Are you hungry?

Do you truly know the hunger of those who follow the Lord? Are you hungry for His Presence?

God loves you and watches over all of your doings and your daily problems, yet there are many who do not what the Lord asks of you. Why? Because of the substance of our life. We chase after many things in our lives but we do not seek God, we seek out “stuff” which has no substance in God’s Kingdom. So what are the acceptable things which are part of God’s Kingdom? The works which we do because we belong to God and our salvation is from Jesus the Christ. These are works which are not required, but they are works which we feel obligated to do for Him because of the price paid for our freedom!

Jesus paid this price on the cross and it was paid out of love! As the scriptures say, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life“. He did this because it was promised from the very beginning of creation since humanity could not keep God’s laws, “the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head and he will bruise His heel“. This was a prophecy in reference to Jesus (Yeshua) many years before His birth in Bethlehem.

This is the very reason which Jesus the Christ came to Earth from God, to save mankind from their sins and provide a way for them to be reconciled to God! It wasn’t for some prideful parade of a future King which came, which was what Israel was waiting for, but He came to redeem His people from the burden and the consequences of their sins! Will He come as their King? Yes, He will come and begin His reign on Earth soon and He will rule over the whole Earth, not just Israel!

Come, Lord Jesus! Amen

Chosen…

According to the Bible, we were chosen long ago by God Himself. Why? Because He knows who will accept and hear His call on their lives. Of course, there are some who may take a little more time than others to make that decision but God still knows the outcome. That doesn’t mean that you are chosen to be a Christian and the person next to you is not, it just means that God knows which of you will act on His touch first! In many ways that could mean that you will have an influence in your neighbor’s life and their choice to give their lives to Jesus. God loves each of us but since He sees the end and the beginning of all things, He knows which of us will turn to Him in repentance and which ones will not.

Does that mean that some people will not be given a chance to become Christians? No! Each person in the world is given the chance but not everyone will accept it. Some will accept it and then decide that being a Christian is not really what they want or the way they want to live. The people who do this were not really intent on being a Christians, they were just trying it out. Trying out Christianity is not the way to go. God loves you and if you feel His touch and His call on your life and your heart don’t turn away from Him!

You can go to church and read the Bible all that you want but the only way that any that either of them will have an effect in your life is when God touches your heart and opens your eyes spiritually to the condition that you are in. You might say to me, “What do you mean the condition I am in?”; when you are outside of the will and purpose of God none of His wisdom or the teachings of God’s Word make sense to you! God’s Wisdom is foolish to anyone and everyone who lives outside of God’s will and living by unbelief in Him.

The wisdom of the world is foolishness in God’s sight. So are we chosen to be useful to God and in His Kingdom? He knows that each of us can be useful for His Kingdom and He knows when you will turn to Him in repentance. Those who do not repent, who will not repent are also known to Him as well and those people break God’s heart. He doesn’t wish to see anyone in hell because of their stubbornness but that is the reason that many will be in hell. Because of stubbornness and pride, they will turn away from Him thinking that they are good enough to gain entrance into heaven.

We are unable to be good enough to gain entrance into heaven without Jesus in our hearts and learning more about God through His Word and living by His wisdom and not our own. If humanity could attain eternal life on our own, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die on the cross and be raised again to give us the hope of heaven. God knew this was true and that we are unable to be righteous and sinless in our own strength without His Spirit and His Strength to aid you in becoming more like Jesus.

What should I do?

Many of us ask this question in our daily lives and usually, it is referring to something other than following Jesus or getting into the ministry. But what if you are asking this question and getting to know Jesus is part of it or at least involved in the possible answer? Have you thought of what you should do?

Some people do wonder about their answer to the Holy Spirit and what to do about it. Some are called in their dreams and the Spirit touches them in a mighty way to draw them to Him. Then there are times when it is a very still, small voice which prods you into being curious about God’s call on your life. Whichever one happens in your life, pay attention to Him!

God loves each of you, regardless of your belief or non-belief in Him or His Son, Jesus. The price for salvation has been paid through His blood on the cross and the only thing that is necessary for you to obtain your salvation is to accept Jesus as your Savior. In much of the world, today that is a very dangerous decision but many people still make it.

Truly, our God is awesome and He does love all people whether they believe in Him or not. But, to show you just how wonderful His creation is I am going to add a photo here which may show some of His creative majesty which you may have never seen.

The differences don’t come from “evolution”, God placed these differences in our tears.

You can’t do it yourself!

God made this pretty clear during the exodus from Egypt. He saved the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt and it was His power that got them through the Red Sea. Even when He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, no person can keep those on their own. We have to have the strength of the Holy Spirit and follow His leading every day in order to be the best that we can be with His help!

The Truth of God came to Earth one day a long time ago. He was born in a livestock pen because there was no other place for them during the census which was going on. We just finished with the season during which much of the world celebrates His birth, but there are many who do not. Actually, Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles so that would’ve been around October. Anyway, He came to pay for ALL of our sins, past, present and future and He did just that!

He gave you the breath and the strength to get up this morning and see the day and the blessings contained in it. It has always been His mercy and grace which has held you in the good times and the not-so-good times which come in each of our lives. Yet many people don’t want to hear that because they don’t believe it. I would like to stop believing in gravity so I could fly, but that won’t happen. Just because I don’t want to believe in it won’t stop it from killing me. Remember, its not the fall that kills you…its the sudden stop when you hit the ground!

No matter what you believe in this life, when it is over you will meet God. It may be a good meeting or it may not be but that is your choice. Your eternal soul hangs in the balance until that day and your destination also hangs in the balance. Make sure of your decision while you have the chance to make one because a car wreck or an airplane crash or even a clot could end your life before you finish reading. If you ignore God’s call on your soul and His touch in your life and your life ends before you make that decision, it is your fault for your destination. God doesn’t send people to hell but He will allow you to go when you won’t accept Jesus as your Savior.

We do not decide to get saved, it is God’s Spirit which touches our heart and our soul. He gives us the faith to believe in Him and His Salvation for us IF we will accept it. Just because you have the faith to believe doesn’t mean that you have to believe, it is still your choice. Don’t put it off. If you have never believed in Him or given your life to Jesus for your salvation, I pray that you will do so because one day soon He will call the church home. When that happens there will be chaos in the world because there will be no bodies to bury only empty cars and homes with clothes and watches and rings on the floor where a Christian was when it happened.

Make sure for your sake that you know where you are going before that happens.

Would you follow Jesus?

Would you follow Him as a disciple or a follower or just interested in Him and the “good feelings” which you get when you are attending a meeting? It is not unusual actually. Many of His followers during His ministry did follow Him for the food or for healing or just to hear Him preach because He taught with authority which no other person could claim.

In today’s religious climate whether it is in America or elsewhere in the world, people tend to look down upon Christian beliefs and our faith in Jesus as the Son of God. So do you think that people would follow Him today? Some people would but in large part, I think that many more would either try to get Jesus arrested or killed, just as they did almost two thousand years ago.

Why has nothing really changed in all that time?

Well, Satan is still at work. In the church and in society as well as in every part of every government all over the world. So, the Adversary is very good at what he accomplishes and he is still doing that very thing inside the church, regardless of the denomination!

My question still stands…would you follow Jesus as a disciple or just someone interested in hearing Him speak but not really interested in the sermon itself or the Person bringing the sermon? God does care about each of us in this world but His timing is coming to a close and when the Trumpet sounds for the church to leave, where will you be? Will you be in the company of those taken up into heaven or will you be here watching the news and trying to figure out what went wrong?

There are many who really don’t believe that this will take place. Many people on newscasts and on social media have expressed their views about the Bible and the God of the Bible is a myth or a fabrication and that most of the books of the Bible are just the writings of a bunch of old men and nothing more. If you have studied the Bible as a book of tales and fables I can understand where this kind of thinking comes from. But if you have ever been in a church and heard the sermons and prayed with those in attendance then you know that the Bible is God’s Word.

Since many of its prophecies have come about in history, right up to the reclaiming of Jerusalem in 1967 then God’s Word can’t be “just a book”. It is the Word of God and He cannot lie. I pray that you will seek Him out while there is still time to accept Him into your heart because after the church is “taken up”, it will be harder and much more dangerous for anyone to give their heart to Jesus and live as a Christian during those times.

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Seeking God and finding Him

We hear in churches all over the world that God is the I AM. In Genesis (the Beginning) God says, “Let us make man in our image”. Consider that God has not come down with dementia and that He was actually speaking to other “parts” of Himself for a moment; later we find in the Bible that God has a Spirit or “the Breath of Life”. Then there is the Angel of the Lord and other representations of Yeshua in the Old Testament. What does this all point us to? That God is a Triune Being Who manifests Himself as the Holy Spirit or the Breath of Life, Yeshua (Jesus) the Son of God (the Angel of the Lord) and God the Father.

When we are seeking Him in any book of the Bible, He can be found. It is not a search that is futile. God is there in each book. He may be seen or heard as one of the Three but He is there. The main reason that so many people get confused about finding God in the Bible is that of His Person, He is found in different ways and places. Sometimes His voice is small and sometimes it is so loud that it frightens people who hear it, as it did when He met Moses on the mountain.

God is not only found in the Bible but His influence can be seen and felt all around us, although people tend to overlook Him or give Him silly names when they find His influence in the natural world. People wonder at all of the beauty on the Earth and in the photos of stars and galaxies and nebula which we see through our telescopes and all of it was placed there by God for His purposes.

Seeking a miracle is as close as the nearest nursery in a hospital. Each baby born, with or without a special need, is a miracle of God’s creative design and purpose. He knows what each of us can do and what we are capable of in this life, regardless of how long our lives may be. His purpose for each life will be fulfilled and in our world today many of those lives are snuffed out like a candle before they are able to fulfill His purpose through them. Which is why He keeps sending children into the world so at least one will complete His mission for them and for Him.

Why do I write this little article here today? Because someone needs to know that God has a purpose for your life. It may not be a worldwide ministry and it may not be something which will bring you fame and fortune but whatever it is God gave you the talent and the ability to accomplish it. It may only be to talk to a person about their addiction or to help your grandmother or grandfather with a project. It could be the influence which your life will have on someone you don’t even know and you may not know about it until eternity comes.

Whatever your purpose in this life is, it is preparing you for eternity and the influence you will have on someone somewhere. Maybe during this life or during the Kingdom which will be during the one thousand years which Jesus will reign, you will find your place in His Kingdom and His purposes. Who knows? God does.

Seek Him out while there is time to do so, now…today! Because if you haven’t given your heart to Him yet when the Trumpet sounds and the church is taken to eternity, becoming a Christian during the seven years which follow will be harder and much more dangerous than it is today.

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Are you religious or a Christian?

Believe me, they are not the same thing at all! You can religiously do anything from watching the news to fishing or hunting or whatever you really like to do. But being a true follower of Christ, an actual Christian, who has had his heart broken by the Holy Spirit and has repented of his old life so he can live a new life in Christ…that is a whole other dimension of being a disciple.

Are there Christians in the world who actually live that way? Yes, there are but as the Lord, Himself said, “there are few who find it“. I don’t mean that being a Christian is an exclusive club or something but there are few who will follow the leading of the Lord on the way to eternity and that is by His words, not mine. Can anyone be successful at living the life of a Christian? No, at least not on your own strength and ability. If the Holy Spirit is not living in your heart and giving you the will to do what is needed and stay true to the narrow path then you won’t be successful at it…period.

It is not a decision which is made only once and then you go on your merry way back to the life that you enjoy until Jesus comes. Just because a fence is painted white once doesn’t mean that it will stay that way without maintenance. That is the life that you are taking on when you truly repent of your old life and determine to follow the Holy Spirit leading you into a new life. Reading God’s Word, praying about your walk with Him daily, seeking His will in every area of your life, praying for others to come to know Him as you do and keeping your steps on this pathway until He calls you home. Asking His forgiveness for any slip of the tongue or of your way as you do walk with Him and truly repenting of those sins as they dirty your feet on the way.

Can we live this way? As I said earlier, yes we can with the Holy Spirit’s help to focus our spiritual eyes and our ears so that we can see and hear those things which we need to hear and not those which do not help us in any way. Is it a struggle to do these things? It may be for a while, as we get accustomed to His teachings and His leading on a daily basis. But, after that, it will become easier. We will never be perfect at walking without sin but we will be able to avoid it or at least be granted forgiveness for those sins which do get in from time to time.

How will we know? Because, if you are walking this close to the Holy Spirit, any word or thought which is outside of Him will immediately be flagged by your Spirit as wrong and not part of His leading or His teaching. We won’t be perfectly capable of catching these all of the time but as you keep walking with Him it will get easier. The one sin which can creep into a disciple’s life is the oldest of sins and that is pride. That is the one which every gospel and every letter written in the New Testament says to guard against most fiercely because once it gets a foothold it can grow other sinful feelings along with it.

That is why our Lord said to “take up your cross daily” and follow Him. Here is another article which might help clarify some of this as well. I pray that all of you will seek a closer walk with Him.

Doctrine will send you to hell

Considering how many religions are in the world you would think that most of the world would be going to heaven. But most of them are not depending upon Jesus for their salvation, even the ones which claim to be “Christian” in their message. Many churches and their preachers or bishops or elders are teaching about Jesus and His message but they are not teaching that each person in their church needs to KNOW Jesus to be saved!

You can know about Jesus and all of His miracles and His parables and that He walked on water and every part of His story even up to His burial and His resurrection…but if you don’t know Him in your heart as your personal Savior then you don’t have Him! No amount of doctrine or discipline or holding fast to the church or the belief which your Mom and Dad drilled into your brain will get you into heaven.

The only way to get into heaven is through belief in Jesus and accepting Him as your Savior, then working out your salvation by reading the Bible and living your life according to it. Striving to be more like Jesus through repenting of your sinful behavior and never going back to it. Even when you fail, and you will, ask forgiveness and read more of His Word with prayer and submission to His will and not your own. That is what is needed and necessary for Christians of any denomination or doctrine or discipline to be able to stand in front of God and show the righteousness of Jesus instead of our wretched and sinful souls.

God loves you and He will forgive you but going to church with an attitude of “my parents are pillars of this church, therefore I am too” or anything so prideful as that will send you straight to hell! No amount of money or time spent soaking in sermons or summer camps listening to teachers who don’t even practice what they are teaching will get you into heaven.

The only way to salvation is by realizing that you are a sinful creature and only by grace are you even alive at all! If you have ever felt the touch of the Holy Spirit in your life and your heart and you didn’t fall down and answer that call then I suggest you do so…NOW! Because when the trumpet sounds and you are left here with the option to starve or take the mark of the antichrist which will you choose? Will you be brave enough to truly give your heart to Jesus then and be executed by beheading? I suggest you do it now while the time is yet available but even now each of us only has the minute in which we are living.

Don’t wait until the real church is gone and the world is left reeling and wondering what happened. Make sure of your salvation while there is time to do so.

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What do you do?

During the times when we are anxious or fearful about…well, about anything in particular. Whether it is money or disease or death, anxiety and fearfulness can only add to the stress of the situation. Regardless of what is causing the problem itself, we should step back, if we can, in our minds since many times we can’t physically do so. Step back if you can get some quiet time during your time of need and seek to know the mind of God on the matter at hand.

How am I supposed to know or find out what God thinks about my situation? By prayer and the reading His Word.

I know it seems silly to seek God’s help with something in the 21st century but He is still here and His aid is much better at easing your mind than just sitting around fretting about something which you cannot control. It is never outside of God’s ability to control and take care of whatever it may be, no matter the circumstances.

But, in the world today we see all sorts of problems and fears which cause stress on our lives even when we aren’t directly affected by those problems. Why is this? Mainly, in my opinion, because of the twenty-four-hour cycle of news feeds and media and posts on Facebook which we can’t seem to get away from.

This year would be a good year to de-stress your life and only check in on social media when you need to, not every fifteen minutes or so like some do. I use it to keep in touch with family and friends but I only get on FB about once or twice a day. I also steer clear of the drama which tries to get under people’s skin while looking at it so I am not a very active person on that platform.

God will watch over your life and the stress that you carry with you but the best place to lay your stress down is at His feet and leave it there. Don’t ask Him to help you with it and then take it up and worry about it an hour or two later. That’s like taking a letter or a bill payment to the post office and then deciding that you can get it to the recipient faster and more on time than they can. Ridiculous logic there.

God can handle all of your problems, no matter how big and bad they seem to you. He is holding the universe together all the time and that isn’t taking much of His attention from your problems at all. Give your life and your problems to Him, you will never be disappointed with the results if you will.

What is your view?

The world and the media cloud our ideas and our view of the world around us with their own version, their own spin on what is happening and what has happened in the past. So how are we to discern the truth of what is and what will be if we don’t read the Bible? It is God’s inspired Word to mankind and since He cannot lie, it is the whole truth. Regardless of the watered down messages that some teach or try to “interpret” in a way which has nothing to do with its message at all.

God’s predictions for our world’s future, such as the saying of Jesus that “the kingdom of God will come before this generation is done”, did not mean that those living at the time would see His second coming. It did refer to the Jewish people who would still be the state of Israel at the time of His second coming. I am sure that many in that day hoped that Jesus would destroy Rome and its hold of persecution and oppression over the Jewish people but that wasn’t His job at that time.

Jesus came to end the oppression of Satan over the whole world so that people could gain their freedom from the world and its sins and the consequences in their lives. That was His message and His mission the first time. When He comes the second time, it will be as Conquerer and King and He will do it because not one comma or period will pass away before all are fulfilled.

Our world, not just America, is beginning a new year and all of us need to be seeking Jesus as our True Savior. He is the only Way to Heaven and our debts for our sins have been paid, all we have to do is believe in Him and follow Him daily, seeking to be more like Him until that day when He calls us all home. I pray that more people will learn of Him and seek Him as their Savior this year because He is coming soon.