"Standing On The Promises Of God" - (With 2 Videos, 1 By Charles Spurgeon) - Inspirational Weekend

We all have made promises to others, and usually with good intentions.  But, sadly, we sometimes break those promises, for whatever reason.  But our heavenly Father keeps His promises to us; He is trustworthy, He is love, He has our best interests at heart; especially for true believers who have faith in Him and Jesus.  For those who are lost, unsaved, He has compassion and will hear their prayer when they come to Him in repentance and pray for forgiveness; pray in faith that  Jesus is the Savior and recognize that His death and resurrection has made a way (a promise) that we may have eternal life.  Christ paid our sin debt in full at His sacrificial death on the cross.  He was our substitute and took all of the sins of the world upon Him at Calvary.  His shed blood can wash all of our sins away.  In God's eyes, and by Jesus' redemption for us at the cross, all of our sins are wiped away, the slate is washed clean, all past, present and future sins are forgiven because the heavenly Father sees us as clean, for He sees us through Jesus and Jesus' taking our sin debt upon Himself. We just need to have faith in Him and believe that He is the Savior, and the only way to eternal life.

Once you are saved, do not let anyone condemn you for your past sins.  Romans 8:1 tells us:  "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

The greatest promise of all is God's free gift of salvation!

When you are born again (a spiritual "re-birth") by believing in Jesus and that He is the Savior, you become a new person; you begin a wonderful new existence.

"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  

Do not be discouraged if you fall short and sin - although you should feel remorse if you sin, and you should pray for forgiveness and endeavor to live more godly in the future, with the good Lord's help.   We all sin because of our inherited weakness from Adam's fall.  But true believers sin less !  And they sin unintentionally for the most part.  (If anyone continually sins on purpose and does not have any remorse and whose conscience does not condemn him, then it is questionable that he is truly saved; and that he has not been born again.) As imperfect true believers we may not understand very much when we are first saved and the Lord will graciously be patient with us and guide us to a more correct understanding as to what being a true follower of Jesus Christ actually entails.  Sanctification takes time; spiritual maturity takes time. 

There are many promises of God found in the Bible; in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. Let us consider some of them:

Sincere followers of Christ look forward to what Titus 2:13 promises us:  "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;"

 "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.  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."    -    Jesus at John 14:2,3

Some professing Christians, says Jan Markell, are of the  mindset to feel "come Lord Jesus, but not too soon."   In other words, some are loving the world too much and have "plans" and goals for their time on this earth and are not putting the good Lord first.

Heaven and being with our beloved Savior for all eternity is much to be preferred over this corrupt and dying world.  

Another promise from God (Jesus) is that we would receive power from the Holy Spirit, which would strengthen us and enable us to live a life that is acceptable to the good Lord, as well as to share the Gospel of Jesus with others, helping to win lost souls.  That promise is found at Acts 1:8 =  "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."       

And we have the promise that we will be secure in Jesus if we are true believers.  Jesus tells us at John 10:28,29 :  "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand."

[Barber's Point Lighthouse, Oahu, Hawaii]

There are many more promises of God to be found in the New Testament, and also in the Old Testament.  In the O.T. we have the wonderful promises made to Abraham.  Consider Genesis 12:2,3 which follows:  

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

 And the promise "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."  -    Jeremiah 29:13

God promised to be faithful to us and that we can always depend upon His love.  Please read Deuteronomy 7:8-9

God promised to bless those who love His Word.  Psalm 1:2 explains : "But his delight is in the law of the LORD: and in His law doth he meditate day and night."

  Please read your Bible daily and you will find many more promises that God has made to us.  You will also draw closer to the good Lord the more you saturate yourself with His Holy Word and also the more you pray.   It is all about knowing God and Jesus and having a strong, close, vibrant, living relationship with Him; one that is personal and intimate.

We should be very grateful to the good Lord for all of His promises, and pray frequently to Him to give Him thanks for His tender mercies, His unfailing love, His forgiveness, and for salvation and sending Jesus, our Redeemer. We should honor and obey Him and give Him glory for everything !   He is awesome! Actually, words cannot fully express His Majesty.

Following is a hymn about standing on the promises of God:

And below is a 50 minute sermon by Charles Spurgeon titled "Obtaining Promises."   It ties in with what was written above, but focuses primarily upon obtaining the fulfillment of the promises. Spurgeon tells us in his following sermon  that there are 3 ways of  obtaining the promises.   He says that by reading the Bible and meditating upon its promises you will then acquire faith.

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

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

"God's Many Promises" (video Sermon on the Lord's promises by Charles Spurgeon) - Inspirational Weekend

The photograph above was taken a couple of days ago of my Christmas Cactus.  It has been blooming profusely since February.  Isn't it funny how such a thing as this plant - blooming once a year (although one year it bloomed twice) -   how such a simple pleasure of its gorgeous blossoms can give you a sense of well-being;  a sense that  all is well and going as "scheduled"; that all is normal and things are okay.  That the promise of future things (such as next year will bring more beautiful blossoms on my cactus) will surely come to pass, and that life goes on.

I realize that today in this chaotic world, all is NOT normal and is not going as we sincere Christians would want.  Yet, at the same time, all we see happening now is fulfilling Bible prophecy as pertaining to the last days of this system of things.  We are in the last hour of the end times.  We should be "looking up" - looking to the time of Jesus' return, as our redemption "draws nigh."  (Luke 21:28

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."  -  Romans 8:28

The verse above is very familiar to Christians.  This is a promise from God, and we can depend upon it.  It gives us comfort and, if we are true believers, we will be so grateful for this promise that we will live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to the good Lord.

"For all the promises of God in Him [Jesus] are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."  -  2 Corinthians 1:20

The greatest promise of God was salvation through faith and belief in Jesus as the Savior.  

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."  -  John 3:16

Not only is John 3:16 a glorious promise, it is also a wonderful love story in itself as well.  How can we mere finite humans ever comprehend a love such as that; a love so strong that Jesus was willing to die a horrible and painful death on the cross at Calvary so that if we but believe He is the Christ, the Savior, whose shed blood can wash our sins away, we may thereby obtain eternal life.  Jesus took our place on the cross;  He was our substitute, our Redeemer, the Lamb whose shed blood can save us, if we but have faith and believe in Him.

Another promise of God  (Jesus ) is found at John 14:1-3, which follows:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  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.  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."

Think of it !  Not only is Jesus in heaven now preparing a place for true believers, but He says that He will come again to take us to be with Him forever.   That is a promise to rejoice over!  It will occur very soon at the rate that prophecy is coming true in these end times; the rate that precursors of prophecy are occurring right at this moment in time.

There are many, many promises of God to be found in the Bible.  Don't forget the promises made to men like Abraham in the Old Testament.   Promises that came true, such as Abraham and Sarah having a son in their old age.  Pour over and study your Bible and you will uncover many of God's promises for yourself.

Not too long ago, I was praying and I was in tears as I pleaded with God to save my unbelieving family members.  The words "Is anything too hard for Me" popped into my mind.   I knew it was the Lord promising me that my prayers would be answered.  I looked up in the Bible and found more than one verse to confirm God's promise.   Previously, I had not come across these verses recently and had quite forgotten them.

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?"  -  Genesis 18:14

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me?"  -  Jeremiah 32:27

Later I ran across Isaiah 59:1 which tells us: 

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear:"

Following is a hymn which has special meaning to me.  It is titled "Standing On The Promises Of God" :

Below is a 49 minute audio sermon by Charles Spurgeon titled "Obtaining Promises."  Please take the time to listen to all of this wonderful discourse.  In it, Spurgeon says to wait and have patience on the good Lord.  Wait for the promise.   He tells us three ways to obtain the promise.   

If you are unsaved - not born again - then all these promises cannot be yours.   That is, unless you repent and pray to the good Lord for forgiveness of your sins.   But first you must believe that Jesus is the Savior, and that He is the only way to heaven and to the heavenly Father.  

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 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

"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 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

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

"A Place To Flee For Safety" - Inspirational Weekend

"Peace and security", or "Peace and safety" is what governments and lay people alike are hoping for and proclaiming nowadays.   Many people are building bunkers (and that includes large, elaborate living quarters for the Elite and the government officials....all underground and in the mountains).   This is fear manifesting itself in survival instincts.  The Bible spoke about how in the last days they would be saying "peace and safety" in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, which is quoted below:

"For when they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."  This Scripture tells us that God will pour out His wrath upon ungodly people who hate Him and His Son by their refusal to repent.  This reminds me of Revelation 6:15-16 which is speaking concerning the Tribulation period and which says,

"(15) And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; (16) And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb."

I find it worthy to note that the very mountains people turned to for safety and where they built living quarters (bunkers), are now being called upon by the evil people to fall on them to hide them from God.

The above verses and 1 Thessalonians 5:3 do not apply to true believers and followers of Jesus Christ.  Faithful worshipers of the Lord will be raptured before the "time of Jacob's trouble."  "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."     -   1 Thessalonians 5:9-10.

The place of safety for true believers and followers of Jesus is spoken of in Psalm 46:1-3 :  "(1)  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (2) Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the sea; (3) Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof."

God is our refuge, our help in trouble, our strength, our place to flee for safety.

This takes faith.  We may be weak and defenseless, but we can rely on the Lord's strength as if it were our own.   The many promises of God assure us that He will be with us.

"....for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."  -  Hebrews 13:5b and verse 6.

There is much to be concerned about in this last hour of the last days.   There are conflicts and wars almost everywhere.   What will North Korea do?  Venezuela is preparing for war on the USA.  The biggest threat now facing America's national security is China.  There has been an unbelievable increase in earthquakes and also in volcanoes erupting.  Jesus foretold in Matthew 24 that signs such as these would be happening in the end times.  He meant when they all begin to happen at once and with increasing frequency - a convergence of multiple events and signs. Scoffers may say we have always had earthquakes and wars and the like (2 Peter 3:3-4). But never has the earth been shaking and reeling and been as unstable as it is in our time.  For example, search the Web for statistics on earthquakes since the 1800's and the 1900's and see for yourself  how they have increased dramatically and alarmingly in recent years.  I urge you to read all of Matthew 24. Pray and ask the Lord for discernment.

The good news is that followers of Jesus Christ are not appointed to suffer any wrath from God .  "Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."    -  Romans 5:9

That is why the Church will be raptured before the 7 year Tribulation begins.  The entire Tribulation is full of the wrath of God upon the ungodly and wicked people left behind on the earth.

No way do you want to suffer the horrors and plagues and devastation that will occur during the Tribulation.

The way to avoid that seven years of hell on earth (and eventually eternity in a literal hell)
is to repent and give your life and heart and soul to Jesus Christ; asking Him to forgive you and for Him to come into your heart and into your life and transform you.  It will take effort on your part as well.   Pour over the Bible daily, pray without ceasing, associate with godly people by joining a true Bible-believing Christian Church,  and surrender your entire life and being to the Lord.  Obey Him and tell others the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

His will, not yours, be done.

A special note here:  the Bible is clear that all you need to do to be saved is to believe in Jesus.   Remember the thief on the cross who believed in Jesus right before he died, and Jesus told him that he would be with Him that day in Paradise?  (Luke 23:39-43).   Remember also when the apostle Paul and Silas were put in prison and they prayed and sang praises to God and then there was a great earthquake and all the prison doors were opened and the shackles on all of the prisoners were loosed.   The prison guard asked Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved, and they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."   (Acts 16:25-34) . 

Salvation comes by faith and belief in Jesus.   Period.

But to grow spiritually, you need to do as I wrote above:  read your Bible and pray without ceasing, and associate with other believers in a Bible-believing Christian Church.   I felt like I needed to clarify that salvation is from God/Jesus....not works.   We are saved by faith, not by works.  It is the gift of God.

"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

As you draw closer to Him in a personal and intimate relationship, your will becomes whatever His will is.  You will want to obey and please Him because you love Him and are grateful for His mercy and grace in leading you to a saving faith in Jesus, our Savior.

Following is a sermon on Psalm 46 by Charles Spurgeon, who was known as the Prince of Preachers in his day and is still referred to that way in our day as well.

"O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction...."  -  Jeremiah 16:19a