"Walk As Children Of Light" - Inspirational Weekend

What does it mean, exactly, to walk as children of light?  

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:  walk as children of light."  -  Ephesians 5:8

There is a distinct contrast between light and darkness.  Not only as in night and day, but also spiritually speaking.  When we think of darkness, we tend to think of the devil and evil and chaos.  When we consider the light, we think of God and Jesus and everything holy, lovely and pure.

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all."   -   1 John 1:5

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:  he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."   -   John 8:12

It follows, then, that if we have a close, personal, intimate love relationship with God through Jesus Christ; and if we are followers of Jesus, that we would therefore "walk in the light".  However, you need to be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit in order to walk in the light.  Without a saving faith in Jesus, you are in darkness.   

Jesus called us believers the light of the world at Matthew 5:14 ,  

"Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."  

One commentator sums up walking as children of light is, first of all, "It is to walk in the brightness of that light: to walk in the light of God's precious gospel, to walk in the light of God's perfections, to walk in the the realizing view of His pardoning mercy,  to walk in the light of His adoption, to walk as righteous ones, righteous in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ."

The light of God and of Jesus is pure and holy.  As a person grows in spiritual maturity, their "light" will be made pure and holy as well.   Granted, Christians are imperfect in that they sometimes sin, but they confess their sins, turn away and endeavor never to repeat the sin, and they pray for God's forgiveness in Jesus' name, Who in turn intercedes for them to the Living, True, God Who is Almighty. When you are a born again believer, God sees you as being "washed in the blood of Jesus"; He sees you as being pure and holy in the sense that you are forgiven;  He sees you as forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus' shed blood at Calvary, whereby you are washed and made clean.

1 Peter 1:15-16 tells us:  (15) "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

So those who walk as children of light abide in the light.  "Their hearts, minds, affections are of a spiritual and heavenly temper; spiritual light in their minds, holiness in their wills, joy, delight, hopes of glory in their hearts."  Children of light walk so as to be light unto others.

 Another commentator says, " 'Walking in the light' means we believe Jesus is 'the Light' in this world, and we 'walk' in that light by following His precepts, living in His power, and growing in His Grace."

We all need to keep in mind that we are living in the last hour of the last days; Bible prophecy is being fulfilled almost daily; the hour is near when Jesus will return to take all true believers to heaven to be with Him forever.

Don't be left behind!

If you have never given your heart and your life to the Lord, now is the time.  You do not want to be left behind after the Rapture of the Church as what follows in the 7 year Tribulation period is so horrific and full of God's wrath upon the ungodly left on earth during that time. 

"(For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)   -  2 Corinthians 6:2

Everyone longs for peace and security, a home where you are loved and where the good Lord is to be found.  That home of love and heavenly bliss can be yours if you but accept Jesus as the Savior, and put your hope and trust and faith in Him, and believe in His resurrection.  You need to pray and ask for forgiveness, and truly repent of your sins, which means you have a change of mind and heart and will endeavor never to repeat your sins. 

Believe in Jesus with all of your being !

His arms are wide open, ready to receive you in an embrace of love and of forgiveness !

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."

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"  -  Philippians 2:15

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

"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

"Don't Fret; Be Happy" (With Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

The above horses on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, look contented and happy.  It made me feel good and downright happy to photograph them the day I was there.  

Some have said that happiness is temporary and fleeting while true joy is from the Lord and is forever.   The truth is, both joy and happiness are very similar in meaning and the Bible gives no such distinction between the two words, as well as the similar word rejoice.   It depends on which translation you have, but the Bible uses the words happy and happiness about 30 times;  but joy and rejoice are found in God's word over 300 times.

As I was thinking about writing on happiness for this weekend, that old song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" popped into my mind and I can't seem to shake it.  You can find the full version of the song on You Tube, but here is a fun version which is a short one minute cartoon-type clip of it:

"If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world."  -  David Brainerd  

"Success is getting what you want.  Happiness wants what you get."   -  Woodrow Kroll

"Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God's majesty."   -  A. W. Pink

We all know that true happiness does not come from worldly pleasures and selfish ambition and selfish lifestyles that are also full of the ungodly world's poisons.  Those things do not fill the void in our hearts that only the good Lord Himself can fill, Who can thereby give you true joy and a purpose for living.  And, I might add, a wonderful hope for an eternity in bliss and joyfulness.

Having such a hope for an eternity with the Lord is plenty of reason to be happy right now in this imperfect world we live in.  When you are a born again believer, you are sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), which enables you to obey and follow Jesus and to build a strong relationship with God.   You will be happy when you read and study His Holy Word and when you spend much time in prayer, building a strong relationship with the heavenly Father through Jesus Christ His Son.   You will, in time, grow to spiritual maturity and be even more effective in your walk with Him and in service to others; in particular, to obey the Great Commission found at Matthew 28:19, 20.  All of that will make you happy because you know you will be pleasing God.   It will put a song in your heart, and make your worship more intense and more personal; more devoted and more reverent.  

"I sing because I'm happy" is a repeated phrase in the hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow" which follows:

In the above song, the lyrics also say that because God takes note of the sparrow, we know He watches over His children as well.  That is enough to make anyone happy and grateful, to know the Lord is watching over us and taking care of us and guiding and teaching and protecting us.

"I believe that the happiest of all Christians and the truest of Christians are those who never dare to doubt God, but take His Word simply as it stands, and believe it, and ask no questions, just feeling assured that if God has said it, it will be so."   -    Charles Spurgeon   

Happiness can be found in admiring the Creator's handiwork on this beautiful earth; it can also be found in simple pleasures and in the love of family and friends.  But true happiness comes from the Holy Spirit of God, which enables you to obey and serve the Lord with joy and with much gratefulness. 

Our salvation itself is a source of joy !  

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."  -  Psalm 16:11

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."    -  Romans 15:13

"And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."   -  1 Thessalonians 1:6

The Scripture above reminds us that we may have afflictions and hardships, but we can still hold on to our joy with the help of the Holy Spirit.   We realize that trials and sickness and the like are but temporary, and soon we will be with the Lord forever and He will wipe away all of our tears and there will be no more crying or death or sorrow.  (Revelation 21:4).

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

Joy is a gift from God.  

So be happy !!

God's people will be happy forever !

If you are not a believer, not born again, not sealed with the Holy Spirit, then you cannot experience true happiness and the joy of serving the Lord.  You will not know His love and forgiveness and His guidance and the hope He gives to all who turn to Him in repentance.

Stop and think !  By not turning to the Lord you are making a choice.....a choice to spend eternity in the wrong place - hell.   

Time is short!

Jesus will return soon to take all true believers to be with Him forever !   Wouldn't you rather be in heaven where there is no more pain, no more violence, no more evil, no more deceivers?

All you need to do is pray and ask for forgiveness, believe in Jesus as the Savior, believe in His resurrection, and believe that His shed blood on the cross can wash your sins away and wipe the slate clean......you are forgiven if you turn to Him in true repentance and belief. 

Jesus loves you and will welcome you with understanding and pardon.

He is waiting to hear from you.

Don't delay!


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."

"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

"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



I pray that you have a happy weekend.... and a happy Christ centered life.

"Salvation Explained And A Personal Testimony" (With Video) - Inspirational Weekend

"Salvation is the greatest act of God's love", says Pastor Billy Crone in the following video.   What is salvation and how do you obtain it?  It is all about faith in the Lord and believing that Jesus Christ is the Savior whose shed blood at Calvary can wash your sins away if you but believe in Him and trust Him.  I frequently share Romans 10:9,10, 13 and here it is again:

"(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."

Salvation is not mere head knowledge of Jesus.  It is not a formula prayer that saves you.  You need, however, to pray to the Lord for forgiveness, and truly repent of your sins.  God looks at the heart; if your heart is sincere and you totally surrender your will and your life to Jesus, that is what salvation is all about.  It is living totally for the good Lord and His will.  It is faith and belief in Jesus Christ.

The following 19 minute video by prophecywatchers.com  features host Gary Stearman and Pastor and author Billy Crone in which they beautifully explain salvation and in which Pastor Crone gives his personal testimony of how he was saved.   Such an uplifting and informative video !

In the video, Billy Crone likens sin to a cancer....which needs to be eradicated.  Only Jesus can perform the needed "operation" to clear out the sin and make us a new creation.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new."   -   2 Corinthians 5:17

As Pastor Crone says,  "Nobody has a brighter future than God's children."

"And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again."   -  2 Corinthians 5:15

"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 happy and a grace filled weekend, centered on Christ.

Warning ! You Don't Want To Be There ! (With Videos)

Let's talk about the 7 seals of Revelation.  We will also watch two videos concerning these seals.  Pastor Billy Crone has written a new book on the subject, as well as making a DVD set available.  The 7 seals deal with the first half of the 7 year tribulation period.  Most people are of the belief that the first half of the Tribulation will not be so bad and that they can survive in their bunkers and eat their cases of "survival food " and will be able to protect themselves with no problem.   Wrong!  It is true, as Pastor Crone points out, that the first half of the Tribulation will not be as bad as the second half; however,  if you read the seal judgments  of the first 3 and a half years of this horrible time, you will realize that you do not want to be there for any of this time of tribulation, for the first half of it is horrific in itself.  Turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapters 5 and 6 for the first 6 seals, and then in chapter 8 of Revelation it mentions the 7th seal, which opens the trumpet judgments to follow.  

Following are two videos, each of which is 29 minutes in length, by prophecywatchers.com with host Gary Stearman  and Pastor Billy Crone discussing the seals. 

The seals of Revelation,  Part One:

The Seals of Revelation, Part Two:

You can discern clearly from watching these videos that both parts of the Tribulation will be filled with horror and violence like we have never witnessed.  As Pastor Crone says in the second video, "There will be a murderous spirit all over the planet."

You definitely do not want to be there..... during any part of the 7 year Tribulation.

If you are saved (born again) you will not have to endure any part of this wrath of God, because you will have been raptured with Christ's Bride (the church; true believers in Jesus) sometime prior to the Tribulation.  Knowing what you know, as believers, you ought to be busy sharing the gospel of Jesus with lost souls.   You do not want your worst enemy to have to face the tribulation period, as Pastor Crone says.  

If you are not saved, not a true believer in Jesus Christ as the Savior, knowing what lies ahead....not only the wrath of God in the Tribulation, but also your future of torments in hell, it should make you run to the good Lord in sorrow and repentance and ask Him for forgiveness.  You need to believe with all your being that Jesus is the Savior whose shed blood at Calvary can wash you clean and make you a child of God, if you only believe in Christ and surrender your will and your life to Him.

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."

Don't delay ! 

Jesus will return soon to take all true believers to heaven to be with Him.

Don't be left behind to face any part of the Tribulation.

He will forgive you and welcome  you with love and tenderness when you humble yourself and repent and come to Him in faith and belief.

"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee; behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) -  2 Corinthians 6:2

"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

"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

"Be Victorious ! Be An Overcomer !" - Inspirational Weekend

Life can be difficult and filled with troubles and sorrows and severe trials.  But you do not need to become depressed and to feel absolutely like everything is hopeless.  I have been there, done that in the past.  But since I have been born again, I am filled with hope and faith and much love and gratitude towards our awesome Creator and our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Our main obstacle is the devil and his schemes and temptations, as well as the lure of the world and its sinful pleasures and enticements.  You cannot have one foot in the Christian church and the other foot slipping into the ways of the world.  God wants us to be holy and pure.

"But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written,  Be ye holy; for I am holy."   -  1 Peter 1:15-16

To be holy is to be set apart.....set apart from sin and impurity and set apart to God.

The Bible has much to say about being an overcomer, especially in the book of Revelation.   The word of the Lord given to the apostle John for the 7 churches has mentioned to each church about overcoming.  (Revelation chapters 2 and 3).  But first let's consider other Scriptures about being victorious and being an overcomer.

1 John 5:4-5 tells us,  (4) "For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world:  and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  (5)  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Notice that verse 4 above says that those who are born of God (born again) overcome the world.  If you are truly born again then the Holy Spirit indwells you and enables you to have strength to resist worldly lusts and temptations.  You will want to be obedient to God.  Notice also that our victory comes from our faith.

In verse 5 of 1 John 5 it informs us that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God can truly overcome the world.   Only those who continue to live by faith, and those who trust and obey God will be able to overcome.

To be a conqueror is to be victorious and to be an overcomer.  Consider Romans 8:37-39:

(37)  "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.  (38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,  nor things present, nor things to come,  (39) 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."  

As believers, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).  If you are truly born again, nothing can separate you from the love of God.  You have, with the Holy Spirit's help, the power to overcome anything, even the attacks of the devil. Also, overcomers are all those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.  Stay strong in the faith.

I had intended to dwell primarily on the verses in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 that deal with the rewards given to those who overcome.  The Lord must have had other plans.  To go into detail will no doubt require another post another time.  For now I will only briefly mention what those rewards are.

Overcomers will be blessed to eat of the tree of life  (Revelation 2:7) ;  they will not be hurt by the second death (Revelation 2:11); they will eat of the hidden manna and be given a white stone with a new name written on it (Revelation 2:17);  they will be given power over the nations (Revelation 2:26); they will be clothed in white garments and their name will not be blotted out of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5) ;  they will be made pillars in the Temple of God and new Jerusalem's name and the name of God will be written upon them (Revelation 3:12);  and overcomers will sit with the Lord on His throne (Revelation 3:21).  

The most wonderful reward of all is being with the Lord forever in heaven, worshiping Him in an atmosphere of total love and adoration.  Our finite minds cannot begin to comprehend the glory of the Lord and of heaven.  It is so awesome to think about it. 

But if you are not a born again believer - not saved -  then you do not have the wonderful hope of eternal life in heaven. You know what the alternative is........torment in hell forever.  

Choose life !  

Choose Jesus !

Go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness of your sins; be truly repentant and by that turn away from a life of sin; confess  your sins and have a true and sincere belief that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the Savior of the world.....to all who come to him in faith and belief.   

Salvation is not a mere head decision to believe in Jesus;  it is a change of heart, a contrite heart that wants to be right with the Lord.  Only God can take a heart of stone and turn it into a heart of flesh; one that will totally surrender all to Jesus.  

We are living in the last hour of the last days.  Jesus could return at any time; it is that imminent.  

Don't delay!  

Jesus loves you and will welcome you with arms wide open to embrace you in forgiveness.  

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."

"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

"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

"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

Keep looking up!   Keep watching !

Have a Christ centered weekend... and life !

What On Earth Is Going On ! (With Video)

Things are getting out of hand with all the violence and unrest and hatred and just down right evil we see everyday in the world we live in now in this last hour of the last days.  But the Bible prophesied about "perilous"  times in the end   (2 Timothy 3:1-7).  

So actually things are falling into place right now.   Look up!  It won't be much longer before we meet the Lord in the air, heaven bound.   

An excellent article is found at raptureready.com  which deals with end times happenings and the significance of current events in light of Bible prophecy.  You may read it here .  The author says, "We are watching every precursor to last days events falling right into place."

I have written extensively on the last days and Bible prophecy.  If you go to the "Search Box" on this page in the upper right side and type in "end times,  7 year Tribulation, The Rapture, Mark of the beast" and so on, it will link you to other articles on prophecy and end times events.  

Following is a video by prophecywatchers.com in which the host, Gary Stearman, discusses current events and the end times with Jan Markell.  They also mention their upcoming Bible prophecy conferences this fall.  Jan's conference will have free live streaming on September 29, 2018, on her website:  olivetreeviews.org .  It will also be archived on her website for future viewing.  Jan, in the 13 minute video, explains why so many pastors do not give sermons and teachings to their congregations on the subject of Bible prophecy.

The time is near for the Rapture of the Church, Christ's Bride.  

Are you ready? 

Turn to Jesus in faith and believe that He is the Savior, if you have not already done so.   Admit you are a sinner and confess your sins in prayer.  Repent, turn from sinning and let the shed blood of Jesus at Calvary wash your sins away.  

Jesus loves you !!

He will forgive and pardon you if you will repent and turn to Him in true faith and belief.

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."

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."    -  Isaiah 1:18

"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