How To Find Joy And Peace" - Inspirational Weekend

"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

This morning my Bible study for the day was Acts 2:28, where Peter quotes from Psalm 16 and says, "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance."

The word "countenance" is referring to God's "presence."  Knowing that God is truly near and present gives one great joy; as does His answers to  prayer. It gives you a sense of peace and contentment and safety when the good Lord's presence is felt.  And most of all you feel loved.  You are loved.   God is love  (1 John 4:8).

"Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering.  It is the presence of God."  -  Sam Storms

Nehemiah 8:10 b tells us ".... for the joy of the Lord is your strength."  

One commentator tells us concerning Nehemiah 8:10 b,  "Religious joy, properly tempered with continual dependency on the help of God, meekness of mind, and self-diffidence, is a powerful means of strengthening the soul.  In such a frame of mind no man ever fell, and in such a state of mind the general health of the body is much improved; a cheerful heart is not only a continual feast, but also a continual medicine."

This morning I also read again Psalm 16.  Please turn there and read about not only king David, but how this Psalm also speaks of the prophesied resurrection of Christ.  Pay special attention to verses 8 to 11.  I have already quoted verse 11 and  will now quote  verses 8 to 10 :

(8) I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  (9) Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: My flesh also shall rest in hope.   (10)  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Some mysteries in the Bible are hard to understand, but if you are a born again believer the Holy Spirit will help and guide you to understand the Holy Word.  Jesus' death and resurrection gives us the assurance that we too will be resurrected and live forever with the good Lord.  That is indeed something to be joyful about, and to live a life of obedience and gratitude towards the Lord. 

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  -   Hebrews 12:2

"We should concentrate on Jesus, the goal and objective of our faith.  Our faith, which has its beginning in Him, is also completed in Him. "  -  King James Study Bible notes.

Think about how Jesus suffered, bled and died so that those who believe in Him as the Savior might have eternal life !  What love!

We are living in the last "hour" of the last days.  So many prophecies are in the process or the beginnings of fulfillment right now.  Remember, Israel is God's prophetic time clock.  In fact, the entire 7 year Tribulation is to bring Israel to its knees in acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah they are looking for.  Isaiah 17:1 could be fulfilled at any time, where it says that Damascus will be destroyed and become "a ruinous heap."  If you look at any photos of present day Damascus, a good portion of it is destroyed already.   Also, the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39  may happen soon, as Russia, Iran, and Turkey have become "good buddies" and will soon come against Israel as shown in Ezekiel 38.... they as well as other surrounding nations will come against Israel in this war.

We live in the end times.  Now is the time to put your faith and trust in Jesus as the Savior if you have not already done so.  Before the Tribulation period, Jesus will Rapture all true believers to be with Him in heaven.  They will be with the Lord and will escape the wrath of God to come upon the ungodly and unrepentant persons left on earth after the Rapture.   The Tribulation will be a time of destruction and horrors and hell on earth.

Don't be left behind!

Go to the Lord in heartfelt prayer and confess your sins and repent never to return to your sins again; ask God for forgiveness.  Put your faith in Jesus as the Savior and  believe in His resurrection.

Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us:  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"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

The main thing is to believe with all of your being that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to eternal life.   If you are truly converted, you will bear much fruit and good works will follow.  Works do not save you, but they are proof that you are truly saved and have put all of your trust in the good Lord.  You will want to serve the Lord out of love and gratitude.

BELIEVE !

Jesus is waiting to receive you with open arms full of love and 

forgiveness !

He will give you peace and joy !

Have a blessed and Christ centered life !!

"Regrets - Don't Let Them Steal Your Joy" - Inspirational Weekend

We all know the definition of regret.  We have all experienced regrets in our lifetime, and the sense of loss and disappointment and remorse can totally consume us and steal our joy if we morbidly dwell on past sins, or on wasted years.  Making mistakes is part of the human experience; we are all imperfect and we sin.  The true believer will find comfort in God's Holy Word, and the more we keep His commandments and obey Him, the fewer regrets we will have.   Thank the good Lord for His grace and mercy !  Jesus came to redeem us from our sinful state.  All we have to do is to repent and by faith believe in Him, and endeavor to live as godly a life as possible with the Holy Spirit's help.

"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."    -  Ephesians 4:30

Speaking of foolish decisions and bad choices, the apostle Peter comes to mind when he denied Jesus.   How bad is that !   He did not intend to sin; his denial came from fear, spiritual immaturity, and probably just impulse.  

"And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice.  And he went out, and wept bitterly."  -  Matthew 26:75

What a terrible thing to have to live with !  What regret!   Jesus knew how crushed and repentant Peter was, and later showed him love and forgiveness, restoring him.  

Please realize that it is important to understand that regret is not the same as repentance.  Esau regretted his decision to sell his birthright, but he never repented of this sin (Hebrews 12:16-17).  Regret tends to focus on the action that has brought pain and sorrow, whereas repentance focuses on the one we have offended.

"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."  -  2 Corinthians 7:10  (NASB)

Judas, who betrayed Jesus, had worldly sorrow (regret) and he committed suicide.   Peter had godly sorrow (repentance) and his life was transformed.  

Although it is natural to regret our past sins and unintentional impulse decisions against God's will, we do not want to wallow in our past mistakes and think of nothing else but how bad we are.   

This is where some people beat themselves up constantly because they cannot forgive themselves and feel worthless and depressed.  It will eat you up with bitterness and regret if you are not careful, and thereby steal your joy.  

If you are a mature believer and truly born again, you will know all this morbid dwelling on past sins is the devil trying to tear you down and make you ineffective as a productive soul winner.  Remember, he is called the deceiver and the accuser.  (Revelation 12:10)

Keeping your thoughts on wholesome and godly things will also help tremendously.  But remember, if you have confessed all known sin and have been truly repentant, the good Lord has wiped the slate clean....your sins have been forgiven !   Why dwell on your past mistakes when the Lord has forgotten them and made you clean and whole?!  Thank and praise the Lord always for His grace and mercy.  Think on good things, as Philippians 4:8 tells us:  

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."  

Did you know that the Bible tells us to forget those things which are behind?

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,"    - Philippians 3:13

So sing praises to the Lord !  Thank Him always for His forgiveness !  Saturate your mind with His Holy Word and develop a close, personal, intimate love relationship with God through Jesus Christ !  Spend much time in prayer!  Then your mind will be filled with godly and pleasant thoughts and you will not dwell on past mistakes in a way that steals your joy in the Lord.

Psalm 103:8-12 tells us:  (8) " The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (9) He will not always chide: neither will  He keep His anger for ever.  (10) He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities, (11)  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.  (12) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgression from us."

"Passport To Heaven" - Inspirational Weekend

The majority of Americans say that they are Christians and believe that they will go to heaven.   Many of these persons never attend Church, except perhaps on holidays.  And it is true many of them are good people that love their families and are law-abiding citizens.   However, it is sad but true that a good portion of these do not have a personal relationship with the Lord and have never been born again.   So how can we be assured that we will go to heaven, either when we die or when Jesus comes in the Rapture to take us alive to be with Him in glory?

"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 is our passport to heaven.   That is, we must by faith believe in Him as the Savior, and that He was resurrected.  (Romans 10:9-13).   We must repent of our sins - turn away from all wrongdoing and do not continue to live a life of sin.  Pray for forgiveness.  So forgiveness from God and Jesus is also part of that passport to heaven.    

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."  -  1 John 5:11-12

This belief in Jesus is not mere head knowledge.  Many years ago I myself believed in my head (but not deep in my heart) that Jesus was God's Son, yet at the same time I was living a worldly, carnal life and was not putting the Lord first in my life.  I had no relationship with Him.   At 16 years old I was baptized, yet I did not truly and totally understand what that meant, what that required of me.   The devil wasted no time in luring me astray.   Many years later, and in dire circumstances, the Lord really got my attention.  One hardship and catastrophe after another until there was nothing left to hang on to.   But God.   I turned to Him with all my heart and then began a relationship with Him and Jesus that filled the void in my heart and soul and life and He began to transform me and mold me.  Romans 12:1-2 tells us, "(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  (2) 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."  The way to transform your mind is by much prayer and reading of the Bible, God's Holy Word.   If you are truly saved and born again, you will become 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."  (1 Corinthians 5:17).  As a new believer, and especially as you mature in your Christian walk, you will seek the things above and put spiritual things first.  (Colossians 3:1-2).  In particular, put the good Lord first in your life and seek His guidance in all of your ways and in your life.  The point is, you must have true repentance and from the very heart of your soul seek the Lord with all you've got and put Him first in your life.   It must be a true conversion.  If you are still living like the ungodly world,  you should not expect to go to heaven.

"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

Some people believe they are too wicked to approach God, or that they must first "clean up their act" before they can come to Jesus.  

Remember the woman at the well (John 4:1-26) ?  She was living in sin, yet Jesus approached her and offered her salvation.   

Remember the woman caught in adultery, and Jesus told her "Go and sin no more."  (John 8:1-11)

God expects us to leave our sins,  but it is not a prerequisite to being saved.  He will cleanse us and wash us whiter than snow, if we will but come to Him first in true repentance.  And in faith in His Son Jesus.

This reminds me of that old hymn "Just As I Am" which I am sharing here now.   Pay close attention to the words.

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

There is hope, my friends !    God is love, and He is a God who gives us hope.   What more could we possibly want than to spend eternity with Jesus!    Did you realize that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven?  No doubt because it breaks His heart to see people go to hell and so He warned us of the doom and torment that awaits there.   Remember, God does not send people to hell; it is our choice to go there if we do not accept Jesus as our Savior and repent.

To summarize, the way to Heaven is by Jesus Christ, the Savior.  We must come to Him in faith.  We must admit that we are a sinner (Romans 3:23; 6:23).  We must confess our sins and repent of them.  To repent means to change your mind, to turn away from sin, to avoid sin and truly become a new person in Christ. 

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

Jesus loves you.

Jesus is giving you the invitation to eternal life.

Fall on your knees in repentance and pray for forgiveness.

Accept Jesus as your Savior.  

Jesus will return soon to take believers to be with Him at the Rapture of the church.

Don't be left behind !

Our citizenship is in heaven.   Don't forget the Passport to make the journey there!

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered......"   -  Joel 2:32a 

"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

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

"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."           -  1 John 2:17

"It Is All About Attitude" - Inspirational Weekend

The still, tranquil lake in my photograph above is a reminder that as followers of Christ, we also should be still and serene and calm.  God can show you by His Holy Spirit the right attitude you should have.....a Christ-like attitude.  

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."  -  Philippians 2:5 (KJV)

"Make your own attitude that of Jesus Christ."  -  Philippians 2:5  (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

If you read your Bible daily and pray daily, you cannot help but gain a good attitude.  God's Word has power !  I remember how easily agitated I used to get over even the slightest little upset.  This was many years ago before I was born again.  Prayer draws you closer to God, and so does daily Bible reading.  You learn of Jesus' attributes from the Holy Word, and thereby you can learn to imitate the Savior.  The Lord changed my attitude by renewing my mind with His Word and His Holy Spirit.

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children."  -  Ephesians 5:1

Children love to imitate their parents in words as well as in actions  Believers are children of God and should also imitate Him.   Jesus was all about love.  He was patient and kind and had compassion for people.  His love was so great that He willingly died and bled for our sins, so that we might, by believing in Him and in His resurrection, have eternal life.  

Be loving, be humble, be patient.  In other words, exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit found at Galatians 5:22-23  :   "But the fruit of the Spirit  is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Most Christians are familiar with what I have just stated and are familiar with the Scriptures that I quoted here.   But not all that read this blog are Christians.  The purpose of my writing is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to share Bible Prophecy that is coming true now in these last days we are living in.

Back to attitude.  Remember, we chose what attitude to have on any given day or circumstance.  It is an ongoing choice, daily.   Someone once said, "The choice to rejoice leads to an attitude of gratitude."  We all have heard that "Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent of how you respond to it."  Attitude !  

Another very important attitude is that of forgiveness.   We cannot be bitter and angry and resentful and expect the Lord to bless us when we have that sort of an attitude.   God has forgiven us of so much, shouldn't we do the same for others !!

"Persistence in prayer for someone we don't like, however much it goes against the grain to begin with, brings about a remarkable change in attitude."  -  F. F. Bruce

If you make it your goal to please the Lord, that alone will remarkably change your attitude.  Endeavor to help others as much as possible.   Do not be selfish and self-centered.  Focus on Jesus and imitate Him.   

Read Acts 5:40-42  where the apostles were beaten and were commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus.  Verse 41 says, "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."   And what did they do?  They went again and continued to preach and teach about Jesus (verse 42). Talk about courage and zeal and boldness! The early apostles were even willing to die for Jesus and the preaching of His Gospel.   How many Christians today are willing to do the same?   One commentator has said, "Wherefore, it is no marvel that there be so few found which are strong and stout to bear the cross, because we are almost all drowned and overwhelmed with the sense of the flesh; and there is scarce one amongst an hundred which considereth that the reproach of Christ doth far excel all the triumphs of the world, which is the only matter of comfort.  Wherefore, we must use the greater diligence in thinking upon this sentence; that we are at this day made partakers of  "the sufferings of Christ, that we may be partakers of His glory"

We are all imperfect, and make mistakes and need guidance.  Let that guidance come from the Lord through prayer and through His Holy Word.  My prayer is that you develop a close, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  Do that and see how your attitude is improved,   You will think more about wholesome and good things, positive things.

"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

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."  -      

Philippians 4:8                        

"Why We Should Forgive Others" - Inspirational Weekend

"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love.  In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness."  -  Robert Muller.     

That quote partly answers the question as to why we should forgive others.  The main reason to forgive is given to us by Jesus at Matthew 6:14-15  :  "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Think about that real hard.   You will lose fellowship with God and Jesus if you are unforgiving.   You may not lose your salvation, but you will suffer consequences.  The commentator John Trapp wrote,  "It is more comfortable to love a friend, but more honorable to love an enemy.  If thou reserve in thy mind any piece of the wrong, thou provokest and daily prayest God to reserve for thee a piece of His wrath."

This reminds me of the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35.   First of all, in verse 21, Peter came to Jesus and asked Him, "How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?"  And Jesus , in verse 22, said  to him,  "I say not unto thee, until seven times but until seventy times seven."   The sense here is "times without number" or as many times as necessary.

In other words, as often as God forgives you.  In the parable of the unforgiving servant, he owed his master a huge debt, and  because of his pleading and begging, the master forgave him the debt.   Immediately this servant went out and found another person who owed him a very small amount in comparison, and he demanded payment of him.   The unforgiving servant had this man thrown into prison until he would pay him back.   When the master of this servant heard about it, the master had the unforgiving servant thrown into prison where there were tormentors and where he suffered greatly.   The point is, God has forgiven us for so much and therefore we should be forgiving of others.The offences committed by our brothers are very small in comparison to how greatly and often we have sinned against God.

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."  -  C.S. Lewis

We must consider that when Jesus was on the cross He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."  He was praying for His murderers !    We learn from Jesus' example that we have a duty to pray for our enemies, even when they are trying to injure us.   This shows the power and excellence of the Christian religion.  No other religion teaches its followers to pray for their enemies.  Another thing to consider is that followers of Christ are just that...followers, and should follow His example and be as forgiving as He is.   

"It takes a strong person to say sorry, but an even stronger person to forgive."  -  Unknown

Another difficulty some have is in forgiving themselves.   In a way that is a perverted sense of pride.  C. S. Lewis said it best,  "I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves.  Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."   Remember the old saying,  "He is his own worst enemy."  

The first martyr in the early church was Stephen who was stoned to death by the religious leaders.  The account is found at Acts 7:54-60.   Verse 60 reads,  "And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.  And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

How much did Stephen resemble Jesus in praying for his murderers!  "What a beautiful light does this place the spirit of the Christian religion!  Christ had given what some have supposed to be an impossible command:  Love your enemies; pray for them that despitefully use and persecute you."

(Quote from Adam Clarke commentary)

Remember, refusing to truly forgive a person brings out resentment, anger, and bitterness, which are not the characteristics of a true Christian.   By not forgiving, you are hurting yourself more than the other person.

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."  -  Ephesians 4:32

Below is a wonderful sermon by Charles Stanley titled "Forgiving Hurts That We Don't Deserve"