Born-again

We must all die so we can be born-again!!  Jesus didn’t come just to save people but He came to raise the dead and set them free by removing their grave clothes (sin) and covering them with His righteousness.  Read what it says in Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

When we are born-again we will be made alive spiritually so we need to die to the flesh and live for the Savior.  In the same chapter read verses 4-10, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

This is great news for both the Jew and the Gentiles, please read in that same chapter verses 11-22, “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Think about the story of the prodigal son, please read Luke 15:31-32, “And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”  You can read the whole story in Luke 15:11-32. 

God’s Word says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Because of our sins we are separated from God, because no matter what we do we can never measure up to God’s standard, it is impossible for us, but with God all things are possible.  In order for us to be right with God there had to be a sacrifice and the shedding of blood and in the Old Testament and early in the New Testament it had to be a perfect animal!!  If you read Hebrews chapter 9, you will realize that the blood of Jesus, and not the blood of animals, is the only way that you will ever be forgiven for your sins.  The animal’s blood was like a covering over of sins but Christ’s blood wiped you clean.

God’s Word says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

But the good news is, even though we were dead in our sins and completely separated from God, He knew our dilemma and He loved us so much that He sent His Son to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins knowing that His Son would be willing to lay down His life for us so that through trusting in His atoning work on Calvary we could be made right with Him, praise be to God.  So if you would like to be raised from the dead spiritually, repent of your sins which means you are sorry and you choose to turn away from your sins and ask the good Lord to forgive you and to be your Lord and Savior.  I would encourage you to take your time and don’t be in a hurry, let the Lord fill you with His perfect peace, love and joy then ask the Lord to guide you to the congregation He would want you to be a part of and then start growing in your faith and honoring the good Lord!!  Don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!

Fire

Where is the fire of God today?  Why don’t I see more people on fire for the Lord and people excited about what the Lord is doing in their lives!!  I am not talking about fanaticism, but a real heartfelt joy of the Lord.  Joy and excitement seem to be contagious.  If we expect to overcome in time of trouble, then we need joy, not the worldly joy from drinking and revelry, but we need the joy of the Lord!!  

This kind of joy was talked about in the Old Testament, in the book of Psalms, David spoke about this joy in these words in Psalms 28:6-9, “Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up forever.”

David was excited in the Lord for He knew where His strength came from.  

Now please check out what it says in Nehemiah, when the book of the law of the Lord was read.  Please read Nehemiah 8:9-12, “And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.”

I wonder how many people today are as excited about the Word when they hear it or read it.  If we have no joy in the Lord, and the joy of the Lord is our strength, then we are hindered because our strength is being depleted.  If you can’t get excited about the Word and wanting to spend time in it, then you will never be set free.  Read what Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Maybe you have lost your joy, maybe you are in a sinful situation and your joy is gone, or maybe you have been listening to the evil one and he has deceived you and you’ve lost your joy, or possibly you haven’t been born-again, or possibly there is some other reason; if you have lost your joy, go back and do what you used to do when you first got committed to the Lord!!

If you have never received the Lord as your personal Savior and you desire that kind of relationship, then repent of your sins, which means to turn away from your sins and ask Him to forgive you and go in a different direction.  Then ask the Lord if he is real and ask Him to reveal Himself to you in some special way and, if you are sincere, I believe that He will.  Then pray that He will lead you to a church that preaches the Word and start reading and studying God’s Word and hiding it in your heart and spend time in prayer.  Then pray about the ministry the Lord would want you to be involved in and start growing in your faith!!  Start thanking and praising the Lord for He is worthy!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super, super day!!

Do Not Be Anxious Or Troubled

How many of us are anxious or troubled today about things?  We worry and stress over things we have no control over many times but if we are true believers we can trust in the Lord.  Years ago I was truly was committed to the Lord and so was my wife and we still are.  

At the time we were raising five children on about fifteen thousand dollars a year with some assistance and we never lacked for anything we needed because the Lord always provided.  When I was laid off of work the Lord provided for us then also.  I remember a lady from the church we were going to at the time came to our apartment to talk to us and before she left she handed us some money.  Not long after she left, a man knocked on our door that neither one of us really knew, I had met him one time but my wife didn’t know him at all.  He said that the Lord told Him that we needed help and he gave us over one hundred dollars and I took him home.  I knew his wife because she came to our church but he didn’t and these people were far from rich people.

My wife has always taken care of our finances and was always thrifty with money and she never spent money on trivial things that were just wants but only on what we really needed.  It was amazing how the Lord would move on people’s hearts and they would respond, sending us money in the mail or even handing me money at times and also providing food when we needed it.  The Lord was always faithful and His Word says that He doesn’t change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever; it also says that He is not a man that He should lie so His Word is as true today as it was then.

I remember one time a man noticed that we didn’t have any fans in the house we were living in at the time and it would get very warm at times, as you all know, so he bought us some fans to cool the house down; what a blessing that was!  Like I said, the Lord always provided for us, using faithful people.  I can remember doing lawns and once or twice not getting paid, but praise the Lord He always came through.  I can remember a guy taking advantage of me in a garage sale on a computer part and not long after that a man called me that knew nothing about what happened and told me that the Lord told Him to give me a computer, which he did along with some stereo equipment, praise the Lord.

I am saying these things trying to encourage whoever reads this blog not to worry but to trust in the Lord and He will met your needs.  He may not provide for your needs the same way as He did mine but we can be confident that He will provide when we put our trust totally in Him.

Please read Matthew 6:25-32, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

The Word of the Lord also tells us to be anxious for nothing, please read Philippians 4:4-8, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

The Lord knows what we need before we even ask Him and I believe that He wants to provide for whatever need we have and He rewards those that diligently seek Him by faith.  Please read Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Enough said, may you have a blessed day and may the Lord’s blessings be on you and yours!!  And don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!

Not Wanted

Have you ever heard someone say that you are not wanted?  If you have, how did that make you feel?  People can make you feel unwanted by the way they talk and also by the way they act towards you.  Sometimes people act out by bullying others that they don’t want around and others just ignore them.   Sometimes people gossip about people they don’t like, while being nice to them when they are face to face with them.  I think if we were honest, we would all have to admit that we have all been guilty of this kind of behavior from time to time.  

But what about Jesus, He has never acted that way, He loves everyone but He was, and still is, being rejected, how do you think it makes Him feel?  He was not only rejected but He came to His own and they received Him not.  The very ones that He came to help, to bless, to deliver and encourage, to heal and to save, by shedding His blood for their sins, rejected Him.   Yes, even when they were His enemies, He laid down His life for them and He still reaches out with love and compassion to them and many of the Israelites still reject Him.  But what about those that aren’t Jews but Gentiles, He also shed His precious blood for their sins, but many of them also reject Him.  Many of the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and teachers of the law hated Him because they were jealous of Him since He was drawing great crowds and taking away the attention that they thought they deserved, along with other reasons I won’t go into now.  

Let me say this before I go on, that a servant isn’t greater than His master and if they treated Him that way they will also treat those that follow Him that way.    Jesus seemed to be, by many then and now, the most misunderstood person that ever lived.  People reject Him and He is the only one that can ever save them from their sins and make them right with God!!  In fact He is the only way to get to God, please read John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

I think of this rejection when I read Matthew 8:28-34 and other accounts of this in God’s Word.  Please read this for yourself 28-34, “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.

So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.”

Here we have two demon possessed men that are so violent that no one dared to go by them.  These men have no hope whatsoever, outside of Jesus, and He comes along and has compassion on them and delivered them and set them free.  And all the thanks He got for it was that the whole town begged Him to leave their region.  Where was the compassion and love from the people for the men that were delivered and set free of demon possession and also for Jesus for setting these men free?  These people cared more for pigs than they did for people and, let’s be honest, many still feel that way today about animals.  Jesus was someone that could have provided for all their needs and they rejected Him and begged Him to leave their region.

Question: are you rejecting Jesus because of unbelief or anger or, if you are a believer, by the way you live your life?  Maybe you have been conforming to the world and you are putting worldly things ahead of the Lord.  Maybe you have been listening to the wrong voices and you need to shut down the computer and the other electronic devices you own and spend so much time on, and just be still before the Lord!!  Some people can make things sound so good but be oh so wrong in what they are saying.  

If you want to know if something is true and good, dig into the Word of God don’t just take someone’s word for it.  When you know the truth it will set you free, it will not put you in bondage.  Jesus said this in John 8:31-32, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Now read verse 36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

If you want to be set free and you are rejecting Jesus for any reason, please don’t.  Repent of your sins today, which means to reject your sins and go in the other direction, and ask Him to come into your heart and life, if you do not know Him as your personal savior.  If you are a believer and you are rejecting Him by being involved in things that you should not be involved with, you need to repent also and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all your un-righteousness and to restore the joy of His Salvation to your heart and life.

I have given you something to think about and I hope you will, this is very serious, probably the best decision you will ever make, I hope you make the right choice!!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!

God’s Wrath and Grace

When we were born, we were destined to receive the wrath of God in our lives because of the sin nature we were born with.  Even though we didn’t ask for it or choose it, we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. We can fluff it off or make excuses for it or rebel against it or just deny it or even blame God for it, the choice is ours, but it will not change the fact that it is true.

Please read Romans 1:18-25, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen”

The problem with many of us is that we want to come to God and be right with God on our own terms and that will never work, it is God’s way or no way.  What we should do is praise the good Lord for His mercy and grace.  We were all under God’s judgment  

Please read Romans 3:9-20, “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

But the Lord made a way that we could be right with Him, through His beloved Son Jesus Christ.

Please read Romans 3:21-31, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

When we were dead in our sins and trespasses God sent His Son Jesus into the world so that if we would believe in Him we could be saved.

Please read Romans 5:1-11 “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 hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

So if you want this gift of Salvation, turn from your sins, which is called repentance, and ask the Lord to forgive you and to be both your Savior and Lord!!  The humble and contrite heart is what the Lord is seeking.  So seek the Lord while He may be found.  Something to think about and may you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!