"Trusting God Will Give You Strength To Endure" (Video by Charles Swindoll on trusting God and video by Charles Spurgeon) - Inspirational Weekend

[Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii Beach with Diamond Head Extinct Volcano ]

You have no doubt heard it said, "Be careful what you ask God for."   Many times I have prayed to the good Lord to make me more Christ-like.  So He answered that prayer - big time - by giving me much to forgive where other people are concerned.  Being a forgiving person is imitating Christ.

Jesus had much - and many - to forgive.  But He also had much love for lost mankind and died a cruel death at Calvary so that those who would have faith and believe in Him could have everlasting life.  What love!

As believers in Jesus as the Savior, we should put Him and God first in our lives and share the Gospel with lost souls.

As Pastor Charles Lawson has said, " ....... Lift up the Lord God; exalt God and magnify His holy name;  the more we know about God, the more our faith is strengthened."

Later in this post I will share some Scriptures about strength from God,  but right now here is a 14 minute sermon by Charles Swindoll on trusting God.

In the above sermon clip, Charles Swindoll tells us that "many are much better at worrying than you are at trusting God."  As many have learned from experience, trusting God will give you strength to endure.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  -  Psalm 46:1

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."  -  Psalm 18:2

Psalm 37:39 says, "But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: He is their strength in the time of trouble."

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;" -   Ephesians 3:16

"But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."  -  1 Peter 5:10

Following is a 47 minute sermon by Charles Spurgeon on the above verse, 1 Peter 5:10

Please listen to Spurgeon's explanation of 1 Peter 5:10 where he  speaks of Peter's words on perfection, stablish (establishment), strengthening, and settle you.

One verse that I memorized many years ago and that is extremely  encouraging is  Philippians 4:13 which says, 

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."

As Pastor David Wilkerson has said, "Listen to God!  God wants  quiet, quality time with you!"

This blog has shared much information on how we are now living in the last moments of the end days as prophesied in the Bible.  Go to the search box in the above right hand side of this page and type in such things as Gog Magog War, the Rapture, last days, 7 year tribulation and so on and several articles will appear for you to read about eschatology.  

Time is short!

Jesus will return soon to take His Bride (true believers) to heaven with Him in the Rapture.  

Are you Rapture ready?

You can only go to heaven if you have been born again from above.  To be born again is to repent and turn to Jesus in faith and believe that He is the Savior and that His shed blood at Calvary can wash away your sins.  To be born again is a spiritual "rebirth."

"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 on Him  should not perish, but have everlasting life."  -  John 3:16

This believing in Jesus is not talking about intellectual knowledge.  It is referring to a heart-felt and soul stirring knowing that Jesus is the Savior and that the only way to heaven is through true and sincere and soul changing faith in Him.   FAITH !  BELIEF !

"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

Jesus loves you!

He is waiting for you and His arms are open wide to embrace you with love and forgiveness!

The more you read your Bible and pray, the more you will learn just how much the good Lord loves you!   And you will come to love Him with all of  your heart and soul and very being!

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."

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

"Remember Who Holds Tomorrow" (With Sermon by Charles R. Swindoll) - Inspirational Weekend

[Dinard Blue Heaven Orchid]

I had originally meant to do research on another subject, but for some reason I have been listening over and over to a certain hymn these last few days.  Every morning at the beginning of my Bible study, I always listen to several hymns on You Tube before I read and study and journal on a Bible Scripture or two.  Following is a beautiful rendition of that hymn:  "I know who holds tomorrow";  please listen carefully to the lyrics -  there is a powerful message there.

In this chaotic and upset world we are living in..... in the trials and hardships and worries and sorrows..... in the dread of what the future holds or might hold (like perhaps a nuclear world war) ;  we need to look to the One Who holds tomorrow.... to the only One Who can help us and save us.   

We need Jesus.  Those of us who are saved and washed white as snow in the Lamb's shed blood at Calvary,  the true Shepherd Who guides us and cherishes us,   ....  We have nothing to fear if we are born again believers.  We have a blessed hope (Titus 2:13), and that is that soon Jesus will return to take us to Heaven to be with Him, before the wrath of God is poured out on the earth and on ungodly men during the 7 year Tribulation period.  

I have written much about the Tribulation in previous articles.  For more information, go to the "Search box" in the upper right hand side of this page and type in "Tribulation" and several articles will appear that you may chose from to read.  There are also videos on those links.  Also, do the same with the word "Rapture" for more information on that subject...... a sure return of the Lord Jesus Christ which is very imminent. It will happen soon, according to the way Bible prophecy is being fulfilled , or the precursors are here leading up to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. 

If the Rapture happened today, would you be ready?

The only way to be ready is to be a born again believer in the Savior, Jesus Christ.  

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."

Not only are we living in the last moments of the end times, but none of us know the day we might die.  Other than the promises and prophecies of the Bible, we do not know what tomorrow might bring so far as our living or dying is concerned.  That is, we do not know the timing of our death; but if we are true believers in the saving power of Jesus Christ, we know we will go to be with the good Lord the moment we die.  

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."  -  2 Corinthians 5:8

"Every day you are alive is a special occasion."  -  Charles Swindoll

Celebrate life!

Live life to the full!

Live to obey Yahweh !

Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with lost souls !

Following is a 38 minute sermon by Charles R. Swindoll titled: "You Do Not Know What Tomorrow  Will Bring."  It is a sobering sermon and makes us realize what truly matters in this life.

In the above sermon, Swindoll tells us to "Respect our Lord's will, as this will guard you from pride."   Pride is a sin that God hates!

Charles Swindoll also mentions what James 4:13-14 has to say about making plans for tomorrow:

(13) "Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  (14) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow: for what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

As one commentator says, "Our lives....are not substantial.  .... they are like an early morning mist that soon clears away.  (Hosea 13:3).  For life is brief,, and in the midst of life we are in death.  ...... It is in this light that [people] should determine what they (or rather, God) consider to be important.  And if they truly recognize that their lives might disintegrate like a puff of smoke

at any moment, they will undoubtedly put more consideration into looking at the things that are unseen, and building up treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). "

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."                              2 Corinthians 4:18

[Hong Kong Orchid Tree Blossoms]

Wake up!  Jesus could return at any moment.  Nothing needs to be fulfilled from the Bible for His return.  We are living in the last days, friends.  

The apostle Peter tells us at 2 Peter 3:11, concerning the end times, "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness."  

Do the following if you are not saved:

Turn to the good Lord now in faith and repentance and acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.

Believe that Jesus is the Savior and the only way of salvation and surrender your life to Him. 

Call on the Lord in faith and confess your sins and commit your life to Him.

"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

"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

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

"Wait....Be Still And Be Quiet" - Inspirational Weekend

One time when I was very upset and agitated (with good reason), I plopped myself down on the sofa and repeated the verse above over and over to try to calm myself down.  The Lord blessed my efforts by causing me to fall into a deep sleep almost immediately, and when I awoke I felt a strong sense of peace.   Now I still repeat Psalm 46:10 by saying, "Be still and know that You are God."  It has a calming peace about it to say it out loud.  The Holy Word of God has power !  It can transform anyone from the clutches of the wicked world and the power of satan and mold them into a mild and humble child of God; a life from wickedness to a godly life; a life from loud and unruly actions and brazen speech into a gentle and meek and quiet spirit.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  -  Romans 12:2

In Psalm 46:10, to "be still" means to stop, to cease striving.  In today's hustle and bustle world, people are constantly on the go and busy, busy, all the time.  Even many Christians do not take time to pray or study the Bible because of their hectic schedules.  This should not be so.  Sadly, even some who call themselves Christians put their careers first and foremost, always striving and they seldom call upon the Lord. Before I was born-again, I was guilty of putting my career first before anyone or anything.  Now I am more happy doing the Lord's work than I ever was previously. There is also a considerable amount of peace within your soul when you know you are in right standing with God and Jesus.

Tied in with being still and quiet, is the willingness to wait upon the Lord.  Andrew Murray says that, "quietness is an element of true waiting on God.  ......But when it is seen that the waiting on God is itself an unspeakable blessedness, one of the highest forms of fellowship with the Holy One, the adoration of Him in His glory will of necessity humble the soul into a holy stillness, making way for God to speak and reveal Himself."

The quote above by Andrew Murray is from his book/devotional "Waiting on God"  .  It is an excellent rendition on the subject of waiting on God and you may still find it here .

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord."  -   Psalm 27:14

Sometime ago I wrote about how waiting can be good and I quoted Charles Spurgeon who said, "If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for.  The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes.  The Lord's people have always been a waiting people."

Following is a sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon titled "Waiting Only Upon God".  It seems to fit including it here because waiting on God involves stillness and a quiet hope.

So, to wait for the Lord is to be done in quietness and stillness. That shows faith.  Don't jump blindly into something or say something you may regret later.....wait on God to show the way.

"Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly."  -  Acts 19:36

Following is a 49 minute sermon by Charles R. Swindoll on being still and being quiet:

You must be still in order to sense God's presence - whether in prayer or in Bible reading  It is hard sometimes because even then our minds tend to wander, but we need to focus as much as we possibly can on the Lord and in reverent fear and with a sense of His sovereignty and majesty. Be still in your humble heart and realize God is your Creator, your Lord and Master, as is Jesus, and give Him honor and respect as you pray and as you wait for Him in all matters.     

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him."  -  Psalm 62:5

God responds to a meek and quiet spirit. It is pleasing to Him to see us as being meek and quiet.  No one likes a loud and brash person; God is no different, except He is more patient than we are.  God is love, and in His great love He does not wish any to perish, but to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to believe in the heart that He is the Savior who can wash away all of our sins....and that includes even the brash person, the person we may give up on. God is forgiving.

"But (let it be) the hidden man of the heart, in which is not corruptible, (even the ornament) of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."  -  1 Peter 3:4

We have seen that to be still (as in Psalm 46:10), involves to "cease striving"; to let God be God and let Him be in control of our lives.  Not frantically pursuing endeavors contrary to God's will.  Just to simply rest in the Lord and to wait for Him.

Be still.
Be quiet.

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord."  -  Lamentations 3:26

"For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy one of Israel, In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength......"    -  Isaiah 30:15   

"And say unto him, take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted..."  Isaiah 7:4a