"Deny Self And Follow Jesus" (Andrew Murray Video) - Inspirational Weekend

We live in a world of selfies, self-centeredness , selfishness, and people are generally only thinking of their own wants, desires, and interests.  Self-absorbed .  Plain and simple.  

This should never be true of Christians.   The word Christian is not used much by me, because so many people call themselves Christians when in reality they are worldly and carnal and not truly born again from above.   "Christ-followers" or "true believers" are better descriptions of those born again and who are endeavoring to live a holy life, one pleasing to the good Lord.  

"And He said to them all,  If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  -   Luke 9:23  

So we see from Luke that following Jesus requires self-denial.  We do this by obeying the Lord and being completely dedicated to Him, and following in His footsteps and renouncing all notions of vainglory and any form of pride.  We also do not get involved with the sinful pleasures and fleshly delights like the people of the world do.   

Put God first.

Put other people next  (helping them and sharing the Gospel).

And last of all, consider yourself.

Consider the example of Christ.   What a true demonstration of self-denial was His Passion and Death.  

"For even Christ pleased not Himself..... "  -  Romans 15:3 a 

One of the most convicting sermons I have ever heard was today on You Tube.   It was concerning the denial of self and it was a 25 minute reading of the written words of Andrew Murray.  Please listen and benefit from this video which is below:

In Luke 9:23 Jesus also told us to "take up our cross daily."  What exactly does that mean?  

It means "Dying to self" or in being willing to die in order to follow Jesus.  It means absolute surrender to the Lord. It may also mean being shunned or persecuted.  In some parts of the world today, true believers are being murdered because of their faith in Jesus.

Jesus told us at Luke 9:24,25 :  "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.   For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?"

The last thing Jesus said in Luke 9:23 was to "follow Him."   When we are born again, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1,2), and we make a radical change in our lives by the help of the Holy Spirit.   We think on things above, and our main desire is to please the good Lord and to draw ever closer to Him.   By doing all this and by obeying Him and loving Him with all of our heart, mind, strength and soul  (Mark 12:30) -  by all of these things we are following Jesus.   We endeavor to imitate Christ as best we can in these ways.  

All this is possible when you read your Bible and get to know the Lord and His attributes.  His Word is like Him speaking to you and guiding you.    You also follow Jesus when you are often in prayer.  Jesus was perfect and sinless, yet He felt the need and the desire to pray to His Father frequently.  How much more should we imperfect mortals  pray without ceasing! (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

God wants to fellowship with you.  What He desires is a close, personal, intimate love relationship with you through Jesus Christ.  A person gets to know someone by communicating with him often.  We do that with the Lord by being on our knees in prayer often.

Here is a beautiful song by Jamie Cortez titled "Take Up Your Cross:"

To any unbelievers who are reading this, you need Jesus!  We are living in the end times..... the last "hour" of the end times.  We know this by many Bible prophecies converging right now all at once (or beginning to happen; precursors).   Israel is God's prophetic time clock.  Watch Middle East events closely.  One prophecy that could occur at any time now is the destruction of Damascus as foretold at Isaiah 17:1.   Another prophecy about to happen is Ezekiel 38 and 39  ..... the war of Gog and Magog.  Russia, Turkey, and Iran are all "friends" now and they and other nations will soon come against Israel, as prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39.

I say all of that to let you know the time is short.  Jesus will return soon at the Rapture of the Church, and only true believers will be taken to heaven to escape the horror and destruction to take place after the Rapture and during the 7 year Tribulation.  

Turn to Jesus before it is too late!

He will welcome you with love and forgiveness !

Sincerely repent and pray to the Lord for forgiveness.  You must believe that Jesus is the Savior, whose shed blood at Calvary can wash away your sins..... wipe the slate clean; if you have faith in Jesus and surrender all to Him.

Romans 10: 9, 10, 13 explains:  (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 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

"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

"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

"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 Joy Of The Lord - Even In A Chaotic World" - Inspirational Weekend

Let us not even talk about the mess the world is in;  let's just focus on the good Lord and His blessings and His Holy Word, and how He gives believers His Holy Spirit to enable them to endure any trials and hardships that come their way.  We need to be strong in these troublesome times, these last days we find ourselves living in now. 

One Scripture that comes to mind is Nehemiah 8:10, quoted here:

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared:  for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

How do we get this "joy of the Lord" ?  We will hasten this joy in our hearts by looking more to Jesus and less to ourselves.  We must learn not to be so self-centered and self-absorbed, and instead focus on the good Lord and on serving others.  If we  have more thanksgiving in our hearts and minds when we come to the Lord in prayer, this joy will manifest itself.  Keep in mind that we need to learn to rejoice in God/Jesus in order to be strong.  Having pity-parties just will not produce strength or joy.  

We need to simply pray and ask our heavenly Father for more joy.  God will certainly answer that prayer as it is definitely a request that is within His will.   Joy is a fruit of the Spirit  (Galatians 5:22).  If you are a true believer in the Lord, the Holy Spirit exists within you and will enable you to feel and express joy.   You must be strong in your faith, because the devil and his demons will try to tear

you down and rip you apart and get you all depressed......negative thoughts are from the evil one.   Positive and joyful thoughts are from the Lord.  This reminds me of Philippians 4:8 which follows:

"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. "

Your thought life has a tremendous influence on your life itself.  Verse 9 of Philippians 4 tells us:  "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do and the God of peace shall be with you."  The combination of virtues listed in Philippians 4:8-9 is sure to produce a wholesome thought pattern, which in turn will result in a life of moral and spiritual excellence.  It just stands to reason that if you are always thinking healthy, positive, and especially spiritual thoughts, that you will be more joyful and thereby reflect the spirit of our Lord.

Obviously, this means taking in much spiritual food - God's Holy Word - which will renew your mind (Romans 12:2).   When you know the Lord intimately and realize that He loves you forever and will never forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) that will definitely cause you to sing a happy tune in your heart.  To get to know God/Jesus in a close, personal, and love relationship, you need to read the Bible and pray without ceasing.  No relationship can exist without communication.  

When you think about it, rejoicing in the Lord is our Christian duty.  How can one be gloomy and depressed all the time and still be a good witness for the Lord?  Impossible !   We need to reflect the joy and love of our Lord and Savior.  After all, followers of Jesus should endeavor to imitate Him at all times.  

So, rejoicing in the Lord is a source of strength.  For strength there must be hope; for strength there must be joy.  If you are sad and beaten down in your thought life, you will not be strong at anything.   Sure, we all get sad at times and grieve at times, but if we have the Holy Spirit in us as true believers in Jesus Christ our Savior, we will not stay sad for long; it will not be a lifestyle for us.

All of the above applies to Christians.  For only true believers in Jesus Christ have joy as a fruit of the Spirit;  the Holy Spirit from above that indwells us when we become a follower of Jesus:  the Holy Spirit which empowers us to serve the Lord with much love and joy.  As I said earlier, joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  To have the Holy Spirit within you and to thereby experience and express joy, a person needs to be born-again; to become a sincere believer in Jesus our Savior and to have faith in Him which leads to totally surrendering your will and your life to Him whereby you serve Him and obey Him. 

Do not delay !  Your eternity is at stake ! Total surrender to the Lord, which comes after you repent and pray for forgiveness, will lead to you being full of the joy of the Lord, for you will then be filled with the Holy Spirit.

"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

God loves us and wants the best for us.  His Word is our Instruction Manual for life; it is our Love Letter from Him as well.   Scripture's great theme is Jesus.

"Fellowship with Christ is the fountain of joy."  Charles Spurgeon.   

Charles Spurgeon has also said, "Holy activity is the mother of Holy joy. .......Joy is to search the Scriptures diligently.........Jesus is a Christian's life, joy, and peace."

Have a joyful and Christ-centered weekend !

"But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them:  Let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee."  -  Psalm 5:11

"We Are At The Finish Line" (With Video On Bible Prophecy And Current Events) - Inspirational Weekend

As you can see in my photograph above, this Hawaiian Moorhen is standing in waters surrounded by tangled tree branches.   Sometimes we can feel knee deep in troubled waters and entangled in prison-like barriers that keep us from our full potential of being an effective witness for Jesus.   We may have many obstacles that keep us in a state of depression or of not knowing the way out.   

But a true believer will not stay in a depressed state for long if he will turn to the Lord in prayer and leave his burdens at the foot of the cross......in Jesus' capable hands of love and compassion.   

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."  -  1 Peter 5:7

America has recently suffered two horrific hurricanes and another is making its way to the East Coast right now.   But keep in mind that many other disasters are happening across the Globe which have killed thousands of persons.   America is having wildfires raging in several states, and wildfires are occurring in other countries at the present time as well.  I say all this not to preach doom and gloom, but to emphasize that there is plenty we could be depressed about and we should care about the unfortunate victims of these disasters and help them in any way we can.  If you are poor and cannot financially help, you can certainly pray for them.

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth  and travaileth in pain together until now."                          -  Romans 8:22

Many things.... hundreds of signs... that are happening right now prove that we are "at the finish line"  -  the last hour of the last days.  Many Bible prophecies are converging at the present time.  

For true believers, this means Jesus will return soon to Rapture them to be with Him in heaven and later with Him on earth during the millennium reign.  This is something we eagerly look forward to... all eternity with the Lord.

Don't be depressed...Look up and watch for the Lord's soon return.  (Luke 21:28).  

Following is a video on current events and Bible prophecy in which Amir Tsarfati gives an excellent take on current world events.

"Why should I be concerned with Bible Prophecy?  I have so many problems to deal with as it is," you may ask.   The devil likes to keep us busy with all kinds of things that distract us from the Lord and His will.  We don't pray because we think we don't have time; and prayer is vital for a close relationship with God.  We don't read the Bible because, again, we don't believe we have the time.  The Bible is God's Holy Word, our Love Letter from Him, and our Instruction Manual for living a life that is pleasing to Him.  By the reading of His Word, we come to really really know the Lord and His attributes and His will, thereby helping us to have a dynamic and living relationship with Him.   

"And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."   -  Jesus speaking at John 17:3

This "knowing" is not just head knowledge;  it is a relationship, an understanding of His will, and a thirst to know Him more and more intimately and our wanting to please Him in all we do, and say, and in the way we live our lives......to be more like Christ.  This knowing Jesus involves the heart and the soul. It is your very life.   They say people know you by the company  you keep;   be best friends and company with the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you are always in prayer and pour over His Word diligently, you will  become more Christ-like, and thereby be pleasing to the Lord.

My photograph above of the Hawaiian Black-Crowned Night Heron with the small fish in its bill reminds me of how the devil fishes around to snatch as many people as he can in his evil grasp to deceive and destroy them.  

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."  -  1 Peter 5:8

Satan will NOT devour you if you are walking hand in hand with Jesus and if you have a close, personal, and intimate relationship with the Lord.  If you are deliberately sinning to indulge your lustful desires and sinful self-will, then beware.   The Lord wants only those who surrender to Him and who obey Him, and by that show that they love Him.

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."   -  Jesus at John 14:21

Now is not the time to be preoccupied with the things of the world.  We need to be spiritually minded and seek the Lord continually.  Someone once said, "Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey."   Of course we should concern ourselves with heavenly things and look forward to being with the Lord (the destination), but we also need to live (the journey) in a way that pleases Him and leads many others to faith in Jesus.  Once saved, we should not become passive "couch-potato" Christians. We should be busy doing the Lord's work.

"God wants the whole person and He will not rest till He gets us in entirety.  No part of the man will do."  -  A.W. Tozer

Don't waste your life.  

Remember that we are at the finish line.

Do not be distracted away from the Lord.

Time on this earth is short.....

 Jesus will return soon.

Will you be ready?

"A man by his sin may waste himself, which is to waste that which on earth is most like God.  This is man's greatest tragedy and God's heaviest grief."  -  A.W. Tozer

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

It is all about love and obedience.

"Jesus answered and said unto him,  If a man love Me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him."    -  John 14:23

"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