"Our Choices Have Consequences!" (With Videos - One On the Bible's "Mark of The Beast") - Inspirational Weekend

 

When we are young, we tend to often act without thinking things through first.  Sadly, that is also true at times when we become mature adults.  Part of that is the result of acting immediately on feelings (such as hurt or anger), without realizing or even caring that what we do or say may affect others, as well as ourselves, adversely -  if not at the present time, then further down the road in our unknown future.

Take, for instance, the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden.   We all know the bad choice they made -  disobeying God, big time!  Their disobedience not only affected themselves, but all of mankind right up until our present time!   They introduced sin into what was once a perfect paradise, and look where we are now.  

But God!

The loving heavenly Father made a way for humans to be reconciled to Him - through the sacrificial and redeeming death of His Son, Jesus, who paid our sin debt for us - so that by faith in Him as the Savior, we may have life everlasting and forgiveness for our sins !  What love and mercy in God's heart for mankind!

Following is a 15 minute video on the subject of how our choices have consequences -  even of "monumental proportions"!

One important thought brought out in the above video :  besides Adam and Eve playing the "blame game" -  is the following thought:  There will be a Judgment Day!  Man was created as a spiritual being, and that spirit can never be destroyed.  Therefore, any punishment a person will have to endure will be a lasting one - never ending.

But if you are a born again believer (by a spiritual birth from above) ; if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior and have repented of your sins and sincerely pray for forgiveness, you have a wonderful hope of future bliss in heaven when you die!  God is love, and He forgives abundantly!  

(Verses on Salvation to follow).

Another recent Christian video follows with information on the "mark of the beast" of the Bible book of Revelation.  One thing to note:  "It is all about the battle of who to worship!"  The following 15 minute video tells us that even with the mark of the beast, the issue is all about "who" to worship.  If one takes the mark of the beast during the 7 year Tribulation, that person shows he directs his allegiance to and worship to the antichrist.  

Remember, the devil tempted Jesus Himself to worship him!

"Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and said unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.   Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him."  -  Matthew 4:8-11

We Christians, true believers in the Savior, must follow Jesus' example !  Rebuke the devil!  Do not listen to that deceiver's lies !  The devil will lie to you through other people -  be cautious and discerning!  Beware of anyone who constantly lies and deceives.

That is one reason to be constantly in prayer and in the reading and studying of God's Holy Word, the Bible !  It will give you strength and discernment.  But most importantly, it will draw you closer to the good Lord !  When you communicate almost non-stop with God and Jesus, you will feel His presence and guidance and understand better what His will is, not only for you personally, but for mankind in general.   The blessedness of fellowship with the Lord (and He does desire our fellowship) is that you will have a personal, close, intimate, loving, trusting, and lasting relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ!   How awesome is that!  It is the heavenly Father's will that we do so!

Here is a partial quote from A.W. Tozer: "Do not try to short-circuit God's plans for your discipleship and spiritual maturity here.  If you and I were prepared for heaven in the moment of our conversion, God would have taken us home instantly!.  .......   God can be known only as He reveals Himself!  I have found this to be a fact: every redeemed human being needs the humility of spirit that can only be brought about by the manifest Presence of God.  This mysterious yet gracious Presence is the air of life eternal.  It is the music of existence, the poetry of the Christian life.  It is the beauty and wonder of being one of Christ's own -  a sinner born again, regenerated, created anew to bring glory to God!  To live surrounded by this sense of God is not only beautiful and desirable, but it is imperative!" - end

What Tozer said above about God revealing Himself:  God does this through the Bible, events in your life and in the heavens, through other godly people, and the list goes on.  But for this to be so, you need to be in communion with the good Lord often to hear Him "speak" and for Him to "reveal" Himself to you and your heart and soul.  

Pray without ceasing!

Constantly pour over His holy word!

Have faith and believe!

"He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him."   -  Jesus at John 14:21

Also, at John 14:23 =  "Jesus  answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

"All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."     -  John 6:37

"Excuses are the cradle that satan rocks men off to sleep in."  -  unknown

"Because where we put our hope and what we put our hope in will truly determine how we live."  -  Peter Eide

"Satan can climb housetops, and enter closets, and even if we could shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions are enough to work our ruin unless grace prevent."  -  Charles Spurgeon

"God wants full custody, not just weekend visits."  - unknown

"A prayerless spirit has no affinity for a clean heart.  Prayer and a pure heart go hand in hand.  Purity of heart follows praying, while prayer is the natural, spontaneous outflowing of a heart made clean by the blood of Jesus Christ."  -   E.M. Bounds

Following are Salvation Scriptures for those reading this article that may not be saved; or for those who are in doubt of their salvation.   By the way, doubt of your salvation is a trick of the devil to bring you down, for the most part.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."  Romans 8:16   

"For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."  -  Galatians 3:26

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."  -   John 3:36

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."    -  John 3:3

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me,"    -  John 14:6

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -   John 3:16

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend  -  and life !

Be Joyful ! The End Is Near ! - Videos With Billy Crone And Brent Miller, Sr.

But, you may wonder, how can we be joyful if the end is near?  For true believers, that is easy to answer: soon we will be forever with the Lord Jesus Christ !!   What a glorious day that will be ! and for all of eternity as well.  

Following is a 14 minute video from prophecywatchers.com  which features pastor Billy Crone.  His enthusiasm and joy are contagious and he focuses on "a bright and awesome future !"

He discusses how most people today live like this world is all there is.   That should not be true of believers !  If we read the Bible daily and pray daily and the Holy Spirit is within us (as it should be if we have truly been converted), then we will realize that the return of Jesus for His followers could be any day now.  We will long to be with Him for all eternity in our true home, which is far better than this wicked and corrupt earth !

"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 21:4

1 John 2:15-17 tells us:  (15) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  (17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth  for ever."

This system of things has an expiration date !!  Don't get so caught up in this world system and its pleasures that you expire with it !  Put your faith and hope in Jesus and surrender all to Him, before it is too late!

Here is another recent video from prophecywatchers.com  featuring Brent Miller, Sr.  He speaks about two of his videos, and also about signs of the end times, and how they are all beginning to converge at one time right now. This video is almost 29 minutes in length and features two trailers of two of his videos.  Mr. Miller and Gary Stearman discuss how you can reach the unsaved by making them aware of Bible prophecy.  They also discuss the prophetic significance of Israel becoming a nation in 1948 and how this year marks its 70th anniversary of its being a nation again.  Keep in mind that Israel is God's prophetic time clock!  He is still dealing with Israel, and the Tribulation period is to bring the Jewish people to repent and recognize and accept that Jesus is the Messiah.

I pray that you take the time to view both of these videos.  We need to be aware of the prophetic significance of our times right now.  If you are a Christian, you can bring Bible prophecy to light in the heart of unbelieving family members or friends if you are aware of how current events are now leading up to the Rapture of the Church and also the future 7 year Tribulation period.   Use Bible prophecy as a witnessing tool. 

If you are not a believer,  these videos will impress upon you the urgency of the times and that now is the time to give your life in total surrender to the Lord before it is too late to do so.  You need to regret your sins, totally repent of them, and ask the Lord to forgive you.  It needs to be a heartfelt repentance, and not just a head knowledge that it seems to be the proper thing to do;  not just an intellectual reasoning in your mind.   A true regret for your sins and a burning desire to live for the Lord is what is required of you.  But the main thing, as well as all that, is to have a belief in Jesus as the Savior, and to believe in His resurrection.


Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us:  (9) "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. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  -  John 17:3

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -  John 3:16

"Faith And Prayer Work Together" (Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."   -  Mark 11:22-24

I could end this post right now, for those words spoken above by Jesus say it all.   Faith and prayer go hand in hand; they work together.  

The Lord plainly explained that faith held the secret to having your prayers answered.

I am reminded of the account in Matthew 17:14-21 about how the disciples of Jesus could not cast out the demon from the lunatic son.  When the disciples asked Jesus why they failed, Jesus told them in Matthew 17:20 that it was because of their unbelief, and in verse 21, the Lord said, concerning the demon, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."  Evidently, the disciples had not been nourishing their faith;  they had not been in prayer (and they did not fast) so their trust and their efforts completely failed.   They did not have the power because they did not have a strong faith.

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."   -  Matthew 21:22

You need to believe.  You need to have faith.  So then when you pray, your prayers will be answered.   But remember, you need to be specific when you pray.   Also keep in mind that prayer is, in many ways, dependent upon the Word of God.  God's Holy Word becomes the reason and the inspiration of our prayers.

"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."   -  John 15:7

Hebrews 11:1 tells us,  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."     

Faith is believing that God will make a way where there is no way.  Following is an encouraging and up-lifting song of faith by Don Moen titled "God Will Make A Way":

"The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith.  The two are at opposite sides of the same coin."  -  A.W. Tozer

"If you find your life of prayer to be always so short, and so easy, and so spiritual, as to be without cost and strain and sweat to you, you may depend on it, you have not yet begun to pray."  -  Alexander Whyte

The good Lord wants to fellowship with us.  He loves us and desires to commune with us.   That word "commune" means with intensity, with passion, and with intimacy.  Our prayers should reflect that kind of intensity and intimacy;  I can picture that God cares not for many so-called "Ho-Hum" prayers that have no feeling and no depth.  Remember He is God Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign of the universe.   Show Him honor and respect, and be in awe of Him when you pray and worship.  You can do nothing without Him;  your very life depends upon His grace and love.  Give God the honor and the glory He deserves and expects.

Following are two short videos (around 16 minutes each) reciting from the works of Andrew Murray.  The first one is about the source of the power in prayer:

The next discourse by Andrew Murray concerns Faith:

But what if you are not saved?   Then the prayer that God will answer is the one where you ask Him for forgiveness, repenting in all sincerity, and believing with all your very being that Jesus is the Savior and also believing in His resurrection.

If you are living in sin and are disobedient to the good Lord, your prayers will not be answered unless you repent and ask Him for forgiveness and for salvation through Jesus Christ, and do this in humility and in faith.

"Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." -  Acts 4:12

Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."    -  John 14:6

"Jesus answered and said unto him,  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."   John 3:3

Many people realize that we are now living in the last days - the end times - and Bible prophecy is now being fulfilled before our very eyes.  Soon Jesus will return again to take true believers to heaven with Him.  They will avoid the horrific 7 year Tribulation period that follows.   Will you be among the true believers that go to heaven with the Lord, or will you be left behind to face the doom and disaster that occurs during the Tribulation?

The Lord loves you and does not wish for any to be destroyed.  

All it takes is one step of faith from you and a true repentance.

Jesus is waiting for you with love and outstretched arms of tender compassion to hold you close in His embrace and in the safety and salvation found in Him.

Time is short.  

Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us,  "(9)  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.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"Faith And Prayer Move God" - Inspirational Weekend

The title of this post, "Faith And Prayer Move God", is a quote from E.M. Bounds.  In his book on prayer, he stresses that faith and prayer work together.  There is power in prayer!  There is power in faith!  "Prayer is simply faith", says Mr. Bounds.  It is said also that faith is trust in something....a belief, a conviction, and a hope.

"True godliness is just as true, steady, and persevering in the realm of faith as it is in the province of prayer.  Moreover, when faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live."   -  E. M. Bounds

In my own life, I have discovered that when God does answer my prayers, it serves to increase my faith whenever I reflect on those answered prayers in hindsight.  I have also learned that to wait on God is a strong demonstration of faith.  

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  -  Hebrews 11:1

The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 defines faith and mentions prophets and others, like Noah and Abraham (and many others), who proved their faith.  

"Faith is trust or commitment to what you think is true."    -  William Lane Craig

"Faith knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made."     - E. M. Bounds

The power of prayer is the power of God.  He hears and answers all prayers, even if the answer is no.  

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."   -   Matthew 21:22

"Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for satan."  -  John Bunyan

"Prayer - secret, fervent, believing prayer - lies at the root of all personal godliness."  -  William Carey

"Prayer is the acid test of devotion."  -  Samuel Chadwick

Following is a beautiful hymn from 1740 by Charles Wesley.

So much could be written about faith and prayer; indeed, much has already been written on those topics.  In writing this post and in reading Scriptures on faith and prayer, I was very edified and I hope you are as well.

Following is an excellent sermon by Charles Spurgeon on the life and walk of faith :

In the above sermon, Charles Spurgeon stresses abiding in Christ always.  "Jesus is your all in all" and we should "find substance in Christ.....Ye are complete in Christ!"   Spurgeon is known as "The prince of preachers" and his sermons are deep yet explanatory.  I pray that you will listen to the entire message.

When you pray and have faith in the Lord, your priorities will change.   You will realize that the only important thing in this life is God and Jesus, and you will live your life accordingly, with the goal of being more like the Savior. 

Remember, when we pray, we need to ask according to God's will, or our prayers will not be answered.   Also, we need to repent of any and all sin so that we come to the Lord forgiven and clean, and He will listen to us with love and understanding.

"Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth."  -  John 9:31


Have a blessed and Christ-centered weekend !



"Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."      -  Philippians 4:6-7

"Pray without ceasing."  -  1 Thessalonians 5:17

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  -   Romans 10:17

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it."   -   John 14:13-14

North Korea Threat And End Times Prophesied Convergence of Events

I have been keeping up with the latest on the North Korea threat, mostly on alternative news media.   This present threat is worse than the Cuban missile crisis during John Kennedy's administration in the early 1960's.  Now it seems that Russia and China are a threat to the US fleet approaching North Korea as their ships are following the U.S. ships and their airplanes are flying over our ships and watching them closely.  Following is a 12 minute video by Pastor Paul Begley from his You Tube channel.  He gives some critical information on this North Korean threat and how Russia and China have turned against America.  Please watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jtrYEsk3Ss

The Bible tells us that wars and rumors of wars is one of the signs of the end times before Jesus returns.

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places."  -  Jesus speaking at Matthew 24:6-7

Please read all of Matthew 24 for more end times signs.   Also read Mark 13 and Luke 21.   There are many signs Jesus gave; so we are not to point to just one or two signs, but rather, as the Lord said, to a convergence of all the signs at one time.   Britt Gilette, in an informative article , tells us that the number one sign of Jesus' return is all the signs appearing together all at once like we see right now.

"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."  -  Jesus at Matthew 24:33

In the above link to Mr. Gilette's article, he lists various signs with Scriptures to prove these are the last hours of the last days.  The sign that began these end times was when Israel became a nation again in 1948 after about 2000 years of being scattered throughout various countries of the world.   It was a miracle!   

"Who hath heard such a thing?  who hath seen such things?  Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day?  Or shall a nation be born at once?"   -  Isaiah 66:8

This prophecy of Isaiah came true in May of 1948.  Israel became a nation again in one day!   I have mentioned previously that the church has not replaced Israel....that God still holds the nation of Israel as His special people with whom He made an everlasting covenant in ancient times.   We need to keep our eyes on the Middle East and on what the Bible prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and many other Bible verses in other books of the Bible as well.  All the enemies of Israel as spoken of in the Bible are now coming together against Israel....but God will miraculously save Israel from her enemies.   I pray you will read the entire article linked above.  

Speaking of convergence, the following video from prophecyinthenews.com tells us that the one world economy and the one world government spoken of in the Bible book of Revelation are already here, to some degree.  

In the above video, they discuss what is more than a documentary film by Brent Miller Jr. and Sr., and show two clips from that movie.   It is fascinating information.   Bible prophecy is a very effective witnessing tool as it proves that the Bible is true and is from God.   As Kevin Clarkson says in the above video, "faith is founded on fact."

Most churches today do not deal with or teach Bible prophecy at all.  This is a down-right shame.  Christians need to know how close we are to Jesus' return so that they can witness to lost souls about the urgency of repenting and turning to Jesus Christ in faith and truly believing in their heart that He is their Savior, Lord, and Master.   Believe and repent before it is too late.

Jesus is at the very door !!

Christians need to be careful not to get caught up with the cares of everyday living, making a living, and raising a family that they neglect God and Bible reading and prayer.   The Lord wants us to have a close, personal, intimate relationship with Him.  He wants to fellowship with us.   Going to church does not save you.  Good works and faithfully serving in the church do not save you.  Only faith in Jesus Christ and having a close personal relationship with Him will save you.   How can you be a true Christian if you do not fellowship with the Lord?!    Yet I have been told by more than one person, professing to be a Christian, that they never read their Bible.  A true Christian has a hunger, an insatiable desire to be closer to God, to feel His presence, and to worship Him in total surrender.  Therefore, they devour His Word with joy and in expectation of His blessing in teaching them and giving them understanding of His Holy Word.    It takes the Holy Spirit to give comprehension of the Bible.  You need to be born-again.

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."  - Jesus at Luke 21:34

Time is short, folks.   Don't get caught up in the world and its pleasures and lusts.  (James 4:4)  Live instead for the Lord in total surrender to His will.  Let your life be a testimony to the power of God; the resurrection power of Jesus.

This world is not the true home of Jesus' followers.   We have a place prepared for us in heaven by the Lord.  (John 14:2-3)   Live a godly, holy life filled with hope of soon being with Jesus.

Maranatha!


"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?  whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."   -  James 4:4

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."  -  Jesus at Luke 21:28

"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."  - Jesus at John14:2-3