"Are You A Wayfaring Stranger? Timeless Truth For A Troubled World" (With Videos - One An Adrian Rogers' Sermon) - Inspirational Weekend

                                                [Tourists At Waikiki - Diamond head Crater]

My photograph above was taken a few years ago, showing a typical scene from Waikiki, with many tourists.  But, as the title of this post hints, these are not exactly "wayfaring strangers".   Or, ARE they? Meaning, in a spiritual way, perhaps some of them may be wayfaring strangers.  Many of you might be familiar with that old hymn (or rather, folk song) by that title - "Wayfaring Stranger".  Following is a beautiful version of it by Selah:

The above song expresses a longing to go to heaven and to be with the Lord.  In today's troubled world, there are many who have that same longing: to be in heaven with the good Lord. You have to admit, "things ain't like what they used to be."  Many changes have been implemented lately that prove that we are ever closer to what will occur on a larger scale during the 7 year Tribulation. 

Good News!   True believers in Jesus Christ as the Savior will be "outta here" before then :  before that horrendous judgment period upon ungodly men, meaning the  Tribulation with all of its plagues, destruction, and suffering !  Read the Bible book of Revelation -  it is all there.

True followers of Jesus should feel as the apostle Paul felt when he wrote :  "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  Philippians 1:21;  and, at Philippians 1:23 Paul said: "For I am in a strait betwixt the two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: "

"And to wait for His Son from heaven whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."  -   1 Thessalonians 1:10

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."                              -  1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."  -              2 Peter 3:9

But the focus of this article will be on the salvation of souls and what that entails. 

Some time ago, the old hymn "This World Is Not My Home" was posted on this blog.  It is sung by Jim Reeves (to you old-timers like myself... remember him?)  and was written by Reeve's wife.  Here is that hymn again for you:

The message of the hymn here by Jim Reeves is similar to the message in the folk song "I'm Just a Wayfaring Stranger".   I posted it again now because it is mentioned in the following 39 minute audio sermon by Pastor Adrian Rogers, which follows:

There are many, many gems of gospel truth and encouragement in the above excellent sermon by Pastor Rogers!   One echoes what the two song videos above tell us:  "We (believers) are strangers and pilgrims and do NOT belong to this world."  -  based on 1 Peter 2:11 which tells us:

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"

Another thing Pastor Rogers emphasizes :" Salvation is NOT rooted in the merit of man, but in the mercy of God."   You cannot "work" your way into heaven!

Speaking of his personal testimony, Pastor Rogers tells us: "Before I was saved I was running to sin, but now I am running from sin."  He tells us, "You don't need anything!  If you have Jesus you have everything!"

Just a warning from Pastor Rogers: "If the only thing that keeps you from sinning is the fear of losing your salvation, I doubt that you've ever been saved."

"Lukewarmness is the Christian's Achilles heel.  We cannot lead anyone to Christ who is more committed to the world than we are to Jesus."  -   Joe McKeever

"Don't put a question mark where God puts a period."  -  unknown

"Jesus did not come to make God's love possible, but to make God's love visible." -  unknown

"It is Christ's will that [man] should be thus isolated, and that he should fix his eyes solely on HIM."     -  Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

"If the LORD be with us, we have no cause of fear.  His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayers -  His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable."  -  John Newton

  Following is a short article by A.W. Tozer titled :"Spiritual Readiness":

"When the Bible says that God is calling a special people out of the nations to bear the name of His eternal Son, I believe it, and His name is Jesus!  Our pious forefathers believed in spiritual preparation, and they said so!  They saw themselves as a Bride being prepared to meet the Bridegroom.  They regarded this earth as the "dressing room" to outfit themselves for heaven.  The evangelical church has come through a period when nearly everyone has believed that there is just ONE pre-requisite to readiness:  being born again.  We have made being born again a special event - when Jesus returns we will whip out the pass to prove our readiness.   Frankly, I do not think it will be like that.  I do not believe that all professed believers are automatically ready to meet the LORD.  Our Savior Himself was joined by Peter and John and Paul in warning and pleading that we should LIVE, and WATCH and PRAY, so to be ready for Jesus' coming."   -  (end of quote).  

Food for thought!

The above quote by Tozer brings home the fact that we need to develop a relationship with the good Lord.   That means to be often in prayer and in His Holy Word the Bible.   To fellowship with Him.  You will never come to know a person or develop a relationship with Him if you never talk to them or spend time with them.  That is obvious, but so many today neglect to do that very thing with God.  He loves us and wants to fellowship with us!  If you do draw close to God, He will draw close to you.  Something wonderful will happen in your heart and soul when your focus and delight is on the good Lord and you spend quality time with Him.  He will transform your mind and heart.

"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.  Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."  -       James 4:8

Time is short before Jesus returns!

Turn to Him now in true faith and total surrender!

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

Following are Salvation Scriptures to act upon NOW if you are not saved by the cleansing power of Jesus' blood when you put your faith and belief in Him as the Savior.

"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 upon him." -   John 3:36

"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 !!

 

"What About People Pleasers?" - Inspirational Weekend

In my photograph above, these sociable Lesser Flamingos seem content to cozy up together and go about their business rubbing shoulders, so to speak, in their daily lives with much familiarity. 

Many humans are just like these flamingos;  they cannot be alone for any length of time and prefer to be out and about and in the company of others of like mind.   That is not really such a bad thing, unless the company they keep are bad associations.   

Another thing to consider is the fact that quiet and solitude can be a great blessing, especially if you spend a good part of that quiet time in prayer, worship, and Bible reading and studying.  

We have a choice:  please the good Lord by having quality time with Him and other Christians, or pleasing friends and family that may not be true believers in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and thereby "going along with them" in questionable conduct.  True, we need to spend time with unbelievers in order to witness to them about Jesus and the Gospel, but not at the expense of our own standing with God by becoming ungodly along with them.

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."   -  Galatians 1:10

The desire to be popular and to win praise from others affects everyone, almost, to some extent; that goes for adults as well as for teenagers.  So to become popular and to fit in, many persons become "people pleasers".   

Those who try to be popular with the world, will lose his popularity with the Lord.  He will make friends, but he will lose the one Friend Who is above all others.  He will win approval from men, but he will not hear the "Well done" from the Lord.  Remember, "No one can serve two masters"  (Matthew 6:24).  It is vain to try to keep in favor with both God and with the world.   "Pleasing men and serving Christ are incompatible."

The above meerkats are also a sociable bunch.   There is nothing wrong with Christians being sociable; we need to be that way in order to win souls to Christ.  The Holy Spirit does the "winning", but we do the witnessing and the proclaiming of the Gospel so with Scriptures we are able to spread the Word as we ought.  

"The soul that cannot entirely trust God, whether man be pleased or displeased, can never long be true to Him, for while you are eyeing men you are losing God and stabbing religion at the very heart."           -  T. Manton

George Macdonald said:  "When  one has learned to seek the honor that cometh from God only, he will take the withholding of the honor that cometh by man very lightly indeed."

The above quote by Macdonald is the cure for all inclinations of men-pleasing.  Seek approval first from the one true God, Yahweh.  Then you will not need the applause from men by striving to please them.  We are the servants of God/Jesus and we should not forget that fact.

"How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?"     -  Jesus at John 5:44 (KJV)

"Needing God plus something else is the trouble with us."   -  A.W. Tozer

"Modern Christians feel too much at home in the world."  -  A.W. Tozer

In the King James Version of the Bible, James 4:4 tells us:  "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 is speaking of spiritual adultery and about those who love the world rather than God.  

This article is rather blunt in its truth, but we all need the truth and not sugar-coated or watered down doctrine.  Even pastors can be guilty in this area.   I find it true what Martin Luther said in the following quote:

"To this day you will find many who seek to please men in order that they may live in peace and security.  They teach whatever is agreeable to men, no matter whether it is contrary to God's Word or their own conscience.  But we who endeavor to please God and not men, stir up hell itself.  We must suffer reproach, slanders, death."

The apostle Paul no doubt felt, "The question is not of gaining over men, but of standing right with God, and that even at the expense of an absolute breach with men."

Bondage to man or to Christ -   we each have to choose.  

"All the paths of the Lord are mercy and steadfast love, even truth and faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies."     -  Psalm 25:10

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."    -  Jesus at John 15:19

Have a blessed and Christ-centered weekend..... and life!

"Gratitude And Thankfulness Pleases God And Jesus" - Inspirational Weekend

"Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it."  -  A.W. Tozer

The quote above is so true.  When things are going badly or I get a little discouraged, all I have to do is remember how God has blessed me in so many ways and when I pray and thank the Lord for His goodness and His blessings, it relieves any negativity that has crept into my thoughts and puts me back on the right track. Worshiping and praising the Lord is the most positive and powerful antidote for any type of upset or discouragement.  It causes me to remember all the ways God has "rescued" me in the past, and that in turn increases my gratitude many times over.  It also increases my faith tremendously to recall His goodness to me in times past, as well as in the here and now.

"God wants to see prayers that are filled with genuine praise and thanksgiving for what He has done in the past.  He wants our hearts to be filled with awe and gratitude for His blessings.  He wants us to set up memorials in our hearts testifying to the provisions He has given us."  -  Michael Youssef

The Bible is full of men of God who expressed their gratitude and thankfulness to their Creator.   Job lost all of his children and all of his wealth and was stricken with painful boils all over his body (all at satan's wicked hand).   Although Job did not realize the evil one was behind all his troubles and pain, still Job had faith in the goodness of God and said at Job 1:21, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."  Job was grateful to God and still praised Him in his adversity.

Consider how the apostle Paul was persecuted and all of the hardships that he endured during his ministry and in preaching of the Gospel.   Yet his letters to the churches were full of thanksgiving.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul wrote,  (16) "Rejoice evermore.  (17) Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

All one has to do is read the Psalms of David to grasp how much he gave praise to God and that he was grateful for all the LORD's provisions and protection and guidance.

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." - Psalm 100:4

Consider how Jesus Christ suffered and died at Calvary so that all who believe in Him and in His resurrection may have eternal life. How could we not be grateful for His sacrifice and for the extreme and supreme love He demonstrated in doing so for us!!

"If we comprehend what Christ has done for us, then surely out of gratitude we will strive to live "worthy" of such great love.  We will strive for holiness not to make God love us but because He already does."  -  Philip Yancy

May all of us say a prayer like what George Herbert said, "Thou who has given so much to me, give one thing more: a grateful heart."

Just as parents are pleased when their children show them gratitude, so it pleases God and Jesus when we are thankful and grateful to them for their many blessings.

Here is a lovely song on thankfulness by Josh Groban:

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."  -  Colossians 3:15

"Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and  power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.  Amen."  -  Revelation 7:12



  

"How To Have Your Prayers Answered" - Inspirational Weekend

"Prayer is simply faith....faith and prayer move God."  -  E.M. Bounds

First of all, to have your prayers answered by God, you need to be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.   The only prayer God hears by a deliberate sinner is one where the sinner comes to God in true repentance and sincerely asks for forgiveness and for Jesus to come into his heart and transform him and his life.  Needless to say, when believers commit unintentional sin, we too should confess it and ask the Lord for forgiveness.  We cannot be deliberately sinning and expect God to grant our every request.  Indeed, you should question whether you are truly a believer if you deliberately and willfully sin.   But I am reminded of King David where he committed adultery and had the woman's husband killed.  When he felt remorse and repented, the Lord forgave him, but there were consequences.  David had severe trials and family relationships went sour; one of his sons wanted to overthrow him and become king instead, and David had to flee for his life. (2 Samuel 11, 12, and 15).

The LORD God had said of David that he was "a man after Mine own heart."                                             (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22)

So even godly David fell into gross sin, but when he showed true repentance, God forgave him.  My point is, when you sin , immediately repent and ask God's forgiveness so that He can heal you and restore you to a right relationship with Him once again.   Then He will continue to answer your future prayers.

That brings me to the thought that you need to have a close, personal, intimate relationship with God through Christ Jesus so that your prayers will more likely be answered by Him.  If you have this close relationship and are reading your Bible daily, you will have a better idea of what God's will is, and you will pray accordingly.  If a prayer goes against God's will He, of course, will not answer that prayer.  

1 John 5:14-15 informs us:  (14) "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us:  (15) And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

Someone has said there are no unanswered prayers.  That your prayer is answered even when God says "no".  And how often have you prayed and then waited and waited for what seemed like forever before your prayer was answered?   We dare not question the Lord's timing.  He knows best.

For our prayers to be answered, we need to be definite and specific in our requests to God.  We should not be vague in our prayers, nor should we have some sort of abstract belief that God "might" answer our requests.  Faith and prayer go hand in hand.

Remember the parable of the importunate widow?  (Luke 18:1-8)  She continually persisted in her plea to an unjust judge, who got so tired of her pestering him that he finally granted her request.  This widow is a wonderful example of what insistent prayer  can do.  "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  -  James 5:16b

We need to pray with importunity, insistence, earnestness, faith;  heaven respects and God hears and answers such prayers.   Importunity in prayer consists of "insistence, intensity, persistence, perseverance, and patience. " 

Sometimes we pray in a ho-hum manner and/or out of habit and do not pray fervent, heartfelt prayers,  not prayers with importunity, as we should be doing.  Prayers with no soul, if you will; or "prayerless prayers", as E. M. Bounds calls it.  If you are so disinterested in your manner of prayer and your prayer is not heartfelt, why should the Lord be interested in paying attention to and answering your dull prayers?

"It is because of the hasty and superficial conversation with God that the sense of sin is so weak and that no motives have power to help you to hate and flee from sin as you should."  -  A.W. Tozer

"Prayer is not monologue, but dialog.  God's voice in response to mine is its most essential part."        - Andrew Murray

It has been said, "Prayer moves the arm which moves the universe." Also,  "When our prayers are answered it is the evidence of our abiding in Christ. To pray and receive clear answers, not once or twice, but daily, this is the sure test, and is the gracious point of our vital connection with  Jesus Christ."  -  E.M. Bounds   

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

Just a thought: the fact that God answers prayer is proof that He does exist.  The fact that a life can be transformed through faith in Jesus Christ is proof of our Lord's redeeming power. Therefore, God and Jesus care about us, are interested in us, and listen to us.  And, if we have a pure heart, will also answer our prayers.   Don't be a Christian in name only; let it be true and totally surrendered devotion to the Lord and not to the world. 

Also, when God answers our prayers, it brings glory to Him.  We are always to give God the glory !

Answered prayer gives us the assurance that God is near, that He loves us, and is watching over us.  Answered prayer also builds our faith.  It encourages us to come even more frequently to the Lord with our requests, and with great faith that He will answer in due time.   

I have also written about reasons to pray as well as the power of prayer  .   The main thing is not to just read about prayer, but to actually get down on your knees and pray fervent and heartfelt prayers to the good Lord.   The time is short.  The Rapture could occur at any time.   We are now living in the end of the end times.  Now is the time to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  If you are not sure how to pray, stop and ask the Lord for the wisdom to pray in His will.  

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;  and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."  -  James 1:5-7

The above verses give another way to have your prayers answered:  to ask in faith, not doubting.

"....(the) power of prayer can never be overrated.  They who cannot serve God by preaching need not regret.  If a man can but pray he can do anything.  He who knows how to overcome with God in prayer has heaven and earth at his disposal."  -  Charles Spurgeon  

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

William Carey

More could be written about how to have your prayers answered, but I have touched upon the vital points to consider.   For a long time, I did not pray at all, but I was not truly born again then.  It took awhile for me to get into the habit of praying frequently once I actually knew the Lord.   It really does make a difference in your relationship with the Lord when you are often in fellowship with Him, and it surely builds your faith and love for God when He answers your prayers.  

Have a blessed and Christ-filled weekend!

"I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God:  Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech."  -  Psalm 17:6

"The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles."

Psalm 34:17