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Why Do I Need To Have Faith In Jesus Christ?

     I want to talk about why we need to have faith in Jesus Christ.  Faith in Jesus means that we can trust that when He saves us, He saves us for all time.  We can believe with our whole hearts that Jesus has our best interests in His heart.  But why do we need to believe in Jesus Christ, and why do I need Him in my life?  Galatians 3:23-24 says that, "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. (24)So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
Only By Faith Can I Be Justified In God's Eyes
     Justification is an act by God in which we sinners are declared free from the guilt and condemnation of our sins.  We are declared "not guilty" through Jesus' death and resurrection.  Before being saved, even if you do not feel the guilt and shame of your sins, they are still present in your soul.  After being saved, they are removed when you confess with your mouth that you agree with God that you have committed a sin.  When you ask, God will forgive you, and cleanse your soul of the stain that the guilt and shame had placed there when you sinned.  This is one of the ways God frees our souls for His and our benefit.
     The Scripture above tells us that "we were held prisoners by the law".  What is this law?  The law is the Ten Commandments.  Each commandment tells us the right way to live and was created by God to protect us from ourselves, and from sinning against Him.  Some people believe that the Ten Commandments should not be shown in public places because they want everything of God removed from our society today.  Why is this?  Is it because they don't want to be told what they can and cannot do with their own lives?  Is it because they believe that Christianity is not the only way to God, and that by the showing of the Ten Commandments is an insult to those other religions that believe there are many ways to God?  The answers to these questions, and more, is a resounding NO!
     When those who don't know Jesus read the Ten Commandments, they are instantly convicted of their sins, even if they do not realize that it is happening.  They are held prisoner by their sins until they ask God to forgive them through Jesus Christ.  They feel uncomfortable about this conviction, if they are honest about it.  Therefore, instead of asking for forgiveness, they bury the guilty feeling deep down inside.  Instead of going to Jesus about their sins (as the Scripture above says they should do) they feel the only way to escape the uncomfortable feeling is by removing the one thing that is making them feel uncomfortable.  However, what they don't realize is that the guilt and shame will eat at them like a cancer, causing them to  "die" in their sins by remaining unrepentent of those sins.
     The Bible calls this dying "spiritual death".  Sometimes it can even cause physical death by illness: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction to name a few.  The only way to find "spiritual life" is by having the faith to believe that, if you confess your sins to God, ask for His Son, Jesus, to come into your life to "save" you, and ask for His forgiveness He will do what He promised you He would do.  Once you have done that, Jesus' light will shine in the darkness of your soul, cleansing you of sin and its stain, and begin the process of removing and healing every thing in your life that led you toward spiritual death in the first place.  However, Jesus will need your cooperation, for He will only change what you want Him to change.  He cannot change the parts of your life that you continue to hold onto.  If you surrender every part of your life to Jesus, then He will begin to repair your soul and give you His great peace and joy that can only come from a relationship with Him.  Surrender all things and He will change all things, giving you a freedom you once only dreamed about.
    
Jesus Christ's Death Brought Me Justification

     "Not guilty!" are the words every criminal wants to hear from the head juror as he or she reads the verdict.  If you are truly an innocent person that phrase will bring you great joy.  If you are truly guilty you still would find no joy whatsoever in hearing those words.
     When an innocent person is set free from the courtroom, he finds joy in knowing that the justice system does sometimes work.  He can return to his home with a peace that he can honestly feel inside his heart, knowing that he did nothing wrong.  He can continue enjoying the freedoms that all human beings need to feel to be secure in themselves.
     When a guilty person is set free there can be no peace at all in his heart because he knows that he still committed the crime, and knows that it will, someday, catch up to him.  All this person feels, even if they do not realize it, is a sense of dread, shame, and fear.  From this moment on, he will continually be looking behind his back, waiting for the moment when the truth of his guilt is discovered, and he is once more facing the judge.  At that time, the odds will be against him that he will be set free a second time.  Until he is able to humble himself and confess that he did indeed do the crime, he will not find peace, and will never know the joys of truly being a free man.
     That is exactly how those who have not put their faith in Jesus Christ go about their everday lives.  They live with the same dread, guilt, and shame as the criminal described above.  Every time they do something they know deep in their hearts is wrong, like stealing a pen from the office, there is always guilt and shame attached to the crime.
     The Bible calls these crimes sin.  As long as these sins go unconfessed, they remain a cancer of the soul until humility sets in and you find yourself desperate for a way out.  That's where faith comes in.
     Romans 5:18-19 says," Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. (19)For just as through disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (New International Version).
     One man's simple act of disobedience is all it took to condemn humanity to sin, thereby making us all sinners.  That one act of disobedience has caused us so much trouble that we believe there is no way out of it.  All kinds of impurities run rampant in our world: sexual imorality, addictions, and pornography to name a few.  Murders are increasing, as are rapes and sexual child abuse.  War after war has decimated country after country, as they fight for real estate that is not even theirs.  Terrorism has sent our world into a panic.  All kinds of horrors fill this earth causing many to live in a constant state of anxiety, fearing for their lives.  Because of one man's sin, we now live in a world of chaos that is continually getting worse.
     However, one man's simple act of obedience is all it took to free humanity from the consequenses of its sinful nature.  His great love for us would not let Him disobey His Father in Heaven.  Where Adam disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Jesus' death and resurrection back to life have made many righteous.  Who are the righteous ones?  They are those individuals who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Doing so has saved them from being over-powered by their sinful natures, thereby setting them free from condemnation forever.  Where Adam made us captives to sin, Jesus freed us from our sins.

I Can Defeat Satan At Every Step

     Ephesians 6:16 says, "In every battle you will need faith as your sheld to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan" (New Living Translation).
     How strong is your faith?  Is it strong enough to win a battle against the temptation brought on by Satan, or one of his demons?  Will you be able to withstand the immense tugging of your flesh as it wants to do what Satan is telling you to do, something you know you shouldn't do, culminating into a sin?  Is your flesh stronger than your faith in Jesus?  If it is, you will have a very hard time overcoming the devil and his wants and desire for you.  We know that God Himself has His own desires for you.  But if you continually give into the tugging of your flesh to do wrong things, then God may not give you the desires He has for your life at the moment He wants to give it to you.
     But where do we get the faith we need to stop the fiery arrows (temptations) that Satan has aimed at our hearts?  What is this shield we need to cover our hearts so that the arrows do not penetrate them?  Only the Holy Spirit can give us this saving faith and shield.  On the day that you give your life to Jesus, or on the day that you gave Jesus your life, it was the Holy Spirit who gave you the faith to even see Jesus as the Messiah.  When Satan throws temptation at you, all you need to do is to call upon Jesus through God's Holy Spirit.  If your heart feels like it is being tugged towards Jesus, then that is the Holy Spirit giving you the faith you need to call on Jesus and to make Him Lord of your life.
     Jesus Christ came to overcome the world and to defeat Satan.  That makes Him the strongest man to ever walk the earth.  To conquer Satan, you need to pray to Jesus to take away the temptation that is plaguing you and to strengthed you until the temptation has passed.  Some temptations will be easier than others to defeat (sexual temptations are among the very hardest).  But don't ever think that you can overcome the temptation all by yourself.  If you do, you will fall into it every single time.  Defeat can't be had without the power of Jesus in your life.  Jesus is called Savior because He saves us from our bondage to sin.  Jesus will continually be Savior in every aspect of our lives, as He saves us again and again, each time Satan tempts us to do wrong.  Justification means "just as if I had never sinned."

     Please give Jesus a chance to show you just how much He loves you and wants you free from the bondage to sin.  Next time, we'll look at how faith helps us in our lives.
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The Word Alive in Us

”Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds

from the mouth of ADONAI.”

                                 -Matt 4:4

 

            The human body cannot live on GOD’s reality without spiritual food for the spirit; for we cannot separate the spirit from the body unless one is dead.  Whatever is active in the spirit by faith is ultimately translated in the body.  It is the spirit of man born from above that possesses the divine nature of YESHUA.  Therefore, if man’s spirit is led by the HOLY SPIRIT, it will naturally long for its spiritual food which is the word of ADONAI (1 Pet 2:2).  Each Christian must understand that since ADONAI ELOHIM created all things by His spoken word and sustains all things by the word of His power(Heb 1:3), man, who is created in His image and likeness, can only live an abundant life by His holy word.

 

            YESHUA is the Word and He holds all things together.  All the fullness of GOD’s deity dwells in Him (Col 1:17,19).  Since YESHUA is the Word that ADONAI ELOHIM spoke during creation, He instructed us not to add nor subtract anything from it or suffer dire consequences (Dt 4:2; Rev 22:18,19).  In the Old Testament, ADONAI spoke to us through the prophets but in these last days, He spoke to us through His SON, YESHUA, who expressed His very character and essence while on earth (Heb 1:1).  He took pains to record His precious revelation in the Scriptures and has kept it intact and safe throughout history.

 

            ADONAI continues to reveal to us what is to come through the HOLY SPIRIT by His Word as we partake of it daily.  Like manna, it becomes alive in our spirits and we learn to trust GOD more.  With the Word in us, we are made whole and complete in YESHUA.  Without it, we become sick both spiritually and physically because the Word of ADONAI is the lifeblood of every believer.  The Word transforms our lives as it embeds YESHUA’s DNA in us and we become GOD’s kind.

 

           The Scriptures tell us that ADONAI created order and every living thing according to its kind.  When we surrender our lives to YESHUA and believed in Him, we become born from above and ADONAI gives us His divine nature.  At that moment, we are adopted as sons of ADONAI.  All of this takes place in fulfillment of the mystery that has been kept hidden in ages past (Ez 36:27; Joel 2:28). 

 

          Students of Bible prophecy are watching recent events all over the world and discern that they are in fulfillment of Scriptures.  As Israel is being surrounded  by Arab nations undergoing political upheavels by Islamic militants, we are reminded that it is prophesied that Israel will be left alone to battle the enemies of ADONAI from the East, North and South.  There will be no rescue from its ally from the West since the United States is losing its power base and its economy is in shambles.

         In all these occurrences, the sons of ADONAI remember that our GOD reigns and He is LORD of history. 

 

Thus says ADONAI, your Redeemer, and the one

Who formed you from the womb.

“I, ADONAI, am the maker of all things,

Stretching out the heavens by Myself

And spreading out the earth all alone,

Causing the omens of boasters to fail,

Making fools out of diviners,

Causing wise men to draw back

And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

Confirming the word of His servant

And performing the purpose of His messengers…”

                                      -Isaiah 44:24-26a)

 

            With all current events happening around us,  all sons of ADONAI should all the more strive to lead holy lives and evermore proclaim the Gospel to all who will listen.  We are privileged to be alive in these last days and perhaps to witness the coming our LORD YESHUA.  As YESHUA himself said, “When you see these things happening, look up for your liberation is at hand!”

מלאך

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How Do I Obtain Faith In Jesus Christ?

By Reading And Studying God's Word In The Bible

Romans 10:17 tells us that, "Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word Of Christ" (New International Version).
The Holy Bible. The Word of God. The Word of Christ. The Holy Scriptures. The Word. However you want to name them , we are talking about the words of God in the Old Testament, and the words of Jesus in the New Testament, and the words the Holy Spirit gave to those whom God had called to spread His message of hope to a dying humanity. The Bible contains everything you need to know about how to live the life of a Christian. The words will teach you right from wrong, and how to live a right kind of life that is pleasing to God. The words will show you your sin, and then will tell you how to have your sins forgiven through Jesus Christ. The words will show you the lives of many people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and what happens to those who do not. The most important subject the Word talks about is are the promises of God. A wonderful thing about our God is that He does not break His promises.
Now what do these words have to do with faith? The above scripture says that faith comes by hearing the message, which comes by hearing the Words of Christ. There are many ways to hear the Words of Christ. Going to a church that teaches directly from the Bible is one way to hear the message given through someone that Jesus has appointed to teach it. Church is the best place to learn what God would have us know about Him and His many ways. There are also many, many books written by men and women also appointed by Jesus to proclaim His message. Of course, there are the messages on TV from churches who are able to broadcast their services on a weekly basis.
The more you read the Bible, the more often you go to church to hear the words of God, then the more you will absorb the Word into your heart and mind, until you begin to believe what is being said through the help of the Holy Spirit. And while you are reading and hearing it, God's Holy Spirit is softening up your heart towards Jesus so that you will accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life. That is where your faith in what you are reading grows stronger. Soon you will know in your heart that what you are learning is true.

By Trusting In Jesus Christ


John 20:30-31 explains that, "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (31)But these are written that you may believe that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (New International Version). The Message Bible says it this way: "Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so that you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way He personally revealed it."
The miracles that Jesus performed were not so that we would see how powerful He was, or how much He wanted to reveal His own glory on earth. No, the miracles that Jesus performed were to point us to God the Father and His Glory. They were made to show us God's love for us and how He and He alone can heal the world of all its troubles. Also, as the scripture says, Jesus performed these miracles so that we would know that He is the Son of God, and was sent from God to the earth so that we might know who God really is.
A lot of people think of God as an angry grandfather in the sky who can't wait to zap us whenever we do something wrong. Most non-Christians believe that God will take away all of their worldly fun if they give their lives to Him. But none of that is true. God is a very loving God who wants to take away the things that harm us, which as humans, is most of the wrong thins we do to find fulfillment for our lives without Him.
By sending Jesus to us, God wanted to show us that He exists, and that, through His Son, we might come to know Him and be granted eternal life through Jesus' death and resurrection from the grave. Eternal life in Heaven far away from Hell, a literal place according to the Bible. Through Jesus, God wants to take us out of the eternal damnation we all face without Him due to our unforgiven sins, and give us eternal life, to live with Jesus forever and ever in Heaven. But, first, as the scripture above says, we must know that Jesus is the Son of God. God gives us the faith to believe it is so through the miracles that Jesus performed then and the ones He still performs today. Only someone sent from God could do all the miraculous healings that Jesus did during His time here on the earth.

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How Does Having Faith Help Me?

Christians Live By Faith, Not By Sight

Second Corinthians 5:7 tells us that, "We live by faith, and not by sight. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going" (The Message).
As we discussed earlier, faith is the hope for things not yet seen. When you pray, you are accessing the power of faith, because you want what you are praying for to come true. When you pray you can't see the answer, but you will when God decides that it is time for you to have the answer. Then you can see what you've prayed for. As we'll learn in the next section, Hope, with faith, as the Message verse says, helps us trust in the things we don't see that helps us walk into the future knowing that we are secure in Jesus' love and power.
Let's look at the human body. The only part of the body we can see the most is our flesh. Beneath our flesh are all of our organs, blood, and bones. We cannot see them, but they are there. If you are, at this moment, alive and breathing, then you know that all of your body parts are working to keep you interacting with the world. It is faith in your body that it will keep on working for many years to come.
But what happens when a part of your body begins to break down? Or you break a bone and are in a lot of pain? You've been to the doctor, and he has just told you that you have cancer and might not live for very much longer. With the broken bone, you have faith in the body's healing power that it should mend back to its original shape again. In your mind, you just "know" without a doubt that the bone will heal. But how do you know this? Sometimes broken bones do not always heal well, and stay in your body the way it did heal. Sometimes, it may take surgery and plates and pins to put the bone back together again.If your broken bone does not require surgery, but only a cast, how do you know that it will definately heal itself? You know because you have faith that your body will indeed heal that bone back to normal again.
But what about having been told that you have cancer, and that you will not live out the year? What do you do then? They tell you that you will need chemptherapy to, hopefully, get rid of the tumor and any cancer surrounding it. Where do you get the trust and faith that you will be healed from a disease that most people die from? You can't wish the cancer away. You can't go on a new cancer reducing diet plan to rid yourself of that little ball of out-of-control cells. Face it, you have cancer and are going to die.
Unless...
Unless you know someone who can cure all the diseases of man. That someone is Jesus Christ. The Bible is replete with the many times Jesus cured a sick person. Leprosy, cancer, bleeding problems -- death. There is no disease known to man that Jesus has not cured. When Jesus cured simeone, or raised them from the dead, their faith in Him skyrocketed, and also the faith of those who were watching Jesus as He did the healing.
I have a friend from church that had cancer. For four months, every other week, he endured the chemotherapy treatments. The treatments would exhaust him to where he couldn't get out of bed for three days at a time. He had a nauseous feeling that wouldn't go away. He grew fatigued at the smallest of movements. For four months, he put up with the aftereffects because he knew that he must if he wanted to get rid of the cancer. About a week later, I heard that he had been prayed over for healing of the cancer and was completely healed, astonishing even the doctors that were taing care of him. It was his faith in Jesus' ability to heal him that did heal him. It was his faith in things not seen that cured him. He couldn't "see" Jesus; he couldn't see the cancer either, but he knew that they were both there. But he had the faith in Jesus Christ to know that he could be and was healed.
We as Christians know that there are things about ourselves that need changing. Things like our attitudes toward God; our behavior, especially toward other people; our mouths; our thoughts, and many other ways we misuse our lives. With Jesus in control of our lives, we can't always see what needs to be changed. But Jesus sees everything about us, whether we believe in Him or not. Our faith in Jesus allows Him to heal and change what needs to be healed and changed. Even our sicknesses and dieases.
But keep in mind, as far as your sicknesses and diseases, Jesus alone decides who He will heal or will not heal. Jeus doesn't heal everyone. Some He leaves sick, and some of those people die. Why? This is where this verse has its power. We, as Christians, have the faith that Jesus knows what He is doing. We know that He has a purpose for everything that happens in this world, good or bad. Jesus has a very good reason for not healing you; a purpose that is far greater than anything we could possibly think or imagine. If he heals me, there is a reason why he healed me. If He doesn't heal me, then there is a reason for that too. But I have enough faith in Jesus to trust His will for my life. So, since I can't see the rest of my life, which I have given over to Jesus for His purposes, I truly have to live by faith and not by sight, trusting that Jesus will do good things with my life until I reach Heaven, where I will finally be where He is forever.
We do not need to see Jesus in the flesh or with our own eyes. He is here with us at all times. It is through faith in Him that He will reveal Himself in the changes He makes in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

I Am More Blessed By Not Seeing And Still Believing

John 20:29 says, "Then Jesus told him (Doubting Thomas), 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed.'" (New International Version). The Message says, "Jesus said, 'So, you believe because you've seen with you own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.'"
Do you have trouble believing in something you can't see? For example: when someone says they've seen a ghost, do you believe them? Of course, ghost aren't real, are they? Do you believe in angels, even though you cannot see them? Do you believe that angels are all around us at this very moment, every day, 24/7? What if I had proof that they were? Would you even believe me with proof, even though you can't see them all around you right now?
Let's put aside the topic of angels for the minute and talk about someone more important. Someone you may have never seen but have heard so much about. He walked this earth about 2,000 years ago. Many people saw Him when He was alive. But would you believe me if I told you that many, many other people saw Him walking around town three days after He was buried? If you've never put your trust in this man, you probably don't believe me.
But, then again, neither did Thomas, one of Jesus' closest disciples. He watched and walked with Jesus for the entire three years of Jesus' ministry. He listened and hung on every word Jesus said during those three years. He saw all the miracles that Jesus had performed, right in front of his eyes. He even heard Jesus talk about His resurrecting from the dead in three days long before His burial. But, most important of all, when Jesus had been resurrected, Thomas hadn't yet see Jesus that day as the other disciples had. Thomas verbally said that he would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead unless he saw Jesus and the nail holes in Jesus' hands and the wound in His side. Here's the whole story about what happened: (24)Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. (25)So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he (Thomas) said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it." (26) A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" (27)Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." (28)Thomas said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" (29)Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:24-29/ New International Version)
We have all been, or still are, where Thomas had once been. When he didn't see, he did not believe. But once Jesus was standing right in front of him, with His hands spread palm-out, and His side showing where the spear had pierced it, Thomas instantly believed that Jesus was the Lord. Now look at what Jesus told Thomas, "Because toy have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen yet believed."
Who are those who have not seen yet believe that Jesus is still alive. We are called Christians, Children of God. We are those who have laid down their lives and given them to Jesus for His use and purpose. We are those whose many sins have been forgiven by Jesus forever. We are those to whom Jesus has given His Holy Spirit. And now, because of the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives, we can "see" God working in our lives to better them and to get them ready for Heaven. Now we can "see" the works of the angels around us. Now if we believe that we've seen a 'ghost', it probably was an angel sent by God to help us through a current situation.
Would you like to be able to see God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the angels of God? Would you like to be blessed by God for believing in Him even when you have not yet seen Him? Then all you have to do is ask Jesus to come into your life, to forgive you of your many sins, to change your life His way since your way doesn't work, and to give you the Holy Spirit to guide your life down God's path for you. It's that simple. Just talk to Jesus and be blessed by not seeing.

Next time we'll talk about how to obtain the faith to believe.
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Why Do I Need Faith In Jesus Christ?

I Was Born A Sinner

Romans 3:23-24 gives us one of the most truthful statements that God has ever spoken concerning not only how He sees us , but also how much He loves us. The scripture says that, "All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. (24)But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, He freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins" (Contemporary English Version -- The Promise).
What do you think the response would be if you were told verse 23 to someone who doesn't know Jesus as their Savior? Do you think they would agree with you? Or would you be met with, "Me! A Sinner! No way!" But whether we agree or not, God Himself says that we are all sinners! Most do not realize this fact. They may believe that we Christians are saying this to put a guilt trip on them to get them to see God "our" way and not the way of the world. Then there are those who would agree with you, who would say that they know they sin, but not bad enough to be kept out of Heaven. Which side are you on? God's truth, or the world's deceptions?
Verse 23 is 100% correct when it says that we are all sinners, and have been that way since Adam and Eve disobeyed God. When Adam and Eve bit into the fruit that they knew came from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, something they were forbidden to do by God's direct command, they brought sin into the world because of their disobedience. From that time on, we became full-time sinners whether we wanted to or not, because Adam's and Eve's sin was passed down to us through birth. There is nothing you or I can do to make ourselves stop sinning. Nothing! Unless we go to the One who can free us from this trap we've gotten ourselves in, we can never escape sin's power over our lives. Sin's power is too strong for us to break out of. How many times have we tried to break a bad habit? How many times have we failed? Have we ever succeeded once in trying to do so? Have you ever wished that you could find a way out of your sins? Well, God has provided The Way, The Truth, and The Life!
Why would God provide us a way out when all we do is slam the door in His face because we like to sin and want to continue doing so because it's "fun"? Isn't God mad at us to the point of wanting to destroy us? Isn't His Wrath so great that He gave up on us a long time ago? Isn't He the rule-maker and we are the rule-breakers? Isn't God trying to take away all of our fun? The answer to these questions is a resounding NO, NO, NO!
As verse 24 says, God treats us much better than we deserve. Don't forget that God did destroy humanity once with a flood because men's and women's hearts were continually evil all the time. He also destroyed Sodom And Gomorrah because of their great sins against Him. So God has shown His wrath against His creation's disobedience in the past. That was never His plan from the beginning. His plan was for His creation to live in harmony with Him. God gave those places and people He destroyed many chances to reconcile with Him, but they refused Him and His forgiveness. And since God cannot look upon sin because He is Holy, He destroyed them and started over.
And then He sent Jesus to let us know that He loves us and wants us to be reconciled with Him, so that He and we could enjoy the greatest relationship humans could ever have. God came down to earth, wrapped Himself in flesh, and called Himself Jesus. Jesus came to show us who God is and to die for our sins on the cross so that we may be freed from sin's power from the past and for the present, and the future. When we ask Jesus to come into our lives as Lord and Savior, He will cleanse us from all of our sins forever and give us His righteousness (right standing with God). He then freely accepts us a newly born people. We now have gained Heaven. Now Jesus can help us break our bad habits, help us live better, more fruitful lives. He will help us become the kind of person we always wished and dreamed we could be, and into the kind of person He wants us to be, what He created us to be. We all want to be somebody. When we give our lives to Jesus, we are his somebody, and that is all that matters to Him.


I Am Lying To Myself If I Say That I Am Without Sin

1 John 1:8-10: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (10)If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives" (New International Version).
These verses are the entire Gospel in a nutshell. It was because of our sins that Jesus had to die on the cross. It wasn't until Jesus took all of our sins forever upon Himself, shed His own blood, and died for us on the cross, did man have any hope of being forgiven and right again with God. Because of Jesus' act of humility and sacrifice, we are able to be forgiven of all of our sins forever. But the verses above make it perfectly clear that we are fooling ourselves if, for one second, we say that we have no sin, or do not sin at all. That is a lie of Satan. Satan will do whatever he can to get us to continually do acts and deeds that we know in our hearts are wrong. He will lie to us and tell us that what we are about to do is okay -- no one will get hurt, no one will ever find out. Satan wants us not to have all that God wants for us because Satan wants everything of God for himself. In Isaiah 14:13-14 Satan said his famous "I" statements: "I will Ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the starts of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. (14)I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High" (New International Version). Do you see any here that you might have said to yourself at one time or another? Have you ever said that I don't need Jesus, I can run my own life? Have you ever told God that the throne you're sitting on right now (which could be any part of your life where you are in control thinking that you do not need any body's help to overcome) is higher than his throne in Heaven? Again, as stated above, if you say that you don't sin then you are not telling the truth, neither to God, nor to yourself. Still, God already knows the truth about your sin and is ready to forgive you of all of it, if you ask Him.
What we need to do is to confess our sins to God and He will faithfully forgive them. How do you know that God will be faithful? Because God never lies. If He has made you a promise, you can be absolutely, positively sure that He will fulfill it! He will forgive you and then purify your heart and soul. What does it mean to be purified? It means that God will return our hearts and souls back to the state it was as if we had never sinned at all. But from then on, we must confess every sin that we commit, so that God can return us back to that state again. He will be faithful to forgive us every time. no matter what, and He will remember them no more.
Since God calls everything we do that is against His will a sin, then it is a sin. There is no way around it-- you sin, I sin, because that is our nature. Therefore, if we say that we are not sinners, then we are calling God a liar. If He says it is a sin to have sex outside of marriage, then it is a sin, whether it be any combination of male or female. Being a good person does not absolve you of being a sinner. There is nothing you can do to make yourself any less a sinner. That's why Jesus had to die for us, and He did it willingly, because He loves us. But if you say you are without sin, then you call God a liar, and are saying that Jesus died for nothing, because you call yourself an honest person who never hurt anybody. (Do you think that you are hurting your spouse every time you look at pornography even if he/she doesn't know you are? ) But that is not the way it truly is. When we say these things, we are telling God that we don't need Him, which tells Him that we believe that His Word (Jesus) has no place in our lives. We believe that we can go on just as we are day after day and give no thought to our eternal destiny. If you are not forgiven by God, then you are still living in your sins. Every sin you have ever committed is still with you, staining your soul, bringing you closer to a spiritual death. When you die, your spirit is going to go somewhere. The Bible says that, if you die in your sins, then you will go to Hell, a literal place that is not a fantasy of someone's imagination. But if you ask God to forgive you of all those sins, then you are telling God that you need Him after all. Then you will be born again spiritually, and, when you die, your spirit will go to Heaven to be with Jesus forever and ever.
Today, won't you admit that you are a sinner and confess to God that you no longer want to be the god of your life. God loves you very much and will instantly and happily take over the reigns of your live and bring you freedom from your sins. If you do you will be calling Satan a liar, and that's okay, because Satan already knows that he is a liar, and you can tell him that face to face once you have given God your sins and your life.

Next time, we will talk about why Jesus had to die for us. See you then!!
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What Is Faith?

     The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that faith, "is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see" (New Living Translation). In other words, it means that we have a belief that in the future events that the Bible says will happen will indeed happen.
     Only with faith from God can we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and is the only One who can save us from our sins; that He died on a cross (Good Friday) taking all of our sins (past, present and future) with Him to the grave; that He arose from the grave three days later (Easter) and ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God; that with Him in control of our lives we can live to the full potential that God, our Father created in us before we were physically born.
     We can't conjure up faith for ourselves because we as humans don't seek God -- God seeks us out, and then gives us the smallest amount of faith needed to believe that Jesus is the Son of God Who takes away the sins we have committed in our lives while we went out own way without Him.
     Faith was explained to me this way. If you lean the chair you are sitting on back against the wall, you do it with the faith that the wall will hold the chair up, that the back legs won't slip out from under you or break due to your weight, and that the chair itself can stand the strain of being used improperly. When you do this with the chair, you don't even think that it is by faith that you do so with confidence, you just "know" that the chair won't fall.
     That's the way it is with Jesus Christ. Faith in Him means that you don't have to think about Him fulfilling His promises to you, you just know with confidence that he will do the things for you that He said He would do. First you must tell Jesus that you want Him in your life and to save you from your sins. Then you must ask Him to come into your life and take control of the things you yourself cannot control or change about yourself, which is everything about your life. You must tell Him that you want Him to be your Lord and Savior, and want Him to take control of your life so that He can show you the right way to live.
     I will let the Word of God, Scripture from the Bible, answer the questions about what it means to have faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ, and why, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to live your life as Jesus asks you to, or whether you want to keep going your own way, relying on yourself, falling in and out of situations that you yourself can never fix and can never get away from.
    Only Jesus Christ can save you from the mistakes you have made and will continue to make in your life. Only He can help you overcome your own sinful nature and all of the things that Satan throws your way.
     The choice is yours and yours alone to make. Jesus will never drag you into something that you don't want. He will never come to you and say, "Love me, or else." All He is saying to you right now is, "I love you more than you can know, and I want to change the things that are wrong with your life and make them all work out for your good and My Glory. I want you to come just as you are, right now, and tell me that you want your life to have meaning. I will send you My Holy Spirit to live inside of your heart and who will guide you into the plans for which I have created you. My Spirit will help you fulfill them and to bring you into the wonderful, spectacular future I have had in place for you to live since before the day you were born. All I as is for you to come."

     The first question you may be asking yourself is, "Why do I need to have faith in Jesus Christ?" Hebrews 11:6 says, "So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him" (New Living Translation).

 
                     It Is The Only Way I Can Be Right With God
     When Adam and Eve (Who were real people by the way) were in the Garden of Eden, they had a right standing with God; they were without sin, as was Jesus Christ. They had no concept of sin since God created them holy and pure. They had no concept of right or wrong. When God promised them that He would fulfill all of their needs, He was faithful and delivered on His promises. Therefore, Adam and Eve obeyed His every word, and had a very intimate relationship with the God who created and cared for them. They knew that they could trust God with their very lives.
     Then came along Satan (who is also a real person), who, at this time, was already a fallen angel cast out of Heaven for proclaiming that he could could be just like God and could do a better job than God (sound familiar?), who convinced Adam and Eve to disobey God and eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Once they took a bite from its fruit, their relationship was forever stained with sin.
     Then, as today, Satan sets out to destroy our relationship with God, because God would not let him claim God's throne to do his evil desires. We are the same way towards God today: we want to control our own lives, to do what we want without any interference from anybody; especially God Himself whom we believe will take away our evil fun.
     Isaiah 14:13-14 tells the words Satan himself said to God as Satan was in full rebellion against God: "(13)You said to yourself, 'I'll climb to heaven. I'll set my throne over the stars of God. I'll run the assembly of angels that meets on sacred Mount Zaphon. (14)I'll climb to the top of the clouds. I'll take over as King of the Universe'" (The Message). (Oh, how many "I" statements we could add to Satan's list: I can rule my own life better than God; I don't need anyone to tell me what I can or cannot do; I am successful because of my own sweat and perseverance... The list is endless.) Satan believed that he could rule the universe better than God. Since a pure, holy, and just God cannot let evil go unpunished, Satan, and those angels who rebelled with him, were banished from Heaven and were cast down to the Earth.
     So what has Satan been doing for the last six thousand years? As it reads in Job 2:2, "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord, 'From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.'" In 1 Peter 5:8, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (Emphasis mine/ Both from New International Version.) He has been attempting, and is sometimes successful, in keeping you and me from knowing God intimately. Tempting us through our five senses (Biblically called the "flesh") Satan tries to get us to do wrong things through our own evil desires, which, without Jesus Christ in our lives, we will fall into repeatedly. Therefore, like Adam and Eve, we disobey God's good plans for us just to follow our own evil ways just because we want to. If we just put our faith in God they way we put our faith in everything else, and just as strongly, we would follow God's ways and realize that His ways are truly the right ways. This in turn would please Him immensely the way a child pleases his parents by obeying the house rules, which are put in place for the child's own good and protection.
     All our lives since Adam and Eve, we have followed an evil devil, and have put our faith in him instead of the One who always has good in mind for us. However, when you put your faith in Jesus Christ -- which comes from God if we are really seeking Him -- believing that He exists, and believing that Jesus is who He says He is, that He has done what He said He would do, asking Him into our hearts and putting Him in control of every aspect of our lives, then, only then, can we please God and have a right standing with He who created us, and who had planned out our entire lives thousands of years before we were born. 

                    Only With Faith Can We Believe In Jesus Christ
     Do you know that it takes more faith to believe that your car is going to start in the morning than it does to believe in Jesus Christ? Each and every morning you go out and turn the ignition key and expect the car to start on the first try. So much so that, after a while, you don't even think about it anymore -- you get in, start the car, and go! Now, that requires a great amount of faith to believe in. However, where Jesus Christ is concerned, it only takes a small amount of faith to believe in Him and what He did on the cross.
     In the Bible, Jesus tells His disciples in the Book of Matthew, chapter 17, verse 20, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (New International Version).
    What Jesus is saying to us here is: "If you have even the smallest amount of faith that I died on the cross to take away the sins of the world; was buried and arose again three days later as I said I would; and when you ask me to come into your life, I will come and forgive you for all the sins you have committed past, present, and future. Once you invite me in, you can ask me to move the mountains of guilt and shame out of your life when you begin to follow me and listen to and obey my words found in your Bible. I will do it when you ask in my Name."

     Again, please feel free to ask questions. There are no stupid questions. If I can't answer your question right away then I will tell you the three words many people have so much trouble saying -- I don't know. If I don't know, I will tell you. But I will pray and do whatever I can to get you the answer. You see, your questions help me too. I consider myself a chronic learner. I love to learning all I can about Jesus Christ and God's place in my life. Every time I learn something new that opens my eyes and heart up to God, the more I enjoy my life with Him. Remember, any revelation you may have about God comes from God Himself through His Spirit. Anything I write in this blog about Him comes directly from His revelation into my life. I can tell you from my heart that when God sees that you want to know Him intimately and want to know Him more, He will stop at nothing to give you all of himself in all the smallest details. I haven't learned everything yet, and I won't know everything about God this side of Heaven. As the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Have a great day!

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My Life In Christ

     This post is not about me. This post is about Jesus and what He has done and is currently doing in my life. It is my hope to show you how Jesus can take your life and make it into the kind of life you have always been yearning to live. Some of the things I talk about in this current post and in others in the future may be hard to hear, hard to believe, and hard to stomach. But these things will have to be talked about, especially when we get to talk about why things in this world are the way they are and why God isn't stopping any of it in the way we think He should.
     I realize that family and friends may be reading this blog and may hear things about myself that they have never heard before or have known in little detail. But that will not stop me from saying what needs to be said. I will say what I need to say and leave it up to God to decide how to use my words and how to affect people with them. Since I have given my life to Jesus I have become what is called a transparent person. Ask anyone who has heard about my history and they will tell you that I am brutally honest when it comes to talking about my past. There are some things that I will talk about that even my children have never heard. I pray that this post will help them understand the father they, honestly, never really knew since the man I am now is in so many ways a completely and far better man that I was in the past. With that said, let me tell you who I was.
     I was born on July 31, 1958. As I grew older, I thought that the life I was living was normal. I thought that my temper, working as much as I could to be away from home, my spending habits, constant arguing with my ex-wife, and many other habits were what it meant to be a man. In 1997, I attempted suicide twice, but something always seemed to stop me. In November of that year I began having breakdowns and crying spells that I did not understand. "What is wrong with me," I kept asking myself. Then, in January of 1998, I started having flashbacks and dreams that scared me and I became very depressed over all of it. I remembered a couple of dreams that I knew I had been having for most of my life. Dreams of a monster at my bedroom window saying, "I'm coming to get you"; and the dream on running naked through my neighborhood being chased by something scary.
     My sister, Judy, saw what was happening to me and gave me a couple of books on sexual child abuse. When I read those books, I was reading my life story. I was devastated. One day, after I had an argument with my then wife on the phone about who knows what, I drove home angry. Up ahead I saw a wide tree on a small hill and drove my car straight for it. But, suddenly, something turned the wheel and put the car back on the road. I swear I missed that tree by only a paint's-width of the car. I simply went home and resumed my life. And then something happened that changed my life -- not right away -- but changed it nonetheless.
     On April 19th 1998, I had another breakdown, which scared my then-wife to the point where she got mad at me for acting the way I was. During her "concern", I ran upstairs to the bedroom and lay on the bed crying as I had never cried before. I didn't know what was happening to me. I didn't know how to stop it. All I knew was that I couldn't take it anymore. As I lay there, my ex-wife came into the room, stood on the bed straddling me, and jumped up and down all the while asking me what was wrong with me, why was I acting this way. I was lying on the bed facing the window. As she continued jumping, I focused on the window and kept telling myself that I couldn't take it anymore. The window was closed and had paned glass in it. As I stared at the window, I felt that, even if I didn't make it out the window, then maybe I could impale my self on the glass and die that way. I didn't care -- anything was better than this. As my ex-wife tired out, she collapsed on top of me and cried, emotionally spent.
     And then the miracle happened. And it is something that I will never forget for the rest of my life; and it is what I first tell people when they want to know how Jesus has changed my life. As I lay there contemplating leaving this world, I decided that jumping was the only course of action I had left. I was done with life. I wanted out -- now. So, I gently pushed my ex-wife off of me and began to stand up to kill myself. Just as I was about to make that last muscle push that would sail me out of the closed window, something invisible, or someone, gently grabbed me by the back of my neck, stood me up the rest of the way, gently turned me towards the phone, and said, "Your time is not through here yet. I need you here. Go call your sister." And then I was released with a gentle push towards the phone. I knew as I reached for the phone that the voice meant my sister, Judy. That night she took me to one of the many psych. hospital visits that I would make over the next eight years.
     For the next few months I was questioned by family members about the abuse I had told them I rediscovered. Like most young children when they tell an adult that they were bring "touched" or abused, I was not believed. I realized later on that some of the questions were phrased in an accusational way, as if I had abused their children. I have never abused any child in or out of my care!!!! That August, after a summer of questions whose answers were still not believed, I came home from work one day exhausted both mentally and physically. I couldn't take the accusations and mocking anymore. So, I went upstairs to take a nap. My ex-wife came up a couple of hours later to wake me for dinner. When she couldn't wake me, she went back downstairs. She came back about a half an hour later and tried again. When she still couldn't wake me, she began to panic. I could hear her clearly both times but I couldn't seem to wake up. As much as I tried I could open my eyes. My children heard her yelling to wake me and came into the room to find out what was wrong. When she told the kids that she couldn't wake me --these next memories still break my heart today -- my two kids went to their bedrooms and brought back something to sound in my ears. My daughter brought a whistle, and my son brought a Liberty Bell he had just gotten on a recent school trip. As hard as they could, they blew and rang. Believe me, I heard it very strongly. All this time I was screaming, "I want to open my eyes! Why can't I open my eyes!" My daughter call my sister, Susan, to come over to help. Believe it or not, my sister Judy, who lived 15 minutes away got there in five minutes; Susan lived only two. My sister tried to find the pulse in my neck but felt down too low, and said she couldn't find one.
     This next part of the history is a part I will never, ever forget. It is deeply ingrained in my sole for all time. And it is something that I pray I will never have to hear ever again, and that I will, prayerfully, never put anyone I love through ever again.
When my sister told my ex-wife and my children that she thought I was dead, all I could hear were the tears and despair that they were feeling. It was breaking my heart in a way that I cannot explain. All I know is that I was still there, alive, but why couldn't I open my eyes? I had to stop their belief. I was not dead! Whenever I think of that time, it brings tears to my eyes; and it still breaks my heart to remember the sound of my children believing I was gone.
     The paramedics came, tapped on my sternum, hard, five times, and brought me out of the fugue state that I was in. Unfortunately, my family's belief that I was gone eventually came true. In the emergency room, with members from both families standing around me, I declared that I wasn't coming home. I needed to get away and find out who I was, because I didn't know, and I needed to know for my life's sake. I had to leave to save my life. So, I left it all behind to save myself. Unfortunately, it was believed that I left home because I was having an affair. I will state here for all time and for all the world to hear (Jesus already knows the truth) that I was not then nor ever had an affair on my first wife. Never! And anyone who believes that I was is hearing lies from Satan himself. I have forgiven those who have approached me with that belief and who have tarnished my name in believing so. As I said, Jesus knows my life and my heart, and I will stand before Him with a clean conscience and a clean heart in that matter. Enough said.
     That December 1998, I went to a Parents Without Partners meeting to find something to do other than play video games and sit at home marking time. Went to a Christmas dance and had a little fun. In February 1999, PWP had a beginner's class (3 classes over 3 weeks). I wasn't there to meet anyone, it was just something else to do. Little did I know that Jesus was about to strike again! The day after the last class, I got a phone call from one of the women I met there named Rita. Rita told me that she never calls guys she didn't know, but something had prompted her to call and ask me out to lunch the next day. At lunch, (March 7th) we talked about our lives. I was a cheap date and only ordered fries and a coke. And then Rita said the Name Jesus. From that moment on --about an hour and a half -- the Spirit of God took over the conversation so much that Rita and I will tell you that we have no idea what was said for that entire time. On my way to the restaurant I had listened to Amy Grant's "All I Ever Have To Be" twice (Let me backtrack: In 1992 I had bladder cancer. I was not a Christian then but went out and bought all the Amy Grant tapes I could find only because she had appeared on a Peter Cetera solo album. That song struck a chord with me, and every time I played it I played it twice. It speaks about the fact that all we ever have to be is what God has made us to be.) Was it coincidence that it was the last thing I had heard before getting out of my car?
     As I drove home after saying goodbye, I listened to the song at least nine times. When I got home, I sat on my love seat for about two hours thinking about my life and the direction it was headed in, which was nowhere fast. On March 7th 1999, at 6:58 P.M., while Amy's song was playing over and over in my head, I began to sing it out loud. Within seconds, I hit the floor crying uncontrollably, and told Jesus to come into my life and to help me live it the way He wanted me to live it. I told Him that I was just a baby. Because the abuse had never let me grow up, I felt like a baby, and that He would have to tell me how to be an adult and a man. (Would you give a baby a mortgage, a job, children, a wife, etc...???) I had no idea how to do it. As I lay there giving my life over to Jesus, a wonderful, warm feeling started at the soles of my feet and slowly filled my body to the tip of my head. It was then that I knew that I had been forgiven and that the Holy Spirit had taken up residence in my heart, soul, and body.
      I got up off the floor a new creature, but not yet a man. Jesus and I are still working on that.
      I didn't write all of this so that you would look at Bobby and say, "Wow! What a struggle his life has been." I wrote this so that you can see where Jesus is in your life right now. He is there, right now, waiting for you to say the words. If your life is not where you want it to be; if your life has no peace; if your life is confusing and falling apart, then you need Jesus. If it had not been for Jesus pursuing me my whole life before I even knew He was there, I would be dead -- completely and finally dead. He and I want you to live, because life is worth living. But only if Jesus is in control of it. The Bible says that you have a choice -- death or life. The choice is up to you. I prefer that you chose Life.
     Thanks for listening.

     Remember, if you have any questions about my life or Jesus' work in it, I want you to ask. As I said, I am a transparent person. There is nothing I won't talk about. There is nothing to sensitive or too negative for me to talk about. As they say, "Been there, done that!" Wait until I start talking about childhood sexual abuse and you will see just how transparent I can be. It is possibly the hardest topic for people to talk about and one of the most devastating things that could ever happen to a person, let alone a child.
     See you next time.
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What Are You Seeking?

     You've been seeking fulfillment all of your life. Nothing on this Earth is satisfying to you anymore. You've searched and searched for years, bouncing between one thing after another: a material thing (car, house, clothes, job, etc...); pornography; a relationship with people you know you shouldn't get involved with (a married man or woman, for instance). The list is endless. Never in this world will you ever fully satisfy that empty place in your soul that you are longing to fill. Never!
     There is only one way to fulfill the greatest need that your heart has been longing for, and, believe it or not, it is the easiest thing you will ever be able to obtain in the entire universe. You don't have to work for it! You can't earn it! You won't have to struggle in any way to get it! You don't have to beg for it! You can't steal it! Why is this thing so easy to get into your life? Because all you have to do is simply ask for it. That's all! When you do you will receive it instantaneously -- even before you finish the asking! Nowhere will you ever find a treasure that is so easy to obtain in this world.
     Do you know that the Person you need to ask is standing right next to you eagerly awaiting for you to say the words? Do you know that He has been standing right beside you since the day you were born, and that He even knew what your birth date was going to be because He is the One who had it all planned? Who is this One who can ease (not eliminate) your wordly struggles, bring you great peace, and show you how to love everyone you know, including your enemies? Who is this One who will fill you with the faith and courage to ask for what He so wants to give you at this moment?
     Once you receive what this One wants to freely give you, your life will surely be filled with hope for the best future you could ever have, and give to you His love of which there is none greater anywhere in the universe, and then teach you how to love the whole world regardless of the chaos in it.
     His Name is Jesus Christ, Immanuel (God With Us), and Wonderful Counselor. In fact, there are two hundred and fifty-six names given to Jesus in the Bible. He is everything to everyone. He is God in the flesh who came to this Earth from His lofty position in Heaven to save everyone who would call on His name and seek His forgiveness and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior.
     That's why obtaining God's gift of Salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, is so easy! All you have to do is ask Him to come into your life and save you from your sins, and He will forgive of them all: past, present, and future.
     In this blog we will learn why we need Jesus Christ in our lives and why the world, or other people, cannot satisfy our need for true love and honest relationships. This can only come through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Only with Him will you find true lasting peace and forgiveness for your every sin. Only through Him will you find your needs met in a way you never once dreamed possible.
     First, we will look at Faith and why it is important in obtaining all Jesus wants to give us. Second, we will look at Hope and why our only real hope for peace and everlasting life can only be found in Jesus. And then, we will look at Love and why we can never know what true love is without having Jesus' love in us.
     It is my hope and prayer that you will stay with this blog so that you can know, as I do, what it really means to have life in abundance. I will share with you my testimony and experience of my life without and with Jesus. It is also my hope that you will the realization that you can't do life on your own in a world that looks out for number one.
     In my next post, I will tell you about myself, my life, and how Jesus came into it and turned it around where now I truly have peace in my life. I know that from my experiences with childhood sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress syndrome, bipolar syndrome and just plain old life that will find a freedom that you never thought you could have. It is a freedom that only Jesus can give you. He is alive! He is real. And He wants you to know Him. Let's find out together, shall we?
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Are You Building Walls or People

Are you being a good steward of your small group (or church, ministry, family, business ...)?


I've written about this before in reference to how you are discipling and shepherding the group God has put under your care (1 Peter 5:2). That's vital to leading a healthy small group or anything else. But there's even more to it than that.

How are you using all the gifts and abilities and passions of the people entrusted to you?

Today I went back and looked again at Nehemiah 3, which tells about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah's leadership. This whole chapter is a list of all the groups and individuals who worked on the walls and the gates. Nehemiah demonstrated his leadership by his ability to get people involved in the work. We do not know exactly how he "recruited" all these people, but we can see that he inspired them by the meaningfulness of the work. He got a wide variety of people involved: men and women, people of all ages, people who had a variety of skills and experiences. He involved priests and other religious and civic leaders. Nehemiah had a strategy: he had people working specific parts of the wall and gates, often right in front of their own homes. This was wise stewardship of their time, but it also gave them ownership of their parts of the wall.

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Nehemiah had a task of building a wall, but his most important responsibility was to build up the people in the process.

If the walls of Jerusalem were that important, how much more significant is the work we do of making disciples of all nations?

Are you using the gifts and abilities and passions of the people in your small group, or are you trying to do all the work yourself?

How are you building up the people in your group, family, ministry, church, business?

See original blog post at http://smallgroupleadership.blogspot.com/2011/02/are-you-building-walls-or-people.html.

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Ready for the Road Ahead 2-6-11

Ready for the Road Ahead

 

            I came across a sad confession the other day as I read through the postings of my friends on Facebook.  A young father wrote of his feelings of failure in this life.  I sensed his feelings were due to that measuring stick we call "The American Dream".   A man is supposed to find himself a good job that pays well and allows him to acquire all the material pleasures of the good life- a home, a car, and of course, a big screen tv.  It is a common feature of life in these United States.  People are valuable if they own things of value. 

            What things are considered valuable today?  The most valuable athlete in the world is Tiger Woods who has amassed $110 million over 13 years through his winnings, endorsements and business ventures.  The most valuable home, owned by Mukesh Ambani, is a $1 billion skyscraper mansion called "Antilla" in Mumbai, India.  The first 6 floors are a parking garage.  The remainder of the 27 story building houses Mukesh, his wife, 3 children and 600 servants.  The most valuable gem is a flawless, blue diamond estimated to be worth $4 million.  The most valuable car (which can still be driven legally on the street) is a Bugatti Veyron.  It costs only $1,700,000.

            The psalmist warns us in Psalm 49 (vv. 16-20) to remember that wealth accumulated on this earth cannot be taken with us when we die.  Our sense of value and accomplishment must be taken from a different criteria than that of the world.  Oddly enough, the story of Cinderella illustrates what the Bible teaches.  Cinderella's father had married a proud and haughty woman, who relegated Cinderella to servitude after he died.  The "wicked" stepmother repeatedly told Cinderella that she was "common" and of little value.  But when the prince enters the story, all that changes.  The extent of the prince's love for Cinderella compels him to search the kingdom high and low until he finds her.  His love demonstrates her value and he goes to great lengths to be reunited with her.

            Jesus told a parable about the same kind of love in Luke 15 (vv.3-7).  A shepherd with a large flock has lost one of his sheep.  Rather than leave it in the wilderness to succumb to the elements, the shepherd searches out the lost sheep and brings the little wanderer back to the fold.   This is a picture of God's love.  He has gone to great lengths in expressing His love for us and demonstrating our value to Him (see Phil. 2:5-8). 

            Perhaps in these times of economic uncertainty it becomes easy to fall prey to calculating our value in terms of our earthly possessions and accomplishments as my friend on Facebook did.  Maybe you have been having similar feelings.  If those doubts should arise, remember, God so loved you, that He sent His Son to save you.   The world and its value system may lead you to believe that you are common.  That is not true!  The prince has traveled throughout the kingdom to find you.  The Shepherd has searched the wilderness to bring you home.  There is no greater value than that.

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Ready For the Road Ahead 1-30-2011

     Our church lists daily Bible readings on the back of our bulletin for those who want to read the Bible through the year.  The pastor also preaches from one of these passages.  This month we have begun Lamentations, which for many in our congregation, will be the first time they've read it.  The following insert is designed to help them understand Hebrew poetry and to gain some insight on the background of this beautiful book.

 

     If you've been following the Daily Bible Readings on the back of our bulletin, you may have noticed that we are alternating between Old and New Testament books.  I know when I first began reading the Old Testament some books were easier to understand than others.  I was drawn to books like Genesis, Jonah and Ruth because they contained stories about people that I could relate to.  Books like Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Lamentations were less appealing because they were harder to understand.  Perhaps you have encountered the same feelings.  Don't give up!  Here are some helpful points to take along on your journey through Lamentations*:

     ~ Other Ancient Near East writings lament the destruction of great cities.  But unlike the Bible, these literary pieces attribute the loss of property, loved ones and income to capricious gods who temporarily lost interest in protecting the city.  In contrast, the prophet Jeremiah sees that Judah's disregard of God's Law is what brought about its destruction.  As you read through Lamentations notice how many times Jeremiah links the two.

    ~ Many times we place the Bible on a "spiritual bookshelf" all by itself.  But like many great books, the Bible is literature.  God has chosen to communicate His Word through the conventions of language.  Therefore the Bible contains many genres of writing.  Lamentations is a poetic book.  Hebrew poetry is quite beautiful but sometimes hard to capture in English.  It doesn't rhyme, rather, it builds concept upon concept, image upon image.  So as you're reading, look for repeated ideas and images which are usually repeated in double or triple lines.

    ~ A lament is a specific type of poem.  It reflects on deep, personal suffering as well as spiritual agony.   The prophet Jeremiah probably wrote this lament shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B. C.  Although Jeremiah understands God's justice in carrying out His judgment on Jerusalem, he still mourns the loss of his beloved home.  As you read, notice that Jeremiah might be intensely sorrowful, but he is not hopeless.   He understands that hope lies in God's character alone.

    ~ Jeremiah is not the only person ever to encounter sorrow.   Yet while his beautiful poetry speaks of an event that is foreign to most of us, the depth of his emotion speaks to anyone who has mourned over a tragic loss; a loved one, innocence,  a job, a home, a piece of oneself.  As you read through Jeremiah, keep in mind its immediate context, but let the poetry speak to the loss in your own heart.  Remember, like Jeremiah, that hope lies in the character of God.  He is the One who will console you in your time of sorrow.

 

*  A great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the books of the Bible is How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, c.2002, Zondervan

 

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Kingdom Conflict

“If you make the tree good, its fruit will be good; and if you make a tree bad,

 its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”

-Matt 12:33

 

            I never really studied this verse carefully.  I was struck why its says “make the tree…”  How can one make a tree good or bad?  Obviously, the LORD YESHUA was not talking about a tree but alluding to a tree like a person.  If so, He is saying that a third party can influence a person to go bad or good.  Ultimately, you will know who influenced him by his lifestyle.

 

            What is good and what is bad?  Sounds like such a simple question but you might be surprised how many people today are hazy about the concept of good and bad.  According to the LORD  YESHUA, you will know what is good and what is bad by determining who influenced the character trait in the first place.  The dead giveaway is the fruit of his mouth and his actions.

 

            In the world, there are only two influencers that really matter.  First, we have the infamous old Serpent popularly known as Satan.  The LORD YESHUA called him the father of all liars and a murderer.  When he speaks, he speaks from his very nature – evil.  He is also known as the Accuser of the brethren.  He imitates the practices of the Kingdom  of GOD and turns it upside down.  In the kingdom of darkness, the citizens are motivated by fear and live in bondage.  They practice deceit and are very clever in devising wicked plans to foster their wickedness.  They claim earth as their own and all its treasures.  Satan even had the audacity to lie to the LORD YESHUA by claiming that all the kingdoms of the world and all its glory belong to him (Matt 4:8,9).  The enemy is very fond of using the Scriptures, adulterate it with a lie; and offer it to people, especially believers, to deceive them to a mutually beneficial relationship.  All who believe the devil will never get any eternal benefit but only temporary.  The devil is especially expert in inflicting pain and calamity, making it look like it was GOD who did it.

 

            The second influencer and only transformer is the HOLY SPIRIT.  The LORD YESHUA said, “…no one is good except GOD alone!” (Mk 10:18).  The third Person of the GODHEAD will only teach what is good and righteous and perfect.  He is holy and will never lead anyone to anything that will defile them.  Where the SPIRIT is, there is freedom - freedom to do the will of GOD and prosper.  His ways are gentle and meek and He will take us by the hand so we will not stumble and will never let go.  He guides us to walk by faith working through love.  He teaches and reveals the Scriptures to us so that the Word becomes reality in our lives as we practice it.  He highlights the promises of GOD that we need for the day as we meditate on the Scriptures so that we may be partakers of His divine nature through trusting in His faithfulness.  He takes us through trials, providing the strength through hope and joy so that we do not become weary but go from strength to strength.  He teaches us the Truth so that we will be set free to love ADONAI ELOHIM.  He makes us know that “heaven belongs to ADONAI, but the earth He has given to humankind” (Ps 115:16).   BUT most of all, the HOLY SPIRIT points our focus on the only true GOD, YHWH, to whom all the honor, glory and dominion belongs!

 

            Whose voice do you listen to?  Do you know Him enough to know which spirit or SPIRIT is talking to you?  The LORD YESHUA said, “By their fruit you shall know them.”  When the disciples of John the Baptist asked YESHUA, “Are you the Messiah or shall we look for another one?”  He replied,  “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind received sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them” (Matt 11:3-5).  The badge of Truth always comes with the power of ADONAI ELOHIM to deliver those who are in bondage, physically and spiritually. 

 

            When you hear the Truth, it shall set you free!

 

מלאך

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Death and Resurrection

I've written in the past that 2010 was a tough year for our family. Bob's dad passed away on February 20 after a year long struggle with congestive heart failure. That was tough on the family. But nothing as tough as the death of Bob's youngest sister Jan, who passed away suddenly on January 21st at the age of 52.

 

Working through the arrangements and the grief and the details was overwhelming. But when I finally stopped and got still for awhile, I couldn't help but think about my own demise one day. Jan had left specific instructions about everything she wanted as a part of her memorial service. I had never thought about those details. But I have now. And there's just a few things that I care about when that time comes:

 

1.  I pray my death, whenever and however that happens, will glorify God and point to my Redeemer.

 

2.  I pray that my death will bear witness to how I led my life through the relationships I had, the lives I was able to touch, and the things I was able to do.

 

3.  I pray that there can be joy in my going, because I know my final destination.

 

4.  I pray that at that last day for me, only one thing will resonate from my life:  "In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus. . . . When I come to die, give me Jesus."

 

Blessings.

 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

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Let there be light!

“You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;

My GOD turns my darkness into light.”

                                                                                                                               -Psalm 18:28

 

Timeless eternity is GOD’s dimension where His spiritual laws keep perfect order.  When GOD filled the heavens and the earth and spoke into being all material entities, He separated each through ordered orbits and none may transgress the other’s mandate (we call it gravity) without His command..  And the heavenly bodies governed the seasons that ordered darkness and light.  Thus time began.  And physical light and darkness dawned on all creation distinguishing itself from spiritual light and darkness. 

 

Light and darkness are totally opposite.  ADONAI ELOHIM wraps himself with light and dwells in unapproachable light.  Many ask, “Who can show us any good?”  ADONAI, lift the light of your face over us! (Ps 4:6)  GOD’s light is unapproachable because it is pure and it is a product of His goodness.  Indeed, YESHUA once said that only GOD is good.  Light is a picture of ADONAI’s goodness and generosity because without light there can be no life.  But when Light shines, there is life-giving energy, there is growth; and darkness runs away.

 

In contrast, darkness is the preferred home of evil.  It is where wickedness hides and lurks, ready to ambush its intended victim.  People who love darkness do evil things in darkness so that their actions won’t be exposed.  But everyone who does what is true comes to the light, so that all may see that their actions are accomplished through GOD (Jn 3:19-21).

 

Therefore, the earth is inhabited by two kinds of people:  the children of the Light, and the children of darkness.  The former are born of the Light, purified and made good by the washing of the blood of the SON of the Light.  Only in the light of ADONAI do they see light, and they become bearers of His eternal light (Ps 36:9)as they walk in the light of His presence (Ps 89:15).  They are armed with the sword of the Light (Ps 119:130)and weld it with the lightning power of the SPIRIT.

 

The children of darkness are the unborn.  The dead cannot hear, perceive or feel the things of the spirit.  They have rejected the Light and prefer to dwell in darkness, blinded by the wiles of wickedness.  They hate the light and will do their utmost to expand their domain of darkness so they can forever hide their abominable acts.  They pretend that darkness is as “good” as light by dwelling in a world of deception, imitating the form of light but is devoid of its power.

 

Soon, there will be a day of reckoning, when YESHUA the Messiah will come to overthrow the sham, they call “kingdom of darkness.”  He will slay His enemies with the sword of His mouth and He and the overcomers of the Light will judge the children of darkness and make them drink from the cup of ADONAI’s wrath.

 

On that day, the children of the Light will rejoice and praise the King of Kings and worship the SON of the Light who lives forever and ever.  They will rejoice because, finally, the physical realm will be swallowed up and a new earth will be revealed, and the new Jerusalem will come down and ADONAI ELOHIM will dwell with the children of the Light forever.  There will be no more need of any sun or moon, for ADONAI will be their light.  There will be no more need, for ADONAI ELOHIM is all they need.  In Him, by Him, through Him and for Him; all things find their ‘shalom’ in ADONAI!

מלאך

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Every Day Christianity

9570797266?profile=originalI read Acts 2 again today in my quiet time. Of course, this is a very familiar passage, one to which people like me give our lives. Today, this passage struck me a little differently than it has before.
 
"And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had" (Acts 2:44, NLT). 

 I'm struck by how devoted these believers were to one another on a daily basis. This is so different from the way the church normally operates today. They met and worshiped together daily (v. 46). They served one another daily (Acts 6:1). They studied the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). They encouraged one another daily (Hebrews 3:13). And the Lord added to their number daily those being saved (v. 47).

As Warren Wiersbe says, "Their Christian faith was a day-to-day reality, not a once-a-week routine. Why? Because the risen Christ was a living reality to them, and His resurrection power was at work in their lives through the Spirit."

Small groups surely nudge us a little closer in the right direction toward being a day-to-day kingdom community, but it can unfortunately just move us from a once-a-week routine to a twice-a-week routine ... unless the culture somehow changes.

We can't make this happen. Only the Holy Spirit being active in people's lives can transform a culture. It doesn't happen by developing or changing a program in the church. It happens when the Holy Spirit works in such a way that there is a deep sense of awe among the people, when people's hearts are changed from individualism, isolationism, and consumerism to looking first to the interests of others, sharing everything we have.

When that happens, the church will once again be powerful and effective and will enjoy the goodwill of all the people. When that happens--and I believe not until that happens--God will add to our number daily those who are being saved. When that happens, God will turn this world upside-down ... again. We are God's best marketing strategy!

 I'll stay committed to this and to praying that the Holy Spirit will move in such a way at our church and in his kingdom to transform people's hearts to live like this.


How can we move from a once- or twice-a-week routine back to a day-to-day community reality?
 
 What needs to change in your small group? Your church? The Church? The culture?
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Ready For the Road Ahead 1-23-11

Ready For the Road Ahead

 

            My sister Diana and I took great delight in designing games for my youngest sister, Kim, when she was little.  One of our favorites was a birthday scavenger hunt where Kim had to figure out clues in order to discover the whereabouts of her presents.  Kim had a great deal of fun searching for those gifts and Diana and I took delight in watching her eyes light up when she figured out a clue and was rewarded with another colorful package.

            This past week I joined an online photography group called the "365 Project".  Photographers of all levels of ability search out pictures that capture their daily routines in a creative and unique way.  The idea is to learn to look at the common, everyday things with a new perspective.  You don't need fancy equipment or a top of the line camera.  All you need is eyes to see.

            The Christian walk requires us to look for God in a similar fashion.  Years ago (1984 to be exact) David and Karen Mains wrote a book called The God Hunt.  In it they encouraged families to search for "God sightings" like Kim searched for her birthday presents those many years ago.  I recently read of a young mom who uses the walk to the school bus with her children as a way to see God at work in the world around them.  They look at the birds and see God's creativity.  They say hello and smile at people they know and see His love.  What a wonderful way to inspire children to recognize that God is with His creation!

            Developing your spiritual eyes is a must on the walk of Christian maturity.   It's a challenge to see life through a spiritual lens, because as adults, we've been conditioned to be concrete and practical.  But if we do not learn to see things from a spiritual perspective, we may end up like the servant of Elisha, who could only see the enemies encircled around his camp (2 Kings 6: 8-17).  It took the prayer of Elisha to open his eyes to the spiritual realm.

            Cultivating your spiritual eyes is not difficult, but it does require that you look beyond the ordinary and the usual.  One day, while I waited for my friend to check out her groceries, I was charged with the task of entertaining her 3 year old daughter.  How do you keep an active toddler in a shopping cart in a busy supermarket?  In a moment of inspiration I began a game of "I Spy".  Cloe loved finding the different colors and objects and I was amazed at her powers of observation!  The same is true in seeing God.  You are more observant than you think!  Seeing God at work does not always mean we will be looking at "supernatural" events in our lives.  More often it is learning to see those everyday events from a new vantage point.  It doesn't take fancy equipment or a top of the line camera to catch sight of God.  All you need is eyes to see.

            Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.  (Psalm 66:5)

Ann H. LeFevre  1/23/2011

 

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Ready For the Road Ahead 1-30-2011

Ready For the Road Ahead

 

            If you've been following the Daily Bible Readings on the back of our bulletin, you may have noticed that we are alternating between Old and New Testament books.  I know when I first began reading the Old Testament some books were easier to understand than others.  I was drawn to books like Genesis, Jonah and Ruth because they contained stories about people that I could relate to.  Books like Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Lamentations were less appealing because they were harder to understand.  Perhaps you have encountered the same feelings.  Don't give up!  Here are some helpful points to take along on your journey through Lamentations*:

            ~ Other Ancient Near East writings lament the destruction of great cities.  But unlike the Bible, these literary pieces attribute the loss of property, loved ones and income to capricious gods who temporarily lost interest in protecting the city.  In contrast, the prophet Jeremiah sees that Judah's disregard of God's Law is what brought about its destruction.  As you read through Lamentations notice how many times Jeremiah links the two.

            ~ Many times we place the Bible on a "spiritual bookshelf" all by itself.  But like many great books, the Bible is literature.  God has chosen to communicate His Word through the conventions of language.  Therefore the Bible contains many genres of writing.  Lamentations is a poetic book.  Hebrew poetry is quite beautiful but sometimes hard to capture in English.  It doesn't rhyme, rather, it builds concept upon concept, image upon image.  So as you're reading, look for repeated ideas and images which are usually repeated in double or triple lines.

            ~ A lament is a specific type of poem.  It reflects on deep, personal suffering as well as spiritual agony.   The prophet Jeremiah probably wrote this lament shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B. C.  Although Jeremiah understands God's justice in carrying out His judgment on Jerusalem, he still mourns the loss of his beloved home.  As you read, notice that Jeremiah might be intensely sorrowful, but he is not hopeless.   He understands that hope lies in God's character alone.

            ~ Jeremiah is not the only person ever to encounter sorrow.   Yet while his beautiful poetry speaks of an event that is foreign to most of us, the depth of his emotion speaks to anyone who has mourned over a tragic loss; a loved one, innocence,  a job, a home, a piece of oneself.  As you read through Jeremiah, keep in mind its immediate context, but let the poetry speak to the loss in your own heart.  Remember, like Jeremiah, that hope lies in the character of God.  He is the One who will console you in your time of sorrow.

Ann LeFevre  1/30/2011

 

*  A great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the books of the Bible is How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, c.2002, Zondervan

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Divine Revelation

“When there is no divine revelation, the people are unrestrained; but he who keeps Torah is happy.” (Proverbs 29:18)If we believe that all that is visible was created by the Word of ADONAI ELOHIM, then there is no doubt that divine revelation is the building block for life. Without divine revelation, there is no road map. Without divine revelation, there is no picture of tomorrow. Without divine revelation, there is no glue that holds the Church together as one. Without divine revelation, there is no hope but only darkness. After all, what’s the point of going when you don’t know where you’re headed? There is even no reference point where you are.So, what is divine revelation? According to the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc, “The word of ADONAI came to me saying…” It is quite amazing how the prophets describe the message as the “word” (Heb “dabar”). When you think about how ADONAI ELOHIM created all that we see by simply speaking the “word” and how each “word” contained the very idea of each created thing, we could surmise that this “word” must have been pure spiritual energy translating into visible reality all things. A word from ELOHIM therefore, is a powerful agent of change; a catalyst of future circumstances that constitute the very elements of history.In the past, ADONAI ELOHIM spoke to us in various ways through the prophets, but in these last days, He spoke to us by His SON, YESHUA the Messiah (Heb 1:1) . The prophets were the mouthpiece of GOD but the SON is the exact representation of the FATHER who embodied the word of GOD. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. GOD saw to it that everyone has access to His word through the Bible.Not only that, the SPIRIT of YESHUA now tabernacles in each believer, making us His living representatives, thinking, speaking, acting through us. What does this make of us? In effect, we become the messengers of GOD, also embodying His character. We speak His word, and that word carries the same spiritual energy as if GOD himself is speaking.Unfortunately, not many Christians fully believed YESHUA when He said, “The things I do, you shall do also, and greater things than these shall you do because I am going to the FATHER.” (Jn 14:12).To walk with YESHUA is to embark into the greatest adventure of life. Would you dare?מלאך
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The Faith of a Father

I may be back from Israel but I'm not through chewing over things I heard, saw, and experienced while there. One of those was at an overlook on the south side of Jerusalem, facing the old city and the temple mount. Our guide, Gila, a extremely well-informed, Jew, shared that the Jews believe that it was at that spot on the overlook that Abraham left the donkeys behind and proceeded on foot to climb Mount Moriah with his son Isaac. If you're like me, you've read that passage a hundred times and always struggled with the pain Abraham must have felt as he anticipated the death of his son.

 

I can imagine some of that pain because I watched my parents go through the death of their first and only son. My brother Lenny was born with Leukemia and a hole in his heart. Back then, either were a death sentence. He lived eleven months to the day, spending most of his time in the hospital. My parents were devastated. It took years for them to come to grips with his loss. I've another friend who's son died suddenly two years ago. They, too, are struggling to move on in his absence.

 

I don't think we can gloss over the pain that Abraham felt as he and Isaac began that journey. Our guide Gila shared the teaching of a rabbi in Israel who said that Abraham was so full of faith that he knew God would take care of Isaac somehow. Why? Because scripture says that Abraham got up early the next morning to set off for Moriah. For the rabbi, the fact that Abraham arose in the morning was proof that Abraham had slept. Again, for the rabbi, the only way Abraham could sleep that night was by depending on God to make things right.

 

Sounds great, doesn't it? I thought at the time, "Boy, that'll preach" (or teach in my case). Unfortunately, there's no scriptural evidence that the rabbi's thoughts are accurate. According to several friends who spend time in Hebrew language studies in the Bible, the words used have nothing to do with "sleep." One friend, a biblical scholar, offered the suggestion that maybe the rabbi was basing his comments on oral tradition rather than on biblical facts.

 

The whole discussion has stayed on my mind since I returned and I can now offer my own interpretation. I can understand the rabbi's teaching––it's easier to accept what Abraham did, actually taking Isaac to the place to be sacrificed, when we can imagine him having been able to sleep because he so trusted God to take the sacrifice away. However, I don't think it's that.

 

I think Abraham laid away all night, grieving the loss of his son on the next day. I think he rose with a heavy heart early in the morning, knowing that there were things he had to do that weren't going to be easy. I think he made the trip up to Mount Moriah, treasuring ever moment, every second, that he could spend with his beloved son. I think, with all his heart, he wanted not to have to do what he was doing. But he did it anyway. Why? Because God told him to.

 

There's no doubt in my mind that Abraham acted with complete faith and obedience, even when God's instructions literally ripped his own heart to pieces and made no sense. The point is that Abraham acted. He obeyed. He demonstrated his faith in God. And God honored that.

 

I've never had to face the pain that Abraham faced, but I've faced difficulties in trying to follow God's will in my life. And in spite of the frustrations or lack of understanding or disappointment, God has honored my obedience. Maybe that's the lesson we can learn from Abraham.

 

Margie Williamson

Community Manager

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Jesus is the Rock

I am currently reading 1st Corinthians in the Message paraphrase of the Bible.  Reading chapter 10, this struck me for the first time, "They drank from the Rock, God's fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were.  And the Rock was Christ."

 

Now, that being the case, some things about the story of Moses striking the rock to provide water for the Israelites take on new meaning and significance.  The first time, Moses was commanded to strike the rock so water would flow out.  Jesus, our Rock, was struck down to provide us with the living water of redemption and resurrection power.

However, the second time Moses was commanded to speak to the rock to get water.  He was angry at the people because of all their grumbling and complaining, so he struck the rock.  God, in His infinite mercy, knowing the people would perish without water, provided it.  However, he punished Moses severely, telling him he would never enter the Promised Land. 

I always thought that was a little harsh.  After all, it was a rock we were talking about here.  Who talks to rocks?  What would you say to a rock if you did talk to it?  "Hey there rock, could you give me some water?"  It sounds pretty ridiculous, since rocks, by their very nature, don't have water to hand out, especially in a desert.

However, if the Rock was Jesus, in both cases, then what a picture of our relationship to Him!  Jesus was struck once to give us water.  If we feel spiritually dry, there is no reason for us to grumble and complain, like the Israelites, or strike out at Jesus, like Moses.  We have only to speak to the Rock, and He will grant us rivers of living water, springing up to eternal life.

What an affront that was, after all, for Moses to treat Jesus the way he did!  Jesus, the Rock, had already been struck once and for all, to provide water for the people.  To continue using that method, subjecting Christ to further unnecessary abuse, out of anger or, worse, because it had worked once and should work again, is unpardonable!  Moses punishment of not setting foot in the Promised Land is merited when I consider what he did in that light.

So, speak to the Rock.  The Living Water, won through the striking of Jesus at the Cross, is ready and waiting to gush forth and slake your thirst for eternal life.

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