"Casting All Your Care Upon Him" (With Sermon By A.W. Tozer) - Inspirational Weekend

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

The above Scripture is very comforting and a reminder that the good Lord cares for all of His children.    When it says "Casting all your care", it means to take all of your "anxieties" to the Lord, "cast" them to Him, which takes effort and is not easy to do.  And then do not take all your cares right back upon yourself once again and bear the burden alone.  Leave them with the Lord, and have faith that He will take care of them for you -  All of them.

It should be mentioned that before you can cast all of your anxieties on God, you must first have confessed all known sin and been repentant and thereby have a clear conscience in order to cast your cares on the Lord and then to expect Him to help you; to take the burden off of you and onto Himself.   First you must feel Him to be a reconciled and loving Father.  If there is any unconfessed sin in your life, you will probably not even cast your anxieties and burdens upon Him.

God never told us that we shall never have anxieties; they are a part of this fallen world in which we live.   And this fallen world is a cause for anxieties in itself.   Right now we have the threat of nuclear war looming over us, and many other fears as well in this evil and lawless and cold world.   We need to take all of our concerns to the Lord in prayer.  Prayer has a way of putting things in their proper perspective and thereby giving you a peace and the sense that, in the end, everything will be alright.
 
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."   -  Philippians 4:6-7    

Here is a song about casting all your cares upon the Lord:

God loves His children, and constantly thinks about them and wants them to come to Him with all their cares.

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me:  Thou art my help and my deliverer; Make no tarrying, O my God."  -  Psalm  40:17

Family, friends, and neighbors may abandon you or neglect you, but God never will !!  "If we are what we should be, we shall never be without a friend as long as there is a God."   This is true if you are a genuine believer in Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Master.  To all unbelievers, God is waiting to hear from you and for you to give your heart and soul to Jesus in sincere belief in the redemptive power of His shed blood, and to believe that He rose again from the dead.   (Romans 10:9)

Believers, stop and recall how many times God has shown you that He was thinking of you.....in answered prayers, in protecting you from harm, in all His blessings that He has bestowed upon you, and in so many other ways.  And He does this even when we do not think of Him as often as we should.  God's care for His people is always true and always unchanging.  He is always there for us.

Many people who do not trust in the Lord and who do not cast their cares upon Him, go around all glum and fretful, often complaining and being very dissatisfied with life.  They are also fearful of many things. Don't let that be you.   Cast your burdens on the Lord.  (Psalm 55:22).

Believers in Christ have a blessed hope that sustains them and gives them solace (Titus 2:13).  They have the promise of eternal life and of being with the Lord forever.  Their faith in God gives them strength and endurance to face obstacles and to surrender all to the Lord.  Consequently, they do not let anxieties get control over them and make them all fretful and filled with dread.   They have the love of Christ in their hearts, and His many promises of better things to transpire in the future, all of which gives them hope and encourages them to pray about their concerns and to draw ever nearer to the Lord.

Following is a 26 minute sermon by A.W. Tozer on "Casting All Your Cares Upon Him" :

A. W. Tozer became a Christian as a teenager.  He was born in 1897 and passed away in 1963.  He was an American pastor and author.

Have a blessed and Christ-filled weekend !

"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."    -  Romans 10:9

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."  -  Psalm 55:22

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

"Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."                                          Jesus at Matthew 11:28

Discussion On End Time Events (With Video)

"What higher consolation can man desire than the assurance that He [Almighty God] is with him to protect him"; so says Albert Barnes in his commentary on Isaiah 41:10, which reads:

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

The above verse was the topic for my Bible Study for this morning.  I have written several posts about fear.  Go to the search box on the above right of this page and type in the word "fear" and click on "Search" and the articles will appear for you if you wish to pursue this topic further.   We do live in fearful times now, as these are the prophesied last days which are full of chaos, lawlessness, sin, violence, depravity, war, and general apathy where Jesus and God are concerned.   It means a lot to know that God is "on our side" (if we are true born-again believers in Jesus Christ) and that He will love and protect us and soothe our troubled minds where these perilous times are concerned.

Remember, however, that chronic fear that never goes away shows a lack of faith in the good Lord.  We need to turn to the Lord with all of our cares and be continually in prayer and in the Holy Word.

Following is a video by www.skywatchtv.com featuring Dr. Michael Lake who has been preaching since he was 13 years old. He is also an author and speaks at various conferences frequently. In the video he touches on various end-times topics of interest, and I learned some new things from watching it.  

In the video they discuss the Armor Of God and how many Christians (as well as unbelievers) are clueless as to the "Big Picture". They mention that in Charles Spurgeon's time any sermon less than 2 hours long was considered an insult to the congregation.  My how things have changed !  Watch this 28 minute video and it will enlighten you where current events are concerned.

"The world has an expiration date."  -  Jan Markell

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  -  2 Corinthians 4:18

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."  -  Ephesians 6:10-11

"You Are Going To Be Okay" - Inspirational Weekend

These beautiful red blossoms on the Cannonball tree are the only appealing thing on this large tree with its ugly "cannons" (fruit) and twisting vines.  It is rather like some people, as well as similar to how our circumstances can appear at times.   Things can get really ugly and burdensome in our lives sometimes, and if we continue to look at the "knots" and "twists" and trials, we will find ourselves depressed and even at times to feel like all is hopeless.   We cannot stay like this !   We should look at "blossoms of beauty" amidst the various trials and upheavals.  

The good and beautiful can uplift us and keep us from giving up.  And what is more good than our Lord, who loves us and  who is there to encourage us when things get us down.   And Jesus is all-beautiful in the sense that His beauty is moral perfection in His life and character.   

"Nothing but encouragement can come to us as we dwell upon the faithful dealing of our Heavenly Father in centuries gone by.  Faith in God has not saved people from hardships and trials, but it has enabled them to bear tribulations courageously and to emerge victoriously."  -  Lee Robertson  

We all have heard that saying, "If God seems far away, guess who moved?"  Yep, we did.  Maybe we don't pray as often as we used to, or maybe we have been too busy to read our Bibles, and before we realize it, we have moved far from the Lord.  That is why we can get so depressed and even fearful about frightful events in our lives or in the world situation right now.   We need to pray for our Heavenly Father to give us an extra portion of His Holy Spirit so we may feel His presence.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one time thing: we are leaky vessels and need to constantly be replenished. "Pray without ceasing"   (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  And while I am thinking about it, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, "Rejoice evermore."   If we endeavor to pray at all times and to see the good and rejoice over what good there is instead of dwelling on the bad things in our lives, then we will be okay.  

"When it seems like God is far away, remind yourself that He is near.  Nearness is not a matter of geography.  God is everywhere.  Nearness is likeness.  The more we become like the Lord, the nearer He is to us."  -  Warren Wiersbe  

How do we become like the Lord?  By building a relationship with Him through prayer and coming to know His attributes by reading the Bible.   God speaks to us by His Holy Word, and by answering our prayers.  By saturating our minds with His Word, by prayer, and by dwelling on spiritual matters, focusing on the Lord instead of the world and its distractions, we will - over time -  become more like Jesus.   Of course, we need to aim for moral perfection as well in order to become Christ-like. 

What gave me the idea to write on this subject is the song below, titled "You're Gonna Be Okay" :

It is a good song, but I tend to emphasize it is not so much what we do to make things better, but what the good Lord does to help us.  We need to petition Him frequently for strength and guidance and endurance and for so much more.   Of course, our Heavenly Father expects action on our part as well, but we need faith in Him first.  

Faith keeps you grounded in our Heavenly Father.    

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee:  He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."  -  Psalm 55:22

We need to watch what we think about, what we take into our minds via the TV or the Internet, or even from our associations -- friends who may be worldly and/or not true believers.   We need to be filling our minds with spiritual things:  God's Holy Word, sermons, and to spend time with other Christians.  When a person first becomes a new believer, he needs his mind transformed by the power of God's Word.  Actually, renewing our minds is an on-going and never-ending process.

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."

If  you do what the above verses in Romans say, you will be okay.  

But what if you are not a Christian? Not a born-again believer in Jesus Christ as your Savior?   

Then you will not be okay.  

You will not be taken to heaven in the soon to occur Rapture with Jesus, and you will be left behind to face the worst tribulation the world has ever known when God unleashes His wrath upon the world and the ungodly people left on the earth.  You will face all eternity in torment .... away from the God that loved you and wanted to draw you to Him, but for some reason you never gave your life to Jesus.

"The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:"  -  Revelation 14:10

The above  verse in Revelation 14 is speaking specifically of those who, during the 7-year Tribulation, take the mark of the beast (antichrist) and who also worship the beast .   But the same punishment applies to all those who die without knowing Jesus as their Savior....... all who do not become true believers and who do not follow the Lord.  

"Almost persuaded to be a Christian is like the man who was almost pardoned, but he was hanged; like the man who was almost rescued, but he was burned in the house.  A man that is almost saved is damned."  -  Charles Spurgeon

Surrender your life to Jesus now, before it is too late.   He is waiting with open arms to embrace you as His very own.  He will forgive you and set you on the right path, if you repent and sincerely ask for forgiveness and turn your life around to follow Him and obey Him.

God loves you.

Surrender your will and your life to the Lord.

Your decision will affect and determine your eternal future.

Choose life.

Choose Jesus.

"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

The Antichrist's Technology (With Video)

"And he [the false prophet] had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed."   - Revelation 13:15  (read also Revelation 13:11-18).   

The above Scripture is referring to the false prophet, and the "beast" is referring to the antichrist, which you may read about at Revelation 13:1-10.

Satan, secular power, and religious compromise (or, satan, the antichrist and the false prophet) make up the unholy trinity;  and they join against the cause of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Tom Horn and Josh Peck and Gary Stearman discuss how the image of the beast might be a form of artificial intelligence in the following fifteen minute video by www.prophecywatchers.com 

Although true born-again believers will be raptured to heaven before the antichrist comes on the scene , it is interesting to contemplate on various aspects of that seven-year tribulation period.   

They are now in the process of producing brain chips to connect humans to a computer system, an AI .    In the above video they touch on several topics, including how a robot or artificial intelligence could possibly become inhabited by a demon and do some real damage.   

These are dangerous and evil times in which we live.  We need to be living godly lives and to be "looking up" and watching for Jesus' return, which is imminent.   

Are you ready?

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."  -  Titus 2:13-14

"Do You Know The Secret Of The Lord?" - Inspirational Weekend

These graceful palm trees are above Makapu'u Beach on Oahu, Hawaii.  Trees have always seemed to me to have character, especially old oak trees and the like, with their twisting and turning branches.  People can learn a lot from nature; I should say, learn a lot from the Creator of all things.   We need to stop and take the time to learn lessons from His creation and from the very heart of God Himself.

Also important is to take the time to read the Holy Word and to spend time in prayer with the Lord.  That is how we get to know Him intimately and become friends with Him.   Once we are truly born-again believers in Jesus Christ, He will give us more understanding of Him and His Word.  He will share His secrets.

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."  -  Psalm 25:14

The word "secret" in Hebrew means the cushions of a divan on which counselors and friends in the East usually sit.  Another way of expressing it is "Wast thou a listener in the secret council of God?"              (Job 15:8)

God's servants are admitted to God's secrets.  But notice, it is to those "that fear Him."  This is speaking of filial fear, like the fear which a loving child has of grieving its father, or causing him pain. God will have fellowship with those whose hearts are true and in right standing with Him, thereby finding favor with Him.   They who do not fear God cannot hear the secret.   

"Christ should be found written on your heart.  This is the secret of the Lord."  -  W. Logan  

Also, the secret of the Lord means that which cannot be known unless the Lord reveals it.  There is much that can be called the secret of the Lord.  

Natural or carnal man cannot know or understand these secrets; their eyes of understanding are blinded by the cares and pleasures and lusts of this old dying world.   They are blinded also by the devil.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:  neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."   -  1 Corinthians 2:14

Back to the fear of the Lord, which enables you to, by God's grace, to know the secret of the Lord.   The fear of the Lord is clean; it cleanses.  In every heart filled with the fear of God there is a communication of a secret.  God opens His mind and His heart to them.

There is also the secret witness of the Spirit, which testifies to them being a child of God.  There are secret whispers of His love, which assures their soul that He has loved them with an everlasting love, and is preparing them for their heavenly home.

There is the secret concerning how, when one is born-again, he becomes a new creation.  2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us,  "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new."

Another secret is the Gospel of Christ, which is a mystery.  Carnal man cannot comprehend it as it is not  attainable without supernatural revelation.

The latter part of Psalm 25:14 tells us that God will show them His covenant.   "He will show them, will teach them, more and more therein, the nature of it, the duration of it, its comprehensiveness, its security, its terms and conditions, its blessings and promises, all in Christ, and Christ in all."  -  A. Hewlett

To sum it all up, God reveals His secrets to those who love, obey, and fear Him.   The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, is a secret or a mystery to the lost.   If you are a child of God, He will reveal his secrets to you and bless you with a better understanding of Him and His Word; He will clear your mind and bless you with a joy and peace that only His love and a clear conscience can give you.

If you have not yet surrendered your life to the Lord, in full faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior, I urge you to do so now.   Confess your sins to Him, ask for forgiveness, repent and give your life to Jesus to be used by Him in His work.

Bible prophecy is being fulfilled daily in these last days; the Lord will return soon to rapture His own to heaven to be with Him.  Are you ready ?



"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 whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  -  Romans 10:9,13

"Hast thou heard the secret of God?"   -  Job 15:8a

"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."          -         Jesus at  John 15:15

"Are You Salt and Light?" - Inspirational Weekend

Sometimes what I write on this blog may sound all "doom and gloom" to some people since I write about Bible Prophecy and how we are living in the last days....the very end of the end times.  But to born-again believers in Jesus Christ, these are exciting times ! From Bible prophecy we know Christ will rapture believers soon to be in heaven with Him.  That is a glorious and happy hope ! (Titus 2:13)

As followers of Jesus, we need to be living godly lives and witnessing to lost souls about how Jesus can give them eternal life if they surrender to Him and believe in Him.  

A big part of living a holy life is to be "Salt and Light" while we reside on this earth.   Jesus has this to say at Matthew 5:13-16, 

" Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Not only preachers, but all who profess to follow Jesus should be the salt of the earth and save the world from decay and destruction. Actually, only the Lord can save, of course, but we can do our part to share the Gospel with others.

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus mentions if the salt has lost its savor it is good for nothing.  This was possible in the land of Judea, in particular the Valley of Salt, where some salt exposed to the elements, was good for nothing.... it had lost its savor.  But the inner part which was connected to the rock, kept its savor.  

As Christians, we do not want to be like the exposed salt to the wind and rain and sun - the elements - (the lusts and temptations of this wicked world) and no longer have the life of Christ within us or we have lost our first love for Him and the witness of His Spirit.  Instead we need to stay connected with the Rock; if we are close to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we can preserve our savor and be of help to others...to do some good in this life.

Let us now consider verse 16 of Matthew 5,  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

In essence, in all you do in your life, let it be seen that you are a real Christian.  This means to manifest light in your wholesome conversation, in your holy life, in all of your actions and where you spend your time.  Let it all be to the glory of God.  

Don't be like the Pharisees of Jesus' day who acted to be seen of men.  Instead, we should seek to glorify our heavenly Father.   Don't concern yourself with what other people may think of you. You just do the will of God, and by your conduct other people may be brought to glorify God.  By observing your godly life and the power and the purity of the Gospel, others may be won to become Christians also.

Keep in mind that if you are a true Christian, then your identity with Christ cannot be concealed.  You will be different from the world, and you will stand out as being in another realm or mindset than ungodly men and women.  

There are some "Christians" that profess religion and Jesus, but they live just like other people (people of the world), and give no evidence that they were truly converted and born-again.   We can only conclude that they are "baby Christians" and have not yet matured, or that they were never truly saved in the first place.  

To genuinely "let your light shine",  you need a close, personal, and intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   This is accomplished by daily and intense prayer, and by daily saturating your mind with the holy Word of God.   Your soul will thrive and be full of light if you follow this advice of the Bible.  And your light will shine and radiate upon those with whom you come in contact with.

Some of you might be very poor and feel as if you can contribute little to improving and guiding lost souls.  Some may feel very weak and unlearned and unknown.   No matter.  If your heart is right with the Lord, He can use you!  If only by living a pure and godly life, by being humble and sincere, our Christian lives are not in vain.   People will take note of your godly life and attitude and realize that you are a child of God.

As a "bonus", your endeavoring to be like Jesus will give you great joy and a peace within your soul....even in chaotic times like we are experiencing right now.


"The greatest joy of a Christian is to give joy to Christ."        -    Charles Spurgeon

Jesus wants His disciples' joy to be complete.

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."   -  John 15:11

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."   -  John 16:33

More On Daniel's 70 Weeks (With Teaching Video)

As we approach the end of the end times, we need to consider where we are in the prophetic times and to ask the all important question, "Am I ready for what lies ahead?"   Ready for the Rapture of the Church (true believers); ready spiritually to be assured of Jesus taking me to heaven to be with Him.   

In the Bible book of Daniel, we have prophecies concerning the end times and the antichrist and, specifically, the 70 weeks of years in Daniel 9.   In July of 2016 I wrote in detail about this topic, which you can read here.

Following is an excellent recent teaching video on Daniel's 70 weeks by Amir Tsarfati :

Amir stresses that "God wants His children to know His plans.  He is not hiding them, He is declaring them."

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:  but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."   -  2 Peter 1:20-21

Amir tells us that the Daniel 9 prophecy basically says that our days are numbered.   We need to be spiritually ready, born-again, and living godly lives pleasing to the Lord.  You need the Holy Spirit's help to guide you to live a holy life, and the Holy Spirit seals you as God's own when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Master.   Repent of your sins, confess them to the Lord, and begin to live for Jesus.

Time is short !  Remember, this tottering and chaotic world is not our home.  We believers are citizens of heaven.   And that is where we will soon make our home (after the Rapture};  of course,  we will also live on earth in a Paradise during the Millennial reign of Christ (this is after the 7 year Tribulation period ends).    

Following is the hymn "This World Is Not My Home":

"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same."

C. S. Lewis, in "Mere Christianity."

Jesus tells us at John 14:1-3 ,  "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."