Author: Tracy Eldridge

This my witness for my Lord and Savior on the web. I pray that you find these posts useful in your search for Jesus. http://thelivingmessage.com

The third part of the year or ….


We are in a part of the year which is just before the election cycle for this year. If you haven’t made up your mind which candidate you will choose, you don’t have much time. The decision that we all have to make in this election will be an important one, make sure that you pray about it for many days before making your final decision.

We are in a particularly troubling time for our world and for our country. Because of the load of debt that our country has and because of the time in which we are living. Many people don’t see it that way especially if they don’t believe the Bible is true, but I happen to believe it. We may not be in the time period known as the Tribulation, but we are on the very edge of it, at least from all of the signs that we see and hear every day.

The weather is unpredictable in ways that haven’t been seen before. The amount of diseases and problems that are in the world just seems to be growing in number and intensity. We are about to move into the “Fall of the year”, even though it may not cool off for another couple of months and our planet’s history is moving toward the winter of its time.

It is true that some will not believe what I am saying, but if you open your mind and read some of the prophecies in the Bible then you will see much of what is going on around us was foretold in detail at least two thousand years ago. It should not be ignored, regardless of your beliefs, that the signs which are spoken of in the Bible can almost be read like a newspaper today. Much of what was foretold is coming true and has come true in the last fifty years.

I urge you to consider giving your heart to Jesus, if you have not done so yet. Truly, the state of our nation and the world itself cannot be fixed by a person or a candidate or a policy, except by Jesus and His return to this world there will be no lasting solution. Jesus said that if you gained the world, meaning the riches of the whole world, but you lose your soul by not accepting Him as your Savior then you gained nothing. Why do I say this? Jesus said it first.

Nothing that we gain in this life will follow you into the next one, no matter how much you may have. You have never seen a trailer following a hearse to the graveyard and even if they did, it would only be to bury the contents in the ground. You can’t take it with you and, if you are like me, I don’t have enough for anyone to fight over. The only real blessing and inheritance that I can give away that will mean anything in eternity is for you to come to know Jesus and give your life to Him.

If you do that, then you will be spending eternity with me and many others who are part of the “body of Christ”, and we will be ruling His Kingdom with Him! Don’t believe the people who say that we will be strumming harps for eternity, although I might want to learn, that is not my job, nor will it be your job in God’s Kingdom. I don’t know what He may have me doing, but I am sure that He will equip me to do whatever it may be.

 

Do you question?


There are many, many people today who have questions about a great many things. So, do you ever question God?

I would imagine that many of us have, although hopefully not in a disrespectful way. Some people have angrily questioned Him in times of trouble wondering why He didn’t save them from what they are in. Questioning God is something which has been done for many hundreds of years if not thousands, but the best way to do it is by asking a simple question. One like, “God, will you save me and cleanse my heart? Make me a new creation so that I can be in your family. Amen.”

If we believe that God is Who He says in the Bible, then that question is settled already if you have sought Him out and asked Him to be your Savior. Questions are good things for the most part because they help us to learn things. Questioning authority by rebelling against it or protesting against it is wrong.

I don’t mean that we should be like sheep and follow our leaders without knowing them and where they are going, but learn about them and know who you are following. Don’t follow anyone who is untrustworthy or someone who is like a wind-tossed wave which goes one way and then another. If you aren’t sure of them and you feel in your heart that something isn’t quite right, then find another preacher, teacher or leader.

Questions are good for learning things and for teaching, but when you use questions as a way to incite violence or stir up trouble then you are following in some dangerous paths. These paths have been trod by demons and Satan himself who questioned God’s motives and His love for us and for the angels. God loves us all. He even loves Lucifer/Satan but his rebellion toward and hatred for God and His rule, especially when Satan said that he would exalt himself above the stars of God, that is what God will not tolerate. It is the sin of pride which brought Satan to his estate that he has now and it is pride which infects all of mankind.

We are as guilty of having more than our share of pride in our lives as he was. Some people even think of themselves as gods, although I don’t think they could create something from nothing as our God did. He loves you and me and all we need to do is seek Him, learn His ways from the Word and believe that His Grace has saved us because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. There is nothing that we can do to help God to make us better, just believe in Jesus and ask His forgiveness for your own pride and your life before you knew Him.

All of Heaven will rejoice when you come into the family, especially God Himself.

Amen.

Trust…what does that mean?


Between people, it means that you have confidence in them to be genuine and honest with you in everything. In religion, trust is synonymous with faith. We trust in God because He is our Creator. We trust Him because He is trustworthy, I mean if God isn’t then we are truly messed up! Trust is the way that we look to our spouses and children because they are there for us, no matter what is happening.

Trust, a five letter word which means: “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”

This is the dictionary meaning of the word, but how do you define it? Is trust something which is given or is it earned by someone? That depends on who you are trusting in the first place. If it is a person such as a friend or spouse, trust can be easily given to them. If your friend or your spouse does anything in the future to break that trust, then it must be EARNED back, if possible.

Trust between people who are in teams is built as the team works together to accomplish something. Military teams such as the SEAL teams or sports teams like football, baseball, etc. all of these have different levels of trust between the members. Firefighters and policemen and women also have levels of trust, because like in military teams, their lives depend on trusting those who work with them every day.

Spiritual trust and faith are identical because it takes belief in the One Who created us and our lives and the situations that we live in. We have to have a reliable trust in His truth, His ability, and His strength in every possible problem of life, and He is able to do all the things that are necessary for our good and for His Kingdom. We don’t have to worry about His ability to heal, to help, to give comfort and to be your Savior because He is able to do all of these things.

If God, and that is a statement which I don’t come through easily, created all of the universe and all of the angels and Heaven and has provided for all of our lives from Adam until now, then the problems that we have are not hard for Him to help us with. All that we need to have is trust in His love and ability to take care of you with any problem you may have. Trust and faith in Him are the same, but we tend to disagree on this.

I have faith that God can and will do all that is necessary for me to make it through this week and next week as long as I subject my will to His. Do I trust Him to do these things? Yes! Because God can do all things and He always does the right things for us and for His Kingdom.

Barriers, division and fences


In life today, everywhere, we have these. Sometimes they are based on politics, sometimes it is because of religion and sometimes it is because of the boundaries between people and countries. Is there anything that we can do to fix this? One thing which we can do is to stop blaming other people for our problems, regardless of what those problems are.

If the problems are personal, then the problems are yours to handle. That is harsh isn’t it? Not really because the problems may be your problems alone, but you know Jesus is available to help you in all things. Regardless of the size of the problem, like lost keys or shoes or not enough money to pay bills, God is able to help. All you need to do is give your life to Him and ask Him for help in whatever area it might be.

Racial divisions, religious divisions, political divisions are another matter. Yes, God is available to help in all of these areas and He can, but only when you ask. He doesn’t force His way into your life to fix things, He doesn’t force you to live a certain way or be from a certain area or people or “race”.

God loves you and me and everyone else in the world, but He doesn’t love the lifestyles or the sin that we have all done in our lives at one point or another. It may be drugs or sex or murder (Jesus said if you hate your brother, it is the same as murder 1 John 3:15)

We are all sinners even if you have given your heart to Jesus, we are just forgiven because of His atoning sacrifice for us. He did not do this just for a few people, selected or elected or otherwise, He came and went to the cross for all of us! The only requirement is that we believe that He did it and that we ask Him to cleanse us and make our life…be like His. That doesn’t mean that everyone who belongs to Him must be a minister or a deacon or a missionary.

We just need to strive (work toward) being more like Him from the point of giving our life to Him until we stand before Him at our judgement. Ooops, did I say that? Yes, each of us, forgiven or not, will stand before Him in judgement one day. Those who are His will be judged by our work for His Kingdom, those who have not given their life to Him will be judged for their life and for not accepting God’s gift of salvation through Jesus.

There is just a thin line which each separates those who have accepted His gift and His love and those who have not. Because you either accept Jesus as your Savior or you don’t, there is no middle ground, no gray area where you are a Christian sometimes. There is no part of being a Christian where you turn your back on Christ and never come back. Yes, you may still belong to Him IF it was real to begin with, but if it was and you go back to your old life and back into a sinful life, then your reward in Heaven will be affected.

Inner strength and beauty


Have you noticed that people who stay together the longest have these two in spades! Inner strength comes from your character and that is truly based upon your beliefs, whatever they might be. Strength on the inside is the kind which comes from outside yourself, it is not physical but spiritual and it is in contrast to your beliefs and your faith in that which gives you strength.

Is your faith in a “man-made” religion or god? If it is then your faith is in something which cannot last. We have many religions which are manufactured by man, although some of them seem to be based on the Word of God. Many people have taken a few phrases or verses from one chapter of the Bible and created an entire doctrine around it. It may not be what Jesus taught or even based on anything which He said, but it sounds good and it can be said to “be based on God’s Word” even if it is only based on one or two verses.

Man-made religions are not the same, even though to the outside world they appear to be the same. If you get enough people to follow your teaching and they like the message enough, then they will back you when it comes time to build a larger church. Sometimes, a sermon or a theology which is based on or around the words and teachings found in the New Testament is not very popular. Because…it is based upon the Truth of God’s Word! There will likely be fewer people who like your message, but those who do are committed to learning about Him.

Inner beauty is found in people whose character is shaped by their belief in God and Jesus Christ. Yes, there are some who are beautiful regardless of the religion which they follow or even if they follow any religion at all, but they are few in number. I am not speaking here of outer beauty, but the kind that is inside a person. Outer beauty comes from your parents but it doesn’t really last because as we grow older, out face will change and our body changes. We don’t look as “beautiful” or as “handsome” as we may have when we were younger. Beauty is fleeting and it is only skin deep as far as your outer beauty is concerned.

Inner strength comes from our faith in something or Someone greater than ourselves, like Jesus. The martyrs from the past, who were killed in horrendous ways like burning or being gored by bulls or ripped apart by lions, faced their deaths with dignity and strength that they drew from knowing that they belonged to Jesus! Nothing could separate them from Him because if they died, regardless of the manner of their death, they would be with Him!

Today, we all need strength from God more than we do anything else. Because of the persecution and the negative things which are said of Christians these days. In the next decade, it will likely get much worse than it is now and it is not something which your children are prepared for. We aren’t prepared for it! But…its coming. Lean on Jesus and learn about Him from the Bible, even if it is outlawed to possess a Bible, keep one hidden somewhere that you can read. Make sure that you have a place to go that is safe, if possible, because we are coming to a time when unrest is going to be everywhere.

Treasure…


john317Many people don’t realize that they are searching for it. Many will never find what they are searching for, yet it does exist. You and I are given a treasure beyond imagining and it doesn’t cost us anything. How can it be that a treasure which is not measured can possibly cost us nothing? It must be some worthless trinket or talisman.

This treasure is something which many today reject and many more are angered by it or at least by the Person which brings it to us. The treasure of which I speak is salvation. Our salvation, every person’s salvation was paid for by Him on the cross with His blood. Many times we see that people learn of wisdom from some very different places and people.

“Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.”  Captain Jack Sparrow

“Not all treasure is silver and gold”, it is the most profound bit of wisdom that I have heard from anyone let alone someone in a movie made in Hollywood.

Treasure from God is something which many cannot see nor can they make sense of the grace that is poured out upon us. We have been given a gift of salvation that we don’t have to work for. A gift which we cannot buy, but one which by proclamation from Jesus Himself we must give away. It is a gift of immeasurable value, but also one which God intended for all if they will accept it and believe.

Aside from Captain Jack, many people don’t seem to realize what REAL treasure is today. It isn’t money in any form. It is eternity and salvation provided through the grace of God for us even before we were born. The qualifier is that we must realize that when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we have asked one of the Trinity to live in us because the Holy Spirit is part of that Trinity. If you have placed a priceless pearl in a clean vessel, then why would you put the dirt of your old life back in there?

I am not saying that we will never sin after becoming a Christian, but turning away from the church and willfully sinning and never going back or even trying to be a Christian is WRONG!! Asking forgiveness is good at this point, but if you aren’t going to repent of the sin, what good is the forgiveness?

Some scriptures which may help with this are these:

Everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. (1 John 2:29); Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4); Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7); Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (1 John 5:1); Everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning. (1 John 5:18)

These may make you wonder if you are saved at all, particularly if you haven’t been a real believer who turned away from a life that you would be proud to show Jesus.

1.No one who denies the Son has the Father. (1 John 2:23)

2.No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (1 John 3:6)

3.No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9)

Even the tolerance of sin is an agreement with it. It is not something which will sit well with your heart, especially if the Spirit abides in your heart. Although we aren’t to judge people, we can bring their sin to their attention and if they don’t want to do anything about it, then leave it to God.

 

Problems….


We all have them, so what can we do about it? We can’t do anything about our physical problems or our emotional problems or even for most of our everyday problems. But, God can take care of them all!

john317

He came to us because of the love of God for us. We can’t explain it, we don’t understand it, but we are His children and He loves each of us far more than we can know.

I just wanted to let you all know that, so you will seek Him out in God’s Word or in a Bible teaching church. Please, look for His love because He is looking for you.

Praisethelord

Times are changing


What can we do? Not much really, except pray and turn our hearts back to God. Our world, this nation, and every nation on Earth needs to turn toward the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Why should we do this? Because we have pushed Him out of our lives! We have taken prayer and Bible reading out of our schools and we are reaping the consequences of that decision.

Some people may not notice that this is happening, but if you ask anyone who grew up in the sixties and seventies they can tell you that our world is definitely NOT the same anymore. So many problems, so much anger and violence, so many wars and things which are happening all over the world. These we see and hear about on the news programs or on the Internet on a daily basis and they change our perception of people in our world.

We look at people in a different light. We think about them in ways which are wrong, because we are allowing outside influences, like the news, change our perception. God knows each of them and you. He doesn’t change His ways and we should try to be more like Him. No, we will never be perfect in this life but we should strive toward that goal through Him and by knowing Him.

Why am I saying this? Because…the world is the way it is today simply because we are coming to the end of the church age or the age of God’s grace. He hasn’t given up on us, but His plans are in motion to bring about His purposes in the world. Many people can’t seem to believe that this is where we are today, but if you have read the Bible and the prophecies concerning the end of the age, then most of it makes at least some sense.

No, we can’t understand His ways or why things are happening the way that they are, because they seem so wrong to our way of thinking. But, God sees the picture outside of our time and space and He knows what is going on and how it will work out. This is the message to all who read this post: God has it all in His hands and His ways are better and more perfect than ours because He can see the outcome before the beginning.

Seek Him and trust in Him in all of your life’s journeys, no matter how small or big they might seem to you…because God is bigger than your problems! It might not seem so right now, but He is!

Is there a way out?


I have heard people on Facebook and in church or in other public places ask this question and it makes me wonder, why do you need a way out of life? Life is given for us to live and work in it and through it. Not only for God’s purpose but for our own enjoyment.

I know that many people don’t really enjoy their life or the work that comes with it. Sometimes it is hard on your body and your spirit to have to make it through just one more day. Friend, it is not easy to live with pain and illness whether you are working or  not! My arthritis is painful, whether I am in the bed, in a chair (like I am typing this out), or anywhere else. I have constant dizziness from inner ear trouble, so I have to be careful how I walk, but that doesn’t keep me from going or doing things when I can.

I am not being a complainer here, I am just telling those of you who will read this a little something about me. I would love to get up without pain or to put my clothes on without almost falling to the floor, but it is what I have to live with every hour of every day. God gives me the strength to get through it all and not complain, even when it hurts. Most people don’t even see what could be wrong with me, but I know it’s there and I know that He is with me too.

We don’t need a way out of life, we need to embrace the Author of Life! Our Creator and our Savior is that and so much more! He can be a healer and a comforter to you as well as your Savior, just as He was to so many when He came. God loves us and He is not the cause of your pain, Satan does that. But, because of some teachers and preachers who say that we are in trials because God is working some of our kinks out, we tend to blame God for our ills.

He allows us to go through trials and things which will make us stronger and more effective as Christians, to be more like Jesus, but He is not the cause of those trials. He allows Satan to be that cause, and Satan thinks that he is hurting us, like he did with Job. But, God allowed that trial to prove that Job was a better man and one with more faith than Satan thought. It is the same with us. As long as we keep our faith trained on Jesus like the scope on a gun, then we will come out victorious and stronger because of that trial.

So much pain…


There are many people who live with pain in our world today. Some of it is because of disease of one kind or another. Some of it is due to the loss of a loved one, but we all have pain in our lives at some point. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is just not right. Then it is your job to find out where the pain originates and if there is a way to lessen the pain or cure the cause of it.

Spiritually, pain comes into our lives through the loss of someone or by God’s Holy Spirit making us aware that we need Him. Grief is painful, sometimes it is terribly painful to the point of making us feel sick and without hope. When that happens, we need to turn to God’s Word and seek Him and the comfort that He gives to us. HE is the only cure for pain that deep. Other so-called “fixes” do nothing but put a mask over the pain or dull it for a while, and when it returns it may be worse than it was before.

Pain, physical and mental or spiritual, is something that we all experience but God gives us the strength to get through it and come out stronger. Seek out Jesus and His strength so that you can be strong enough to stand in the presence of God and not be ashamed of your life. He is righteous and Holy and we cannot stand in His presence without the Blood of Jesus covering our sins.

God loves each of us because we are His creation, and He doesn’t wish for any of us to be in torment in hell. Which is why He provided the grace and the payment for our sins through Jesus’ sacrifice. All that we have to do is believe in Him and His atonement for us and we will be saved. Not belief like from reading it from a book or just hearing it from someone, but a firm belief like a child knowing that his father will catch him when he jumps. Book knowledge and hearsay don’t work by themselves, it has to be backed up with real faith.

Pain is something which gets our attention, but faith knows that it is only temporary. Put your faith in Jesus and all of your problems will fade with His grace and mercy. Because, He will give you the strength and the ability to make it through all of those problems.