Tuesday, February 7, 2012
No Matter What!!
No matter what hits you, God is no less in charge; His plan is no less on target. Things may be out of your control, but they're never out of His control. If you trust Him, He will give you just the equipment you need for the battle you're facing, because God's plan will not lead you where His grace cannot keep you. Just Keep Believing!!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
How Amazing!
Amazing faith is all about authority and what authority will decide the outcome in your situation. Amazing faith believes that Jesus will decide the outcome and nothing else!
The disease won't decide it, the boss won't decide it, the economy won't decide it, your enemies won't decide it, the odds won't decide it, the devil won't decide it - Jesus will decide it! Keep Believing!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Worship with Honesty!! Psalm 17:1-5
God calls us to be sincere. Without Honesty, we can never offer true worship to the Lord. We are not, however, at liberty to decide for ourselves what "Honesty" means. Honesty isn't everything. You can be honest - and wrong. God is looking for more than Honesty. We need truth as well as Honesty. Our worship is to be grounded in God's Word.
We are to build upon truth with Honesty. Our faith is to be grounded in the "Scriptures" (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Our faith is to be "a honest faith" (2 Timothy 1:15). This Honesty is to be grounded in the Scriptures. We come to the Scriptures, ready to hear what the Lord has to say to us. We come to the Scriptures, ready to be changed by what the Lord has to say to us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Let us worship God in truth and with honesty. Keep believing!
We are to build upon truth with Honesty. Our faith is to be grounded in the "Scriptures" (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Our faith is to be "a honest faith" (2 Timothy 1:15). This Honesty is to be grounded in the Scriptures. We come to the Scriptures, ready to hear what the Lord has to say to us. We come to the Scriptures, ready to be changed by what the Lord has to say to us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Let us worship God in truth and with honesty. Keep believing!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL! Genesis 18:16-33 -
A person recently said to me that the Bible was just a series of myths and stories, and if I want to, I can choose to live my life assuming that it is or I can choose to treat heaven like a GAME OF CHANCE and the Bible as something less than a sure thing. I can wager all my GOOD WORKS against the WORK OF CHRIST on the Cross. Even when my chips are down I can throw the DICE OF DEATH on the chance that I will win.
Or perhaps it's the Roulette Wheel. As the marble dances on the roulette wheel, I am saying in effect "I have not sinned to any great extent. Why should I repent and accept the work of Jesus Christ as He paid the penalty for my sin by dying on the Cross." I can place all I have on the highest number of GOOD WORKS that I can, but as the wheel spins I will inevitably LOSE EVERYTHING - my life and any chance of eternity with God. The only sure thing is that I will lose.
In John 14:5-7 (NIV) Jesus gives me the winning tip that I need if I am to STAKE MY LIFE on winning the incredible dividends of going to heaven. Jesus said this. "... I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME."
WANT ANOTHER TIP? Ephesians 2:8-9 puts it this way. It says "For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favour) that you are saved (delivered from judgment) through (your) faith (in Christ and what He did on the Cross, paying the price for your sins). And this (deliverance from being judged) is not of yourselves (It is not of your own doing, or your own good works), but it is the gift of God; Not because of works (no matter how good you may be), lest any man should boast. (Heaven is not the result of what anyone can possibly DO, so no one can pride themselves on how good they are or take the credit of getting into heaven on the basis of their good works. It is entirely dependent on faith in the work of Christ.)
The stakes are as high as they can get. And a similar game is taking place in Genesis 18:20 (NIV) It says "So the Lord told Abraham, "I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know…"
Isn't God omniscient? (All knowing). Why does He have to check things out first? It seems to me that when God appears to Abraham in the FORM OF A MAN (a Theophany) then He also uses HUMAN WAYS to communicate His plans. He shows to Abraham that He is not about to ACT OUT OF IGNORANCE. He doesn't act on HEARSAY. This is not a game of chance. He EXAMINES THE FACTS PERSONALLY and ACTS JUSTLY (He is totally and absolutely fair in His decisions).
God's grace and love have given the people of Sodom every opportunity to repent. They have even had the example and leadership of Lot in their midst. Now their evil has reached the point of no return and judgment is imminent. An outcry for justice, perhaps from those who were oppressed in Sodom, has risen to God and the only appropriate response is about to take place. But did you catch the contrast. God comes personally to EXAMINE ABRAHAM'S RESPONSE to Him and finds BELIEF, evidenced by his SACRIFICE, HUMILITY, SERVICE AND WORSHIP and He declares Abraham RIGHTEOUS (Genesis 15:6). THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL!
God then comes personally to EXAMINE THE RESPONSE of the people of SODOM and finds total UNBELIEF evidenced by their wickedness, violence, perversion, the outcry of those oppressed and He DECLARES JUDGMENT upon them. YOU LOSE! GAME OVER!
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 speaks about a time yet to come "...when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power." God bless you Church as you stake your life, not on chance, but on the assurance of the truth of God's Word (a sure thing) and on your response to the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
Acts 4:12 (NIV) says "There is salvation in NO ONE ELSE! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." Acts 16:31 (NIV) says "...Believe in the Lord Jesus and YOU WILL BE SAVED..."
We often miss out the next verses after John 3:16. Let me read it in it's context. It actually says, "For God loved the world so much that He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world NOT TO JUDGE THE WORLD, but TO SAVE THE WORLD through Him. There is NO JUDGMENT against anyone who BELIEVES IN HIM. But anyone who does not believe in Him has ALREADY BEEN JUDGED for not believing in God's One and only Son."
Sobering thought! WINNER TAKES IT ALL. AND WHAT HAPPEN TO THE LOSER....?
Or perhaps it's the Roulette Wheel. As the marble dances on the roulette wheel, I am saying in effect "I have not sinned to any great extent. Why should I repent and accept the work of Jesus Christ as He paid the penalty for my sin by dying on the Cross." I can place all I have on the highest number of GOOD WORKS that I can, but as the wheel spins I will inevitably LOSE EVERYTHING - my life and any chance of eternity with God. The only sure thing is that I will lose.
In John 14:5-7 (NIV) Jesus gives me the winning tip that I need if I am to STAKE MY LIFE on winning the incredible dividends of going to heaven. Jesus said this. "... I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME."
WANT ANOTHER TIP? Ephesians 2:8-9 puts it this way. It says "For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favour) that you are saved (delivered from judgment) through (your) faith (in Christ and what He did on the Cross, paying the price for your sins). And this (deliverance from being judged) is not of yourselves (It is not of your own doing, or your own good works), but it is the gift of God; Not because of works (no matter how good you may be), lest any man should boast. (Heaven is not the result of what anyone can possibly DO, so no one can pride themselves on how good they are or take the credit of getting into heaven on the basis of their good works. It is entirely dependent on faith in the work of Christ.)
The stakes are as high as they can get. And a similar game is taking place in Genesis 18:20 (NIV) It says "So the Lord told Abraham, "I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know…"
Isn't God omniscient? (All knowing). Why does He have to check things out first? It seems to me that when God appears to Abraham in the FORM OF A MAN (a Theophany) then He also uses HUMAN WAYS to communicate His plans. He shows to Abraham that He is not about to ACT OUT OF IGNORANCE. He doesn't act on HEARSAY. This is not a game of chance. He EXAMINES THE FACTS PERSONALLY and ACTS JUSTLY (He is totally and absolutely fair in His decisions).
God's grace and love have given the people of Sodom every opportunity to repent. They have even had the example and leadership of Lot in their midst. Now their evil has reached the point of no return and judgment is imminent. An outcry for justice, perhaps from those who were oppressed in Sodom, has risen to God and the only appropriate response is about to take place. But did you catch the contrast. God comes personally to EXAMINE ABRAHAM'S RESPONSE to Him and finds BELIEF, evidenced by his SACRIFICE, HUMILITY, SERVICE AND WORSHIP and He declares Abraham RIGHTEOUS (Genesis 15:6). THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL!
God then comes personally to EXAMINE THE RESPONSE of the people of SODOM and finds total UNBELIEF evidenced by their wickedness, violence, perversion, the outcry of those oppressed and He DECLARES JUDGMENT upon them. YOU LOSE! GAME OVER!
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 speaks about a time yet to come "...when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power." God bless you Church as you stake your life, not on chance, but on the assurance of the truth of God's Word (a sure thing) and on your response to the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
Acts 4:12 (NIV) says "There is salvation in NO ONE ELSE! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." Acts 16:31 (NIV) says "...Believe in the Lord Jesus and YOU WILL BE SAVED..."
We often miss out the next verses after John 3:16. Let me read it in it's context. It actually says, "For God loved the world so much that He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world NOT TO JUDGE THE WORLD, but TO SAVE THE WORLD through Him. There is NO JUDGMENT against anyone who BELIEVES IN HIM. But anyone who does not believe in Him has ALREADY BEEN JUDGED for not believing in God's One and only Son."
Sobering thought! WINNER TAKES IT ALL. AND WHAT HAPPEN TO THE LOSER....?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Who is Like YOU!! Psalm 40:5
“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."
King David was infamous for all of his hardships...yet he still LOVED God, and still proclaimed God's wonderous works.
At times, especially when we go through hardships, it is easy to focus on the negative and only remember the trials that we have faced or are facing. We need to take a note from King David, and praise God for ALL that He has done....starting with the beginning of time, to this point in time...we need to keep this scripture on the forefront of our mind and let it be burned into our souls, so that we always remember all of the wonderful things He has done for us before now.
Declare this with me, “Lord, You have no equal, You stand alone....I Thank You for ALL that You have done, and all that You have yet to do....You are always working in the background...You never waste a hurt and You always come through for us...sometimes not in the way we would expect, but nonetheless....You are always on time. I cannot begin to count the many blessings YOU have poured into my life and the lives of my loved ones...
I just thank YOU...for finding us worthy of such great things! Help me, Lord...to always remember just how wonderful YOU are and Help me, Lord to share my blessings with others.”
King David was infamous for all of his hardships...yet he still LOVED God, and still proclaimed God's wonderous works.
At times, especially when we go through hardships, it is easy to focus on the negative and only remember the trials that we have faced or are facing. We need to take a note from King David, and praise God for ALL that He has done....starting with the beginning of time, to this point in time...we need to keep this scripture on the forefront of our mind and let it be burned into our souls, so that we always remember all of the wonderful things He has done for us before now.
Declare this with me, “Lord, You have no equal, You stand alone....I Thank You for ALL that You have done, and all that You have yet to do....You are always working in the background...You never waste a hurt and You always come through for us...sometimes not in the way we would expect, but nonetheless....You are always on time. I cannot begin to count the many blessings YOU have poured into my life and the lives of my loved ones...
I just thank YOU...for finding us worthy of such great things! Help me, Lord...to always remember just how wonderful YOU are and Help me, Lord to share my blessings with others.”
Monday, April 5, 2010
What's your motive?? Proverbs 16:2
I'm reading my daily Proverbs this morning and Proverbs 16:2 says... People’s ways may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives
What is a motive? Dictionary.com defines it as "the goal or object of a person's actions." A person's way seems right in his own opinion, but the Lord actually judges the REASONS.
He goes off of what is just and judges by truth. I read an example on someone wanting to get rid of things they no longer sue or wanted in their home & bunch of clothes in their closet but not necessarily wanting to do a yard sale.
So instead they drive over to the nearest Salvation Army and drop them off and go on about their day. Did they probably help out someone in need? Yes... was that their intention? No. They did it because they didn't feel like having the stuff in their house any longer. Another example will be those that "donate" to a charity when tax season is approaching. Did they help a cause? Yes. Was that their motive? No. After reading this, I decided to read a little bit more about what the Bible says about "motives" and it's interesting to see that it is actually mentioned quite a few times all through the bible.
I know everyone has heard "Ask and you shall receive" or "You do not have, because you have not asked" but did you know there is also another scripture that simply says "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives"?
When you pray or do something for someone, don't just think about what you're asking for but ask yourself "why am I doing or asking for this?" What do I hope to gain from this and is whatever I will gain right in God's eyes?
I think a lot of people seek the Glory of men when we should be seeking the Glory of God. I don't think the Bible tells us to hide our good works per se... I think God is asking us to be humble, do not seek attention, and once again... have good motives behind doing what we're doing.
So I ask you.. Next time you find yourself doing a good deed or not, praying/asking for something, or simply portraying yourself to be something you are not... think about your motives and reevaluate yourself if something doesn't seem right. Keep in mind, God sees what men cannot and once again I remind you that He judges us by the REASONS behind our actions... and what is in our hearts.
Bible Reference: - Proverbs 16:2. 2 all a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.
What is a motive? Dictionary.com defines it as "the goal or object of a person's actions." A person's way seems right in his own opinion, but the Lord actually judges the REASONS.
He goes off of what is just and judges by truth. I read an example on someone wanting to get rid of things they no longer sue or wanted in their home & bunch of clothes in their closet but not necessarily wanting to do a yard sale.
So instead they drive over to the nearest Salvation Army and drop them off and go on about their day. Did they probably help out someone in need? Yes... was that their intention? No. They did it because they didn't feel like having the stuff in their house any longer. Another example will be those that "donate" to a charity when tax season is approaching. Did they help a cause? Yes. Was that their motive? No. After reading this, I decided to read a little bit more about what the Bible says about "motives" and it's interesting to see that it is actually mentioned quite a few times all through the bible.
I know everyone has heard "Ask and you shall receive" or "You do not have, because you have not asked" but did you know there is also another scripture that simply says "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives"?
When you pray or do something for someone, don't just think about what you're asking for but ask yourself "why am I doing or asking for this?" What do I hope to gain from this and is whatever I will gain right in God's eyes?
I think a lot of people seek the Glory of men when we should be seeking the Glory of God. I don't think the Bible tells us to hide our good works per se... I think God is asking us to be humble, do not seek attention, and once again... have good motives behind doing what we're doing.
So I ask you.. Next time you find yourself doing a good deed or not, praying/asking for something, or simply portraying yourself to be something you are not... think about your motives and reevaluate yourself if something doesn't seem right. Keep in mind, God sees what men cannot and once again I remind you that He judges us by the REASONS behind our actions... and what is in our hearts.
Bible Reference: - Proverbs 16:2. 2 all a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.
Staying Strong and Focus!! Joshua 23:6
I know that when you are faced with difficult issues and it is always very easy to lose focus and allow the sense of weakness to set in and take over your ability to be strong and keep focus on the solutions. Believe me, I have being there and I know the only way to stay strong will be to keep your focus on the solution and when you trust God in all He will always have the best solutions.
Joshua 23: 6 “6 be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. God reminded Joshua now that they were in the land that He had promised them to remain strong, focused and not look to any of the other nations around that may distract them from His voice. They had come so far and had so many victories and so now more than ever they needed to keep their eyes on God who brought them through it all.
Part of obeying God’s Word involves us being very strong and staying focused. General I know what God has to say in His Word about how He wants us to live and act in life and all the life’s issues, but it’s the staying strong and focused part where I know we struggle.
This is why I suppose that throughout His Word His message is consistent in that He wants us to stay in His Word and not just ‘know it’ but ‘obey it.’ I know when you know and more importantly obey God’s words the outcome will always be better than you will ever imagine or think.
Prayer: - God thank you for Your Word that keeps me focused and reminds me why the distractions of this world are worthless.
Joshua 23: 6 “6 be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. God reminded Joshua now that they were in the land that He had promised them to remain strong, focused and not look to any of the other nations around that may distract them from His voice. They had come so far and had so many victories and so now more than ever they needed to keep their eyes on God who brought them through it all.
Part of obeying God’s Word involves us being very strong and staying focused. General I know what God has to say in His Word about how He wants us to live and act in life and all the life’s issues, but it’s the staying strong and focused part where I know we struggle.
This is why I suppose that throughout His Word His message is consistent in that He wants us to stay in His Word and not just ‘know it’ but ‘obey it.’ I know when you know and more importantly obey God’s words the outcome will always be better than you will ever imagine or think.
Prayer: - God thank you for Your Word that keeps me focused and reminds me why the distractions of this world are worthless.
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