"Faith And Prayer Work Together" (Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."   -  Mark 11:22-24

I could end this post right now, for those words spoken above by Jesus say it all.   Faith and prayer go hand in hand; they work together.  

The Lord plainly explained that faith held the secret to having your prayers answered.

I am reminded of the account in Matthew 17:14-21 about how the disciples of Jesus could not cast out the demon from the lunatic son.  When the disciples asked Jesus why they failed, Jesus told them in Matthew 17:20 that it was because of their unbelief, and in verse 21, the Lord said, concerning the demon, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."  Evidently, the disciples had not been nourishing their faith;  they had not been in prayer (and they did not fast) so their trust and their efforts completely failed.   They did not have the power because they did not have a strong faith.

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."   -  Matthew 21:22

You need to believe.  You need to have faith.  So then when you pray, your prayers will be answered.   But remember, you need to be specific when you pray.   Also keep in mind that prayer is, in many ways, dependent upon the Word of God.  God's Holy Word becomes the reason and the inspiration of our prayers.

"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."   -  John 15:7

Hebrews 11:1 tells us,  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."     

Faith is believing that God will make a way where there is no way.  Following is an encouraging and up-lifting song of faith by Don Moen titled "God Will Make A Way":

"The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith.  The two are at opposite sides of the same coin."  -  A.W. Tozer

"If you find your life of prayer to be always so short, and so easy, and so spiritual, as to be without cost and strain and sweat to you, you may depend on it, you have not yet begun to pray."  -  Alexander Whyte

The good Lord wants to fellowship with us.  He loves us and desires to commune with us.   That word "commune" means with intensity, with passion, and with intimacy.  Our prayers should reflect that kind of intensity and intimacy;  I can picture that God cares not for many so-called "Ho-Hum" prayers that have no feeling and no depth.  Remember He is God Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign of the universe.   Show Him honor and respect, and be in awe of Him when you pray and worship.  You can do nothing without Him;  your very life depends upon His grace and love.  Give God the honor and the glory He deserves and expects.

Following are two short videos (around 16 minutes each) reciting from the works of Andrew Murray.  The first one is about the source of the power in prayer:

The next discourse by Andrew Murray concerns Faith:

But what if you are not saved?   Then the prayer that God will answer is the one where you ask Him for forgiveness, repenting in all sincerity, and believing with all your very being that Jesus is the Savior and also believing in His resurrection.

If you are living in sin and are disobedient to the good Lord, your prayers will not be answered unless you repent and ask Him for forgiveness and for salvation through Jesus Christ, and do this in humility and in faith.

"Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." -  Acts 4:12

Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."    -  John 14:6

"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

Many people realize that we are now living in the last days - the end times - and Bible prophecy is now being fulfilled before our very eyes.  Soon Jesus will return again to take true believers to heaven with Him.  They will avoid the horrific 7 year Tribulation period that follows.   Will you be among the true believers that go to heaven with the Lord, or will you be left behind to face the doom and disaster that occurs during the Tribulation?

The Lord loves you and does not wish for any to be destroyed.  

All it takes is one step of faith from you and a true repentance.

Jesus is waiting for you with love and outstretched arms of tender compassion to hold you close in His embrace and in the safety and salvation found in Him.

Time is short.  

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."

Think Russia, Turkey, Iran Alliance - Think End Times Upon Us (With Videos)

I have written often on various end time Bible prophesies.  Go to the above right on this page where you see the Search box and type in "end times,  the Rapture, the Tribulation, mark of the beast" and other terms pertaining to various Bible prophecies and previous posts on those topics will pop up for you to view. I write about such subjects because I feel the urgency of these perilous days we find ourselves living in now, and because believers are urged by the Lord to spread His Word.  Bible prophecy is approximately 1/3 of the contents found in God's Holy Word, and many have come to faith in Jesus upon learning we are in the last days, and that the Bible predicts the future and that much of what is happening now was foretold in its pages.  But, of course, also because Jesus is the only way to heaven, and those who put their faith and trust in Him, believing Him to be the Savior of all who surrender to Him, will have everlasting life. 

"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

Following is a  19 minute video focusing primarily on Ezekiel 38 and the recent alliance of Russia, Turkey, and Iran.  It features pastors Don Stewart and Jack Hibbs.  

Ezekiel 38:1-3 tells us, (1)" And the word of the Lord came unto me saying, (2) Son of man, set thy face against Gog the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, (3)  And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:"

Ezekiel 38 then lists the countries that will ally themselves with Gog to go against Israel in an effort to destroy Israel.  All of those countries are right now in place preparing to come against Israel very soon, by all indications.  If we are that close to the Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 war, then we must be ever so close to the time when Jesus returns to take us home with Him !!

I urge you to please read all of Ezekiel 38 as well as Ezekiel 39.

Following is another video (56 minutes in length), with a sermon by Jack Hibbs and also a sermon by Amir Tsarfati, which pertain to being ready for our "visitation" soon: the return of Jesus.  Both sermons refer to the recent alliance of Russia, Turkey, and Iran.  Amir Tsarfati reminds us that "The whole prophetic aspect of the Bible is all about Jesus."   He also warns us that, "People who don't know the time of their visitation cannot escape the calamity."

We should "occupy' until Jesus returns.  That means, besides normal activities such as your job, you should be busy telling others about Jesus and His soon return.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."  -  Matthew 28:19-20

Be watchful !  Be ready !

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."   -  Luke 21:28

"Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."                     -  Matthew 24:44

"Heaven ! More Glorious Than We Can Imagine !" (Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

Everyone, even unbelievers, perk up their ears and pay attention when heaven is mentioned.   And everyone wants to go there, or they should want to.  Most Americans believe in heaven, and most of them hope to go there when they die.  The truth is, man, having an immortal soul, was made to live forever somewhere.   

"Those who go to heaven ride on a pass and enter into blessings that they never earned, but all who go to hell pay their own way."     -  John R. Rice

We will only concentrate on heaven in this post, and how glorious it will be.   The most wonderful part of heaven for believers is the fact that we will be with Jesus there for all of eternity. He is our Savior and  our Redeemer, and we love Him with all of our being.

Following is a cheerful discussion on what heaven will be like from prophecywatchers.com, featuring Gary Stearman and his guest, pastor Tom Hughes :

They speculate what heaven will be like, such as will there be grass in heaven, will there be baseball, and the like.  But it is not all fanciful wishing; there are some good nuggets of truth in this video.

Concerning our journey in this life, I enjoyed what Tom Hughes said,  "The Bible is our travel guide, and Jesus is our tour guide."  Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for true believers:

" 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."   -  John 14:2-3

In the above verses, Jesus tells us that He will come again and receive us to Himself to be with Him in heaven.  He is referring to the Rapture of the Church, the body of true believers.  Jesus could return at any moment to take believers with Him to their eternal home.  

Are you ready?

At the end, after the 7 year Tribulation and the antichrist and the false prophet and satan are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19 and Revelation 20), the Bible book of Revelation 21 tells us:

"(1) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  (2) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.  (4)  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

The above verses are among the most beautiful and comforting in the Bible.  We need to dwell on such beautiful verses to counteract all the negativity in today's world of evil and violence and wars.   God's Holy Word gives us comfort and hope and a reason for living, that reason being to glorify God; to worship Him and to do His will and to live for Him and to bring lost souls to Jesus.

"For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ;"  -  Philippians 3:20

"Life, if properly viewed in any aspect, is great, but mainly great when viewed in its relation to the world to come."  -  Albert Barnes

Following is a sermon on heaven by Charles Spurgeon.  It is excellent and is only 37 minutes in length. 

In the above sermon, Spurgeon stresses that our imagination cannot truly picture heaven.  He says, "To know more of heaven, spend more time in prayer."

There is only one way to heaven !

Jesus !!

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

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."   -  Acts 4:12

Please read all of John 3.  Most all of you are no doubt familiar with John 3:16 ,  "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 the Baptist said, "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

To be saved, you need to admit that you are a sinner and that you need a Savior.  Repent and pray for forgiveness.  Believe in faith that Jesus died for you and that His death on the cross paid for your sins in full; His shed blood redeems you.  All you need to do is to have faith and believe in Him and in His resurrection.  

"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 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

Yes, Carnal Christians Are A Reality

More than once I have said that there is no such thing as a carnal Christian.  (Scroll down to the February 17, 2018, post directly below or go to this link).  I suppose I was thinking primarily of the false conversion of a person, as opposed to true conversion, which leads to holiness and a life totally surrendered to the good Lord....true conversion, that is; because when a person is truly converted he is sealed with the Holy Spirit, which then indwells him (Ephesians 4:30).  "What?  know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"  (1 Corinthians 6:19).   In other words, I had assumed that a carnal Christian was one who had not been truly converted; had not been born again.

There are newly converted believers that are sometimes called "babes in Christ".  They are not spiritually mature yet, and can still be carnally minded to a large degree.   Carnal comes from the Greek word sarkikos, which means "fleshly."   Anytime a Christian sins, he is being carnal.  

But please note, while a Christian (especially new Christians) can be carnal for a time, a true Christian will not remain that way forever.   As he prays and studies the Bible, he will grow to truly know the Lord.  He will love Him and will not want to grieve the Holy Spirit.  He will develop a close, intimate, and personal love relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  As time goes on, his life and manner and spirituality will be manifest to others, and he will do good works.   Genuine faith will always result in good works, according to James chapter 2.

"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.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."    -   Ephesians 2:8-10

Carnal Christians are spoken of in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 :

"(1)  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  (2)  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.  (3) For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"

In the quote above, the fact that Paul called them "brethren" signifies that they were Christians, as Paul often used that term to refer to other Christians as well.

So a believer can sin and appear to be carnal, but he will not remain carnal if he is a true Christian.

It is good to read 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, where it speaks of a man's works being tried by fire.   Verse 15 tells us:  "If any man's work shall be burnt, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

So, evidently, a carnal Christian is still saved.  Back to my thoughts on true or false conversion:  it is not whether a carnal Christian has lost his salvation, but was he, in actuality, truly saved in the first place.   

God will lovingly discipline carnal Christians so they can become more Christlike and also to have a close relationship with Him.  It is all about obedience, love, and true commitment to the Lord.  A  life totally surrendered to Him.  

Read Hebrews 12:5-11.  Following are verses 6 and 7:

(6) "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.  (7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not.?"

Examine your heart and test yourself, and see if you are a worldly and carnal person.   If so, repent and make an effort to be more Christlike and to obey God in all things.  Get down on your knees and pray that God will give you an outpouring of His Holy Spirit so that you may better do His will and live as a true Christian should. You will then become more holy and live a life pleasing to the good Lord.

"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.  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 12:1-2

1 John 2:15-17 cautions 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 forever." 

"It Takes Prayer - Much Prayer" (Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

The Lord has really been telling me to pray more, through the Bible as well as through sermons and various articles.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to "pray without ceasing."  Our main objective is to draw ever closer to God, and to do that we need to communicate with Him in prayer and thereby develop a close, personal, and intimate relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  He wants to fellowship with  us.  You cannot get to know a Person unless you spend time with Him.  Not only can we do that through prayer, but also by reading and studying the Bible, His Holy Word and Love Letter to us.  God speaks to us through His Word.

Another benefit of much prayer is our resulting sanctification or consecration.   Sanctification means being set apart for holy use; to make holy or to purify.  This should be the goal of every true believer.  Sanctification comes from the Latin word "sanctus". which means holy or to consecrate.

Someone has said, "In Hebrews 10:20, the word consecrate comes from a Greek word that means to dedicate.  .... You could say the Lord's death consecrated us by making us perfect in His sight and this opened the way into the Holy of Holies for us."

Hebrews 10:19-20 says,  "(19)  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (20) By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, His flesh; "   

So we may boldly approach the Heavenly Father because Jesus made the way for us to do so when He shed His blood at Calvary, redeeming us who believe on Him and His resurrection.

Back to prayer now, although you cannot have prayer without consecration. They work together.  

"Prayer leads up to, and governs consecration.  Prayer is precedent to consecration, accompanies it, and is a direct result of it."  -  E.M. Bounds.

If my memory serves me right, I believe it was Charles Spurgeon that said something to the effect that "A prayerless life is a Christless life."  We will never grow in our spiritual walk if we do not pray.  How can we, for that matter, if we don't cultivate a true, powerful relationship with our Lord?

To be consecrated or sanctified we must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit.  This happens when you are saved.  Holiness does not happen all at once and you are not instantly mature spiritually when you first come to the Lord in faith.  It takes time to grow in holiness, a lifetime.  And we will not be perfect until we are in heaven.  

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and for ever.  Amen."  -  2 Peter 3:18

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."  -  Acts 6:4

The more you pray, the closer you grow to the good Lord.  And the more you know Him, the more you grow in His likeness.  As you pray and pour over His Word, you will grow in holiness and you will be less inclined to sin.  You will grow in your love for Jesus, and you will not want to do anything to grieve the Holy Spirit.  

Yes, it takes prayer - much prayer.  

"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.  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 12:1-2

We cannot be holy and be worldly and carnal at the same time.  That is why we need to renew our minds with God's Holy Word and spend our time doing His will and being among His people.  If you are worldly or a "carnal Christian", then you most likely were not truly born again.   There is no such thing as a carnal Christian.  Repent and pray for forgiveness and turn to God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind.   

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:  this is the first commandment."   -  Jesus at Mark 12:30

Remember that prayer is powerful !

"No prayer, no power; much prayer, much power."

I am reminded of the account in Exodus 32 where the Israelites made a golden calf to worship and Yahweh was extremely angry and told Moses in verse 10,  "Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation."  Moses prayed to Him not to destroy the Hebrews, and verse 14 tells us, "And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people."

Yes, there is power in prayer !

Following is a 16 minute reading of Andrew Murray on the subject of consecration.  It is an encouraging discourse.  

And below is another reading of one of Andrew Murray's books on the subject of prayer.   It is a short 21 minute reading .  I pray you listen to it.  

"The first great end of consecration is holiness of heart and of life.  It is to glorify God, and this can be done in no more effectual way than by a holy life flowing from a heart cleansed from all sin."                -  E.M. Bounds

"But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."  -  1 Peter 1:15-16

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;"  -  Colossians 4:2

"Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."  -  Philippians 4:6

Perilous Times Signify The Season of Jesus' Return (Videos)

Much of what I concentrate on here with this blog is Bible prophecy.  I cannot stress enough how that we are living in the last days as the Bible tells us according to its prophecies.  It is important to realize this and that the Lord's return is imminent so that we may be found blameless and ready when He returns.  

"Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."  -  1 Corinthians 1:8

For the most part today, the following two videos will do most of the commentary.   Both videos are from prophecywatchers.com , featuring Gary Stearman.  Below is a 12 minute clip with guest David Reagan, in which they discuss the season of the Lord's return and also how America is provoking the Lord and that , as Mr. Stearman says, "The world is living on borrowed time."

The following 22 minute video is an interview with Gary Stearman concerning the signs of the times in general as well as the "insanity of the Middle-East."  They quote 2 Timothy 3 concerning the perilous last days and the end times signs spoken of in those first few verses and it is a very enlightening discussion of interest to all persons.   Mr. Stearman also quotes James 5:3 where it says that "your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you....".   Everyone is saying today that as long as you deal with gold and silver, you will be alright.   Not so.

In the video directly above, they also discuss the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster a few years back.   That is of particular interest to me, especially living in the middle of the Pacific ocean here in Hawaii.  The ocean here and on the west coast of the American mainland is definitely contaminated, meaning so are its  fish.  It is unbelievable the amount of radiation still pouring into the ocean all this time later; it is a disaster with no fix in sight.   You can Google it for more information.  A year ago I wrote a post concerning the dangers now present from contamination still spilling out of Fukushima.  Here is that link.   There is also a You Tube video at that link concerning the nuclear power plant meltdown.   

This all may seem like doom and gloom to the unsaved people of the world,  but to believers in Jesus Christ it means we have a hope of soon being with the Lord for all eternity.   Our blessed hope!  (Titus 2:13).

Let's face reality, things cannot continue to escalate without all hell breaking loose.   And it will do so soon in the 7 year tribulation period.  Read the Bible book of Revelation for all the wrath of God that will be poured out upon ungodly people left on earth during that time.  Much of the earth and the water will be destroyed as well.

Believers,  look up !

Jesus is coming for us soon to rapture us to be with Him forever!

Believers will not face the wrath of God during the Tribulation for we will not be on earth at that time, having been taken to heaven before the Tribulation begins.

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

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 tells us,  concerning the Rapture of true believers to heaven,  "(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

When we see all the evil in the world, and the very real dangers and the threat of nuclear war, we need to realize the Lord will return soon and then we will be with Him in our new home.  That is, indeed, comforting to think about.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Savior and put your faith and trust in Him,  do not delay !!   

Tomorrow may be too late to do so, as the Lord could return at any moment !

"(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

To be saved, you must believe with your whole heart and mind and spirit that Jesus Christ is the Savior and that He died and shed His blood so that all who believe and put their trust in Him can have eternal life.   You must sincerely repent of all your sins and ask for forgiveness and surrender to Him and put your faith in Him.  

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."  

"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

"Beauty, Art, and God" - Inspirational Weekend

Butterflies make me smile... even when watching them on You Tube.  Recently I again visited Foster Botanical Gardens here in Honolulu and there were a large group of Monarchs flying everywhere among the flowers in the special butterfly garden found there.   It was very extraordinary to be standing among them and attempting to photograph them as they fluttered about all around me. My photograph above was the only one that came out after taking many shots; all but this one were very blurry.   

Butterflies are precious and oh so lovely.  There are many varieties to be found all over the world.   The good Lord is truly a magnificent Creator; there is much variety in the animal world and the flower kingdom as well as also in the beautiful scenery on this earth.   Yahweh is an artist on a grand scale !   And creation testifies that He loves beauty.  

"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined."  -  Psalm 50:2

God's holiness is beautiful, and we are to "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness"         (Psalm 29:2;  1 Chronicles 16:29).  

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  -  Ephesians 2:10

The Greek word for "workmanship"  sometimes has the connotation of a "work of art."   So we believers can be like a work of art, when we allow Yahweh to mold us and shape us into useful vessels for His honor and His glory.  We are His creation; we are made exactly as He wants us to be.  God recreates our hearts with a desire and yearning for what is good, with the result that our lives are changed.  We begin to "hunger and thirst after righteousness"  (Matthew 5:6).

Please read Ephesians 2:1-10.  Verses 8 and 9 make it clear that we are not saved by works, but by grace through faith.

"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

So when Ephesians 2:10 says...."created in Christ Jesus unto good works", it does not mean good works are the roots from which salvation grows but instead the fruit God intends it to bear.   In other words, God has not saved us because of our good works, but He has saved us to do good works, with His help and guidance.  This brings glory to Him. We should be so grateful for our salvation that good works flow naturally from a heart full of love and appreciation.

The first mention of art in the Bible is found in Exodus 31, where God instructs Moses to create a tent for the ark of the covenant.  God mentions several skillful artists to help create designs to beautify the tent.  Evidently the Lord is desirous of man to create beautiful things; and of course He gives them the ability to do so.  It follows that He desires beauty.  Any beauty that we create, whether we be a fine artist, a musician or a craftsman of any type, our creation should glorify our heavenly Creator.

As an artist myself, beauty was always my main inspiration.  I cannot understand some of the vulgarity that passes for art these days.  One painting of mine in particular was especially created for God's glory; it is rich in symbolism:

The title of this oil on canvas is "Forget Me Not".  Those are forget-me-not flowers on the teacup and saucer and the Bible is there to remind you to not forget God and His Word.  The glasses are just an emphasis to read His Holy Word.  Only Jesus can bring true peace, and thus the yellow peace rose, which is in a vase filled with living water.   The red rose symbolizes Jesus' shed blood, which brings redemption to those who believe in Him and in His resurrection.  This painting was created entirely with the Lord in mind.

I always intended to create more works in a similar theme, but one day a little over 2 years ago as I was painting and listening to a CD sermon at the same time, I felt convicted.  I was spending hours upon hours painting with a passion, but what was I actually doing for the good Lord?  How much time did I give Him and how much witnessing for Him was I doing in comparison?   I felt guilt and shame and sorrow.   I was living too much for my art, and not spending enough time doing the Lord's work.  I took some time off from painting and began reading the Bible constantly, and doing research online with commentaries on Bible verses.  I began to pray more frequently and I drew closer to the Lord as a result.

I am not saying all this to brag on myself.  I guess you could say I am bragging on the Lord and all He has done in my life.  He inspired me to begin writing spiritual content on this blog.  I felt I could reach more people through my writing than through my painting.   My passion began to be focused more on the Lord and endeavoring to do His will.   Even more so as I realized that the Lord could return at any time and people needed to be told that we are living in the last days and to be ready for His return.

God changed me. 

His will is what is most important in my life right now.

Life is short.

"Only what's done for Christ will last."


Have a blessed and Christ-filled weekend !


"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."    -  Matthew 7:14

"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

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying,  I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."     -  John 8:12