Category: Religion

When things go wrong…


I don’t have to ask about this one, because we all have had days or weeks where things have gone wrong in some way or another. The reason that I am writing this is to encourage those who have been impacted by the hurricane on the East coast. I can hear many people saying “They don’t need encouragement, they need money and help getting their lives back together”.
mygodisawesome
While that is true, they do need to look toward God Who is the Creator and the Provider of all that they need. Some may be asking where was God when the storm hit? The answer is, if you are a Christian, He was there with you all through the storm.

Some people may ask why didn’t God push the storm out to sea instead of causing so much damage? Because we need to grow and become strong, just like trees do. If the wind doesn’t blow while a tree is growing, the roots will not become strong enough to hold it upright and it will fall. Everything that we go through in life either makes us weak, reveals our weakness or makes us stronger. Disease can make us weak, the Holy Spirit reveals to us where our weakness really is and when we realize this and pray for God to give us the strength to get through it…He will.

Many times I have gotten to a point in my life where I felt that nothing that I did or said was making a difference in my life or anyone else’s life. It is at this point that Satan will target your faith, especially if your faith has cracks in it and is not complete and whole in Jesus. He will knock a piece of it loose and start chipping away at your faith, your foundation. This is when you begin to doubt your self and God too. I have even asked God to just take my life and end my existence here because I am no good to His Kingdom, BUT God knows better!!

God can see beyond your weakness and beyond your pity party and He knows what you can do and what you will do, that is why He has never answered my prayer for Him to take my life. Your life and mine are part of His design and we all have a purpose in His Kingdom. What we do with that purpose and with our life is dependent upon our faith and our willingness to obey Him and His calling.

Do you know what He is calling you to do or what He has called you to do? Have you answered that call or are you ignoring it, hoping that He will call you for something that you like better? Our calling is our life in Him regardless of the size of the calling or the ministry that we are being called into. Have you accepted your call from God and determined to follow the path laid before you for His glory?

I urge you to do so, because the church, the body of Christ, needs all of its members to work and to do His work until He comes. Regardless of the doctrine you follow or the denomination that you worship in, whether it is Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Catholic, if your heart belongs to Jesus then you are part of His body, the church.

Love, where did it come from?


I know, there are going to be people wondering about my sanity now. Trust me, I know where I am going with this.

The honest answer to that question is very simple: It came from God! He wouldn’t have made our world the way that He did if He didn’t love us, all of us! God made the universe itself so that we could look out and see what an awesome God we serve! Why am I putting so many exclamation marks in these sentences? Because the point that I am making needs to be emphasized so people will notice it.

God put all of the planets together in our solar system in the order that they are because of His love for us. How or rather why do I say this? Because Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are all out past the asteroid belt and they scoop up or influence any comet or other body so our planet doesn’t get slammed like the moon or Mercury.

I know that our planet has been hit in the past by meteors which have done some serious damage, but not to the extent of wiping humanity off the face of the Earth. Love came to us through the acts and the intent of God because He loved us before He created Earth. In His Word there are many references to His love for us and we should be able to see it in everything around us every day! If you can’t then there is something wrong.

Why do I say this? It is because of the questions and the angry outbursts which will come after this hurricane. So many people killed and put out of their homes by a storm which moved so slow, couldn’t God stop it? Yes, He could have, but what will come out of this storm? People helping people who have been made homeless, people helping those who are injured by the debris or by walls falling, food and shelter will be given and provided by people who didn’t have to do anything but they were moved with compassion to do something.

What is it that makes us be compassionate in times like this? It is because we are made in the image of God, all of us can see the needs of those who need help and if we can help, we should. Satan has a temporary claim on the rulership of this world, but his time is growing shorter by the day. He knows this and he is trying to cause as much pain and suffering in this world as he can. Not so much to punish us, but to make people question whether God cares for us or not!

God loves us, all of us. It is because of His love that many of us are still here, and those who have been killed by these storms or earthquakes or wars are casualties of Satan’s hatred for humanity! Give your life to Jesus and follow Him because when you look at the signs all around us and the prophecies in God’s Word, you can see that there isn’t much time left for this world before He comes! Amen.

What are the names for God?


The references above came from the website of the BlueletterBible.org

Why am I listing all of the names found in the Old Testament for God and His Name? Because it is needed and necessary in today’s environment and in our culture, not only because of where the world is in Prophecy but because there are so many who just need Him!

Truly, we all need Him in our lives but do you seek Him? Have you sought Him out in your trials and in your life? He is there, regardless of what you hear from people who don’t believe in Him. He hears your prayers and He will answer if you have given your life to Him. He will also answer if you repent of your sins and turn back to Him, asking Him to be your Lord and Savior.

God is a provider and a Protector and He is our Creator, we should honor Him in all that we do and in how we live every day! Being a Christian is getting harder because people don’t want to hear about Jesus anymore. The few that do want to hear are the ones that we need to be speaking to and God will lead them to you or you to them whichever is the best way. He will also give you the words to say so that they can come to know Him.

Don’t turn away from God, because He has never turned away from you! Get to know Him while you have the time.

So much discord…


Passing blame on every person, and on every religion which we don’t believe in is totally wrong! Having issues with different denominations and different religions is not the way to bring about peace. Can we do anything which will bring our world peace? In all honesty, no we can’t, at least not of our own volition and strength. There are too many variables, too much bigotry and hatred and too much pride for us to bring about peace in this world and in this time which we are living in. It is possible in individual communities, even cities, for us to bring people together and put aside our prejudice and pride, but even that would take many people who would sit down and agree. In today’s climate, this peace would only last for at most a week. Which is a sad commentary on us and our country.

All of the animosity and bickering that is going on inside the church and in our nation, as well as in our homes is causing us to be people who really don’t look much like our Savior at all! Where did all of the bitterness and hatred come from? Most of it came from the influence of Satan in our culture and in the church itself. Anytime that he can cause a crack in the Christian church, even when it is from only one member, he will do it. Because, just as in pottery, a small crack will eventually become wider and deeper and it will soon have an effect on the whole church.

It doesn’t matter if the crack in the church comes from one denomination or another, it can spread eventually to other churches. Why does this happen? How does it happen? In small ways, a little at a time, with a word or two here and there, it eventually spreads. Then, the people who make up the church begin moving to other churches or just not coming to church at all. Eventually, one church will die because of lack of people to keep it going. Then the next church will begin losing members, and the community itself is beginning to lose their faith in God.

Satan has this all figured out. Get one or two people in a church to disagree and cause some feelings to be hurt, it doesn’t matter whether it involves the preacher or not, but if it does that’s even better. Eventually, the “problem” will escalate to a point where the church will vote to find another pastor. It doesn’t matter how big the “problem” actually is, it will grow. I pray that this doesn’t happen in my church and I ask my readers to pray for me as well.

The Lord is….


Good always and in all ways He is good! The title of this piece is the first three words of the 23rd Psalm which I would think most people know at least part of. I am going to write it here and give some exposition on it in my limited way. Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy toward us today. You are the Creator and our Redeemer and I praise you for all that you have done for us and what is coming in the future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I shall not want.

Those few words mean a lot to Christians and believers alike because He is our Shepherd, leading us through our problems day by day. He provides for us in ways that we may not see with our eyes or even be able to touch with our hands. His desire is for us to be secure in Him, regardless of our situation, whether it is in poverty or with much wealth we are rich in blessings and our eternal home is sure.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

The next verse is a calm assurance that we are provided for in our life. He will give us strength and a peace that we can get through whatever life may throw in our path because He is with us, no matter what happens. With Jesus as your Shepherd, guiding your life and following Him every day, there is nothing to fear.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the

paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

God restores our soul by His power when we come to Him and ask His forgiveness for our sins and the lifestyle which went with them. Following Him will take us through life with an attitude of righteousness, not a haughty “I am better than you” kind, but a calm and peaceful way to live that others may want it. God loves each of us dearly.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

God is our Creator and is all powerful, so there is nothing to fear when we are walking with Him. He will defend us and take care of us and our needs. He will place angels around you and your family to keep the evil one away from you. His rod and staff will keep us safe in times of trouble, no matter where the trouble may come from.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Even when you feel like you are surrounded by enemies, God is with you. He will give you comfort and rest with His Presence and heal you from your afflictions, whatever they may be. He will make sure that you are blessed in ways that you cannot see, but you will feel as if you are being filled to the brim with blessings and love.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Living and walking with Jesus will give you a spirit of mercy toward others because of His presence in your life. If you truly walk with Him daily, you will be a better person because of it and others will see it. Maybe they will even ask you what gives you the peace that you seem to have, even in times of trouble. That is when you should tell them about Jesus! Because it is He and the Holy Spirit Who gives you this spirit and the peace which goes with it. The reward of a life lived with Him is according to His Word, “in the house of the Lord forever”, Jesus said that there are many mansions in His Father’s house and He went to prepare a place for us. If He went to prepare a place for us, then He will come again to receive us, the church, up to His house! Where we will dwell with Him forever, Amen.

Was God created?


It seems to be a very silly question, yet many people seem to be asking this very thing. It sounds almost like the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Was God created? The point is when you try to answer it, there is no answer except God.

It seems that this is a question that is asked by people who, for whatever reason, don’t believe in God. Rather, they think of Him as being a created being rather than the Creator! Our concept of God comes from the Bible, it doesn’t come from the church or the opinion of some pastor or other theologians. The very first sentence of the Bible, “In the beginning, God…”, God is there before the beginning and He will be there whenever it is time to come to an end of the universe.

Some people like to think that God is like us and that is false. We are created in His image and the only way that He can be like us is if we make Him that way. This is idolatry, because we are making Him in an image of us, an image which makes us comfortable with His being, with His ways because when we make God in our image we see Him as being like us.

God was not made, He just is, and He lives in a universe which is parallel with this one, but outside of time and our vision as well. This is the reason that our natural vision, which is limited to this “plane” so to speak, cannot see the spiritual forces around us. If we could we would most likely be frightened most of the time! After all, looking outside to see a demon hiding in a bush or one flying overhead would be enough to send plenty of people to church I would think.

The “realm” which God and all other beings like angels and demons are free to move about in, is here with us every day yet it is outside of our limited vision. We can’t see it unless God allows us to see it, which is probably a very good thing. Although, I believe if people could see the things in and around us everywhere, there would be such a massive revival of faith in God until it would undo much of the work of Satan in just a few weeks or months.

God is the Creator and it is He who created all of the beings, both human and angelic, whether they are fallen angels or humans who disavow belief in God, and it is because of this that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for mankind. It is not God Who condemns us to an eternity in hell, it is us! Each of us has a decision to make in life and that one very important decision is whether to believe in Jesus as our Savior or not. If you happen to end up with the “not’s” who don’t believe or don’t want to believe in Him, then you will be placed in hell with the angels who rebelled against God so long ago.

It is YOU who determines your eternal home, not God. It is your choice, your sins, your refusal to believe in Jesus and the atonement which is freely given IF you believe in Him which will send your eternal soul to hell and the lake of fire! God did not create hell for humanity, but if you decide that you don’t want Jesus then you are in the same camp as those angels who didn’t want to serve God, and you will get the same punishment!

Why do I bring this up today? Because many people need to hear this it seems. If only because of so many choosing to leave the church because they don’t want to believe in a god who would send people to hell, when the reality and truth of the matter is that it is YOU who determines your eternity, by your own choice! God doesn’t send you to hell, you just end up there because of your choice in this life to not follow Him.

Decision time


We have a decision to make. I am not talking about the election, but about Who you will choose to follow. It seems that many people are getting fed up with the church today. In some ways I can understand why, but if you have ever heard a good sermon in church why would you decide that being a Christian is not right for you?

I know most of the excuses which people give and all of them are wrong in one way or another. I mean, all churches are full of hypocrites because at one time or another ALL of us were sinners and still are, the only difference is that when we gave our hearts to Jesus our past was forgiven. Some people don’t like church because it’s too stuffy because in some churches there may be a dress code or it may look like it at least.

There are all sorts of reasons which people come up with for not attending church services. Some of them involve money and fear of being required to give a tithe every week. All of these are valid reasons or excuses for not attending church, but if you think about the length and the depth of God’s love for you…why would you refuse? I mean, God sent His Son, Jesus, to become fully human and have the nature of God so that we could be forgiven because of His sacrifice for ALL of the human race!

This was not an easy decision for God to ask this of Jesus His Son, but they both knew that it had to be done this way and no other sacrifice would do.

Your decision whether to follow Jesus is your decision, there is no pastor who will try to force anyone to join a church or to accept Jesus. It is a personal decision and one which only you can make when you feel the Spirit moving you toward Him. Pay attention to the Bible and the teachers who preach from it. Test their message against God’s Word and make sure that they agree with one another. If they do not, then get away from that church and that pastor!

If you are feeling the call of the Holy Spirit or maybe being convicted by Him about something that you are doing, then you do need to repent and come to Jesus. When the Spirit is moving you, don’t ignore it. If you do and you walk away, it is possible that you may never be convicted enough to come to Jesus again. God only strives with us for so long, ignoring His call is a bad decision. God loves all of us and desires to have a relationship with us, but if you refuse and walk away…well, your eternity will be very different from what it could have been.

Faith…


13239362_10154180220593879_708192815796487421_nFaith is about having a rock-solid belief in the goodness and provision of God, no matter how things turn out. Good or bad, God is in control of the outcome.

Amen

 

 

 

 

Broken pieces


Do you ever wonder how things get fixed in your life? What about in a pottery shop? In many ways the same thing has to happen to us that happens in a pottery shop in order for healing or fixing to be done.

A bowl which isn’t just right will be broken, then the pieces will be wet with water to make them pliable again, then they will be melded together into a lump of clay and placed back on the wheel. Then, after the breaking and molding and spinning and shaping is done, it will soon be in the shape that it was supposed to be in the first place.

Your life and mine are like that too. Many times we are going along, content with where we are and not really thinking about God much anymore. Why? Because, our life is good! We have everything that we need. We have enough money, our bills are paid, our health is pretty good, and our family is doing pretty well too. This is the way that many people look at life, whether they are Christians or not.

But…then part of your foundation cracks. You get really sick and you have to use some of your money to pay for treatments. The medical bills start piling up. Your health goes from good to not so good in a matter of days or weeks. This is the spot where most people will hit their knees and start praying for God to make His Presence known in their lives, right NOW!!  If you are a Christian, God hears your prayer but He doesn’t show up at your leisure or on your timetable.

Yes, He can put you back together again, but until your heart decides to stay close to Him on a daily basis He just might make you work for Him or even better He will make you wait until He decides to show up. God is not the cause of your pain and suffering, but He can use it, just like the pottery, to change you and mold you into the person that He knows you can be.

Some people, even some pastors, teach that God is the cause of your pain and suffering because He is trying to teach you something. I don’t believe that God works that way. He will allow your circumstances to bring you to the brink of breaking and then show you the way out. What good will that do? It will cause you to lean on Him and depend upon Him during the times when you are going through a tough period in your life. Then, when you have recovered from that, hopefully you will stick by Him even when life is going good!

Actually, that is the time that you should be sticking close to Him. Why do I say this? Because, it is God who blesses you with life and health to enjoy your days and your life that is why. I can’t think of a better reason to stick close to Jesus than when things are going good, but when things get bad that is even a better reason.

Faith, do I have enough?


We all have a measure of faith, whether it is a small measure or a large one, each person has some faith. Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed, which isn’t much bigger than a period at the end of a sentence, can move mountains IF we don’t doubt God! God’s Word is full of all sorts of events which happened because of the faith of the people. So, do you have enough?

Of course you do and I do too! Why do I say it that way? Because, our measure of faith is our portion which is given to each person. Some of us have a large measure of faith, which you can see working in a person’s life. Will God use pain and suffering to teach you to have faith in Him? No! He will not! Some preachers teach this, but God loves you and He is a good and just God, so why would He hurt you in some way to make you grow?

God will allow Satan to have access to you and he will test you in one way or another, just as He did with Job in the Old Testament. He lost everything including his health, but he would not blame God for it! He held onto his faith in God’s goodness and God’s provision even when things were not going very well for him.

Have you taken a step in faith? Even when you can’t see the way ahead of you, whether it is a spiritual journey or one in this life every day, God wants us to prove our faith by stepping out in faith so that He can fulfill that part of your life. I don’t mean that you should test God, that is not the same as stepping out in faith.

If you have prayed about something earnestly and in your spirit you feel that God wants you to do something like be a preacher or an evangelist, then step out there and His blessings will follow. Some people use this the wrong way and buy a new house or a car and they justify it by saying that God said so. Maybe and maybe not. If you can afford it and it doesn’t put a strain on your finances then it may turn out to be a good thing.

God doesn’t have to provide the money if you jump out there and buy something that is way outside your ability to pay for. He will allow you to do this because He wants you to realize that you did that yourself, He wasn’t part of the decision. You can convince yourself that you have heard God’s voice telling you to do this, but it is very likely that it is Satan. He will cause you to do something stupid and convince you that it was God telling you to do this and then laugh at you when you can’t pay for it!

Faith is something that God gives you through the Holy Spirit when you have given your heart to Him. Some of us have a lot of faith, some of us have a little, but a little bit of faith can do a lot when it is faith in God. Make sure that your faith is in Jesus and God and them alone because if your faith is in yourself or in your job or money, then your faith is in temporary things.

Think about it and make sure about your salvation, because tonight may be the last time you get a chance to make that decision.