As Long As God Is

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NIV

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23 NIV

I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. 2 Corinthians 7:4 NIV

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. Psalm 37:3-13 NIV

This day and every day, we need reminding that as long as God is still on the throne, we can trust Him to keep His promises and we have no need to fear man. And while we have no need to fear man, we do need to be watchmen and warn others of the impending dangers. That is the role of the watchman and everyone who proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord--is a watchman.

The Lord has encouraged my heart and reminded me that as long as I hear Him and obey, He will continue to bless me. Therefore, this morning after I woke up and before I got out of bed, I heard Him say, As Long As He Is...we can make it.

As long as God is the authority in our lives, we have no need to fear what man or woman should say or do.

As long as God is the Alpha and Omega in our lives, we have no need for mere man to guide us in anything.

As long as God is the light we see in the midst of darkness, our hope shall overcome anything the wicked attempt to do.

As long as God is the answer to every question, we shall continue to encourage one another in His love.

As long as God is hope of glory in the heart of every Believer, we have no need for anyone to control us or have any authority in our lives.

As long as God is the only self-existing, self-sufficient One in our lives, we have no need to depend on others who are dependent upon Him.

As long as God is the voice of reason to which we hear and obey, we shall not fear what the enemy does for our reward for living according to God's Word is secure with Him.

As long as God Is, we have no need to depend upon the voices of others that waver and promote fear instead of love.

Though there may be clouds in our lives and darkness attempts to shut out the light, when we know our relationship with Jesus Christ is what it should be, we will survive and thrive, watching how God shows Himself so all will see.  He is the light in the midst of darkness; He is our hope and as long as we know, we are strengthened by His joy in us, we can make it!

As long as God Is not a man we know will never lie to us or mislead us, we can rest--assured of His love and His faithfulness.

As long as God is the Great Shepherd in our lives, we can trust Him and have no need for those who won't do as He does.

Throughout the Bible, we are reminded of His love for us, His faithfulness to us, and His mercy and grace that are poured out upon us, daily! If we are more dependent upon His Word and a right relationship with Him, He will keep us from being misled by the words and works of the enemy.

We know He is love and will only promote love.

We know He is light and will not attempt to hide who He is in darkness or dark ways.

We know He is truth and cannot lie.

And we know that there is no other name by which we can be saved-- other than Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Redemption

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.  They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:1-9 NIV

Who will do all things for us when we cannot do for ourselves?
The Lord--mighty and loving in all His ways,
Never ceases to counsel, guide and forgive us,
Never willing to let us be defeated by thought or deed,
Always whispering truth and filling our hearts with love,
We have been redeemed through His Son from above.

Giving thanks to The Lord for all He has done and is doing in the lives of all who love Him. For I know that without Him in our lives, we would not be able to accomplish anything worthwhile. And though the immediate future seems uncertain and dark, my complete faith and trust is in Him, not man or woman--for I know whoever is willing to hear Him speak will obey and do all things to His glory.

The glory of The Lord covers us like a veil when we are walking the path He establishes for us and when we stray--even for a moment--we can count on His loving arms to pull us back--so nothing the enemy plans for us will ever prosper.

No, there is not one perfect human being among us, but even though we are flawed, when we are willing to obey His Word and live it on a daily basis as a demonstration of who He is and not who we are, we remain in the shelter of His love.

There is none like Him--none who carries our burdens when we give them to Him; none who loves us even when we are unlovable and none who forgives us for our waywardness, giving us chance after chance to get things right with Him.

If we have never received His love, now would be a good time--to turn to Him and away from all those things that keep us from receiving His many benefits. When we are filled with His love, we don't have room for hate in our hearts. When we are filled with His love, compassion for others drives us to do whatever we can to help our neighbors and others in need. When we are filled with His love, we do not seek fame and glory or recognition for the things we do for we know whatever we do--He sees and rewards.

There is no need for us to wallow in self-pity or fear or unbelief. We simply need to be reminded that we have a Savior and Redeemer and His name is Jesus. Let the Redeemed of the Lord, say so! I am redeemed!

Humility!

The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. Proverbs 15:33 KJV

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. Proverbs 18:12 KJV

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 NIV

By definition--humility is not an act--an attempt to fool others, but it is the essence of sincerity demonstrated by what we say or do. Per the dictionary--"the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc."

When we are truly sincere--saying or doing--from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks--and we don't have to tell anyone, we are being sincere, they'll know it by what they see or hear.

Solomon reminds us that when we have reverential fear--respect--of The Lord, we receive instruction from Him because He is the only wise person and then when act upon the instructions given, we do not need to boast of anything--bringing attention to ourselves, but we always point people in the direction of Him and He then allows to be honored by mankind. Solomon also tells us that when a person experiences destruction (defeat) it is because of their haughty heart--arrogance in their thinking themselves superior to others. This is especially true of those who think they are a "savior" and promote themselves as such, saying things like, "I'm the only one who can fix all the wrong in the world."

There is only one Savior and His job has already been completed on the cross. But He has given us power to do all things well through Him. When we acknowledge that it is His grace, mercy and goodness that guided us in all we do that honors Him, He honors us with favor from all we meet. Walking in God's favor, without drawing attention to self, is the greatest knowledge in the world to me--and I know--without living to please Him, I cannot walk in His favor.

How does God honor us? I cannot speak for others, but I can certainly speak to what He's done for me. I have obtained jobs--positions for which I did not meet the criteria--initially--but His favor was showered upon me and not only did I get the jobs, but I learned quickly and was promoted into other positions. Instead of bragging about me, I expressed an interest in the job and learning all I could to be a benefit to the place where I worked. At one job, because of my ability to get things done, within the my first year of being with the company, a promotional position was created--just for me--in order for them to adjust my salary based upon my worth to them (so my boss at that time said). That's God's favor--not my ability. All I did was what I knew to do.

When we truly humble--we don't need to broadcast, "I mean it sincerely, believe me", rant or rave in order to get attention. God already knows our heart and when we honor Him in what we say and do, He honors us with His favor. We don't have to beg for it or pray for it--He simply gives.

Humility--is also not a "tone of voice" especially when the words we speak have not changed their tone. We can whisper hateful, spiteful words and that is not a show of humility. True humility considers the words before they are spoken, before they hit the airwaves and are mindful of those who are going to hear them. We can shout our praise for God and demonstrate humility because it's not about us, but about Him.

Understanding who He is and all He has done for us, ignites humility in all who love Him because our desire is to please Him and not ourselves.

But Jesus!

I've faltered at many intersections
Shaking my head, wondering why
Some seem to get all the breaks
And some--just never get any.

Continuing on this journey in life
Making wrong turns, taking bad advice,
Wondering when the nightmare will end
And I can see clearly the road that I take.

I'm no different from anyone else,
Like them, I've made my share of mistakes--
Some that could have cost me my life,
Some that could have ended another's
While I foolishly rebelled, doing everything wrong,
But Jesus--came into my life--and chased away
The Blues, forgiving all my wrongs, giving me a new song,
One that I sing, when I rise,  and all through the day,
I have a Savior, Who loves me in spite of me,
And I'm grateful For His Intervention, showing me The Way!

If you're like I once was, here's a bit of advice,
Don't let the enemy cheat you out of receiving God's Best
By falling for his deceptions and listening to his lies,
God's love for you began before you were and like me,
One day  soon You'll be able to say, "But Jesus!"

No Shame In Our Game!

"Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character hope. And hope does put us to shame, because Gods' love has been poured out into our hearts through Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:1-5 NIV)

How are we justified and don't have to be ashamed? Our faith in the work on cross brings us into a place of redemption and relationship with Christ when we believe and accept His death was for our benefit. Since He hung on the cross, after being beaten for the sins of the world, we are forgiven and have no need to be ashamed of our past lives--before knowing Him--and have every reason to have hope in our present lives and for our future--as long as we don't turn back to those things that kept us out of relationship with God.

Whenever I get a chance to witness to people--wherever that might be--I make a distinction in my life's timeline--my time earth on earth. I had my BC time--before knowing Christ and how He expects me to live and my AC time--after knowing and understanding the work on the cross and receiving His love. I know without a doubt in my heart that if I had been the only person on the planet, He would have died for me and understanding that kind of love, fills me with desire to please Him, not people. Receiving His love and repenting from all that I had done, puts me in a position to live as if I had never sinned. How do I know? Because He tosses our sins into the sea of forgetfulness. If He's not going to remind us of where we were, we shouldn't allow anyone else to bring up past mistakes, either.

Now, in my AC time--I am yet being perfected--I have not arrived at perfection, but I'm allowing Holy Spirit to correct me daily. And this is the difference between those who know God and are in relationship with Him and those who know about God and keep doing the same "irreverent things" day after day. I know in my heart that if people really know God and have developed a relationship with Him, there are things they would no longer desire to do, since God's love--filled to overflowing ignites desires in us to love and please Him.

When we know who we are in Him and know what we have in Him--eternal life--we have no need to be ashamed and we can walk with our heads held high, not concerned with those who want to put our lives under a microscope to see what ugliness they can discover. They may discover our ugliness--that ugliness that existed in our BC time, but in our AC time--it means absolutely nothing. However, if they have never accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, their ugliness--no matter how perfect they think they are--remains for all to see because it has never been tossed into the sea of forgetfulness.

We cannot allow people--especially those who have never known our Savior--to keep us bondage to our pasts. They have no right to do so and we have no reason to be ashamed of who we have become in Christ Jesus. So, whenever anyone tries to make us ashamed of our pasts--we can look them straight in the face, holding their eyes fastened with faith in Him and declare--"There's no shame in my game since I am still under construction!"

A question arises for them to consider: "What's your excuse?"

The Reality of Religion!

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither is circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation." (Galatians 6:14,15 NIV)

In response to questions raised by the church in Galatia, Paul attempts to convince those who are manipulating others into being circumcised as a means of keeping the law to stop. He reminds them that those who are circumcised don't keep the law and therefore the law is pointless if it is simply a ritual.

There are many people today who try to impress others with their "religiosity" by one means or another. For some, it's who their pastor is, for others it's how often they take communion, and still others who think we are impressed by the denominational banner under which they worship.

If we could ever get beyond the rituals and get into the Relationship, the world would view Believers differently. Unfortunately, we're too busy trying to make sure we keep up with the rituals and because the rituals are divisive, we lose opportunities to witness to others about the work on the cross and God's love for all mankind.

It doesn't what position a person is in when they pray as long as they pray--sincere communication with God, not just murmuring scripted words led by others. I've never understood why anyone thinks a scripted prayer, written by another mortal would be more effective than sincere communication with God.

It doesn't matter what day we use to observe our relationship with God--there are seven days in a week and Jesus said He was Lord of the Sabbath--which means any day we choose to worship, is all right with Him. The reality is--everyday should be a day of worship.

It doesn't matter when we participate in communion or who serves it. Smith Wigglesworth served himself communion on a daily basis and he's considered one of the most revered men of faith. Whether we use wine or grape juice or water or any other liquid--the symbolism is important--not the elements used.

The reality of religion is that most leave out relationship in favor of rituals--that won't change a thing in our lives. Rituals don't deliver, heal, comfort, or guide. They are simply outward expressions devised by mortals to control others and to ridicule those who won't or don't participate.

There are no superior religions or religious groups of people. We are all in need of a Savior and unless we see Jesus as our Savior and accept the work on the cross, the rituals are a waste of time and effort.

So, whether we pray once a day or ten times a day--if we have no relationship with God--we have wasted our time. It is being in relationship with God that motivates our behavior and ignites our promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we are not promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of our religiosity--we are simply being religious and are ineffective witnesses of His Goodness.

It's time for a change--let's shed the rituals for right relationship with God and see the world come to know Him, through us!

Encourage One Another With These Words!

"According to the Lord's Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words." (I Thessalonians 4:15-18 NIV)

On a subject that not many care to discuss, but should--death. There is one reality that all must face--we are born to die, unless the Lord returns before that event occurs. However, though there is a physical death, we can look forward to rising upon His return so that we will be with Him forever.

On a secular scale--most people simply see death as a natural occurrence--and it is. But for those of us who are living a Spirit-filled life, we know that physical death is simply part of the transition to getting into heaven.

For those who are truly Believers, death should never frighten us; especially if we have lived our lives to please God. While there are those around us who are dying daily, from sickness and disease, and we're praying--we should be mindful that when a person dies who has suffered pain and anguish, death is also a form of healing for when they are gone--their suffering ends. 

And while we miss loved ones who go before us--if they knew the Lord, we can be thankful that they, too shall reign with Him when He makes His glorious return.

For this reason--so all will rise at the sound of the trumpet and command--Believers should be a witness of God's mercy and grace, telling all they can the Good News about the work on the Cross. When we become saved--our job is just beginning--for the Lord would have all men to be saved and once we have accepted the sacrifice Jesus made for us and are living for Him, we should want everyone we know to know the Savior who loves us. And we should keep telling the good news until we reach the stage of our own transition.

Therefore, death as a conformity of life--should not be feared, nor should we spend time grieving over much for those who have made the transition, but we should rejoice in the knowledge that one day--they shall rise and reign with us, all with The Lord. Though our hearts may hurt for a time, our spirits should soar and heal the hurt--remembering all the good things and continuing to spread the Gospel until we are finished with earthly works.

While we yet have time to do so--and we must make the most of every hour we have--we need to share the love of God and encourage all to Believe in our Risen Savior so we won't have to be sad when they depart this earthly realm. We encourage others to get into The Word of God, develop a relationship with Him, and know that when we're gone--they will seek The Lord for comfort and be assured of our rising from the dead upon His return--before all who are left alive--whose hearts belong to Jesus.

Therefore, when we experience consoling someone who has lost a loved one or even if we lose a loved one, encourage all with these words--their end is not The End--if they know The Lord.

Giving God His Rightful Place In Our Lives!

LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1 NIV)

When we honor God, by recognizing who He is in our lives and praise Him for it, He honors His Word to us. When the prophet was speaking to God, he acknowledged God's authority over his life and deliberately exalted Him and praised for others to hear, proclaiming His faithfulness in all things.

When we call Him, "Lord" we are acknowledging the authority we have given Him over our lives--as defined by the use of the word at the time King James authorized that translation. Lords of the land, governed and provided for those who lived on the land. Since God is our provider, and we have given Him authority over our lives, He is rightly declared--Lord.

We exalt Him--lift Him up and declare all of His wonderful works--His provisions and the miracles He works in our lives. No one else deserves the praise for what He does--He inspires, He corrects, He motivates, He pours into His wisdom, He gives us favor with men, He never leaves us alone and His Word is true for He is not a man that He should lie or change His mind.

His faithfulness towards is enduring--everlasting and without measure. All He said He would do, He does--in His timing, not ours. All of His plans, decided before we were born, will be brought to pass when we hear Him and obey. For He has said, through the prophet Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and give you a future."

His plans--will be fulfilled--when we seek Him first--before doing anything, hear and obey. Whenever we're not sure of what we should be doing, we need to ask Him. And we need not be afraid to approach Him boldly because He has given us permission to do so and when we do as He desires, He knows He can trust us to do what He wants us to do.

We serve an awesome God, who only wants the best for us and He's waiting for us to turn to Him and trust Him, implicitly. Can we give Him His rightful place as Lord of our lives and trust Him to provide--not only everything we need, but also to give us the desires of our hearts when we please Him?

He's waiting with open arms to receive us as His own. Why are waiting to give Him what is rightfully His--Lordship over our lives and praise for all He has done and will do?

If we have yet to make that decision--to give Him His rightful place--Lord of our lives, today is a good day to make that decision. Reading beyond the first verse of this chapter, we understand that even the destruction of lands who ignore Him or won't obey Him is part of His plans for disobedience. Today is the day--don't wait another moment--accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and know where you'll spend eternity.

Nations Judged By a Risen Savior!

"Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence." (Psalm 9:19 NIV)

"Arise, Arise, Arise Oh Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered."

The words are included in a song of praise, acknowledging that when God reigns over a situation, men won't triumph and all the nations will see the downfall of all those who are opposed to God. This was true when David wrote it and it is still true today.

Many times we attempt to fight a battle that is not even our battle to fight. The battle in deed is the Lord's over much of what is occurring in recent events. Since the beginning of time when man made choices, God has not allowed any nation to remain a power to be reckoned with when they oppose God.

Such is the fate of our nation--we are doomed to be ruled by others--who don't know God, because of our disobedience and apathy. We who know Him, not just about Him, have failed to promote a flawless Gospel because of a perfect Savior because who choose to allow flesh to rule and not His Spirit.

How many years passed between the last prophet who heard from God and the appearance of Jesus? We have determined a fate that is similar to those who were ruled by godlessness because we refused to speak up and promote righteousness in the face of God's enemy--for it is Satan who has influenced the minds of all who promote living in opposition to God's Word.

Take heart! God hears the prayers of the righteous--those who are determined to live for Him. Even the world will change, His love towards those who truly love Him, will never change and His mercy endures forever. Let everyone who knows the power of prayer and the provision of our Risen Savior arise and say so!

God's not dead--He is yet alive and He is the same today as He was in yester-years and all those who mock Him will see Him and His majesty in the power given to all who will hear Him. 

Those who didn't know Him, mocked Him then and they are no longer, neither are there any descendants of those who promoted evil. What He has done before, He will do again and all the world will see--the enemy defeated and thrown into the lake of fire with all those who followed him.

Thank You, Lord for being a refuge for those who love and know You, determined to live life that is pleasing to You.

Trusting In The Name!

"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you." (Psalm 9:10 NLT)

You are the great I Am,
The Mighty Counselor
Rose of Sharon
Lily of the Valley
Jehovah-Jireh, our provider
Jehovah-Rapha, our healer
Jehovah-Nissi, our banner
Jehovah-Elohim,Our Lord, God
Jehovah-Adonai, Lord of Lords
El-Elyon, Most High God
Jehovah-Roi, Our Shepherd,
El-Roi, The God who watches over us
Jehovah-Shalom, Our Peace,
Jehovah-Tsidkenu, Our Righteousness,
El-Shaddai, God All Mighty,
Prince of Peace, Our Deliverer and Savior,
You are everything we need,
Known by many names, but yet the same God,
Who created all things, without You, Nothing could exist,
And we will trust in the name of our God!

The relationship--has to be personal--not distant or disconnected--we have to know who He is our lives and trust Him to be Him and do what He does, best--for all of us!

Message For The Times!

“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth." (Revelation 2:14-16 NLT)

The simple, but powerful message--used by John, the baptist (one who baptized, not the denomination), spoken to John, the Disciple whom Jesus loved, and should be used by Believers all over the land--REPENT!

We hear all sorts of "feel-good" messages from various preachers of The Word. We hear prosperity messages (which some have rejected), we hear messages for healing (always appropriate), we hear messages of deliverance (again, appropriate), we hear messages of forgiveness (we should forgive since we have been forgiven) and we hear messages about the power of prayer (there is power in prayer), but what we seldom hear is a message that deals with repentance--turning away from sin and turning to God--and this is why the world is in the shape it is.

John's message before the appearance of Christ--REPENT and be baptized for the remission of sin.
God's response to our needs--because He loves us so much--He came down from heaven, in the likeness of sinful flesh, tempted by all man could be tempted, and chose to be raised upon a cross for our sins though He never committed a sin.

Our response to God has been--negligible at best--we come to an altar, sorry for our sins (sorry we got caught), and ask Him to forgive us--and as soon as we get out of the church, away from the altar and those who were praying for us--turn back to our sinful lifestyles, like a dog returning to its own vomit--absolutely sickening.

The real problem is that not many--who are preaching--understand the need to teach REPENTANCE and what it really means. To repent is more than to say, "I'm sorry, Lord forgive me." True repentance is an acknowledgment that we have sinned, we need Him in our lives to help us to remain sin-free, and give our lives over to Him to keep us from sin--turning completely to Him--away from sin.

When we say we allow Jesus to be our Lord and Savior--what we should mean (and some don't know), is that we give Him complete control over what we do and say--we submit to His Lordship. Accepting the work on the cross is acceptance of His being our Savior--saving us from ourselves. This is the first step on the journey to living a life that glorifies God and puts us in position "to receive" all His many benefits--prosperity, longevity, good health, etc. REPENTANCE--comes first--then we receive the rewards from pleasing Him--not the other way around.

It is time for us--all of us--who believe and agree with God--to preach the message for this time--REPENT!

Standing In Right Relationship!

"The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble" (Psalm 37:38 NIV).

Many who come to know,
God in His infinite wisdom,
And learn how to show,
Others, they stand for what He says,
Rather than flicker back and forth,
Never knowing how to be a stable light,
Diminishing the dark, always ready to fight
The good fight of faith, head held high
When walking and voice strong when talking
About the goodness and mercy of The Lord.
Winning the battle without use of sword,
Made by hands, but by love and the Word
Of God which remains for all time,
No matter what man does or doesn't do,
God's Word will stand, His name remains
On the lips of all who know and love
Him and others, right or wrong. We are
Made strong in Him when we are weak in our
Own strength and we can defeat the enemy
With love and obedience to Him who created
All things and without Him nothing was
Or will be established in the earth, For it is
Through Him, we obtain our worth, winning
Souls, keeping them from the fiery hell that
Satan has planned for mankind since he dwells
In the hearts of all who choose to disobey,
And rebel against the All-knowing Savior,
Who came to save those who were lost, but
Now has given each of us a job to do,
And we must be about Our Father's business,
Making sure sinners know without Him they
Have no hope, but with Him all things are possible
When we stand in right relationship with God!
Standing Up For All God Says--Doing Things His Way,
Loving all--Him first, each and every day, My Commitment
To Him and all of His children so we can enjoy eternity together!

Proclaiming His Name!

"For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God!" (Deuteronomy 32:3 NASB)

What's in a name? The power to pre-destine one's fate or not!

Many people give their children all sorts of names without thought as to how that name may play a part on the child's future. Throughout the bible, we see specific names given to people because the names actually meant something specific. That is certainly true for the name of our God.

Without getting into a list of all names by which He is known for all He does, I'll just briefly discuss--the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord--one who takes responsibility for others--who actually determines what they do and how they do it.

Jesus--The name above all names and by which every knee shall bow before the end of this journey called life.The name by which people can be healed and delivered. The name by which we are assured all of our prayers are heard and answered.

Christ--the Savior of mankind, the One who was obedient unto death so we could have life and that more abundantly.

So, what's in a name? Lordship--giving Him control over all we do and say, Advocate and Mediator between us and the Father who is the One who determines all things, and the Savior of our souls.
Jesus--The Word--God who came down to earth in the likeness of man to prove to us that we can live in obedience and reap the rewards of obedience. God wrapped Himself in flesh and demonstrated the importance of blood-flow and blood-covenant and willingly gave Himself for us--a disobedient, rebellious people who have yet to understand His greatness, and He loves us anyway.

Jesus is Lord of all and He only is worthy of our praise and glory as He is One with the Father. Hallelujah! For the King of Kings and Lord of Lords--our Risen Savior--who gives us victory in every area of our lives when we are obedient.

Because of Him--we are saved, healed, delivered, victorious, on our way to our mansion, living an abundant life with all of our needs met and successful with everything we do. Glory to God in the Highest! There is none like Him, no other name by which man can be saved from himself! What an awesome God!

And though there are many other gods people worship, there is only One who created all that was ever created and without Him, nothing was created.

The only Wise God who knows all things from the beginning to the end; He knows our thoughts before we do and loves us so much, He sent His Spirit back to earth to guide, comfort, and counsel us at all times. No one can love us like Him! And no other god can do what He does! Our God is awesome! He can move mountains on our behalf and reestablish valleys without anyone's permission and do all things well. Praise The name of Our Lord!

Wipe-Out!

“I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud, And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it!  Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;  Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,  O forest, and every tree in it; For the LORD has redeemed Jacob  And in Israel He shows forth His glory." (Isaiah 44:22-24 NASB)

We have been redeemed--our sins wiped-out--(when we repent)--our broken connection with God restored with the work on the cross by Christ Jesus! God has shown His unfailing, enduring love for us in all that He has done for us. What are we doing to show Him our love for Him?

We must forgive as we have been forgiven. We must love as we have been loved. We are not loved because we are so perfect, but because of our imperfections and need of a Savior.

As the Lord has wiped out those things we have done--we have to wipe-out those things that others have done to us--forgive and move on, understanding that all of us are in need of improvement and restoration so we learn to please God, not man.

All of the heavens and earth understand the move of God in our lives to restore us to a right relationship with Him. Why are we waiting? Our Redeemer lives and has wiped out our transgressions with one swoop of humility on the cross--that's love and we should receive it and enjoy the everlasting love of God and do all we can to bring others into the knowledge of God so they too--can be restored.

Lord Jesus, help us to see beyond the faults of others just as You saw beyond our faults, loved us any way, and wiped out our sins, bringing us back into right relationship with the Father.

In The World, Not Of The World!

“For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.

Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

“But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

“They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

“And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17: 8-21 NKJV).

The true Lord's Prayer--the prayer that Jesus prayed in the garden just before He was arrested, says all that needs to be said about those living "in this world, but are not of this world."

Be encouraged to stay in the faith and walk in God's Truth (His Word), no matter what people of the world may say or do. When we have a relationship with God, we know we have His Truth and nothing the world does can persuade us to think otherwise.

Have a wonderful season celebrating the birth of our Savior and it is--all about Him!

Call Upon The Lord!

"I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies" (Psalm 18:3).

Is there anyone like our God?
Is there anyone else who can reach out to us from the heavens and touch our hearts and lives?
Is there anyone else who can provide us with all we need?
Is there anyone else who can save us from ourselves?
Is there anyone else who can save us from our enemies?
Is there anyone else who can keep our feet on the paths He has established to secure our future?
Is there anyone else who can alert us to dangers--seen and unseen--and provide a way of escape?
Is there anyone else who is willing to give up their seat in glory and come down to earth to save mankind?
Is there anyone else who loves us in spite of our shortcomings and forgives us when we confess our sins?
Is there anyone else we can call upon 24/7, 365 days of the year and know He will hear us?
Is there anyone else who will give us chance after chance after chance to get living right for Him?
Is there anyone--like our God in all the earth?

There is none like The Lord, Our God in all the earth; nobody greater, nobody wiser, nobody better than Him!

And when we face challenges that are too great for us to handle alone, call upon The Lord--and He will be right there!

We Used To Do!

Reading for today, Colossians 3:4-10, I am reminded of the things that I used to do.  Paul tells the Church at Colosse that when Christ appears, we will appear with Him in glory (raised with a glorified body), but he also reminds them of the things they used to do and should not still be doing because of the new self created in Christ.

The point of this passage of scripture is simply this:  We have a past--used to do some things that were ungodly, illegal, immoral, and unethical.  We used to lie, hold onto anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. But that was then--when we did not know we had a Savior who loved us enough to die for us.  Now that we know, who He is and who we are in Him, none of those things we used to do (in opposition to God and self) should be a part of our new nature. If they are, are we really a new creation or have we just taken up a facade (external attributes), but our thought-life, our inner nature, has not changed?

God knows those who are His and if we are attempting to fool anyone; the only person we fool is ourselves.  When the enemy plants thoughts in our minds, remind him--"I used to do those things, but they are no longer part of my life!"

Now, we can start doing some new things--those things that will glorify God--and assure us of our new nature and then we can look the enemy in the face and say, "Look at me now and see what I am doing right now!" We can defeat the power of the enemy, by not dwelling on the things we used to do, but preparing to do all that God has planned for us! 

When cloudy days or thoughts interfere with what you need to do--now, just remember those clouds will go away, when we think brighter thoughts.