Friday, March 31, 2023
A Crucified Life - - Lives In The Now
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- Rejoice Always
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
What Do I Do With Jesus?
- Believe & Receive The Lord Jesus Christ
- John 1:12, 13 "But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
- Follow Jesus
- Mark 1:17 “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
- Luke 9:23, 24 "Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."
- Love Like Jesus
- John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you should love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."
- Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
- Romans 12:10 "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
- Worship & Praise Jesus
- Philippians 2:9-11 "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
- Romans 14:11 "It is written: "As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.""
- Psalm 150:6 "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
- Psalm 34:1 "....... I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips."
- Serve Jesus
- Psalm 100:2 "Serve the LORD with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs."
- Ephesians 6:7 "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men."
- Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men."
- John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."
- Share Jesus
- Mark 16:15 "And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."
- Acts 22:15 "You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard."
- Acts 20:24 "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
- Last but not least, I will Talk to Jesus
- Acts 6:4 "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word."
- Romans 1:9 "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."
- Ephesians 6:18 "Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints."
Monday, January 24, 2022
Activation of Faith
Romans 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith comes by hearing the Word of God through the power of God. Anyone can read a Bible but not everyone can understand it, nor can they obtain the knowledge within its pages. We must first believe that God Is God and that He is Absolute Truth. This takes faith and this faith activates our hearts to seek the Truth of His Word.
We who once lived in darkness have been called out of the darkness of sin and wickedness into the light and love of God's grace. God called us with His love, His Word, His Son Jesus Christ. We are children of faith.
As the Word says even now, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Faith in God comes to all who believe in the Word of God, in Jesus Christ as Lord. Romans 10:8-11
8. But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart." That is, the word of faith which we preach,
9. that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
11. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be ashamed."
That's the Word of Faith. That's my Jesus in action.
The difference between faith and unbelief? Eighteen inches. In our bodies the heart is eighteen inches from the mouth. Two imperatives for the activation of faith are given here.
1. We MUST believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is God's gift of righteousness to us.
2. We MUST confess, speak out loud, that which we believe in our hearts: that God raised Jesus from the dead.
If even one part of this is missing, then our faith has not been activated. It is not enough to just say the words, though that may fool many who hear the words of faith spoken by false prophets and false teachers; the heart must believe the truth of God's Word, as well.
For we know that God looks on the heart and recognizes lip service when He hears it. How do we know God sees the motives of our hearts and knows the thoughts of our mind? His Word tells us so. In the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 16:1-13 God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse's house to anoint one of his sons to be the next king. But after approaching each one who was brought before him, God rejected all of them because He knew their hearts (v. 7).
Job, Isaiah and Ezekiel all tell us God knows our hearts. Therefore how can we ever expect to get away with anything? Foolishness.
In the New Testament in Acts 15:8 and Romans 8:27 we see that God searches our hearts and knowing our hearts He gives us good gifts, especially the gift of the Holy Spirit, Who leads us and guides through God's Word as we study it, that we might be approved by God.
In Matthew 12:25 we learn that Jesus knows our thoughts and what we are thinking. Before we even ask, He knows what we are going to ask. But He delights to hear us ask. God likes to talk with us. He enjoys our company, the company of walking and talking with the believer(s).
Our hearts must be right with God; we MUST believe with our hearts that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. That He died on the cross, rose from the dead and walked out of the grave. We MUST believe with our hearts and CONFESS with our mouths that which we believe in our hearts that our faith might be activated so that it will grow.
Today is your day of salvation if you have not believed already. How do I know this? God tells me in His Word that this is so. 2 Corinthians 6:2 "For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!"
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Mercy of God
1 Chronicles 16:34
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Mercy: Lovingkindness, Loving Devotion
What is the Mercy which God which God extends to people?
1. Redemption from enemies and troubles. We should Trust in it; Rejoice in it; Hope in it..
2. Preservation of life from death.
3. Quickening of spiritual life.
4. Redemption from sin.
5. Covenant-keeping
These things, this Mercy of God, is for ever. For us it is while we have breath, this life we have been given. The decision to believe God and follow Christ must be made on this side of eternity. You can't change your mind after you die. It'll be too late then.
James 4:13-14
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Applying The Word -- The Word of Salvation
Saturday, August 14, 2021
I Declare
Friday, February 5, 2021
Redeeming Israel
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Blessed Who Wait For Him
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:15
Consider also that our Lord's patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.
Isaiah 26:8
Yes, we wait for You, O LORD; we walk in the path of Your judgments. Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.
I used this shade of blue as it was the closest to sapphire blue I could make. There are two verses in Ezekiel that describe the throne of the LORD as being sapphire or lapis lazuli (depending on which version of the Bible you read). And while sapphire comes in more colors than blue, I have always been drawn to blue sapphires.
Ezekiel 10:1 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. And, again, in Ezekiel 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Blue is the color of grace. It is the shade of bruising upon Christ's body and face as He was beaten in the courtyards before being whipped 39 times across His back. Blue, cerulean blue, is one of the colors of thread used in the curtains in the tabernacle which separated the holy of holies from the rest of the tabernacle rooms.
So, when I picture a sapphire throne on which The LORD sits, that is the color I see. And why does He sit on that particular throne at this time? He is seated at the right hand of The Father, interceding on behalf of His people. Why do we need interceding? We are not perfect, we are sinners, all of us. We make mistakes, errors in judgment and fall short of the glory of God.
We needed a Savior who would know that we are feeble and unable to make it on our own, so God sent us His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to live and example for us, and die in our stead that we would not die in our sins. After Jesus defeated death, hell and the grave in that two day period in which He was sealed in the tomb, God rolled away the stone and Jesus walked out of the grave, having risen from the dead, giving all who believe this eternal life through Him.
And after a few days, Jesus ascended into heaven to be with His Father again, waiting until that day when God says, "Go". "Go get Your church, Your people and bring her home."
Isaiah 25:9
And in that day it will be said, "Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."
Saturday, November 9, 2019
JEHOVAH-SHALOM
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Whose Report Will You Believe?
Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? Isaiah 53:1
This entire chapter of Isaiah 53 regards the crucifixion and burial of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah who was to come and deliver all of Israel: Jacob’s seed, the individual and God’s people, the nation as a whole.
Report: to announce, proclaim, carry and deliver a message of what one has heard, to announce, to speak of what one has seen and observed.
We who are God’s people are here to tell you that the Messiah has come! It is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! See the words in Isaiah 53 and look to the John 19 for confirmation. See and believe the words of Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23.
But it does not end there! John 20, Matthew 28, Mark 16 and Luke 24 all speak of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, hell and the grave! That is amazing news to proclaim, indeed! And,so, we do. As the angels proclaimed the birth of Christ to the shepherds, we speak the truth of His death on the cross, whose blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We tell of the story of Jesus who came to die for us because nothing we do will ever make us right with God.
We who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord carry within us the message of salvation through the blood that was shed by Him on the cross at Calvary. We deliver the message of hope and eternal life through the His resurrection. Because He became sin for us, having the penalty of sin upon Him, He was sent to hell to fight and defeat the devil once and for all. He returned to the grave with the keys of death, hell and the grave in his mighty hand.
God raised His only begotten Son from the tomb by rolling away the stone and Jesus stepped out into the garden, declaring victory over sin and death, becoming our Hope of Eternal Life through Him! WooHoo! That’s something to get excited about!
Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Romans 10:8-13 [8] But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: [9] that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
[11] It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, [13]for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Acts 2:38, 39 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost…
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Friday, June 17, 2016
One God, One Jesus, One Way
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Only God Can Change The Heart
We can pray for each other.
We can pray with each other.
But only a prayer from your heart to God's heart will change your heart.
I want you to know Jesus personally.
I want you to know the joy of salvation in Christ Jesus.
And, as much as I want the best God has to give you, unless you want it, too, NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN in your life, your thoughts, your HEART until you allow God to change your heart.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Jesus Saves, Not The Cross
1 Corinthians 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness.
It is the power of GOD that saves us at the cross on which His only begotten Son Jesus Christ was crucified. It is not the cross itself which saves, nor does the cross symbol. It is The Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world, GOD's perfect sacrifice; not the means by which The Lamb is slain. But the reason Jesus needed to die?
Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Romans 5:12 Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death resulted from sin, therefore everyone dies, because everyone has sinned.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that the Messiah died for us while we were still sinners.
The power of the cross is GOD's power of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. It is This Name Which Is Above All Names that brings a person to salvation.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
John 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.
JESUS. His Name alone means "he shall save his people". He is the ultimate Savior, the Supreme Commander, the Almighty God come to save His own people. First He came to the people He chose as His own, then to the ones who chose Him as their own. Now GOD is calling you to salvation.
What will you say? What will you do? Where do you think you can go to hide from GOD when you reject His plan of salvation through His Son?
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Who Shall Be Able To Stand?
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thankful For Answering God's Call
Monday, September 17, 2012
In Jesus' Name - Is All Righteousness (Part 3 of 3)
But some went out on the seventh day and there was no provision from God, for this was God's day to rest. The seventh day of the week is the day which God had ordained as a day of rest. And to instill this command within His people, He made no provision for them. Their disobedience was made apparent when they left their homes and tried to collect the manna that had not fallen that day. We are no better.
God's day of rest was created for God by God Himself as a Day of Rest. Though God does not grow weary, people do. And He set the seventh day aside for Himself and as an example to all people that even they need to rest in God's Presence at least every seven days. This is why the sabbath day is holy: for God is Present: JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH. "Be still and know that IAM GOD: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10. "For thus sayeth The Lord GOD, The Holy One of Israel; "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and you would not....And therefore will The Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for The Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are they that wait for The Lord." Isaiah 30: 15, 18.
"Until The Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. .. And the work of Righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And My people shall dwell in a peaeable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. .." Isaiah 32:15, 17-18 In Jesus' Name is ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS. The seventh day of the week was set apart from the other six days to rest in God, to be quiet before The Lord. Resting in The Lord brings us to a place of repentance and salvation in Him. Waiting on The Lord reminds us to be patient and thoughtful in our ways before God. Confidence is Faith; it is the knowledge that what has been said is so and will be. Waiting on God and having Faith in His Word is our strength. And it is this strength that enables us to move forward when we work for The Lord.
But God's people would not. Therefore, as stated in Isaiah 30:18 The Lord waits for us to return to Him, that we may receive His grace, praise His holy Name, receive His mercy and then be judged. Those who wait on God are blessed. As God's called people, we are blessed. For we wait on the return of His Son, Jesus Christ. Who, in the twinkling of an eye, will return and take His people home with Him. But there was a time when we, too, did not listen. And I am thankful, very thankful, that I live in a time of grace. For had I lived back in the day of Moses, I would surely have been stoned for my wicked ways. But now, I live in the Age of Grace; for Christ was crucified for my sins. And for your sins.
Every body sins. "For ALL HAVE SINNED and COME SHORT of the glory of GOD." Romans 3:23. Nobody is perfect. Nobody is good enough. Nobody is worthy under their own glory. Nobody can buy or purchase their entrance into the glory of GOD. Nobody means me. Nobody means you. It does not say "Some", nor does it says "Most": God's Word tells us that ALL have sinned.
"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. How 'bout that? How many people do you know would be willing to take the place of a murderous lying thief? Would you? Would you die for the worst sinner you can think of? Jesus did. He died for us. All of us.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Because sin is in this world, it is also in us. But Jesus died for us, so we wouldn't have to die in our sins. We just have to believe that this is true. We didn't see it happen and we have yet to see Jesus face to face; that's why it's called 'faith'. Hebrews 11:1 "FAITH is the SUBSTANCE of things HOPED FOR, the EVIDENCE of things not seen." See? Faith has substance, it has matter, therefore faith matters. And it doesn't take much faith to believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and that God's Word is faithful and true. It takes more faith to move mountains than it does to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Lord of our lives and the Savior of our souls. "For He (GOD) has made Him (JESUS) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the Righteousness of GOD in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Romans 10:9-11 "If you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your hearts that GOD has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, we believe unto Righteousness; and with our mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed." Whosoever means me. John 3:16 says 'whosoever believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life'. Whosoever means me. You and I are the 'whosoever' when it comes to making a statement of faith in the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
With our mouth means to speak it out loud. With our heart means to believe it whole-heartedly, not just whenever we feel like it; not just one day out of the week; not just at the holidays, or the Holy Days. Whole-hearted Faith. As The Word says, in the paragraph preceding, "with the heart we believe unto Righteousness." Our righteousness in and of ourselves is dirty, filthy rags; but the Righteousness of Christ within us when we believe that GOD has raised Jesus from the dead is clean and pure; it is this Righteousness which makes it possible not only for us to see God, but for God to see us.
Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved." There that word is again: whosoever. You are that whosoever. I was that whosoever. I called upon The Name of The Lord to save me, and He did. I am crucified with Christ because I believe that He was crucified for me, and that GOD raised Him from the dead that all, including me, would be raised with Him. This promise is for everyone, even you.
To call on God's name is to seek His face and ask for His forgiveness on your sinful ways. There was a time when I thought that some of the things I did were okay. But the closer I have become to God, I have been made aware and realized that many of the things I thought were passable in my life, are actually impossible in God's righteousness and God's holiness. And while I knew that some other things were definitely sin, I thought that as long as I didn't do them, I was okay. But I was not. Sin affects every part of a person, even if they are believing that they are not participating in it. Jesus says that if you even think about doing something wrong, you and I are already guilty of that sin. For with our hearts we believe, therefore our hearts have sinned when we think sinful thoughts, too.
Watching people sin (movies, peep shows, adult TV shows/movies, MA ratings on games). Reading about people's sinful ways (romance/soft porn books/stories, tabloids, celeb watch, etc). Hearing people talk about their sin or participating in sin while they speak(gossip, back-stabbing, booty-watching, flirting with or without the intention of following up on where flirting leads, two-faced conversation, etc). These are offensive to me. Foul language is foul all the time, whether you give it ratings or not. It hurts my ears; it hurts my heart and my soul. And I will, have no doubt on this matter, speak up and tell you so.
No, I am not speaking from a 'holier than thou' pulpit. I am speaking from been there, done that stance. Having lived that lifestyle and now living a righteous life in Christ, I make it a point to allow The Holy Spirit of God to work through me and sanctify me and make me holy, because I want to see GOD one of these days and Stay with Him in all eternity. I have set myself apart from livng a sinful sin-filled lifestyle. And sanctification means that I am being made holy by God's Holy Spirit for God's pleasure and God's purpose.
This is the life and the lifestyle I preach from this pulpit wherein God has placed me. "You must be born again," Jesus told Nicodemus, a Pharisee. "How can I?" asked Nicodemus, "I am old. How can I enter my mother's womb again?" Jesus reply? "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." And then He proceeded to tell Nicodemus what I have shared here with you. Nicodemus was a whosoever, too.
How do you call on Jesus' Name for salvation? Like this. and remember, this is just an example, because God wants to hear from you from your heart with your voice:
Oh Lord my God, I have sinned and gone against Your Word and Your Will for my life. I have lived in sin and walked in sin and my sins are all over me. Lord, search me and try me. Reveal the areas in my life where I have sinned against You. Show me me and show me You. Oh Lord God, don't let me leave this world without You. Show me me and show me You. Lord God, reveal Yourself to me. Show me in my life where You want me to be. Show me in Your Word who I am to You and who You want me to be. Show me, Lord, Who You are. Forgive me, Father God, for all my wicked ways and the wickedness of my heart, and my mouth and my mind. Cover me, Lord, with Your precious blood, which flowed from out of Your body onto me, cover my unrighteousness with Your Righteousness, Lord God, and take away my sins. Come into my heart and be The Lord of my life and The Savior of my soul. Make me to know You in all Your ways. These things I ask Lord and give You all the glory and honor and praise for, in Jesus' Name. Your Beautiful, Marvelous, Wonderful Name. Thank You, Lord, for saving a wretch like me. Thank You, Lord, for choosing to die in my place and washing away my sins. Make me holy, Lord God, send me Your Holy Spirit, that I may begin to walk the paths of Righteousness which You have placed me on. Amen.
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU. The Lord Is My Righteousness.
In Jesus' Name is All Righteousness. In Jesus' Name is All P:ower. In Jesus' Name is All Healing. In Jesus' Name is All Wisdom. In Jesus' Name is All Forgiveness. In Jesus' Name is All Strength. In Jesus' Name is Creator of All. In Jesus' Name is All Peace.