The last post on this blog (scroll down) was concerning God's faithfulness with a sermon by Pastor Chuck Smith based on Lamentations the third chapter, verses 21 to 24,which follow:
"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him."
This post will continue with more about the good Lord's faithfulness. We need - during these chaotic and lawless times - to have something hopeful to hang on to, and what better hope than to dwell on God's faithfulness, and the fact that His promises will all come true! The hope that true believers in Jesus as the Savior have far better things on the horizon which are soon to transpire!
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of that great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." - Titus 2:13-14
Part of the secret to endurance, besides the fact that God's promises will always come true - as they always have - (and to have faith that that is for sure), is to wait patiently with endurance for Him to ease our burdens and to comfort us with His presence (which He does right now to some degree), but also we have the blessed hope of Jesus' return for His "sheep" and the hope of eternal life in a much better place than what this present world offers.
Verses 25 and 26 of Lamentations 3 encourages us : "The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."
Part of "seeking" the Lord, is not just the initial coming to salvation, but to continually seek Him after that - everyday - by frequent daily prayer and to pour over His Holy Word the Bible daily, as a continual feast to feed you spiritually. Someone has said, "A prayerless Christian is a Christ-less Christian."
This blog has stressed often that the good Lord wants to fellowship with His people. When we do that by much prayer and Bible reading and studying, we will grow to know the Lord better; to know His attributes and character; and thereby learn to love Him more and more, day by day. It is like with your friends and loved ones: the more time you spend with them, the better you know them and the more you love them and want to spend time with them. That is how we should feel about the LORD. You will find that a warm, loving, close, intimate, personal relationship will develop between you and God through His Son Jesus Christ - when you fellowship with the good Lord constantly. That is what it is all about, folks! Nothing is more important than your relationship with the Lord! Nothing!
Following is a 36 minute Christian video titled : "The Stage Is Set For the Second Coming." I highly encourage you to watch it because there are many spiritual gems to be found there... about your Christian walk, as well as the fact that our Savior could return at any time now.
Going back to the faithfulness of God: faithfulness is an attribute of God. But to obtain the fulness of the faithfulness of God, we must realize that it depends on our walking with God and yielding to the guidance of His Holy Spirit. We, too, therefore should be faithful to read and obey His Word and His Will. Think about it: we only have that faith and have our own faithfulness by God's grace anyway! When we receive Christ as our Lord, the Holy Spirit indwells us and brings the blessings of love, peace, joy, and faithfulness... Galations 5:22; Ephesians 1:13
"And the heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O LORD: Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints." - Psalm 89:5
[Red Flowers of Cannonball Tree]
Another way to view God's faithfulness is to realize the fact that God will NOT fail you !! or abandon you!!
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." - Hebrews 13:5
The basis of the above verse at Hebrews 13:5 is from the Old Testament: Joshua 1:5, which tells us:
"I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote a devotional about "He Never Fails" based on Joshua 1:5, a portion of that devotional follows:
"Beloved, a life of warfare is before us, but the LORD of Hosts is with us. ...... Have we to contend with cunning and powerful enemies? Here is strength and valor, prowess and victoryl Have we a vast heritage to win? By this sign we shall achieve our purpose: the LORD Himself is with us. .... When I meet death, who is called the last enemy, I pray that I may be at peace. Only let my great care be to please the LORD in all things. Oh, for faith and holiness, for these are a pleasure unto the Most High."
[Taro Fields, Overlook Near Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii]
Keep watching !
Keep looking up!
Your redemption is near!
Following are salvation Scriptures for those who may not yet have accepted and believed in Jesus as the Savior. These verses are also excellent for Christians to share with unsaved loved ones .
Here is a short 8 minute video by Dr. Charles Stanley on the subject of salvation; please watch!
Remember, simply repeating "a sinner's prayer" does NOT, in itself, save you. It is good to have a model or example to help one to understand, but many have mindlessly repeated a formula type prayer and thought they were saved but by their lifestyle, etc., showed evidence that they were not truly born again. You are saved by faith and belief in Jesus as THE SAVIOR! Realize that His shed blood can wash you clean of your sins and save you for life eternal. You must repent - a complete change of mind in conformity to the Lord's will, and then turn your life around to be obedient to His commands (as best we frail finite humans are able to do). It would be best to say your own heartfelt and sincere prayer, and to ask for His forgiveness.
Think how Jesus suffered an agonizing death for you, bled for you, died for you, so that you might have life eternal! He paid your sin debt in full at His death. It was a debt so great that none of us could ever have paid it on our own. (Works do NOT save you!) Ephesians 2:8-9
What love !
What mercy!
The least we can do is follow Him as best we can and share the Gospel with lost souls! Out of our own love for Him and our gratitude to Him for all He has done for us.
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
The title of this post, "Faith And Prayer Move God", is a quote from E.M. Bounds. In his book on prayer, he stresses that faith and prayer work together. There is power in prayer! There is power in faith! "Prayer is simply faith", says Mr. Bounds. It is said also that faith is trust in something....a belief, a conviction, and a hope.
"True godliness is just as true, steady, and persevering in the realm of faith as it is in the province of prayer. Moreover, when faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live." - E. M. Bounds
In my own life, I have discovered that when God does answer my prayers, it serves to increase my faith whenever I reflect on those answered prayers in hindsight. I have also learned that to wait on God is a strong demonstration of faith.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1
The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 defines faith and mentions prophets and others, like Noah and Abraham (and many others), who proved their faith.
"Faith is trust or commitment to what you think is true." - William Lane Craig
"Faith knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made." - E. M. Bounds
The power of prayer is the power of God. He hears and answers all prayers, even if the answer is no.
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." - Matthew 21:22
"Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for satan." - John Bunyan
"Prayer - secret, fervent, believing prayer - lies at the root of all personal godliness." - William Carey
"Prayer is the acid test of devotion." - Samuel Chadwick
Following is a beautiful hymn from 1740 by Charles Wesley.
So much could be written about faith and prayer; indeed, much has already been written on those topics. In writing this post and in reading Scriptures on faith and prayer, I was very edified and I hope you are as well.
Following is an excellent sermon by Charles Spurgeon on the life and walk of faith :
In the above sermon, Charles Spurgeon stresses abiding in Christ always. "Jesus is your all in all" and we should "find substance in Christ.....Ye are complete in Christ!" Spurgeon is known as "The prince of preachers" and his sermons are deep yet explanatory. I pray that you will listen to the entire message.
When you pray and have faith in the Lord, your priorities will change. You will realize that the only important thing in this life is God and Jesus, and you will live your life accordingly, with the goal of being more like the Savior.
Remember, when we pray, we need to ask according to God's will, or our prayers will not be answered. Also, we need to repent of any and all sin so that we come to the Lord forgiven and clean, and He will listen to us with love and understanding.
"Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth." - John 9:31
Have a blessed and Christ-centered weekend !
"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
"Pray without ceasing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it." - John 14:13-14
The title of this post, "To Live And To Die", sounds like the information here is morbid and doom and gloom. I promise you that is not the case! Let me quote a wonderful Scripture found at Philippians 1:21 :
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
This was written by the apostle Paul. His life found all its meaning in Christ, Who was his secret to continual joy. This can also be the case with all true Christians who put Jesus first in their lives, and who live a godly life and thereby endeavor to imitate Him in their daily walk in love and obedience.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." - John 14: 23
Many who read "to die is gain" in Philippians 1:21, concentrate on just that part of the verse and they think of being in heaven forever with the Lord. All that is true, but you need to be a born again believer, sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), in order to make it to heaven. "To die is gain" refers to the fact that we will be with Christ after death; that is, if you are a true believer who has lived a life of obedience and faith in the good Lord. Works do not save you; faith in Jesus is what saves you. But a true believer will bring forth much fruit, and will obey and follow Jesus with a pure heart.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." - James 2:26
True believers will endeavor to live a Christ-like life....to "live Christ." Galatians 2:20 tells us:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me."
The above verse is the apostle Paul speaking again. What faith he had ! What devotion and dedication he exhibited ! May we all be likewise!
The thought behind "to me to live is Christ" is that we be so one with Christ that we do only His will, and continually have "the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Keep in mind, also, that we are not only to "live Christ" but to bring Him glory as well. Praise Him and give Him glory in all we do and say. Let our lives, our hearts, our minds, our actions, our speech, reflect good things and give glory to God and Jesus in everything !
"To live is Christ" means that we will want to know more about the Lord and to take in as much knowledge of Him as possible. To do that we need to read our Bibles daily, as well as to pray daily. You get to know more about a person by communicating with him, Do the same with the good Lord. Develop a close, intimate, personal, love relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
If we are truly saved, we will also have the enthusiasm for preaching the gospel and for witnessing at every opportunity. We may also have to give up anything that prevents us from serving the Lord. Anything that takes up all of our time needs to be dealt with and eliminated in order to enable us to live for the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus. Put Him first !
Following is a 4 minute worship song about to live is Christ:
All of the above does not apply to those who are unbelievers. But look up, folks! Jesus loves you and is waiting to hear from you! All you need to do is to repent of your sins and do not live a life of sin any more, pray for forgiveness, and sincerely dedicate your whole life to the Lord as you turn to Him in faith and trust. Believe Jesus is the Savior and that His shed blood at Calvary will wash your sins away. Believe also in His resurrection. All of this takes faith on your part. It is that faith that will save you where you may live for Christ and have the hope of eternal life.
Do not delay !
We all want to live forever ! Let it be with the Lord in heaven !
Jesus gives us hope, a glorious future, a purpose in life right now, (to serve Him and to be a light and witness bearer).
Wouldn't you rather be in eternity where there is no more sin, no more death, and no more sorrow? - Revelation 21:4
This old earth is passing away soon! - 1 John 2:17
Jesus is eternal and you can be as well !
There is hope !
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." - 1 John 2:17
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 !
The title of this article above - "The power that banishes fear" - is from what Dr. David Jeremiah tells us in the following 13 minute sermon clip:
Dr. Jeremiah tells us that we can "either pray or worry", and that "our minds should be totally on God." Watch the video for the solution that banishes fear.
Many people the world over are now experiencing fear because of the pandemic. This post will focus on ways to help us to cope instead of focusing on the virus itself.
"With the power of God within us, we need never fear the powers around us." - Woodrow Kroll
"You and I cannot change or control the world around us, but we can change and control the world within us." - Warren Wiersbe
"Fear cannot get a stronghold in the heart of someone who's full of the vision and the Majesty of God." - David Wilkerson
"Life makes many an attempt to take away our faith. Things happen to us and and to others which baffle our understanding: Life has its problems to which there seems no solution and its questions to which there seems no answer; life has it's dark places where there seems to be nothing to do but hold on. Faith is always a victory, the victory of the soul which tenaciously maintains its clutch on God." - William Barclay
Christians have a hope that strengthens them and helps them to endure:
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:13
Concentrate on what is the true center of Christian Life.
"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 the things on the earth." - Colossians 3:1-2
A wonderful verse to apply here is found at Nehemiah 8:10 b ".... For the joy of the Lord is your strength."
It is true that Christians can feel fear and worry and anxiety, but we should not let it take control of us. Those feelings should be temporary as we should place our hope and trust in the good Lord.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7
Psalm 62:5-8 assures us, (5) "My soul, wait thou only upon God; For my expectation is from Him. (6) He only is my rock and my defense: I shall not be moved. (7) In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. (8) Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us."
The above verse was used in a devotion by Charles Spurgeon, and following is a partial quote from a portion that devotional.
"Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test...... A faith which can say "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him", (Job 13:15) is heaven-born faith.
"Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope" (Romans 5:3). The Lord is honored by these growing virtues" says Spurgeon. "The wisdom and power of the Great Workman are discovered by the trials through which His vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. ...... Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified?"
When we are in heaven, there will be peace and harmony and much love. We need to endure to the end. The best way to endure is to have a close, intimate, loving, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His Son. How do we do this? Many of you know it is by prayer without ceasing and much time spent in the Bible, the Holy Word of God. By doing those two things, you will learn more about God and Jesus, and your love for them will grow and blossom and develop into something beautiful and eternal.
Remember that song, "This world is not my home?" We need to remind ourselves of that when we get caught up in day to day living and cares and worries. And now, we have much chaos and evil in this old world, and all that is on everyone's mind now is the recent pandemic. Just remember, this world is passing away but he who does the will of God will remain forever (1 John 2:17).
Here is a version of the song mentioned above, sung by Jim Reeves.
Bible prophecy is being fulfilled right now at warp speed. Not only on a daily basis, but even minute by minute some new conflict or development proves that we are living in the end times and that Jesus will soon return to Rapture true believers to heaven before the 7 year Tribulation begins. Friends, many things happening today were prophesied concerning the Tribulation period.... they are right now precursors to the Trib. .... we are not in the Tribulation now, but we are ever so close to it according to the Bible. It is like God is shaking and stirring up things in an endeavor to wake up as many people as He can and thereby have them turn in faith to Jesus as the Savior before it is too late. If you are not saved by faith in Jesus as the Savior, Who is the only way to the Father and to heaven, following are some Scriptures to encourage you to surrender to the redeeming power of Jesus :
Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believeth 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." "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
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
Jesus brings us an important message from God His Father, and it is something that we really need to listen to today and always.
"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
That, my friends, is REAL love ! God sent His Son to die in our place on the cross, so that when we believe in Him as the Savior and put our faith in Him, we have the hope of eternal life.
God really, truly loves you!
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." - 1 John 4:16 (See also 1 John 4:8).
God's very nature is love. In all His actions, God is loving. His love is always pure, always holy, always seeking what is best for His people. God's love is never ending.
No matter what trials or hardships or sorrows you face, take it to the good Lord in prayer and He will guide and sustain you. Just believe !
The greatest truth we learned in church is this: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Remember that from your childhood Sunday School?
There is nothing you can do to make the Lord stop loving you !
(Romans 8:38-39)
The death of Jesus on the cross for sinners is the greatest, most visible and the absolute final word concerning God's love for humanity !
"Whom should we love, if not Him Who loved us, and gave Himself for us?" - Assorted Authors
"The test of Religion, the final test of Religion, is not Religiousness but Love." - Henry Drummond
We should be so very full of gratitude for all the good Lord has done on our behalf , that we should love Him with all of our heart and that we should obey Him in all things.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." - John 14:23
Following is a 2 minute sermon clip by Charles Spurgeon concerning "Abiding In Obedience And In Love".
Here is a beautiful song by Kari Jobe: "What Love Is This"
All of the above applies to those who have already surrendered their lives to Jesus and who have been born again (John 3:3). If you are not a believer in Jesus, you will not experience eternal life with Him when you die. We all know the alternative....hell.
God is waiting for your response to His message.
If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, you need to stop and pray to the Lord for forgiveness for your sins; believe with all your heart that salvation is found only in belief in Jesus and genuinely repent of all known sin and forsake your life of sin and endeavor to live a life that pleases the Lord....a godly life. Follow as closely as you can in Jesus' footsteps. You need to read the Bible to learn more about the Lord and His commands and His love and His attributes and His will for your life.
Pray without ceasing ! (I Thessalonians 5:17) . You draw close to the good Lord by communicating with Him. He wants to fellowship with you. Christianity is all about a close, intimate, personal love relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:9,10,13 explains: (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
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life." - John 6:47
"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God." - 1 Corinthians 4:5, KJV
Humans are prone to judge others, even when they are guilty of the same sins as the one being judged. Such relish of judging others is really a sin. Not one of us is perfect; we all sin.
In the KJV of 1 Corinthians 4:5 it says, "judge nothing before the time". But translated from the original Koine Greek, as in The Pure Word Bible, it reads: "So that you must not judge anybody before the Special Time, until after whenever the Lord should come.......".
We should endeavor to show love and to help those who may have sinned. A critical and faultfinding and harsh legalistic person does not show love. True, we should not condone sin. We should make every attempt to turn the erring one back to the Lord - to help him to repent and to stop sinning.
By saying "judge nothing" (or "no one"), the apostle teaches one of the leading lessons of Christianity: "not to pass a harsh opinion on the conduct of any man, since there are so many things that go to make up his character which we cannot know; and so many secret failings and motives which are all concealed from us."
There is so much hatred and ill-will found among worldly people. Just read the daily news. Let us not be like that among fellow believers!
As I wrote the above paragraph, the lyrics of that old song came to mind: "What the world needs now is love, sweet love...". And the kind of love we need now is from the good Lord, and shared among believers in Jesus.
"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." - Jesus speaking at John 13:34, 35.
We should also exhibit love for the lost and dying souls out there in the world. Jesus Himself told us to go and make disciples of all peoples in the Great Commission found at Matthew 28:19-20.
Let us forget ourselves and our self-interests and go out and show love and empathy for others, telling them about the hope found in Jesus and how His death at Calvary made the way so that they can have eternal life if they but have faith and believe that Christ is the Savior. Of course, also teach them that they must repent of their sins, put their former way of life behind them, and pray for forgiveness and direction from the good Lord.
Remember, the destiny of no one will be decided by the opinions of people; but the doing of all will be fixed by God.
Let us focus on our Christian walk and how we may live so as to please God. Pray for the Lord to increase our love for others, and that we may have a servant's heart.
It is all about love!
Following is a short 4 minute audio sermon of the words of J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) on the subject of not judging others rashly and hastily.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." - Jesus at Matthew 7:1-2
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." - 1 John 4:7
"And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." - 1 John 3:23
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend.....and life!
"The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." - Daniel 11:32b
I often stress that we need to draw close to God, by prayer and by reading His Holy Word - spending much time in His presence. Many professing Christians never read their Bibles, except for the times they attend Church services. God wants to fellowship with us !! We are able to fellowship with Him by much prayer and much Bible reading and studying. When we read the Bible, we can see the characteristics of God, the attributes that verify that God is love and that He loves you beyond all that you can imagine. He even sent His beloved Son to bleed and die in your place, so that all who believe in Jesus may have eternal life. But back to having a relationship with God - a close, personal, intimate, love relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ - in order to draw close to God so that He will draw close to you, you need to be always in prayer and always in His Holy Word. It means life itself - and life eternal in Heaven. As Charles Spurgeon says, "to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge."
Following is a lengthy devotion by Charles Spurgeon, of which I will quote the majority of it.
"Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. ....... It is the Spirit's peculiar office to lead them [Christians] into all truth, and all this for the increase and the fostering of their faith.
Knowledge strengthens love....... Knowledge opens the door, and then through that door we see our Savior. Or, to use another similitude, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see that portrait then we love Him; we cannot love a Christ whom we do not know, at least, in some degree. If we know but little of the excellencies of Jesus, what He has done for us, and what He is doing now, we cannot love Him much; but the more we know Him, the more we shall love Him."
Spurgeon goes on to tell us that "knowledge also strengthens hope......knowledge supplies us reasons for patience. How shall we have patience unless we know something of the sympathy of Christ, and understand the good which is to come out of the correction which our heavenly Father sends us? Nor is there one single grace of the Christian which, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy knowledge. How important, then, is it that we should grow not only in grace, but in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
"He who prays as he ought will endeavor to live as he prays." - Owens
"One is given strength to bear what happens to one, but not the one hundred and one different things that "might" happen." - C.S. Lewis
"The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer." - F.B. Meyer
"Jesus was God spelling Himself out in language humanity could understand." - S.D. Gordon
"IF you have a Bible that's falling apart, you'll have a life that's not." - Adrian Rogers
"Jesus gives us real eyes so we can realize where the real lies." - Michael McInerny
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." - Romans 15:13 , ESV
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, " - Ephesians 3:20, KJV
"And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not." - Galatians 6:9. KJV
I hope you enjoyed and were uplifted and inspired by the above Christian quotes and Scriptures. Especially the Scriptures, which should be our main source of inspiration. There is nothing more soothing and encouraging than to read the Bible daily. But that also applies to being on your knees in prayer to the good Lord.
Following is a 29 minute video on the Rapture of true believers by Prophecy Watchers with host Gary Stearman interviewing author and scholar Ken Johnson. Mr. Johnson goes deep into ancient sources for his books, and informs us in this recent video that the ancient prophets believed in the Rapture.
If the rapture happens today, will you be ready?
To be ready you need to be a born again believer in the Savior Jesus Christ.
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 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." - Jesus at John 3:16
Jesus loves you !
He will welcome you with open arms of love and forgiveness!
Believe on Him !
Surrender your life to Him!
Life is full of choices. Don't make the wrong choice by denying Jesus. He died a horrible, cruel death, and took on the sins of the world- and of you - so that He took your place on the cross so that you may have eternal life if you but believe in Him.
What love !
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend.... and life !
The lifeguard boat above is my photograph of Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The boat is positioned right below the lifeguard station. Notice the upside-down "RESCUE" sign on the surfboard in the background. This boat rather reminds me of how the apostle Peter got out of the boat he was in and attempted to walk on the water towards Jesus (Matthew 14:22-32). He actually did walk on the water while he kept his eyes on Jesus, but when he took his gaze off of the Savior, he realized how strong the wind was and the waves around him, and he became afraid, and cried to the Lord to save him as he began to sink.
"And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" - Matthew 14:31
Jesus' rescue of Peter was sure and true; yet He reprimanded Peter for his little faith. Remember, "without faith it is impossible to please God" ( as found at Hebrews 11:6) . Let us not be too hard on Peter, however, because he alone of all the disciples had the faith to begin to walk on the water towards Jesus. He is like many of us today; lots of good intentions but with no true depth of faith. I firmly believe that those of us believers who have suffered many trials and heartaches grow stronger as we rely upon the good Lord; all the problems and defeats and struggles tend to make us grow stronger, if we keep our eyes upon Jesus and rely on His help and strength.
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." - Philippians 4:13
"By trials God is shaping us for Higher things." - Jeremy Taylor
Someone has said: "When you feel you are drowning in life's situations, don't worry! Your Life Guard walks on water!"
"The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us." - C.S. Lewis
I used to just stumble through life; existing with no real goals nor thinking of the future in any great depth. I was, for the most part, only thinking of the present and what I wanted and - when I was really suffering in much lack as well as in trials - I was just relying on myself to get through the day, so to speak. That was before I came to know the good Lord; before He "renewed my mind." (Romans 12:2)
Salvation itself is a miracle from God. When all material things were taken from me, and I felt as if I had no one, I began praying in earnest to God and I also began to read the Bible in earnest. The good Lord began to renew my mind, and I eventually put Him first.......so I thought. At first, I still identified myself as an artist; my passion for painting consumed me. In my mind I was always an artist, instead of identifying myself as a follower of Jesus. Eventually, I realized I was NOT putting the Lord first and I was ashamed and felt convicted. The Lord showed me that sharing the Gospel with others, and developing a strong, close, loving relationship with Him was my calling. I felt Him urge me to write. As an adult I had always had an interest in Bible prophecy, and I knew we were living in the last days and that Jesus would return soon. It was time to quit my selfish pursuits and put the Lord first. I am a much happier and more fulfilled person now. Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Yahweh, for to you goes all the glory; for it was nothing I did to change myself but, rather, your tender mercies and love and forgiveness as well as your patience that began to mold me and shape me.
It takes a God of light and truth to bring a lost soul out of the darkness.
"Our calling and purpose as followers of Christ is to love God completely, to love self correctly, and to love others compassionately." - Kenneth Boa
"And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure." - Isaiah 33:6
But it is not all about you and me; it is all about Jesus and doing His will and following in His footsteps as best we can. I do NOT mean that you are saved by works; no way is that true.
"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
"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. ...... For we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." - 2 Corinthians 4:5,7
When I give my personal testimony or talk about my past, it is to show you how gracious and loving God is to save a wretch like me. It is to encourage any who are hurting and looking for answers. The good Lord has all the answers and the gift of eternal life! He can give you hope and a purpose.
Jesus loves you. He will return soon to take all true believers to heaven to be with Him.
Are you ready?
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
"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 !
In my photograph above, the koi are peaceful and calm. Have you ever seen them in a feeding frenzy? They get all aggressive and excited when being fed. People today, because of the unstable times and the evil and the chaos and the violence are, in a sense, in a frenzy and anxious about what might happen to them and even what might happen to this planet. Many are afraid of nuclear war.
Christians are asking, "How much longer, Lord?"
But God. But for the hope He gives.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:13
Some believers say that the hope of Jesus' soon return is the only thing that keeps them hanging on. As J.D. Farag says in the following 11 minute video clip "Many Christians are battle-weary."
Pastor Farag says that this season of darkness will end soon. Let us look up for our redemption is close (Luke 21:28). There is a link provided that takes you to the full sermon; I highly recommend that you do that.
Those of you who frequent this blog are familiar with evangelist Amir Tsarfati. For those of you who are not acquainted with his ministry, he is a Messianic Jew who lives in Israel, and he travels the world preaching the Gospel and end times Bible Prophecies.
In the following 40 minute video, Amir is at present in Romania, preaching at various locations there. He talks a bit about his time there, but most of the video is devoted to a Middle East Update and other related Bible Prophecy events. He speaks of the nearness of the Rapture, the nearness of the Gog of Magog war and many things that we need to be aware of, as the time now is very short before Jesus returns to take His Bride, the Church, to be with Him in heaven.
One thing of special interest that Amir tells us in this video, is the fact that 28 years ago Islamic powers vowed for the destruction of Israel and the collapse of America within 30 years. Obviously, we are within 2 years of that happening.
In Matthew 24:34, in referring to the before listed end time events and occurances and signs, Jesus tells us:
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
Amir and many others believe that we are part of that last generation. When prophecy was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel again became a nation after almost 2000 years of being a scattered people throughout the world --- that was the beginning of the end times. It has been 71 years since that happened and we can be sure Jesus will return very soon.
"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once?...... " - Isaiah 66:8
Israel became a nation in one day in 1948.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." - Romans 15:13 ESV
"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer:" - Romans 12:12 KJV
Yes, we all thrive when there is hope in sight; we all need hope to keep us "keeping on". The good Lord has provided us with much hope if we are true believers in Jesus Christ as the Savior.
But what if you are not born again? are not saved and have never put your faith and hope in the Son of God, Jesus Christ?
"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
We all find living forever appealing, but it can only be so if you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Savior.
Jesus loves you !
He is waiting to hear from you !
Don't delay!
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."
The good Lord has made salvation simple for us.
Admit you are a sinner. Go to the Lord in prayer and ask for forgiveness in all sincerity.
Believe that Jesus is the Savior and that His shed blood at the cross can cleanse you of your sins. Have faith in Him. Surrender your life to Him.
Call on His name; Confess your sins and truly repent.
"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
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep my words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." - John 14:23
Keep watching!
Keep looking up!
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend..... and life !
"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? - 2 Corinthians 13:5
A reprobate is one who is a hardened sinner, a scoundrel, and one who is cast off by God. It is said that about 80 to 90% of new converts to the Christian faith fall away and leave the faith, primarily because they were not truly converted in the first place. They may have sincerely believed they were converted, but were sadly mistaken They were not taught about the ten commandments and how guilty they were and therefore in need of the Savior Jesus. If they are not convicted of how guilty a sinner they are, they feel no true remorse and do not truly repent; so it is easy to slip back into sin again. The sad thing is, most of these false converts think they are truly saved. Another sad thing is that often they are very worldly and their loose conduct causes the world to think all Christians are hypocrites.
It is one thing to be a new "babe in Christ" and make mistakes, and another thing to sin without remorse. A true Christian, when he sins, is saddened by his conduct and feels convicted by the Holy Spirit and will repent and make changes to live more of a godly life. A true Christian does not make a practice of sin; they do not live in sin. The Holy Spirit is given to those that obey God (Acts 5:32). If a person feels no conviction when he sins, then he may not even be born again. In other words, the Holy Spirit is not living in that person at all.
A false convert will likely be guilty of things such as the following: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21).
"By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." - Jesus speaking at John 13:35 . Love for people, especially of other believers, is a mark of a true Christian, a true convert. That would mean you would not gossip about or slander anyone, and that you would always display the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. (Galatians 5:22-23)
A true Christian will not love the world and be consumed in its pleasures and lusts, and will watch his associations carefully. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." - James 4:4 . That is pretty plain and is a warning. See the warning signs in my photograph above? They are warning of turbulent waters and to be careful ... there may even be rip tides. The Bible gives us warnings and signs to obey and follow for our own good, and we would be wise to heed them. The Bible is God's Love Letter to us and also His Instruction Manual. Yet there are many professing Christians who never read God"s Word; they are spiritually illiterate and therefore weak in faith and not on fire for Jesus. They live day by day in a spiritual vacuum, never asking God for direction and seldom praying, if at all. WAKE UP! Time is short! Jesus will return soon and so many people are not ready and are not watching for Him like they should.
"I believe hundreds of Christian people are being deceived by satan now on this point, that they have not got the assurance of salvation just because they are not willing to take God at His Word." -
D. L. Moody
"There was a day when I died, died to self, my opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren or friends; and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God." - George Mueller
A true Christian, as a follower of Christ, will endeavor to imitate Him. "He that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself also to walk, even as He walked." - 1 John 2:6
Following is a You Tube video about True and False Conversion by Ray Comfort.
Another video that relates to what we have discussed here is below. It is titled "Hell's Best Kept Secret" and Ray Comfort and the actor Kirk Cameron share biblical truths.
I hope you take the time to view these two videos. They are excellent for guidance for yourself and for leading others to Jesus. I am sure you will agree that we live in perilous times now, and even though I am keenly interested in Bible prophecy, I realize the Great Commission of preaching the Gospel is what Jesus told us to do. (Matthew 28:19-20) Let us be busy in the Lord's work in these end times we find ourselves living in.
"Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit."
