Our God Shall Deliver!

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:28-32 NIV

The fate of the nation, as always,  depends upon the Lord's deliverance and that deliverance shall come when we learn to depend upon Him.

There are many things from which we need deliverance.

Some of us need deliverance from online shopping. Every time we see something we think we like, we order and then wonder why we can't save money. And we need to save every dime we can for that rainy day fund--for soon--there will be a deluge of rain and if we have nothing stored against the havoc, we will suffer loss.

Some of us need deliverance from promoting lies. We tend to accept all the latest gossip from various fake news articles as being credible and then without thinking twice, we share on social media accounts or in break rooms, with friends and neighbors and anyone who will listen to us. We become the target of unsavory markets--deliberately snagging personal data when we download information through social media accounts--and they in turn send more lies and many believe them.

Some of us need deliverance from all sorts of addictions--drugs, alcohol, overeating, stealing, lying, and even unsolicited counseling/advice. If we have an addictive spirit--we can become addicted to almost anything because the "thing" becomes our comfort and joy. No addiction can be overcome without changing what we do. I quit smoking by giving up coffee and talking on the phone over 30 years ago. These were habits that led to me lighting a cigarette. The first thing I did (after praying) was to stop buying cigarettes. I couldn't smoke what I didn't have.

In order to break addictive cycles, we must be willing to acknowledge there is a problem, and then "do" something about it. We can stay away from all those things that keep us controlled, but lying and giving unsolicited counseling--we need to change our mindset, think before opening our mouths and realize that the lies we tell--corrupt our reputation and soon no one believes anything we say. The unsolicited counseling/advice is ignored and people tend to avoid us because they know--we tend to think we know what is best for everyone when it actuality, we barely know what's best for ourselves.
Jesus Christ--our redeemer--has given us the ultimate means of deliverance from sin and all other things that we allow to control us--He has delivered us from us--when we allow Holy Spirit to direct our steps in all things. He does not force us or make us do anything, but when we allow Him to direct us and we listen to Him, we can overcome anything that attempts to assail us and keep us from receiving God's best.

God shall deliver us from all things that keep us from receiving His best in our lives--if we call upon Him and believe He will.

I believe that God--who knows all and sees all--will deliver us from any catastrophic events and that includes exposing truth about the election results. I have and will continue to call upon Him and have faith in what He is able to do. I also have faith in all those who love Him, to hear Him when He speaks and obey. I am declaring deliverance--now!

Watch For The Stumbling Blocks!

"If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!" (Matthew 18:6-7 NIV)

Jesus spoke these words to those who were listening to Him, while He walked the earth. He is yet speaking to those who are listening and obeying, warning us to watch out for those who would be stumbling blocks in our path, deliberately setting us up for a fall.

There are many things in this life that may cause people to stumble in their walk with Christ--temptations set before us to strengthen us and reveal our true characters. Are we people of integrity and honor? Do we value the wrong things in life? Are we so high-minded that we are only concerned with self? Are we wafflers--taking the side of anyone we listen to for more than five minutes? When the temptations come--and they will--are we able to withstand the urge to give into the temptation?

Sometimes, we get the wrong ideas about what can tempt us by thinking only about the obvious sin--living in opposition to God's Word--when we are warned that it is the "little foxes that spoil the vine." It is the little things that we allow to creep into our spirits when we think--they are little--that become stumbling blocks.

Let's see how much these little things become stumbling blocks in our lives. We see the last piece of _________ left over from dinner and we decide--no big deal, I'll eat it rather than see it go to waste. And before long, we're eating that last of everything, justifying doing so within ourselves. But then the time comes when we have to see the doctor because our bodies are not functioning the way they should, and we discover we're a hundred pounds overweight, our heart is failing, and we're always out of breath. It was a little thing that snowballed into a big thing.

Some parents allow their children's girlfriends and boyfriends to spend the night when they could easily go home. It's not a big thing--they simply stayed up too late watching a movie or doing homework. When the parents went to bed, the kids were knocked out, but soon someone is knocked up and everyone is blown up with anger and resentment. But it was a little thing that blew up to a big thing.

When Christians say--same sex couples have a right to love and marry who they want--it's a little thing to them because they claim it is an affair of the heart, when really it's all about lust of the flesh. It was a little thing that has now exploded in a big thing as lawmakers attempt to determine when rights are violated and whose rights have priority over another. It is fight over whether the rights of those who believe and adhere to God's Word transcend the rights of those who deliberately oppose God's Word. It is now a matter of good versus evil in every sense of the word, but it was a little thing--ignored and underestimated that has now become a stumbling block for many.

Drugs, alcohol, theft, lying, profanity--might have been little things in the lives of many, but become bigger than life when ignored. Children lying and using profanity is not cute; it's negligence on the part of the parent and so is stealing and allowing kids to experiment with drugs and alcohol. Addictions of any kind may have started as a little thing, but became bigger when ignored. They became stumbling blocks in the lives of people who did not recognize how to steer clear and find another path.

For those who deliberately put stumbling blocks in the path of those who are trying to live righteous lives, the penalty is severe. I cannot imagine the weight of a millstone (2 feet round and half a foot thick) hanging around my neck, holding me under the water until I succumbed to it. Nor do I want to be responsible for encouraging anyone to live in opposition to God's Word.

Therefore, to make sure I am not a stumbling block--interfering with God's plans in a person's life, I simply promote the Gospel, focusing on Him, trying to steer clear of the drama that some see as a little thing, but if ignored, blows up into theatrical performance, worthy of awards for stupidity and a lack of integrity. There is no honor in creating stumbling blocks for others. When we know Him, we should be represent all that He is in everything we do--peacemakers in all things--and not peacebreakers. Watch out for the stumbling blocks that keep success out of reach!

Belivers' Instructions for Daily Living (Part 3)

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-20 NIV)

How many times or how many ways can those of us who know how God  wants us to live say--BE CAREFUL for the enemy is out to destroy you?

When I think about how many times I've heard that phrase or how many times I've said it, I can imagine it has been said more times than anyone could count. We hear it all the time--be careful! We tell children--be careful! We tell parents--be careful! We tell teachers--be careful!  We tell students--be careful! In all walks of life, we're telling people to be careful--of situations, circumstances and certainly the enemy who is a master of deception and the father of liars. We tend to forget that his job is to steal, kill and destroy. And though we are told that angels are encamped around us--we still forget--to be careful.

This admonition to the saints is a standard warning--be careful how you live--especially in front of those who do not know Jesus and yet we proclaim to know Him, but those watching us--wouldn't know it.

We are to be living epistles--read of men--daily and so it is important that they see us as ambassadors for Jesus Christ. They should not see us slipping and sliding out of motels, out of the bars, out of the strip joints, out of the casinos, or any other place we wouldn't want exposed--as being part of our lives.  The drug dens, the whorehouses, the church where anything goes and in the midst of family gatherings that have no clue as to who Jesus is and they certainly won't believe us--if we're not living the life.

Living a life that is pleasing to God is not easy when flesh is always clamoring for the life we used to know. You know, the one in which we did everything to please us-before we knew what God expected of us. Oh yeah, first we have to admit where we were before we can appreciate what being in a relationship with Him really means. In order to please God, we must kill fleshly desires that are not honoring to God. We must put a muzzle over our mouths and guard our tongues. We must pay attention to the music we hear and the movies we watch or the books we read. Why? Because if our lives before Christ could be enticed again--we stand constantly in the need of forgiveness and make His sacrifice pointless. Jesus sacrificed Himself--once--for all who are willing to turn from sin and live according to God's Word.

Every time we allow the enemy to entice us back into the pit from which we have been pulled out--we're saying we need another savior. There is none other than Jesus who saves and we should not make His hanging on the cross a mockery simply because we refuse to discipline our flesh. We can do it--especially when we're not on drunken binge or high from substances that will eventually clog brain cells and kill the body. If we want to get high--we should get high on Jesus--allowing Holy Spirit to fill us and guide our every move and we will have nothing to fear--no diseases, no sickness, no judgment--just thanksgiving to God for all He has done!

(more to come)

He's Doing Amazing Things!

"Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy!" (Psalm 126:3 NLT)

Singing a song of praise for all The Lord has done is as natural to some people as breathing is--when we acknowledge Him.

Throughout the Psalms, we see prayers, songs of contrition, repentance, and praise for all the amazing things He has done for the people He loves.

What I'm reminded of in reading this entire Psalm is that the captivity or bondage of people is a result of willful disobedience on the part of those who are held captive. When we continually ignore God when He speaks through those He has chosen to be a vessel of communication, we reap the consequences of our actions. God has never planned for His people to be held captive, but He allows it when we refuse to turn away from ungodliness and turn back to Him.

And when we turn back to Him, we can reflect upon the time of captivity and understand that even in the state of bondage, He never leaves us, but patiently waits for us to get our act together.

Those who were held in exile rejoiced in returning to their homeland. We, who have been held captive to our fleshly dictates--whatever they are and they are different for different people--can rejoice and sing praises to Him who does all things well for our benefit.

Many are those who were held captive to all sorts of addictions--who lost homes, jobs, family trust--and yet were brought back to a state of total redemption and trust in The Lord for what He allowed them to go through, yet brought them out to His glory.

Many are those who were held captive to their own ideologies when they thought they were based upon sound doctrine, but discovered their faith was in religious affiliation and when they discovered Truth, were turned around and turned to Truth in relationship with God--who loves us so much, He is not willing to see any of us lost or held captive by erroneous beliefs.

Some are held captive to beliefs that their bodies are their own--thinking they can treat them any way they want and still know victory in long life. In spite of illnesses that could have been terminal, God has shown them a different path and now they praise Him with a renewed, energetic outlook of preserving their bodies to His glory.

Yes, our God is truly Amazing--look at how He loves us when we did not love Him. Look at the mercy He bestows upon us when we did not deserve mercy. Look at the favor He has given us with all--even though we did not earn it. He is truly amazing and we praise Him for being our awesome God, doing amazing things for our benefit, when we turn our lives back to living for Him!