Freedom To Choose

In becoming a Christian we have chosen to surrender not only our hearts, but our very lives, to The Living God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. As such, we have a responsibility to obey God according to His Word. We should not take this responsibility lightly, but obey it willingly.

"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

It is because of this great love that we are able to love others, especially the unlovable. Once we thought we were unlovable. Until we came to the realization that God loves us so much He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. That's Love.

Through the blood that Christ shed on the cross our sins are forgiven AND forgotten. We are healed in every way by the stripes on His back: physically, emotionally, mentally; our very soul is healed in His Name. That's Freedom.

It is not freedom To sin, but freedom From sin. Through The Word we can overcome sin and temptation. That's Power.

As Christians, people who have chosen to follow Christ and the path He walked, it is our responsibility to pray for others. Praying not just for friends and family, but their friends and families. Praying for our neighbors, whether we know them or not. Whether they are likable or not. Praying for strangers, people we may never meet, or meet once and never again.

Praying for our enemies, those who seek to destroy our faith in Christ. Praying for those who come against us in the name of their god that their eyes would be opened and they, too, would become God's called people.

Praying for God's chosen people, Israel. As Psalm 33:12 states, not only is the nation who chooses God blessed, but the people whom God has chosen are blessed. It is a dual reminder that we must not only support them with our prayers, but acknowledge that it is Israel whom God has chosen to be His own, also.

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee." Psalm 122:6. Whether individually, or as a nation who has chosen God, this is our responsibility to pray for Jerusalem's peace. ""Brethren (brothers and sisters in Christ), my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." Romans 10:1. As the nation whose God is The Lord, this should be our desire and prayer: the salvation of Israel, God's chosen people, the people whom God has chosen for His own.

A nation without God condemns itself and is not blessed by God. If a country wants God's blessing on it, that country, that nation, needs to choose The Almighty God as her own God. But it is not enough to say, "I am a Christian". One's words must be backed by one's actions. And one's actions must be motivated by the love of God which lives in a person through Christ.

Be vigilant. Watch and pray.

Which Flag Are You Waving?

   

The day is coming, and now is surely upon us, when you and I must decide which is more important: freedom or salvation. Whom do we serve? The God of The Holy Scriptures or the god of this world? All across the airwaves I see unrest, upheaval and change; change that is seldom for the better only for the worse. And not just far from home, but right in home's backyard. And, yet, where folks used to turn back to God with repentant hearts, now there is the clanging emptiness of hardened hearts and hardheadedness striking its blows for empty freedoms.

     True freedom comes from submitting to God's will for our lives. We have the right, once we are saved through Jesus Christ, to Obey God's Word in our lives. We choose to surrender all of our rights, our desires, to God, that we might become the person God wants us to be, not the person we think we should be.
     The only weapons we should be concerned with are what we are given by God. The Sword of The Lord, The Word of God: It is our primary weapon. The other weapon we are given is Worship and Praise. It is a two-fold diversionary tactic; when wielded with a right heart, God is in that praise and it is He who defeats our enemies. Lip-service praise will not be heard by God; for it is empty and vain.
     The rainbow is a symbol of covenant between God and mankind. God created it and set it among the heavens to remind not only us, but Himself that never again would He destroy the earth with a flood.
     Our words have power. With a single word we can either build or destroy. The Bible tells us that 'the tongue is a flame' and can do much damage (James 3), so we should be careful of what we say. Not only because we can set in motion actions which cannot be undone, but because God holds us accountable for every word we speak. Therefore it is wiser on our parts to speak but little.
   America is country made up by many nations who came here seeking freedom from oppression in their own countries. Each nation within America uses self-promotion to obtain what they see as their inalienable rights. But in God's Kingdom, it is not self-promotion which gets things done, but a humble heart wherein God reigns that gets things done. We have no rights; everything we have, everything we are, we have and are because of Christ in us and The Holy Spirit moving in us, changing the course of our lives for the better.
    It is God who blesses us when we bless and honor Him. It is God who sets up kings and governments, not we ourselves. It is God who protects us with His strong and mighty arm, when we obey His Word. It is God who created the universes and everything in them. It is God who desires to be the focus of our worship and praise for there is no other god like our God.
    Idolatry is worship of something or someone who is not God. Turning away from God and doing whatever you want to do is not true freedom, it is the enslaving of one's soul (the mind, the will, the emotions) to a god, an idol.
    There will never be true religious tolerance. Though a one-world religion is nearly upon us, and a one-world money is imminent, these things will not bring world peace, nor will they allow inner peace to be in a person's heart and mind.
    True freedom, true peace, comes from knowing God intimately by having a relationship with His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. A true life can only be lived when The Truth of God's Word lives in us.

     So, which flag are you waving?
   

You Don't Even See Me Cry

Matthew 25:41-45

(this song is dedicated to Kyle and Natalie C)

written August 8,2008

Family Camp

I stand on an empty corner

My cup is empty, my well is dry

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see me cry.

I shiver and shake in winter's winds

My filthy rags barely cover my skin

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see me cry.

I was thirsty in a thirsty land!

And no water you gave to me

I was naked in a season of loss

And no raiment was laid on me.

But you walked by, you walked by

You didn't even see me cry.

I hid in a darkened alley

Searching meals from dirty bins

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walked by, you walked by

You didn't even see me cry.

I'm chained in a dark, cold prison

Hope and faith don't recognize me

Reaching out my hand to you

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see me cry.

I was hungry in a blanket of waste!

And no sustenance was given me.

I was behind iron bars and stone!

Yet no freedom was offered me.

My name is Savior!

Saving even the least of these.

My name is Fountain of Living Water

Quenching thirst for righteousness.

My name is Holy Father, Creator

I cover you with My blood.

My name is Bread of Life, and Manna

Multiplied to satisfy hunger

For more of Me

For more of Me

My name is Jesus! Redeemer!

Releasing you from your sins.

All you have to do

Is reach out your hand

to Me.

But you walk by, you walk by

You don't even see Me cry.........

Charles

Salt of the earth who grows in favor and fights for freedom on his knees.

A Royal farmer.