The Shepherd's Table

Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

     The most important thing to know in any sentence is the beginning, which in this case is God: Thou. The second thing to know is the verb, what action is taking place by the proper noun: setting up and setting a meal on: preparest. God prepares a table before me where my enemies can see.

What is on God's table? Bread, Wine, Water and Meat. Jesus tells us in The Word that He is our Bread, our Wine, and our Living Water. Remember, now, we are speaking on a spiritual level. He told the crowds that we need to eat of His flesh and drink of His blood. He was not speaking literally; because He is God's Son, Jesus speaks a spiritual language. His Word is difficult to take, to understand, if you are not in The Spirit yourself.

     God's table is not for everyone. Only those who believe that His only begotten Son lives. Factually speaking, only those who have invitations are allowed to sit at God's table. These invitations were written in red and tied with gold: it is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His sufferings, His wounds, that we are invited. It is through His resurrection from the grave that we are invited. Where you see a cross, I see a Savior. Where you see a tomb, I see a Redeemer. It is God's Grace on God's Table that is in plain view of our enemies.

     Jesus Christ is our Bread, our Wine, and our Living Water. But where does the meat fit in? Well, now we return to our Scriptures, like always. Besides, do we really ever leave the Scriptures? I believe not, for God's Word is in our hearts, guiding us in His direction; leading us to His treasures, His nuggets of gold and silver, spiritual gold and silver. In John 3:31-38, His disciples are concerned that Jesus has not eaten. His response is in verses 34-38: “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.”

See it yet? On The Shepherd's Table is our life and our life's work: the call to salvation, the call to eternal life, the call to righteousness and the call to service. When the first two are answered, the third becomes a work in progress and the fourth is a given. Tell people about Jesus Christ. Share Jesus Christ with the world, what is commonly known as The Great Commission in Mark 16:15 “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

     I have answered the calls. All four of them. I go into the world via my keyboard. My desk is my pulpit and my congregation is viewed via my monitor. My congregation? The world. My voice is shaky, but my spirit is strong. I love dining at The Shepherd's Table. He is more than my Host, He is my Friend.

And did you notice in Psalm 23:5 where the table sits? In the midst, in the center of my enemies: The Shepherd's Table is in plain sight of those who are against me. Not just me, though; they hate my Shepherd. As He told me, when He met me, “They hated Me and persecuted Me and they will do the same to you.” When He called us to His side, we were not only called to serve with Him, but suffer with Him. And still, I answered the call. But, back to the table.

     There is no need to look up from my seat for I can feel the hate. You know that you can feel this around you, too, if you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior. We are hated for His sake. We are persecuted, made fun of, lied about. It is for righteousness' sake that we have enemies. The unrighteous, the unsaved, the unbeliever in our families, in our workplaces, in our homes, in our governments, has made known to us that we are not welcome.

     Christians world-wide are under attack by the enemies of Jesus Christ. And we who have Christ in us, are the targets. Many of us are falsely accused and thrown in jail or killed. Prisons, prison camps and hell holes are filled with Christians who have been accused of spying, converting, and even speaking the Name of Jesus. There is power in The Name of Jesus Christ. It is powerful and mighty: His Name divides Truth from lies. His Name separates Good from evil. His Name is Light and Life to all who seek and find Him. Even they who seek to kill us are overcome, at times, by His lovingkindness and grace. This is meat.

     To do the will of God is the meat that graces The Shepherd's Table. His meat was to preach, teach, heal, deliver; suffer, be killed, defeat the devil, and rise from the grave. On the cross, He said, “It is finished.” What was finished? The work which God His Father had given Him to do. He had the power to not only lay down His life, but to take it back up again. Our meat? To do the will of God, to take the love of God, Jesus Christ, into the world. To show each and every person the lovingkindness, the mercy, which God gives to each. To share with all peoples the grace which is evident in the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

God's will is that all be saved. God's will is that we are to love Him only with all our hearts, our minds, souls; and to love each other as we love ourselves. And we do love ourselves, don't we? We love to smell good, feel good, believe we are good, and live good. But how often do we love others the way we love ourselves? I bet if that happened more often, the world around us would change, the people around us would change. But in order to get there, we have to set ourselves aside and put God first, instead of ourselves first. To do God's will is to do what God wants us to do, not what we ourselves want us to do. And we can't do that by ourselves. It is not a twelve-step program, it is a one-step.

     On The Shepherd's Table is a bottle of oil. This oil is poured over my head, where it runs down over my shoulders and torso, onto my legs, my feet. It is the anointing of God in my life. As Aaron was anointed for service, so, too, are Christians anointed when they seek the baptism of The Holy Spirit. He is our Anointing. He covers us outside and fills us inside. It is through Him that we are able to serve with integrity in The Shepherd's service. The oil is necessary to our survival and our growth.

     Listening to The Holy Spirit prevents us from turning tail and running away from God, when we become aware that we have enemies that seek to kill us and harm us. Your life may appear to get harder to live. It is an illusion and you need to have faith that God is with you and is able to get you through whatever is making your life so hard to deal with. In this city there is a great cry for something, Someone, greater than what they see or have. Bars on nearly every corner. Drug dealers living next door. Suicide is rampant. And now a casino is being built here. The Church in our city needs to fall on her knees before her God and bring this city to it's knees, also. I would rather see my city consumed with spiritual fire that burns away the dross and leaves only the pure, than see the enemy devour it one soul at a time.

     God's will is for all to be saved. And God's will, God's heart, is my heart, too. The enemies of the cross are every where, and they are outspoken and loud. Getting louder daily. Why are we so silent? What are we waiting for? For them to come knocking on our doors? Dragging us away, too? Did you know that preaching The Word of God is against the law here in America? It is considered hate speech by our enemies. But we are not to deal with them violently, but with love, mercy and grace. We are not the judge, nor are we the jury. We are saved by grace, and it is this grace we are to share with those who are against us.

     When we try to do things our way, we always mess up. And we go running to God to get us out of our scrapes. What we should do, all the time, is run to God first and seek His will in what we are to do next. We need to take our eyes off of who is against us and put our line of sight back on God, back on Jesus Christ, our Shepherd. Stop listening to the wolves, the bears and the lions. Start listening, and keep on listening, to The Word of God. Eventually, His gentle voice will drown out their gnashing teeth and salivating tongues. What did Stephen say, when his enemies stoned him? Acts 7:58 “But he, being full of The Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, 'Behold (look now), I see The Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”

     He preached message of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ to those around him. Being convicted in their hearts, they knew he was speaking Truth. But they did not want to hear the Truth, so they attacked him. Upon stating that he could Jesus and God, they covered their ears with their hands, dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death. Let me tell you something, just covering your ears will not prevent the gospel from reaching your heart. Before Stephen died, he forgave the men who were stoning him. And he forgave them out loud; they knew that he had forgiven them while they were killing him. How many hearts were changed that day at that time we will only know when we reach heaven ourselves.

     The oil, the anointing, does not protect the body from death. But it strengthens the soul within with boldness to continue preaching Jesus and Him crucified and resurrected regardless of outside circumstances. When the body is no longer needed, the spirit and the soul are released, and ascend into heaven to live there eternally with God and with Christ.

     As I look to my right, I see a pitcher of Water. And I know that this is The Living Water which Christ gives to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. It is mine for the asking. So, of course, I ask for this Living Water to quench my thirst. Mmm, it's really good. Sweet and clear, this Water tingles in my mouth and washes over every dry area of my throat and all the way down. Have you ever had spring water? It's clean. No pollutants, no germs, no bacteria  no harmful substances are in it. But as clean and clear as spring water is, it has nothing nor does it even come close to Living Water. As I write, I lick my lips, savoring the refreshing taste of The Shepherd's Living Water in my palate. This is what I have been waiting for.

     As water washes away the dirt and grime and makes us presentable, so, too, does this Living Water wash away my iniquities and transgressions. I am made presentable to God because Jesus Christ is living in me. Because The Holy Spirit is moving through me, uprooting old sins and replacing them with The Word of God: He is making me holy and pure. For it is only when I am holy and pure that I will be able to see God and stay in God's presence. Are you thirsty yet? I am.

     This Living Water is in my cup, and my cup runs over. The Water splashes over the top and into my saucer, onto my hands. Amazing, the healing powers of this Living Water. I am made strong by its strengths. I am made clean by its powers. Created to worship God, serve God, wait on God. Not for God, for He is already here. But on God, for His direction and His timing. This Water clears my eyes of sleep and sleepiness, making me see with clarity and able to understand what I am reading. God is my Praise and my Healer.

     I live to serve with love. Every blessing I receive at The Shepherd's Table is not just mine, but yours and anyone else who listens, who hears the gospel. I am blessed that I may bless others. I cannot bless anyone with anything unless I first come to this Table and receive the blessing for that day which God has prepared for me.

     In the presence of my enemies The Shepherd's Table sits. Daily it is set up for me. Daily we dine together. Daily we are confronted by those who seek to destroy us. They who hate us, lie about us or to us, wish we were dead or dying; they who persecute us, mock and belittle us, seek our end are our enemies. Daily they are with us. Daily we sit at The Shepherd's Table and dine on Bread and Wine and Water and Meat. Daily I study The Word of God in order to bring forth the whole Word and not just a bite of it. Daily I share Jesus with someone, any one who will listen. Daily I am refreshed, healed, called, strengthened, anointed and satisfied, content.

      He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We must do the same. Never leave Him, nor forsake Him. When we stick close to The Shepherd, The Shepherd stays close to us. He is never any farther away than a prayer. And prayers need to be made continually on each other's behalf. When we do pray in the way in which God instructs us to pray, He hears our prayers. Daily praying. Alone, in our secret places, where none can see nor hear. For our conversation is with God, and not with prying ears and eyes. Alone time with God is both priceless and precious. Take advantage of your relationship with God and Christ, and spend some time with them. Now.

Kiss The Son

This one was first shared on Facebook last week with a few verses only, then sent via email with differing verses. You know why? Everything gets delivered fresh.

(KJV) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Psalm 2:12

Has your relationship with Jesus Christ been so sweet, that you just caress your Bible and kiss it? The devil tried to make me feel silly and stupid when I began doing this. He will use any means whatsoever, any tactic, to separate you and I from Jesus. Satan is jealous of God, he always has been; and he is out to destroy whoever belongs to, or is trying to draw near to, God and His Son Jesus Christ. Don't let this snake destroy you. 

What is The Holy Bible? It is The Word of God in print, enabling individuals to READ The Word of God. This Holy Bible that is so carelessly tossed aside by some, is cherished by others. We know: The Word of God is Jesus Christ. In John 1:1-4, 14-17 we see that this is true:

1In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. ... 14And The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of The Father,) full of grace and truth. 15John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. 16And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18No man hath seen God at any time; The Only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. 

That Holy Bible IS The Holy Word of God. In print. Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, The Holy Scriptures were given to men to write. Today, The Holy Bible is printed in thousands of languages and dialects. But not all tongues have heard The Good News, the gospel of salvation. What is The Good News? The gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. And what are Christ's first words after preparing for the ministry which was given Him by His Father? 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Matthew 4:1-9 is the way in which Jesus prepared for ministry. Matthew 4:17 17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

Another word for kingdom is sovereignty. Jesus was preaching The Good News, 'Repent (turn from your wicked ways back to God): for the Kingdom (The Sovereignty) of heaven is at hand (near, close). Words that bring conviction on a person's heart are not scary once you know what they mean. It is not the meaning of the word that bothers us, though: it's the after we repent part: change. This universe is in constant motion, change is inevitable. When our immediate universe is confronted by The Holy Spirit, we need to walk through that spirit of fear and allow ourselves to be changed by The Word of God. 

Repent. Turn away from your sins. Turn back to God. It is a 180-degree turn. It is turning our back on wickedness and evil and facing our God with our hearts wide open. We say, Lord God, I am a sinner. I know I have been disobedient to Your Word. I know I have broken Your law. I am a terrible person. Oh Lord, please forgive me. I did not know before. I was ignorant of Your Word and of You. Please, Lord, take the wicked desires from my heart and replace them with Your Word, with Your Son. Wash me clean, Lord. I believe that Your Son is True. I believe that Jesus Christ is The Only Begotten Son of The Father. I believe that He died for me on that cross; that instead of me being humiliated, tortured and killed, Jesus took my place and died in my stead. I believe that three days later, Christ rose from the dead and walked out of the grave, then later ascended into heaven, where He is interceding on my behalf. Please, God, let me live. In You, with You and for You. Your Word says to see You a person must be holy, so Lord make me holy, 'cause I want to see You. Thank You and Praise You God for Your merciful kindness to me. I who once was lost in my sins am now saved in Your grace. Teach me Your Ways and Your Word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Recognizing that Christ is The Sovereignty of heaven, one would hope that repentance would be instantaneous. But, unfortunately, many who see that this is so will walk away from The Truth. Because not only is their sight unclear, their heart is too full of themselves to make room for one more, especially if that one more is going to change the life they enjoy living. See, we have to want to be changed more strongly than we want to be who we were before we got saved. I bet some of you are put off by the word saved, too. 

There are terms in The Word of God that throw people off, scare them away. It is not God's fault that these terms are off-putting to people: it is the fault of the wolves in sheep's clothing who have infiltrated churches and misused and abused The Scriptures to suit themselves. These people are also known to God as false prophets, false teachers, liars. I am not one of these people: I am one of God's people. You can see when you study Your Word that what I share with you is Truth. Do not raise me up, nor lower me down to their level; it is not I who receives praise, God gets the glory for everything I do. 

We have already seen what Repent means. Saved? John 3:16, 17 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Romans 5:6-11 6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Ephesians 2:1-10 1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Saved from what? The wrath of God. How? Through faith. And faith simply means to believe God Is and that His Word is True. Hebrews 11:1 describes what faith is: 1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is both substance and evidence for the believer, the one who believes that God Is and that His Word is True. 

Saved by grace. And what is grace? It is the gift of God. It is God's lovingkindness exemplified in Christ Jesus, through Him we are saved from the wrath of God. 

God's wrath is for God's enemies. Through Jesus Christ, The Only Begotten Son of The Father, we are saved from that wrath. Nothing you or I, nor any one else, can save us. Only Jesus can save us from God's wrath. And what does God ask us to do in order to receive that gift? Believe. Repent. 

Praise The Lord

2 Chronicles 20 - links to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Scriptures, where you can see meaning of all words, phrases.

Not until the people called upon The Lord God did they get to hear from God, and do God's will (follow God's directions), did they get the victory in the battle that was before them. The enemy against them was of greater force than their armies. Fear began to take hold, but instead of falling on each other, or trying to fight on their own, they sought God in His house. All of Judah, all of Jerusalem came together to seek God and know God's answer. And when they ceased from speaking, they waited. Until God's reply came through one of God's prophets, when The Spirit of The Lord came upon him. "Listen to me. Do not be afraid, nor dismayed: this is not your battle, but Mine," says God through Jahaziel, "Tomorrow go down....near the wilderness. Set yourself in place, take your stand, and see the salvation of The Lord."

At least three nations' worth of armed forces were about to invade Judah and Jerusalem without provocation. For when God had brought His people into the lands initially, He had kept them from invading Moab and Ammon. But here, Moab and Ammon, and descendants of Ammon, decide they will get rid of this people. And what do you think happened? What always happens when God's chosen are come against?

1. God's people come to God's house
2. Seeking God's direction in matters such as this
3. God's people wait for God's reply
4. Praise The Lord for His Word
5. Then do what God tells them to do
6. That Victory might be theirs, also

Regardless of the hour in which God's people are come against, the solution is to seek God's face in your hour of need, and do what God tells you to do. The words of Jehoshaphat ) to Judah and Jerusalem? Early in the morning all they who were come against obeyed The Word of The Lord. Into the wilderness, the battleground, they went. Including the women and children. Jehoshaphat gave this word, now and for ever: "Believe in The Lord your God, so shall you be established (grounded, set on firm foundation); believe His prophets, so shall you prosper (grow, go out)." He chose singers to praise The Lord. All the people worshipped God in that wilderness. Can you imagine the looks their enemies gave each other? Surprise and laughter, perhaps would be a first impression, right? What if you came against your enemy singing God's praises? As that person would take aim to plant one on you, imagine him hitting himself. Now who's laughing?

But that's what happened. As the people sang God's praises, and praised Him for His endless mercies, The Lord God pitted their enemies against each other instead of against God's people. And when Judah came to the watch tower, where one could see for miles if enemies were approaching, he saw no one standing. Nothing but dead bodies every where. Not a single enemy was left standing.

It took them three days to remove all the goodies from the dead. {God's people don't waste anything.)  On the fourth day, they blessed The Lord. With music and singing, they returned to Jerusalem to God's house to worship The Lord. And God gave Jehoshaphat peace in his time, that no one came against the nations Judah and Jerusalem until his death.

That's why we praise The Lord. We believe in The Name of The Lord God for our salvation and foundation. We believe His prophets and our souls prosper, we grow in The Word of The Lord. We can go into God's presence and out again without fear of dying, for we have God's favor upon us. We seek God's will, God's direction for our lives. We wait on His reply before we do anything. We have prayer meetings and gather together in God's house. We worship God together, praise God together, bless God together. We don't do anything alone. We do it together. We are not God's persons, we are God's people. Fear is not our focus, God is.


We have set ourselves in place, we have taken our stand. And we will not back down, nor shall we retreat. For God is in this place and the battle is His. 

Inside The Nucleus-Redemption Is Curricular

God is THE GOD OF EVERYTHING.

God is The God of science. He is Jehovah-Bara, Creator God.

He created the universe and everything in it in 3 days: Genesis 1:1-8, 14-19. In between those 3 days He took the time to create land and seas, separating the seas below from the waters above. Check Genesis 1:9-13 for verification. On that day God also spoke into existence grasses, herbs, fruit trees and gave them all the ability to reproduce themselves.

He created in the seas upon the earth and called into existence life within them. He created skies and called the birds of the air to take flight into the skies. Each of these was also given the ability to reproduce its own kind. In one day this was done.

God created all species of land animals: the beasts, the cattle, the creepers. And each of these was called to multiply and reproduce itself.

Then God created man and set him in this beautiful place which He had created with the help of His Son and The Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1-2, 26; 2:1). After this, God rested, for He had done much work in such a short period of time. And, also, to show us that after we have worked we need to rest in Him. We are given an example by Him to rest in His presence, that our energies may be restored. How sweet our God is!

Science is a simple word that covers a multitude of categories, some of which are: astronomy, biology, radiology, chemistry, agriculture, animal husbandry, pharmacology, botany, and mathematics. Which brings us to the next statement: GOD is The God of Mathematics. He created the atom and all the subatomic particles, which are protons, electrons and neutrons. God tells us what things are and shows us what things are made of. But does He get the glory for this? Seldom, if ever, is the right answer. Many times men and women of science and mathematics and any category we could name, take credit for the knowledge they have received through their perseverance and endurance to determine what is and what is not. But God Is Omniscient. He knows EVERYTHING. And He shares what He knows with us, especially if said knowledge serves His purpose.

God is God. His heart is to see all mankind saved. His will is to see all mankind saved. Once saved, we undergo a sanctification process via The Holy Spirit. While we undergo this refining and purification, we begin to change into the person God sees us as. It is the holiness process. For God has said to us, “Be holy for I am holy”; knowing that without holiness no one can see The Lord God. So begins the change in us, transforming us from unrighteousness to righteousness. No longer are we the servants of sin, but now we are the servants of God. His purpose is being fulfilled in us, as it could be in you.

You see us and wonder why we don't behave like you do. You question our habits and our faithfulness to the things of God. What God has cleansed us of, we no longer have a desire for. It is not that we can't do the things we used to do, we just don't want to do them any more. The stronger our desire is for God and the ways of God, the less we want to be like the world around us. We do not wish to conform to the norm: we stand out from the crowds because we are Christians. We are Christ-like because this holiness process is also making us more like Jesus: more loving, more forgiving, more bold, more gentle, more pure and self-sacrificing.

What makes a Christian tick is the unconditional love of God through Jesus Christ into this world. We are called by God to be different but not alone, to be strange but not creepy, to be humble but not weak, to be bold but not aggressive. God calls us to holiness but not self-righteousness. For it is the selfishness of the heart that separates a person from God. It is self-centeredness thinking that ignores God's voice calling a person to repentance and salvation. Selfishness and self-centeredness is what turned Lucifer, God's beautiful musical angel, against God, thereby causing war in heaven.  

The result of that was that God threw him out of heaven down to earth, where he became the prince of the air, the ruler of the darkness of night, spiritual wickedness in high places. What he could not accomplish in heaven he is trying to succeed in here. He still has the abilities he was created with. He can make music and use it to lure people away from God's Word. He knows the Scriptures better than many of us and attempts to use them against us. He twists God's Word for his own purpose: to capture more souls and take them into hell with him for eternity.

Satan is a master of deception: what you see is not what you get. Not everything is as it appears to be. It is not what it is, but it is what it is not. Though this angel was created beautiful, his beauty is marred by his evil. He is a caricature of the creature God created him to be. His light is dark, but by manipulating what God has created he is able to draw people to him, where he captures them and binds them with sinful activities, which could be anything from gaming to murder; from lying to robbery; from casual sex to a whoring heart. Satan knows how to please people and entertain them long enough to get them hooked on the bait, before he reveals his true self when it is nearly too late. Alas, for some it has already been too late.

But Jesus death and resurrection breaks the bonds of sin which the devil, Satan/Lucifer, ties people down with. Jesus died to save a wretch like me. Grace is amazing, isn't it? God's plan of salvation began in Genesis 1:1 and ended in John 19:30 when Jesus said, “It is finished”. While the plan of salvation is finished, the purpose of salvation is not. You and you and you and you and yes, you, need Jesus as The Lord and Savior of your life and your soul.

The phrase “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” is not from Hollywood; it is God's Word to us, as written in John 8:32. Jesus is Truth: John 14:6. He makes us free: Isaiah 61:1 revealed in Luke 4:18-21; 2 Corinthians 3:17.

We do not make ourselves free of the desires to sin. We can try self-help programs to get away from the sinful activities, but only Jesus Christ can remove the desire to sin from the heart of the sinner.

The first step is to admit you are a sinner, that you have sinned against God and God's Word.

The second is to repent of your sins against God to God. Repent means to confess and to turn away from.

The third step is to receive Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, into your heart.

--These steps are done together, sometimes simultaneously depending on the person's decision to believe--

The fourth step, after surrendering your heart to Christ, is to submit yourself to God and make yourself available to His service, which of course begins with the holiness process, as stated above.

The fifth step is to continue and not give up; to endure without complaint; to go through and not turn back to the sinful nature you left behind.

The sixth step is to cross the finish line.

Perhaps there are other steps in-between the 4^th and the 6^th, but I just simplified it somewhat. God's plan of salvation is a success. God's purposes, however, are still being revealed, still being fulfilled. There is much more to this than we know, or even could presume to know. However, I will still believe that God is on the throne, that He is Supreme over all others, that He knows what He is doing and that He will succeed in His purposes for this world. I trust Him to know what is best for me. Do you trust Him with your heart? With your life? I do.

Holy Is The Lord

They cry, “Holy Holy Holy

Is The Lord Of Hosts”.

They look at each other

With their faces covered,

Crying, “Holy Is The Lord”.

Holy, O O O O O O O,

Holy, O O O O O O

Holy.

Worthy, Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah,

Worthy, Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah

Worthy.

Praise in the temple where The Lord resides;

Shaking the posts, with their voices they cry,

“Holy Is The Lord Of Hosts,

The earth is filled with His glory.”

And His house fills with smoke.

Holy Is The Lord.

This Love Prays For You

    

      Whether the leaders of your country are Christians or not, you and I are to pray for those in authority over us, even if we did not choose them to be our leaders. 

     It is God who sets up kings and rulers. And it is God who commands His people to pray for them. But what specifically should we pray about? 1 Timothy 2:1-4 tells us that first of all we are to pray for each other. We are to intercede with God on each other's behalf. You pray for me. I pray for you. We are to give thanks to God for each other; for 'all men'. This is God's will for us when we pray.
     We pray for our leaders, for they who are in authority places. Why? 1 Timothy 2:2 "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty". So, if the life we are living in our countries is not peaceable and quiet, and we are not living our lives in godliness and honesty, it is because we are not praying to God for leaders and rulers. It is because of the negligence in our individual responsibility to God that chaos is in our nations. Ignoring God will only bring retribution from God, for God's wrath is for those who disobey His Word and refuse to repent of their wicked ways.
     What are wicked ways? Sin is deliberately, knowingly disobeying God. Wicked ways are rebellion against God's Word and God's Way and God's Will. When you insist on doing what you want to do and refuse to do what God wants you to do, you are sinning against God. God has said in His Word what it means to obey Him and the rewards for those who do. But also He has given to us what it means to disobey Him and the punishment for those who disobey. 

     A hardened heart is one that refuses to listen and obey to God's Word. Yet, God is merciful and His lovingkindness extends to 'a thousand generations'. He shows mercy to those who seek His mercy. He offers salvation to those who desire to be blessed with His salvation. A hardened heart turns his or her back on God and walks according to their own way and will, instead of surrendering their hearts to God's way and God's will. 

See, in 1 Timothy 2:4, we are reminded what God's will is: FOR ALL TO BE SAVED. FOR ALL TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. Who can save us? Jesus Christ. John 3:16 and 17 " For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (you and I) believes on Him, should not perish but have ever lasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
     God's will is for all to be saved. But how will the wicked know the salvation of The Lord God unless God's people pray and intercede on their behalf? How will they hear unless God's people go and preach the gospel? How will you believe unless you are given the opportunity to know this Jesus?
I am one of God's people. And you are being prayed for. You are being given the opportunity of a lifetime and beyond. You are loved. And it is this love that desires to see you saved with the grace of God through Jesus Christ. It is this love of God that sent Jesus to die on the cross. It is this love of God that rolled away the stone from the grave with such force that it scared they who watched over that grave. It is this love that brought salvation to us. It is this love, this love, that brings us to our knees in prayer: praying for each other and for our nations to be healed.