"Are You Wounded?" (A.W. Tozer Article) - Inspirational Weekend

Most of today's article will be quotes by A.W. Tozer, who was an American pastor and author who lived from 1897 to 1963.  He was saved and became a true believer when he was a teenager.

I am quoting from an article found at :
http://articles.ochristian.com/article176.shtml

It would be best to go there and read the entire article to get the full impact of this important message.   But I will highlight some of the important parts here.

"Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:  therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: for He maketh sore, and He bindeth up: He woundeth, and His hands make whole."  -   Job 5:17-18

In Tozer's article, he mentions a remarkable Christian woman who lived around 600 years ago, who wrote only one book, but an important work at that.  She prayed a prayer and God answered.  The essence of her prayer was this:

"O God, please give me three wounds: the wound of contrition and the wound of compassion and the wound of a longing after God."

Tozer comments that she wasn't dickering with God. She wanted three things and they were all for God's glory, and then she added:

"I ask this without condition, Father; do what I ask and then send me the bill.  Any thing that it costs will be all right with me."

What a wonderful attitude.... and faith !

Tozer says that "All great Christians have been wounded souls.  Many of the Old Testament characters were wounded men, stricken of God and afflicted indeed as their LORD was after them."

Following are the three wounds :

The Wound of Contrition

We are familiar with the meaning of the word contrition, but I would like to mention what Webster's 1828 dictionary says about it.  It is a genuine repentance, being deeply grieved of heart for having offended an infinite holy and benevolent God.

According to A.W. Tozer, "Now I've heard for the last 30 years that repentance is a change of mind, and I believe it, of course, as far as it goes. But that's just what's the matter with us.  We have reduced repentance to a change of mind.   It is a mental act, indeed, but I  point out that repentance is not likely to do us much good until it ceases to be a change of mind only and becomes a wound within our spirit.  No man has truly repented until his sin has wounded him near to death; ...... I don't know about you, but the only way I can keep right with God is to keep contrite, to keep a sense of contrition upon my spirit."

The Wound of Compassion

"Now compassion is an emotional identification, and Christ had that in full  perfection.  The man who has this wound of compassion is a man who suffers along with other people."  So says Tozer.   Thus, as true believers, we should imitate Christ as much as we can and be compassionate ourselves.

The Wound of Longing After God

The woman mentioned previously that prayed for the above three wounds wanted to "long after God with a longing that became a pain in her heart.  "    If you are truly born again from above,

 "a spiritual rebirth", truly saved, you will want to draw ever closer to  the good Lord and to endeavor to obey Him and live as godly a life as you possibly can.

Tozer admonishes us, "Remember this: the man that has the most of God is the man who is seeking the most ardently for more of God."

Pastor Tozer closes his article with the following prayer:

"Father, I've been an irresponsible, childish kind of Christian - more concerned with being happy than with being holy.  O God, give me three wounds.  Wound me with a sense of my own sinfulness.  Wound me with compassion for the world, and wound me with love of Thee that will keep me always pursuing and always  exploring and always seeking and always finding."

If you are not a Christian and you are reading this, know that Jesus loves you and is waiting to hear from you.  

All you must do is to repent and believe in Christ as the Savior, whose redemptive work at the Cross, His shed blood, can wash your sins away and wipe the slate clean when you truly believe in Him and in His resurrection.   

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."

"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

"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

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

Wake Up ! Urgent Times Are Upon Us! (Two Videos By Pastor J.D. Farag: One A Prophecy Update And The Other Proof Of The Pre-Tribulation Rapture)

In Pastor J.D. Farag's  Bible Prophecy Update of Sunday, January 19, 2020, which follows, he made a wonderful comment concerning true followers of Jesus..... that they have "a life assurance policy for eternity and that Jesus paid the premium !"  How awesome is that!

Romans 13:11-14 tells us: (11) "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  (12) The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (13) Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.   (14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof."

Jesus' return is imminent.....it could happen at any time!  Pastor Farag believes that in 2020 God will get everyone's attention in any enormous way for them to realize that the present time is definitely the end times  prophesied in the Bible.   Following is the pastor's excellent prophecy update which is 32 minutes long:

Following is another sermon by Pastor J.D. Farag which gives a wonderful typology of how the ancient Jewish wedding was a picture of the soon Rapture of Christ's Bride (the Church).  It is a fascinating account and please listen to all of this 44 minute video which was also posted on Sunday, January 19, 2020. The main purpose of this following sermon is to prove  the Bible supports the Pre-Tribulation belief that the true followers of Jesus will be raptured before the Tribulation.   It is excellent information and presented so clearly that it grows your faith and understanding.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 tells us:  (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."

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."  -  1 John 3: 2-3

"Reasons To Rejoice And Shout For Joy!" (Also Video About Bible Prophesied Events Which Might Occur This Year!) - Inspirational Weekend

[Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii]

First, let us view a 9 minute video concerning  what could possibly happen this very year.....things the Bible prophesied centuries ago.  It is by Pastor Tom Hughes, and he titles the video " 6 signs of Perilous Times" :

You want to pay special attention to sign #6 above, but all of it is eye-opening information.  This video was just recently published on January 15, 2020.

After viewing the above serious information, please realize that Jesus could possibly return for the Rapture of His Bride (true believers; true Christ followers) any day now and thereby they will escape the circumstances stated in Pastor Hughes' video.   We will be in bliss in heaven with the Lord!  That is something to rejoice over!  Keep in mind that no one knows the day and the hour of Jesus' soon return, but He gave us signs to watch for so that we would know the "season" of His return.   You may find these signs in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, as well as other places.  We are obviously in the season of His return now in these last moments of the end times we find ourselves in right now.

[Wood Ducks at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki]

Psalm 5:11, 12 tells us  (11) "But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice:  Let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them:  Let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee.  (12) For Thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt Thou compass him as with a shield."  KJV

The above Psalm was written by ancient King David, whom God called "A man after mine own heart."  (Acts 13:22)

Like us, King David of old was not sinless.... none of us are perfect, as we all well know.  When he sinned, he repented.  He truly loved God, and desired to please Him, as we believers today should feel and do.

God is our loving and everlasting Protector.  That, too, is something to rejoice over !  Those who would be protected by Him must trust themselves in His care and be guided by His wishes.   Just remember He is the Almighty God, our loving Father, and He has perfect wisdom and will guide us in the best path to take in all circumstances.  God Himself will defend us.  Sometimes we just need to be silent and wait on Him to fight our battles.

"The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."   -   Exodus 14:14

All the glory belongs to the Heavenly Father !!

Have trust and joy in God and Jesus!!

The truly pious find their happiness in God.

Philippians 3:1 a  tells us, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord....."

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."      -    Philippians 4:4

Concerning verse 12 of Psalm 5, a portion of Hawker's Poor Man's  Commentary tells us: "I will make mention of Jesus.  I shall find boldness in His blood and righteousness; for Thou Lord, wilt bless Him, and bless His people in Him, and defend all His redeemed here, and crown them with endless joy hereafter, for His name and righteousness sake."

One of the greatest miracles of all is the miracle of salvation !  That the good Lord can take a cold, vile, and wicked heart and turn it into one of His greatest servants, or missionary, or a "prayer warrior" and completely transform that person into a mild and meek and trusting and obedient servant of His !  God can renew a person's mind and heart and fill it with love for Him and love for his fellowman.  A miracle indeed!!

Have you experienced such a miracle?   Have you repented of your sins and turned to the Savior, Jesus, in faith and belief and surrender?

If you become a child of God, a believer in Jesus, you will know an inner peace and a joy within your soul that even hardships and persecution cannot destroy!  You might at times feel sad or mistreated and thereby a bit "down", but deep within your heart you know the good Lord is there with you and "This too shall pass."

This requires a deep, close, intimate, and personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.   This can only happen if you spend much time in prayer and in reading God's Holy Word, the Bible.  You cannot get to know a person very well if you never or hardly ever communicate with him.  This applies to the good Lord as well.  He desires to hear from you and to fellowship with you.

Jesus loves you and will welcome you with open arms to embrace you in love and forgiveness!

He is waiting to hear from you now!

Do not delay!   

"[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

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!

"Be Sure You Are Right With God" (Two Video Sermons By Pastor David Wilkerson) - Inspirational Weekend

Nothing else is as important as being right with God !  That means putting Him first in your life and believing in His Son Jesus as the Savior.  

"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.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."    -      Mark 12: 30, 31

Following is a 9 minute sermon by Pastor David Wilkerson on the subject of "Get right with God."  Pastor Wilkerson is the founding pastor of the non-denominational Times Square Church in New York City.  He is best known for his book, "The Cross and The Switchblade."   There was a movie made from the book which you may find on You Tube.  Pastor Wilkerson went to be with the Lord in 2011.

His sermon clip above is a message of grace but also a warning.  He tells us that  what is not preached much any more is that Jesus will return soon.   And friends, that is why it is so urgent to make sure you are right with God and that you believe that Jesus is the Savior and the only one who can wash away your sins by His shed blood at Calvary.  He was our substitute; He took our place and took on all our sins at the Cross, so that if we believe in Him and His redemption , we may have eternal life.

As has been written many times on this blog, Bible prophecy is being fulfilled now at warp speed !  We do not know the day or the hour of Jesus' return, but He did give us signs so that we would know that we were in the "season" of His return .  For these signs, read Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13.

In the above video, Pastor Wilkerson tells us "to have victory over sin, spend much time with God."   We do that by much prayer and daily Bible reading.

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

"The chief danger that  confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell."   -  William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, who lived from 1829 to 1912.

One of Pastor Wilkerson's best known sermons is "A Call To Anguish" which follows.   It is a powerful and emotional sermon of 56 minutes.  I urge you to watch the entire video.

In the above video, Pastor Wilkerson tells us that "anguish is extreme pain and stress; deep inner pain, agony."  Some of you might can relate to that.

[Photo of "Torch Ginger"]

These are the last moments of the end of days!

Jesus will come to take true believers to heaven soon in the Rapture of the Church, His Bride.

If you are not right with God and have not accepted His Son Jesus Christ as the Savior, you will be left behind after the Rapture to face unbelievable horrors and destruction.  If you do not put your faith in Jesus during the 7 year Tribulation period, you will be destroyed and spend eternity in the lake of fire....hell.   Remember also not to take the Mark of the Beast (antichrist) in order to buy and sell and to obtain food.   You will be pledging your allegiance to the antichrist and not God if you do so.   Some scholars believe that the "mark" will be an RFID chip or tattoo on the forehead or in your right hand, as found in Revelation 13: 16-18.   Many scholars today believe that this "mark" will alter the person's DNA, preventing him to ever turn to God.  It will damn the person to hell. Please read all of Revelation 13 if you have time.  It is better to be killed than to take the "mark".  If you are a believer in Jesus during the tribulation, you will go to heaven when the antichrist's wicked reign beheads you.  (Revelation 20:4)

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 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

"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 loves you and is waiting to hear from you!

Turn to Him in faith before it is too late!

It will be easier to be saved now before the Rapture, because soon after that when Jesus takes us to heaven, the 7 year Tribulation will begin under the reign of the antichrist. You will be tempted to take the "Mark" to feed yourself and your family at that time.  DO NOT take the Mark !!

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

What Will Happen Next? (Important Recent Bible Prophecy Updates by J.D. Farag and Amir Tsarfati)

I felt an urgency to share this important information about current events and how they line up with Bible Prophecy.  Both of the following videos were posted yesterday, Sunday, January 5, 2020.

First is a one hour update by well known Hawaiian pastor J. D. Farag, which many of you are no doubt familiar with.  In his update, Pastor Farag stresses that things are moving very fast now and the Rapture of true believers is exceedingly imminent !

Many of you are also familiar with Messianic Jewish evangelist Amir Tsarfati who lives in Israel, but travels the world preaching salvation as well as end time events as they relate to Bible prophecy.   Following is a special Middle East update from him on the past week's significant news  (and before then as well).  Amir's 48 minute update was also published yesterday, Sunday.

Amir speaks about recent events at the beginning of the video, and towards the end more about how it all relates to Bible prophecy.

For some reason I cannot get a link to work to a certain article of interest for all Americans, concerning possible terrorists attacks on our soil. 

Please go to endoftheamericandream.com and you will see the article dated January 3, 2020, right away and click on that for eye-opening information.

All is not doom and gloom, folks !  It all means that soon we will see our blessed Savior when He returns to take us to be with Him in heaven!!  How awesome is that!

As has been pointed out in the above videos, we are definitely in the last moments of the end times as prophesied in God's Holy Word.

"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

Read all of Luke 21, as well as Matthew 24 and Mark 13 for signs of the last days .

At the end of Pastor Farag's video above he explains salvation for those of you who are not yet born again from above.... a spiritual rebirth.  That you must believe in Jesus as the Savior in order to enter heaven.

"Trusting God Will Give You Strength To Endure" (Video by Charles Swindoll on trusting God and video by Charles Spurgeon) - Inspirational Weekend

[Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii Beach with Diamond Head Extinct Volcano ]

You have no doubt heard it said, "Be careful what you ask God for."   Many times I have prayed to the good Lord to make me more Christ-like.  So He answered that prayer - big time - by giving me much to forgive where other people are concerned.  Being a forgiving person is imitating Christ.

Jesus had much - and many - to forgive.  But He also had much love for lost mankind and died a cruel death at Calvary so that those who would have faith and believe in Him could have everlasting life.  What love!

As believers in Jesus as the Savior, we should put Him and God first in our lives and share the Gospel with lost souls.

As Pastor Charles Lawson has said, " ....... Lift up the Lord God; exalt God and magnify His holy name;  the more we know about God, the more our faith is strengthened."

Later in this post I will share some Scriptures about strength from God,  but right now here is a 14 minute sermon by Charles Swindoll on trusting God.

In the above sermon clip, Charles Swindoll tells us that "many are much better at worrying than you are at trusting God."  As many have learned from experience, trusting God will give you strength to endure.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  -  Psalm 46:1

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."  -  Psalm 18:2

Psalm 37:39 says, "But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: He is their strength in the time of trouble."

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;" -   Ephesians 3:16

"But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."  -  1 Peter 5:10

Following is a 47 minute sermon by Charles Spurgeon on the above verse, 1 Peter 5:10

Please listen to Spurgeon's explanation of 1 Peter 5:10 where he  speaks of Peter's words on perfection, stablish (establishment), strengthening, and settle you.

One verse that I memorized many years ago and that is extremely  encouraging is  Philippians 4:13 which says, 

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."

As Pastor David Wilkerson has said, "Listen to God!  God wants  quiet, quality time with you!"

This blog has shared much information on how we are now living in the last moments of the end days as prophesied in the Bible.  Go to the search box in the above right hand side of this page and type in such things as Gog Magog War, the Rapture, last days, 7 year tribulation and so on and several articles will appear for you to read about eschatology.  

Time is short!

Jesus will return soon to take His Bride (true believers) to heaven with Him in the Rapture.  

Are you Rapture ready?

You can only go to heaven if you have been born again from above.  To be born again is to repent and turn to Jesus in faith and believe that He is the Savior and that His shed blood at Calvary can wash away your sins.  To be born again is a spiritual "rebirth."

"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

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

This believing in Jesus is not talking about intellectual knowledge.  It is referring to a heart-felt and soul stirring knowing that Jesus is the Savior and that the only way to heaven is through true and sincere and soul changing faith in Him.   FAITH !  BELIEF !

"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 loves you!

He is waiting for you and His arms are open wide to embrace you with love and forgiveness!

The more you read your Bible and pray, the more you will learn just how much the good Lord loves you!   And you will come to love Him with all of  your heart and soul and very being!

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."

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

One Resolution To Make And Not Ever Break (With Sermon clip by David Wilkerson)

Here we are at the end of 2019 !   What a year this has been concerning Bible prophecy being fulfilled or the precursors of it ... the beginning stages .... of what the Bible predicted would be true in these last moments of the last days.

What 2020 will bring is exciting to contemplate!  Could the Rapture of the Church to heaven occur in 2020?  Possibly, but only God knows the day and the hour.  We finite humans can only wait and hope the rapture will be soon; for many of us, we long to be with Jesus in heaven. We know that the Rapture is imminent from what the Bible tells us in many places.   Check out Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 for signs of the end times.

Some people make New Year's resolutions.   Amir Tsarfati, an evangelist from Israel, said recently in one of his posts:  "There is one resolution that we should all make and never break, and that is to follow Jesus more closely than ever, for He is the light of the world."

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,  I am the Light  of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  -   John 8:12

Amir Tsarfati also says, "Being led by the Light will always lead us to walk in truth, God's truth.  As the year comes to a close, let's commit to walking in the Light of His Word and speaking the truth in love.  For the light  of the world is coming again for His church so that where He is, we may be also."

In these perilous and evil last days we find ourselves living in, we must not let the world and its desires become desirous to us true believers.   We should be separate from the world, and live only for the good Lord.   That includes sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others, of course.

1 John 2:15-17 tells 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."

Following is an 8 minute sermon clip by David Wilkerson on the subject of the true Christian.

In the above sermon, Pastor Wilkerson also mentions being "rapture ready" when Jesus returns for His Bride, the true believers.

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

"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."   -   Psalm 34:7

"Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it."    -  Psalm 34:14

"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."  -  Psalm 34:18

It is highly recommended that you read all of Psalm 34.  

Psalm 46:2 tells us  "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust."  -  Psalm 18:2

If you are not born again from above, if you have not believed with all your very being that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to God and heaven, I pray that you do so before it is too late.  Jesus will return soon to take true believers to be in heaven with Him, and those who did not surrender in Faith to Christ will be left behind to face the terrors and horrors and destruction that occur during the 7 year Tribulation, after the Rapture of the Church.

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."

"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