The Next Great Event

As people look around today at the events that are happening all over the world, there is a concern about what the future holds for mankind. People read their horoscopes and go to fortune tellers, physics, and palm readers to try to find out the future and what it holds for them. We that are believers in Christ look to God's word. Our future is already determined by the Heavenly Father. God wants us to know and understand His plan for us. God's plan for us Christians follows the example of a Jewish betrothal and wedding ceremony. First, The Father would choose the bride for His son. God chose us.                                                                                   1 Corinthians 1:9
⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The groom would come to the home of the bride with a legal covenant giving the terms of the marriage and the price He would pay to marry the bride. This is the terms for marriage to Christ. Romans 10:9-11 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." Then the groom would pay the price for the bride. It was a costly price. It proved how much he loved her. Jesus paid the price of all He had. He left the glories of heaven and gave Himself on the cross to save us from the penalty of our sins which would lead us to Hell. His blood He shed on the cross paid the enormous price for our sins to be forgiven and gives a home in Heaven to all whosoever would believe in Him.                                                                                                       Luke 23:33-34 (NKJV)
³³ And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."                            Lk. 23:46 (NKJV) ⁴⁶ And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "It is finished!" "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

After the price was paid, The bride would then agree to the terms of the covenant. After the covenant was made, they were betrothed [engaged promised] to each other until groom returns for her. 2 Corinthians 11:2 For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. The couple would seal & celebrate the covenant between each other with a cup of wine shared together.

The Lord's Supper seals and celebrates our covenant with Him. Luke 22:19-20 (NKJV) ¹⁹ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." ²⁰ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Then the groom would leave saying “I go to prepare a place for you and when it's ready, I will return for you. Then the groom would go and add a bridal chamber to his father's house to be used for the honeymoon. Jesus made us a promise that He would prepare us a place and then return for us.

John 14:1-3 (NKJV)
¹ "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Jesus said the way to the Father's house comes through our marriage covenant with Him.                                                               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.

 There are two times when Jesus receives the believer unto Himself.

1.  There is death or the passing of the believer into heaven. Death is a private escort or a private entrance into the presence of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

 "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 

2. Then there is the return of Jesus Himself to gather all His true followers unto Himself. It is this return of which Jesus is referring in to in this passage of John 14:1-3. While the groom was away building the bridal chamber, The bride was to prepare herself during this time making herself as attractive as possible. Revelation 19:8 (NKJV) And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

While we wait for our Groom Jesus, we are to be making ourselves attractive by doing righteous acts.

Many people ask, When will Jesus return for us to take us to the Father's house? Here's a very interesting fact about Jewish wedding tradition: While the groom was building the bridal chamber and someone asked, “When will the wedding take place?” The groom would say “Only my Father knows.” The groom's father determined when the bridal chamber was ready and when the wedding would take place.

When the father determined the chamber was ready, he would give the command for the groom to go get his bride and bring her back to the Father's house.

When the groom came for the bride He was accompanied by His “best man” who would blow the [shofar] ram's horn and announce the groom's coming for His bride. The bride must have her things ready to go with groom!                                Matthew 25:6 (NKJV)
⁶ And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'

This is where we are in God's plan for mankind. This is the next great event in God's plan for His people.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NKJV) ¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.
 Believers are to be glorified in the Father when Jesus returns with the souls of those who have died in Him. There will be a shout and a trumpet blast. The dead bodies will come out of their resting places and be reunited with their souls first and then we who are alive at that time will be caught up in the clouds to be with them and the Lord Jesus forever more. We are to comfort one another with these scriptures.

INVITATION: The time is drawing ever so near for Jesus' return and the catching up of God's saints will be the next great event in the history of mankind. God always lets His people know what He is going to do before He takes action. Paul wanted the believers in Thessalonica to know the truth about Jesus' return and what would happen to those who have already died. God let them and all Christians know thru His word what He is preparing to do next in His plan for mankind. Jesus will return soon! Are you ready for Jesus to return right now? Don't be left behind. You can be ready by confessing your sins to Jesus and asking Him to forgive you and inviting Him into your life. Then be baptized and live for Jesus to prove your salvation is real. Faith without works is dead. Saints, are your looking for His return or are you more concerned about the things of this world. We Christians are to be preparing ourselves as Jesus' bride by doing righteous acts, expecting His return for us soon. Remember, everything here is temporary. It will soon fade away. Only what you have stored up in heaven will count.

Powerful Prayer

Intro: We see so much wrong in this world and we wonder why. The bible tells us the cause of all wrong and what you and I can do about it. We can move the hand of God to help us.

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)
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. Each day we must make a choice. Will I believe God's word and His invitation to come to Him? We can go on in misery or we can take everything, small or great, to God in prayer as He has asked us to. He promised in this scripture to help us in our time of need.

James 4:1-3 (NLT)
¹ What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? ² You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.³ And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. Here is given the reason for all our troubles. In stead of mankind choosing to ask God for what they need, they allow the evil desires within to dictate their course of action. Man's heart will always choose the wrong unless they have been saved by Jesus Christ. Then mankind still has to choose to surrender to God's Spirit within. God in these verses promises to give us what we need when we ask Him for the right reason, not out of our greed. No good thing will He withhold from them who walk (live) upright.

In the book of Jeremiah we have these words. Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NKJV)
² "Thus says the Lord who made it, [the earth] the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name):³ 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

In this passage we are invited to call on the Lord who made and formed the earth. The God of all creation invites us to pray to him. Then He promises that He will answer. Not maybe, not hope so. Another promise God makes is to show us great and mighty things which we do not know. Is your heart full of unanswered questions, then pray unto the Lord and He will answer you. He will show you great and mighty things which you don't know.

1 Chronicles 16:8-12 (NKJV)
⁸ Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
¹⁰ Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
¹¹ Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
¹² Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

We should always remember to give God thanks for all things. We must make known to others the deeds God has done among us. We are to give glory (very great praise and honor) to God's holy name. In verse 11 above God invites us to seek Him and His strength. We are to seek Him evermore for the rest of our lives. We are to be sure and remember His marvelous works, wonders, and judgments which He has done.

Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

Instead of complaining and griping, we are to pray to God always. With all kinds of prayer and earnest request being watchful with perseverance for all the saints.

Effective prayer is that done in the Spirit. With the Holy Spirit prompting us in our prayer.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
In the scripture above we have God's solution to all our problems no matter what they are. Don't be anxious about anything, but take it all to God thanking Him for the answer even before it comes and when we do, God's promise is peace you can't believe with your human mind.

1 Peter 4:7 (NKJV) ⁷ But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 

Invitation: Do you need salvation? If you do, admit your sins against God and ask Jesus to forgive you and then invite Him into your heart. Then tell someone and be baptized. You will have peace with God and the peace of God in your heart forever. What do you need in your life right now? The answer to a problem you are going through. Would you pray and seek God now for the answer? Remember, we have not because we ask not.

Love Never Fails

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
 Love, the bible says, will not fail. Failure is not an option when you live in love. Everything else will fail and cease, but love remains. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV) ¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. When you and I begin to walk in love, we can not fail. It's when we let the flesh (our desires-pride) get in the way. When we love, we are acting like our Father. 1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV) 
⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
We might say, "well, I can't love like God." God says not only you can, but He commands us to love. Jesus said that people will know we are Christians by our love one another. John 13:35 (NKJV) ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." The love Jesus was speaking of was not feelings and emotions, but a determination of the will. Sometimes people hurt us and we can't get our feelings into forgiveness and love, but with the help of the Holy Spirit who indwells us as Christians,  we can make a determination of our wills to love and forgive. When we do, we are being like our Lord Jesus and the Father God. And remember the scripture I started out with "Love never fails." When God says something, He is telling us the truth because He can not lie. When we choose to love instead of being angry and striking back, we become the recipients of God's special love. God always loves us, but this is a special closeness and intimacy we have with Him when we are obedient and we act like Him. You will never be closer to God than when you show love toward someone else. Especially when they don't deserve it. You will never be more like God than then when you choose to love someone else. When we love because we want to instead of we have to, then we receive the blessings of God's special love on our lives. The bible says in Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) ⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
If we sow anger, bitterness, jealousy, resentment, and we fail to love, then that's what we will get in return. But if we react in love, love will be what we reap back in our lives. The scripture I used at the beginning of this article says that tongues, prophecy, and knowledge will fade into the pages of history, they will fail the test of time, but the  amazing, indescribable, eternal love of God will last forever. That means our love for Him and each other, and God's love for us will stand forever bringing to pass His word "Love never fails."
When we live our lives with God's love being expressed in us and we begin to have love for each other, then we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that "failure is not an option" and that's a fact. Begin to pray for God to strengthen you so that you can express His love in you toward others so that you will not be a failure.  And then this passage of scripture will come to pass in your life.  1 John 4:12 (NKJV) ¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. We may not have seen God at any time, but if we love one another, God abides or lives in us, and His love has been perfected in us. May this be true of us all in Jesus' name.
INVITATION: You can not love like this until you have asked the "Prince of love" to forgive your sins against God and then invited Him into your life. Realize that God's word says that we have "all sinned and fallen short of His glory." [Romans 3:23]. Ask Jesus to forgive you. Then say "Jesus, I invite You into my life to live through me and guide me and direct me each day. I freely give you my life." When you do, you will become the recipient of His Divine love and you will be able to share it with others.
I pray a special prayer for all who read this article. My prayer for you is that God will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing so that you will be able to live for Him and love others. Then that which you have sown in others will be returned to you in Jesus' Holy name. Amen!

Why Trials and Tests?

 Most people think that when trials and tests come, God is either angry at them for something they have done and they think God is not near to them and has withdrawn from them. Nothing could be further from the truth. James 1:2-5 (NKJV) ² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 
³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  These scriptures tell us that God is perfecting us so we will lack nothing. When we go through trials or tests, it doesn't mean God is angry with or that He is not with us. He promised in               Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) ⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." God was with Joseph before his brothers sold him into slavery. God was with him when his brothers sold him as a slave in Egypt.  Genesis 39:2-3 (NKJV) ² The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. ³ And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.  God was with him when Pharaohs' wife tried to seduce him and then when he wouldn't yield to her seduction she lied about him and falsely accused him of rape. God was with Joseph when Pharaoh had him thrown in prison because of his wife's false accusations against him.  Genesis 39:21-23 (NKJV)  ²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²² And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 

²³ The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.   The bible says in spite of all the things that had come against Joseph, he grew in God's blessings and favor. It also says that whatever Joseph did, God made him to prosper.                                                                                                                                                   

All Joseph's trials and tests were to prepare him for what God had in store for him. While Joseph was in prison, Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. Pharaoh was told that Joseph would be able to interpret his dream, so Pharaoh sent for Joseph and Joseph told Pharaoh what his dream meant. There would be seven years of plenty and seven years of leanness. Joseph told Pharaoh how to make it through the seven years of leanness by storing up all they could during the seven good years. When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream and then gave him the solution to his problem, Pharaoh exalted him to the position next to Pharaoh himself. Genesis 41:41-44 (NKJV) ⁴¹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
⁴³ And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." 

Then when the seven years of leanness hit the land of Egypt, the land of Israel was also in much leanness. Joseph's father Jacob heard of the grain that was in Egypt, he sent his son's to buy some grain. Genesis 42:1-3 (NKJV) ¹ When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" ² And he said, "Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die." ³ So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. Joseph became instrumental in preserving the nation of Israel that would in time produce the Messiah Jesus Christ. All Joseph went through was not an absence of God's presence,but it was God working in and through all the bad that happened to Joseph to accomplish His will. Genesis 45:4-8 (NKJV)
 ⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 

Are you willing to allow God to work in your bad situation to turn it to good? Instead of blaming God  for your problems, see them as a tool God is using to get you to the place He wants you to be. Will you be faithful to God as Joseph was when you can't understand what God is doing? God has promised us a hope and a future of His blessings and peace. Jeremiah 29:11 (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. 

Know that there will be times of difficulties, but God is working to make you and I more like His Son Jesus. 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.
True success and victory requires forsaking our expectations of what God should do and be so we can live with adoration and trust in God through all we are allowed to face. Remember what King David said about God said in Psalms 23:4 (NKJV) ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 23:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. You are promised the victory over our enemies in verse 5. In verse 6 God promises that goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of our life and you will dwell (live) in God's house forever. We are more than conquers through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV)
³⁷ Yet in all these things, (that we go through on this earth), 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. Hallelujah! Thank You God!

If you have never asked Jesus to forgive your sins against God and if you have never invited Him into your life, now is the perfect time to do that. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV) ² For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Then all God promised in His word will be yours. As that scripture says, you will never be separated from God's love for you which you have in Jesus Christ. You will be the victor in this life and the life to come. God will keep you till you go to be with Him in heaven. I pray God's blessings on all who have taken the time to read this article. May He bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and bring you peace in Jesus' name. Amen! So be it!

The Presence of God Revealed

Jesus Christ by His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins accomplished more than just our salvation when we believed, He also opened the way to God's Holy Presence. Each child that is born again through the forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ's death on the cross and then His bodily resurrection has not only salvation from Hell, but also has access to the very presence of God the Father through prayer. This was made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross. The bible says in Luke 23:44-46 (NLT) ⁴⁴ By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁵ The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 
⁴⁶ Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

Mankind lived in darkness going about in his sin not knowing God and without any way to communicate with the very God that created him. Man stood all alone. He could not see in the dark, not well. He was, so to speak, standing in the world all alone, responsible for his own behavior; and he must face God someday all alone to give an account for his behavior. You can see in the picture below a curtain at the entrance to the Holy Place and then another curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 

  Luke 23:46 (NLT) 
⁴⁶ Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.  When Jesus breathed His last breath, both of these curtains or veils were torn from top to bottom at the point of Jesus death on the cross. The Most Holy Place was the most sacred part of the temple. It was the place where the very presence of God was symbolized as dwelling in a very, very special way. It was closed forever to everyone except the High Priest. Even he could enter the Most  Holy Place only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Exodus 26:33. Their being torn from top to bottom signifies that God Himself tore those curtains to expose Himself to mankind and to let us know that we now have access to Him when we approach Him through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NLT) 
¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
²¹ And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, ²² let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. What a Savior we have in Jesus Christ. He made it possible for those who believe in Him as their Savior to approach  the very throne of God any time from any place 24 hours a day or night, 7 days a week. The door to God through prayer is never closed at all. No matter what the problem, situation, or circumstance, we can take it to God and ask for Him to address our concern and take care of it. Jesus said in John 14:13-15 (NLT) ¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.
¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! ¹⁵ “If you love me, obey my commandments.
If we are living for Jesus Christ, the door to the provisions of God are open to us. We are admonished to constantly seek God's face through prayer. 

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)
⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. We are assured by God Himself that when we do, we will receive, we will find, and the door will be opened to God's abundant blessings.

INVITATION: If you have never asked Jesus Christ to forgive you, then you can not approach God's throne at all. Only through Jesus Christ do we have access to God the Father. Admit your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and then invite Him into your heart. If you are sincere, Jesus will save you and come into your life to lead, guide, and direct you from that day forth. Then you to can enter the presence of God in prayer and ask Him to help you with whatever you are facing and know that you will receive the answer you need. Go to church and be baptized to show you are not ashamed of Jesus and you are sincere in asking Jesus to save you from Hell. Walk down that isle and tell that preacher you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and you want to be baptized. You will be glad you did. Those of you who have already done that, remember that the door to God's Presence is open at all times. He waits for you to call on Him. Don't suffer with that problem you have any longer. Take it to God in prayer. You will be amazed and you will find the help you need. Amen!

God's Grace and Righteousness

How do you go through life? Are you worried, doubtful, afraid, a failure in life? Always barely making it in life! That is not what God intends for you. No matter who you are, God has made provisions for you in this life and the life to come through Jesus Christ His Son. The bible says in:
Romans 5:12-17 (NKJV)
¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--
¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
¹⁷ For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Sin and death entered the world through Adam when he sinned by disobeying God. Adam was born in a perfect environment with all the freedoms a person would want, yet he was not satisfied with all that. He and Eve disobeyed God and thereby brought all the bad things we see today into existence. We are all like our father Adam. His nature is in us so we are all sinners by nature. You may say that is not fair, but the same way, by one Jesus Christs' obedience righteousness came to all who would believe in Him. When Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life, died on the cross and was resurrected, He brought the gift of the grace of God to us all who believe in Him. Just as Adam's one offence brought condemnation, Jesus one act brought righteousness which resulted in our justification. We have been given a home in Heaven.  Every since Adam's sin, we all die because we are all sinners as he was. But by His perfect life and the offering of His body for us on the cross, we all who believe He died as payment for our sins receive abundance of grace. We no longer are condemned in God's eyes but instead we receive an overflowing abundance of His grace. Grace means the unmerited favor of God. We have also received the gift of righteousness. By Jesus' one act on the cross, we have been made righteous in God's eyes. As you look at that verse 17, righteousness was a gift purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. Do you know what that means? Righteousness or being in right standing with God is a gift that God Himself gives us when we believe in His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We will have that right standing through all eternity. Praise be to God the Father and our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! There are millions of people who are still trying to please God by their own works by keeping certain laws and doing certain things that they think will please God. But the bible plainly says in Romans 3:19-20 (NKJV) 
¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The righteousness of God is a gift given to those who believe in God's Son. Romans 5:17 also says that we  are to reign in this life by His gift of righteousness. Reign means royal rule or authority; sovereignty, dominating power or influence. This is the standing that all Christians have in this life. This is God's will for us His children. We are not to go around beat down, worried, fearful, and the like. God has given us through Christ the authority over satan and his demons. We are to exercise that authority Christ has given us. Let's begin with God's help to live like His children. Stop being beat down  when that is not God's will for Christians. We must read God's word each day to learn what we have been given. We must pray asking for God to fill us with His Spirit each day. Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,  The choice is ours. We can go on being defeated on every hand or we can begin to reign as God intends for us to do. I choose to live like God's child with all the authority He has  given me. I pray you too will decide to do the same.

INVITATION: You will always be defeated by the devil if you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. To make Jesus your  Savior, you must repent and turn from your sinful way of life and ask Jesus to forgive you. Then invite Jesus into your life to take charge of you. If you do, you will be saved from Hell and your life will begin to change. He will give you the gift of God's grace and righteousness. Don't go another day without Jesus in your life. Because with Him you will be able to rule and reign in life through Him.

Faith That Moves Christ

Do you have faith that will move Jesus?
Jesus is waiting for you to use it so He can bless you.
In the scriptures below we have the story of a nobleman who exercised what little mustard seed faith he had and received even more than he expected. We should imitate this kind of faith. Let's look at the scriptures.
John 4:46-53 (NKJV)
⁴⁶ So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."
⁴⁹ The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"
⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
⁵¹ And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"
⁵² Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
⁵³ So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. Just like this man we all either have a need or we will have one in the future. This man's problem was he had a sick son who was at the point of death. When he heard about Jesus he decided he would go to Jesus and have Him come to his house and heal his son. This man had to leave his son at the point of death and travel 20 miles one way to where Jesus was. The bible says in   Romans 10:17 (NKJV)  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
 This nobleman had responded to what he had heard about Jesus. That's why I am on this website. To let people know about the love, grace, and saving power of Jesus Christ. If a person hears about Jesus and responds in faith as this man did, they will receive an answer to their prayers. Those scriptures say "he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death." We must come to Jesus in faith which means trust in Jesus to hear and answer our prayers. If the man had not gone to Jesus nothing would have happened and the man's son would have died. You see how important it is that we go to Jesus with our every need. There is no where else you can got to receive what the world can't give. In verse 48 Jesus rebuked the people and the man for only wanting to see miracles, signs, and wonders. Jesus wants us first to come to Him for our souls salvation. In verse 49 the man received Jesus' rebuke and continued to implore Jesus to come with him and heal his son. He was persistent in his request because of the urgency! His little faith thought that Jesus had to be present to heal his son. He was limiting Jesus power to his little faith. In verse 50 Jesus told the man to go his way and his son would be healed. He at this point was at a crisis of belief. Do I go even though Jesus will not go with me. Should I trust Jesus with my son's life. I don't see anything with my natural eyes. The man decided he would trust Jesus and started on his way home when his servants approached him and told him his son live. He inquired what time the boy was made well. The servants told him and the man knew it was the very time that Jesus said " Go your way, your son lives." Then in verse 53 the man believed in Jesus and so did his whole household after he told them what happened. This man knew Jesus not only heals the body but also Jesus heals sin sick souls. What if you decided to take what ever is bothering you or troubling you to Jesus right where you are? What have you got to lose but your problems. You have as much or more faith than this man had. If you don't have any problems right now, you probably know someone who does. Go to Jesus with your request and leave it there and go your way, your answer is coming just as sure as this man's did. The bible says in James 2:17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Put your faith to work. Believe Jesus to hear and answer your prayer. You will be glad you did. For Jesus to answer your prayer you must personally know Jesus as your Savior. If you have not asked Jesus to save you, now would be an excellent time right there in the privacy of your own home. Admit your sins to Jesus, then tell Him you are sorry for those sins you have committed. Then ask Jesus to forgive your sins and give you a right standing with Father God. If you mean these words as you pray you will be saved from the penalty of Hell and you will be given eternal life with Jesus and Father God. Then you can take all your requests to God in Jesus' name and He will hear you. May you trust God with your family because He cares.

True Worshipers

John 4:23-24 (NKJV)
²³ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The scriptures above tell us that God is seeking for true worshipers. If God is seeking for true worshipers then that means of course that there are false worshipers. Which are you? Do you worship God with all your heart or do you just give lip service? I hope you are not one of those. They shout louder than anyone else. They lift their hands higher and longer than others. They may even cry! But when it comes time to give or serve God, they run from the opportunity. A true worshiper prays before the service that he might be forgiven for his latest sins and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ in his inner man where the real person lives. He does this to be able to worship God with a clean heart. He is focused on the words of the music and sings from his heart not just his lips. He is focused on the pastor as he brings the word of God. He listens intently and opens his heart for God to work on him in that area of life where he needs it most. He knows that he is not where he needs to be and he wants to move closer to God in his relationship to Him. In other words he worships God with His inner spiritual self. That part of us that no one can see. We only see the outside. Most want to look good on the outside but are like dead men's bones on the inside. This is worshiping God in the spirit. Our spirit must be influenced and lead by the Holy Spirit as we worship God. There would never be true worship apart from God's Spirit that lives in us. Only God's Spirit knows how to truly lead us to worship God who is Spirit. It doesn't matter where or what day you worship God, but it does matter how you worship Him. God can only be truly worshiped in the truth. Jesus told us what truth is in: John 17:17 (NKJV) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

We can't worship according to the dictates of our hearts, but by the word of God He has given us. God tells us how we are to worship Him and not the other way around. Only God's word tells us who He really is and how He is to be worshiped. Please don't get caught up in the way of error as to how you are to worship God. Do it as you read in God's word and go to a church that worships the same way. God wants to more fully bless our lives but we must get ourselves in a position to receive all that God has for us.

INVITAITON: You can never worship God without a personal relationship with Him. This relationship comes one way, not many as some say. Let's look at what Jesus said is the way to God. 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.
Have you confessed your sins against God? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you? Have you invited Him into your heart? You must be born again to ever see the kingdom of God. 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." YOU are born again when you follow God's word as it is written in: Romans 10:9-10 (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.
O my friend, call out to Jesus today to save you and give you that second birth that we all must have to be able to see the Kingdom of God and enter into it. Time is short. Jesus could return at any time for His church. Be ready or you will be left behind to go through the Greatest Tribulation to ever hit this world. Make your choice today and go to church and be baptized to show you are sincere and then begin to worship God and Jesus there. May God give you the strength to do that.