Source:- GOOD NEWS

By Example
Details of Today's Chapters: Fornication, marriage, divorce, unrighteousness, members of Christ, charity, living in the Gospel, and the race.
As a Christian, we are not as one individual, but one body in Christ.
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.-Romans 12:5. The physical body contains several parts to make it function properly, if any part is malfunctioning it effects the whole body, likewise the same is true for the spiritual body. How can a
spiritual body malfunction? By feeding it things that are not healthy
for it. People do not realize that the second they get saved the Holy
Spirit moves in, which is what makes you a part of the body of Christ. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. - I John 4:13. Since He dwells in us that means anything we do that defiles our mind, body, or soul effects the spirit in us.
As Paul learned what was going on with the Corinthians he was
disturbed by some of the incidents that he found out about them, in his
letter he addresses those who were condoning fornicators. It
is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such
fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one
should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather
mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from
among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have
judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so
done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are
gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus
Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the
flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your
glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new
lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed
for us:- I Corinthians 5:1-7.
To be puffed up means to brag or advertize something not acceptable as being acceptable. Satan reigns where Christ does not and any person that is well aware that someone is living in sin and does, condones, or encourages it is under his (Satan's) power. We are representing Christ therefore, we are to live by example, anything we do in life needs to bedone with Christ leading the way. Corrupt principles and examples, if not corrected, would hurt the whole church. Therefore, we are to remove the old leaven, or habits and replace them with new habits.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh. - Ezekiel 36:26.
The word fornication means to be unfaithful or do anything that is
immorally wrong to the body. Paul reminds the Corinthians what
fornication is and does to people, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit
the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but yeare sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.- I Corinthians 6:9-11. To be effeminate means a man that acts like a woman, abusers of themselves with mankind means homosexuality, being covetous means to envy others, these are all acts of sin and fornication, when we accept Christ as our Savior we are washed clean from all these things. Praise God!
Paul gives advice that we all need to adhere to, Flee
fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he
that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God's.- I Corinthians 6:18-20. When you stop and think about all the
ridiculous things that you have done or do with your body and that God
is with you when it you have done it you can feel pretty shameful.
However, one thing is for sure, knowing that God is with you, is the key
to removing those bad habits and replacing them with good habits.
Our bodies are for the Lord to be an instrument of righteousness and
holiness, therefore we are to glorify the body and never make it an
instrument of sin. We should be honored that Jesus Christ has chosen us to set an example and show that while we were once dead in sin we were risen from the dead and are now alive through Christ. Our bodies have been redeemed from deserved condemnation and hopeless slavery by the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Praise God!
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. -Romans 5:11.
Praise God!
Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week, if you enjoy
Thanksgiving I pray that your day was well blessed and thankful.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

King James Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: The Spirit of Life
Chapters: Romans 8-10
The spirit is the inner being by which we have life, without spirit
inside of us we have no life in us. Now, this is true physically and
spiritually. In yesterday's reading we learned that when Adam and Eve
ate the forbidden fruit it caused a spiritual death. What this means is
that when a person is born he is not born with the spirit of God in him,
therefore, we are born with flesh and soul, but are dead in spirit. For
in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he
liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans6:10,11.
Jesus died for us once, therefore we only need to ask
Him once to save us and the second we do we are no longer dead in
spirit, but receive the Spirit of God which means to be born again of
the Spirit. Jesus said,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...That which is bornof the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - John 3:3,6.
Paul explains this further,
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but
they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:1-5.
Once we receive the Spirit of God, also known as the Holy
Spirit, we no longer walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Now, it would
be impossible to walk in the Spirit all on our own, that is why the
Holy Spirit indwells us.
Then the Holy Spirit begins to help us overcome our infirmities (afflictions, trials, sinful habits).
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. - Romans 8:26-30.
The word intercession means to pray for or plead on behalf of a person,
the Holy Spirit, who is Christ in the Spirit, prays for us and pleads
to God on our behalf. Isn't that awesome! God uses every circumstance we face and puts it to good use, so, even if we mess up, He makes that
error and makes it a blessing. Think about it, most of us learn from our
mistakes and are able to help and warn others from them, that is a
blessing. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. - James 4:10.
Once we receive Christ nothing can take us away from Him. He died for
you and you took knowledge of that and trust in Him to save you from
hell therefore, nothing, not even falling into sin can make Him leave
you.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39.
Now, if we do fall, Christ might not respond to us for a while and let
us suffer a bit, but He never leaves us and is always right there
listening for us to repent and seek Him for help.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me. -Revelation 3:19,20. God is so amazing, no matter how many
times we mess up, He is always there to help us out of the mess when we repent.
God knows the heart, He also knows who are is, if we by the bottom of
our heart accepted Christ as our Savior we are heirs with God and one
with Him.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto
all that call upon him.- Romans 10:9-12. Praise God!
Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and the rest of your weekend.
God bless You, I am praying for you,

GOD NEWS
King James Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: The Splendor & Bliss of Heaven
Chapters: Romans 4-7
Details of Today's Chapters:
Salvation, grace, circumcision, justified by faith, how sin entered the
world, the likeness of Jesus, baptism, and the wages of sin.
We learned in yesterday's reading that the Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;� - Romans 3:23. The word glory means the splendor and bliss of heaven, God is telling us that we
are all sinners and come short or lost the privilege of enjoying the
splendor and bliss of heaven because of our sin. A lot of people will
not accept Christ because they believe that they are not sinners, the
most common reply a person gives when asked if they know for sure they
are going to heaven is, Well, I try to be good. This is something we
have been taught, that we must be good in order to get to heaven. I
spent years of my life afraid to make a wrong move because it meant I
would go to hell. But the reality of it is, while we do want to do good,
it is not what gets us in heaven, only by admitting that we are a
sinner, believing in Jesus, and asking Him to save us are we able to
enjoy the splendor and bliss of heaven. If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -I John 1:8,9.
Paul explains this further,Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also
describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the
circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that
faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. ..And the father of
circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also
walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had
being yet uncircumcised.- Romans 4:4-9,12.
To be circumcised means to be purified spiritually,
this means no amount of work (goodness) that we do can purify us
spiritually. The reason being is stated in verse 4, if we try to work to
enjoy the splendor and bliss of heaven than we are not putting our
faith in God, but trying to work for a debt we owe ourselves. Remember,
we are not saved by works, but by our faith in Jesus Christ, so unless
we believe in Jesus nothing we do counts as righteousness. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By
whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And
patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us...Much more then, being now justified by his
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. - Romans 5:1-5,9.
So, how is it that we are all sinners? Paul explains this as well, Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:.Therefore as by the
offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto
justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made
sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 5:12, 18-21.
Paul explains that by one man's sin, being Adam, death and hell
(condemnation) passed upon all of us. To explain this further we have to
look at where sin began with Adam and Eve. God gave them one command, And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden
thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die.
- Genesis 2:16,17. Gd was not referring to a physical death, but a
spiritual death. First, Eve was tempted by Satan and ate of the tree,
then she gave some to Adam, hence, by one man sin and death entered the
world and was passed on to all of us.
How was it passed on to us? God said,And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
- Genesis 3:15. The word enmity means hostility, God is declaring war
with Satan and since Eve was deceived by him first and she convinced
Adam to sin the sin nature got passed down to all of us. However within
this verse contains the promise of God's seed. Satan, by whose action
and deceit as a serpent deceived the woman. Satan shall bruise Christ
and his members, but not overcome them. This being Christ death and
resurrection. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for uS� - Romans 5:8

Because
Jesus died for us, we no longer have to work to pay those wages, that
is why salvation is a gift and not something we work for. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Romans 6:23. If we want to see the splendor and bliss of heaven
nothing we do in the flesh will get us there, but by accepting God's
gift we can, and to accept it you just have to ask Him for it. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.� - Romans 10:13. Praise God!
Have you accepted God's gift? If you have, you can say I know that I am
going to enjoy the splendor and bliss of heaven. If you have not, the
time to receive it is now, so you too can say, I am going to enjoy the
splendor and bliss of heaven.
Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night, weekend and God Bless You.
I am praying for you

Details of Today's Reading:
Paul explains how people lose their knowledge of God, that both Jew and
Gentile come from the same God, that we are all subject to God's
judgment and no law can save us, only by our faith in Jesus Christ are
we saved.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
Now
we begin reading the epistles (letters), most of which were written by
Paul during his ministry (Noted in the Book of Acts). The Book of Romans
is the sixth book of the New Testament, forty-fifth book of the Bible,
and contains sixteen chapters. The author of the book is Paul and it was
written to the believers in Rome. The purpose of the book, also known
as Romans road, was to show that salvation is given by faith to all
believers of Christ and not by any law. It details the previous law of
Moses and presents the meaning of the Gospel in relation to law,
prophecy, and the universal need of man for salvation only by faith.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek. - Romans 1:16.
Paul is writing a letter to the Romans, he was in Corinth and heard
about their faith in the Gospel, but there was some confusion between
the Jews and Christians.
For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to
the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together
with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have
you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you,
(but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also,
even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the
Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me
is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. - Romans 1:11-16.
Paul confirms to all that salvation is not just for the Jews or
Gentiles (anyone not a Jew), it is for all who believe. The Gospel, is
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and it is to be
preached to all, without faith in the Gospel you can not be saved,
regardless of who you are. He then explains that we are all born with
the knowledge of God from birth, but we lose that knowledge when we give
in to our own imaginations.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when
they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And
changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
things...And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are
not convenient; - Romans 1:20-23,28.
The word reprobate means to be rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation,
these are people who reject that God even exists and come up with
theses theories of evolution, the big bang, and whatever else they try
to drum up with their vain imaginations. The truth is that they do not
want to accept that there is a much higher power above them that created
them. Whether Jew or Gentile, we are all going to face Jesus one day,
no one is exempt from judgment day,
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality,
eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and
anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and
also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that
worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no
respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law
shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law
shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just
before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. - Romans 2:6-13.
In fact, Paul stresses that the Jews did not get it right either, there are just as unrighteous as the Gentiles.
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before
proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none
that doeth good, no, not one. - Romans 3:9-12.
Sometimes I envy the Jews, they were God's chosen people, they
witnessed manna, His presence over a cloud, the parting of the Red sea,
miracle after miracle, yet never showed gratitude and obeyed only when
they wanted something. Then it comes to me, I have witnessed my own
miracles and have not shown gratitude or always obeyed Him either. I am
no different that a Jew, Christ died for me and for you,
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and
upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare
his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness:
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in
Jesus. - Romans 3:22-26.
To be justified means to be acquitted, set free from all our sins, by
our faith in Jesus Christ. We are not set free by what we do for God,
who we are, or where we came from, we are set free by accepting that we
are a sinner and believing in Jesus, who died and shed His blood to set
us free.
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting
then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of
faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without
the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of
the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which
shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through
faith. -Romans 3:26-30.
Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend, and God Bless You.
I am praying for you

Abide In The Ship
A ship is a large vessel, a container, that cannot be carried aboard another.
Have you seen some of the ships out there? They are huge, I guess they
would have to be in order to transport so many things and withstand the
storms out there. Now, imagine that ship being Jesus Christ, He is so
big that nothing else can be carried aboard Him. The second we accept
Him as our Savior we enter His ship, we become contained and protected
within His walls. Now, when the storms of life try to shipwreck us we
can be confident that we will be able to withstand them. However, at
times, even the strongest Christian can weaken and lose sight of Him.
When we get to that point it is time to call Him and get back on the
ship. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He
maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are
they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired
haven.- Psalm 107:28-30.
When Paul headed back to Jerusalem he had no idea what would become of
him, he heard rumors, people warned him to stay away before he got
killed, he got arrested, and even some of the Jews plotted to kill him. I
am sure that he was a bit depressed and nervous at times, but the one
thing he could count on was that he knew God was with him. After they
could not find anything to charge him with he was sent from one country
to another in hopes that someone would find something to charge him with
and kill him. Now, he is standing before King Agrippa and gets to
defend himself.
For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing
both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the
prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and
that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should
shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles...And when he had thus
spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that
sat with them: And when they were gone aside, they talked between
themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty,
if he had not appealed unto Caesar. - Acts 26:21-23,30- 32.
Paul never stopped witnessing the Gospel to anyone God led him to no
matter what he was going through. King Agrippa was about to let him go,
but he knew he had to stand before Caesar so, he was boarded on a
prisoner ship headed for Rome along with 275 other men. As they were
sailing a storm was brewing, Paul warned them not to continue in the
direction that they were going, but they refused to listen and headed
right for it.
Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the
lading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless the centurion
believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things
which were spoken by Paul. - Acts 27:9-11.
For 14 days Paul and the other men were in the middle of a hurricane, then Paul spoke up.
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the
ship, ye cannot be saved... And when it was day, they knew not the land:
but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they
were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship... And the
soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should
swim out, and escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them
from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should
cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some
on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to
pass, that they escaped all safe to land. - Acts 27:31,39,42- 44.
The Holy Spirit warns us about storms that are brewing in our own
lives, often we ignore those warnings and it is only when we are in the
middle of a hurricane that we realize we should have listened. The
amazing thing about God is that even when we do ignore the warnings He
will help us out of the storm.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and
mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy
to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall
lift you up. - James 4:8-10.
The time had come for Paul to face Caesar, first he went before the chief of the Jews, And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the
Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men
and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or
customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into
the hands of the Romans...For this cause therefore have I called for
you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of
Israel I am bound with this chain. And they said unto him, We neither
received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the
brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to
hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know
that every where it is spoken against. And when they had appointed him a
day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and
testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out
of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till
evening...And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and
received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and
teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all
confidence, no man forbidding him. - Acts 28: 17,20-23,30, 31.
After all the treacherous storms Paul went through and not knowing what
was to come of him when he arrived in Rome, he prevailed through his
faith in God and was blessed after his suffering. Paul, a man that began
his life persecuting Christians, turned his life around and became the
most well known and greatest evangelist there ever was. He endured much
pain, suffering, and some humiliation, but never lost sight of Christ.
He is a testimony that anyone can turn their life around and be blessed
by living their lives for Christ. It's not easy to remain faithful,
sometimes we may even get shipwrecked, but Christ is always there and
when we humble ourselves and abide in His ship He will make sure that we
too prevail and are blessed through our suffering.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1,2.

Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week,
and God Bless You. I am praying for you

In God We Trust
Amazingly
you can look around anywhere and see that God's presence is known, I
was watching tv last night, they were in a court room and behind the
judge was the inscription, In God we trust, in fact, the same
inscription is printed on US money as well, but do we really trust Him?
Many say they do, but what god are they putting their trust in. It is
easy to say that I believe in God, but, we all have to ask ourselves
this question. Am I believing in the God that is or the god that man
says is? There is a difference, it's much easier to believe and follow
the laws and regulations of what man believes God to be than simply
following God's truths.
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart
was darkened..And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts,
and creeping things. - Romans 1:21,23.
You know, the funny thing is that God makes it simple, believe in my
Son and I will take care of you and even give you eternal life, yet man
makes it complicated by adding all these rules along with it. They
enforce things like, you must get baptized, must pay money, must join my
church, must get people to join my church, must remain good, must
confess your sins to a priest, etc. Can I tell you that none of these
things get you to heaven? The only way to get to heaven is by admitting
that you are a sinner, believing in Jesus Christ, and asking Him to save
you.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.Romans 10:9,10.
This is not something new, this is what Paul preached during his
ministry and what he was arrested for in Jerusalem. In fact, Paul was
transferred from one country to another in hopes that the Jews would
convince one of these leaders that he needed to die for telling people
about Jesus. As he stood before the religious leaders in Jerusalem he
noticed one thing.
But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other
Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the
dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a
dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude
was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,
neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. And there
arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part
arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit
or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when
there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul
should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go
down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into
the castle. And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be
of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so
must thou bear witness also at Rome. - Acts 23:6-11.
Here are these two different religious groups divided among one
another, both believed in God, but one did not believe in the
resurrection and the other did. Religion has nothing to do with God's
Word, it's all about using bits and pieces of it in order to create
their own set of rules and laws in how they want people to worship them.
Sadly, many churches will claim that they know who Jesus is, but they
are just as lost as the rest of the world. It was religious people that
killed Jesus and still today they literally kill and send thousands of
people to hell. None of us want to admit this fact, but it is the truth.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. -Revelation 20:14,15.
It was believed to be that Paul's fate was in the hands of these men,
but little did they know that God was with him and that he was in
control of Paul's fate. No matter where Paul went he was somehow allowed
to speak in his defense, he never stopped confessing that he followed
God and His Word and no fault was found in him by the rulers. “But
this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so
worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written
in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they
themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have
always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men. -24:14-16.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.- Romans 6:23.
Paul lived by the Scriptures and it was by doing so that he knew the
truth and also trusted in the hope of God to get him through every one
of the circumstances he faced. He knew who God was and he was not about
to compromise his beliefs in order to save his life, he knew that his
life was saved already because he knew who God was and even if he died
he would be right there with Him in heaven. We should all have the same
confidence that Paul had and if we have accept Christ as our Savior we
can. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the
living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that
believe. - I Timothy 4:10.

Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

GOOD NEWS
Strength In God's Will
The word will is defined as a personal choice, a desire, when we choose to live in the will of God we are saying that we are going to live our lives as the personal choice that God has chosen for us or as He desires us to live. When Jesus' disciples asked Him to teach them to pray the first thing He said was, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
- Luke 11:2. When we are up in heaven we will always be in God's will
so we might as well get use to it now. It's not always easy following
the will of God, we are going to face lots of temptations, trials, and
even some suffering, but God is always with us and as we endure these things with Him we can be sure that our greater reward awaits us. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. -Revelation 21:7.
No matter what Paul was going through he did everything in that the
Holy Spirit led him to do, if it meant that he was going to suffer he
gladly accepted the challenge and did whatever God asked him to do. Paul was heading back to Jerusalem, along the way he stopped to preach the Gospel where the Holy Spirit led him, while in Miletus he spoke to the elders of the church from Ephesus. And
when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,.. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God...Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.- Acts 20:18,22-24, 28.
Paul did not know what was going to happen to him when he arrived in Jerusalem, he was well aware that there would be some affliction and he was joyful about it. He encouraged the elders to keep preaching the Gospel and reminded them that Christ paid for their lives as well with His blood. Even when he expects persecution and affliction, the love of Christ gives him the strength to proceed.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,
stablish, strengthen, settle you.- I Peter 5:10.
When trying to do the will of God we are always going to get
opposition, even if it is not intentional. Along his journey back to
Jerusalem a man named Agabus who was a prophet urged Paul not to
continue on his journey.
And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying,
The will of the Lord be done. - Acts 21:11-14.
Paul was willing to accept that he may die in Jerusalem saying, The
will of the Lord be done. The powerful influences of the Holy Spirit
bind the true Christian to his duty. While we can not know what the
future holds even throughout the day, we can be joyful knowing that one thing in our future does hold true and that is being in the Kingdom of God.
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. - I Corinthians 6:9-11.
While Paul went through much suffering following God's will none of it
can compare to the suffering that Jesus endured as He shed His blood to save us. Jesus died for all with joy, He took on the sin debt that every living soul owed by giving His life for them. He bore much pain, humiliation, and suffering so we do not have to spend eternity in hell.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. -Romans 5:8,9.
Although Christ died for all He will not give eternal life to anyone
unless they ask Him to save them. That is God's will for everyone, but
sadly, few will allow Him to choose their will for them. It takes a
strong person to follow the will of God, but we do not have to gather
the strength ourselves. Paul knew where his strength came from and that is what enabled him to follow God's will. It came from Christ, and no matter what we are going through we can join Paul in saying, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13. Praise God!

Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

Beware of Impostors
You
know, if you stop to think about all the people in the world who God
has saved and uses to be a testimony you would be pretty shocked. Now,
there is a difference between someone who has lived the worldly life and
has turned to Christ and someone who remains in the world and just uses
His name to become rich. It is sad when you hear of men of God getting
arrested and corrupting Christianity, it makes God and all the rest of
us look like we are the enemy. The truth is, they are not men of God,
they are impostors. Jesus warned us not to believe everyone that speaks
in His name, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. - Matthew 24:24.
When the Jews heard that the Gospel was being preached to the Gentiles or common people they were upset and confronted Peter as to why he was even talking to them. And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with
them....Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life - Acts 11:1-3,16-18.
God never or has ever rejected a person because of their ethnicity,
even though He chose the Jews to be His people first, He allowed anyone who believed in Him to be one of His people. “And
if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But
the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.- Leviticus 19:33,34. God is the Lord your God, once you were a stranger, but you have trusted in and accepted His Son and now you are one of His people, a child of God.
When Herod, the king, heard what was going on he was determined to getrid of the apostles, he first killed James, then he had Peter arrested.
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. - Acts 12:4-8.
Herod's main motivation for killing the apostles was just political,
many of the Jews were angry that Gentiles were being saved and when they cheered over his having James killed he sought to get the rest because he wanted the glory. Herod's tactics did not work, Peter was freed, and he was later killed himself. Herod is proof that God will not let anyonewho harms one of His people go unpunished. But
these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; - II Peter 2:12.
After Herod was killed the word of God grew and multiplied throughout
the nation, both Jew and Gentile believed and were saved. Yes, there
were Jews that caused trouble because they still thought that salvation was only meant for the Jews, but many were converted when Paul and Barnabas preached the truth. “Then
Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. - Acts 13:46-49 God published His Word for all to know His truths, we need to beware
of the impostors, including books that were written by men or women
claiming to explain the Word of God. These people are full of corruption and are deceiving many, who have even been saved. As long as Satan is here on earth no one is exempt from his deception, while he can not take away our salvation he can deceive even us into thinking that a person is a true man or woman representing God. For
many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an
antichrist. - II John 1:7.
While I do everything I can to teach the truth, I carry around this
flesh too and it can be deceived or misinterpret things as well, I have
read and heard some things from others that I thought were truths,
quoted them, and found them to be lies. That is why I now, back up
everything I say and quote with Scripture. It is important to stay in
the Bible, it is our only defense and witness to the truth. You can get
some truth out of me, but it does not compare to what God has to say to you personally.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand...Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: -Ephesians 6:13,16,17.
Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

Good news
Never Counted Out
A vessel is a person regarded as a holder or receiver of something that is non-material. The Bible says, Nevertheless
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.... If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.- II Timothy2:19,21. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior and
live your life with Him in it then you are a honor vessel, a holder of
the Gospel, meaning Jesus has entrusted you to represent Him with His precious gift, the Gospel to the lost.
While God will save anyone who believes in and trusts in His Son to
save them it does not mean that they will all turn from their wicked
ways and to Him. I know several people that have been saved and are still as worldly as ever, but we can never count anyone out. God has so much faith in us that He never counts us out, if you truly accepted that you are a sinner, believe in and trust in Jesus Christ, asked Him to forgive you and save you then God will never count you out. If you do not serve Him on earth you will certainly serve Him in heaven. However, that does not stop Him from trying to get you to serve Him here on earth first. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: - Revelation 22:3.
Saul, also known as Paul, despised the name of Jesus and set out to
kill anyone, including the apostles and disciples, who preached and
taught in His name. Little did he know that Jesus was watching him, and would make him the greatest evangelist of all time, who was accounted for writing most of the Epistles of the New Testament. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. Acts 9:3-6,8.
The phrase kick against the pricks means that Saul was resisting the
facts and authority of God. Every time he taunted and killed one of
Jesus' disciples he was persecuting or crucifying Jesus all over again.
Every person that persecutes a follower of Christ is resisting the
authority of God and crucifies Jesus all over again. You can not believe in God and not in Jesus Christ, doing so always goes against His authority. The Bible is our authority and any person denies Christ he isgoing against authority because He is the Word made flesh. And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. -John 1:14.
When Saul arrived in Damascus he was met by a man named Ananias,
Ananias knew Saul's reputation and was a little scared to approach him, but Jesus assured Him that everything was going to work out. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith,
and arose, and was baptized. -Acts 9:13-18.
Jesus chose one of the most ruthless people to be a witness to Him.
Why? To prove that everyone, even the most ruthless Jesus hater, can be saved and used as a vessel. Paul was saved and never stopped preaching the Gospel to the lost and became a witness to all nations that even a murderer can be saved, turn his life around, and used of God as a testimony. God never counts anyone out. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. - Romans 10:13.
It is understandable to get upset at those who harm us or our loved
ones, but anger, bitterness, and vengeance gets us no where, except even more anger and bitterness. Instead of trying to deal with the heartache on our own give it over to Jesus and He will give you peace. Remember, God will not let anyone go unpunished. Jesus saved Paul, but he did suffer much for His sake. If
it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath:for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not
overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. -Romans 12:18-21.
God uses every situation to strengthen us, grow us, and help us get
closer to Him. Go ahead, get angry, but let go and let God take care of it. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ...Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:..And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. -Ephesians 4:7,26,30-32.

Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and have an awesome weekend.

God Bless You, I am praying for you

The Persecution of Freedom
If
you are reading this you truly have no idea how blessed you are to have
the freedom to read God's Word without persecution. Many countries,
even today, forbid the Word of God to be read, practiced, and preached,
you can literally go to jail for mentioning the name Jesus Christ. How
and Why? Religion. Somehow religious leaders even have control over the
government to the point that they make rules forbidding the practice of
other religions. Whether they want to realize it or not evolution is a
religion, a religion is the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices and the religious leaders of evolution are controlling the government. “For
there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God
into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus
Christ...These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own
lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's
persons in admiration because of advantage.� - Jude 1:4,16.
Stephen was a deacon in the church at Jerusalem who knew well the Old
Testament Scriptures. He boldly reminded the unbelieving authorities
that he is a son of Abraham, and values himself on it. Then he reminds
them of their rebellion, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which
of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain
them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have
been now the betrayers and murderers: Who
have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept
it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they
gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost,
looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus
standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they
cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him
with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the
witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was
Saul.�
- Acts 7:51-58. Stephen was charged as a blasphemer of God, he could
have avoided death by saying nothing, but he made it clear that the
religious authorities were responsible for crucifying Jesus, the Just One.
While
we should have respect for our authorities it does not mean that they
have the right to condemn us and restrain us from practicing our
beliefs, yet they do every time a new law is passed that prohibits us
from mentioning God or Jesus. Think about it. Currently, the Bible can
not be read in public schools, they are not even allowed to say Merry
Christmas, and no symbol even relating to Jesus is allowed on government
property. They tell you that the reason they do this is so they do not
offend anyone, but the real reason is, they are offended themselves
because they do not want to submit to God. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,...Being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding,
covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are
worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do
them.� - Romans 12:22,29-32.
After Philip saw Stephen get stoned he could have walked away, instead
he continued preaching the Gospel. Everyone that heard him paid
attention to every word he said, accepted Jesus into their lives, and
got baptized, including Simon, the sorcerer. “But
there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same
city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that
himself was some great one:...But when they believed Philip preaching
the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ,
they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed
also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered,
beholding the miracles and signs which were done.� - Acts 8:9,12,13.
Philip was then led by the Holy Spirit to meet an Ethiopian official on his way home. “And
he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired
Philip that he would come up and sit with him...Then Philip opened his
mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And
as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the
eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And
Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And
he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And
he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into
the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.� - Acts 8:31,35-38.
Baptism is a symbol of the burial, and resurrection of Christ, as a
saved person emerges in the water it symbolizes the burial of those
sins, never to be remembered again. As we come up out of the water we
are resurrected as a living soul. Baptism does not save us, it is only
by asking Jesus to save us that we are saved, baptism just makes it
official. “Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the
faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.� - Colossians 2:12
As
Christians, it is important that we not be afraid of or ashamed of
living our lives for and speaking about our Lord Jesus Christ. The more
we do for Christ the more He shows through us, the more He shows through
us the more others see that they too need Christ. It's all about
following the will of God and believing in His Son, after all, we have
nothing to be worried about because we have eternal life. “And
this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life.� - I John 5:11,12. Praise God!
Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

Be Bold
The word bold is defined as not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger. The Bible says, Let
your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I
will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Hebrews 13:5,6.
The word covetousness means to wrongly desire wealth or
to be excessively greedy. In other words, as Christians, we are not to
think of ways in which we can obtain the things we desire deceitfully.
If we are content with what we have at present, knowing that it comes from God we know that He will continue to provide for us. We can see God giving us the things we desire because we seek them honestly and not hesitating to say that they come from God.
You know, when Peter realized that he denied that he knew Jesus when Jesus was being persecuted he felt so ashamed that he did not think Jesus would ever forgive him. Imagine his surprise after Jesus arose and gave him the task of being the one who would lead many to preach the Gospel? Three days later, after Jesus ascended up to heaven, on the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly preached the Gospel and 3000 people were saved and baptized. However, shortly after that Peter and John got arrested for preaching that same reason. And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. - Acts 4:1-4.
My church goes soul winning on Thursday's, at times we can go a few weeks without seeing anyone saved, but on the most dreadful and rainy nights we will see several trust Christ as their Savior. Sure, we get persecuted and at times we get people trying to silence us, but nothing is more exciting and uplifting than to see a person bow their head and trust in Christ to save them. We are doing God's work and we are going to face persecution, but God is always with us and will bless us for boldly preaching the Gospel. Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?..
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:35,38,39.
The Sadducees were determined to deter the apostles from preaching the Gospel of Christ, but the more they tried to stop them the more people got saved. The elders asked by what power or authority they were given to preach this way. Peter responded, Be
it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is
become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus...And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. - Acts 4:10-13,18.
If God wants you to preach the Gospel to someone He will stop at
nothing to get you to that person. On their second attempt to arrest and silence them, the Sadducees thought they had finally stopped them, little to their surprise it did not. But
the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought
them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people
all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into
the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came,
and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all
the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have
them brought...And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. - Acts 5:19-21,27-29.
The words of life, which the Holy Spirit puts into your mouth, are the
words spoken of the Gospel, whereby that we may be saved. There is no prison so dark, so strong, that God can not visit His people in it, and,if He pleases, fetch them out. Recoveries from sickness, releases out of trouble, are granted, not that we may enjoy the comforts of life, but that God may be honored with the services of our lives. Peter and John were honored to even be beaten for Jesus. And
they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they
were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the
temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ - Acts 5:41,42.
Because we believe in and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are
going to face some trials in life, but it is important that we be bold
and stand by our faith in and trust in Jesus Christ. If God gives you
the opportunity to tell the Gospel to someone, do not cease from it, you may never see that person again. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.- Philippians 4:9.
We have been given the wonderful gift of eternal life, it is something
that will never compare to anything we will ever receive here on earth.
Just imagine how much more wonderful the gifts will be that we will
receive in heaven because we endured the suffering, pain, and
humiliation that went long with holding on to our faith. Beloved,
think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. - I Peter 4:12,13. Praise God!
Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.

God Bless You, I am praying for you

The Holy Spirit
The
Book of Acts is the fifth book of the New Testament, forty-fourth book
of the Bible, and contains twenty-eight chapters. The author of the book
is Luke and it was written to all believers, addressed specifically as
Theophilus, which means, a lover of God. The purpose of the book was to
explain what Jesus continued to do and teach after His ascension through
His spiritual Body, the Church. What we are to learn from the book is
that the true evidence of the Holy Spirit is directed by the power of
God. The power to become witnesses for the purpose of extending the
Gospel throughout the entire world. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.� - Acts 2:21.

Did you ever wonder why there are so many different versions of the
Bible? Bible scholars will tell you that they created them to help you
understand what God is trying to tell them for the current generation. I
use the King James Version because it is the closest English version to
all of God's Word, many will debate me, but I have done the research
and seen the difference, it's not about removing the thees and thous,
it's about removing great truths that we are in need of. Every time a
new version of the Bible is created at least 20% of God's Word is taken
away from, altered, or added to it in order to comply with copy write
laws, which means every time one is created you are getting less and
less of God's Word and more of their own. Many versions eliminate hell
from the pages, but the truth is this, they can try and alter God's Word
in a book, but they can not alter His truths, no matter how many
versions they make. Hell is real and unless they are saved that is where
they are going. “For
I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him
the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take
away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.� - Revelation 22:18,19.

So, how do you know that the version you are reading contains all of
God's Word? The only way we can known and understand what I have just
said to be true is through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is who
teaches us to understand what these scholars claim are confusing to the
common people and eliminate from the Bible. “Wherefore
I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God
calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord,
but by the Holy Ghost...For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and
have been all made to drink into one Spirit.� - I Corinthians 12:3,13.

So, how do we receive the Holy Spirit? Jesus explained this before He ascended up to heaven. “And,
being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. And he
said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,
which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth.� - Acts 1:4,5,7,8.

Jesus said, quoting from John the Baptist, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.�
What He was saying was that in a few days you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit, which will give you the power to be my witnesses to
everyone on earth. Three days later the Holy Spirit did arrive, on the
day which is known as Pentecost and everyone the believed in Jesus
received the Holy Ghost. “And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared
unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were
dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under
heaven..And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to
another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of
new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice,
and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at
Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:...And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my
Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream
dreams:...And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved.� - Acts 2:2-5,12-14, 17,21.

The Holy Spirit moves into everyone who calls on Jesus to be saved, and
it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us God's Word and to be witnesses
for others to be saved. I grew up like most Christians, I knew that
Christmas was Jesus' birthday, Good Friday was the day He died, and
Easter was the day He resurrected, but did I understand it? No, I did
not. I spent years following Lent and trying to be good so I wouldn't
die and go to hell, but the truth is, it did not matter if I observed
these days or was good, if I would have died then I would have gone to
hell. How do I know? I was not saved, I did not know Jesus as my Savior.
The only way to escape hell is by calling on Jesus to save us. “That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.� - Romans 10:9.

As Christians, we
are to follow in Christ's footsteps, to teach the Gospel to all who do
not know it, to be the example that people look for to trust in the
Savior. The only way to understand the true Gospel is through all of
God's Word and the Holy Spirit teaching us. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the
Father by him.� - Colossians 3:15-17.

Be blessed, enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.

God Bless You, I am praying for you

Let Jesus Wash Your Feet
The word wash is defined as a cleansing to remove any dirt, stains, or matter, while we are aware of the things with our eyes that may need to be washed, we may not be as aware of anything that we need to wash that our eyes can not see. I remember when I was little that my mom would tell me I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap and if I said a bad word I got that soap in my mouth. It was awful, but it taught me not to say that word again and that my mom meant business. As Christians we can rejoice in the fact that by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior we
were washed clean from all of our stains. These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. - Revelation 7:14.
The Passover has arrived and Jesus and His disciples were eating
dinner, when Jesus finished eating, He did something that was surprising to the disciples, He began washing their feet. Jesus
knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that
he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded....Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. - John 13:3-5,8-10.
So, why was Jesus washing their feet and why only their feet? The
washing of the disciples feet signified salvation, unless we are washed by the blood of the Lamb (Christ) we are not a part of Christ or God.
The washing of only their feet signified that although we have been
saved it is important to wash ourselves daily to remove any sin that we have encountered. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - IJohn 5:19.
Just because we are saved that does not mean it will keep us from
falling into sin. We can never lose our salvation, but, as long as we
have this flesh attached to us and Satan is still around sin will be
also. While being on our best behavior is not a requirement, if we want to see God's blessings here on earth we need to keep washing away the things that make us dirty. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;- Titus 3:3-6. Notice that the Scripture says God our Savior? This further proves that God and Jesus are one, by faith we are saved and washed, not by the works that we do.
Being washed by the blood is more than just cleansing us from sin, Jesus explains further, In
my Father's house are many mansions if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that
where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. - John 14:2-4,16-19.
No matter what situation we are in Jesus is with us and will comfort usin our time of need, no matter how many times that is, and even if we submit to authority when we know morally it is wrong. God will give us a way out of every situation we are in, but it is up to us to ask Him for help. He has chosen you to be a part of His life, He wants to wash your feet, cleanse you, and remove the debris that you have been trying to get rid of. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask
of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:15,16.
Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

The Love of God Perfected
The word verily means absolutely, positively, the truth, the Bible says, But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.- I John 2:5. The word perfected means complete, in other words, God is
telling those who keep His Word, If you keep My Word with you then you will absolutely know how much I love you, it will complete you and people will see that I am with you.
Do you know what truly bothers people who live in the world? Seeing
God working in your life. As you get God's Word in you you see just how much God does love you, He does not want to see us in pain or suffering, He just wants us to believe in Him and trust Him. As Jesus was walking by He saw a blind man sitting in the street. And
his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his
parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. - John 9:2-7.
The disciples immediately asked Jesus what he or his parents did for
him to be blind at birth, Jesus responded, “No one sinned, God allowed him to be born this way so that the works of God can be demonstrated through Him. Sometimes God will place infirmities on people, not to punish them or their loved ones, but to draw them closer to Him. There is a spiritual purpose of God's love in much of human suffering, and this man's blindness was the very means of keeping him from being lost for eternity. By faith, he obeyed Jesus' command to wash in the Pool of Siloam. This man accurately illustrates the terrible condition of everyone without
Jesus Christ. Until we see Christ as our Savior we are spiritually
blind, nor can we see our need of a Savior, due to the hardness of our
hearts.Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ - Ephesians 4:13-15.
One of the distinguishing marks of a Christian is recognizing the need
for guidance and a desire to follow the Good Shepherd. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the
sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a
robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the
sheep....... Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are
thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. - John 10:1,2,7-12.
Christ is our Shepherd and the door that leads to the sheepfold. If any person tries to enter into God's sheepfold by any other way other then going through Christ, he is a thief and a robber. The sheepfold is
a holding place where the shepherd houses the sheep for the night. It
was a place for protection. When the Shepherd would open the gate, the shepherd would hold his rod out, and count the sheep as they passed under the rod. Then when all the sheep had entered in, the gate was shut, and the shepherd stood watch for the night. When you have Christ with you, you are safe not only inside the sheepfold, but outside the sheepfold. You can go out into the world, and you don't have to be afraid of someone taking away your salvation. You don't have to fear what will be said of you if you see the Word is not being taught and you voice your opinion.
You don't have to be afraid of anything. When Jesus went to the cross, died, and rose again, He did that for each person that has the eyes to see and the ears to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. - I Peter 5:4.
When we have Jesus in us, God's love is perfected in us, we are
absolutely without a doubt free and loved by God. Jesus said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.- Matthew 11:28-30. A yoke is a device that brings two things together to make it stronger. When we receive Jesus He attaches Himself to us to make us stronger. We do not have to carry the burdens of the world all on our own, Jesus is right there with us to carry them for us. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

The Mind of Christ
A disciple is defined as a follower of the doctrines of a teacher,
as Christians, we follow the doctrine of our teacher, Jesus Christ.
Now, here is where many who say they follow the doctrine of Christ
falter. The doctrine that we are to follow, is the death, burial, and
resurrection of Christ, who is the only begotten Son of God, born of a
virgin, is God in the flesh, and the only way to eternal life. Many
religions say they know God and Jesus, but they only know the name, they do not Him. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according
to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth,
supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
- I Timothy 6:3-5. The truth is this, any religion or religious group
that does not preach the words spoken by Jesus Himself, which is the Word of God, is false and will always become offended by those who speak the truth.
We know that Jesus chose twelve men to follow Him around, but Jesus had more than just twelve disciples. When Jesus began showing His miracles in the flesh, He had many followers, but it did not necessarily mean that they all believed in His doctrine. As Jesus was teaching in the Temple He was questioned by many when He began telling them that He was the Bread of life. When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then
Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the
words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God. - John 6:61-69.
Jesus knows in the midst of all the people who claim to know Him which ones truly do believe in Him and follow His doctrine. People get
offended when they live by the flesh and not the spirit. Since God is a
Spirit, feeding the flesh does not do anything for Him, but feeding the
spirit does when we believe in Him and follow His truths. Of course, we are not always going to understand some of the things that God places before us, but by yielding to the spirit and putting our faith in His Word we can see that all things work together for God's glory and our own good. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.-Romans 8:28.
Giving glory to God is what it is all about, Jesus who is God, when He
came down in the flesh did not give glory to Himself, He gave all the
glory to God. Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him -John 7:1-18.
You say, if Jesus is God and He gave glory to God than isn't He glorifying Himself? He is not. Jesus is part of the triune God, meaning God is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. When God came down to earth He made Himself as one of us so, Jesus the Son, gave all the power and glory to God the Father. But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation
perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who
are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,-Hebrews 2:9-11. Just like an ordinary man can be a father, a brother, and an uncle, three different people, with different roles, yet one person, God can be the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
No one is perfect, yet we have all been quick to judge others for their
faults before fixing our own, as Jesus was preaching He was
interrupted. They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him,
he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and
wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.鈥�- John 8:4-11.
Jesus attended to the great work in which He came into the world, that was, to bring sinners to repentance, not to destroy, but to save. He aimed to bring, not only the accused to repentance, by showing her His mercy, but the prosecutors also, by showing them their sins, He sought to convince and convert them. When Christ sent her away, it was with this caution, Go, and sin no more. God does give us the right to judge people, but we are to judge them righteously, 鈥淏ut
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they
are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet
he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord,that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.鈥� - I Corinthians 2:14-16.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

GOOD NEWS
Eternal Life
The book of John is the 43rd book of the Bible, the 4th book
of the New Testament, and contains twenty-one chapters. The author of
the book is John, a disciple of Jesus (not John the Baptist), and it was
written to All believers, to whom John portrays Jesus as the Son of
God. The purpose of the book was to show All that Jesus was the Messiah,
the Son of God, and the only way to everlasting life. What we are to
learn from the book is Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,
who is God in the flesh, and the only source of salvation and
everlasting life. 鈥淛esus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.鈥� - John 14:6.

The word eternal means without a beginning or an end, lasting forever, and always existing. Now, we can say that God without a beginning or an end, lasts forever, and always
exists. The second a person calls upon Jesus Christ to save them, he
receives eternal life, meaning, he lasts forever, and always exists. 鈥淭hese
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God.鈥� - I John 5:13.

All of creation, every character from the Bible, the Gospels, the
Commandments, the Old and New Testaments are all apart of the eternal
God. 鈥淚n
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by
him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was
life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not....That was the true
Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in
the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him
not....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth.鈥� - John 1:1-5,9,10,14.

Since God is eternal and God is the Word, that means God's Word is
eternal too, meaning it is without beginning or an end, lasts forever,
and always exists. God made everything, and what He did not make with
His hands was made by the hands of others from the things that He made.
Wood comes from trees, glass comes from sand, metal comes from rocks,
gas comes from oil, plastic comes from oil, coal, and natural gas,
everything that was made by man comes from things that God has made.
Then God and the Word was made into flesh, who is also His only begotten
Son, the word begotten means male offspring, Jesus was the only male
offspring of God. Since God is His Word & Jesus is His flesh, that
means He is one almighty God. 鈥淚 am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.鈥� - Revelation 1:8.

So,
how was God able to come down to earth in the flesh and make Himself
like a normal person and still be in heaven? God is omnipotent, meaning
He is almighty and has infinite power. He is also omnipresent, meaning
He can be everywhere at the same time. 鈥淎nd
I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of
many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia:
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.鈥� -Revelation 19:6.

God must truly love us if He was willing to bring Himself down to
heaven in the flesh, endure pain He had never known, and live a beggars
life in order to be the sacrifice that would save all mankind? It is
truly a miracle to have eternal life through Him. Jesus performed many
miracles here on earth, the first one was when He turned water into wine at a wedding. 鈥淎nd
when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no
wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine
hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he
saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone,
after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three
firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water.
And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out
now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the
ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew
not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew
the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him,
Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have
well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine
until now.鈥� - John 2:3-10.

The wine that Jesus made was not the alcoholic version that most
people think it is, it was simply grape juice. How do I know? First,
wine means, the juice, fermented or unfermented, of various other fruits or plants, used as a beverage, to ferment means to add things make it alcoholic. Jesus
could not have made it alcoholic otherwise it would have gotten people
drunk and that would have made people commit sin. Then He would have
been committing sin and since Jesus had to remain sinless to save us He
turned it into non-alcoholic grape juice. 鈥淚t
is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby
thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.鈥� - Romans 14:21.

Incidentally, Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding was a
foreshadow of Jesus Himself, who is our bridegroom, those whom have
received Him are His bride and when we drink of His wine we are blessed
with eternal life. John the Baptist said, 鈥淗e
that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the
bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of
the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.鈥� -
John 3:29. When we receive Christ into our lives we will be fulfilled
with much joy as we are not only saved for a day, but for life eternal. 鈥淏ut
now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your
fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin
is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.鈥� - Romans 3:22,23. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you
----
Times of Refreshing
An amazing transformation happens when one meets Christ, whether we accept
or reject Him our lives do change. You can not meet Jesus and remain
the same. He pierces right through you and while a few will humble
themselves to accept Him and enjoy life with Him in it, most will get
offended, reject Him, and spend life pretending that they are enjoying
life without Him in it. “For
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of
the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.� - Hebews 4:12.

As Jesus was walking through Samaria He and His disciples stopped there
for some rest, while the disciples went to get food Jesus remained by
the well to get some water, where He met a woman. “Then
saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew,
askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no
dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to
drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee
living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw
with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living
water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well,
and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus
answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto
him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to
draw.� - John 4:9-15.

The Jews despised the Samaritans so when Jesus approached this loud
mouthed woman she could not believe that He even spoke to her let alone
asked her to give Him some water. Jesus' response was, “I know you are
thirsty for something that water can not provide and if you knew who you
were talking to I would have given it to you.� The flesh is 85% water,
you can go several days without food, but if you go one day without
water you can die, So, water is vital to give us life. Just like we need
water to keep us alive in the flesh, we also need water to keep us
alive spiritually. “For
the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall
lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes.� - Revelation 7:17.

Now, her interest is peaked and she wants to know how she can get this water. “Jesus
saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye
worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of
the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh
such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know
that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will
tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.� - John 4:21-26.

Jesus is telling this woman that before now, salvation was thought of
as only for the Jews, but the time has come for all to know that
salvation is for everyone who believes. God is not the God of the Jews,
or the Mormons, or the Jehovah's Witness, or the Muslims, or the
Christians, He is the God of all and it is only when one believes in
Christ, the true Christ, that they receive salvation and He becomes our
God. “There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.� - Galatians 3:28.

After Jesus revealed to this woman that He knew who she was, she
immediately left the well, told people about Him, and brought them to
Him. “And
many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of
the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the
Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry
with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because
of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of
thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is
indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.� - John 4:39-42.

The people did not believe in Jesus because of this woman's testimony,
they believed because when they heard her testimony they longed to see
for themselves what He was all about and heard the truth from His own
Word. It is great to hear testimonies and study God's Word as a group,
but we are all human and we err, but God's Word does not, it will
confirm truth or expose any lies that one has been told. That is why it
is very important to read it for ourselves, if you are just starting to
read the Bible and not sure where to start, the Book of John and Romans
will help you get started. Just like the Samaritan woman ran and told
the people about Jesus after she got saved, we too can do the same.
Jesus is the Savior of the World and we need to at least give someone
the opportunity to know the truth, if they do not accept it than you
have done all you could, God will take care of it. “And
let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if
we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all
men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.� - Galatians 6:9,10.

You can enjoy the things of this world for a season, but you will
always remain thirsty for more, Jesus is changing your life as you
speak, you can go with the flow, remain thirsty and never be satisfied
or you can refresh yourself in the living waters of Christ. “Repent
ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when
the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.� - Acts 3:19. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

GOOD NEWS
Paradise
As
I was reading the chapters for today, this thought came to mind, I have
an intolerance to processed food so I've been experimenting in cooking
and baking with organic ingredients. I finally got the process right in
baking and have been making some pretty decadent desserts. I said to
someone, if this is as close as heaven is on earth, can you imagine how
delicious the food up there will be. No matter how good something here
on earth is, it can not even compare to what we will see in heaven.
Imagine, no more pain, no more suffering, no more sin. Praise God! “And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his
people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.� - Revelation 21:3,4.

The time had come for the prophecies to be fulfilled, the sinless, Son
of God, would now face ridicule, judgment, and death. As Jesus walked up
to Calvary people followed, some believers, some wanted to be
believers, and some just wanted to see Him die. “Pilate
therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they
cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third
time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in
him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were
instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the
voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave
sentence that it should be as they required.... Then said Jesus, Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his
raiment, and cast lots.� - Luke 23:20-24, 32-34.

Through all the humiliation, pain, and anguish that Jesus was going through He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.�
Often, people truly think they are doing the right thing, but really
have no idea that they are causing more harm than good. These people
however, were out to cause harm, they wanted to eliminate the one person
who could see right through them and was exposing them for the frauds
that they were. Jesus had the power to destroy them, instead, He prayed
for them and forgave them. “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.� -Proverbs 25:21,22.

The people continued to mock Him, they thought, if He is God than why
is He hanging from that tree. There were two other men among Jesus being
crucified that day, one joined the crowd, the other stood by Jesus. “And
when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they
crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other
on the left....And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with
them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he
be Christ, the chosen of God....And one of the malefactors which were
hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God,
seeing thou art in the same condemnation? ...And he said unto Jesus,
Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto
him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.�- Luke 23:33,35,39, 40,42,43.

At any time Jesus could have jumped off
of that tree and perhaps they would have believed, but He chose to stay
there. Why? It's all about the blood sacrifice. Jesus chose to remain
on that cross to die for not only the sins that these people were
committing, but the sins of all people yesterday, today, and forever. It
was not enough to believe, it was believing in the sacrifice that He
made for all. One of the men hanging next to Him knew this and was saved
instantly, proving that it is not by works or baptism that get you to
paradise, it is believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. “That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.� - Romans 10:9,10.

Jesus died on the cross, was taken down, and was buried in a tomb, they
thought they prevailed, they thought they killed the man they despised.
Jesus proved that not even death can prevail the Almighty God, three
days later, just as prophesied, Jesus resurrected from the dead and
began appearing all over town. “And
it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus
himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that
they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of
communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and
are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said
unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the
things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto
them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the
people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be
condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had
been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day
is the third day since these things were done....And it came to pass, as
he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and
gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he
vanished out of their sight.� - Luke 24:15-21,30, 31.

What a wonderful comfort and thought it is to know that Jesus gave His
life for us so we can join Him in paradise. Have you trusted in Him?
Then I will see you in paradise. Praise God! If you have not trusted in
Him yet, the time is now, He saved the man next to Him on the cross just
before He died, He can save you too, but you must call Him, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.� - Romans 10:13. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great and blessed week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

Bible Study: Filling The Void

Today we will read and learn about the vanity (emptiness) of living for
pleasure and material gain; that there is a reason for everything; and
the varied proverbs of wisdom. Today's message focuses on the importance
of realizing that no matter how many possesions we have or people we
know all is vanity without God.
It would be easy to be impressed by the achievements of Solomon. He wrote of the many possessions that he had. "I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me." (Ecclesiastes 2:4-9). The key word here is me. Solomon did all of these things for himself. With each increasing excess, he found less and less pleasure in what he got and was always wanting more.
Solomon's adventure in search of satisfaction apart from God ended in moral and spiritual disaster. Eventually he declared, "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done." (2:11-12). The word vanity means that all is superficial or empty, the word vexation means to face displeasure or an annoyance which means that Solomon declared that without God all his possessions were superficial and displeasing.
Sadly, many today are still trying to gain fulfillment with earthly
pursuits while ignoring the will of God. If only they realize their want
for more to possess is merely a need for God. The wisest man on earth tried to substitute man's limited knowledge for the limitless wisdom of God in order to gain satisfaction and popularity. He only succeeded in avoiding God's best for himself as well as for his kingdom.
Solomon assumed that his vast material wealth was great not realizing that spiritually he was a beggar. Worldly greatness is deceptive in that men imagine that they will eventually reach satisfaction, but their empty souls always desire more.
Each of us needs to consider what God's purpose is for our brief lives
here on earth. Are we doing things to satisfy our own needs or are we
following the path that God has chosen for us. We were not created to become satisfied with the things that were set before us, but to become the person He desires us to be and to accomplish His purpose for our lives. This is not merely a decision we make in a moment, but one that determines a lifetime and eternity. Remember, God blesses all who will put Him first. "(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:32-33).
In today's message Jesus Christ is revealed through God, the true
source of wisdom, and knowledge, and joy. (Ecclesiastes 2:26). "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ." (I Corinthians 2:16).
Today's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
As we diligently labor for You it is not to bring attention to
ourselves, but it is to bring glory to Your name and further the kingdom
of God. Help us to find our place of Christian service where we can
develop our gifts and expend our labors for building up the body of
Christ. In Jesus' name....Amen.
Have a great and wonderful day!
God bless,

Be Humble & Shout

As
Christians it can get pretty lonely at times, family and friends mock
and reject you, the world looks at you as though you have some kind of
disease, and it seems you face more persecution than you ever did in the
world. The truth is, we are not alone, we have the one person with us
that never leaves us and that is Jesus Christ. Praise God! The amazing
thing is that through all the trials God is directing and guiding you
and creating a good work in you. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:� - Philippians 1:6.



Why do we face so much persecution? Our faith. We turn away from the
corruption of the world, turn to Jesus and put our faith in and trust in
someone that is invisible to them. Jesus said to His disciples, “It
is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through
whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged
about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one
of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass
against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he
trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day
turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.�- Luke 17:1-4.



The word offend means to irritate, annoy, or anger, Jesus
explains that people are going to be offended by you, it is something
that is impossible to avoid, but we do not need to be offended by them
because God will take care of them for us, He says, “Just forgive them
and I will handle it.� “Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for
it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not
overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.� - Romans 12:19-21.



Do you ever feel like people are ungrateful for the things that you do
for them? For instance, you are the best employee, but your boss is
constantly on you as if you were the worst. Jesus explains this in a
rather odd way, “But
which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto
him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and
gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward
thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the
things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye
shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.�- Luke 17:7-10.



Why would Jesus command them to say that we are unprofitable servants?
Jesus was showing the disciples their need of deep humility, no matter
how perfectly we may do our job, it deserves no recognition, it is our
duty. Humbling ourselves and pressing forward does bring rewards, “Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.� - I Peter 5:6,7.



While it may look hopeless, nothing is impossible with God and as long
as we hold on tight to our Lord all will come to pass and we will not
only be stronger, but even more blessed than we already are. In fact, we
can ask God for anything and He will give it to us. The Bible says, “And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of
him.� - I John 5:14,15.



How do we ask God for things? We pray, it is the only way we can ask
for things and the only way He will give them to us. Jesus spoke this
parable about praying, “And
he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that
they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the
temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I
am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.� - Luke 18:9-14.



Remember, exalted means to be praised and honored, those who are humble
will be exalted. Then we can ask God of anything and it will get His
attention. We are to never stop praying, praying keeps us faithful and
strengthens us to handle those that persecute us. If you think that God
can not hear you, first of all, make sure you know Jesus personally, if
you do not know Jesus, it is simply unprofitable prayer. Secondly,
sometimes you have to shout, when everything around you seems chaotic
and loud, shout. “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.� - Psalm 47:1.



A blind man got Jesus' attention by shouting, “And
it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind
man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he
asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth
by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace:
but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And
Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was
come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto
thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said
unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately
he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the
people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.� - Luke 18:35-43.



Jesus saves and gives mercy to all who have faith in Him and when we
are saved we can shout and cry our to Him and He will give us what we
are asking for. Keep in mind that God will answer every prayer, but not
always in the way we intend. We can not see what is in our future, but
God already knows and is preparing us for it. “But
as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him.� - I Corinthians 2:9. Praise God!



Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.

God Bless You, I am praying for you

GOOD NEWS
You Are Invited
The word bidden means invited or called, the Bible says, For
the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.- Romans 10:11-13.
That word, whosoever, was put there as an invitation to all, the Lord is Jesus Christ and He has invited you to enjoy all His riches. Have you accepted the invitation? He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. - I John 5:10-12. Praise God!
There is a song called, All Who Call Upon The Lord, a verse says,
rich or poor, king or beggar are the same. God is no respecter of
persons, He will save all who call upon the Lord. All throughout His
earthly ministry you would hear of Jesus eating dinner with the poor,
rich, even the Pharisees, whom were completely against Him. Why? In hopes that He would find that one person who would put aside all they have been taught about their religion and trust in Him to accept His invitation. While He already knows who believes in Him and will accept His invitation, it is a matter of them taking that step. While eating with the Pharisees, Jesus explains this in a parable. When
thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest
room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.- Luke 14:8-11.
The word exalted means to be praised, honored, and approved, those who humble themselves before Jesus and accept His invitation are praised by God and will join Him at the feast. The word abased means to be deprived of ones self esteem, dishonored, and disgraced, those who ignore Jesus' invitation and praise themselves are disgraced by God and will not join Him at the feast. However, Jesus never stops inviting anyone, And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and
neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.- Luke 15:3-7.
God, the angels, and everyone else in heaven rejoice when that one
person humbles himself before Jesus, acknowledges that he is a sinner, and that only Jesus can save Him, then bows down his head and asks Jesus to save him.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Romans10:9,10.
No priest, rabbi, or religion will save us, only by trusting in and confessing to Jesus Himself saves us.
So, you were saved and have gotten away from God? Think you are no longer saved or that God has cast you out? Think again. You are still saved and God loves you all the same. God hates the sin, not the person.
Jesus explains this parable. And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. Andhe divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and
there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.- Luke 15:11-14,17- 20.
Many people fall away from God for a season, but God does know the
heart. I was one of those who left Him for a season, I went my own way, thinking I was missing something, I suffered and was ashamed of all that I allowed myself to get into, but I humbled myself, asked God to forgive me, and all of those dumb situations that I had gotten myself into, all on my own, were forgotten and God has given me a richer, more fuller life, with Him in it. Jesus died on the cross once to give us eternal life, that means you only have to get saved once. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. - Hebrews 7:25-27.
Jesus said to the covetous (greedy, jealous) Pharisees who were mocking Him, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.- Luke 16:15.
What Jesus is saying is that they appear to the world to be living righteously and as if they know God, but God truly knows their hearts and deception and it is an abomination to Him. The Bible says, He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation21:7,8.
All are invited, but those who do not humble themselves before Jesus and mock Him will not be saved. Praise God that while we are here on earth He we still have a chance to learn, accept, and tell the truth. You know, you are called up to testify in court, you have to say a pledge, I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing, but the truth. If you had to go before the mighty throne and face the judge, Jesus Christ, can you truthfully say with all
your heart that you have accepted His invitation? If not, He is calling
you right now, accept it and enjoy the feast.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

Death Is Not Final
No
one wants to think about death, it's a bit scary to think that today
might be your last day living, death is so final, the end of everything,
well, at least that is what the world wants to think. However, the
truth is this, death is not final, when the flesh gives out and the
spirit of life within a person leaves, there is something left, a soul.
The soul has one of two places to go, heaven or hell, it will spend
eternity in one of these two places. If a person ends up in heaven, this
is known as eternal life and all who have eternal life see Jesus face
to face. If a person ends up in hell, this is known as the second death
and this is what happens to any person who is not written in the Book of
life. “And
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away...He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
the second death.� - Revelation 21:4,7,8.

Throughout Jesus' ministry multitudes of people would just flock to see
Him, some where true believers by faith, even before they saw Him, some
were not quite sure if they believed, but when they saw Him became true
believers, and some did not believe at all and were probably there
looking for ways to try yo expose Him as some type of illusionist. One
day, there was so many people trying to see Jesus that they began
stomping over each other. “In
the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable
multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began
to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall
not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore
whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and
that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon
the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them
that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I
will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath
killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.� - Luke 12:1-5.

There are two types of fear, first, there is the fear of God, which
means giving respect to God, second, there is the fear that we all know
and that is to be afraid of. Jesus is saying here there is something
more to fear than death, it is Satan, who has the power to cast people
into hell. God is not the one who sends people to hell, God sent Jesus
to save not destroy, only Satan sends people to hell. “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.�
- Luke 9:56a. Jesus knows who believe, who just need a little
encouragement, and who are Satan's deceivers, no one who is saved has to
fear Satan or death because they are one with God. “But
even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore:
ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever
shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess
before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be
denied before the angels of God.� - Luke 12:7-9.

I was watching this program last night, someone was killed, one
detective said, I hate when rich people die, a second one said, yeah
because someone is always willing to kill for money. Can you imagine how
many people are actually killed in the world due to money? It is the
root of all evil and will be the root of the second death for many. “But
they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows.� - I Timothy 6:9,10.

As Jesus was preaching a man stopped Him and asked Him, to tell someone give them part of his inheritance. “And
he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's
life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth.. ..And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you,
Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body,
what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more
than raiment....For all these things do the nations of the world seek
after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But
rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added
unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. � - Luke 12:15,22,23, 30-32.

The word covet means to desire wrongfully,
God has no problem seeing someone receive riches for their hard work,
but do it deceitfully and that is when He gets angry. When you have
Jesus in your life you do not have to worry about getting the things you
need, God will supply. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.� - Philippians 4:19.

Jesus will save anyone from hell, but He will not do it unless we ask
Him to save us, there are many who think that being good will get them
to heaven, but that is now what gets us to heaven. There is only One Way
and that is Jesus. Jesus explains this further, “And he said unto them, Strive
to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to
enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is
risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and
to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall
answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye
begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast
taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not
whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.� - Luke 13:24-27.

The straight gate is believing in the death, burial, and resurrection
of our Lord Jesus Christ, accepting that you are a sinner and trusting
in Him to save you and take you to heaven. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have
in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desired of him.� - I John 5:12-15. Praise God!

I
am self employed and right now barely making any money, but God never
fails to give me just the amount of money that I am in need of, it might
not be how much I desire, but He is providing for me and as long as I
keep pressing forward in faith I will one day get the money I need for
some of the other things I desire. God know what we need and when the
time is right to give it to us, trust in Him, not the circumstances, He Will Supply.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

GOOD NEWS
Making The Right Decisions

Today we will read and learn about Jehoshaphat and Ahab becoming
allies, the death of Ahab, Jehoshaphat' s national reformation and his
death. Today's message focuses on the importance of realizing that the
decisions we make can cause many complications if we are not letting God
guide us. However, God never leaves us nor forsakes us and helps us
through any situation that we get ourselves into as long as week seek
His help.
Jehoshaphat was one of the most godliest kings in the history of Judah.
He appointed Levites throughout the country to read and instruct people
in the Law of God (II Chronicles 17:3-9). He forced the Baal and
Ashtoreth cult followers, as well as the male prostitutes (homosexuals) ,
out of his country (I Kings 22:46).
However, he made a serious mistake when he allied himself with Ahab,
the Baal-worshiping king of the northern kingdom and accepted his offer
to feast with him and his evil wife Jezebel. "Now Jehoshaphat had riches
and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. And after
certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and
oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and
persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead. And Ahab king of
Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to
Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as
thy people; and we will be with thee in the war." (II Chronicles
18:1-3).
During this time Jehoshaphat inquired of a prophet to hear the word of
God in which a fearless prophet named Micaiah boldly foretold that Ahab
would not return alive from that war (18:4,13,16) . In disregard of the
prophet's warning, Jehoshaphat joined Ahab and almost lost his life.
"But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides,
that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto
Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD:
but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil:
the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the
king say so. And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and
said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla......And Micaiah said, As
the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. And when he
was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to
Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and
prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand. And the king said
to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the
truth to me in the name of the LORD? Then he said, I did see all Israel
scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the
LORD said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to
his house in peace." (18:6-8,13-16) .
Now, the people of Judah were surrounded by vast armies of enemy
nations. "It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab,
and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites,
came against Jehoshaphat to battle." (20:1). The people of Judah
hastened to Jerusalem, bowed before God, confessed their sins, and
prayed earnestly for God to protect them. "And all Judah stood before
the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their
children.... .And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. To morrow go ye down against them:
behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the
end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to
fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the
salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all
Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. " (20:13, 15-18). The next morning they did as they were told
and prevailed against Moab and Ammon.
Victory is always made to those who trust in God. When difficulties
mount, misunderstandings arise, or situations overcome you that is when you need to trust in the True Source of strength. An important principle in praising God is to take your eyes off the alarming predicament and put them on Him. He wants to ease your burdens, but He also wants you toput your trust and faith in Him to make that happen.
The alliance between Jehoshaphat and Ahab eventually caused many problems for the people that followed them as we learn of the eventaul marriage of Jehoshaphat' s son Jehoram to Athaliah, the daughter of evil Jezebel. This opened the door to Baal worship in Judah and the eventual massacre of all of Jehoshaphat' s sons and grandsons, except for one-year-old Jehoash (Joash) who was hidden by the high priest Jehoiada for six years and the only air left that lead to the birth of Jesus Christ.
All of our relationships should be guided by the Scriptures, "Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath hethat believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." (II Corinthians 6:14-17). All too often our children are affected by our disobedience to God's Word. That's why we must teach them His Word and own up to our failures.

In today's message Jesus Christ is revealed through Micaiah, who told the truth even though it was unpopular with his listeners (II Chronicles
18:12-27). We are reminded of Christ when He spoke the unpopular truth
to the Pharisees (Matthew 12:1-14).

Today's Psalm: 7:1
"O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:"

Today's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
When we consider how many struggles, hardships and temptations we face in our lifetime the weight of these difficulties could overwhelm us.
Watch over us, guide us, and give us the strength to follow Your will
and not get caught up in making the wrong decisons that could cause consequences later on for me or my family. In Jesus' name.....Amen.

A Full Life
The word full is defined as being completely filled, containing all that can be held, and is abundant in supply, quantity, or number.
We all long for a full life, one that is completely filled and abundant
in supply, however, as Christians, it is what we do to become full that
can either help or hurt us. You know, when we made the choice to allow Christ to be in our lives, we made a commitment with Him to let Him be
Lord of our lives. That does not mean that God does not want us to enjoy a full life, it means that He wants us to enjoy a full life with Him in it. And having an high priest over the house of God; Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. - Hebrews 10:21,22.
When we draw near to our high priest, Jesus Christ, we cleanse
ourselves from the things that are not so good for us and for the things that God wants us to have. In return we long for a full life with God in it. Think about it, did you ever overeat on something that really wasn't good for you? You feel sick and uncomfortable and sometimes even vomit. The samething happens when we cram in all this stuff (work, hobbies, people, self improvements, etc.) that we think is going to make us full, but is not really good for us. So, how do we enjoy a full life without making ourselves sick? The Bible says, There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.Psalm 81:9,10.
The first commandment of God is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.- Exodus 20:3. Every time a job, hobby, person, or lifestyle takes place over God God sees it as a another or strange god, therefore, if we want an abundant, full life, we need to put God above all these things.
After Jesus chose His disciples He took them upon a mountain and
preached to them. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap forjoy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. Luke 6:20-23.
Can you just imagine having Jesus preach a sermon to you? What a full life that would be? Of course, it will be when we are in heaven, Praise God!. Jesus said, because we believe in and follow Him we are going to face some rejection and affliction, but we are to rejoice in all of it because our greatest reward will be when we get to heaven. The more you do for Jesus the more affliction you are going to face, but count it as ablessing because He is working a great work in you. For
which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the
inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is butfor a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. -II Corinthians 4:16-18.
Jesus continues preaching and explains why we are to love those who afflict us, For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And
if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for
sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. - Luke 6:32-36.
Some people are just born plain wicked and will never change, but the majority of people that do wicked things do them because they are bitterabout something or just do not know any better. When Jesus was hanging on the cross and the people were mocking and cursing Him, He said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.Luke 23:34. Forgiveness is the key to moving forward and enjoying a full life with God in it. If we are just kind to those who are good to us we will never see the power of God, but if we are kind to those who cause us pain we will see the great power of God working in our lives and enjoy a full life. Besides we do not have to cause affliction upon them because Gods will do it for us.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for It is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Thereforeif thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21.

We all have done things in our lives that we are ashamed of and are not worthy to receive anything, but the amazing thing is that God knows our faith. If we humble ourselves before Him we learn that we no longer need the things we thought would bless us with a full life, but for the things that will truly bless us with a full life. An army commander humbled himself before Jesus to ask Him to help one of his servants who was dying. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority,having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.- Luke 10:6-10.
This leader felt so worthless and ashamed of his life that he did not
even want Jesus to step foot in his door, but Jesus saw this mans faith and the man was healed. When we humble ourselves before Jesus, He heals us from all all of our sin and in fact cleanses us. If we want to enjoy a full life, we need to eliminate some things that keep us from truly knowing what it means to allow Christ to be Lord of our lives. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and Iknow how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. -Philippians 4:11-13.
Give a little and you will get a lot, when we allow Christ to be Lord
He becomes our strength and allows us to reach for the true things that give us an abundant, full life not only in heaven, but here on earth as well. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you

good news
Ponder Upon God's Word
The word ponder is defined as to seriously think about something, to meditate upon it. The Bible says, Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his
delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day
and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not
wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
- Psalm 1. As Christians, it is important that we not only read God's
Word, but ponder or meditate upon it. Why? Here is the answer, This
book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. - Joshua 1:8.

So, how do we become prosperous by reading God's Word? The Bible says, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.- Romans 12:2. Pondering God's Word renews our mind so we know the truth about the world and learn that the only prosperous life is a life with God in it. The world thinks that if you hand your life over to God it means that you have to live a dull, boring life. My preacher said something the other night that rang a bell, he was talking about how everyone, including his mother, questioned him when he started going to a Baptist church, they even asked him if he was in a cult because he was going three nights a week. I remember when I started going to church and
got the same response too. If a cult is what it is defined as, a group
sharing belief, then isn't the world a cult as well? Aren't those who
live in the world pondering upon and doing what the world believes in?
It is time to renew our minds by pondering upon God's Word and not on what the worlds sees as acceptable.
Mary was blessed to have been given the privilege to carry the baby
Jesus for God, I often wonder what she thought the whole time, I imagine she often wondered if she were doing the right things. After she gave birth to Jesus and held that little baby in her arms, people were coming from all over to see the miracle that they have been hearing about. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them inthe inn....And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.Luke 2:7,16-19.
Mary pondered over all the things she had been told of herself, not
only by the angel that visited her before she conceived, but over the
things she witnessed. I imagine since she was a witness to the miracles of God, that she was even holding God in her arms, that it did not keep her from pondering what else the Scriptures had to say about her son.
While we can all have faith in God, there is a difference between
someone who has faith and lives by faith. The only way we can live by faith is by hearing His Word. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. - Romans 10:17.
Pondering God's Word keeps us faithful, obedient, and gives us morals,
Jesus did not receive the power of the Holy Spirit inside of Him until
He was thirty years old, so how do you think He remained sinless, He
pondered the Scriptures. At the age of twelve He is found in the Temple,And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it....And when they saw him, they were amazed:
and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?
behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto
them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my
Father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. - Luke 2:42,43,48-52.
There is something awesome beyond words to express in the thought of Jesus as the Creator of all things submitting to earthly parents who were part of His creation, but the Son of God was a submissive son of Mary and Joseph. Although Mary did not understand all Jesus was saying,
she kept His words in her heart. There are times when we may not
understand what God is trying to tell us, but if we keep His sayings in
our heart we will eventually understand when the time is right for Him
to reveal them to us. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. - I John 5:20.
John the Baptist was the forerunner who would lay the foundation of theGospel (preaching repentance) awaiting Christ's ministry. As
it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every
mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?...And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ,or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am
not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. - Luke 3:4-7,15-17.
Why was he known as John the Baptist? The word baptist in this case means someone that baptizes. The scope and design of John's ministry were, to bring the people from their sins, and to the Savior. He came preaching, not a sect, or party, but a profession, the sign or ceremony of repentance was washing with water. Those that profess and promise repentance, must show it by reformation, according to their places and conditions. The Gospel requires mercy, not sacrifice and its design is, to engage us to do all the good we can, and to be just to all men. Not only by doing what we have pondered upon do we increase our faith, but when we are just to all. For
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is
written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. - Galatians 3:10,11. Pondering Upon God's Word helps us to be just and live by our faith in Jesus Christ.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you Ponder Upon God's Word

If Thou Canst Believe
It is hard to believe that God
loves everyone, it does not matter if they believe in Him, reject Him,
or are the worst person on earth, He loves everyone. People of the world will never understand that God loves them and is not out to kill anyone who does not believe in or follow His rules. He does not want to see anyone perish and that is why he sent His Son, Jesus Christ. It does not
matter how bad we are, God willingly accepts the worst sinner who turns to Him and trusts in His Son to save them. The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. - II Peter 3:9

The Gospel of Luke is the forty-second book of the Bible, the third
book of the New Testament, and contains twenty-four chapters. The author of the Gospel is Luke and it was first aimed at reaching the Greeks, whom Jesus is presented as the perfect man. The purpose of this Gospel was to write an orderly account of the ministry of Jesus and to show all followers that He is the Messiah. What we are to learn from the book is that our mission is to be identical to that of Jesus, to reach all of the lost with the good news of the Gospel and to come to the realization that, For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Luke 1:37.
The Holy Spirit singled out Luke, the beloved physician,
to give us this inspired Gospel. The writer of the third Gospel is
called by Paul the beloved physician, he also wrote the book of Acts and was Paul's frequent companion. His devotion to Christ caused him to treasure the words that He spoke, as well as everything that concerned the Savior's life.
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. Luke 1:1-4.
Luke addresses one specific believer, Theophilus, the name Theophilus, meansfollower or beloved of God. So, Luke is writing to all who are beloved followers of God. It other words he is saying, If you love God, I am addressing this to you Luke is recording the things that he witnessed,learned, heard, and perfectly understood while these events took place in order to minister the Gospel for all to believe. He is instructing all believers, so, we are to be witnesses as well. All who have accepted Christ become ministers of the Gospel, however, very few actually go out and witness to people. For
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ. - II Corinthians 4:6.
Before God sent Jesus it was important for Him to send a forerunner, someone sent in advance to announce His coming. Zacharias,
and Elisabeth were up in age so, it seemed that the one thing they
hoped for, a child, would never be given to them. As Zacharias was a
priest and he lighting incense and praying in the Temple, he received a visit from the angel, Gabriel. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And
when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But
the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard;
and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his
name John....And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. - Luke 1:11-13,18-20.
Because Zacharias did not believe that his prayer would be answered God made him mute until the baby was born. You know, most of our prayers remain unanswered because when we pray we do not really believe that we will receive the things we are asking Him for? God wants us to fully trust in Him and believe that He will provide us with the things we are asking Him for If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think thathe shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.James 1:5-8.
Six months after Elisabeth conceived, Mary got a visit from the angel
Gabriel, she would soon be blessed to carry the baby Jesus. Of course,
she was scared and a bit confused, but did not doubt God. “And
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women...And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS....Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.Luke 1:26-28,31, 34-38.
It was important that Jesus be born of a virgin, if He would have been
conceived like any other child He would have been born into sin as all are born with the sinful nature of Adam. This would have made Jesus a sinner like all mankind and, thus, unable to be the sinless substitute for our sins. Wherefore,as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.- Romans 5:12-14.
Mary didn't question that it would be done, but how it was possible since she never knew a man. Gabriel's response, for with God nothing shall be impossible.
Mary willingly accepted the answer and the call that God gave her to
carry His Son. This is a lesson that we all need to hear and get into
our heads, if we want our prayers answered, of we want to be blessed abundantly, we need to stop doubting and start trusting God, for with God nothing shall be impossible.
No matter how bleak things look, God is in control of all things and
all things are possible with God for those who believe. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. - Mark 9:23. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you