guard, and direct you each day. Then God will become your refuge and strength. Then begin to pray and read His word and claim His word over your life. You will find peace within God's presence in your life. He waits for you to respond right now. Call on Him now!

Perfect Peace

As I was reviewing the most read articles of all time on this website I found that more people read the article entitled " Finding Real Contentment." All people are looking for that which will give them the real peace and contentment. Most people have tried all the things that the world has to offer and found those things to be insufficient to bring real peace and contentment. That is because anything found in this world is temporary no matter what it might be. Temporary or material things can not bring real contentment because it comes from an outward source. Real contentment must come from within. The bible says where to find real peace and contentment. Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
³ You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
The key is found in this verse of scripture. Look at what it says. The way to real peace and contentment is trusting in  the God of the Holy Bible. Your thoughts must be fixed on God. This means that we will not think about problems, worries, doubt, and fears of this and that but we will use the plan of action that God calls for in His word. The bible tells us what we can do when we face all those things. It is found in:
Philippians 4:6-7(NLT)
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. There it is. A plan of action that will bring real peace and contentment. Let's break it apart piece by piece.
1. Don't worry about anything. [v:6] Anything means just what it says. Instead of worry which changes nothing, God's plan is for us His people to pray about everything. Everything means everything, nothing excluded.
2. Prayer is simply talking to God and casting our cares on Him because He cares for us.[1Peter 5:7]    Be sure to thank God for all He has done and for what He is going to do. God loves thankful hearts!
3. In verse 7 the result of praying, which is telling God what you need and then being thankful for all He has done and is going to do, is that you will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand. The experience of God's peace supersedes all human comprehension. Why? His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are also higher than ours.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) ⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
4. This peace that comes from God will guard your heart and mind. But notice the condition! As you live in Jesus. Living your life in Jesus means first of all that you know Him as your personal Lord and Savior. This means that you must acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you need salvation. Repent [change your mind about the way you are going and turn to God] and then ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and invite Him into to your life to take charge of you. Just say something like this. Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins againt God and other people. I ask you to forgive me. Come into my heart and save me from Hell. I invite you to take charge of my life. Thank Him for His salvation of your soul. Go to a bible believing and preaching church. Tell the pastor that you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and  you want to be baptized. He will take it from there.
After you are saved you must conduct your daily life according to the way Jesus wants you to. To do this you must read the word of God daily praying before you begin to read. The Holy Spirit of God will then begin to reveal the truth of God's word to your heart and understanding.
5. Then finally verse 7 says that God's peace will guard which means-to give protection; keep watch; be watchful. God's peace will give your mind and heart protection from the things of the world which attack your mind and heart to steal your peace and contentment. God's peace will keep watch over your heart and mind. God's peace will be watchful over your heart and mind. What a promise from God. How could anyone refuse a promise like that.
If you want real peace and contentment you know where to find it.
To repeat what I wrote earlier you will not find real peace and contentment through anything you can find or experience on this earth. It only comes from God. Take it from me and many others who have found out the hard way.
May God speak to your heart whether you are a Christian or not and may God help you to heed this message so He can richly bless your life. God loves you and wants to bring you real peace and contentment. But you must do what these scriptures say and then God will keep His promise to bring you peace and contentment and guard your heart and mind. You have nothing to lose but your worries, doubts, and fears and confusion. The choice is yours! What will it be? Real peace and contentment or more of the same?

The Great Reviving

I have been praying for a revival in this country and in my own personal life. We need a revival now more than ever before. In the book of Isaiah we are told how a revival comes. Isaiah 57:15 (NKJV) 
¹⁵ For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
I. THE REVIVING COMES FROM THE HIGH AND LOFTY GOD.

A. God is the only One who can bring revival to us. He is the High One. There is no one higher than God because He is the who has created all that we see, feel, taste, and touch. He has made the angelic beings that we can not see. He has all power and authority over all.

B. God is the Holy One. Holy means having a spiritually pure quality. It also means entitled to worship or adoration. If we ever have revival it will only come from the High and Lofty One, God Himself.
C. We should never look to man or our own efforts. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) 
¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
This verse tells us to seek God alone for forgiveness and revival. It tells us the conditions to revival. Humility, prayer, repentance or turning from the way we are going and then turning fully toward God. He also in this verse tells us what He will do for those who truly meet His conditions for revival. He will heal our land.

II. Revival comes from high and holy place.

A. True revival comes from God's throne on high. Hebrews 8:1 (NKJV) 

¹ Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV)
¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Let us always remember there will be no move of God except we His people come before His throne in heaven where we will find mercy and grace to help us in this time of trouble.

III. Revival comes for a High and Lofty purpose.
A. Revival according to Isaiah 57:15b is To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

A. Revival is for just what the name implies. It is to revive our spiritually dead condition. It is for the humble. Those who realize we have drifted away from God and His word. We have allowed the things of this earth to take precedence over God and His purpose for our lives. Revival is for those of a contrite spirit or repentant spirit. Those truly sorry for the way we have treated God and His Son Jesus Christ and want God to once again to have the preeminent place in our nation and our own personal lives.

B. Revival is for the purpose of allowing God's blessings and favor to flow to us. God waits to bless us but we must position ourselves for those things to happen. Revival is a spiritual position from which God can bless us as a nation and as families and individuals. Revival is for the purpose of worshiping, praising, and serving God as we never have before. No one can ever get to much of God. Revival is also for the purpose of bringing others to Jesus Christ for salvation. The only way to change this nation is to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When someone comes to Jesus he suddenly becomes a "new creation." 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. When someone becomes a "new creation" he begins to think and act differently. His old sinful ways are replaced with new Godly ways. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit of God that comes to reside in us at our conversion or "rebirth. The Holy Spirit seals us for God. 

Ephesians 1 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

 The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of eternal life.

If you are reading this and you have never been saved or "born again" now is a perfect time. Jesus said you must be born again. John 3:3 (NKJV) 

³ Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The way to be "born again" is to confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you of your sins against God. Then invite Him to come and live in you and take charge of your life. Then you will experience real revival. Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. [John 10:10b]

Christian, have you slipped away from God and His word? Have you begin to do your own thing? Are you facing overwhelming problems that you can't handle? Do you feel God is far away? Turn back to Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive you and revive you to the rightful place you should have as a child of God.

Remember all this comes from the High and Lofty One and from His High and Holy place for the High and Lofty purpose of restoring us to the place where God can pour out His blessings from above.

Revisiting Old Places

All of us at times in our lives have gone back to places we have known in our past that have special meanings to us. We somehow get strength from revisiting those old places. Our memories of a happy joyous time in our lives are revived.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. We need to revisit some of those old places where God has touched our souls in a very special way. For example, got back to the time right before you were saved and remember all the feelings you had at that time. How miserable, wretched and lost you were. You knew something was missing and you at first didn't know what that missing thing was. And then by God's grace He touched your heart by His Holy Spirit and then you knew it was a personal relationship with God that was missing. Then by God's grace you were led to ask Jesus Christ to save you and when you asked Jesus to save you, a miracle happened and you were born again. Revisit that old place where you were saved. Remember what God did for you at that time. You will be reminded of God's love for you. You will be strengthened by the fact that in spite of your sinful condition God sent Jesus to save you anyway.
Romans 5:8 (NLT)
⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Revisit those places of old in your life where there was a special move of God in your life. In other words count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
We have a tendency to get stuck in a rut. That is because we have let the things of the world or some problem to turn us from our focus on God. We have become complacent-[pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits]. We didn't mean to become pleased with ourselves but we have.
We no longer are excited about the things of God as we were at one time. Revisiting old places helps us to remember where we were without God in our lives and then begin to appreciate what God has and is trying to do in our lives right now if we will but only turn back to Him with the passion we had when we first come to know Him.
 By revisiting old places we can begin to regain those spiritual losses we have experienced lately.
Genesis 35:3 (NLT)
³ We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. Jacob revisited old places that were special to him. A place where God moved on his life in a very special way that he could never get away from. His life took a dramatic turn there at Bethel. Even though many things had happened since that experience with God, he still remembered it.
Genesis 35:9-11 (NLT)
⁹ Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,
¹⁰ saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.
¹¹ Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!
After Jacob revisited the old altar he had built to God, he was revisited by God again and there God blessed him again. That's what we are looking for, another blessing from God like the one we had back in our past. So take time to revisit old places in your spiritual life where special moves of God took place and see if you are not blessed again maybe even greater than you were before.
If you have never been born again you can not experience a move of God in your life. You can change that right now by admitting that you are a sinner before God and then ask His Son Jesus Christ to forgive your sins against God and then invite Jesus into your heart to live in you and take charge of your life. I promise you that if you are sincere Jesus will not turn you away.
John 6:37 (NLT)
³⁷ However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. Give your life to Jesus now and you to will have a very special experience in your life that will forever change you and you will have a home in heaven when you leave this earth. You will also begin to experience God in a way you never have before. You will continue to grow in Him until you life here on this earth is over.
You will forever praise and thank God for saving your soul from Hell.

Stand Up For Jesus

As I write this article the newspapers reveal we have a problem in this country that only a God led revival can change things. Other religions are beginning to appear which are very dangerous for this nation founded on Christian principles found in the word of God. Christian people have got to begin to stand up for what we believe or else in a few years there will be no Christianity at all. Does this alarm you? Now the bible says we are not to fear.   2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. So we are not to live in fear but we are to stand up for Jesus our Savior and Lord in power, love, and with a sound mind. When is the last time you personally took a stand for Jesus Christ. Are you to involved in your own little world to see what is going on under our noses. Other religions are standing up for what they believe while we sit idle doing nothing. Do you call yourself a Christian and not attend church? Do you think it is unimportant? What does God's word tell us about attending church? Lets look at some scriptures and see.

Hebrews 10:24-27 (NKJV)
²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. We are to stir one another up. That's what I am trying to do now. Stir you up to love- (Godly love) and good works. How many good works have you done through the church lately? Verse 25 says very plainly to not forsake the assembling of ourselves-(Christians) as is the manner of some but exhort or encourage one another as we see the Day approaching. This Day is the Day that Jesus will return for His church. Verse 26 says "if we sin willfully after we have been given the truth, there is no longer a sacrifice for your sins." That is very strong language. No sacrifice, no salvation. Because salvation doesn't come by our works but by God's grace. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

But it goes on to say after you are saved by God's grace that you will then begin to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The last part of verse 10 says God before He created us planned for us who are saved by His grace to walk in good works after He has saved us. How many good works for God are you doing? These questions are not to condemn but to get you to think about where you stand in the matter of your relationship to God. If you can be unaffected by what you see going on in this nation then that tells you where you stand with God. As I said before we are not to fear but we are to stand up for Jesus in power, love, and a sound mind,- knowing what we believe and why we believe it. That's a sound mind!

Don't think you are not important in this matter of standing up for Jesus. Do your children see you acting like a Christian or not? Do they see that to you any attempt to take Jesus out of school, or government is of a major concern and that you will do everything you can to help put Jesus back where He belongs in this nation.

Psalms 33:12 (NKJV)
¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
The opposite of being blessed is being cursed. Which do you want for this nation which includes you? We can no longer have the attitude that we will leave it to someone else to stand up for Jesus. If we do, we will lose all the freedoms that we now enjoy. Don't ever be deceived that if we hide our heads in the sand it will go away. Standing up for Jesus begins at home where we not only teach our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren that Jesus is the Savior and Lord of our lives we demonstrate it by the way we live and the importance we show to church and spiritual things. Please pray for a great revival in this country that will bring us back to the God of the bible. If we fail in this we are bringing doom on ourselves and our beloved nation. All the soldiers that have died through the years to give us freedom will have died in vain.

We must begin to pray and when we do we are made a promise by God Himself.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
That word "if" is a very big word here. If we do what God says here in this verse then we can expect for God to forgive and restore us to His favor.

So what will it be? More sitting by doing nothing or beginning at home we will change the way we look at the things of God. We will make God and His Son Jesus the head of our homes. Our families and our nation depend on Christians taking God seriously before it's too late and He turns us over to the enemy.

If you don't know God personally through His Son Jesus Christ, stop right now and ask Jesus to forgive your sins against a Holy God. The bible says in Romans 3:23 (NKJV) 

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The way to pay for your sins is to spend an eternity in Hell. But if you so choose you can be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. Please notice that salvation is a gift from God paid for by Jesus Christ, God's only Son.

Romans 10:9-13 (NKJV)
⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
¹¹ For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
¹³ For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Call on Jesus today to make you right with God. The promise is if you call on Jesus for forgiveness, you will-(definitely) be saved. You can count on it!

Dear Jesus, please for give my sins and come into my life and take charge of me. I freely give you my heart and life. Be Savior and Lord of my life from this day forward until I come home to be with You forever. Thank You Jesus for saving me. Amen!

If you have just been saved go to church and when the invitation is given, make your way down that isle and publicly confess Jesus as your Savior and Lord AND tell them you want to be baptized as a sign of your salvation.

Christian begin to take a stand for Jesus Christ. He died to save you and He purchased you by His blood.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV)
¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
I pray God will give us the strength to stand up for Him and His Son, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

IN HIS NAME, THE NAME OF JESUS I PRAY!