In The Name of Jesus

John 16:23 “Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.”-

“In Jesus Name we pray” is often quoted at the end of a prayer request. Praying in Jesus Name is not some formula that guarantees that a request will be granted. It is easy to take this passage of scripture and insist that God grant our request just because we ask in Jesus Name. The Father desires to give us what we need, but He also knows what is good for us. The Father is not a “Santa Claus” that will give us all of our whims and fleshly desires. He will give us what we need to make us more like him. If we ask Him to give us of His Spirit, He will gladly pour it out to those who have surrendered their lives to Him. His Spirit will not be poured out to those who continue in their sin and desire only power to enhance their ego. Praying in Jesus Name is to recognized that He is Lord of our life and His desire is our desire. When we pray, we want the will of God to be done, and if we pray for the will of God, we can pray in Jesus Name and be confident that He will answer prayer. 

The Lord is My Rock

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”-

In times when life beats me down and things go wrong, He is my Rock! My stabilizer in a time when life is shaking all around me. We face things in life that are bigger than us. Our resources are limited and our energy is depleted. The waves from the sea are overwhelming. Stress on every hand, conflicts at work, relationship with those we have always counted on, have been washed away. Financial circumstance become heavy when unexpected expenses arise. These are just some of the things that cause us to worry and fret about tomorrow. In our own strength, we fall short, but He is our strength, He is our deliverer, we have a buckler that will shield us from the enemies attacks. The key to deliverance is trust. I will trust Him. He is my Rock, and will be with me until the storm passes by.

What is This?

Ex 16:15b “What is this?” For they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them, “This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”-

God does not always give us what we expect. We pray and ask God to provide us with our needs, and when He answers, it is not always in the way we thought it would be. We may ask like the Israelite did, “What is this? This is not what I asked for”. Following God wherever He goes will often require us to accept things that are out of the box or out of the norm. God works in ways that are beyond our understanding and He always knows what is best for us. The next time God does something for us beyond what we expect, our attitude should be, “What is this blessing that God has provided, He is so good!”

Tried in the Fire

But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”-

The refining and purification of gold requires that it be melted down to allow the impurities to rise to the top and be scummed and removed. Being placed in the fire of God’s refinement for whatever reason causes us to almost always ask, “Why?”. What is God trying to teach us or show us? We examine our hearts to see if sin is the cause. “Did we do something that has displeased God?” We reflect on our obedience to God and we have been faithful to live righteous lives. These were questions that haunted Job. He was left with no explanation and had only one recourse, and that was to trust God in spite of the circumstances. Job learned that God need not answer to any one, He controls the universe and the destiny of the world is in His command. He is sovereign and knows the beginning to the end. He is the alpha and omega, the first and the last. Nothing happen that He does not already knows and has it all under control. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I know the one who hold tomorrow in His hand. 

From the Fountain

James 3:10,11 “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth from the same place sweet water and bitter?”-

Is it possible for a true Christian that loves God to praise God one day and the next day use profanity and speak ill-will of someone else? Paul did not think so. He says that a fountain either has sweet water or it has bitter waters. Which one is it? It cannot be both. It is not the natural course. A person who has experience the love and grace of God will show forth actions that will reflect what God has done. The words we speak, are the words we think. What we think is what is in our heart. It is true, that in our humanity that our bodies can reach a point of stress that our natural reflects can cause us to react too quickly, but such actions can be the results of involuntary impulse. As Christians, we must guard what we say and how we say it. Always remember to speak that which is kind and up lifting. Our tongue must come under the influence of the Holy Spirit. May we be careful to always reflect what we say to please God and honor others.

My Members

Roman 7:23 “ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”-

The battle between doing good and doing evil. Born of Adam’s race, we our all born with sin dwelling in our hearts. Before coming to Christ, our consciences convicted us when we would do wrong. To ease our guilt, we did our best to start doing right and commit our actions to works of righteousness. The struggle is real. We were born to serve God and the inward man that was born of God desires to please its Creator. It strives to live with a conscience that is void of offense. A new Christian who knows that Christ has forgiven their sins is quicken by the Spirit and is empowered to walk toward the light of God. A believer who is consecrated to God and who has given their life as a living sacrifice will rely solely on the Holy Spirit to overcome sin and self. Because we still are human with human desires, the temptation to do wrong will always be possible. Satan takes that which is good and will twist it for evil, but our members are yielded unto holiness and our hearts are changed to seek what God wants. 

Prodigal Son

Luke 15:20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”-

The story of the prodigal son exemplifies that God never gives up on us. That He is constantly pursuing us with His love and grace. Our hearts are broken when we see our children leave the Father’s house. Children who stray away from the teaching of God’s word and leave the fold of God do so of their own free will. The story of the prodigal son conveys to us that even if you are raised in a good godly home that their is no guarantee that one will follow God. Sin is enticing, and Satan will do his best to lead people away from truth. The Father never ceased to love His son, It shows that no matter what we do in sin that God will not forsake us. As long as we have breath, we can choose to rise up and return to the Father’s house. He will not turn us away. Eternity is forever, and living this life wandering in sin will have eternal consequences. It is a matter of choice, we can live in our sin, or rise up and head on home. The Father awaits with open arms.

4:00am-

Holy Example

Phil 3:17 “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark those who so walk, as ye have us for an example.”-

There are those who we look up to and admire. We hold them in high regard because they have been an example of someone who lives in the Vine. They are real people with real problems, but their spirit shines in the image of Christ. Their walk with Christ is not necessarily flawless, but they always manage to come through victoriously. We see them go through rough times, but their trust in God is unwavering. In spite of what happens to them, they continue to fight in faith, believing God that all things will work together for good. There are those who are looking to you and me as examples of the faith. They will follow our footsteps, and it is our responsibility to be a holy examples to them. Hold on to God’s unchanging hand, don’t give up the fight, others are following behind us. 

A Humble Spirit

Phil 2:3 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than himself.”-

Giving up our right to be right. Sometimes standing for what we think is right is not worth the division it will create. Compromising our opinion in matters that are not eternal is not a sin. Moving forward with God often will require us to put our own idea on the shelf, listen to others and help implement. God’s work is often hinder because of someone’s ego or pride. They are seekers of vainglory, always wanting the preeminence. A believer who is walking close to God will be sensitive to the needs of others and will give preference to those his/she works with. Lowliness of mind is to put aside what we want, take the back seat at let someone else drive. A humble spirit will take a stand for what is right in a spirit of meekness. 

All Thing Are Of God

2 Corinth 5:18 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”-

It is difficult at times to see that God is in everything. Is God in the bad things that happen in life? As with Job, God knew what Job was going through, He allowed Satan to test Job and try his commitment. God did not cause the bad things to happen, but God does allow all things to happen. He is before all things and by Him all things consist. (Col1:17) All things that are and all things that happen. Evil is allowed because God gave man a free will and the results of man’s sin brought spiritual death to man. The things that are done because of sin are not of God, but sin brings forth death and destruction. There are some thing that God allows to happen, and there are somethings that happen because of sin. Even though man has sinned against God, He desires to have a relationship with His creation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to take the penalty of our sin that we may be reconciled back to God. Closing the gap between a holy God and sinful man. He has now put in our heart the love to reach out to others to show God’s love. We are now ambassador for Christ, reconciling the world back to God.

Strong Meat

Heb. 5:12 “ For at the time when ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, and have become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”-

The danger of not growing spiritually is not being able to discern what is good and evil. This spiritual apathy of not growing in your faith over time can lead to apostasy, or turning your back on that which brought you spiritual life. It is important that a new born Christian slowly begin to change their spiritual diet from milk to meat. The rudiments of Christianity teaching is to know that Jesus is God, came to this world to save sinners. That all humanity is lost in sin and needs the blood that Jesus shed on the cross to save them from their sins. This is the fundamental of faith and foundation of sound doctrine. Growing in the teaching Christ is to be grounded and totally surrendered to obeying God. Learning the walk of holiness. Coming to a place in our lives where the Holy Spirit can help us consecrate our life to be a servant of Christ. Letting the Holy Spirit deal with the self-life in our hearts. The meat diet will put perfect love in our hearts to love God with all our hearts and our fellow neighbors likewise. The meat diet will does not perfect our humanity, but it sanctifies our motives to always desiring to obey His word and live blameless before God. My prayer is, “Give me more meat Lord.” That I may discern what is good and evil. 

7:00am- 10:00pm

Following Jesus

Luke 9:59 “And He said unto another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.”-

Following Jesus is not just a metal consent of your mind that Jesus is God, or that God is real. To follow Christ is to let go of all former relationships and make Him Lord of your life. He is now the focus of your life, where He leads you, you will go. Following Him take priority over family and friends. This may lead to some misunderstanding among those who are not following Christ. To those who know the Savior, they understand that following Jesus and living in His word is the most important thing in life. When we follow Him first, He give us perspective on how to treat others and it is only then that we can truly have a relationship with others that will glorify God.

I Am The Door

John 10:9 “I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”-

To enter into the Kingdom of God one must pass through the door. Heaven’s gates are open only to those who have right of passage. Many will attempt to find their way to God through some other way. They will claim that the way to eternal life and peace is to be a good person and treat people with respect, others will say that as long as you are sincere in your worship to a god, you will be allowed to enter into heaven. Those who don’t want to offend anyone, will say that their are many ways to God and that Jesus is not the only way. There are those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but require that getting through the doors of heaven one must follow all the rules of the church, rules that were man written. Jesus is the only Shepherd that stands at the door of heaven’s gate and all who desire to enter into the shepherd fold must do so through Christ. For those who enter, they listen to the voice of the shepherd and desire to obey His word. It is a witness of God  that the sheep know their shepherd because they hear His voice and follow. All who refuse to listen and follow do not belong to the Shepherd. They are pretenders and they will be revealed as the black sheep in the day of judgment.

Hold On

Rev. 3:11 “Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”-

Hold on! It will not be long before the return of Jesus. It is tempting to just give up the fight. Satan knows that his days are numbered and he is doing all he can to cause the faithful to let go of truth and the battle against sin. Holding fast to what God has given in through Christ. Holding on to His love and grace, holding on to what is true and right. We must not give up on those that we have been praying for salvation. We have a crown of righteousness given to us because we have been washed in the cleansing blood of Christ. We must not let the things of this world distract us from serving God and keeping His commandments. It is possible to let go and loose your soul, but through God grace we can hold fast to eternal life and believe God to keep us in the hour of temptation to give up.

Loved By God

Roman 5:8 “But God commendeth His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”-

What value does a sinner have? A person who is self-centered and lives to please their selfish desires is difficult to even like. All who are born to this world are born with sin in their heart. The symptoms of this nature is seen even in little children who hardly know they are even doing wrong. As sinners, we do not measure up to God’s holiness, we are yet sinners and the wages of sin is death. But God who reaches out to us in our lost  condition loves us. He made us in His image, and values what He made. Sin has twisted that image, but His love toward us wants to redeem that image, to transform it into the image of Christ. His love was willing to send His Son, Jesus to pay for our sin and take on the penalty that we deserve. Christ died for us, to set us free from sin. Where we were once sinners, we are now made partakers of His love and remade into His image.  No longer sinners, but loved by God and a child of the King. 

My Salvation

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation”-

My salvation comes from God. When I needed to be rescued from the wages of sin, it was the salvation of God that saved me from what I deserved. I was lost and undone without Him. I found my salvation at the cross of Jesus. He who loved me and took my sin and bore it on the cross, died to save me. He became my Savior, my Salvation. I no longer have to be afraid when faced with eternity. My sins have been forgiven, He has put in my heart a new song. I now depend on Him for my strength and help in time of trouble. He is my Salvation, my Rock, I will praise you, for you are my God!

Freedom

John 8:31-32 ““If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”-

Freedom is knowing Jesus and being set free from the bondage of sin. Sin is a task master that drive us to do things that seek to satisfy our fleshly desires. We are made in the image of God and made to serve the Lord. Sin has corrupted our nature making self is the most important thing in our life. The world is in bondage, and Christ is the only answer to set it free. His Word teaches us to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is truth and to those who abide in the Vine and live by this truth are set free from all that will destroy the soul. Seek Truth, seek God, and life will no longer be the same.

The Father Knows

Matt 6:8 “ Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him.”-

God the Father already knows what we need. We often wonder if He even hears us. We cry out in desperation, pleading for Him to meet our needs. It is His desire that we ask Him and depend on Him for our needs, but He does not hold back those desire without good reason. He knows what will make us stronger and what things will pull us down. We must not be presumptuous in our asking. We ask with a heart that is submitted to the whole will of God. He knows what is best and will give us the desires of our heart if it will make us stronger and draw us closer to Him. 

The Lord Stood With Me

2 Tim 4:17 “Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me”-

Loneliness and feeling forsaken by others can be a depressing emotion. People get busy with their lives and it is easy to forget that there are other people who may be going through some difficult times. There are times that we may be walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and everyone around us is clueless of the battles we are fighting, or the lonely walk we trod. Paul sat behind prison walls and there were few who took the time to go see him. He was human and no doubt he was confronted with temptations of self pity.  He did not cave in to those thoughts, he remembered his calling and mission that God gave him. He believed he was doing God’s will and trusted God to take him through. He was not alone, God stood by his side to comfort and strengthen him. Even in valley, He is there, He will never leave us alone, no never alone. A comfort to know that God is there, even when others have forsaken us. 

The Will of God

Matt. 26:39 And He went a little farther, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”-

Accepting the will of God is not always easy. Doing what is right can sometime bring about consequences that are unpleasant. We struggle with knowing what the will of God is for our life and for life’s situations. Our human reactions to life’s circumstances is to minimize the hurt or discomfort. We avoid anything that causes pain or suffering. We will go out of our way if we know the way will be hard. It is human nature, but our spirit is not subject to the flesh, but is submitting to that which is spiritual. The natural man will find the way of least resistance, the spiritual man will find the will of God and pursue it. The pursuit may lead to difficult times and suffering, but doing the will of God is to know God and to identify with Him. 

Angels of God

Psalm 91:11 “For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.”-

I have never seen an angel, but it does not mean they are not present. Angels are sent from God to protect those who love Him and desire to serve Him. An angel may also be sent to someone to show them the error of their ways. As the Angel of the Lord was sent to Balam to keep him from making a wrong decision. God created angels to worship Him as we read in Isaiah where angel bowed before the throne of God, crying out “holy, holy, holy”.  Angels also execute His charges to watch and keep us in the way we should walk. Angels are not human, even though they often take on human form. There are countless stories from those who received assistance from someone who then quickly vanished from their sight. Wether theses being were actually human or not, can always be speculated, but none the less, God sends “angels” to us in time of need. I don’t know if I will ever seen an angel in my life time, but I believe that God has an angel that watches over me, and will come to my aid in the time my need.

The Rapture

1 Thess 4:16 “For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;”

This could be the year that Jesus returns to earth to rapture those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. It has been over 2,000 years since Paul wrote these words of hope and anticipation. It is still true today, The Lord is coming back to this earth some day. We know not the hour or time He will return, but His return is imminent. We live in a day where we can see the signs of His coming. Our own nation is increasingly becoming a nation where Christ and His word are no longer valued. The idea that all religion lead to eternal life or to a better place after death is the accepted teaching in our society. There has always been war and rumors of war, but we now live in a global international world. The middle east is in continual unrest, and Christian are being persecuted for standing for Christ and truth. Our hearts desire that all will come to the knowledge of Christ and be saved. We cry, “Come Lord Jesus, come” The end will soon be here, this just may be the year.