"Life Can Only Be Understood Backwards" (With Charles Spurgeon Sermon) - Inspirational Weekend

My photograph above could simply symbolize a beautiful day at the beach.  It could also mean a walk with Jesus, if you remember the poem "Footprints In The Sand" which was made popular many years ago.  The most touching verse of that poem was Jesus saying, "When you saw only one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that I carried you."

This article will be about how, with Jesus' help, we can lead a victorious life.  First, we must be born again.  We must have been truly converted and have put our faith and hope in Christ as the Savior and to believe with all of our heart that His death at Calvary....His shed blood there.... can wash our sins away if we have true faith in Him and believe in His resurrection.

One must also sincerely repent of his sins and not continue to live a sinful life.  One needs to pray for forgiveness and surrender his life to Jesus.

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."

Salvation is not a big list of do's and don'ts or works to be performed.  Salvation is by faith.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man should boast."  -  Ephesians 2:8-9

What originally inspired me to write today was a quote I ran across by a Danish poet, theologian, and religious author that lived from 1813 to 1855.  His name was Soren Kierkegaard and he is quoted as saying,  "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

How true !  I have quite a few years on me now (I am a great grandmother!)  I can look back on many years ago, before I was born again, and see how emotional I was:  quick to anger, self-centered, self-willed, and not really understanding what life was all about.  So I regret the person I was during those past years, but now that the Lord has touched my heart and taught me to live for His will, I can understand more now what life is all about (it is all about Him).  I do not live in the past, but I have learned from past mistakes.   I am now free to  "live life forwards", as Kierkegaard said. 

Back to modern times, Philip Yancey has said something that is great food for thought:  "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse."

"The heart of the Christian faith is found at the intersection of our brokenness and God's goodness, mercy, and love."  - Tripp Prince

Faith.  

The Christian who has a victorious life is one that is rooted and grounded in faith.  You can live victoriously !  You can triumph over this wicked world!    If you live for Jesus, you have no need to fear anything.  

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   -  Jesus at John 14:27

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

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."                   -   Romans 8:37

So how do we live victoriously?  How do we gain faith?

Read your Bible daily; it is God's love letter to us; His instruction manual for us to follow.  When you pour over God's Holy Word, it is like God speaking to you.   The Word has life and power!  It can draw you to God, and you begin to learn about His attributes and your love and appreciation for Jesus will grow.   Your faith will also grow.

Pray more than once a day.   Pray with importunity and with a heart totally focused on the good Lord.  You cannot come to know anyone intimately unless you communicate with them.   Tell God all of your fears, all of your worries, and ask Him for guidance in daily living.   Talk to Him as if you were talking to a beloved Father,  for that He is.   The more you pray, the more your faith will grow.  Especially as you see your prayers being answered.

But remember, in your prayers and in your Bible reading you must take time to listen to what the Lord says.   Pause and be silent and see if you do not "hear" His still, small voice whisper words of encouragement and love to your heart.   It is the Holy Spirit working to guide you and encourage you when you most need it.  He may send you a reminder of a certain Scripture which will manifest itself when you are in prayer.

Following is a short 4 minute audio video by J.R. Miller concerning the secret to victorious living.

And following is a 45 minute video sermon by Charles Spurgeon on "The Victory of Faith".   I pray that you will take the time to listen to the full, inspiring sermon.

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

"Doing The Impossible" - Inspirational Weekend

The above Hawaiian Black-Crowned Night Heron is attempting an impossible fishing task, as some of the Koi in this pond are as large or larger than he is.  That being said, I have seen him (or other herons) at this same location several times and they never seem to give up.  So maybe occasionally they do capture smaller Koi.   

Never, never, never give up !!   There is a lesson here for Christians.  Sometimes we have what seem like insurmountable obstacles; things which seem impossible to us......But GOD !

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."     -    Philippians 4:13

Many times the above verse has enabled me to continue to hold on when things seemed hopeless.  Sometimes we simply do not see a way out; we do not see even a glimmer of hope.  But that is viewing things from a human perspective.  

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  -  Matthew 19:26

We serve a God that is omnipotent.  He has unlimited power and authority.  He is God Almighty and the Sovereign of the universe.  We can look to Him with confidence and faith that He will see us through anything if we but have faith and trust in Him to rescue us.  He will point the way for us; the path to take.  This may involve a period of waiting on Him; our trial may not be solved immediately.

Thus we need to endure for a season, perhaps, and this is where faith comes in..... endurance is a training ground for faith.

The above white duck was not sipping water from the quiet and rather dead pond but was catching moving "living water" by sipping it as it fell over the rocks.  I am, of course, not suggesting that this water was truly living water as mentioned by Jesus in the Bible.   I am merely saying that this duck preferred the moving water to drink, so that I may lead up to Jesus' words in John, chapter 4.

Our Rock is Christ Jesus, and only He can give that living water that will sustain us and lead us to our heavenly hope.  

"Jesus answered and said unto her,  If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water."   -  John 4:10

In John 7:38-39 the term "living water" is explained as meaning the Holy Spirit, but here it refers to eternal life.  We must also consider John 4:14, where Jesus says: 

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

It may appear that I have digressed from the main topic "Doing the impossible", but I haven't really;  it all ties in.  We can do nothing without the good Lord.  (John 15:5).  He gives us the power to hang on when we exercise faith in Him and believe His every Word.   Which means we should read His Holy Word daily, and let it empower us to such a strong faith that we can do the impossible, with the help of the Lord.  Although it is actually the Lord Who does the impossible; we are the vessels of His workmanship, and we do as the Potter bids us.

Let us not be like the koi in a man-made pond, forever floating and swimming endlessly about in the same area , back and forth, and getting no where.   We can be strong and have a purposeful life when we look to the good Lord for guidance and strength.  He will guide us along the chosen path for us.   The good Lord will keep us from wandering aimlessly through life.  Our purpose is to glorify Him by obeying Him and sharing the good news of the Gospel.  Remember, "with God all things are possible."

To build our faith, and to live a meaningful life, we need to be much in prayer and much in the Holy Word of God.  In that way, we will build a strong, personal, and intimate love relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   God wants to fellowship with us, and we do that by prayer and by following His guidance as He "speaks" to us in the Bible.  The Bible is God's Love Letter to us and also it is His Instruction Manual for us.  There is much power in God's Word and much power in prayer.  It helps us to overcome hardships and sorrows and to believe we can do great things for God's glory if we but put all our trust in Him for guidance and help.

"And Jesus said unto them,  Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be unpossible unto you."   -  Matthew 17:20

"And He said unto me,  My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.   Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  -  2 Corinthians 12:9

Consider all the great things the Lord has done for you.  Primarily, the miracle of Salvation.  Following is a Scripture that says a lot in a few words:

"Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart.  For consider what great things He has done for you."   -  1 Samuel 12:24

Whenever you feel the least bit depressed or overwhelmed by circumstances,  think on that verse directly above in 1 Samuel. 

To have God's blessings, you must be a true believer in Jesus as the Savior.  You need to repent of any and all sins, and come humbly before the good Lord in prayer and ask for His forgiveness.  

Jesus loves you.

He will not turn any away who come to Him in sorrow and sincere repentance.  Then your sorrow will  turn into great joy as He forgives you and leads you along the paths of righteousness.   

Remember, we are in the end times now; Bible prophecy is being fulfilled as I write this.... or at least the precursors to prophecy are in place and about to be fulfilled.   

The Rapture of Christ's Bride (the true believers) will occur very soon.   

Don't be left behind to face the wrath of God upon all the ungodly left on earth who will go through unspeakable suffering and horrors of the 7 year Tribulation period.   Read the Bible book of Revelation concerning the sufferings and plagues and destruction that will occur during that time.  You do not want to be on this earth during the judgmental Tribulation.

"(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

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

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

"From Darkness To Light" - Inspirational Weekend

My previous post concerned itself with the darkness of a pagan holiday.  This weekend let us consider what is good, and pure, and holy; what can bring happiness and give one a sense of peace.

"Then spake Jesus 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  (KJV)

Christ is truly and aptly compared to and most fittingly represented by light. One commentator has said, "The great end and errand of Christ's coming into the world, was to give light unto poor souls that sat in darkness."

All true believers remember how they were in darkness and sin and misery before they came to a saving faith in Jesus.  To know Jesus loves us and how He died a sacrificial death out of love for mankind, and that our sins are forgiven once we come to faith and belief in Him as our Savior who can wash away all of our sins,  then... and only then... can we find true happiness now and can look forward to an eternity of living in bliss with the good Lord.

No true disciple shall walk in the darkness.  Instead, he shall have as his own the Light of Life.  Light implies knowledge, guidance, safety, and holy purity.  So those who closely, humbly and steadily follow Christ shall have the Divine Light continually shining upon them.  Remember also, when you become a true follower of Jesus Christ and you are born again, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).  The Holy Spirit will guide you and keep you on the right path... the path of righteousness.   

"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."  -  John 14:16, 17

It takes faith in Jesus to be saved, to be born again from above.  Charles Spurgeon had it correct when he said,  "Would you be comfortable and happy?  Would you enjoy religion?  Would you have the religion of cheerfulness and not that of gloom? Then have faith in God.  If you love darkness and are satisfied to dwell in gloom and misery, then be content with little faith; but if you love the sunshine, and would sing songs of rejoicing, covet earnestly this best gift, Great faith."

"In Him was life; and the life was the light of men."  -  John 1:4

God is declared to be Life or the Living God because He is the source or fountain of life.  This is also true of Jesus Christ, of course.  The Messiah was predicted as the Light of the world:  Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 60:1.

Psalm 89:15 tells us, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance."

One commentator explains Psalm 89:15 by saying, "Being blessed with the light of truth, and being enabled to walk therein, they shall live under the comfortable influences of Thy love and favor."

"For Thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness."  -  Psalm 18:28

"For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see Light."  -  Psalm 36:9

Be happy !

Be blessed !  

But what if you are an unbeliever?

Can you see from all the above quoted Scriptures how much the good Lord loves you?!  That He longs to welcome you to the family of God as one of His beloved children?

Turn from sin and darkness !  Be free from the devil's evil plot to keep you in his grasp which suffocates you and renders you helpless to be free and full of joy.  Turn to the good Lord in faith and belief and break free from the devil's hold on you. 

Jesus is waiting with open arms, ready to embrace you in love and forgiveness.

If you have not been born again, turn to Him in true repentance and pray for forgiveness.  Believe Jesus is the Savior whose shed blood at Calvary can wash your sins away, if you have faith in Him.  Also, the Scriptures tell us to believe in Christ's 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."

"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

"What Does God Require Of You?" - Inspirational Weekend

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us what God requires of us, or expects from us.   I will touch on a few that are known to many believers; but other believers seldom, if ever, read their Bibles so this article is also for them -  as well as for unbelievers.

First of all, we need to believe with all of our heart that Jesus is the Savior, and to put all of our hope and faith in Him in order to 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

Faith and belief in Jesus is all that is required to be saved and to gain eternal life.   However, God also expects us to obey Him and to live godly lives and to bear much fruit.  (John 15:8).  

All true believers are already fully aware of all the information that I wrote above.  Let us consider Micah 6:8 which follows:

"He hath shewed thee,  O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

To "do justly" is to be righteous; to act or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good.  To "love mercy" ....  a high obligation.  Mercy is a beautiful quality.  The spirit of mercy and forgiveness proceeds from the Father and the Son.  We should do likewise with forbearance and gentleness.

The Lord also requires man to "walk humbly with Him."  We can be humble when we contemplate how God took us out of the pits of darkness and brought us into His life-saving light; how we did not deserve His love and mercy, and that we should humbly acknowledge that we can do nothing without Him  (John 15:5).  Focus on the Lord and consider His powerful works and His majesty; live in awe and reverential fear of His power and realize that He is the Sovereign of the universe and we are but "specks of dust".  If we have a strong, intimate, and personal love relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we will be humble.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."   -  Ecclesiastes 12:13

The root of religion is fear of God reigning in the heart.  You will also have a reverence of His majesty, and submit to His authority. And because you love Him, you will dread to grieve Him by sinful thoughts and actions.  You will have a respect for all of His commandments and you will take care to keep them.  This also applies to Jesus, of course.  Love for Christ will compel you to live your life in a Christ-like manner.   Follow closely in His footsteps.

Another requirement of the Lord is found at Mark 12:30-31 which follows:

(30)  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  (31) And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."

To love God with all your heart is to love Him with all of your powers, and with perfect sincerity.  

The soul contains the affections, passions, and desires of the man under the rule of the will and conscience.  To love God with all thy soul is to love Him with the utmost fervor.  

To love God with all your mind, is to first of all fill your mind with the Word of God and dwell on things above  (Colossians 3:1-2).  That way you will have an enlightened mind in which to better exercise true love of God.

To love God with all of your strength is to love Him with all the energy of your being.  That covers the first commandment.

Now concerning the second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself..... The Jews regarded only fellow Jews and full proselytes as their neighbors, but Jesus taught that a neighbor is anyone with whom we have any dealings whatsoever.  "Neighbor" in Greek literally means "one nearby."  If we are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the love of God within us, we will naturally want to help our neighbor and will love him and treat him kindly.

Don't forget the Great Commission !   After His resurrection, Jesus commanded His disciples (which includes you and me) the following:

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."   -  Matthew 28:19-20

Love of God and love of neighbor - and wanting to obey the Lord - will fill us with the desire to share the Gospel with everyone we possibly can.  We are on this earth to love and serve God, and to love and serve our neighbor.

These requirements of the good Lord are all familiar to true believers, but it is good to be reminded of things from time to time.

For unbelievers, you need to get right with the Lord and surrender your life to Him.  Time is short !  We all need to be ready for the return of Christ at the soon to occur Rapture of the Church.

Don't be left behind !

Pray for forgiveness and believe with all of your being that Jesus Christ is the Savior, and that His blood shed at Calvary can wash your sins away if you but have faith in Him, and believe in His resurrection.    

It is a simple faith that can save you.  You must repent of your sins and renounce them and never go back to a life of sin.   God will help you because once you are truly saved you will be sealed with the Holy Spirit Who will help you resist temptations and will help you to live a godly life. (Ephesians 1:13).

Choose life everlasting in heaven !

Choose Jesus !

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 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

As we enjoy this beautiful weekend, let us examine ourselves - our hearts - to see if we meet the good Lord's requirements.  Let us put Him first in our lives.

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

"The Rapture Is Near! Are You Ready?" (With Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ."  -  Titus 2:13

All Christians know that that "Blessed Hope" is the Rapture of the true believers; that promised hope we long for, for we will be taken to heaven to be with Jesus forever.  Actually, after the 7 year Tribulation period, we will return with the Lord to the earth to live for 1000 years under the Millennial Kingdom, with Jesus Christ ruling over us.   But that is another subject for another article.

Prior to this post, we have discussed here the Mystery of God and the Mystery of Godliness .  Now we will discuss the Mystery of the Rapture.  To begin, here is a 59 minute video on that topic where Amir Tsarfati gives an excellent discourse with much information to digest.  It was published in January of 2017, as Amir mentions that year in his sermon; however, facts presented here are still relevant and true today.

The purpose of the Rapture is to take believers to heaven with the Lord before God pours out His wrath upon those ungodly and unrepentant persons left behind to face the horrors of the tribulation period.  You do not want to be here and face the destruction and plagues and the wrath of God during the 7 year tribulation!  Make sure you are ready to meet Jesus by living a godly life; but first, of course, by surrendering your life to Him in faith and belief in Him as the Savior.

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 tells us:  (50) "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (51) Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,     (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:  for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (54)  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

In the verses above, the apostle Paul clarifies some of the mystery of the Rapture.  I have written often concerning the Rapture.  You can go to the "Search this blog" box on the upper right hand side of this page and type in "rapture" and several posts will appear which you can then read the ones that are of interest to you.  Here is a link to one of the articles I wrote last year about how the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of the Lord differ.

In the above link, there is a short video featuring author Ron Rhodes, who speaks on the timing of the Rapture. He uses humor to help make his point and it is a pleasure to listen to his reasoning.  One thing he mentioned was "Every  problem we've got will be fixed by the Rapture."   If you are old and falling apart, the Rapture will fix that.  If you are tired and just want to be at rest with the good Lord, the Rapture will fix that.

We must make sure that we are ready for the Lord's soon return in the Rapture !!

"The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come."  -  Isaiah 57:1

Praise and thank God for His mercy and love in keeping believers from the wrath of the Tribulation period!

Remember, you must be born again and totally committed to the Lord to escape the tribulation.  

"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

When you are born again, you have put your faith and belief in Jesus as the Savior; you have repented of all sin, and you pray to God for forgiveness of your past sins.  You believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and you endeavor to live a godly life; a life of obedience to the Lord.  You become a new creature; your carnal nature is transformed into a holy nature, focused on things above, not on things of this evil world scene.  

"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

Colossians 3:1-2 admonishes us:  (1) "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  (2) Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth."

Here is a song about the Rapture, or should I say, about being "left behind".

Don't be left behind! Take to heart the Scriptures found in this article.  Make sure you are ready for Jesus' return !

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 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

Think about all the good Lord has done for you.

Think about His great love and that He longs to hear from you, to fellowship with you, and to have a strong personal and intimate love relationship with you.

Turn to the Lord and live a life pleasing to Him.

Believe Jesus is the Savior !

Repent and turn from your sins.

He will welcome you with arms wide open in an embrace of love and forgiveness!

As you draw close to Him, He will draw close to you (James 4:8)

Be blessed and have a Christ centered weekend ..... and 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.

"Fear To Fear" (With Sermon Clips by Charles Spurgeon) - Inspirational Weekend

Big cats are magnificent and quite handsome.   I admire their beauty and regal bearing, but I do not want to be near one in the wild; I do not even want to be alone with them at the zoo except when I am protected by glass and walls and barriers.   Yes, I have a healthy fear where big cats are concerned; a self-preserving fear.  A healthy fear can be a blessing and can show wisdom on our part.

But there is another kind of fear we need to be alert about.  Thus the title of this post, "Fear to Fear".  Charles Spurgeon says it best in this short 2 minute sermon clip:

In other words, "Be afraid to be afraid".   Do not be a coward.  

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone,  which is the second death."    -    Revelation 21:8

The above verse shows us clearly just how God views the fearful....He lumps them together with murderers and the unbelieving and all liars (etc.), and tells us that they will be tormented forever in hell.

Being fearful shows a lack of faith and trust in God.  If it is a constant fear, perhaps you are not truly born again.  You need to get down on your knees and pray for deliverance and forgiveness.  Read your Bible daily and pray without ceasing.   When you develop a close, intimate, personal love relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you will learn to put all of your hope and faith and trust in Him, and any morbid fear will disappear.  

When you are a genuine believer and have truly been born again, the Holy Spirit within you will remove all fear.  Also, to have all fear removed, we must love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength  (Mark 12:30).  

"A perfect faith would lift us absolutely above fear."  -   George Macdonald

"Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles.  If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation.  He that has his trust set upon God does not need to dread anything except the weakening or the paralyzing of that trust."    -   Alexander MacLaren.

"The only known antidote to fear is faith."   -  Woodrow Kroll

So trust and faith in the good Lord will cast out fear.  

Psalm 27:1 tells us, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love."    -  1 John 4:18

Not only does faith in the Lord cast out fear, but also love will set you free from fear as well.   As you grow and mature in faith and in a strong and intimate relationship with God,  your love for Him and for obeying Him in total surrender will increase.  You will love Him with all of your heart and will desire to please Him in everything.  As God answers your prayers and guides you, your love and faith will grow by leaps and bounds.  

Following is a beautiful hymn about not being afraid:

There is One whom we should fear however; with a healthy, reverent fear and with love.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us,  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."  -  2 Corinthians 7:1

It is evident from the Scriptures that we should have a healthy, reverent fear of the good Lord.  Fear to grieve Him, fear to disobey Him, fear to displease Him in any way.  He is our Creator, the Sovereign of the universe, the only true God; therefore we should be in awe of Him and serve Him in humility and obedience.

Following is another 2 minute sermon clip by Charles Spurgeon titled "Fear Only God".  In it Spurgeon tells us,  "He who fears God has nothing else to fear."

Have a Christ centered weekend !

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."   -  2 Timothy 1:7

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you:  not as the  world giveth,  give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   -  Jesus at John 14:27

"What Is The Work Of God?" - Inspirational Weekend

My photograph above of the African Crowned Crane is just one example of God's beautiful creations.  All we have to do also is to gaze upon gorgeous mountains, and other breathtaking examples of our Heavenly Father's masterpieces, and we realize just how awesome our God is.   

But "the work of God" stressed in this post is not about His amazing creation, but something else indeed.  John 6:29 says:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."

Let's back up to other verses in John 6 so that we may see the context here more fully.  Jesus had previously performed the miracle of turning two small fishes and five barley loaves into enough food to feed over 5,000 men plus women and children.  Not only that, but there were 12 baskets of food left over.  (John 6:1-14).

Later, the people searched for Jesus again, and when they found Him, He said unto them:

".......Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled."  -  John 6:26

The miracles which Jesus performed proved that He came from God and that He was the promised Messiah.  That was reason enough to follow Him.  But to follow Him because He supplied them with food, that was selfishness of a gross kind.  Beware today, believers, that you do not make the same mistake:  following Jesus for what you can get from Him, instead of following Him out of faith and belief in Him. We should follow Him out of extreme love for Him, and out of true gratitude for salvation from Him.

In John 6:27, Jesus went on to say to them:

"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed."

The people responded with: "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"   -  John 6:28

Jesus responded with the already quoted verse, John 6:29:

"This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."

The people had immediately thought that doing "works" (plural) was what was required and was what Jesus meant.   But Jesus referred to one work......  the work that pleases God... and the first requirement is to have faith in Jesus Christ.  "A faith that would enable them to lay hold upon Him who is the Bread of Life: from  such faith would spring a Christlike life."

It is not doing this or doing that, but it is believing.  "The act of believing in Jesus, the soul's casting itself on Him with perfect trust, is here spoken of as a work, as something which requires the exercise of man's will and calls forth determination and effort. The attainment of abiding nourishment unto eternal life offered by the Son of man."

Believe in Jesus as the Savior. 

"This is the work which sinners are to do; and doing this they will be saved, for "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth".   (Romans 10:4).

We are living in the last days.

Believers should be in constant fellowship with the Lord through prayer and Bible study, thereby developing a close, intimate, personal love relationship with Him.  That will enable you to not only live a life pleasing to Him and to help you grow to spiritual maturity, but it will also help you to do the Great Commission and bring others, with the Holy Spirit's help, to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Unbelievers should not delay in accepting Jesus as their Savior as His return is imminent.  Not to choose Him, not to choose life, is still a choice....you are saying No to Him, No to eternal life with the Lord.   You need to repent of your sins, pray for forgiveness, believe in Jesus with all your being and believe also in His resurrection !  It is not complicated, you only need to be repentant and sincere - and of course have faith and believe in Jesus.

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 the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."   -  Jesus at John 6:39

"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 tells us the Great Commission at Matthew 28:19, 20:

(19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

"Words Of Encouragement And What Happens When You Die" (With Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

When I view beautiful flowers like the Hibiscus above, it reminds me of the Lord's tender mercies and His love for mankind by giving us such beauty to embrace while living in a chaotic world.  An evil world.  A cruel and selfish world, where godliness .... for the most part .... is not practiced and is mocked by unbelievers.  True and faithful believers need words of encouragement and hope.  We can find such hope and encouragement in God's Holy Word, the Bible.

Featured in this post, as in my last post, are two videos,  one by Amir Tsarfati and another by evangelist Dan Goodwin, only these are different and more recent videos than in the April 9, 2018, writing.  Following is a 24 minute video by Amir with words of clarification and encouragement, considering recent events.

Have you ever wondered where the dead go when they die?  Specifically, where the Old Testament righteous people went, since heaven was not open to them at that time?  Remember the parable given by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31, about the rich man and Lazarus the beggar, and where they went when they died?  The rich man went to hell (verse 23), and Lazarus went to Abraham's bosom, or paradise (also verse 23).  Many scholars believe this is a true story or history of two real individuals.  

The Talmud mentions both paradise and Abraham's bosom as the home of the righteous.  The main lesson here is that once death comes a person cannot change his eternal destiny.  

Abraham told the rich man who was in hell, "And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."   -  Luke 16:26

In the following 28 minute video from prophecyinthenews.com ,  evangelist Dan Goodwin gives much information on this topic, as well as numerous Scriptures.  He also tells us that New Testament saints, you and I, can only enter heaven and be in God's presence  by being born again.  

Hebrews 11 tells us of the righteous men of old, who by faith obeyed God and it was accounted to them as righteousness.  For example,  Hebrews 11:7 says:

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."    

The good Lord wants us to exhibit faith, and thereby be full of righteousness and pleasing to Him.  The way to develop faith is to read your Bible and by being often in prayer.  In other words, to develop a close, personal, intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ His Son.   Our purpose is to do His will and to bring glory to the Lord.  

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."   -  Hebrews 11:6

Now is the time to be busy for the Lord, bringing lost souls to come to a faith in Jesus as their Savior.  We are living in the end times, the last "hour" of the last days.  Be occupied in the Lord's work.

Be ready!!

Jesus could return at any moment !!

If you are an unbeliever, turn to the Lord before it is too late !  Pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins, repent and do not go back to a life of sin; have faith and believe in Jesus as your Savior; believe in His resurrection.  

Remember, God accepts U-turns !

Jesus loves you !

He is waiting with open arms of love and forgiveness!

Turn to Jesus with faith and belief!

He will pardon your sins and give you eternal life!

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 said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"    -  John 11: 25-26

"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."