Go Tell It

Jesus’ love has truly been experienced by those who have put their trust in Him.  The Savior didn’t come to condemn the world but through Him the world might be saved, read John 3:17, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

Many of us have heard this song, it goes like this, “Go tell it on the mountain over the hills and everywhere, go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ was born.”  It talks about the shepherds watching their sheep and on and on it goes.  

The Christmas story has been told over and over again, how the Christ child was born in Bethlehem in a manger and how the angels appeared to the shepherds by night and they followed the star to the place where Jesus was and how they worshiped Him there!!  It also talks about the wise men who presented Him gifts!!

I want to ask you a question; what have you done with or for Jesus?  When you stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and we all will, what will you say to Jesus?  Will you say, “Lord, Lord didn’t we prophesy in Your name and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name,” just to hear Him say, “I never knew you,” or what will you say?   

I live in a great country where there is still freedom of speech and freedom of religion and many other freedoms, but little by little the powers that be and many others seem to be trying to put an end to that.  Many talk about being tolerant but it seems like tolerance seems to only have one side to it.  Tolerance seems to be only accepted if you agree with everyone else’s point of view, is that really tolerance or bias?  I think many of our founding fathers would be shocked at what is going on today.  I remember when you could agree to disagree, what happened to that view point?  But, if you think about it, these things have happened before under different rulers or kings but praise the Lord when Jesus was born and we put our trust in Him we started serving the King of kings and the Lord of lords!!

Think about this, I think Jesus was very tolerant, but there were also times when He had a righteous anger and He never deviated from the truth because He Himself was the truth in bodily form.  He made this statement in John 14:6, “Yeshua said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life! No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”  Sad to say that many reject Him and mock Him and rebel against Him, thinking that they will not give an account for their actions but it says this in God’s Word also, your sins will find you out and you will reap what you sow!!  I see only two choices you can make, you are either for Jesus or against Him, you can make Him your enemy or your Lord and Savior, the choice is yours.  And, depending on the choice you make you will end up in heaven or hell, to be real blunt and honest.  I want to make this very clear, we all deserve hell, but because God loves His creation so much He provided a way that we can be forgiven and go to be with Him praise the Lord!!  

Please read John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

You have already read what John 3:17 says, and these things are true regardless of what anyone else says you can stand on these scriptures.  Jesus was sent into the world that we might have life.  He came as a babe but was also a King.  But the beautiful part of this non fictional, true story is this, Jesus humbled Himself and became the perfect sacrifice, laying His life down, allowing Himself to be crucified in our place.  He was the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  He shed His blood for the atonement of sin so that we could be right with God the Father if we repent of our sins and ask the Lord to forgive us and to be our Lord and Savior!!

I hope that will be your choice today.  Then, when God’s peace and joy fills your heart and life, you also will go and tell it to others.  I know this is talking to the church but I think it could apply to any backslider or non-believer.

Please read Revelations 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”    

I hope this has been a blessing and an encouragement to you.  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!  Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

A Good Day

What is a good day for a believer?  In the Word of the Lord it says this in Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that Adonai has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”  If a true believer wakes in the morning, it is a good day in which they should thank and praise the Lord for.  Every day is a gift from God and we should be thankful for it.

Read what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:13-14, “Consider the work of God, for who can straighten what He has bent? In a time of prosperity, prosper! But in a time of adversity, consider: God has made one as well as the other. Therefore man cannot discover anything about his future.”  No matter where you find yourself in prosperity or want, it is still a good day for a believer, for who knows what the Lord will do that day for you.  Even if you are sick, the prayer you pray that day may be answered and you may receive a healing in your body or deliverance or whatever it is that you are seeking an answer for!!

Now read Philippians 4:7, “And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.”

We should learn a lesson from Paul’s words in Philippians 4:10-13, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me (though you were concerned before but lacked opportunity to show it). I am not saying this because I am in need—for whatever circumstance I am in, I have learned to be content. I know what it is to live with humble means, and I know what it is to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment—both to be filled and to go hungry, to have abundance and to suffer need. I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me.”

Being content in all things isn’t always easy for many people, but if we learn to faithfully trust the Lord He will meet all our needs just as He did for Paul and so many others that put their trust and faith in Him through the years.

   

Now read Romans 8:27-39, “And He who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Ruach, because He intercedes for the kedoshim according to the will of God. Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say in view of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? It is Messiah, who died, and moreover was raised, and is now at the right hand of God and who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.’ But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.”

If you are a true believer, every day is a good day and we should thank and praise the Lord for every one, for He is worthy!!  When a person has repented of their sins and has asked for forgiveness and has been washed by the precious blood of Jesus and been set free, every day should be a good day.  I hope this Tidbit has been an encouragement to you and a blessing.  I also hope you have a super, super day in the Lord!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord, like I said, He is worthy!!

The Reason

I remember when it seemed like Christmas had real meaning to it.  People went out and sang carols and the reason for the season really meant something.  There was anticipation in people’s hearts whether you were a believer or not and Jesus was truly exalted and it was celebrated as the birth of Christ.  But little by little Christmas has become so commercialized it can seem like just another day where people get presents and Jesus gets very little thought.  

If you think very rationally about it, Jesus was the greatest gift that we could have received!!  I know that the day we celebrate isn’t the real day of His birth, but all who celebrate it for the right reason do it as a reminder that a Savior was born in Bethlehem and want to honor Him and celebrate His birth at this time of year.  The angels proclaimed His birth and the shepherds sought Him out, following a star that was provided for them, to where he was so that they could worship Him and not to receive a gift from Him.  We have got this backwards, we receive the gifts and what does the Lord receive?    From many He receives nothing more than lip service, even mockery and slander and profanity.  To many it is a day to get off work and get drunk or get high and to party with no thought of the real meaning of why we celebrate Christmas.  Is it really about all the lights, the tinsel, the trees and Santa?  Not at all, in fact these can be just a diversion away from the real meaning of Christmas.  

Think about this, what do many of the children, and maybe even some grownups, think about on Christmas Eve?  They think about Santa and his reindeer and all the gifts that they will receive in the morning.  When I was young I would get an orange or an apple, I can’t remember any Christmas gifts and I was probably just as happy as the kids today are that get most of what they want.  How many couples go into debt at this time of year and end up fighting over their financial situation the rest of the year?  Some are so miserable, but when the season comes around again they are right back where they were the year before, spending money to try to keep their kids happy.  It is like a merry-go-round year after year.

I heard this on the radio the other day, “Enjoy the season, but don’t forget the reason.”  Jesus is the reason for the season.  You hear people saying, “Happy Holidays,” quite often, hog wash; it is and always has been, “Merry Christmas.”  It is just their way of taking Christ out of Christmas!!  This is the real reason true believers celebrate Christmas, read Luke 2:1-20:

Now it happened in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the world’s inhabitants. This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone was traveling to be registered in his own city. Now Joseph also went up from the Galilee, out of the town of Natzeret to Judah, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was from the house and family of David. He went to register with Miriam, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. But while they were there, the time came for her to give birth— and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him in strips of cloth and set Him down in a manger, since there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in the same region, living out in the fields and guarding their flock at night. Suddenly an angel of Adonai stood before them, and the glory of Adonai shone all around them; and they were absolutely terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! For behold, I proclaim Good News to you, which will be great joy to all the people. A Savior is born to you today in the city of David, who is Messiah the Lord. And the sign to you is this: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly a multitude of heavenly armies appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men of good will.’ And when the angels departed from them into the heavens, the shepherds were saying to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which Adonai has made known to us!’ So they hurried off and found Miriam and Joseph, and the Baby lying in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the word that had been spoken to them concerning this Child. And all those who heard were amazed at the things the shepherds told them. But Miriam treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.”

Jesus came as a Lamb to save His people, but when they rejected Paul’s message about Him, Paul went to the Gentiles to share the good news with them, praise the Lord!!  Without Christ, man would be in his lost, sinful condition forever.  Read John 3:17, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

This is the reason Jesus was born; He came to give his life a ransom for all who would believe and to set the captive free.  So if you are in bondage or if you want to have a personal relationship with the Lord, who came to earth for that purpose, then repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you and to be your Lord and Savior, take your time and let the Lord fill you with His perfect peace, love and joy and, if you are sincere, I believe you will be born-again; then start growing in your new faith.  Find a church where you can start having fellowship with other believers and grow in the Lord.  I hope this has been a blessing to you and that you have a super day.  May the good Lord bless you and yours!!

Reach Up

Did you ever hear this saying, “Reach up as high as you can and God will reach down the rest of the way?”  How do we reach up as high as we can?  I think a good start would be to spend quality time with the Lord, praising and thanking Him for who He is and what He is and what He has done and what He is going to do.  Also, thanking Him for how He has blessed you and His continual love and mercy in your life and how patient He has been with you.  Spending time in prayer on a daily basis and also studying His Word and keeping a positive attitude would be a good start.  

Instead of just looking at Him as your Savior, also look at Him as your Lord.  Think of an alcoholic or drug addict, when they need a fix they will do almost anything to get a fix; some have gone as far as killing to get a fix.  They get so desperate they can think of nothing else but the fix they want.  They will lie, cheat, steal, connive and deceive to get a fix.  They will expend time and energy or do whatever it takes to achieve their goal.  What if you had that desire and dedication about being in the presence of the Lord and to feel His presence and His power and His anointing in your life, don’t you think your life would take on a whole different perspective?  

When you get desperate your whole life changes and the things you do and the places you go will also change, along with the things you spend time on.  So many times we get preoccupied with worldly things and we can spend all kinds of time on those things and very little time with the Lord.  We have the music of the world booming in our ears, we are swayed by movies and TV programs and Iphones and different electronic devices; let’s face it, we are falling in love with the world when we spend hours and hours on these things.  Think of this, what if you gave the Lord a quarter of that time, where do you think you might be in a year’s time spiritually?  I am not condemning those things, but I think there has to be a balance in all things in our lives.

Read what the Bible says about loving the things of the world in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the boasting of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away along with its desire, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?  Do you praise the Lord for another day, for Him keeping the devourer from your door, or do you reach for your Iphone and check your messages?  It seems like many people take their Iphones to bed with them and as soon as they wake up they have to check their messages and also their Face Book accounts.  Is the Lord in competition with these electronic devices?  Be careful, God is a jealous God and He will never take second place to anything or anyone.  Read what it says about this in these verses.                       

Deuteronomy 4:23-24, “Watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the covenant of Adonai your God, which He cut with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything that Adonai your God has forbidden you. For Adonai your God is a consuming fire—a jealous God.” I know this is talking about idols but something you spend couldn’t these things be considered idols?

1 Corinthians 6:20, “For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.”

2 Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I betrothed you to one husband, to present you to Messiah as a pure virgin.”

I know one of these is from the Old Testament and some are from the New Testament, but they show the severity of the situation.  Anything can be a god so be careful to have a balance and don’t put your electronics before the Lord because I am sure that none of us want God’s jealousy to flare up.  I am not trying to discourage anyone, but it seems like many people have lost all sense of control when it comes to worldly things and worldly pleasures and this is a reminder that God needs to be first in your life.

Something to think about and I hope you will take this seriously because it is important, enough said.  May the good Lord bring you back to your first love, if you have forsaken Him!!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!  Don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for he is worthy, and do what you can to reach up as high as you can then maybe the Lord will reach down the rest of the way and transform your life!!

Getting Through the Hard Times

As believers, many of us face trials, struggles and testing, that at times seem very overwhelming.  I kind of relate this to times when I ride my bike, sometimes when I am going against a strong wind it feels like I am going uphill as the wind almost stops my forward momentum.  By the time I get to the end of the trail, I can feel exhausted and worn out, but it all changes if I turn around and go back the other way because the wind is at my back, it kind of feels like I am gliding along without much effort at all on my part.   

Trials and tribulations will come and depending on how we handle them they will result in victory or defeat.  I have faced many of these things in my walk with the Lord and there were times I handled them with a very positive attitude and other times I handled them with a very negative attitude and with fear.  I am struggling with some things right now that seem very overwhelming at times and it seems like an uphill battle every single day and somedays I handle them better than other days.  But, the more I get into God’s Word and the more it gets into me, I feel freer and freer something that is very important.  So if you are struggling, read, study and listen to the Word and block out the worldly things that hinder you and let the Word get into your heart, it will help you.

I was reading about a God fearing man that was going through a great struggle in his day; his name was Elijah.  Elijah was experiencing some real victories for a while, you may relate them to mountaintop experiences, and some were real miracles.  Elijah was a true man of God.  At the request of Adonai he went to the town of Zarephath and there he met a widow, a woman who was gathering sticks to make a fire to cook her last meal for her and her son before they died of starvation.  Elijah was told by Adonai to tell this woman that her jar of flour and her jar of oil would not be exhausted until Adonai sent rain on the land, because there was a drought, and that is exactly what happened.  As the story goes on, the widow’s son dies and Elijah, with Adonai’s help, brings the boy back to life; wow, how would you feel if you were Elijah?  

Then he has a confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and when it was time for the evening sacrifice, after the prophets of Baal wasted their time all day trying to get Baal to answer them and do something, he set up an altar to Adonai and prayed and the fire of Adonai came down and burned up the sacrifice.  Then he had the prophets of Baal rounded up and destroyed; all of them.  Then he goes back up the mountain and prays for rain and it starts to look like a storm is about to take place, then Elijah tells his servant to go and tell King Ahab to get his chariot ready and get back to Jezreel, before the rain stops him, which he does.  Then Elijah runs and out runs Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel with the help of Adonai.  I have never seen a man out run a horse.

Now with all this happening you would think that Elijah would be on top of the world, and at the time he probably was.  Then Elijah gets the bad news that Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, is going to kill him, or have him killed, and he would be like her prophets of Baal.  Now you would think that Elijah would have the faith to stand his ground, but he is scared and runs for his life.  When these circumstances and situations happen, maybe not the exact same thing as happened to Elijah, but when they happen some of us are devastated just like Elijah was.  We can be frightened, or maybe depressed, feeling like we have been knocked down for the count and finding it hard to get back up again maybe feeling like we just hit a brick wall, feeling like everything is an uphill battle.  

Jesus said this in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have shalom. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!”

In this situation Elijah is on the run, going to Horeb the mountain of God.  The trip would take him at least forty days and forty nights.  In the process an angel came to him twice and provided for him food and drink and encouraged him.  When Elijah got there, there was a great mighty wind and then there was an earthquake and then a fire and then a soft whisper of a voice.  Then all of a sudden the voice spoke to him.  

Read what it says in 1 Kings 19:12-18, “After the earthquake a fire, but Adonai was not in the fire. After the fire there was a soft whisper of a voice. As soon as Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then all of a sudden, a voice addressed him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ ‘I have been very zealous for Adonai-Tzva’ot,’ he said, ‘for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and slain Your prophets with the sword—and I alone am left, and they are seeking to take my life!’ Then Adonai said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram, and anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. It shall come to pass that whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will slay; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will slay. Yet I have preserved seven thousand in Israel whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouth has not kissed him.’”

Elijah must have been so elated and at peace because Adonai had showed up.  

    

Possibly there are some of you that just need a special touch from Adonai to help you take on a new perspective, just like Elijah did.  Elijah may have felt like his trial would never get over, after all forty days and forty nights can seem like a lifetime when you are on the run, especially when fear takes over and you are not sure what the outcome will be.  But when Adonai shows up then you feel so much better, but let me tell you this, in His Word He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” praise the Lord.  But I realize that sometimes it feels that way, but hang in there the Lord is faithful and He will get you through any trial that you are going through, and when he does you will be up praising and thanking the Lord again, if you had lost your joy.

Remember what I said about my bicycle ride, when Adonai shows up, it is kind of like when I turn around and go back the other way and the wind is at my back and it is like I am just gliding along again without much effort on my part.  When that happens, your joy and peace are back and you are up and ready to take on the world again!!  God’s Word says there is a time for everything so like I said hang in there, you may be on the verge of your break through; it might be just another prayer away!!  I have given you something to think about and I hope this has been a help and encouragement to you!!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours with His perfect peace, love, joy, health and happiness!  Don’t forget to thank and praise Adonai, He is worthy!!