Category: Abide in Him

The beginning of trouble


Pride can kill anyone. Pride is the beginning of the end for relationships, or churches or friendships. Pride is especially deadly to your relationship with God. God has said in His Word, “be holy because I am holy”. So why aren’t we holy? Probably because of the notion that we are human and can attain any amount of holiness, but that is not what being holy means.

The real meaning of holy is this: to be “set apart” or “dedicated” to God. Being holy is part and parcel of being a Christian! It doesn’t mean that we are sinless or that we can’t have fun but we must be a part of the world but stand apart from the world by being dedicated to the work of God on this Earth. When you live a life with pride in yourself you are placing yourself on the throne of your life, in effect you declare yourself to be “god”.

Pride is a very subtle drug which can cause you very BIG problems. It may not happen at the beginning and it will likely be so easy at first, but you will fall from the platform that you have stepped up on. Pride can convince you that you are more than you are. More powerful, more handsome, more forceful as a preacher, more successful than you really are. Pride can put blinders on your eyes and it can harden your heart to the point that the Holy Spirit cannot get your attention anymore.

Truthfully, pride is the mother and father of ALL SINS. Why do I say this? Because it was pride which caused Adam and Eve to fall, it caused Saul to disobey God and lose the job of being King of Israel, on and on through the Bible. Pride could be the chief demon of Satan’s army.

God and His Holy Spirit together can give you the strength to resist pride and only with their help can you do it. When you feel pride beginning to bubble up, get into God’s Word and seek His wisdom. Pray for His guiding hand in all of your life. In teaching, in preaching, in life, in everything that you do make sure that it is Jesus Christ that you are following every moment of every day.

Read and study God’s Word and make sure that it is the Holy Spirit which is leading you in everything that you do and say. Because there is no way that pride can bring you down IF you are following Jesus and His wisdom every day.

Remember the Proverbs about pride:

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 18:12 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

Don’t notice the outside, look within


Shoes in Church
I showered and shaved……………. I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat……………. In a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer………… As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me……. Touching my own. I sighed.
With plenty of room on either side……… I thought, ‘Why must our soles touch?’
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine. But it didn’t bother him much.
A prayer began: ‘Our Father’…………. I thought,

‘This man with these shoes has no pride. They’re dusty, worn, and scratched.

Even worse, there are holes on the side!’
‘Thank You for blessings,’ the prayer went on.
The shoe man said…………….. A quiet ‘Amen.’
I tried to focus on the prayer……. But my thoughts were on his shoes again..
Aren’t we supposed to look our best? When walking through that door?
‘Well, this certainly isn’t it,’ I thought, glancing toward the floor.
Then the prayer was ended………… And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud….. Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters…….. His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear… The shoe man’s voice from the sky.
It was time for the offering…….. And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached… Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out………. What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft ‘clink’ as when silver hits the tin.
The sermon really bored me………. To tears, and that’s no lie.
It was the same for the shoe man… For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service…….. As is the custom here.
We must greet new visitors, And show them all good cheer.
But I felt moved somehow……….. And wanted to meet the shoe man.

So after the closing prayer…….. I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark….. And his hair was truly a mess…..
But I thanked him for coming………. For being our guest…
He said, ‘My name’s Charlie………… I’m glad to meet you, my friend.’
There were tears in his eyes……… But he had a large, wide grin…
‘Let me explain,’ he said…………. Wiping tears from his eyes.
‘I’ve been coming here for months…… And you’re the first to say ‘Hi.”
‘I know that my appearance………..Is not like all the rest.
‘But I really do try………………..To always look my best.’
‘I always clean and polish my shoes…Before my very long walk.’
‘But by the time I get here……..They’re dirty and dusty, like chalk.’
My heart filled with pain………… And I swallowed to hide my tears.
As he continued to apologize………. For daring to sit so near
He said, ‘When I get here………… I know I must look a sight.’
‘But I thought if I could touch you…Then maybe our souls might unite.’
I was silent for a moment…………. Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison…I spoke from my heart, not my head.
‘Oh, you’ve touched me,’ I said…….’ And taught me, in part’
‘That the best of any man…………..Is what is found in his heart.’
The rest, I thought,…………… This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am…That his dirty old shoe touched my soul.
Live each day as your last, for we never know our time here on earth. Love and Peace My Friends and remember that it is not how we look on the outside but how we look within.

Stay the course, keep watching…


Do you love Jesus? I don’t mean a little bit or as a friend, even if He really is your friend. I mean a deep, abiding love like you have for your spouse or your children!

2 Timothy 3

1 But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, 4 traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

This is a perfect description of our world today, even the world inside some churches. People who believe in Jesus or even think that they do are in the same boat as those who are described by Paul. In today’s society even those in the church, are lovers of self much more than they are of Jesus. But, we should all be His followers and lovers of Him just as He loved all of us enough to go to the cross and pay our debt for our sins.

So, why do we choose to say that we are followers and believer’s in Jesus and yet we have no respect for Him and no real love for Him either? We are just living in the last days before the time of the Tribulation, that’s all. Why are the church and those who make up the church acting this way? Mostly it is because of the society we live in and how we have learned about our Savior. Just as it says in the Bible, “Things continue on as they always have”, we have gotten very apathetic about Jesus’ coming again.

Most of us were brought up in a church, regardless of the denomination, and we’ve heard about Jesus and all of the stories in the Bible all of our lives. So, we believe that we are Christians mostly by osmosis.

Except it doesn’t work that way. Your heart has to be convicted of your need for Jesus. Not just because you want to join the church one Sunday but because there is truly a conviction inside that you are sinful and there is no other way to fix this sinful problem except by giving your heart to Jesus and asking Him for His forgiveness for your sinful ways. The problem with this in today’s church is that there are too many people who don’t believe nor do they think that they truly need Jesus as their Savior!

Many believe that they are good enough to get into heaven even without giving their heart to Jesus and repenting of the sinful things that they think about and do on a regular, sometimes daily basis. Many have made their own version of Jesus in their minds and he doesn’t mind their sins nor does he convict them when they do or say anything that the real Jesus would not allow. This is modern idolatry. There is no statue or figure representing the “god” that they believe in because their idea of “god” is in their mind.

During this time just before the Trumpet sounds (even though we don’t know when that will be), all of us who believe in the real Jesus and have accepted Him as our Savior need to be watching for the signs and reading the Bible. Why? Because we can discern the prophetic signs in the news better if we know what is foretold to happen. God is sending out signs all over the world but if you don’t know what has been foretold, you won’t notice them.

What binds us together?


The overarching glue which holds the church together and has done so since Jesus walked among us is…love. Jesus commanded us to love one another as He had loved those who started with His ministry. God’s love has resonated throughout the Scriptures and He has demonstrated that love by giving us our provisions such as food and shelter. He has watched over us in times of trouble and in times of plenty because the fruits which we are blessed with have always come from Him.

Colossians 3:14 says: And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Even though the church has not enjoyed “perfect unity” since it began, the unity of faith in Jesus Christ and the mission which He gave to us is and always has been our guiding principle. Even if we are attacked on all sides today for the Truth which we proclaim because it upsets people and makes them uncomfortable. Jesus made the leaders of the Temple uncomfortable too because they didn’t want to lose their prestige and power. The church which has followed His example has been a catalyst for change in this world. But it didn’t do so by force or arms, although during one dark period it did use force. The Crusades were a mistake and would never have happened if Jesus was around but there were too many in the church at the time who wanted more power and more land brought under the Christian flag.

The problem with that thinking is this: a message of love cannot be forced upon anyone. Trying to force people to change from one religion or belief system to Christianity does NOT work! Nobody loves by force and you can’t learn to love by force.

The church today is bowing to the culture of today and is less of the church which Jesus Christ started than it ever has before. This is something which those of us in the church need to stand up and fight against because when we are less than Jesus’ message then we aren’t being the church at all. Why did Jesus come to mankind in the first place? He came because of His love for us, all of us! Why? Because He knew that there was no way that we could do enough to bring salvation unless He started it. Without His love for us and His sacrifice for ALL of us, we would never be allowed into Heaven.

If the church, regardless of denomination, doesn’t get back to the message which is in God’s Word then the world is lost. Because it is our responsibility as believers to tell others about our wonderful, mighty, compassionate God Who came down to give His life so that we might live in eternity with Him!

It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 4: 4-6

Walk in the truth as the Father commanded so that others will see the Truth of salvation by Jesus Christ and belief in Him. This is our mission and our duty as Christians.

Provisions


Have you ever thought of the things which you have as provisions given to you by God? They truly are that and more! God has blessed each of us with life and health and hopefully a job so that we can support a family too. Everything that you have been blessed with came from God. Even if you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, these gifts have been given to you from God Himself. Is it possible for your health and your prosperity to have been given to you from Him too? Of course, it is!

You will notice that I said, “provisions” not possessions. Why did I use a different word than the one that many people want to use today? Because God provides us with provisions which we need not possessions which we want! God doesn’t give us our wants, translate as luxuries, He gives us the needs in our lives. He gives you your life, your food, and your home and your family. What does that sound like? Blessings and provision.

God doesn’t hold back the good things of this world from us, whether we have given our lives to Jesus and are followers of Him or not. So how much more could you be doing for His Kingdom if you truly are His follower and a disciple of His? In our technological world today it doesn’t take a lot to be a witness for Jesus in many places other than where you live. Take me for instance. I am disabled and can’t work in a regular job, but I can witness for my Savior all over the world through the power of the Internet.

Granted, my witness here can’t reach those in places where the access to it isn’t there, but it can reach many places.

Your witness and mine are useful to God’s Kingdom in many more ways than just an article on the Internet. We can take our witness with us just as the disciples and the early church fathers did. Witness to others by your actions and your words. Even if you aren’t speaking to someone directly, they will see your actions and hear your words even if you don’t think anyone is listening.

When you have children they hear things that you don’t think they did and it is the same with people everywhere. God loves each of us and He wants you to come to salvation through Jesus. But, unless you hear about Jesus and the salvation available through Him, you won’t know about it until you hear, whether it is by reading something or by a sermon at a church. God provides salvation to those who are seeking it and many won’t seek it until they hear about Him and the hope that is available through Jesus.

Joy in my heart!


Working and doing any kind of work for God is a joy! Whether you are a teacher or a preacher or a blogger! Just knowing that you are telling others about your Lord and Savior even if you never meet them or even know them, God will use your words and give you the words to say so that someone will seek out Jesus as their Savior. The idea of a Savior which is planted in their mind and in their heart (soul) will take root and God will cause it to bloom in their life. It may not happen today or tomorrow but when God is behind your words and the results which come from them, it can’t help but grow.

Jesus has such a powerful love for mankind, not just the Jewish people, until He gave His life so that we could all come to know Him for our salvation. True repentance and acceptance of His sacrifice along with believing that He paid for our sins and their penalties is what is needed for salvation. It doesn’t take a tub full of water for baptism nor many years of “works” for Him to be saved. Speaking in tongues is not required and being overjoyed with the power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t make a difference in whether your salvation is true or not!

In Acts chapter sixteen, Paul and Silas are in jail because of their testimony and because they had freed a girl from demon possession. Here is the story of it:

Paul and Silas in Prison

16And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

19And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 20And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

22And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

The Conversion of the Jailer

25And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. 27And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

Once or daily, which really works?


The doctrine of salvation says that we are saved because of our belief in Jesus and His atonement for our sins IF we accept that as the truth of our salvation. But, what about repentance? Is that a one-time thing or is it a continual practice which we should do each day? Well, the answer to that can be tricky. If you accepted Jesus as your Savior and you truly sought forgiveness and repented of the sins which brought you to the point of knowing that you need Him as your Savior, that is at least a step in the right direction. But…Satan and his forces don’t just walk away and leave when you become a Christian.

Why would they? Before you became a Christian you were part of their “family” in a way. You weren’t saved so you didn’t belong to Jesus and you were living your life in the way that you wanted to live it, so why should they concern themselves with you? You were in control of your life or at least you thought you were.

In reality we have to repent and ask forgiveness of something each and every day. Becoming a Christian and changing your ways to follow Jesus doesn’t create in each of us a heart and soul like Christ, one that is sinless from that point on. We are still human and Satan is going to ramp up his attacks on you in order to dirty your witness toward others in their walk. He doesn’t get tired and he doesn’t have to sleep so you will be hit with tempting thoughts when you least expect it from this point until your last breath on Earth.

Study God’s Word and fill your mind with gospel songs and messages from Him and you will be able to resist the temptations which Satan throws at you or me. This is the way that we should live our lives with Jesus every day, no matter what we are doing or where you are. God’s Word will strengthen you in your daily walk through life because it is the Living Word.

Is Scripture still useful?


2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Paul wrote this letter to his protege, Timothy, because he knew that he was being questioned about Scripture and its authenticity. He also used this letter to encourage Timothy because it wouldn’t be long before he, Paul, would be killed because of his faith. Thankfully we are not yet under such persecution but there are Christians in other parts of the world who are being threatened with death because of their faith in Jesus.

To answer the question, all Scripture is useful and profitable for instruction and training in God’s Truth. Whether those around you want to know it or accept it or not, but if you are a follower of Jesus then you need to know God’s Word so that you know His thoughts about different subjects which is very useful to defend your faith these days. We are called to defend our faith for the glory of Jesus and His Kingdom because we are living at the end of the church age.

What does that mean?

It means that we are very close to the prophecies of the book of Revelation. The taking away of the church and the appearance of a very charismatic leader who is the Antichrist, all of these things and more will happen the way that God has foretold it. Regardless of your lack of belief in Jesus or the veracity of Scripture, the prophecies of God’s Word is not fiction nor is it a myth. One day soon the whole world will find this out and many of them will not like it when they do.

I pray that many who read this blog and others will seek out their Savior while there is time because the only chance that you have to accept Him is while you are living and breathing on this Earth. Once you have died you will face God and you will have to tell Him why you chose not to ask Jesus into your life and believe in Him. That is a conversation that I hope that many of you can avoid having by changing your life and following Him while there is time.

Is Scripture useful for teaching and instruction? Yes, it is! Because it shows you where your life’s choices have gone wrong and it gives you a chance to change and follow Jesus. Scripture shows each of us, if we read it with an open mind and prayerfully, that God loves us and always has. He made a way for us to become His children through Jesus Christ because that is the only way! His Word tells us all of His Truth that we need to follow Jesus into eternity and all we need to do is believe in Him for our salvation so we can have that chance.

Time…


Do you ever consider the time’s in which we live? Such as, why is everything happening in such mixed up ways around the world? Most of these aren’t even reported on the news anymore but they are still happening. What am I speaking of?

Miracles.

To most people in the world the miracles that occur almost daily are not special enough to be given “media coverage” but to the people that they happen to they really are. If you are thinking that I just switched from one subject to another I really didn’t. It is a fact that where we are living in our time and the miracles which are happening are linked together. How do I know this? Because the time in which we are living is referred to as “the last days”.

At no other time in the world could you get news and video from around the world almost instantaneously but in the last few years the Internet has allowed this. It is only because of the advances in communication and the networks around the world that the Christian message can be spread to all parts of the world as well. Miracles are also happening around the world but many aren’t being reported because they aren’t newsworthy.

Most “news” today is only reported on when it fits someone’s agenda or a narrative which they want to promote. Even if it is a media organization and they claim to be impartial many of their investors are not which drives the narrative for most of their stories. Christian news or anything which points in that direction is not really considered newsworthy by the mainstream media.

But…God is still at work in this world today bringing people to a saving knowledge of Him and Jesus the Messiah in record numbers, even in places where Christianity is considered against the law. Many people who have been persecuted for their faith in Jesus are turning to Him and drawing more people to Him than ever before because of the persecution in the Middle East.

So, are we living in the last days? According to most of the predictions and prophetic words of Jesus I believe that we are and many other preachers do too. Reading the book of Daniel and Matthew chapter 24 many of the descriptions sound very much like the news which you hear today. Rumors of wars and persecutions, diseases which even modern medical science can’t cope with, unrest in parts of the world that once was peaceful, lives being lost because of people’s lack of a true moral compass. All of these are happening today and have been happening for a while although it seems to be ramping up to levels that were unheard of a decade or two in the past.

I pray that anyone who reads this will seek out Jesus as your Savior and read the prophecies in Matthew and in the book of Daniel with a prayerful heart and an open mind toward God’s plan. He will accomplish His will for this world, whether we like it or agree with it or not.

We are at the end of the church age. I suggest if you aren’t ready then you should get ready!

God’s sacrifice


God first asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son to prove his obedience to Him. Abraham went with his son, Isaac, to the mountain and built an altar and laid the wood on it and bound his son. He even drew the knife and was about to kill his son because God had asked him to. Then God said through an angel, “Abraham, do not harm your son!”. Why did God ask this of Abraham? To test him for sure and see if he would hold nothing back from God if God asked for it and he passed the test. So God gave a ram in place of his son, which was caught in the bushes, so that he and Isaac could worship God and then come home again. Abraham had told his servants when they set out toward the mountain that they would go and worship and then they would come again.

Abraham had faith that since God had promised that through Isaac his descendants would be inumerable, even if he sacrificed Isaac on the altar God would raise him again so that His promise would be fulfilled. In the same way, many thousands of years later, God gave His only Son up as a sacrifice for all of our sins and then raised Him up on the third day to be our Savior and Lord. I know you are probably thinking that since Jesus was God’s Son He couldn’t die anyway. But you’d be wrong. Jesus was born just as much a human being as you or I.

He got tired. He was tempted in every way like we are. He was afraid of the torture and the pain that He would experience during the crucifixion and the scourging which lead up to it. Just as any of us would be. He was so stressed about it until He was sweating drops of blood prior to His arrest. Doctors today have confirmed that it is possible to do this in highly stressful times.

Jesus came into the world for this purpose and yet He gave His life for you and me and many others just so we could be a part of His family! Isn’t that a wonderful gift? I know there are many who think that being a Christian takes all of the fun out of life but it doesn’t. You just have fun telling others about your Savior and what He has done for you. Should we forget all of our old stomping grounds and friends? No, but we should tell them about Jesus and His influence on our life. You can’t beat them over the head with a Bible but you can tell them how your life has changed after He came in and freed you from your slavery to sin.

I know that many of you will say, “I’m not a slave to sin!”. Well, how many times have you read the Bible lately? Can you tell me what all ten commandments are? Are you still drinking and smoking even after you’ve been redeemed by His blood? If you can’t answer any of these questions with the answer of “Yes!” or “No, I don’t drink and smoke anymore.” Then what kind of change really happened when you were “saved”? If you aren’t at least trying to change your life and your lifestyle so that you can walk with Jesus on a daily walk like His disciples did, then you may not be saved at all.

Seek Him out today and learn more about His offer of salvation by reading John’s gospel and then read Romans. Don’t stop searching for your Savior because He came here for you!