"Help For When You Feel Alone Or Stressed" (With Sermon by Adrian Rogers) - Inspirational Weekend

[Lifeboat at Waimea Bay, Oahu, Hawaii]

Concerning what follows in this article, my photograph above is rather symbolic of the subject matter.  Our "lifeboat" is the good Lord and His Holy Word, which also follows that much prayer will strengthen us and help us to endure many trials and hardships.  The rescue surfboard in the photo is symbolic of our rescue by God and Jesus, when we turn to them in faith to help us in our time of need or spiritual battle; our rescue from troubled waters.

This lockdown we are experiencing due to the coronavirus has affected many with loneliness and, unfortunately, many suicides have occurred from the anxiety felt because of the virus.  

I live alone, except I do have a cat for a companion.  For those of you who are alone during this lockdown (although in most areas many restrictions have been lifted..... but watch what happens later in the fall when the flu season is in full force). Hopefully we true believers will have been taken up to heaven by then, when Jesus returns for the rapture of the Church, His Bride. If you are feeling very alone, here is a song to uplift you and to keep your eyes and heart focused on the Lord:

Stay focused on the good Lord and those things above, and you will find strength from Him to endure.  Spend much time in prayer and also in reading your Bible.  This blog mentions over and over how important it is to develop a close, intimate, personal, and loving relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior.  God wants to fellowship with us; He loves us and wants what is best for us.   And what is best for us is a strong faith in Him and a trust that never falters or doubts.  A living and vibrant faith that helps us to be strong.  

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

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

Following is a 35 minute audio sermon by Pastor Adrian Rogers who has since gone to be with the Lord.  It is a powerful sermon and I encourage you to listen to it.  The title of the sermon is "Learning to Stand Alone."

In the above sermon, Pastor Rogers tells us that, "Courage is fear that has said its prayers." and  "If you kneel before God, you will have courage and power to stand alone for Christ."  There is much more insightful and encouraging words in the above sermon.

"Quiet your mind and God will speak to your spirit."  -- unknown

[Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii]

Deuteronomy 10:12 tells us:  "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,"

"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

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was  buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures."  -    1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Romans 10:9,10,13 says: (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."


Keep looking up!

Jesus will return soon for those who believe in Him as the Savior.

Are you rapture ready?


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

"Only One Life" (With Thankfulness Scriptures) - Inspirational Weekend

"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 above verse is what we should be most thankful about, not only at Thanksgiving, but every day of the year.   Jesus died and suffered a cruel death so that we might gain eternal life, if we but put our faith, trust, and hope in Him.....believe He is the Savior and that He took our place at Calvary to pay our sin debt in full.   Just Believe.      This does not mean mere head knowledge, or only an intellectual belief.  You must  believe with all of your heart, soul, mind, and every fiber of your being that He is the Savior, the only way to God the Father, the only way to heaven.  

"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

One must put Jesus FIRST in their life, above anything and above anyone.   If you truly are saved, you will have such love for the good Lord and such gratitude for all He has done for you, that you will be totally surrendered to Him and to His will, not your will.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful."  -  Colossians 3:16

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."             -            1 Thessalonians 5:18

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever."  -  1 Chronicles 16:34

There are many other verses in the Bible that remind us of how thankful and grateful we should be to the good Lord for all of His grace and tender mercies.  We should make it our aim to draw ever closer to Him and to fellowship with Him often.  You cannot have a close relationship with anyone unless you communicate with them regularly.  Pray often and read your Bible daily.  That is the only way to develop a close, personal, intimate, ongoing love relationship with God through His Son Jesus.

Some time ago on this blog I posted a portion of a famous poem by C.T. Studd and provided a link to where readers could view the entire poem.   Now here is the entire poem below.  It is titled, "Only One Life, 'Twill Soon Be Past."

Two little lines I heard one day, traveling along life's busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart, and from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, soon will its fleeting hours be done;

Then, in "that day" my Lord to meet, and stand before His Judgment seat;

Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice,

Bidding me selfish aims to leave, and to God's holy will to cleave;

Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its clay I must fulfill,

Living for self or in His will;

Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore,  when satan would a victory score;  when self would seek to have its way,

Then help me Lord with joy to say; 'twill soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, in joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;

Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;

Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, and from the world now let me turn, living for Thee, and Thee alone, bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne,

Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, 

"Thy will be done. And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say "'twas worth it all."  

Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

Extra Stanza:

Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

And when I am dying how happy I'll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.

Only one life, It will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."    -  Matthew 6:33

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  -  Philippians 1:21

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

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

"The Gift Of God" - Inspirational Weekend

God gives us many gifts, such as the gift of hospitality, the gift of empathy, the gift of service to others, and to some the gift of being effective pastors.   But those gifts and many others, as important as they are, are not the "gift of God" meant here.  You mature Christians already know where I am going with this article.

"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

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  -  Romans 6:23

Eternal Life !   

That is God's gift to us !  Like any gift, it is free.  All we have to do is accept it with gratitude.  We do this by believing that Jesus is the Savior and that by putting our faith in Him we may have everlasting life, and all of eternity with Him.  

Even in this life we may have foretastes of the gift of God to be enjoyed, such as peace with God and a quiet trustfulness as to the future, and many other joys as well.  There is much comfort in knowing the good Lord is always near !

"Forget not the channel through whom it flows; it is a gift to thee, because thy Lord paid it all."           -  A.G. Brown

Jesus took our place on the cross and suffered a terrible and painful death so that He paid our sin debt in full.  He was our Redeemer and He did it all out of such a great love for us -  a love so strong and true that we cannot begin to comprehend the depths of it.

When you think about it, eternal life actually begins the moment you surrender your life to Jesus; the moment of conversion, when the soul passes from death to life.  He that hath the Son hath Life. You have freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1), communion with God, and you begin to grow into the likeness of Christ.  There is no longer any fear of death.

Jesus told His disciples (and by extension, us as well) that He was going to prepare a place in heaven for all true followers.  This is found at John 14:1-3, which follows:

(1) "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  (2) In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

With such a wonderful hope - eternity forever with the Lord - how can some people shrug their shoulders in complete unconcern and indifference and go their "merry" way instead, sinning all the way to hell?

And what is equally disturbing, how can professing Christians go the way of the world and still be putting the good Lord first in their lives?  They can't.  Some so-called believers go to bars with worldly people; they talk and act and dress worldly and try to blend in as much as possible with the world.  How does Christ, who bled and died for them, feel when He sees their rebellion?

James speaks of spiritual adultery when he says at James 4:4 :

"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."

And then there are the verses at 1 John 2:15-17 that tell us: (15) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  (17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

If you find yourself guilty of being worldly and sinful, think of how it must make Jesus and the Heavenly Father feel after all their love for you has done; after Jesus dying a cruel death to save you if you would but believe in Him.   And then you go and become His enemy by friendship with the world?  That is not showing gratitude for His great sacrifice and His love for you.

Let us be mindful that new converts to Christianity do, for the most part, still exhibit carnal ways and worldliness.  They are "babes in Christ" who, in time, will mature and leave their worldly ways behind them and become more Christlike.  We need to be patient with them until they develop a close, intimate, personal, love relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ."  -  1 Corinthians 3:1

Let us examine ourselves and determine to put the good Lord first in our lives.  He loves us with a love we cannot even begin to fathom; it surpasses anything we can imagine.  

Remember what it says at Ephesians 2:8?   "For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

To obtain grace, you need to be humble.

"........  {He} giveth grace to the humble."  -  James 4:6 b

It takes humility to confess your sins and to realize that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. 

It takes humility to say, "Not my will, Lord, but thine."

It takes a humble person to surrender all to the good Lord.

After the Lord "woke me up" to be more spiritually minded, every time I heard or sang the hymn "Amazing Grace" I was brought to tears.   I was so grateful to Him for saving me and bringing me out of the darkness and into His life-giving Light.

Following is one of the most beautiful renditions I have ever heard of that wonderful hymn:

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