Shalom

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
We all hear the word “Shalom” used a lot in greetings as we say hello to a love one or a goodbye as we leave. Did you also know that Jesus, who is also called The Prince of Peace means “Saar Shalom”, in Hebrew. You may have already known that the word "shalom" means peace. But in fact, if you research and study the word, you will see that it has several meanings in the Hebrew language. It is a very important word. Shalom means peace, completeness, prosperity, safety, contentment, health, blessing, and rest -- and not only that. Shalom is the common word for hello and goodbye. This is the reason and the season to speak “Shalom” {a blessing} over and over again to one another! But let us not stop there. Make the year 2010 the year of blessings so, when you greet someone or bid them a farewell by saying "Shalom", what you are actually doing is speaking all those blessings upon them -- and really, speaking over them the ultimate blessing, Jesus {The Prince of Peace}, the Savior of the World. Himself!

Shalom my friend,
Bill

Applying The Blood

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And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye [are]: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt.

Without a doubt this has to be one of the most single over looked verses in the whole Bible, but one of the most important scripture in the whole Bible. It was not the self worthiness of the Hebrews, it was their faith in that blood. God did not say “when I see you, or, when I see your good works”, or “When I see how much money you have” or “When I see how important you are” nor did He say, “when I see where you go to church”, but He said “When I see the blood” Has the blood been applied to the door post of your heart? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?Are you washed in the blood of the lamb? Applying the Blood of Christ to your life is a very important matter just as it was for the Hebrews when they were in Egypt. The blood applied to the door post meant that the Hebrew's faith and their trust was in the blood of that Lamb. The blood that was applied then, was meant to be a token of the ONE to come, a symbol of the one who would redeem man kind by the shedding of His life Blood. The Hebrews in that day were facing many hardships (as we are today) by the hands of the Egyptians. You do not have to read between the lines to see the hunger, hardship, sickness, and the poor quality of life that the Hebrews (God's Children) were facing, and just the plain brutality of their Egyptian masters. The Hebrews had a hard life. But deliverance came! It was when they applied the blood.

It did not matter if the house was new, old, large, or small. The blood had to be applied to the door post. It did not matter how far they could trace their linage back or if it was perfect, or they went to the synagogue often, or what religious ceremonies they took part in. All that mattered was applying that blood. The Hebrews may have not known much or understood of what was taken place, but this one thing they did know, if they were to be safe that night, the blood had to applied and that was all that mattered. The Blood of the lamb and the word of the Lord formed that foundation of the Hebrews peace and safety that night. All that were under the cover of that blood were made safe, just as it is now to all that are saved and under the cover of the precious blood of Jesus.

This story take us to the very heart and true meaning of Christianity. It is the story and true meaning of the cross. We, as Christians, must see our full redemption in the blood of Jesus because our full redemption rest in that precious Blood. Our simple forgiveness of sin rest on that. We either trust it or we do not trust it.

If our nation wants deliverance, from the evil that has come upon it, then it should take a page out of the history that is found here. We must look to Jesus. The one who died on calvary, long ago, and shed His Blood that we might be saved. We must apply the blood of Christ to our hearts and to the door post all across America, in our homes, schools, government buildings, our churches, because it is nothing but the blood of Jesus that can save us. What can wash away the sins of this nation? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus!

Here is how you, this nation, and I can be safe and secure from all that alarms us. We can read in Revelations 12:11 this: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” We overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb! The blood on the door post was evidence of the Hebrews faith in that they were commanded to do it and they did it without question. To most people this would be a laugh, a joke, a fairy tail, But to a servant of God it means everything. That is the mind set of most people today. We can read in 1 Cor. 1:18 This: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

There was nine other plagues that befell Egypt and yet the Hebrews were still held captive by the Egyptians . Why was the last plague any different? It was different because it struck at the very heart of the Egyptian empire. You might ask how does all this tie into our present day problems that we have in this country and our salvation? We have had, in the last few years great floods that killed thousands and destroyed thousands of homes. Remember the Gulf Coast? We have had terrorist attacks on our cities that have killed thousands, we are experiencing a great recession that some are even calling a depression, earth quakes on the west coast, and many other disasters that have never been as bad, there is a very high unemployment rate, no work, people going hungry, but yet this country is still rebellious and rejects God. This is in no way a “Dooms Day” thought, but it is a warning to be ready. Soon there will be things that will strike at the very heart of this country. Make sure that you have the Precious Blood of the Lamb applied to your heart.

What ever the plague may be it will come and it may not take the first born as in Mose's time but it will be just as bad and devastating. The only remedy is the “shed blood of the lamb of God”, His Son. It is the only remedy for sin. It is that shed blood of Christ that gives perfect peace, divine righteousness, purges the conscience, and gives us our right and our title to receive all the joys, and glories of heaven. What a great feeling. What a great God.

You can believe it or not, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. It was good enough for my mother and father, uncles and aunts and it is good enough for me. What can wash away my sins (and yours) nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Bethlehem

And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem." But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
(Micah 4:8;5:2) NKJV

We are told and can read that Bethlehem was the birth place of Our Lord. Bethlehem (meaning is “The House of Bread”, so fitting because it was here where He, who is “The Bread of Life” was born.) was located in the district of Ephrathah (Fruitful) and Bethlehem was sometimes called Ephrathah. We all sing the song at Christmas “OH little Town Of Bethlehem” and we all remember the manger scenes. But there are many people who are do not know of the very deep importance and the significance of that little town of Bethlehem, Jesus' birthplace. Sometimes the history behind what we read and study in the Bible are very important because it give us the reasons and answers for the questions we ask about events and scriptures in the Bible. Have you ever wondered why Bethlehem was chosen as the birth place of Our Lord? Everyone knows that Bethlehem was a place where shepherds grazed their sheep, and where the Messiah was to be born, but how many people realize that it was a town designated and selected as the birthing place for lambs which were used for the Passover sacrifice. The Scriptures found in the Bible give significant and important details about this little town as to why this little town was picked as the birthplace of our Savior.

In Micah 4:8 we read about the "watchtower of the flock", or in Hebrew, "Migdal Eda r." While reading the story of "Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah", by Alfred Edersheim, who was a Christian Jew that lived in the later parts of the 1800's, I learned that Migal Edar was the location where the Jewish people believed the Messiah was to be revealed. This watchtower stood as a place of protection for the city from approaching enemies, but it was also utilized by shepherds to watch over the specific flocks from which sacrificial Passover lambs were taken. How much more important is that Precious Lamb was born there, the one that would take away the sins of the world, Our Savior.

The shepherds who were tending these particular flocks were no ordinary run of the mill shepherds. They were picked and specifically trained by the Rabbis for a holy task. They had to know what they were doing. They were just not ordinary, run of the mill, Sheppard. They had to be holy. They had to insure that every lamb, that they raised, was free of any blemish or injury, in order to be used for the Passover sacrifice. Great care was taken in the raising of this lambs. This was something the shepherds did not take lightly. Since they were instructed by the Rabbis, they, also, had to knew of the passages and the writings in the Targums (The Aramaic translations) and the Mishna associating the birth of the Messiah with "Migdal Edar". For example, Migdal Edar is translated in one of the Targums as "The Anointed One of the Flock of Israel." It is also written in the Mishna (this is a collection of oral laws compiled about 200 A.D. by Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi and forming the basic part of the Talmud) that "He spread his tent beyond Migdal Edar, the place where The Messiah will reveal Himself at the end of days."

Those shepherds had strong clues of Messiah's advent in the small town where they lived, so that when the angels appeared, to them, telling them of His arrival, they reacted right away and went to worship Him. They had to know something. We too have growing signs of His very soon Coming again for the second time. All we have to do is to read the scriptures and open our eyes. Are we also ready to react and respond to his coming? Are we ready to rejoice? Our readiness and wiliness to act in faith and worship will show how well we understand the signs of our own times. There is still so much work to be done, let us stay awake and keep our lamps trimmed (like the 10 wise virgins) and be inspired by the belief of His soon coming. Go tell it over the mountain, because, just like those shepherds of Bethlehem, we truly were born for such a time as this and we, as Christians must never forget this.

Thinking Things Over

As I sit here thinking and pondering over things this morning the thought came to me it's amazing how quickly we, as God's Children, can forget the good things that God has promised us and done for us, and not only do we forget, we begin to grumble! We begin to murmur and complain like the Hebrews in the wilderness. Everything that is good is before us and we would still rather grumble and complain.

More than once in the Gospel of Luke, we can read that Mary, the mother of Jesus, kept these things and pondered them. It seems that Mary always kept a place in her heart where she stored away God's promises. We, also, must create a place in our hearts to store away Gods gifts and promises to us so that we can always remain in a state of joy all the days of our lives. His promises are real and they will come to pass.

During this Christmas season let us reflect and think about all the promises of God and uncover the many buried treasures with which God has blessed us. Let’s ponder and think about these things and thank God for His goodness, for His mercy, for his love, and His protection. He has already done so much for us and He wants to do more and will do more if we will only let Him in. He knocks at the door to our heart today and everyday.

Merry Christmas

Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

(Isaiah 62:11)

"If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer..... but our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior."

Yes, God sent us a Savior -- that we might know His forgiveness. But not only that we might know it. God sent us a Savior so that we, who have been given the privilege of this knowledge, might go and share the good news of His forgiveness with all the world!

Let us cherish His forgiveness today. Let's delight in it and let all who don't know that they can have the same

The New Year For America

As this year, 2009, comes to a close and a new one begins I, as well as all Christians, are concerned about, and pray for the spiritual condition of our country. Our country is on a face pace to destruction. At the rate that this country is going we will soon be living in a country without God. Our country has taken the attitude of: “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we may die.” God is no longer in our court houses, our schools, and our government buildings. Most of our churches compromise the word of God. This nation kills unborn baby's, condones homosexuals, lesbians, and many other ungodly sins. We have cities in this nation that are worse than Sodom and Gomorrah and we wonder why this country is in the state that it is in. All we need to do is look in God's Word for the answer.

In Psalm 9 :17 we read this "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God," during the days of Jeremiah the tribe of Judah, was a nation which had forgotten and discarded God, much like this nation of ours has now for gotten the Lord All through the Book of Jeremiah as he preached to that nation, we see a nation that was still going straight to a devil's hell. They did not heed the word of the Lord. There was chaos spreading throughout the land, corruption was widespread in government, morality constantly declining, sin and evil corrupting the people, the life of the nation and its people slowly becoming more and more hellish just like the word in Jeremiah said it would. God's word always comes to pass. We must never forget that.
In our own day, as Christians, we all know, America is a nation that is rapidly forgetting God. This nation is condoning abortions, homosexuality, and many other things such as taking God out of our court rooms, and schools. We have a president that says some of the Bible is outdated. And so, in our own time, as it was in the time of Jeremiah, we also are watching the phenomenon of a nation which has forgotten and disregarded God, being turned into hell , with corruption and sin spreading in every fiber of our country, the moral fiber of this nation's people are losing its consistency. It is coming apart at the threads, Our government is increasingly unable to govern wisely and properly, going against God's Holy Word at every turn. The very establishment of the American way of life is being shaken steadily by terror and fear. We are a nation that is torn with dissension and discord. Our nation is rent into. All because this nation is turning its back on the creator. We are being ripped apart at the seams and it is all exactly in line with the prediction of the Scriptures. What lies beyond these predictions? What can the American people expect?
There are two great truths from the word of God that we must consider as we think about these things: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt," in other words "There is no hope in man." No nation, ever, has reversed the trend of deterioration simply by trying to gather up its own resources and building up its own moral strength and, through human wisdom, work out a remedy for the reprobate mental faculty in that nation. It has never happened. America is no different. There is no hope, what so ever, in man. We must depend on God! That is a fact. Our hope is in God! The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt. We must wake up to that fact. It is God that will save this nation and Him alone.
Remember this, "There is hope in God -- And when a person, or a nation turns to God, healing begins to come back into that life whether it is a single person or a nation. Does not the Word of God tell us this very thing in 2 Chronicles 7:14:: "...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
In Chapter 18 we have an additional lesson that we can learn from. It says this:The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. (Jeremiah 18:1-4)
Jeremiah was sent down to the potter's house, and there he saw three simple things. But these three things showed him a great lesson. The art of making a clay pot has not changed through the centuries. The wheel is now, sometimes, turned by an electric motor, but that is about the only difference. Even this is still controlled by the foot of the potter. The clay is the same as it has always been. The potter is the same, with his capable hands, guided by his intelligence, working to mold and shape the clay into the vessel he has in mind. As Jeremiah watched the potter shaping and molding the clay, he was looking at a picture of himself, and of every man, and of every nation. We are the clay. In the New Testament we have the voice of Paul in that great passage in Romans 9, reminding us that God is the Potter and we are the clay. So Jeremiah saw the clay being shaped and molded into a vessel. Then some imperfection in the clay spoiled it in the potter's hand, and the potter crumbled it up, and began again the process of shaping it into a vessel that pleased him.
Jeremiah saw the wheel turning constantly, bringing the clay against the potter's hand. That wheel is just like the turning circumstances of our life, under the control of the Potter, for it is the potter's foot that guides the wheel. The lesson is clear. As our life is being shaped and molded by the Great Potter, it is the circumstances of our life, the wheels of circumstance, which bring us again and again under the potter's hand, under the pressure of the molding fingers of the Potter, so that he shapes the vessel according to his will as to what he wants us to be. The vessel is shaped according to the image in the potter's mind.
So as Jeremiah, watched, he learned that an individual or a nation is clay in the Great Potter's hands. He has a sovereign right, as our lord and Master, to make that person or nation what he wants it to be. He has the skill and design to work with the clay and to bring it to pass. And if there be some imperfection in the clay, something which mars the design, spoils the work, the potter simply crushes the clay down to a lump and begins again to make it yet a vessel according to his own mind. In the verses which follow, this lesson is applied to the nation:

Then the word of the Lord came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will repent of the evil that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will repent of the good which I had intended to do to it." (Jeremiah 18:10)

In other, other words, this is the same lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house, applied to the nation. It also applies to this nation of ours! When the pressure the potter applies is successful in turning the clay in the right direction, the potter seems to repent, the pressure is relieved, and the clay is allowed then to remain in the form it has taken. But when something in the clay resists, the potter then seems to repent of making a vessel at all, and he crushes it into a lump, and begins again to make it yet into the vessel he desires. And this is true of our individual lives, as well as this nation. If some hard circumstance comes into our lives {and it may be there right now, or it may be just around the corner, or you may just have passed through it} that circumstance is the wheel of God, brining us against the pressure of the Potter's hand. If you do not resist, if your will does not spoil the work by murmuring, grumbling, or complaining, or feeling resentful and bitter, but you accept the working of the Potter, then the pressure is relieved, and the vessel takes shape. But if there is resistance, if the human will, like some imperfection in the clay, chooses something other than the Potter has in mind, then the Potter can do nothing else but crush it down to a lump once again and, beginning with the same lump, and he make it over into a vessel which suits his heart and mind. The great lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house was that of the sovereign control of God. He is the potter, and we are the clay. His will be done not ours! We must learn a lesson from that. Mold me and make me, Lord, to what you would have me to be.
There is a lesson in the word "repent" as it is used in reference to God. When you and I talk about repenting, we speak in terms of changing our mind. We started out to do something. Circumstances occurred which caused us to change our mind. So we then did something else. But that is not the way the word is used concerning God. Many Scriptures tell us that God never changes his mind. And though we use the word "repent" because it looks as if he has changed his mind, it does not express the thought satisfactory or in the right way. The Hebrew word used here is very interesting. It is really the word "sigh," or "heave a sigh." It can be used either as a sigh of sorrow, or a sigh or relief. The word is used both ways here in this passage. God says, "If I say to a nation, 'I'm going to destroy you,' or to an individual, 'I'm going to uproot you, crush you,' and I will bring pressure upon you to that end, if you yield to it, if you conform to what the pressure is driving you to do, then I will heave a sigh of relief."
The Lord has one thing in mind -- to make a vessel according to his design and to what he wants. Nothing will stop him because He is God. But he does not like to judge. He does not like harshness and severity and chastisement. In fact, in the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah says that God does not willingly afflict the sons of men. He takes no delight in it at all. Isaiah calls it God's "strange" work. Judgment is not according to the desire of His heart. What He is doing is bringing pressure, molding and shaping the clay, forcing it up and out and into the shape of the vessel He wants it to be, hoping the clay will conform. And when it yields to His touch, He breathes a sigh of relief: "This is enough pressure, I don't have to bring any more." He heaves a sigh of relief.
There is the self-determination of the Potter over the clay. Men make plans. God makes other plans. Napoleon had to learn that lesson the hard way. He once said, "God is on the side of the army with the heaviest artillery and the biggest army." But there came a time in his life when he was exiled on the island of St. Helena, when he said, "Man proposes; but God disposes."

"'And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life.” (Jeremiah 19:7)

These words came literally true. In but a few years the armies of Nebuchadnezzar surrounded this city, laid siege to it,Then the armies broke down the walls of the city and leveled them to the ground, so that later those passing by would whistle in amazement at the destruction which came upon this city. That is the way the world sees God right now. They see the hell which is coming into our nation, the hellish things which are taking place. And soon it will be worse, according to the prophetic Scriptures. America needs to turn back to God. There will be worse signs taking place, worse affairs among men, in which "men's hearts will fail them for fear of seeing the things which are coming to pass on the face of the earth." They will cry out against God as being harsh and ruthless and vindictive, filled with vengeance and anger and hatred. That is all the world sees.
But the people of God are taught further truth. Jeremiah had been to the potter's house. He had seen the potter making a vessel, and he knew that it was love behind the Potter's pressures, and that when the vessel was marred, the Potter was capable of crushing it down again, bringing it to nothing but a lump, and then molding it, shaping it once again, perhaps doing this again and again, until at last it fulfilled what God wanted. That is the great lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house, and that we can learn at the potter's house, as well.
One of the great lessons we can learn from the New Testament's use of the figure of the potter is in the book of Acts -- the incident when Judas brought back the thirty pieces of silver and flung them down at the feet of the priests, after having betrayed his Lord. The priests gathered up the money and took counsel together, and bought with the money a potter's field. And it was known thereafter as "the field of blood," (Matthew 27:6-10). This once again is God's wonderful reminder of the heart of the Potter. For if you watch this Potter very carefully, at work in your life, you will find that his hands and his feet bear nail prints, and that it is through his precious blood, the blood of the Potter himself, that the vessel is being shaped into what he wants it to be.
When we are in the Potter's hands, feeling his pressures, feeling the molding of his fingers, we can relax and trust him, for we know that this Potter has suffered with us and knows how we feel, but is determined to make us into a vessel "meet for the master's use" (2 Timothy 2:21 KJV). What a tremendous lesson, what a beautiful lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house -- one which I hope will guide us and guard us under the pressures which are coming into our lives these days. Remember, as the new year approaches, that the Potter has a purpose in mind, and the skill and ability to fulfill it, no matter how many times he may have to make the vessel over again. Let us pray that this nation will return to God so that he can mold us and make us to what He desires us to be.
My prayer for this new year is this: Dear Lord, Please mold me and make me into the vessel that you would have me to be, for your use, and above all my God please mold and make America into the country that you would have her to be.

Render To Caesar What is Caesars

On November, 20, 2009 the historic Manhattan Declaration was unveiled and made public to all Americans. It is a historic and significant 4,700-word manifesto, which is a public written declaration of principles, values, ethics, policies, beliefs, and objectives, authored by Chuck Colson, Dr. Robert George and Dr. Timothy George, with input from many Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical leaders as well as many doctors, nurses, and other leaders. It is without a doubt one of the most important documents that has come forth in my lifetime." The people signing this document will grow and grow to historic proportions as more and more people read it.
In my mind, signing the Manhattan Declaration is the closest I'll will come in my life time to understanding the thoughts and feelings of those signing the Declaration of Independence.  Those men were willing to pay the ultimate price to stand against tyranny. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and others in their circle may have thought their biggest obstacle to publicly funded abortions in socialized health care were Catholic bishops. They were so wrong.
Manhattan Declaration drafters are inviting all like-minded believers to sign on, but the potential ramifications for doing so are sobering. Now, by signing the Manhattan Declaration, a growing number of determined and unwavering pro-life Americans say they are willing to endure sanctions, imprisonment and even exile or banishment to defy involvement with abortion in any way, either with their tax dollars or by compulsory participation in preborn child killing. To date approximately close to 500,000 have signed the Manhattan Declaration and it has been public for only 30 days. These include 168 religious leaders, many whose names you know and the list grows daily, 18 Roman Catholic bishops, 9 other bishops and leaders from other denominations: 11 editors and publishers of publications, 22 chancellors and presidents of colleges, seminaries and universities, this also includes 46 leaders of various other independent ministries, hundreds of doctors and nurses, and thousands upon thousands of Americans who also say "NO" to this government when it becomes necessary to do so.
The Manhattan Declaration draws a line in the sand on the three paramount issues of our time: the sanctity of human life, the sanctity of marriage as the holy and conjugal union of husband and wife, and the rights of religious liberty and conscience. Its bottom line is this, as the last paragraph in the declaration states so clearly:
Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's.

With the liberal push to increase acceptance and involvement with abortion and homosexual marriage via socialized health care and "hate crimes" prosecution, it's our turn to say "NO" and to stand up to what we believe. I urge everyone ready this to sign the Manhattan Declaration at www.ManhattanDeclaration.org.

A Lesson To Be Learned

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whither soever thou goest. (Joshua 1:8)

The people of Israel and Jews around the world are now celebrating Hanukkah. It is not found in the scriptures, but in Israel it is an important one. As Christians we could learn a good lesson here. Hanukkah observes the story of small group of Jews that with much courage, enough courage and a love of their God to defeat a evil empire that was removing their God and religion from them and putting in place another god and form of religion. Does this sound like something that you heard before?

The Greek-Syrian Emperor Anticochus Epiphanies defiled the Jewish Temple, of that day, by erecting an idol of a god in the place where the Hebrews worshiped their God. Anticochus Epiphanies commanded all of Israel to worship this idol. He tried to make them go against everything that they believed in. If that wasn't enough, he made it illegal, for the Jews to follow God’s laws and anyone caught observing these laws or praying to God would be put to death. That was horrible but it could may very well happen again before the end of time.

A few Jewish men, called, the Maccabees, decided to fight an entire empire on their own! They had a miraculous victory, restoring and rededicating the Temple, and relighting the menorah. The nation of Israel is celebrating the victory of old this week. A few good men that are on the Lord's side can do things that are thought to be impossible. Not by power, not by might, but by the Spirit of the Lord comes the victory.

Let Us Also Be Courageous! - In the dark days that are approaching America , We as Christians, are going to need a deeper walk with the Lord, to stand up for His truth and His word. We must be a lighthouse to the people around us! Let's get our soul restored, our life rededicated and rekindled so that we can be strong in the Lord and the power of His might! Remember what a few good people can do! Let us say: “ As for me and My house we will serve the Lord”

We are living in a time much like the Jews in this story. We have leaders that no longer want God in anything. We are told by our leaders that we are no longer a Christian nation. We have people who are trying to mix up the Christian faith and beliefs with things such as: the new age movement, Carma, re incarnation, yoga, name it and claim it, prosperity religion and many other things. The only thing that counts is being bought by the perilous blood of Jesus and living for Him. By the precious Blood of Jesus we can win every battle, rebuke every evil spirit, defeat the devil, and bring our nation back to Christ. Lets get to work!

Remembering The Warmth of Christmas Past – and the sadness of Christmas Present

As Christians, the world over are getting ready to celebrate Christmas and rejoice over the birth of Jesus, we as Americans should also give serious thought and thanks to The Lord's influence on the great American freedoms, among us, that we cherish so much, and which did make this country so great. Out of respect and reverence for our Christian roots, if for no other reason or purpose, As Christians and American's we should have, as our main goal and concern to put Christ back into Christmas and not only that but to make Him apart of our daily lives and the lives of those who control this country. Not only did God give us eternal life, through his Son, he also gave us the greatest country on this earth to live in and also gave us through those first settlers, that landed on Plymouth rock, the Christian principles and laws that have guided this country for so many years. It was those principles that have made this country the greatest on the face of this earth. God has truly blessed and shed His grace on this country. He has been the Rock that has kept this country free for over two hundred years.

As I sat and tried to remember all the Christmas' that took place in the nearly sixty four years, of my life, There are a few things that remain burnt into my mind forever. I will always remember wanting to go to my grandmother Patchett's house to see her Christmas tree. I will always remember how big it always was and how beautiful it was decorated with all those old Christmas bulbs, from years past and the beautiful lights. How they ever got those big tree in the house every year I will never know. But it always made my eyes glow. I will always remember how my grandmother would remember all her grandkids with a small gift and to see her small fingers as she played Christmas carols on her piano, as her small feet barely touched the pedals on the piano as she played “Silent Night”. I know that she is in heaven now singing those same glorious songs.

I will always remember when I was but a very small child in the small village of Harmony, the manger scene at the small Methodist church, where I grew up . That warm feeling that I had whenever I would look at that manger scene and hear the music coming from it. It was beyond all words. I knew, even at that very early age, it was more to Christmas than just toys and candy canes. I was so happy and excited with the toys and gifts, the candy, and many others things, the Christmas lights and all the holly, the turkey beard reefs, and the many other things that would remind you that Christmas was on its way, but it was nothing like the warm feeling that I always got, when I would gaze upon that manger scene and still have every time that I think of that manger scene in front of that little church in Harmony. I was so always so excited and proud to stand on the pulpit of that little church, as a small child, with the other kids and say my Christmas piece and sing those old Christmas Songs. Now that I'm much older (a old clunker) How thankful I am for the greatest gift in the world. I'm also glad and thankful that I was able to pass that same warmth on to my children and they to their children. How thankful that I am after all these years that I can still tell the word through many ways that Our God gave His only Son for us so that if we believed in Him we would have everlasting Life. What a gift! It is the only gift that keeps on giving.

Then I can remember during the later years of my life going to that little country church in Brookview, Maryland where my father has been the pastor for over thirty years, I remember the old Christmas songs that we sang through out those years, the Christmas plays depicting the birth of Christ {that my kids took part in}, passing out of the Christmas cards after the service was over, the bags of candy with apples and oranges. But the most important thing that I will always remember is my mother standing in front of the church and in her beautiful voice would sing: “Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, Shine On! “ She sang many other Christmas songs but As I think about her singing that song, tears will come to my eyes and then I smile because I know where my mother is, With Jesus! Once again there was a warm feeling inside of me that goes beyond all understanding or explaining. Oh! To know Jesus is the most important thing that has ever happen to me in my life or that could happen to you in your life, what warmth, what happiness!

When I visit my grand kids on Christmas day, how exciting to see them with their gifts, to see the

Christmas tree, to smell the pies, and hot coffee. But you have that warmness inside of you when you pull up into their yard and see the Nativity Scene, when you go into the house and see the many ways that a person can find that Christ is there in that house. By the Bibles you can easily see, the memory verses for the month that are on the wall and refrigerator. By the very fact that the kids will stop what they are doing and very quickly tell you what Christmas really means. It is always a warm feeling to me when Christmas is near.

Christmas should be a joyous and thankful time of the year, however, there are more than just the Ebenezer Scrooge's of this world to who try to take the meaning of Christmas away from us. There are a lot of sad parts about Christmas, now days, that brings tears to the true Christian eyes. People going here and there to do their holiday shopping, no longer called Christmas shopping, not once remembering that great gift that was given to us so long ago. They have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. What great gift that God has given us. People have took Christ out of Christmas. A large part of our American society even call Christmas the holidays, They would not dare to say “Merry Christmas”, not even one small mention of Christ. We are no longer allowed to have manger scenes on most government property nor have any thought of that most special day. I believe that it is called political correctness which is a term heard quite often in our country these days. For the most part this nation not only has taken Christ out of Christmas but they have done away with Christmas and now we have the holidays instead. There is holiday gifts, holly, Santa Claus, candy, much liquor, much food, and many other things, but there is no Jesus. Then these same people wonder what is happening to our country. If you are a Bible believing Christian then you know already know: This country has forsaken Jesus Christ the Saviour.  

We now have a President that has gone so far as to say more than once that we are no longer a Christian nation, but we are a nation of Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhist, and many other religions. He also said that some parts of the Bible are out of date. I would remind our president that although this nation is made up of all these other religions, it was Christians who founded this great nation and it is our Christian roots that have made us so strong and productive since it was founded. Also that great Book was, and still is, a light that guides our way. Most all laws of this land come straight from God's Word. Forever His word is settled in Heaven and is always up to date. His word changes not. It is in that Great Book where we can read of the very first Christmas. It is sad how this country is turning its back on God.

Not only has this nation taken Christ out of Christmas but it has taken Christ out of our schools, our government, and every other place. This nation no longer heeds the commandments given to us in that Great Book. We are fast becoming a godless nation with no thoughts at all about our Christian Roots that started growing that day on Plymouth Rock. We no longer feed our land with the pure raw word of God so that it will flourish. We are feeding it with sin and evil that is causing this nation to promote every evil that is imaginable such as adultery, homosexuality, abortion, and you name it the sin is there. We now have more tares in the land than the good grain. Evil has overtaken this country. People have turned our backs on God. They no longer want him in our schools, court rooms, or government buildings.

What we as Christians should be so thankful for is: We have the greatest gift in the world. We have Jesus and for those of us that believe on him and live by His Word will have everlasting life. What a gift! What a great warm feeling inside to know that you have been given the greatest gift ever. As we celebrate this Christmas Season  let us be thankful for God’s great gift to us, his Son, and remember: Jesus is the reason for the season. There is no other reason for the season.

A Good Soldier Of The Cross

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (2 Timothy 2: 3-4)
During World War 2 there was a general in the British army by the name of Sir Bernard Montgomery, who was a born again Christian, and he was asked this question: "How do you interpret the Great Commission." His answer was this: "You do not interpret the Great commission, You just go do it!" That statement is so true and yet in this day and time there must be, in our churches, a vote for everything that we do. The church is not a democracy where the majority vote wins, The church is militant organization and its leader is Jesus Christ. He has given the church its marching orders and there is no room for discussion. Men listen to what they cannot control, but there is nothing that will stop a church that walks with the Lord. The footsteps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. We have marching orders and it is not open for a discussion or a vote. We are to go into all the world and preach the gospel. What do people not understand about that? We are on the battlefield for The Lord. We are soldiers for Christ. We are to put on the whole armour of God, not just part of it.
What the church needs today is some militant preachers. Preachers that are not afraid to be aggressive and confront sin. Just as a good soldier must live up to a certain standard so must our preachers and their sheep live up to the rules and commandments that are found in the Bible. A good soldier must be equipped for the battle and so does the preacher and his congregation. We must remember we are on the battle field for the Lord. A soldier has one thing on his mind and that is to do his duty. The Christian should have the same motive. We are soldiers for the Lord. The military comparison was one of Paul's favorite ways to give comparison to the Christian. There are demands that are placed on the soldier. His body must be strengthened so his strength will be equal to the demands made upon it. The Christian should be like the soldier. The idea here is not some type of Spartan way of life, but rather that we should be disciplined in our service for the Lord, just like the soldier does for his country. As Christians there are things we do not do. Just as a soldier of this country is not his own, a Christian is not his own. If a soldier ever found his self like some preachers, in our churches today, he would be court-martialed. The Christian Church, just like the army, is as strong as its weakest link.
This country does not need bigger bombs, more airplanes, tanks, rockets, or war ships. What we need is more militant preachers who will give marching orders to the church and the church obeys. Paul said: "Be yea followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.!" As long as the preacher follows Christ, then if we want to be in that church, follow him. We need militant preachers who will not compromise the gospel in any way. We have rock singers and country singers that sing in our church on Sunday and then sing in Hollywood, Nashville, and every other hell hole in this country throughout the week. How can you proclaim the gospel of Jesus christ and let this happen? Then we wonder why homosexuals openly parade down our streets, openly stand in our pulpits, why there are so many murders, why there was over 1 ½ million unborn babies killed last year, and why the divorce rate in this country is close to 60%., The nation that forgets God will be turned into hell, this is why our schools are hell, why our streets are hell, why some of our homes are hell. We have turned our back on God. We have compromised His Word and His laws. Some of the church world will tell you that the world is just misunderstood, but the truth is the world is our enemy and we cannot love the things of this world and God. We have to Choose this day who we will serve.
When the United States went to war, they went all out to win and win they did. A complete victory. But since the time of the Korean War and all wars after that the United States has compromised with their enemy and this has caused this country to lose strength and position in the world. The same is with the church. The church at the turn of the century was a militant church, but now it is compromising with the world. The world is in the church and the church is in the world. The is nothing that can stop a church that will not compromise the Word of God and is on fire for the Lord. We are soldiers for Christ and we must not forget that. There is a real enemy out there. We need preachers that are not afraid to stand up and proclaim the gospel. When a church stands up to the world, the world will listen. There is nothing that can stop a church that walks with God. There is no excuse what so ever for the millions of church members that leave all the work of taking The Great Commission to just a few who will obey.

Sticking To The Plan

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

We often develop strategies, and plans for our life, and then, some obstruction or hindrance will get in our way at some critical point. It always does sooner or later. What do we do, give in, or do we say – "Just stick to the plan!" Life is always sending us unexpected surprises, out of the blue, that can be bewildering but praise God, nothing takes Our Lord by surprise. He's the master planner. Our family might turn against us, our friends let us down, illness, afflictions, problems and "situations" on every side...God still has a plan, for you, and for me. We must just stick to the plan.

Joseph is a good example of life's surprises. It took Joseph 13 years of staying power, fortitude, patience and character-building for him to accomplish this part of God's plan. Joseph was as a slave into Egypt by his own brothers, betrayed by his own family and imprisoned for lies that were told on him, he must have questioned a lot where God was and what He was doing. Why was this happening to him. But finally, as a prepared vessel, ( Straight from the Master Potter) Joseph was put in the highest position in the land, second only to Pharaoh, and was commissioned to put into place God's plan for saving the people from the great food shortage and want coming to the world. So the Lord had bombshell of His own. Revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph summed it up brilliantly when he said: " You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, (Genesis 50:20) Joseph walked by faith, not by sight.

In order for us to bring the same thing about in this day,( to save many people alive.) When our situations and circumstances are hard to handle and downright impossible to explain, when things are easier said than done we need to remind ourselves, a bell should go off in our head that God said, “I know the plans I have for you.” Through these situations and circumstances we discover how faithful and sovereign our God truly is. He knows what we can handle and He will never give us more. When the test is completed, we come out with character, stronger in faith, more in love, more useful to Him, and ready for our next test.
The fact that we have problems is a sign that we also have a promise. It’s only a matter of time before God reveals His good intentions – so until then, let’s stick to the plan! God’s plan.

Enter into The Rest

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11: 28-30)

One of the Ingredients of living in a world stained by sin, filled with sinful people, and exploited by Satan is that we will quite often come across stressful situations and circumstances. In fact, life can be so stressful that it can begin to harmfully influence and pressure us emotionally and spiritually, sometimes even severely. We can get stressed when we have too much to do and even when we don’t have anything to do. Stress comes not when we most expect it, but when we least expect it, and when we don’t even know where it is coming from. Such is the reality of being human. One day, soon, all the pain and sorrow and frustration will be gone, but in the meantime, stress will take its toll on us, and there is nothing we can do to avoid it entirely. Surely, we can avoid sinning and doing foolish things which can only increase our stress burden. But there are things outside of our control, things that we just can’t resolve. For example, we can’t force a person to receive Christ. We can’t make God heal a disability. We can’t force our leaders to seek God, use wisdom and honor in their decision-making. We can’t force employers to create work out of thin air when there is none. We are human, weak, not all-powerful, and not God. Therefore we will always have stress to deal with. However, for those of us who know Jesus Christ, we will always have a safe haven, a place of perfect rest, under the shadow of The Almighty.

The exact reverse of stress is rest. The rest, that we read about in the Bible, is a deep inner peace, contentment, and joy that goes beyond all circumstances and allows us to be re-energized on the inside. This rest is not a magical illusory state that temporarily lowers our blood pressure and allows us to escape the problems of this world. Rather, it is safety in the storm. It is having Jesus there when the waves crash and the wind howls. Rest is admitting that we are nothing but sheep who need a Shepherd (Psalms 23:1) for only in Christ from beginning to end can we have no need. Acknowledging our deficiency and trusting in His sufficiency is crucial and most important to being at rest. Rest will always escape any person who lives with a double-minded attitude. Rest will escape any who hides sin and evil intent in their hearts. Rest will never come to those who seek it in some place or person other than Jesus Christ. All other interest - money, early retirement, perfect health, a minute of media fame- is sinking sand. Only Jesus can provide what we are looking for, for only He is fully in charge of our lives. The only true safe haven is found in being in step with our Savior, following our closest Friend wherever He may lead.
Jesus never promised that He would make our lives stress free, for He said we will have trouble in this life. However, even as we go through the tribulations of this earthly life, He leads us into green pastures and beside quiet waters His pastures are green, lush, life-giving, and life-sustaining because He is our energy, our food, our sustenance, and our life. He leads us to still waters, waters that refresh and replenish, that cool and cleanse. He restores our souls. A accurate understanding of the restoration of the soul is vital to enduring stressful times. The restoration of the soul is not found by becoming better at getting what we want, becoming more talented in influencing people, or advancing in some selfish cause or agenda. The restoration of the soul is not a mystical encounter at a New Age class. God restores our souls by sanctifying all of its parts. He calms our minds by helping us to take sinful thoughts captive and to think upon what is good, right, and pure according to His Word. He refines the desires of our hearts by reminding us that, unless we seek His kingdom first, we will be all out of balance. He shapes and bends our wills so that we stop fighting and resisting the work of the Spirit in our hearts and finally humbly surrender and obey. So if we want rest, we must think right, want the proper things, and obey. We must also be taking in the Scriptures. When it says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul.” If we want our souls restored, we must be in the Word and allowing the Spirit to conform us to its truth. Rest is a Biblical principle and a privilege. Rest gives us renewed perspective, fresh direction, and a fired up passion and energy. But a vacation, holiday, or celebration will not restore the soul unless we turn to the presence of God by surrendering to Him in complete obedience and humility. We must delight upon His Word. Let us enter His rest so He can restore our souls and give us strength for the stress tests yet to come in this life

The Self Help Theory

 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."  (Matthew 16:24-25)

We live in a day and age that everywhere we turn, there's a "self-help" theory. You see them all over the place, in stores, TV, the internet, and many other places. There are techniques and things such as books, videos and DVDs, websites, world famous and prominent speakers, you name it and you can put it on the list. They are all dedicated and devoted to helping us "feel good about ourselves". However most of the time we somehow never seem to get where we want to be, because many of us still struggle with self-consciousness and that sin nature, even as Christians! As Christians we must remember that our help comes from the Lord. Most churches in today’s world today (not all of them) fall for the same things or they will send you to a psychologist to help with your problem of self-confidence  They offer many ways for you to overcome your self-consciousness and your problems about yourself except the right way. We must take our burdens, problems, heartaches, and everything else to the Lord and leave them there. He has already paid the price for all that when he went to the cross, so take your burdens, depression, and all problems to the Lord and leave them there.

     Let me ask you a question and then you think about and reflect on what I said. Did Jesus ever say "feel good about yourself"? To the best of my knowledge he never said that. On the contrary, He said: “take up your cross daily, and follow me.” In other words crucify yourself! What does the word crucify mean? It means: “to subject yourself to discipline” No one that I know of had any harder life than the Apostle Paul. When Paul said: “I die daily”, he was referring to the constant strain and hardships of the life he lived. He faced problems and trouble every day of his life. {JSM Commentary} He was not only speaking of dying out to sin daily, as some teach, but also to the hardships and problems that he faced in his life. Same as you and me but much worse.

If we go around hating ourselves and even feeling condemnation over our faults and past sins, what we are really doing is focusing on our self! This gives Satan a foot hold in your life! A person once said a wise thing: “self-consciousness is not God-consciousness!” That just about says it all. God doesn't want us focused on ourselves. He wants us to be focused on Him, not our feeble perception of what we think of ourselves and what we think we ought to be. We are bought with a price. We need to be what God wants us to be.

It is  when we die to our flesh, bury the past, that the life we're living becomes the life He lives through us! If we crucify our self then there's no self to hate, there's no self to condemn or dislike! We are free to serve the Lord and allow him to do great things through us! Let me leave you with this thought: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) When we follow Christ it will be necessary to take up that cross because that is the path that Jesus trod. To follow Christ means not only to follow to glory, victory, and everlasting life, it also means we go through many sorrows and heartaches that accompany the journey.

Even So Come Lord Jesus

As Christians we should never give up or be defeated but rather we should say I shall not be moved, till Jesus comes and makes me whole I shall moved. We have many things that come against us as Christians that are very upsetting and will cause us to be defeated if we would allow it. It is time that we as servants of the most high God to put the devil and all his demons on notice. We will not be moved because we are anchored in Jesus. The storms of this life are only temporal for we have a better home awaiting were there will be no more wars, no more hunger, no more pain, and no more sin! What a day that will be!

What a day that will be when we will no longer live in a society that denies Jesus, denies His Lordship, and gives terrorist, non-believers, and others rights, under our constitution while we as Christians are being denied those same rights. In our society Christmas is no longer celebrated by most people. It is called “The Holidays”. How sad this is. Jesus is no longer allowed in our schools or in our court rooms. Do you remember when you testified in court when you promised on a Bible to tell the truth so help you God? Do you remember when you stood in school and sang “Silent Night” or “Away in a Manger”? Do you remember when you went to school when you read from the Bible and said a prayer, in your home room, before you started your school day? The government is taking away all traces of Christ in our schools and replaced them with humanist rules straight from Satan. They are taking away the Ten Commandments and all other Biblical sayings. We are no longer allowed to sing Christmas carols in our schools, but our kids can sing praises to a president of this country to the tune of ‘Jesus loves me.” This takes our country to dangerous grounds. We are told by our leader, the president, that the “Sermon on The Mount is not for today. What direction is this country headed in? Do you remember when homosexuals hid in their closets? Now they march the streets and have special rights. Whenever a country gets rid of its religious principles that it was founded on that country is in serious trouble and let me also say this:, Any country that justifies the homosexual and lesbian life style is in its final days of moral corruption. Remember this, Sodom was the end result of the reprobate mind. Is this country following in Sodom’s footsteps?

Those who live in this country that do not want God in any part of their life will get just what they want,: A world without God. They will in the end, call on the very one they rejected and did not want. But will it be too late? Has this country gone the way of Sodom? Has this country become like the Jews of Bible times? They killed Jesus to stop His doctrine but His Word only spread like wild fire starting with the 120 in the upper room and then the thousands throughout the book of ACTS and in today’s world people can try to do away with Jesus but there will be yet (in my opinion) another outpouring of His Spirit upon this world before the end. People and government officials can try to stop it all they want, but only our God can say enough is enough.

Please do not take this the wrong way when I ask this question,: “What has happen to our churches today? Where is that power that the early church had? Any church today that does not promote, teach, and preach the word of God as it was preached in the book of Acts has lost its power. How many churches can say in today’s world’: “SIVLER AND GOLD HAVE I NONE, BUT SUCH AS I HAVE GIVE I THEE, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH RISE UP AND WALK! I can tell you not many! Any church that teaches that the power and the anointing is not for today is a an apostate church. They have deserted and run away from the true meanings of church. How can Jesus move in the mist of our churches when he is not allowed and how can Jesus heal this land when He is not allowed in our schools or government? Preachers like Jimmy Swaggart, Oliver B. Green, J. Finnis Dake, Bert Clendennen, Billy Graham, R. G. Hardy, and many others have preached the truth but people would not listen. They would rather listen to preachers and people who will smooth their ears and continue in sin. Let this nation, our government leaders, and our churches return to God and He will heal this land. Put your faith in Jesus Christ, not church leaders, government leaders, the united nations, the money in your bank account, or what seems to be right. Jesus is the way and the only way.

We, as God’s Servants, need to put things into perspective. That perspective is this:, “THERE IS A GOD AND IF YOU ARE A CHILD OF HIS THE BEST IS YET TO COME” I do not know how much longer that you or I will here on this earth before The Master calls us home so remember this,: If I should go before you “I will meet you in the morning just inside the Eastern Gates over there”. Our Lord is coming soon so be prepared!

BEING PREPARED – For Chaos

I can remember, in my youth, when I was a Boy Scout we had a motto and we were taught to "Be Prepared". This past year that motto has come to my mind many a time, to be prepared. I have stocked several items that I knew that I might need in case of chaos, but my main thought was to have myself spiritually prepared for the chaos that we as Christians know is coming. I'm speaking about the chaos before the rapture of the Church and the seven years of tribulation. We are on the very fridges of that chaos right now. People with spiritual eyes can see this.
We are living in an era of time that this world has never seen before and a world that is of great interest to all of us, and even more so if you are a born again Bible-believing Christian. Church leaders, government leaders, men and women who have a place of trust and authority, people that we have faith in, believing men and women of all classes, have their thoughts focused upon the actions and events that are taking place around us. Failing stock prices, the rise in prices of comities, the rebellion by most of the world, the strained, restless relations that exist between Christians and Muslims. All eyes are on Israel. People are wondering about every aspect and facet of their everyday life. and they realize that something great and decisive is about to happen, it looks very much like the world is on the threshold of a most tremendous crisis. Something the world has never seen before. Still, with all the signs that are taking place in this world, there are many people who make fun of and laugh at the idea that this world will come to an end. Just like in Noah's day. We now have songs that make fun of the idea of the end of the world and being ready for it. This is a depraved mindset that is captivating many a person throughout this world. We have leaders that have made laws that save a whale but kills unborn babies, laws that say it is okay for Adam and Steve to get married, and have taken God out of just about everything. These are things that just would not have happened thirty years ago. It is a fact that we are living in an ungodly world and it is getting extremely worse every day! A world without God!
If you are a reader of the Bible and a person that studies God's word you already see and know that the Bible gives us the reality and the truth about what is really happening in this world. In other words, you already understand what is getting ready to happen. The gospel message that is going all over them, at the very close of the account of earth's history, contains the strongest warnings ever given to man. These very warnings can also be found in God's Word.
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (Rev 14:6-10)
These scriptures tell us that Angels are even now holding back the winds of strife that the world has never seen before or could ever imagine, this will not come until the whole world shall be made known of Jesus and warned of its coming fate and doom. People in the world today think that there is so many troubles and trails, but there is a storm cloud gathering, getting ready to lose itself upon this earth; and when God shall tell His angels to lose the winds, there will be a sight of strife and conflict that no person could never think about or imagine. The Bible, and the Bible only, gives us the correct and truthful view of these things. The Bible reveals and tell the reader of the great and final scenes of the history of our world. The events taking place today are a forerunner to the final trials and events which, even as they draw near, will cause the world to tremble and the hearts of people will fail them because of fear. Before the rapture of the church we ( the Christians ) will see a lot of terrible things taking place such as we have never seen before, but thank God we will not be here when The Lord will un leases His wrath upon this world, because if we are saved by God's Grace we are going to be snatched out of this sinful world. If you have not prepared to meet your God now is just as good a time as any.

WEAK CHRISTIANITY

(Revelation 22:12 ) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. The following is an passage from Moody's many stories that he wrote, It is a story that we should read and learn a lesson from. The story is as follows: "A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him. So it went on the next night and the next, and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place, and asked what he should do. 'Well,' said the chaplain, 'you are not at home now, and the other men have just as much right to the barracks as you have. It makes them mad to hear you pray, and the Lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don't provoke them.' For weeks after the chaplain did not see the young man again, but one day he met him, and asked - 'By the way, did you take my advice?' 'I did, for two or three nights,' [the soldier answered.] 'How did it work?' 'Well,' said the young man, 'I felt like a whipped hound and the third night I got out of bed, knelt down and prayed.' 'Well,' asked the chaplain, 'How did that work?' The young soldier answered: 'We have a prayer meeting there now every night, three have been converted, and we are praying for the rest.' This is the kind of Christianity that we do not have anymore and is needed in today's world. ' Remember the Virginia Tech shootings? The students of all faiths gathered together, after the tragedy for a service intended to give strength and comfort and possibly some direction for the future. The Muslim leader spoke referring to passages of the Koran and speaking of Allah. The Buddhist representative also spoke referring to her religious writings and leaders. Then the Jewish leader read from Ecclesiastes and spoke of God. Only the weak, Christian leader failed to read from his Bible or to mention Jesus. The weak politically correct version of Christianity that he represented, that day, was embarrassing to all true born again Christians. It was clear that day on that Virginia Tech Campus that the Muslim was a Muslim, the Buddhist was a Buddhist, and the Jew was a Jewish believer. But the Christian could have been almost anyone from anywhere. He was lost in space. What a shame and disgrace. It was obvious and very noticeable that he wanted to offend no one and he certainly succeeded in that. But every Christian present in that room must have wondered if there was not more than safe, politically correct thoughts that should have been offered in the face of such a tragedy. Jesus was left out that day! Jesus was the answer that day and he was left out! God help us to be known clearly as Christians and unashamed of the Word of God or of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. The Muslim was clear, the Buddhist was clear, and the Jew was clear. And they said what they wanted to say about their religion. They did not compromise their beliefs to be more acceptable and pleasing to the audience. Let's be clear and strong in our expressions of our faith. Let's not be weak and empty-headed. Let's boldly declare Jesus as the foundation and basis of our life. Jesus is our comfort and the hope of all mankind. There is no one else. No man when he lights a candle puts it under a basket for no one to see. Jesus is the door to eternal life, He is the rock of our salvation, our soon coming King.

Are you, as I am, tired of a weak and feeble Christianity that is put forth today? We need be all out for Christ and let our voices be heard in this sinful and demon possessed world!; We do not need to hesitant and keep our mouth shut. This country was founded on Christianity If the world wants to call us fools, then let me be a fool for Christ! In just a little while; that great day will be here. We have the privilege, now, of confessing Christ." Remember only what we do for Christ will last. Need I say anymore? Let's ask the Lord to touch our lives with power today. That we may be released from our stresses, our problems and even our own desires -- that we may become focused on being available for the task at hand. There's so much work to be done! The harvest is ready but so workers. Remember we may be weak, but He is strong and we can do all things through Christ Jesus, Our Lord!

THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS- In Today’s World

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. (NKJV Psalms 107:2-6)
Most all of you, who read this article, I'm sure, have read the book "Pilgrim's Progress". If you have not it is a very good book to read. In the book, Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan has written one of the most beautiful and stunning stories {that I have ever read other than the Bible} about the journey that we all travel as a believer. The book tells all about Christian, and his journey from the City of Destruction and ruin to his heavenly home, the Celestial City. There is one part of Pilgrim's Progress that we need to center on today as our focus point and that is, walking through the Swamp of hopelessness, sadness, misery, gloom, because so many people today are in that very swamp. At one point during their travels, Christian and his companion suddenly find themselves there, in the Swamp of hopelessness, sadness, misery, gloom. Still bearing his burden, Christian, begins to sink in the mire. The person traveling with him manages to get out, but he returns to the City of Destruction (Giving in to Satan) without giving aid or help to Christian. Christian is left all alone and sinking even deeper in the mire, until Help, {The Holy Spirit}, pulls him out from the swamp and sets him free. When God sets a person free they are free indeed! Christian then asks Help to understand as to why this dangerous plot of land has not been repaired and fixed so that poor travelers might go safely to the Celestial City. Help {in other words The Lord} replies, "This mire and slough is such a place that cannot be mended or repaired." This place would be better known in today's world as a quagmire which is an awkward, complicated, complex, or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to escape. That is where Satan wants to put all of God's people! Down in the mire of sin. How true it is in real life! As hard as we try to avoid them as God's Children, whether young in the Lord, or spiritually mature, swamps of despondency seem inevitable and are to be expected in this life time, and we must struggle and fight back through them! We can do this! The Lord is on our side. Charles Spurgeon once wrote to his students in his book, "Lectures to my Students", "Fits of depression come over most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be to some degree men of iron, but without a doubt the rust bothers and troubles even these." There are times in our lives when we will struggle through the swamps of hopelessness, sadness, misery, gloom , but thanks to our God that He has supplied us a Helper for those times when we are in need! We need to press on and through, in search of and putting our trust the power of the Holy Spirit to pull us out of those nasty swamps, and set our feet back upon the Rock of our salvation. Let us, as pilgrims looking for that city who's founder and maker is God, also look around us at our brothers and sisters who may be struggling in the swamps of despondency, so that, rather than leaving them by the way side, we can give them a hand on their trip to the celestial city! We all are pilgrims looking for that city who's builder and maker are God. I do not know about the reader but: "I feel like traveling on" to my heavenly home just inside the Eastern Gate.