"Do NOT Lean Upon Your Own Understanding" (With 2 Videos, One by Pastor Chuck Smith) - Inspirational Weekend

[Two Hawaiian Moorhens]

We can get into a lot of trouble by only relying on our own understanding.  It is wise to go to God's Holy Word, the Bible, for answers to life's dilemmas and trials for direction.  Likewise, we should pray without ceasing to the good Lord about everything.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us:  (5) "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  (6) In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.''

We get into a lot of trouble by immediately reacting to a problem or hardship or trial with only our "feelings."  We need the wisdom of God to guide us:  the Bible, and much prayer.

Although this saying did not originate with Dr. Charles Stanley, he has used it in more than one sermon:   "HALT  ...  never get too Hungry, too Angry, too Lonely, or too Tired" -   You do not make good decisions when you are in such a vulnerable state of mind."

[Island Off Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]

In Proverbs 3:5, it makes it evident that we should rest in God and thereby be assured of His grace towards us, and that His will and power will help us ; will save us and help us in all things; in all circumstances.  Trust God.

In Proverbs 3:6,  we are admonished to "acknowledge" God and He will direct our paths.   We should not be self-sufficient and self-dependent as that has been the ruin of mankind ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden.

One commentator has said: "The grand sin of the human race is their continual endeavor to live independently of God, i.e., to be without God in the world.  True religion consists in considering God the fountain of all good, and expecting all good from Him."

Following is a 53 minute sermon by Calvary Chapel Chino Valley pastor David Rosales who discusses Proverbs 3:1-10.  If you only want to watch the part concerning Proverbs 3:5-6, just go to the section of minutes 14 to 20.

Many of you are familiar with Pastor Chuck Smith, who passed away not too very long ago.  He is the founder of the Calvary Chapel churches.  Following is a 41 minute audio sermon on Proverbs 3:5-6 by him, only he has an interesting take on those verses, meaning he concentrates on discerning the will of God.  He tells us that all of us today are in the process of fulfilling the purpose God has for our lives.

As has been written on this blog many times, we are in the last moments of the last days as prophesied in the Bible.  So much prophecy is being fulfilled today that many scholars admit it is impossible to keep up with it all, and impossible to report on all of it.  You may read more about it by going to the search box in the upper right hand side of this page and entering such things as "end times, signs of Jesus' return, 7 year Tribulation, the Rapture of the Church, the Mark of the Beast" and many other such topics.  

We need to make sure that we are truly saved and believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our very being.  Not an intellectual knowledge, but a vibrant, living, and life-changing belief.  A heart changing belief.

Jesus paid our sin debt in full at the cross, when He redeemed us by His shed blood which can wash away our sins if we but put full faith in Him as the Savior.  He was our substitute.  Salvation is not complicated; it just requires unwavering faith and strong heartfelt belief in Jesus.

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."

"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

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

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"    -  John 11:25-26

"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

Luke 21:28 is where Jesus tells us (concerning the signs of His soon return in these last days) :  

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

You may read more of these signs of the end times in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Jesus is at the very door!

Are you Rapture ready?

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

"Amazing Grace" - Have You Experienced It?" - (With 2 videos) -Inspirational Weekend

Grace!  Without the grace of God, we would have no hope of eternal life with the good Lord.  It has been said that the gospel message of Jesus Christ is all about God's grace.  

"But none of these move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."  -    Acts 20:24

Jesus is the epitome of grace and truth !

"And the Word {Jesus} was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth."  -   John 1:14

The Bible calls grace a gift.

"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."  -  Ephesians 4:7

Most of you may be familiar with Ephesians 2:8-9 which follows:

(8) "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.  (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast."

One hymn that is well known to all is "Amazing Grace."  My favorite version of it has been posted on this blog once before, but here is another version by an adorable child.

The above hymn gives us a good understanding of what it means to be saved by grace, which is God's undeserved favor, and shows His love and forgiveness of our sins.  It is God's blessing on the unworthy.  Read the account of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-24.

The wayward and sinful son in that account typifies all unbelievers, and the father there who forgives and welcomes the prodigal son back joyfully and with love, is representative of God, who forgives us sinners.

Following is a short 5 minute sermon clip on the prodigal son by Pastor David Wilkerson.  The pastor talks not only about the prodigal son, but gives us assurance about how God truly loves us and rejoices over us; and how He desires of us constant faith.

God's Holy Word tells us that we cannot do anything to earn our salvation.  Isaiah 64:6 informs us that "And we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

In Romans 4 it speaks of ancient Abraham's great faith and how he gave glory to God (verse 20).  Romans 4:21-22 tells how Abraham's faith was accounted to him as righteousness, in that he believed and trusted God to fulfill His promises.

Romans 4:24-25 says "But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead: Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification."

It is evident that God is love ( 1 John 4:16), and that He gives grace to the humble and to those that come to Him with a sincere repentance and with a true faith and belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior.

How grateful we should be for all of His love and tender mercies, His grace!

We should glorify Him and praise Him !

We finite humans cannot even begin to comprehend such a strong love from God and Jesus.  We can only understand in part right now.  When we are in glory in heaven, no doubt we will have a fuller grasp of the depth of the good Lord's love.

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."  -  1 Corinthians 2:9

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."  -   1 John 4:9

This age of grace we are currently experiencing will soon end, when Jesus returns to rapture His true believers to be with Him in heaven.  After that is the 7 year Tribulation period, when the Lord will pour out His wrath upon the wicked with the horrors and plagues and destruction in the Tribulation.  You do not want to be here then!   Although the Bible does inform us that many will be saved during that 7 year period, they will do so by their death by the antichrist system; because as Christians they will not pledge allegiance to the antichrist by taking the "Mark of the beast".  They  would rather die than not be true to God.  (Revelation 13:14-18; Revelation 7:3-14; Revelation 20:4)  And when these new Christians are beheaded (Revelation 20:4), they will go to be with the Lord in heaven for their faith.

Do not wait !  

Time is running out!

Repent and pray for forgiveness and commit your life to Jesus by believing in Him as the Savior; that His shed blood at Calvary can wash away your sins as He paid your sin debt in full by the Redemption that His death and sacrifice provided for you.  This belief is not just intellectual knowledge that Jesus is the Savior.  It is a strong, living belief with all of your heart and soul.... your very being - and you will love Him and not want to do anything to grieve Him.

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

"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 in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -  John 3:16

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

"Words Of Hope And Encouragement In Troubled Times" - Inspirational Weekend

I was going to post another video about end times signs, but felt instead as if the Lord wanted me to share some hopeful and encouraging Scriptures and thoughts that would uplift your spirits. Please watch an inspiring video towards the end of this article which is titled, "God's Love Letter to us."

"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."     -  Jesus at John 6:63 b

In these troubled last moments of the end times we find ourselves living in now, it is imperative that we focus on "things above"  to give us hope and strength and a right perspective -  a spiritual view.

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."    -      Colossians 3:1-2

"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.  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.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."  -   1 John 2:15-17

If you are a born again Christian, those words above are very encouraging.  And they can be encouraging to unbelievers as well if those Scriptures will help them to come to a saving faith in Jesus the Savior.  

But for the here and now, we are stuck in this imperfect and wicked world.   We need to occupy until Jesus' soon return; by that is meant to fellowship with the good Lord by much prayer and much Bible study, and to witness to lost souls about salvation found only in Jesus.

Following are scriptures to encourage you and give you hope.

"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

"These things have I 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."   -  Jesus at John 16:33

"Be careful  [anxious] 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

"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."    -   Isaiah 41:10

"Therefore being justified by faith,  we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."  -  Romans 5:1-2

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit."  -  Romans 15:13

It is good to read the entire Psalm 23 as well as Psalm 91.  You can check the internet for Scriptures that may apply to your particular needs or situation.

The main thing is to focus on living a life that pleases the good Lord and that includes sharing with others the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember to give God the glory in everything!

"Saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."    -   Revelation 14:7

Time is short!

Jesus could return at any moment to take true believers to be with Him in heaven...... when the Rapture of the Church occurs.

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

No one knows the day or the hour of Jesus' return except the Heavenly Father.  But we need to make sure that we  believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and put our hope and faith in Him, so when He does return, we will be rapture ready.

All of the above Scriptures give us hope and encouragement. What a loving and merciful God to write us such a love letter and instruction manual as found in His holy Word, the Bible!  With such a hope of eternal life as given by belief in Jesus as the Savior, we can find strength to endure trials and hardships in this imperfect world.  We have a hope that soon we will be in heaven with the good Lord.  That helps us to endure !  Following is a short video (10 minutes) about God's love letter to us, as if spoken by the Heavenly Father Himself.  I have posted it previously, but felt it rather fits this article to share it with you again.  It is a very moving and uplifting message.

Jesus loves you and will welcome you with open arms full of compassion and forgiveness.

"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

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!!

Recent Middle East Update by Amir Tsarfati And A Powerful Sermon by Pastor David Wilkerson

First this article will share a powerful and much needed short sermon (10 minutes) by Pastor David Wilkerson which stresses how we should love God and want to spend time with Him.  Pastor Wilkerson makes it clear that Jesus will not abide where He is ignored.  

Amir Tsarfati recently posted (on January 30, 2020) a very informative and must see video of Middle East affairs - an update -  which also features Pastor Barry Stagner and Pastor Jack Hibbs giving their insights along with Amir.  It is an hour and 4 minutes long, but you will be glad if you watch it all which follows:

In the above video, they discuss the recent pandemic virus, signs of the end times, the recent President Trump's "Deal of the Century", how the antichrist comes after the Ezekiel 38 war, and much more.  

Many Christians are not aware of the fact that approximately 33% of the Bible is prophecy.  Bible prophecy and the fact that we are in the last moments of the end times can be a strong tool to wake people up and have them turn to faith in Jesus before it is too late, as the Rapture of true believers could happen at any time now.  I am not saying this year or setting a date;  Jesus said only the Heavenly Father knows the day and the hour when our Savior will come to take His followers to be with Him in heaven before the horrors of the 7 year Tribulation begin.   

You do not want to be here for the destruction, plagues and unbelievable suffering that are part of the Tribulation.  Read the book of Revelation !!  For more on the Tribulation, go to the search box on the above right side of this page and type in "7 year tribulation" and several articles will appear for you to chose from, many of which have videos with Bible scholars discussing those events.

Although Bible prophecy can wake sleeping sinners up to the reality that there is not much time left in this present age of grace, the best witnessing tool is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with lost souls.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 tells us: (1) "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye stand; (2)  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;  (4) And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: "

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."

"How Do We Glorify God?" (Charles Spurgeon Sermon) - Inspirational Weekend

[Taro Fields, Hanalei Overlook, Kauai, Hawaii]

This  blog features articles about Bible Prophecy as well as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Today (Wednesday) while reading my Bible in the book of Psalms the following verse really made me realize the importance of always stressing the glory of God, and giving Him the glory for everything:

"Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name;  Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."    -  Psalm 29:2

God's very creation praises Him and gives Him glory as seen in Psalm 19:1 which follows:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His  handywork."

Also, His creation of mankind was miraculous and glorious and showed His great love and desire for companionship, although He had Jesus and the angels with Him before then.  

We should make sure that we bring glory to God.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."   -                       1 Corinthians 10:31

Jesus' life and purpose was to bring glory to God. He lived and died to do the Heavenly Father's will.  And that was to provide a way for lost mankind to be saved from the darkness of this world and to come to the saving light of salvation; to know God's love and forgiveness and grace by Jesus' sacrificial death at Calvary, whereby Jesus' shed blood will wash away all of our sins from us if we but believe in Him and have faith that He paid our sin debt in full by taking our place and our sins upon Himself and dying for us; thereby making a way for us to have everlasting life.  What love!

[Hill side near Salt Lake City]

When believers endeavor to live as godly a life as they are able, and show the love of God to others, and - most importantly - to love God and to obey Him and to try to follow closely in Jesus' footsteps,  then we are bringing glory to God.  That we are revealing the glory of God to others through our lifestyles, words, and actions; as well as praising Him and submitting to His will.

Mainly, just showing faith that God and Jesus will take care of you and guide you and protect you -  showing trust in Him.  Rely on Him and not yourself. Be humble.  

In Habakkuk 3:17-19, it shows that Habakkuk had learned faith in God regardless of circumstances - even if there be suffering and loss:

In verse 17 Habakkuk discusses possible dire circumstances, and then in verse 18 and 19 he says: "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet."

Many commentators think the above verses are one of the strongest statements of faith in all the Bible.

So our faith can bring glory to God.  

Remember Abraham!  Romans 4:20 tells us:  "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;"

Following is a 39 minute audio sermon by Charles Spurgeon titled   "A View Of God's Glory" :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy8xuV4Kz_c

[Hawaiian Black Crowned Night Heron]

So how do we acquire a strong faith?  How do we draw close to the good Lord?  The answer to the question "How do we glorify God?" has already been touched upon in the above paragraphs.  The key to everything spiritual - and understanding what God requires of us - is by putting God and Jesus first in our lives.  

As has been stated many times on this blog,  God desires to fellowship with us because He loves us.  We can draw close to the Lord by much prayer and by reading and studying His Holy Word, the Bible.  Then we will learn just how much He and Jesus loves us, and we will grow to appreciate their attributes and their greatness.  It is amazing how the Lord will take the time to listen to us and answer our prayers;  we who are so weak and fragile ; we who sin (hopefully not intentionally!); we who can be stubborn at times and want our own way for the most part.  If you spend a lot of quality time with the good Lord, you will grow spiritually and He will renew your mind (Romans 12:1-2  which follows):

"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."

Only those who are truly born again (a spiritual rebirth) have the Holy Spirit within them Who enables them to be godly and to obey God and to have faith in Him and Jesus, our Savior.

Yes, we are still living in an imperfect world which can affect us at times, and we ourselves are still imperfect right now, so Christians will at times weaken and sin.  (If a person willfully and deliberately sins, and it is a frequent occurrence, then either he is not truly born again, or he does not fully understand what salvation is all about.)

"For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."  -     Romans 10:2-3

If we confess our sins and repent, God our heavenly Father will forgive us and and restore us. He will see us as "clean" because of Jesus' sacrificial death -  see our sin debt as paid in full.

[Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]

One major way we bring glory to God, is to witness to unbelievers about Jesus; to share the gospel and help lost souls to come to a saving relationship with Jesus.  That is every true believer's work for the Lord.   Note that we are NOT saved by works, but by faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says: (8) "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast."

"For God, Who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of  Jesus Christ."   - 2 Corinthians 4:6

"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth  Me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God."       -  Psalm 50:23


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

End Times Signs - Important Info On The Coronavius Pandemic and New Middle East Update By Amir Tsarfati

So much is happening all at once now it is difficult to keep up with all the current events as they relate to Bible Prophecy.  Many signs that the Bible tells us would be happening in the end times are occurring all at once, almost.... a convergence, if you will.   As others have said lately, The 7 Year Tribulation events are casting their shadows even now; meaning precursors of the Tribulation or the plans in place for it  (the New World Order) are being made as we speak.  That means the pre-tribulation rapture of the true followers of Jesus Christ must be very, very close.  Hurry, Lord Jesus !

Following is a recent Middle East Update by Amir Tsarfati and Barry Stagner.  It is a 47 minute video which was published yesterday, Sunday, January 26, 2020.  Please watch it and you will learn some interesting facts about current events.   One thing to note, the Iranian locals are more anti-Iran regime now than they are anti-American.

In the above video with Amir, they also touch on the recent coronavirus pandemic.  Following is a link to an article published today about the truth of this virus, and how widespread it is.


http://prophecynewswatch.com

I had issues trying to get the exact article link, but it is the first headline at the most recent link for the above prophecy newswatch site.

Also, there is another site with several articles about the coronavirus  here:

http://endoftheamericandream.com

As stated many times on this blog, for the signs of the end times please read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

"Then said He unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."    - Luke 21:10-11

As you know, pestilences as mentioned by Jesus above means the same thing as contagious and infectious diseases.

If you follow world news, earthquakes are more numerous than ever and more frequent in these last days we are living in as well. Not to mention many volcanoes erupting throughout the earth now.

But all this is just wonderful proclamations that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, will return soon for His Bride (The Church) , true believers.  We have reason to rejoice that Jesus' return is so near.  No one knows the day or the hour, but the Father, said Jesus.  But Jesus did give us signs (such as above in Luke 21) so that we would know the "season" of His return.

"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

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing."  -   2 Timothy 4:8


Time is short!

Will you be ready for Jesus' soon return?

If not:

You need to admit that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior.   -
Romans 3:10, 23;   Romans 6:23

You need to repent and believe with all your heart -  all your very being - that Jesus is the Savior and believe that God raised Him from the dead.....believe in the Resurrection - Romans 10:9,10,13

Call on and confess that Jesus is the Savior - the only way to salvation.   -  Romans 10:9,10,13

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


Maranatha !!

"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 !!