UNITING the dIvIdEd

2012-01-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Christians, Today is the Day of Your Testing

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?m=t&s=929111718380

Hebrews 3:7-19

A Rest for the People of God

7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,“Today, if you hear his voice,8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,on the day of testing in the wilderness,9 where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation,and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;they have not known my ways.’11 As I swore in my wrath,‘They shall not enter my rest.’”12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15As it is said,“Today, if you hear his voice,do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”16For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

2 Peter 2:20

20For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

I took some notes recently on a message by Tim Conway that was convicting to hear. All I can say is that God is faithful and he is in complete control over each and every soul...giving everyone a faithful opportunity to come to him and trust him with a saving faith, and to get right with him before he returns.

The "Promised Land/Heaven"...AKA..."Being with Jesus Forever" is worth every worldly humiliation and willful surrender of the flesh so as to conform to the true standard of God. Today, I notice that there are so many different standards that have been raised among the "Christians" on what it means to live right before God....and it is confusing! But life really changes for the better when we begin to learn what the standard of God is, and come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit to live by his standard. When I get away from doing what the Bible says my life spins out of control and out of the will of God, but I begin to see the vast differences between God's standards and man's when I read and hear the WORD of God. To a follower of Jesus, living for him is serious business and it is the most incredible life, but it is the most challenging life at the same time . It is challenging because we must strive and agonize to continually live obediently and to "be holy as Jesus is holy" in a fallen world and in a fallen nature. That's what he calls his followers to do...to be obedient and to live holy... all the time. That is the serious standard of it all: to never take sin lightly within me or reduce/justify my sin as ok, or to ignore it as if it is not a big deal. All these things are easy to do if I am not striving to trust in the Lord.

To lessen the standard of God is dangerous. As a Christian, I know that Jesus Christ died for my sins, rose from the dead and is alive and active through the Bible and his Holy Spirit in my life. I know that he forgives me every time that I come to him and sincerely repent and turn away from doing or thinking in ways that are below his standard. But if I don't continue striving and I give into the world and start conforming to the world, and don't listen to the Holy Spirit's conviction it shows whether I have faith or not. I am saved by faith through Grace. God's grace is enough for me and I am thankful that he has planted in me a faith that will respond to the Holy Spirits conviction and the caring accountability of friends and family in my life. God gave this message to me so that I can re-standardize some things in my life with him, my marriage, and my family. The message is linked above if you want to listen to it.

As a friend if you are a Christian and are sincerely wanting to live by the standard of God, and are dealing with anything where you choose sin more then obedience to Jesus Christ I encourage you to listen to these messages. God has been faithfully drawing near to me as I draw near to him.

Christians, Today is the Day of Your Testing Notes:

What is saving faith that agonizes to enter the narrow gate? This is everything.
Faith & Striving are the same.
Strive not to fall into the same disobedient unbelief that was found at Massah and Meribah in Exodus 17:1-7.
Strive by faith to stay in the faith.
This faith is connected to the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 shows us the character of God's Word
Faith that agonizes exists because of the character of God's Word
God's Word confronts us with the same choices- Hebrews 4:7
Do I have deaf ears like those who didn't have faith to strive?
Today the Word of God is the same as it was in the past
God does not bring me to his rest if I do not strive or agonize, labor diligently and trust him.
I will not enter God's rest if I do not trust Jesus with an agonizing faith- Hebrews 4:11
The Word of God makes layers of falsehood and hypocrisy come off my inner life.
The Word of God goes deep and unveils if there is faith driving the thoughts and actions. It reveals my whole man.
I am to strive and cling to the promises of God.
My time, money, behaviors are driven by choices and I must strive to trust Christ and follow the Word of God.
When all the layers are removed by the Word of God do I have agonizing faith?
Strive to have the Word laying me open and exposing my life bare because unbelief will kill me.
If I find unbelieving choices in my soul throw it away and repent immediately.
Bring everything about me into the light...strive and agonize into the light, because it moves, stirs and lives.
The Word of God is my very life or it is nothing to me at all....If it is not my life I am dead.
Pay attention to what I have heard about Christ and seek his love.
God's word shines in the deepest places with promise not condemnation.
Psalm 95 bounds up my future.
Do not conform to the World. Conform to the Word of God
Hank strive to Christ in times of discouragement nothing else. Strive into prayer, love and the Holy Bible alone. Simply believe your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

How Can You Love Others If You Can't Love Your Wife:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?m=t&s=213112338493

Do You Have Wisdom to See the End of Your Path:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?m=t&s=929111725541

Strive to Enter His Rest

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?m=t&s=1128112381610

2011-12-30T21:08:00.000-08:00

I hope these series of songs bless you. I've heard each song in the past but they never stuck like they did this week. The lyrics are uplifting and true. Thanks Lord for faithful ministers of music that glorify you and proclaim the truth and love that is only found in Jesus Christ!

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. Romans 11:6
But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Romans 3:24
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8-9
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

2011-12-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

GOD'S HANDIWORK:

Before you read this blog please listen to this awesome song:

http://youtu.be/ewvcCT3yYnk

As we place our trust in God he hides from us the glory that he is producing in us for himself..... so that he gets all the glory. That means right now God is doing something bigger than you through you...unbeknownst to you. Do you trust that God is doing that or can do that? No wonder he says when we are the weakest he is the strongest. The revealing ceremony for God's glory will be truly awesome! I can't wait to see what God has done through you for his eternal purpose and for his glory! We're all going to be surprised and amazed at his handiwork! Wherever you are at it is no accident and God is not surprised. Good or bad. Did you once love Jesus well? Well, he has never stopped loving you perfectly! Have you never loved Jesus? Well, he died for you even while you were in the act of sinning. You can trust that because of all he has been through for you. See those wounds of his?

Believe it! Those wounds of Jesus are yours.... and he is humbly and passionately thinking of you at every scourge, mock, piercing, blow, humiliation, at every shameful moment. He is Gladly, Lovingly, Passionately taking His Father's Justice for your sins. Even if you have wandered away from God he has not wondered away from you! Even if you have never trusted in Jesus he is calling you now to do so. Do you feel your heart is too hard for God? Well, maybe he has just prepared you to be perfectly broken so that he can start shining in your life.

As a loving warning, not trusting in God is sin. It is prideful sin. Amazingly, these two things, unbelief and pride, keep us from receiving what God took drastic measures to give us... His eternal salvation....his Son. Our sin does not bring glory to God. The prideful weak person is still weak. The humble weak person trusting in God is strong in God's strength alone. Run back to Jesus or run to him for the first time in faith. Repentance is a gift from God. Cry out to Him to help you turn from pride and unbelief and he will give you a new heart.

Because there is only one true character, and there is only one real way to live God says come to me and I will give you my rest, my life, my character, my perfection, my Holiness. Because all men are like withering grass, and all have turned away from God to their own way we are starving and dead without trusting in Christ. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The beauty of the cross is that you can come just as you are no matter where you are and Jesus will forgive you. This is the Good News about Jesus. I love you and am praying for the faith that pleases God to be born in you. "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Hebrews 11:6

Jesus Rose from the Grave after he died for you and I. He is alive and is coming back soon. He is the powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the keys to death and Hades are his! Jesus says, " I am the Living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." Revelation 1:18

Check out these other verses from the Bible:

· And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

· And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:15

· But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

· But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

· 16“For God so loved the world,ⁱ that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:16-21

· but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

· For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12

· Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10

· A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. Proverbs 29:23

· Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Psalm 138:6

· But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

· The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

· The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18

· The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18

· For this is what the high and lofty One says--he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15

· For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

· Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

· In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:4

· For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

· The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9

· Isaiah 53: Who has believed what he has heard from us?^a
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected^b by men;
a man of sorrows,^c and acquainted with^d grief;^e
and as one from whom men hide their faces^f
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;^g
when his soul makes^h an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall seeⁱ and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,^j
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,^k
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Love In Christ,

Hank

2011-09-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Your Answer!

Jesus is the most powerful! He is greater then your need for water! And your need for food! And your need for shelter! He is more important than your family, and children! He is so significant! Jesus is the very essence of life itself! He is the only source of life! He IS LITERALLY LIFE. This is the BIG DEAL about Jesus Christ. He said it about himself, "I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father unless they come through me. "

When you die if Jesus is not in you or in other words if his Holy Spirit is not in you ....you will not live forever with him. You will be dead forever and separated from Him (God) for eternity. Jesus is the only option for eternal life after this earthly material life. Think that through. If Jesus is not in you now you are NOT REALLY ALIVE right now. Even though you are physically "living" you are spiritually dead and when you die you will be spiritually dead forever. Don't you want to be spiritually alive? Physical life is +/- 75yrs........

You are dead because your sin is separating you from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit Himself. The One True God who IS LOVE; who is HOLY and different; set apart, is turning his face away from your SINFUL STATE of being, mind, behavior. He is rejecting the essence of who you are which is SIN. BUT he wants to shine his face upon you!! In contrast, the essence of God is Righteous, Holy and True, Just, Love. He is a Consuming Fire. Perfect. And he gave humanity His Law in the Torah to prove he is different in these ways. The Ten Commandments are a BIG DEAL. God has always protected us from ourselves. Our sinful way. He protected first through the law which will always be good. But because we can not do the law or fulfill the law of God perfectly he chose to protect or save us through a better way then the law. Loved One! God loves you so much that he wants to remove your sin for you. He wants to remove the stain that lying, stealing, sexual sins, pride, anger, gossip, (name your sins) has left and replace it with clean garments that are white as snow. The only way to do that is to give up himself for you. And he did through Jesus His Son.

Look at this verse:

Romans 3:21-22

Christ Took Your Punishment

21 But now God has shown you a way to be made right with him without
keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings
of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 You are made right with God by
placing your faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who
believes, no matter who they are.

That verse is the bottom line truth and Jesus is your answer. Jesus is not just another man. He is God and he gave up his life willingly for you because he loves you. Jesus is the only one who died to fulfill God's Justice in your place. If you want to be made right with God right now you can! Do the following and have Jesus defend you when you stand before God on Judgement Day.

Admit you are the problem. A Sinner.
Believe in Jesus Christ that He alone is God's solution to your problem. Believe, that by living perfect and sinless on earth Jesus is the perfect and only sacrifice needed to cover your sins. Believe that by dieing, Jesus fulfilled Gods Justice for all your wrongdoing once and for all. Believe, that by raising from the dead Jesus conquered death and you can now live in Christ spiritually, physically, emotionally free forever.
Confess that Jesus is God. Your Loving Creator, Savior and King. Confess that you are a sinner and ask Jesus to personally cleanse you from all your unrighteousness. Confess to Jesus alone, wherever you are (He will hear you), that you want him to remove your sins and to be the Lord and Savior of your soul forever. Confess that you place all your trust in His finished work on the cross for you and that you repent ( turn and walk away from your sinning behaviors and thoughts) of your current lifestyle of sin. Confess that you will live in the grace and mercy and love of God and not make your new faith a legalistic man centered religion.

If you do this Jesus will respond to you personally through his Holy Spirit. And he will provide for you and bless you because you have become his child! Praise God! Go buy a Bible and start reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These are the Gospels that share the good news about Jesus. Seek Jesus through prayer and find a good church where you can meet people who love the Lord and are seeking him and conforming to his image. Gen 1:26.

You are meant to know God personally.

Nothing is more important than this.

You are meant to be in heaven worshipping, praising and enjoying Jesus forever.

Much love,

Hank

2011-09-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

The Bride Groom Cometh!!!!!

It's amazing how close the REALITY of being with Jesus is! So close you may have a checks and balances going on inside of you.....back and forth we go ........."Really!.. now.... could it really be? and then ..........Excited nervousness realizing we could stand before our Lord........... then............"NO WAY he will tarry. It can't be now. No one knows the day or hour not even Jesus" ...........then......." it is so possible. Look at all the signs!" Back and forth we go.

Nevertheless, if you are WATCHING for Jesus as Jesus has commanded (Luke 12:38, Matthew 26:40, Matthew 25:13, Mark 13:34, Galatians 6:1, etc) you probably have an amazing sense that this could very well be the last few ________ we are in these tents. Filling the blank with "years", "months", or "days" causes people to have different reactions, BUT is it really CRAZY to say that we can't rule out days and months, especially if you are watching for Jesus?

Are you aware of how things are merging and how God's moeds (appointed times / Feast Days) work according to HIS timeline, and how he speaks to us through times and seasons, the stars, the moon, the sun? Do you see the geopolitical and religious fronts imploding and standing against Israel? Do you realize that that there is a huge gap between the Bride of Christ and the False Apostate Church? Do you knoe the parable of the good fish and bad fish? Can you factor in the moral decline of the world and its universal cry for a false peace to save it rather then Jesus Christ Himself? Do you know the UN is voting Sept 20 on something very important? Do you know Sept 21 is world "peace day"? Can you discern the times like the Sons of Issachar did in 1 Chronicles 12:32? Do you know the sign in Rev 12 is being fulfilled Sept 30th? Do you know The Feast of Trumpets is Sept 29th or 30th? Can you discern the jubilee years of Israel? do you know...............that there are even more things on this earth and in the heavens and in the spiritual realm aligning that if you knew you would be left stunned and amazed and have a hard time believing?

As we know, our God is a God of order, he is a God who reveals his mysteries to those who watch and seek for him. As the Bride of Christ, we believe the rapture could happen anytime right? We say this and agree as most Born Again Christians do, but interestingly not all Born Again Christians seek Jesus the same, not all are fully open or comfortable with all that Jesus wants to give them in scripture. I believe Jesus wants us to know his mysteries ..........which is simply an outcome of having intimacy with him. He is so gracious and kind and merciful to invite us to seek him in a special way as shown in Jeremiah 33:3 , and we see references throughout the word that mysteries can be known, seasons can be understood, times can be discerned: Romans 11:25, Eph 5:32, Col 1:26, Eph 3:3,4, Rev 10:7, Dan 2:19, 1 Thess 5:2,4 etc.

When I learned that the Feast of Trumptets is actually known as "The Feast that no one knows the day or the hour of its arrival" I was amazed. It left me asking, "Do we really know what Jesus was refering to in Mark 13:32 and Matthew 24:36?". Was he alluding to something more? I would never say that a certain date is when Jesus is coming or the rapture is happening. But I would definitly say that we can know the season of his coming for us in connection to Moeds, signs in the heavens, and on earth, according to Matthew 24. We are indeed in that season now! The time of the Bride's Harpazo is emminant, the time of Jacob's trouble is emminant. Things are not how they have always been! Iran has never been in alliance with Russia as they are today, for example. Triads and Tetrads of Lunar eclipses and Solar eclipses are declaring God's Glory. Consider that Israel and the Nations are ripe for judgement.

Dear family in Christ, don't rule out that it could possibly be days and months for our Harpazo (Rapture) unto Christ!

Consider that:

Peter Rebukes those who scoff at the coming of the Lord whether it be the Rapture of the Church or the Day of the Lord.

1This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,a not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodiesb will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.c11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:1-13

God keeps some things hidden until they are needed to be known.

"And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." Dan 12:9-10"

"...who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5"

"For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thessalonians 5:2,4",

"Then the Lord answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:2"

Some details in scripture have not made sense until enough revelation occurred. For instance, Jesus' words in Matthew 24 (and Luke 17) about some people being taken and others left could not be understood from the time the concept of the Rapture was forgotten in the fourth century until it was revealed again in the latter days.

"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took [Airo - remove] them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken [Paralambano - take to join with a companion] and the other left [Aphiemi - abandon, disregard, divorce]. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken [Paralambano] and the other left [Aphiemi]. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:39-44"

Jesus rebuked the religious leaders who had the knowledge of the scriptures for not knowing the time of His first visitation or the signs of the times. He would not have rebuked them for something they could not have known.

"Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." Luke 19:41-44"

1And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He answered them,a “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. Matthew 16: 1-4

Will He rebuke believers for not knowing the time of His second coming and for not being trimmed with Oil in their lamps? You can count on it!

1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,a you have no need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5For you are all childrenb of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10
38Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38

1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lampsa and went to meet the bridegroom.b 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

So many signs are aligning or are already aligned that a midnight cry is about to sound (we do not know if it is days, months, or years out) but it is very possible it could be days and your lamps best be trimmed with oil. It is the Lord Jesus himself who warned us to be ready. How do you get ready? Repent of your sins. Stop sinning intentionally! When you sin repent immediately. Seek Jesus' Face. Fix your eyes on Jesus.

If the Lord tarries (he does not wish that any shoudl perish but that all come to him through Jesus Christ), we will continue to become more excited for him, share the gospel with the lost and stand firm amidst persecution and troubling times. We will see amazing things and NOT BE SHAKEN. We will be able to discern the evil that's been twisted into "good" . Praise God! We will be sovereignly provided for by God. We will share our belongings, our homes, we will meet often together singing, praying and having communion together. We might die together in these bodies as we testify to Christ in a hostile world toward Christ. We are not destined for God's wrath and that fact alone strengthens our faith that the rapture is eminant.

Understand that WATCHING for Jesus is more of a heart condition that is excited to be with him and for others to be with him for eternity.

God Bless you,
Hank

2011-08-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

Lingering, Disobedience and Salty Pillars

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

We read this in church last night in connection to Matthew 5 where we are the salt of the earth, and how salt can lose it's saltiness.....I am amazed at how far God's Mercy towards Lot and his family went, and also how Lot's wife chose not to obey in that mercy. The men even seized Lot in his lingering!! Why do we linger when God commands us to do something that will save our life? Why did Lot's wife want to look back? I am praying that we do not have a lingering disobedient heart like Lot and his wife. The Day of The Lord is near and God is GOOD,SERIOUS,JUDGEMENTAL,MERCIFUL,LOVING,RIGHTEOUS, and PATIENT all at the same time.

Genesis 19

15As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” ... 24Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. 25And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

2011-03-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

WARNING SIGNS- WILL YOU GIVE ATTENTION TO GOD?

Please pray that the world will NOT push against Israel. Much of the world's chaos and judgement is coming due to it's opposition to God and his redemptive plan for Israel which is part of his bigger redemptive plan for everyone and everything. God's word is very clear about it

• “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him (Jesus Christ-Yeshua Ha-Maschiac) whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn." Zechariah 12:10

Is God's redemption not the single most important issue to face our individual souls, communities, and the nations? and we run from and deny it........we rebel against it????

• "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son (Jesus Christ-Yeshua Ha-Maschiac), that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Has anything made you weep lately? How about bitter weeping? Have you ever cried over and mourned the loss of your child or someone so connected to you that it impacted your physicality and emotions to the point that you could do or think nothing? If so you KNOW the all consuming power that love and grief and sorrow and longing can have over you. If not, you can at least KNOW this by watching others grieve who long for their LOVED ONE to be near again. We watch from afar the devastation in Japan and do we feel their pain? We must if we are really alive in our spirit! Are we immune to the same devastation in our land? No and we ought to humble ourselves and seek God for his will and guidance in these times.

The all consuming power that love and grief and sorrow and longing bring when losing a loved one is the same motivation and meaning behind the seriousness and critical nature of God's desire to redeem you and all the people and nations in the world. God is so serious about your Life and Death because they are eternal forever statuses. He cannot bear to lose you to your sin nature forever, and so he did something to save you. The question is will you respond? We need to see things in the right perspective or we are lost. God allows our axis to shift and he allows earthquakes to rock this world. He allows molten ash and solar flares to burn this earth away. He is not causing it he is allowing it.

Will we give God our attention?

God's words are true. Those are the words that are in his BIBLE. God has per se been screaming at everyone for centuries to wake up because these things are inevitably coming upon the world. His message is that NO ONE is innocent. NO ONE is good. NOT ONE. All are sinners and turn away and fall short of the glory of God. And there are many different consequences to this. Ultimately, the wages of sin is death....eternal separation from God which is in a literal Hell. How foolish of us if we disregard this warning from the loving and holy God and blame him for such devastations in the world! As if it is his fault people are dying because of tsunamis and earthquakes and famines. We say well only God can stop an earthquake from happening therefore he can prevent the death. This is true but we must not blame God if it happens because in actuality he is lovingly warning us of the inevitable consequences of sin in our lives and of the world. There is a critical more important perspective at play here that God is emphasizing.

• "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now." Romans 8:22

• "Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come." Matthew 24:7,8

• "Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13: 4,5

Where is God's love in all this? I beg your attention friend! God's love is so great and he has already done what is necessary to save the world and you from your guilty sinful nature. Instead of getting mad at God, or becoming afraid of him, or ignoring the issue humbly begin to consider the words of God about his son Jesus. Listen to the Holy Spirit who convicts you of your sin while at the same time giving you hope by pointing to Jesus and his sole purpose for coming to this earth. This is not hard. The only thing that makes it hard is the pride of life. If you are wanting to know God and this salvation he provided for you through Jesus Christ then ask for grace and mercy from God so that you can begin to hear and see it.

• The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both. Proverbs 20:12

• Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9

Dear friend this is the good news! Jesus came, he died and he rose again for us! That means you personally!

• "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus." Acts 8:35

• "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

• The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth." Psalm 145:18

This is important and there is nothing more important then for you to hear this good news and for you to confess your sin to Jesus, repent and turn from your sins and believe that Jesus died and rose again for you. Don't delay. God has warned what is going to happen in the future and we are starting to see what the warning is all about. The warning is repent from your sin for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

• "On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it." Zechariah 12:3

• "Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you." Numbers 24:9

• On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness." Zechariah 12:4

Is the quake in Japan a signal to the world to stop putting pressure on Israel?

I am amazed, yet again, of how this quake near Japan is falling in line with reoccurring patterns. Patterns that follow when anyone or any nation is willing to condemn Israel's right to exist, or their right to their land, or their right to build on their own land, or put any pressure on them to divide their land.

I just watch and sometimes can't believe the consistency of these patterns over the past number of years. The same thing happened to Australia recently. Our hurricane Katrina was connected to these kinds of pressures on Israel.

I was unaware of these stances of Japan's Official Government position toward Israel prior to the earthquake and right up to the very day of the earthquake.

January 11, 2011:

Statement by Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, condemns the demolishing of a part of the Shepherd’s Hotel in E. Jerusalem to construct housing for Jewish people
Japan condemns the demolishing of a part of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem with a view to constructing new housing units for Jewish people.  Japan does not recognize any unilateral measures that prejudge the final resolution on pre-1967 borders, nor does Japan recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel. In this regard, Japan urges Israel to refrain from any unilateral act that could change the existing conditions of East Jerusalem. Yutaka Iimura, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East, who was in Israel, has already informed Israeli Government officials of Japanese views.  Japan once again strongly encourages both the Israel and the Palestinian sides to focus on the goal of a two-state solution, which is important not only for the Middle East but also for the international community as a whole; to act in such a way that mutual trust will be developed; and to continue efforts for peace tenaciously.
February 8, 2011:

Statement by the Press Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Japan, on measures by Israel on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Japan welcomes the series of economic measures announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Quartet Representative Tony Blair on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Japan hopes that based on this announcement, measures will be fully and promptly implemented for economic growth as well as for the improvement of the social and living conditions in the Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip. Japan will pay close attention to any developments surrounding this matter. Japan also hopes that these measures will enhance the mutual trust between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, although they are not a substitute for negotiations for Middle East peace. Japan, for its part, calls upon both parties to exert further efforts for the resumption of peace negotiations.
February 10, 2011:

Statement by the Press Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Japan, concerned over housing in E. Jerusalem for Jewish people

The Government of Japan is concerned about the Jerusalem municipal planning committee’s approval of a plan to build housing units for Jewish people in the Sheih Jarrah of East Jerusalem. Such act goes against the efforts by the international community to resume the negotiations. The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of the territories in the pre-1967 borders nor Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem. Japan urges Israel to refrain from any unilateral act that the current situation in East Jerusalem.
March 11, 2010:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan deplores the decisions of the Government of Israel to give permission to construct in East Jerusalem and the West Bank

The Government of Japan deplores the decisions of the Government of Israel to give permission for the construction of 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem in addition to 112 units in West Bank just after the Israeli and Palestinian leadership’s acceptance of the start of indirect talks. The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of Jerusalem and the territories in the pre-1967 borders

March 11, 2011:

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis by 4 inches

With Love,
Hank

"In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish." Matthew 18:14
"The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." 2 Peter 3:9

2011-01-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

LIFE IS BETWEEN YOU AND GOD

Things are going to come to pass in the next number of years that will challenge all of us, and I want to encourage you in your relationship with Jesus Christ until that option is not possible. It says in Acts 4:12 : "There is salvation in no one else but Jesus Christ! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." I hope that you will open your hearts to Jesus in a sincere way this 2011 and receive the salvation he offers you from your sins. At least begin to seek him with all your heart like you would a treasure. You may not see the treasure in him now but I will testify to that for you until you find out for yourself. As much as I am hopeful that this new year will bring much good I am also aware of what the bible speaks about that is truly sobering and inevitable and we are getting closer and closer to the Day of the Lord: That day spoken of in the bible in many places and also Zephaniah 1:14- ""That terrible day of the LORD is near. Swiftly it comes--a day of bitter tears, a day when even strong men will cry out." God's judgement towards the unrepentant is getting closer. No one likes to discuss the reality of God's wrath because it is not a fun topic. This is understandable but it should be understood. God hates evil and because He is Just he must deal with it. We are living in a time when man is beginning to disregard, spurn and even defy God and His ways and commands WITHOUT FEAR or SHAME. The examples are endless, and these evidences should be enough to cause a man to believe in what Jesus warned of in Matthew 24. Anyone who not only has a conscience aware of the difference between what is good and evil but is also concerned about the shift away from honoring and giving glory to God can see Jesus' warning coming to pass. Matthew 24 is inevitable and it is not a secret. Everyone should begin to look into what Jesus warned us of because He does not want ANYONe to be caught off guard or deceived or to perish in their sins. More than anything, the Lord loves you more than you can ever really know, AND you can get a glimpse of how much he loves you by what he did on the cross for you. Putting your trust in Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach the Jewish Messiah and following him is more important now than ever before. I pray for your sincere love for Jesus to blossom in 2011. Remember, LIFE is between you and God. This LIFE is JESUS CHRIST. God bless you!

Please visit this link to see a timeline of significant events and cycles between 2011-2019 http://watch.org/showart.php3?idx=129114&rtn=%2Findex.html&showsubj=1&mcat=1

Matthew 24:
Signs of Christ’s Return

1Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”4And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Perilous Times

15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25“Behold, I have told you in advance. 26“So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

32“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.36“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.45“Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48“But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2010-11-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18

First the bad news, Be ready to experience the non-abashed gall of sin. It is relentlessly against you. If you are not taking care of it sin will take care of you. It does not negotiate to give you a better outcome. Just sitting on the side lines watching sin play out is as destructive as actively engaging in it. That's like voting it into office to lead your life into the grave. Sin will rebel against your apathy and devour you and those around you. Sin is crouching at your door waiting to seize you. Just a little bit of it corrupts all, and is deadly at every dose. The wages of sin is death. Left unchecked sins mini spy guns turn into big arsenals with nuclear type destruction. It won't think twice about lying to you, telling you what you want to hear, so it can get you into the best position to kill you. The sin in each of us is cowardly. It only tells you and others half the truth so you don't hear the whole truth which has the power to save you. Sin is scared of light so it lies with smilin pride. It will gladly blow its smoke in your face and say its good for you. After deceiving you, sin legalizes itself and shouts in a suit, "One nation under Me with bondage and lawlessness for all!" It hides its true identity and true intentions and prances around like a Joker boasting, "You ain't seen nothin yet. I'll take you when you're at your lowest and kick you in the face when it will hurt you the most and when you're at your best I won't relent. I'm gonna take advantage of every inch of space you give me. Give me a millimeter and I will own you!" Sin is exceedingly wicked! It wants to redefine itself so it is unknowable, unrecognizable. Think of the endless examples of sin in you and around you that has been entertained at times and even left alone because it does not bother you. It robs and steals your joy and peace and desensitizes your conscience to the point where you don't know right from wrong or worse don't care. Sin molests and rapes everything and everyone innocent: Exhibit abortion, lawlessness, euthenasia, nations without borders, porn, shelves of alcohol in your face, teachers having sex with students, food fights when kids are starving, wasteful spending when countless are in desperate need. Sin doesn't care about anyone. It laughs at and applauds "adults" who justify their "adults only" behavior, activities, and decisions. Sin has no interest in helping others. It denies. Sin is suicidal at its best. It murders and hates inside and out, lusts and commits adultery inside and out, curses all things good and itself, it mocks, rebels, gossips, wastes, never gives thanks, never acknowledges God, curses God, and blasphemes God to his face. It is not ashamed. Sin stinks. It's best work is like filthy rags of menstruation (yes that's the true context of Isaiah 64:6), and Sin boasts in that garb. It thinks its the best thing around. It accuses and always blames. It enjoys atrocities but denies its involvement in those atrocities. Sin calls evil "good", and good "evil". It is sympathetic to terrorizing the world. It acquits the guilty. Sin doesn't like to talk about itself cause it hates the light. Sin makes people squirm in their chairs when the light shines on it.................it causes love to grow cold.

Now this will be hard to swallow so brace yourself. YOU have a sinful nature just as I have a sinful nature. We all have a sinful nature. Sin means TO REBEL, TO OFFEND, TO TRANSGRESS, TO FALL, TO MISS THE MARK, TO OPPOSE OR OBSTRUCT, TO CAUSE TO STUMBLE, TO COMMIT A CRIME, WICKEDNESS, INIQUITOUS, UNHOLY. The question is who are we offending and sinning against? The bible says we sin against God himself and his ways . King David stated it correctly: "Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just." Psalm 51:4. If that offends you that's OK cause that's what sin does when it is called out. "Better are the wounds of a friend then the kisses of an enemy." Proverbs 27:6. You need someone who cares to tell you the tough stuff because your sin wants to run and hide and deny and blame and try to justify itself and we ought to be sick of sin both in us and in others cause it says, "I'm not that bad. There's much worse things." But it truly is bad at the very first drop. It's wretched and we are wretched. With the Apostle Paul we should confess that we are also the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15-16. The Word of God which sin despises by the way, is clear about our sinful condition: "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:12. We all are corrupt: "Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." Psalm 53:3. "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—" Romans 5:12

Sin is real. It deserves to go to hell and die. Every first and last peice of it, every teeny tiny drop of it must be sent there because JUSTICE is also real. The bible greatly encourages us to deal with our sinfulness because nothing sinful can enter God's kingdom: "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell." Mark 9:45. "And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell." Mark 9:47. "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."Matthew 5:30. "Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned." Job 24:19 There are so many other clear truths about sin and the point is that we must be saved from our sins otherwise we will go to hell forever. As the above verses reveal, it is better to severly deal with sin on this side of eternity because there is no chance of dealing with it if we die without being cleansed from out sin nature. Thank God he has provided a way to be set free from sins death grip on us!

Now here's the good news! The BEST NEWS eternity past present and future will ever know! The Bible says to expose the evils deeds of darkness and to shine the light on the sin (REBELLION, OFFENSIVE WAYS, TRANSGRESSIONS...) inside of us. "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." Ephesians 5:11. It also says to confess our sin to one another and pray for one another so that we can be healed. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16. It also commands that we renounce our personal sin and confess them to Jesus Christ because he ALONE can forgive our sin and wants to. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. We need Jesus Christ because we need to be saved from sin and death and hell. No one can forgive sins but Jesus Christ. HE CAN because He drank the bitter cup of sin and wrath that His Father had reserved for you. Jesus wanted to take that awful righteous and justifiable punishment away from you. Everything in the firstparagraph is bitter, shameful, wicked, gross. Now put all your sins and mine collectively in a cup and imagine Jesus drinking it. Imagine our gross, shameful sins wrapped in pride and arrogance being poured all over Jesus the innocent Lamb of God. Imagine Jesus becoming all this gross sin for you willingly. Now realize He is your sin. All you can do is humble yourself and receive his kindness for you. His mercy for you. It's not a fairy tale, and this fact is the real reason why Jesus was crucified and beaten to the point where you couldn't recognize him. The fact is HE LOVES YOU. His Father hates sin and his anger and wrath toward it must be unleashed on it to satisfy Justice. So Jesus obeyed his Father and lovingly became your SINFUL NATURE so he could take the full weight of JUSTICE upon himself and die for you. "For our sake Father God made his Son Jesus to be sin even though he who knew no sin, so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthains 5:21 Now God's Justice won't rightfully send you to hell forever if you respond to the invitation to believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin. Jesus did all the work that could ever be done to save you from your sins. It's the truth and if you sit there denying this rich act of mercy that Jesus did for you and wallow smug and indifferent to this only cure for your sin nature your wage is naturally death. The sad thing is that if you do go to hell you will have had to step over Jesus' body to get there. God hates your sin, he hates demons and Satan yet he loves you, and He wants you to be saved from the bondage that sin has you in. " For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." Romans 6:23. The bible says that "if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord you shall be saved." Romans 10:9. It also says that "God so loved this world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. It also states that "there is therefore NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And because through

Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2 What is even better news is that Jesus rose from the grave after dieing and going to hell for you. He went to hell to get the keys of Hades. Jesus proclaims , "I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and hades." Revelation 1:18. Now if you believe in Jesus your sins won't only be forgiven but you will also be made white as snow and will be risen from the grave and spend eternity with God in his paradise forever. "“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Isaiah 1:18

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly good news.

Will you put your trust in Jesus today to cleanse you of your sins and give you new life?

Jesus is coming back soon.

2010-08-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

God is Gracious and Kind!

Matthew 20:1-16
vs. 3: "at 9am the Landowner was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them..." vs 6-7: "at 5pm that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around not working. He said, 'Why haven't you been working today?' They replid, 'No one hired us' The Landowner told them, 'Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.'

If you read this passage you'll learn that the Landowner ended up paying all the workers a full days wage. Even those who started at 5pm! The Landowner is God the Father!

The thing that impressed me about this parable Jesus told about Heaven is that his Father is gracious and kind to those who don't deserve it. I can see that Jesus wants to highlight 3 things in this story:1. What really matters in our lives is that we need to get to know God personally so we can be invited to work in his fields. 2. To encourage us in how we need to live our lives by getting to work for God and stop standing around doing nothing and 3. To come to accept the way God does things on his terms...even if it doesn't make sense. Ultimately, this means we are going to get to see a lot of people in heaven who lived their whole lives in the world, but at the last minute put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

The bottom line of this parable in Matthew 20 is that God is gracious and kind not wanting anyone to perish in eternal damnation because of their sins. He is so willing to pay you a full days wage even if you have worked for him for only 2 hours! You ask how can he afford that? He can afford it because his son's blood is the most precious thing in all of the universe, and by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for our sins God has payed everyone's required labor in advance and as a result he can give all the opportunity to be with him in paradise forever if they receive his free gift. You can receive the gift of salvation for free by being thankful and humble you are not required to work it out. The only "work" you have to do is receive by believing Jesus died for your sins and that his death is enough. Think about these next verses:

‎1: "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood & without the shedding of blood there is no forgivness of sins." Hebrews 9:22 2: Jesus said, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins...." Matthew 26:28, 3: You should know then, that through Jesus Christ's shed blood, that the forgiveness of your sins is proclaimed to you, & if you believe in Him He will free you from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." Acts 13: 38,39 & 4: "For God so loved (Put your name in here), that he gave his only Son for you, that if you believe in Him you will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

When you realize God's kindness in this act of love the only thing you can really do is repent and turn away from your self and fall into the loving arms of God.

2010-05-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

United Through Scripture

If we have been UNITED with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. Romans 6:5

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and UNITED in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. Colossians 2:2

"That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be UNITED with his wife, and the two will become one flesh." Ephesians 5:31

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not UNITED by faith in those who heard. Hebrews 4:2

Brothers and sisters, I encourage all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to agree with each other and not to split into opposing groups. I want you to be UNITED in your understanding and opinions. 1 Corinthians 1:10

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, UNITED in spirit, intent on one purpose. Philippians 2:2

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may be UNITED with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3

If Jewish people do not continue in their unbelief, they will be UNITED back into the tree again, because God is able to do that. In spite of the fact that you have been cut from a wild olive tree, you have been UNITED onto a cultivated one. So wouldn't it be easier for these natural branches to be UNITED onto the olive tree they belong to? Brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery so that you won't become arrogant. The minds of some Israelites have become closed until all of God's non-Jewish people are included. In this way Israel as a whole will be saved, as Scripture says, "The Savior will come from Zion. He will remove godlessness from Jacob.My promise to them will be fulfilled when I take away their sins." Romans 11:23-27

2010-05-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

Prayer Scripture and Quote Archive:

Prayer Scipture 17.0- "Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldnesse he will get up and give him as much as he needs" Luke 11:5-8

Prayer Quote: 17.0- "AN URGENT NEED: Here intercession has it's origin. The friend came at midnight, an untimely hour. There was hunger and he could not buy bread. If we are to learn to pray properly, we must open ours eyes and hearts to the needs around us. We often here of the millions of unsaved souls living in midnight darkness, perishing for lack of the BREAD OF LIFE-Jesus Christ. We also hear of the many nominal Christians who are almost as unenlightened and indifferent as those who are unsaved. We see millions in the Christian church who know little of a walk in the light of God or in the power of a life led by bread from heaven. We all have our own circles-- congregations, schools, friends, missions--in which the great complaint is that the light and life of God are too little known. Surely, if we believe what we profess--that God alone is able to help, that God certainly will help in answer to prayer--all these needs ought to make us intercessors, people who give their lives to prayer for those around them. Let us make time to consider these needs seriously, because people are in urgent need of the Bread of Life-Jesus Christ!"

Prayer Scripture 16.0: "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
Prayer Point 16.0: " We may not yet have attained that full devotion to which our Lord had trained his disciples, neither may we equal them in their power of prayer. We may, nevertheless, take courage in remembering that every new step we take in our Christian life toward the perfect branch life, and every surrender to live for others in intercession, will be met from above by a corresponding liberty to pray with greater boldness and to expect larger answers. The more we pray, and the more conscious we become of our unfitness to pray in power, the more we will be urged and helped to press on toward the key to power in prayer- a life abiding in Christ, entirely at His disposal."

Prayer Scripture 15.0- "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him." Moses in Deuteronomy 4:7
Prayer Point 15.0- "The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-ometer, and from it we may judge of the amount of divine working among a people. If God be near a church, it must pray. And if he be not there, one of the first tokens of his absence will be a slothfulness in prayer."

Prayer Scripture 14.0- "But everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved"
Prayer Point 14.0- "You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular the pastor or evangelist is by who comes to Sunday night. But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting."

Prayer Scripture 13.0- "We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word of God...And the Word of God increased; and the number of disciples increased." Acts 6:4,7
Prayer Point 13.0- "Don't make prayer your very last chance. Make it your very first choice."

Prayer Scripture 12.0- "She replied, "That's true Lord, yet even the dogs eat of the crumbs..." And Jesus replied, "O Woman, great is your faith: be it unto you even as you will." Matthew 15: 27,28
Prayer Point 12.0- " You feel unworthy and unable to pray. To accept this heartily, and still be blessed in your unworthiness, is true humility. It proves its integrity by not seeking for anything but simply trusting God's grace; thus, it is the strength of a great faith and a full answer. "

Prayer Scripture 11.0- “Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today.” I Kings 8:28
Prayer Point 11.0- "God is not aloof. He says continually through the centuries, "I'll help you, I really will. When you're ready to throw up your hands- throw them up to me."

Prayer Scripture 10.0- " And He spoke a parable to them to this end, that man ought to pray, and not to faint...and shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily" Luke 18:1, 6-8
Prayer Point 10.0- "The sin, or the consequence of sin, that makes it impossible for God to answer prayer immediately is a barrier on God's side as well as ours. To break through this power of sin in ourselves, or in those for whom we pray, is what makes the striving and the conflict of prayer such a reality. "

Prayer Scripture 9.0- “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Prayer Point 9.0- God says to us, “Pray, because I have all kinds of things for you: and when you ask, you will receive. I have all this grace, and you live with scarcity. Come unto me, all you who labor. Why are you so rushed? Where are you running now? Everything you need, I have.”

Prayer Scripture 8.0- “I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone” 1 Timothy 2:1
Prayer Point 8.0- “Sending leads to preaching. Preaching leads to hearing. Hearing leads to believing. Believing leads to calling on the name of the Lord”

Prayer Scripture 7.0- "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelation 3:20
Prayer Point 7.0- “God is ready to draw close to us and provide his love and power”

Prayer Scripture 6.0- “Go….ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.” Acts 9:11
Prayer Point 6.0- “The Holy Spirit is waiting for people to give him the time to work.”

Prayer Scripture 5.0- They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
Prayer Point 5.0- “The more we pray, the more we sense our need to pray. And the more we sense our need to pray, the more we want to pray.”

Prayer Scripture 4.0- “When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." Mark 11:15-18
Prayer Point 4.0- “Jesus launched the Christian church, not while someone was preaching, but while people were praying. In the first two chapters of Acts as they were just sitting there…worshipping, communing with God, letting God shape them and cleanse their spirits and do those heart operations only the Holy Spirit can do…the church was born. The Holy Spirit was poured out.”

Prayer Scripture 3.0 – “Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.” Psalm 4:3
Prayer Point 3.0 – “God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power.”

Prayer Scripture 2.0 – “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
Prayer Point 2.0 – “We need the Holy Spirit to transform our desperate lives and the desperate lives of those around us.”

Prayer Scripture 1.0 -“My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming." Psalms 27:8
Prayer Point 1.0 - “When God calls someone, that’s all that really matters. Don’t let yourself be afraid.”

2010-01-29T06:42:00.000-08:00

DEEPER AND DEEPER HYMN
by Oswald J. Smith

May this be the heart's cry of the Bride of Christ for now and through all eternity!!

Into the heart of Jesus,
Deeper and deeper I go,
Seeking to know the reason
Why He should love me so,
Why He should stoop to lift me
Up from the miry clay,
Saving my soul, making me whole,
Though I had wandered away.

Into the will of Jesus,
Deeper and deeper I go,
Praying for grace to follow,
Seeking His way to know;
Bowing in full surrender
Low at His blessèd feet,
Bidding Him take,
break me and make,
Till I am molded, complete.

Into the cross of Jesus
Deeper and deeper I go,
Following through the garden,
Facing the dreaded foe;
Drinking the cup of sorrow,
Sobbing with broken heart,
“O Savior, help! Dear Savior, help!
Grace for my weakness impart.”

Into the joy of Jesus
Deeper and deeper I go,
Rising, with soul enraptured,
Far from the world below.
Joy in the place of sorrow,
Peace in the midst of pain,
Jesus will give, Jesus will give;
He will uphold and sustain.

Into the love of Jesus
Deeper and deeper I go,
Praising the One Who brought me
Out of my sin and woe;
And through eternal ages
Gratefully I shall sing,
“O how He loved! O how He loved!
Jesus, my Lord and my King!”

2009-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

ALL Darkness Has Been Pierced!

Exodus Chapter 10

The Darkness Over Egypt:

21Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” 22So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

Egypt’s leader was not listening to what God was telling him to do. God told Pharaoh through Moses to “Let My People Go” because it was time for their captivity to end. But Pharaoh continued to resist God and he did not let the Israelites go free and the result was his heart was hardened. The consequences of that hard heartedness came and God allowed 7 plagues to fall on the whole land of Egypt. In the sixth plague, complete darkness fell over the whole land for three days. It says no one could see anyone else or leave their place because it was so dark you could feel it, but the Israelites who were God’s chosen people had light in their places.

It is AWESOME that this thick enveloping darkness could not overtake the light where the Israelites lived! It was pierced because they had a light from another source, and as we think about this it will bring Hope and Encouragement to us today after Christmas and everyday ahead! Even more, as we believe on this faithful provision of light from God to Israel and claim it for ourselves, it reveals an even greater and more awesome promise/assurance to everyone who belongs to God. It reveals the real truth that we can claim: That those who are God’s children endure all arrays of crippling circumstances, whether it is blackest darkness or even a death blow, because they have the LIGHT THAT LEADS TO LIFE………in them!

John Chapter 8

What is this Life Giving Light?

Even though the darkness thickens around us IT CANNOT ENTER INTO US! Though we be challenged in our faith, because it indeed is really dark, we will overcome it. Why, because we are not our own. We belong to Jesus Christ! The truth is that the darkest most crippling hours that ever existed have already come and gone and they have been PIERCED. They have been defeated! That’s why it says in 1 Corinthians 15, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Those were the hours when thick darkness enveloped Christ from Gethsemane on toward Calvary and into the Grave. THOSE WERE THE THICKEST AND DARKEST HOURS that ever existed. YET Jesus overcame because he literally is the Light of the World. In John 8:12 it says, “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." He also said in John 2:19, "All right, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Jesus is saying that if we believe in him for who he claims to be and what his message is we will overcome the darkness because he has already overcome for us. He carried your and my sin because he loves us and he rose from the dead because he is literally LIFE, and darkness cannot overtake him! Therefore, if he is in us he will light us up and there cannot be any darkness in us. If we die, he will raise us to eternal life. Today, there is no reason to be ashamed of Jesus Christ or to run or hide from Jesus, but only surrender our lives to him, celebrate, talk about, give thanks to and praise him!

Today is the day after Christmas. Just like yesterday, it is one day of an every day celebration of this truth for those who have surrendered their all to Jesus Christ. The daily celebration is that the real darkness (sin) in the world and in human hearts has been PIERCED, and now there is the wonderful opportunity for the replacement of human sin and depravity for Jesus’ light and righteousness! Just imagine, little baby Jesus came into the world on that dark night, but a bright light was above him announcing his location! King Herod was full of darkness and wanted to kill baby Jesus so he ordered all 2yr old boys and younger to be killed, but baby Jesus escaped because God had a bigger plan! And the day after his birth and all through Jesus’ life he was surrounded by darkness yet his light pierced the sickness of humanity and unhealthy spirituality at all levels.

As we are becoming more and more sanctified each day until that resurrection hour he will faithfully continues to shine in us, and it will get brighter and brighter in the places where he lives. He lives in us Not because of who we are but because of who he is. Jesus said, in John 17:26, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

The Death Blow of Christ on the cross was indeed awesome and the Devil thought HE had won. The disciples were scattered and the sorrow was GREAT. And even their hope was waning, but TRUTH is thicker than blood because God the Father was watching. The darkness in Jesus tomb that day was pierced and his light became available to all of us. Today God is still watching, and waiting for anyone, no matter their nationality, their religion, their gender identity, their economic status, no matter, to respond to his call: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Merry Christmas to you on the day after Christmas! And may the Light of Life, who is Jesus Christ, pierce the darkness in you and me and the world in 2010.

2009-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART XII

“GLOBAL WARMING”- JUSTIFICATION for GLOBALIZATION vs. A SIGN OF LAST DAYS BIRTH PANGS

Mark 13:8, "For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”

There is no doubt the earth is changing right before our very eyes. Everyone is noticing the temperature changes, the hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, prevalence of disease, shortage of food, droughts, and now news sources are reporting that the Euphrates River is beginning to dry up which is spoken about in (Revelation 16:12)! But even these signs are being dismissed as evidences of the times that Jesus warned about in Matthew 24. In any case, both believers and non-believers are expressing there minds to explain why it is all happening. In these explanations, there are differences to be discerned. The difference of the minds is perspective and whether or not the person believes in truth determines if the analysis is trustworthy. For example, Al Gore has an unbiblical understanding of the signs of the times and his analysis is being received and believed in the world over. His unbiblical proposals to remedy the problem are bringing about globalization as seen in bills such as the CAP and TRADE government mandated environmental policy. But what does scripture say?

Romans 8:19, “All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are.”

Before we go on, let’s dig deeper into this verse. Do you remember when Moses and Aaron were before Pharaoh in Exodus 7? Pharaoh was going to ask them for a miracle and God prepared Moses beforehand and said, “Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” And so it did. To us, that is definitely a miracle for the Glory of God, but was it to God’s glory in Pharaoh’s heart? His wise men and sorcerers did the same thing with their staffs which in Pharaoh’s eyes, (the world’s eyes), was good enough reason to dismiss the real message Moses was relaying for God. Everyone knows that Pharaoh’s snakes were swallowed up by Aaron’s…even Pharaoh. So why didn’t Pharaoh humble himself? I bring this up because it is possible for two people to be looking at the same sign or miracle and see it totally different because their hearts are different. One sees through the eyes and heart of faith and humility before Christ while the other sees through the eyes and heart of unbelief and pride before themselves! When the last day’s birth pangs of scripture begin to get stronger and more powerful - even causing ‘men’s hearts to fail them for fear of what is coming upon the earth’ (Luke 21:26) - what is the child of God to do? We are to keep looking in faith with a contrite heart unto Christ alone! Keep in mind that God turned the staff into a snake for one ultimate reason: That is to free his children from slavery. Think of that verse in Romans 8:19 again: All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are! This verse is the bottom line of EVERYTHING! Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection; Lazarus’ resurrection, ALL the miracles of Jesus; ALL the miracles of the old testament, ALL the eclipses, ALL CREATION, EVERYTHING has been set in motion for the ultimate purpose of revealing who God’s true children are. They are those who have been freed by the blood of Christ from the slavery of sin and death. Read Psalm 91 and believe! God will protect you when the birth pangs rail upon the world for the Glory of God. All the miracles ahead both genuine and counterfeit, and all the birth pangs will be discerned by the child of God through the eyes and hearts of faith and humility.

With this in mind, there are others who are revealing the signs of the times through the understanding of scripture. One man in particular is Bill Koenig. Mr. Koenig, is an author and a white house correspondent who reports the news through the lens of scripture. His inside connections/access to the political realm as well as world leaders coupled with his understanding of the scriptures is helping the church and world to see that not honoring the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding the land of Israel is a serious matter. His website is www.watch.org and his book titled: Eye to Eye- Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel is a compiling of actual natural, economical and political events that have occurred on the same day or within 24 hours after Israel received direct pressure to divide her land. In fact, according to his research the following have a great deal in common:

•9 of the 10 costliest insurance events in U.S. history,
•6 of the 7 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history,
•3 of the 4 largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history,
•9 of the 10 top natural disasters in U.S. history ranked by FEMA relief costs, and the
•2 largest terrorism events in U.S. history

All these events occurred the same day or 24 hours after the U.S. government applied:

1.Pressure on Israel to trade her land for promises of “peace and security,”
2.Sponsoring major “land for peace” meetings,
3.Making major public statements pertaining to Israel’s covenant land and/or
4.Calling for a “Palestinian State”.

Reading Mr. Koenig’s book will challenge you by asking the question: Is this all a coincidence or should we begin to believe that God is actively involved in the affairs of Israel and the land He gave them. Are there serious consequences for those who divide the land of Israel? Consider Zechariah 12:9- And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” If the nations continue to pressure Israel in these ways I believe we will continue to see serious consequences befall the nations. God has spoken regarding the issue.

2009-10-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART XI

In light of the previous post, consider the following historical events and signs in the heavens that have fallen consistently on God’s appointed feasts.

•The Lunar and Solar Eclipses connected to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ:

1.Feast of Passover 4/3/33 Partial Lunar Eclipse Saros Series 71

The Bible specifically says the sun was darkened between noon and 3:00pm the day Jesus hung and died on the cross. Yet it is interesting to note that even though NASA does not record any solar eclipse occurring on 4/3/33 (only 3/19/33) there are many ancient non-biblical sources that do cite a mysterious solar event occurring right around this time. One source, for example, is Phlegon Trallianus’ record in his history, Olympiades, "In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad [AD 32-33], a failure of the sun took place greater than any previously known, and night came on at the sixth hour of the day [noon], so that stars actually appeared in the sky; and a great earthquake took place in Bithynia and overthrew the greater part of Niceaea."

•The Tetrad of 1493 through 1494 was tied to the repulsion of the Jews from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition.

1.Feast of Passover 4/2/1493 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle
2.Feast of Tabernacles 9/25/1493 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle
3.Feast of Passover 3/22/1494 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle
4.Feast of Tabernacles 9/15/1494 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle

(The saros cycle for the Tetrad of 1493 through 1494 is not available on the NASA website at this time.)

•The Tetrad of 1949 through 1950 is tied to the rebirth of the nation of Israel declared May 14, 1948.

It should be noted here that even though Israel declared themselves a nation in 1948, the first permanent government took office on Jan 25, 1949. Israel had a transitional government in 1948. In this way, the tetrad can tie to the year 1949 for the first elected office of that year and the birth year still be 1948.

1.Feast of Passover 4/13/1949 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 121
2.Feast of Tabernacles 10/7/1949 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 126
3.Feast of Passover 4/2/1950 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 131
4.Feast of Tabernacles 9/26/1950 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 136

•The Tetrad of 1967 - 1968 is tied to the 6-Day War when Israel gained control of Jerusalem

1.Feast of Passover 4/24/1967 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 121
2.Feast of Tabernacles 10/18/1967 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 126
3.Feast of Passover 4/13/1968 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 131
4.Feast of Tabernacles 10/6/1968 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 136

•The Solar Eclipse pattern of 2008, 2009 and 2010
We have a solar eclipse that occurs on the 1st of Av three years in a row.

1.The 1st of Av 8/1/2008 Total Solar Eclipse Saros Cycle 126
2.The 1st of Av 7/22/2009 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 136
3.The 1st of Av 7/11/2010 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 146

It is interesting to note that in August 2008, the banking system started to collapse in the United States which in turn has led to the almost total collapse of the world banking system. This is one event among many that is setting the stage for one global currency system which will be controlled by the mark of the beast. In addition, it was on Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets on September 29, 2008 that the stock market again fell 777 points. Interesting to note is that in Jewish history and rabbinical writings, solar eclipses are seen as an event that has never bode well for the gentile nations whereas lunar eclipses have been seen as a bad omen for the Israelites.

•The Tetrad of 2014 & 2015 as well as the Solar Eclipses matching Israel’s religious & civil new year

Keep in mind that the 2014-2015 tetrad is the only one in the near future that aligns itself with the Jewish holidays. There are other recent tetrads that have occurred and future tetrads will occur as well. One tetrad occurred in 2003 – 2004 and future tetrads are found in 2032-2033, 2043-2044, 2050-2051, 2061-2062, 2072-2073, and 2090-2091. The difference between these tetrads and the 2014 - 2015 tetrad is that in 2014-2015 all the eclipses align with the Jewish holidays. The others do not. This is significant and we should take note.

1.Feast of Passover 4/15/2014 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 122
2.Feast of Tabernacles 10/8/2014 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 127
3.The 1st of Nissan 3/20/2015 Total Solar Eclipse Saros Cycle 120
4.Feast of Passover 4/4/2015 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 132
5.The 1st of Tishri 9/13/2015 Partial Solar Eclipse Saros Cycle 125
6.Feast of Tabernacles 9/28/2015 Total Lunar Eclipse Saros Cycle 137

In addition, this tetrad does not mean that the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ at Tabernacles has to occur on Tabernacles in the year 2015. What it does suggest is that some major event will be happening that is tied to Israel just as the past tetrads on the feasts tied to Israel. The First Tetrad that landed on the feasts dealt with the scattering of the Jews. The second tetrad on the feasts dealt with the rebirth of Israel and the re-gathering, the third tetrad on the feasts dealt with the 6-Day War and the recapturing of Israel, and the fourth tetrad on the feasts will also be a major event dealing with Israel. Any one of the following events could occur: Restart of the building of the temple and the daily sacrifices for Israel, start of the Tribulation, the abomination of desolation, or beginning of the Great Tribulation (last 3.5 years). We can not say for sure, but one thing we can say is that the signs are revealing that the season to prepare and watch is here! We know that soon there will be a rapture of the church, the coming of the Anti-Christ and False Prophet, the beginning of the Day of the Lord (tribulation), the rebuilding of the third Jewish Temple, and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! Let’s watch and live as children of the day and as wise virgins!

Summing things up, it is obvious that significant events occur when the sun and moon eclipse on the Feasts of the Lord. We should not dismiss these occurrences as mere coincidence or meaningless, but rather fulfillments of the testimonies of the Prophets of God (Joel 2:10, Joel 2:31, Amos 5:20, Amos 8:9, Zephaniah 1:15, Amos 5:8 etc.) as well as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s testimony who warned that the sun would be darkened and the moon would turn blood red before the Day of the Lord and his second advent (Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12, Revelation 8:12, etc.). We should also keep in mind that this is not date setting, but rather watching and knowing God’s time table and season of the Lord’s return. Jesus said to the religious leaders of his time in Luke 12:56, "You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?” And in Matthew 6:13, "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” I can understand how disheartening it would be to have laid out the plan so that your people could be ready only to have them dismiss or neglect it for whatever reason. We are to be wise virgins and not foolish virgins, preparing ourselves to be in the presence of the Lord.

2009-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART X

DEFINING:

•Passover = The Hebrew feast day commemorating the sacrificial lamb in Exodus where the Angel of Death passed over Israel while the firstborn in Egypt were slain. It also is the same day the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lamb sacrifice for our sins, was crucified.
•Tishri = Tishri is the seventh month of the religious year for Israel and the first month of the civil year for Israel. This month holds the feasts of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Tabernacles (also known as Sukkoth).
•Rosh Hashanah = This is a two day feast occurring on Tishri 1 and Tishri 2 of the Hebrew calendar. This is also called the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. It is very possible that this feast day is tied to the rapture of the Christian church prior to the start of the tribulation because the Feast of Trumpets also signifies the Day of the Lord.
•Yom Kippur = This is known as the Day of Atonement. It is considered to be one of the most important of Jewish holidays of the year. It is a day set aside to atone for the sins of the past year. It occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. It is found in Leviticus 23:26-32.
•Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles) = The feast of Sukkoth begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day of Yom Kippur. It is a joyous feast day while Yom Kippur is one of the most solemn of feast days. Sukkoth is a feast day with a festival atmosphere. It marks a season of rejoicing. Sukkoth means booths and refers to temporary dwelling places the Jews gather into during this holiday. Most Christian scholars believe the feast of Sukkoth is the feast for the 2nd Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ when he returns with his saints on white horses at Armageddon.
•Tetrad = When four consecutive lunar eclipses are all total eclipses, the group is known as a tetrad.
•Saros Cycle = The saros cycle is an eclipse cycle with a period of about 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours (approximately 65851/3 days) that can be used to predict eclipses of the sun and moon. One cycle after an eclipse, the sun and moon return to approximately the same relative geometry, and a nearly identical eclipse will occur west of the original location. (As you study, you will see that the saros cycle appears to be very connected to the biblical calendar and God’s MOEDS. Approximately every 50 years, God may be marching month by month on the biblical calendar to reveal his sovereignty in his plan of redemption and his faithfulness in keeping covenants by proclaiming through his lights (sun and moon).
•Nissan = The first month of the Jewish religious year that occurs in the spring time. Passover occurs on the 15th day of this month.
•Av = Av is the fifth month of the Hebrew Calendar and means ‘Father’. It is a time of mourning for the Jews. There are two festivals that are in Av and they occur on the 9th and 15th of Av. On the 9th of Av is Tisha B'av which is a sad day when Jews fast. Take a look at all the events that have occurred on the 9th of Av throughout Jewish History:
o1312 BCE - The generation of Jews who came out of Egypt under Moses' leadership 16 months earlier were condemned to die in the desert and the entry into the Land of Israel was delayed for 40 years. As related in Numbers 14, when the 10 of 12 spies that Moses sent to the Land of Canaan returned with their disheartening report, the people wept all night -- the night of Av 9th -- proclaiming that they'd rather return to Egypt than attempt to conquer and settle it. Basically, these 10 spies were slanderous of God’s word and his promise to go before them, fight for them, and deliver the land into their hands. Therefore, God decreed that the entire generation would wander in the desert for 40 years until that last of them died out, and that their children under the leadership of Joshua will enter the land he promised as Israel's heritage. Consequently, the 9th of Av has been a cursed day throughout Jewish history.
o586 BCE - The 1st temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (100,000 Jews died/Millions exiled)
o70 CE - The 2nd temple was destroyed by General Titus (2 million Jews died/1 Million exiled)
o135 CE - The Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by the Emperor Hadrian (100,000 Jews were slaughtered)
o136 CE - General Turnus Rufus leveled Jerusalem, rebuilt it as a pagan city to be called Aelia Capitolina, and forbade Jews to enter.
o1095 CE - Pope Urban declared the 1st Crusade (thousands of Jews died/many communities obliterated)
o1290 CE – Expulsion from England, the Jews of England were expelled by King Edward I
o1492 CE - Spanish Inquisition & the expulsion of Jews from Spain
o1914 CE - WWI started, stemming the resentment for the Holocaust
o1935 CE - Hitler enacted a law that propelled the nation toward the infamous Nuremberg Laws of the Holocaust
o1943 CE - The beginnings of the deportation of the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka
oFuture - It is very possible that abomination of desolation could fall on this day as well

Even though God has allowed so many difficult things to occur on this fast day of the fifth month, he has also promised to restore joy and gladness to it proving his faithfulness yet again.

Zechariah 8:19, “Thus says the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.”

2009-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART IX

God’s Calendar, the Feasts of the Lord, and Signs in the Heavens

There are four major types of calendars used today: 1. Linear (260-day count cycles used by Mayan, Aztecan, Guatemalan Highlands); 2. Solar calendars which are synchronized only for the tropical year or equinoxes of the sun (used by Gregorian and based on the Julian calendar derived from the Old Style Roman calendar); 3. Lunar calendars, based only on the lunar phases and does not synchronize on the tropical year (used by Islam); and 4. Lunisolar calendars which coordinate all three astronomical phenomena (used by Hebrew, Chinese, India). Lunisolar calendars take into account the rotation of the earth on its axis which = 1 day; the revolution of the moon around the earth which = 1 month; and the revolution of the earth around the sun which = 1 year. Within these 4 types of calendars there are upwards of 40 different calendars still in use today by various people groups. The most widely used is the Gregorian calendar which was put into effect on Oct 15, 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII after neglect of the Julian calendar that added to already known inaccuracies. Yet, even though people are tracking time and seasons on their calendar systems, God is also tracking time and seasons on his which we can see was established in the very beginning! Consider Genesis 1:14, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for SIGNS, and for seasons, and for days, and years,” and Psalm 97:6, “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”

Realizing this, the word “SIGN” in Hebrew is the word “Owth”, which in context means the sense of appearing (as a signal yet to come that is both figurative and literal) as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence; mark, or miracle sign, and token. God commanded Israel to follow The Feasts of the Lord for a reason. As we become more familiar with the Hebrew Calendar, we see that there are months and days that the Feasts of the Lord fall that connect to these signs in the heavens. In addition, as we become familiar with the Old Testament and the significant events of Jewish history, we realize how God may be working consistently to fulfill his plans according to his MOEDS / APPOINTMENTS or FEASTS. Remember the Feasts are the Lord’s, not some stuff that Israel came up with to do just for the sake of doing! And we, the Bride of Christ (both Jew and Gentile in Christ) are to be aware of and follow God and his customs, statutes, laws, precepts, feasts, fasts for the sheer purpose of delighting and loving Him and preparing our hearts for his second coming. This is a big deal! So much so that we should take note of what the Anti-Christ seeks to do in the future in Daniel 7:25, “And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws.” Remember, “Moed” means a fixed time or season and the Anti-Christ realizes that if the saints begin to function on God’s calendar and are aware of His appointed times revealed by the Feasts, it puts the Most High’s saints in “the know” and prepared for his second coming. In addition, God has proclaimed that the lights (sun and moon) of Genesis 1:14 will be the beacons that his second coming is very near. Acts 2:20, “THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.

2009-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION- PART VIII

The Feasts of the Lord

The word “Feast” in Hebrew has nothing to do with food as it does in English! How far off we are if we think that the Feasts of the Lord are only about getting together to eat! On the contrary, they were established as symbols of the greater realities of heaven that are yet to come just as were all the other customs and practices of the Jewish people that God commanded them to do. According to Psalm 89:15, I have been blessed in my inner spirit with an intimacy with the Lord as I keep seeking to understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings symbolized by the Feasts of the Lord. Consider Psalm 89:15 which is referencing the Feasts of the Lord. It says, “Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the people who know the joyful sound [who understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings symbolized by the feasts]; they walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance!” In this one verse there is a blessing waiting all those who seek understanding, and the blessing is learning more about loving God. Another verse to know is Leviticus 23:2. It says, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them. The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim, holy convocations, even these are my appointed feasts.” There is a wealth of knowledge in this verse too when looked at through the Hebrew context. The underlined words are to be taken notice of in the Hebrew to develop a right understanding of this verse. The word “Feast” in Hebrew = “Moed” and means an appointment or a fixed time or season; also a signal (as appointed beforehand) or an appointment as in a (sign or a time). “Convocation” in Hebrew = “Migra” and means that something is called out as in a public meeting or a rehearsal. “Proclaim” in Hebrew = “Qara” which means the idea of accosting a person who is met; it is to call out or to address by name, them that are bidden, invited, mentioned, published or read. Therefore, taking these words in context helps us see how and why the Spring Feasts were the dress rehearsals of Jesus’ First Coming to the very day, hour and even minute! In his faithfulness, God wanted his people to be prepared for the Messiah’s coming so he had them rehearse the Feasts every year for centuries to help prepare them to recognize Jesus’ literal fulfillment and symbolism behind them. It is interesting however to think how so many could miss seeing Jesus as Messiah after all his faithful and compassionate ministering? It makes one think: How did those who were waiting for Jesus at the gates of Jerusalem proclaiming Him as the Messiah and shouting “Hosanna in the Highest!” as He rode in on the donkey know it was him while so many others didn’t? Were these people blessed according to Psalm 89:15! Maybe they knew the joyful sound and were PROCLAIMING in the truest sense of the word! So, let’s look, it was on Passover that Yeshua died, the Feast of Unleavened Bread that Yeshua was in the grave, the Feasts of First Fruits that Yeshua rose from the grave, and the Feast of Pentecost that the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) was poured out just as Jesus said. What is fascinating is that in the Feasts of the Lord we begin to see that our God isn’t hiding himself from us in any way. Rather he has revealed and laid out his plan of salvation and redemption for all mankind in a very APPOINTED and SCHEDULED way. He has a calendar and an agenda that he follows faithfully and he is beckoning his children to get back on his calendar system and not the world’s calendar system. Let’s look at the Fall Feasts. In the same way, the Fall Feasts are the dress rehearsals for Jesus second coming to the very day. On a Feast of Yom Teruah (Trumpets) some time in the future, Jacob’s Trouble will begin. On a Feast of Yom Kippur some time in the future, Israel will call upon Messiah and their blindness will be removed. And on a Feast of Tabernacles some time in the future, Yeshua’s millennial reign on earth will begin. There is much more, but I pray you will cultivate the desire to learn about the feasts of the Lord and get the blessing in your personal relationship with Jesus as well as an unbreakable assurance that is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6.

2009-10-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION- PART VII

THE BLESSINGS OF A HEBRAIC MINDSET ARE UNDERSTANDING

Knowing the True Meaning of Words

One way to experience the rich heritage of our faith is by learning the real and powerful meaning of words. Words have meaning and it is in the Hebrew language that God has chosen to reveal so much about Himself. For example, why might you call Jesus, Yeshua? Often you hear Jesus called "Yeshua" or "Yeshua Ha’Mashiach" because ‘Messiah’ in Hebrew = Ha’Mashiach. This is the actual name His mother gave Him and this is because Mary heard and obeyed the message given to her in a dream of what to name Him. Angels also came to both Mary (Luke 1:31) and her future husband Joseph (Matt 1:21) and told them what to call this coming child. The only reason we know Jesus’ name to mean ‘salvation’ is because ‘Yeshua’ in Hebrew actually means salvation. So, the people in Israel who knew him when he walked the earth called him "Yeshua." Should we hear and obey the same instruction? You can visit Living Word Pictures at http://www.livingwordpictures.com/ to learn more about the real meaning of the words in our faith.

2009-10-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION- PART VI

UNDERTSANDING THE HEBRAIC ROOTS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

Hebraic Roots of Christianity

It is important to remember that Christianity was born out of a mindset that was Hebraic in nature and not in a Greek mindset like most of the Church functions in today. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose to walk among us as a Jew for a reason, and it would be good for us to think more about this. I continue to learn a great deal about God and his ways and am blessed as I search out the scriptures in the Hebraic mindset. The person we call Messiah, Lord, Savior, and who we desire to intimately know was Jewish! He honored the traditions, customs and culture of the Jewish people because his Father chose them to reveal to the world his ways and his Holy Word. It is also important to remember that the early church in the book of Acts was functioning in the Hebraic mindset naturally and innocently. It is not as if they were interpreting scripture and then by their own understanding creating their own theologies of living out the scriptures. The reason is they had just witnessed Yeshua (the Word of God in the flesh) demonstrate what the pure “Christian” faith looks like through the power of the Holy Spirit, miracles, and all! Maybe instead of “Christian” we should say as Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul did that we are really BORN AGAIN and followers of THE WAY OF CHRIST: John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Acts 24:14, “But I'll admit to you that I am a follower of The Way [of Christ], which they call a sect. This means that I serve our ancestors' God and believe everything written in Moses' Teachings and the Prophets.” Unlike the church today, the early church had no Constantine, Calvin, Luther, Pentecostal, Methodist, Catholic, Greek or Reformation type influences to deal with. They had Jesus and Jesus only, and they believed in him like little children believe in their father. They were pure in faith and it just happened to be in a Hebrew frame of mind. Moving along, is it then a paradox that there is neither Jew nor Gentile in the Bride of Messiah even though God chose to be Jewish? Or is it majesty at its finest? In the same light, is not marriage between a man and a woman majestic and a mystery at the same time? Even though we may not know and completely understand the mystery and majesty of “Jew and Gentile” as “One New Man in Messiah” (spoken of in Ephesians 3) or the “Beauty and Mystery of Marriage as Man and Woman in Messiah” we will still experience the blessing as we remain faithful to God who is sovereign and leads us by the person of the Holy Spirit. For God is in the business of uniting all that he has claimed as his even when it seems impossible!

With all of that in our minds, growing in these things is a result of seeking and studying truth, and the Hebraic Roots movement has a key element to restore the lost Hebraic nature of our faith into scripture. For the Christian, this means becoming aware of and getting back into the Jewish roots of their faith by living holy lives and becoming set apart. The Most High gave an eternal style to our ancient faith that would be unmistakable in the world as belonging to him. His people are to be his own and be a chosen people, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. One of the worst things that could happen to the people of Adonai is to assimilate into the world's fashion; to think like the world thinks and to follow the world's lead. One of the main purposes of the Bride of Christ is to lead the world to worship and obey the Almighty. This demands that we stop taking in and digesting what the world is feeding and what our flesh craves. We must reflect the ancient ways he gave us or else how can we show that we have something different and better to offer the world? Read what King David said in Psalm 119 which is speaking of Moses Teachings, the Torah, the law that Jesus Christ fulfilled and delighted in! May we hunger and thirst for God’s instruction, precepts, statutes, commands and principles in the same way and become set a part.

We should not be shocked as we see Christianity die in America and so many people being deceived and led astray from God. Leaders in the churches who are moving further and further away from Christianity’s original Hebrew roots and Spirit are not putting a proper emphasis on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the prevalence of living in sin and how to deal with it, the nation of Israel and the Church, prophecy, and living by the power of the Holy Spirit. These subjects in and of themselves are sensitive, divisive, offensive, truly convicting, or deemed unknowable because they demand a surrender of the will through childlike faith. These subjects are definitely not ecumenical or politically correct in nature. Rather they are very narrow and not flexible as they should be. Living in the purity of the faith is challenging and requires a conforming or circumcision of the heart to God’s ways. Thank the Lord that his love is unconditional, and equally, thank the Lord that living in Holy Spirit Power is a result of living conditionally in obedience to Christ. Unfortunately, many so called “Christian” movements and authors are popping up all the time who are far from the purity of the faith. For example, at Olive Tree Ministries with Jan Markell, research the Emergent Church, the Church Growth Movement, the Ecumenical Church, the Contemplative Prayer Church, the Replacement Theology Church as well as how eastern religious practices have found there way into the churches of America. When all is said and done, how are these evolving “churches” as well as their practices reflecting the heart and mind of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach who is The Way we are to follow, The Truth we are to believe, and The Life we are to humbly receive (Psalm 119:30, John 14:6, John 1:4, John 1:14, John 10:9, John 11:25, Romans 5:2, Ephesians 2:18, Hebrews 10:20, 1 John 5:20)? Are the people coming to church looking for the answer to their LIFE getting the answer they really need? Jesus modeled what we are to do in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. One question we must ask ourselves as members of the Bride of Christ in this day and age of change is: Do we want to conform to what the world’s idea of “Christ likeness” should be and our own idea for that matter only to be swallowed up by the one world religion? Or should we embrace our real Hebraic roots where there is the rich heritage and reflection of the heart of God, where Jesus himself chose to demonstrate his ministry and where the true context of scripture is revealed? Summing this up, there is only one seeker who requires our sensitivity. (John 3:16, 1 John 4:9, 1 John 4:19, 1 John 5:11, 1 John 4:10, Luke 19:10, Romans 5:8, Romans 5:10, Romans 3:10-12).

2009-10-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION- PART V

When God Gets the Glory We Are Blessed

Most everyone knows that ice cream should be eaten when it is frozen and not melted! I don’t think anyone would prefer to eat ice cream that is melted in the bowl and luke warm. Frozen and ice cold is the best. Otherwise there is no point. I know this is a funny analogy to make a point, but as a result of experiencing ice cream correctly, on a regular basis, it is a hot item in the aisle of every grocery store. Another way to put that is, ice cream gets the glory in at least one aisle of every grocery store in the world, and it is restocked every night! You are blessed when ice cream is delivered properly and eaten when its frozen and ice cold. As a result, you keep going back to it not only because it tastes good but because it is eaten correctly! With that said, think about these verses: Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: BLESSED is the man that trusts in him.” Psalm 119:103, “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” Job 23:12, “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” These are verses of life! I believe that if the Bride of Christ begins to taste the Lord correctly and begins to eat the word of the Lord properly and depends on the words of the Lord more then her necessary food, the real BLESSING will come. That BLESSING is, God will be truly glorified and the masses will want more of him! People will desire that the shelves of their hearts be restocked every day with the Good Word and a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ! A true blessing from the Lord is one that ultimately settles in your heart and brings God glory in your life. The blessing to you is that God is praised and proclaimed above all else and you are satisfied with that, and all the while you are becoming truly healthy and full of the Holy Spirit’s power. When scripture is understood and taught correctly it can be digested and benefited from. Just like when food is prepared and cooked correctly, it can be digested and its nutrition brought out. Following the rationale of these points, what do you think will happen to the world when man and woman become one in marriage as God intends…according to scripture? Or what will happen to this world when Jew and Gentile become one in Christ as God intends…according to scripture? There will be an incredible glory of God that is revealed and a blessing that overflows from our lives. So much so that an attractiveness and sweetness of God will be revealed that will unite those things that are divided in us and among us.

God is inviting those who would come to enjoy the fruit of fellowship, worship and giving through ministries that manifest the truth of scripture. Two ministries in particular that will produce in you a blessing that gives God glory are Paul Wilbur’s Music Ministry and Joel Rosenberg’s The Joshua Fund. Both of these ministries have the heart of God beating loudly through them and are blessing Israel and the Church in many ways. They are ministries that are uniting the Bride of Christ powerfully. If you experience these ministries and those like them, you will taste and see that the Lord is truly good!

2009-10-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART IV

Israel & Oil: How Might God Provide in the Last Days

Gen 49:1, “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” Gen 49:2, “Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.” Gen 49:20, “Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.” Gen 49:22, “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall.” Gen 49:25, “Even by the G-d of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lie under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.” Gen 49:26, “The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” Gen 49:28, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spoke unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.”

God has promised that in the last days he would pour out blessings on the nation of Israel from the heavens above and the blessing of the deep. There are currently many oil drilling companies in Israel and significant and recent finding of petroleum have been found off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean. In addition, one oil company in particular called Zion Oil and Gas appears to be poised and ready to find more blessings of the deep that could sustain Israel and those who bless her in the meager times ahead. It is not surprising that God is going to provide for Israel, his Church, and even show kindness to those who don’t believe. He did it through Joseph during the seven-year famine (Genesis 41:54), and He will also do it through Israel (Gen 22:18, Gen 12:3, Gen 18:18, Acts 3:25, Gal 3:8, Zech 8:13) in the years to come. Please visit http://www.zionoil.com/blessings and consider investing in Israel’s and your future!

2009-10-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART III

Israel, Iran, the Islamic Threat and Religion

The current and coming issues falling on the world are rooted in spiritual warfare, and it is bigger than all of us and all the world leaders trying to explain and rationalize the problems. World leaders will continue to go in circles without adopting a biblical understanding of the issues. By the time you read this in 2010, things could be very different then they are today. Today, the news headlines are heavily focused on Iran and the issue of their acquiring nuclear capabilities, and it is a very serious issue because words have meaning. It is more than evident that the leadership of Iran is truly bent on destroying Israel due to hatred toward them and beliefs regarding the ushering in the 12th Imam. According to Shi'ite Muslim teaching, Abul-Qassem Mohammad, the 12th leader whom Shi'ites consider descended from the Prophet Mohammed, disappeared in 941 but will return at the end of time to lead an era of Islamic justice. This return of the 12 Imam in Ahmadinejad’s mind is to be initiated by creating chaos on earth by destroying Israel and the USA. Given Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s consistent and hateful quotes toward Israel in recent years in addition to their pursuit of nuclear weapons, is there any doubt that this threat will be ignored by Israel? We can see the real possibility of Israel being forced to strike Iran preemptively in order to destroy their nuclear facilities without international support. If Israel moves alone, this will increase international condemnation against Israel as well as the Bride of Christ. How or when Israel will deal with Iran is uncertain, but something will have to happen very soon. The motive before Israel will be to protect its own national security no matter how unpopular that might be.

On a world religion note, Islam, Judaism and Christianity are the only monotheistic (claiming ONE God for all) religions and thus are the three most influential religions in the world. However, all of these specifically worldly or apostate Christianity along with all other religion are one day going to mesh into the one world religion to be lead by the False Prophet for the purpose of worshipping the Anti-Christ to come (Revelation 13:11-18). The world is fast on its way to giving birth to these major characters of the end times.

2009-10-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART II

CURRENT EVENTS

The Church and Israel

Mark 14:38, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” Luke 11:34, "The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” Isaiah 5:20, “How horrible it will be for those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn what is bitter into something sweet and what is sweet into something bitter.” Romans 11:25-26, “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles [Hebr. "melo ha goyim"] has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.”

The times we live in are becoming increasingly deceiving due to the amount of information we take into our minds that is not the pure word of God. No matter how strong a Christian might be in the true faith, the possibility of being deceived is still a reality. Cases in point that distinguish the true Bride of Christ and Israel from movements leading to the Apostate Church and Babylon are Replacement Theology (belief that the “Church” has replaced Israel in God’s redemptive plan), Ecumenism (movement of promoting unity among Christian churches or denominations and promoting worldwide unity among religions through greater cooperation and improved understanding for the sake of “peace”), and Dual Covenant Theology (maintains that God’s covenant with the Jews is different than the one he gave the Gentiles and makes it unnecessary for them to receive Jesus as their Messiah to be saved. It makes this claim even though Jesus came to Israel, fulfilled Jewish Messianic prophecies, and presented Himself as Israel’s King and Redeemer.) These are examples of false theologies and movements that bare the “Christian” name and are gaining support and deceiving many leaders and members in the church today into believing that Israel has been wrongfully “occupying” the land since 1967 and preventing the “Palestinian” (who are really refugees of the 6-Day War not being allowed back into their original homelands of Jordan, Syria, Egypt, etc.) people from having a state of their own. Furthermore, actual councils like the National Council of Churches USA and World Council of Churches have been established whose position stands in protest of Israel’s rightful place in their God-given land as well as God’s sovereign purpose for them during this time in history. Go to http://www.ncccusa.org/members/index.html and http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches.html to see the denomination members of these councils. You will be surprised. These organizations as well as church leaders with like-minds are working to achieve world peace and unity through human effort and reasoning rather than humbly receiving the only true and everlasting peace that is Jesus’ peace. We must discern our Lord’s words when he said: Matthew 10:34 "Don't think that I came to bring peace to earth. I didn't come to bring peace but conflict & John 14:27 "I'm leaving you peace. I'm giving you my peace. I don't give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don't be troubled or cowardly.” Instead of trusting the sovereign plan and promises of God to Israel and the Bride of Christ, many more false doctrines are arising and chipping away at people’s ability to discern truth, be truly reverent before God, and know the will of God for our lives and the nations in these last days. It is a sobering reality that every nation will come against Israel and a great falling away from the faith will occur because people have not believed in Jesus Christ alone for salvation nor learned what the scripture speaks of regarding God’s plan for the people and nation of Israel, the Bride of Christ, and the Nations.

2009-10-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

THE HOLY LAND CONNECTION - PART I

GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB IS HONORED TODAY

The Birth of a Nation

How exciting it would be to live in the land that God owns outright and has personally given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants as an everlasting possession (Gen 12:7, Gen 13:14-15, Gen 15:18, Gen 17:8, Deut 34:4, 2 Chronicles 20:7, Psalm 105:9). It is the land that Jesus Christ himself is going to return to and rule the earth from for 1,000 years to establish his kingdom forever (Revelation 20:1-6, Psalm 2:4-9, Luke 1:32-33, Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:13-14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Zechariah 8:3, Zechariah 2:10-12 ).

We live in very exciting times and have already witnessed many events and signs that are pointing to the soon return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The most important sign in our time occurred on May 14, 1948. On this date, the declaration of the establishment of the state of Israel occurred after 2000 years of God’s chosen people being spread about the nations. This is the “Super Sign” that Jesus’ return is very near. Read what Jesus said in Mark 13:18-31 and Luke 21:28. Our generation has seen the fig tree (Israel) begin to blossom which is the fulfillment of God’s word in Ezekiel 36:24, Ezekiel 37:21 Ezekiel 34:11-13 and in Isaiah 66:8 which states, "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.”

Everything since May 14, 1948 is and will be connected to the Holy Land, Jerusalem, and even further center to the soon to be built Jewish temple described in Ezekiel 40-48. These are the places of great spiritual warfare of the past and of the future. As a result of wh

2009-05-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

To Trust = To Depend on one’s integrity. It is the same as To Have Faith in, To Believe in, and To Rely upon. It is the opposite of Doubt or to Reject.

Integrity = To be consistent in actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations and outcome. It is the opposite of Hypocrisy.

The Lord is Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is Trustworthy and Consistent in Goodness and always follows through on His promises.

Jesus said,
•"Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28
•"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
•"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." John 6:40
•"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18
•"I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,” John 11:25
•"Look, I'm standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I'll come in and we'll eat together. Revelation 3:20
•"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. John 14:23
•"Let the person who has ears listen!" Mark 4:23
•"Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. Matthew 13:16
•"You believe because you've seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me but believe." John 20:29
•"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32
•"Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!"Matthew 4:17
•"Healthy people don't need a doctor; those who are sick do. I've come to call sinners, not people who think they have God's approval." Mark 2:27
•"If God were your Father, you would love me. After all, I'm here, and I came from God. I didn't come on my own. Instead, God sent me. John 8:42
•"Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:5
•"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24
•"No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

The Bible says some things about why you need Jesus and why it is such a big deal that Jesus is inviting you to follow him and to believe in him as God, Savior, & Friend,

•"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
•"The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness and truth. John 1:14
•"This is true because Christ suffered for our sins once. He was an innocent person, but he suffered for guilty people so that he could bring you to God. His body was put to death, but he was brought to life through his spirit. 1 Peter 3:18
•"But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you could come into God's presence without sin, fault, or blame. Colossians 1:22
•"So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. Romans 8:1
•"But if God's Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature. Whoever doesn't have the Spirit of Christ doesn't belong to him. Romans 8:9
•"Don't you know that wicked people won't inherit the kingdom of God? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals, or thieves, those who are greedy or drunk, who use abusive language, or who rob people will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10
•"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
•"Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short of God's glory. Romans 3:23•"The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
•"However, everyone who believes in Jesus receives God's approval. Acts 13:39The Bible also says what you need to do to start a relationship with Jesus Christ :
•"God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we've done wrong. 1 John 1:9
•I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. Psalm 32:5
•If you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and have faith in your heart that God has made him come back from the dead, you will have salvation: Romans 10:9
•Do those things that prove you have turned to God and have changed the way you think and act. Matthew 3:8
•You see that a person receives God's approval because of what he does, not only because of what he believes. James 2:24

If you Trust in the Lord you can be secure in all things even when surrounded by death, persecution, disease! There is security for the One who puts their trust in Jesus Christ.

Psalm 91

1 Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High will remain in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." 3 He is the one who will rescue you from hunters' traps and from deadly plagues. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His truth is your shield and armor. 5 You do not need to fear terrors of the night, arrows that fly during the day, 6 plagues that roam the dark, epidemics that strike at noon. 7 They will not come near you, even though a thousand may fall dead beside you or ten thousand at your right side. 8 You only have to look with your eyes to see the punishment of wicked people. 9 You, O LORD, are my refuge! You have made the Most High your home. 10 No harm will come to you. No sickness will come near your house. 11 He will put his angels in charge of you to protect you in all your ways. 12 They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock. 13 You will step on lions and cobras. You will trample young lions and snakes. 14 Because you love me, I will rescue you. I will protect you because you know my name. 15 When you call to me, I will answer you. I will be with you when you are in trouble. I will save you and honor you. 16 I will satisfy you with a long life. I will show you how I will save you.

2009-03-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

PSALM 37:6

HE WILL MAKE YOUR INNOCENCE RADIATE LIKE THE DAWN, AND THE JUSTICE OF YOUR CAUSE WILL SHINE LIKE THE NOON DAY SUN.

I've been reading the Bible and it brings me close to my Savior. It shows me His awesome love. My Abba Father, how amazing His name is, sees beyond my sinful nature, because He has found me in Jesus Christ who is His one and only son. Nothing compares to the Goodness of God after you experience Him. When Elohim reveals Himself it is beyond words to describe, but when He does reveal His heart one realizes that there is no secure foundation before Him other then the Person of Jesus Christ. Only Jesus has what it takes to satisfy God's standard of Goodness and to make everything in our lives good, right and everlasting.

How is it that Jesus Christ is the only one who can make someone really good and eternal? So good and eternal that not even fire will be able to consume them at the judgement, nor the Accuser be able to persuade God's Justice to rightfully condemn their sin? Well, there is a blessing that comes with the answer to this question, but you will only be able to experience it when you finally put your faith into the One who defines Goodness. Believe me your effort no matter how much is required to finally receive this blessing will be worth it!

Who defines Goodness?

There is only ONE who is Good: He is

THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB!

HE IS THE LIVING GOD THREE SEPERATE PERSONS IN ONE!

HE WAS, IS, & IS TO COME!

HE BEGINS & ENDS ALL THINGS!

HE IS THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT!

HE HEARS THE CRY OF THOSE WHO HAVE GODLY SORROW AND SEEK REPENTANCE!

HE BELIEVES THAT HIS MERCY IS BETTER THEN HIS JUSTICE!

HE JUDGES ALL THINGS BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Friends, if we want to know what is really good we desperatly need to fix our eyes and hearts on Jesus Christ who is the exact representation of God the Father in a bodily form. We must talk about Jesus and get to know Jesus better through the disciplined study of scripture, and we must become more aware of and yield to the ministry of the Holy Spirit whose major purpose is to point out Jesus Christ in all things and magnify Him in this world so that God the Father will be glorified.

So when I stand before God ALONE I know I am the furthest away from innocence and being considered radiant. Basically, I'm not good in my nature. Rather, I stand there guilty because I do and think what I should never do and think, and as a result I am the Chief of Sinners. Ultimately, what this means is that I have sinned against God alone and I am guilty before Him alone.

If you are thinking, "Wow Hank! What did you do that was so bad to make you the Chief of Sinners?," you are headed down the wrong thought process. It doesn't matter what I have done to sin against God because to Him my sins and your sins are all the same in his eyes. You may be thinking, "There is no way that stealing candy carrys the same verdict as murdering your fellow man!" If you are thinking this way you are still misunderstanding the heart of God. You are not realizing that it is God who sets the standard of what is good or not good. Not people.

You see, God can not lie because that is His nature and the Bible is His heart expressed to us on paper. The Bible says that all have fallen short of God's GOODNESS, and that among men there is not one who is good. Not even one! So if you have ever told a lie, big or small, it's because you are a liar by nature which means you are not good in God's eyes. This does not mean God doesn't love you. Another example is within sexuality, if you have even lusted after another person or thing in your thoughts (doesn't have to be just in your behaviors) this means that you are an adulterer by nature, and God does not see you as good. To clear the confusion, the problem is not heterosexuality, homosexuality, bestiality, polygamy, incest etc. All people who are defined by these labels have the same problem: LUST. Whether a human being lusts in their nature after the opposite sex, the same sex, or other things the bottomline is that they are breaking God's standard of being good and instead they are commiting adultery which ultimately is idolatry. And what about anger? If you hate someone you are murdering them in your heart, and God does not see you as good. Envy? pride? selfishness? greed? gossip?....think about all the thoughts and behaviors that are born out of these things that are naturally in us. I say this with brokenness and gentleness: You are not good deep down inside and that's a hard truth to swallow, but it is indeed true.

God knows that you have nothing in yourself that is good enough to satisfy His standard of PERFECTION. He knows that it is only by His nature that your guilt and shame can ever be erased so that your nature can become innocent in order to enter eternal life. The hard truth is that the world is teeming with billions of people who are not good by nature. Even though so many sincere influential and powerful people are saying the opposite they are sincerely wrong according to the bible. Honestly, people who say that human beings are naturally good have not realized the weight of their sin before the living God nor do they realize what God's perspective of sin is and how he has chosen to deal with it. God sees all things and nothing is hidden from His eyes even the things done in secret. So how is God dealing with this sin nature problem that we have?

God has the highest expectations, and He has a hard standard that can not be avoided, ignored or changed. His standard must be met by us. His standard is:

GOODNESS/HOLINESS/RIGHTEOUSNESS or PERFECTION

You see in God's eyes it is not that we have sinned that is the real problem. The real problem is that WE ARE SINNERS BY NATURE. In a sense, sinning is what we do for a living. Who we are at the heart of hearts is the problem, and it is only His nature that can save us. The fact that we are sinful by nature is obvious by the typical response we have to the one issue that matters most: We turn our backs against God's ways because we don't want God deep down inside. We would rather be god of our own personal life, and yield to nothing other then our own desires, opinions or the "good" ideas of others rather then surrender our life to Him, the very Creator all things, so He can take Lordship of our lives. The perfect example of this is that we do everything in our own rationale to reject that Jesus Christ is the only way into heaven even when God said about Jesus, "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him" in John 3. People will kick and flail and throw temper tantrums and get very angry when faced with this absolute truth. Jesus is God in the flesh and consequently the only one whose NATURE is prestinely GOOD, HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, and PERFECT in God the Father's eyes. This is the final frontier of human pride. It will either die here by choice or thrive by choice. Either a person accepts this truth humbly or rejects this truth in pride. And the good news is that humbly receiving Jesus as your Lord through faith and grace means that God the Father will NEVER see your sinful nature. He will only see Jesus' nature on you because you believed the truth about Jesus.

Imagine wearing a red robe stained with all the sins of your lifetime and you come to realize that Jesus lived the perfect life with no sin, even in his thoughts, and then finally shed his innocent blood on the cross for you. As you realize this you begin to see what God really thinks about you even while you are yet sinning. You begin to see that God's standard of GOODNESS, HOLINESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PERFECTION, is being lived out and met by Jesus and that God's nature of LOVE, FORGIVENESS, MERCY, & GRACE is at the same time being revealed in the death of Jesus....ALL FOR YOU! Finally, you begin to grasp God's power and authority as you learn that He RESURRECTED Jesus from the dead. All this so that today you would have the opportunity to believe and replace your guilty red robe for the innocent white robe Christ is for you. Believing means confessing that you are a SINNER BY NATURE and need to be BORN AGAIN by the Spirit through repentance which is turning away from your life & nature of sin and entrusting your life to JESUS for what He has done for you.

Have you realized the magnitude of your sin before God yet? Your sin nature is so serious that God had to die for you. And He willingly did because he loves you and does not want you to be condemned to hell which was originally for Satan and his demons and all the garbage they have been spewing on humanity and their rebellion against God. If you spend time with God and seek Him with ALL your heart you will find Him! The Word of God is the Bible and He can be found there in a personal and intimate way. When you read the Bible you will begin to understand the truth about what God really thinks about your sinful nature, as well as His love for you despite that nature. God is for you not against you! He is not willing that anyone should perish but that all would come into eternal life through Jesus Christ. But when you finally see the truth of who you are before God you will correctly turn your head away from Him and cry out like the prophet Isaiah:

"I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,The whole earth is full of His glory.”4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said,“Woe is me, for I am ruined!Because I am a man of unclean lips,And I live among a people of unclean lips;For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:1-5

Isaiah saw and heard the Holiness of God and his first inclination was WOE IS ME and this is the right response. What happened next basically reveals who God is. How loving and kind he is to Isaiah!

I sincerely hope you will experience brokenness and a healthy fear before the living God. It is the right road to begin walking on. I hope you will tremble before God because that is what you need. It is what I need. We all need to begin to fear God in reverance. We need to see God in his rightful Character and we desperatly need to realize again or for the first time, who we really are compared to Him. This is the only way to grow properly in faith and into His Image and to experience Psalm 37:6

He will do the unbelievable and unexpected in your life when you finally see who you are before God! Yes, He will lift your head with his powerful and mighty hands and gently whisper to you, "Have you considered my son Jesus?" The one true God will love you instead of judge you in His MERCY! Abba Father, the Creator of your soul, body, personality, has a Daddy's heart! Run to Him with your childlike heart and be healed.

God Bless YOU!

2009-03-07T08:45:00.001-08:00

They laughed at Noah, yet they did not believe in the pending Judgement and scoffed at repentance and they continued in their violence, immorality, witchcraft, rebellion and wickedness....full of pride.

Dear family and friends,

The following is a letter written by Pastor David Wilkerson, founder of Teen Challenge, World Challenge, Times Square Church in New York City and many other ministries on Thursday 3/5/09. He sent this letter out to everyone on his email list.

I’ve been personally listening and following Pastor Wilkerson for a number of years and I trust him whole heartedly as a man of God full of the Holy Spirit.

Please be prayerful about what God would have you to do during the coming days and months and forward this on to your loved ones as you feel lead.

There is no doubt in my mind that things of this nature, things we have never seen before, are going to be coming upon the earth. Jesus has warned us faithfully throughout the Word of God. In the Gospels and in Revelation it is clear, and the Holy Spirit through many like Peter has warned in 2 Peter and the book of Daniel and Ezekial, Psalms, Micah, Joel, Zacheriah, Isaiah and all over the Word of God.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT YOUR ARE READING THE BIBLE YOURSELF AND SEEKING GODS FACE

God Bless you as you spend time in the word of God as it contains the promises of God to you if you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and received him as Lord of your life.

If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior please read the book of John in the Gospels and cry out to God to open your eyes to and to make you born again.

God loves you tremendously and will protect you.

Tuck this away in your hearts: PSALM 91,

With Love,

Hank

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE—EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.

The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).

In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment—just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.

WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. Lay in store a thirty-day supply of food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven—his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).

I will say to my soul: No need to run…no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take—trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.

Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.

God bless and keep you.
In Christ,
DAVID WILKERSON
DW:bbm 3-05-09

2009-01-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

A Prayer for Those Who Want God but Don't Know What to Say

Dear Lord Jesus,

You are Wonderful and have proven yourself Faithfull over and over again. Your life, and death and resurrection prove that your love is undeniable and available to all who seek it and ask for you to forgive them. You have done so many awesome and generous things for us and your Word is so true and revealing of your pure heart to save the lost and heal the sick and lame. But this world is blinding us to your pure light because our eyes and hearts are not fixed on you and we will to do our own thing moment by moment and do not acknowledge you or wait for you. Our eyes have not rested on You alone long enough to start to see who you really are. We can not see. Please forgive us for our insistent hearts to continue in our idolatry. We love our phones, tv shows, shoes, sleep, blogging, cars, money, looks, food, internet, beer, sex, power, position, achievements, our selves, and our casual hearts tread carelessly over You: The Savior! as we neglect your Holy Word: the Bible. You are Holy and you said that it is not the healthy who need a doctor but those who are sick, and I need your help to show me where I am sick. I know I have been running in this life in the opposite direction of where you stand. My life shows evidence that I am not alive in your Holy Spirit and Truth, but on the contrary that I am living for myself, my family, my job, my dreams. I am completely incomplete without you. I confess that I am not yours and that I have not laid down my life before you in humility and faith. I confess you are not my Lord and that I have made myself the god of my life. I have not yielded my will to your way and I am going down the wrong path. Jesus, please convict me of my sins and clean me from the core of my being outward until I am completely yours. Forgive me of my sin nature, my wrong thoughts, and actions, my pride, anger, gossip, selfishness, rebellious heart, sexual sins, pride. I have been blinded and have not realized how my actions all these years have wounded you. You went to that cross to save me from your Father's anger towards my sin and His Justice towards my unrighteousness. I believe you are the One man in all history who lived a perfect life before your Father. I believe you lived the life I could never live, but had to live in order to be saved. So I rest my trust on you alone. I believe you died the death I could never have avoided, so that I would never have to be apart from you. I believe you were raised back to life after you died, so that my soul could also be resurrected into your life. Please walk with me from this moment on and guide me by your Spirit as I read the Bible. Please come into my life and be my Lord and Savior forever. Thank you for your Mercy that has changed me and will meet me every morning. Thank you for being kind to me by dieing on that cross even though I don't deserve it. I love you Jesus. Glory be to your name all the days of my life!

2009-01-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Why is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven?

This question may be the most important of a lifetime. The answer is more simple then we think.

Let me first say that getting to heaven is not the ultimate purpose of our lives. The purpose of our lives, OUR - meaning all people everywhere, is to first come to know and put our complete trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ alone, who is God's one and only Son. Then it is to live life according to His will in a personal relationship with Him that is motivated by Love for Him.

The Bible states that it is impossible to please God without faith, and real faith requires that we depend on Jesus Christ 100% and believe all that the Bible speaks about Him....

... Jesus lived a life that was sinless. He did not sin even once. In thought he was perfect and in deed he was perfect. Therefore in His Father's Just eyes Jesus was the only one whose life could qualify as an atoning sacrifice for not only the sins you have committed but the sin that you are. God doesn't aim for perfection He demands it and the truth is that not one of us is perfect. We are all sinful by nature and therefore guilty of breaking God's law. God has said that the wages of sin is death. The only way to be - not guilty - before God on judgement day and to escape the verdict of eternal death is to do something right now: Accept God's choice provision for you that will make you live! God chose to save you even while your back has been turned against him because He is Loving and Merciful. He does not want you to spend eternity apart from Him. To put your trust in God the Father's ONE AND ONLY Son means that you are depending on Christ to save you from God's Justice. You are, by faith, depending on Christ's perfect life that you could never live to mke you perfect. God would not be Good or Just if he looked over your sin. But He is Good and Just so He never will. He will either look at you as righteous or wicked. If you have genuine faith in Christ your life will demonstrate that through repentance and God will see you as righteous. If you deny Christ your life will demonstrate that through unrepentance and he will see you as wicked.

Jesus is the only way to heaven because in God the Father's just eyes no man that has ever lived or will live is perfect except Him and no one can make you perfect except Christ.

And don't forget......Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive. Death could not contain Him because He is the spiritual LIFE we are desperately looking for and need. HE IS LIFE! Now we are souls living in temporary bodies and in a material world, but soon our souls will be in eternal bodies in the spiritual world. But not all of us will spend eternity in the same place. Please listen to the 6 audio clips on the sidebar to develop a correct understanding of what it means to have Faith in Jesus Christ.

God Bless You!

A side note,

We live in very dangerous and deceptive times! People are popping up who are misinterpreting the Word of God and teaching lies about Jesus Christ, and about what is and isn't sinful. The bible must be read and interpreted in context to itself. It must be accepted in whole not in part. It does not contradict itself and is very clear about who Jesus is, what sin is and what the consequence of sin will be. I'm asking you to be careful when listening to someone talk about what the bible is saying. Including myself. Why would you trust men over the actual book itself? If you do not read the bible yourself then I encourage you to start in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Spend time in the bible yourself and you will be surprised at how it encourages you. It is a living book that will open your eyes to what the truth is and reveal how incredibly awesome Jesus' Love is toward you. You do not need the book of Mormom, or the Catechism, or the Watch Tower Society newsletters to help you interpret the Word of God. You do not need anything other then a hunger for what is true, a desire to know God for who He really is and a little faith that the Bible really is God's message to you. You will not regret it.

2009-01-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

"TERRIBLE UNFORGIVING..... THAT'S HOW I SAW GOD...PUNISHING US IN THIS LIFE, COMMITTING US TO PERGATORY AFTER DEATH. SENTENCING SINNERS TO BURN IN HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY. BUT I WAS WRONG! THOSE WHO SEE GOD AS ANGRY DO NOT SEE HIM RIGHTLY, BUT LOOK UPON A CURTAIN AS IF A DARK STORM CLOUD IS BEING DRAWN ACROSS HIS FACE. IF WE TRULY BELIEVE THAT CHRIST IS OUR SAVIOR THEN WE HAVE A GOD OF LOVE AND TO SEE GOD IN FAITH IS TO LOOK UPON HIS FRIENDLY HEART. SO WHEN THE DEVIL THROWS YOUR SINS IN YOUR FACE AND DECLARES THAT YOU DESERVE DEATH AND HELL TELL HIM THIS, " I ADMIT I DESERVE DEATH AND HELL. WHAT OF IT! FOR I KNOW ONE WHO HAS SUFFERED AND MADE SATISFACTION IN MY BEHALF. HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD AND WHERE HE IS THERE SHALL I BE ALSO!"
A QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE LUTHER:

"AND DON'T FORGET...DON'T EVER FORGET. YOU'VE PROMISED TO BECOME A NEW MAN. 'I PROMISE. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?' JEAN VALJEAN, MY BROTHER, YOU NO LONGER BELONG TO EVIL. WITH THIS SILVER I BOUGHT YOUR SOUL. I'VE RANSOMED YOU FROM FEAR AND HATRED AND NOW I GIVE YOU BACK TO GOD!"
A QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE LES MISERABLES

2008-12-27T21:24:00.000-08:00

Everyone has fallen short of the glory of God
A message to those who are hard towards God

Does it make you uncomfortable when someone begins to talk to you about your personal sin nature and that you will be held accountable before God for breaking His law? Are you a person who can take responsibility for your wrong doing and accept that there is such a thing called Justice, or are you in a place where you won't accept that Justice will fall upon you after you die ...that is... if your sin nature has not been forgiven?

Think on these questions: Are thieves good people, are liars good people, are adulterers, murderers, rapists good? If someone lusts after another person or thing, or gossips about others and slanders them, or commits acts of sexual immorality and impurity are they good? What about those who blaspheme God's name, or covet their neighbors wife or husband or possessions? Are these good people? Have you done any one of these things? If so, you are not good no matter how small the act or thought. What about selfishness and pride or anger and greed? These are in the heart of man and they are not good.

Even though man has good intention at times it is obvious that he is by nature falling short of God's good standard. The bible says that the heart of man is exceedingly wicked, who can know it. The thought life of man and the behaviors of man are riddled with sin. Have you accepted this hard truth: that you have fallen short of God's glory and that you are not good by nature? If every thought and intention and action that you have ever had in your whole life was put on a reel and played so that all could really come to know you, would those watching conclude that you are a good person?

Personally, it has always made complete sense to me that if I do something that breaks the law and is morally wrong that there will be some sort of a consequence to pay. Obviously, if I get caught the law demands justice be served, but if I don't get caught am I really safe? Has justive been avoided? Can I really hide from God? It is not difficult to reason that I am responsible and will also be held accountable for all of my wrong actions at some point ...especially if I don't get caught now. You should realize this about yourself also. Even if you do not believe in God this does not change what is true.

Man is not Just, But God is and He created you with a free will to choose to love Him. Why else do you have a conscience that speaks of what is right and wrong deep within your soul? It is somewhat confusing to me that you try to make yourself feel better by ignoring your conscience so you can dodge what is true. This is a wasteful game to play that only hurts you in the end, because you will still stand before God alone one day, just as I will. We only live once, then we will face the judgement.

When I was 12 I got caught breaking and entering and vandalizing a home. Nothing but my sin nature lead me to do this. I was caught in the act and had to face the just punishment. I was guilty and was expecting the worst even though I was only 12. I deserved more then what I got not because I was guilty, but because the punishment didn't fit the crime. At 12 I didn't realize the magnitude of the mercy I received, but on the next crime I did. When I was 14 my dad caught me with a stash of wallets and other stuff I stole from a department store. $100's worth. The way he dealt with his "thief of a son" changed my life forever. I walked in my house from an afternoon of playing with friends and I saw it in his eyes. A seriousness that would silence any room. He said, "go to your room." I walked into my room and saw the stash of stolen goods on my bed and realized I was caught and deserving of punishment. I was expecting the belt, grounding forever, not being able to hang out with my friends anymore. He came in sat on the bed and spoke to me as an adult. My Dad explained to me where my life would lead if I continued stealing and lying. I believed him. He didn't raise his voice, didn't ground me, nor whip me with that belt. He told me I had 2 choices: 1: throw the stash in the trash or 2: Take the wallets back to the manager. I chose #2 because thankfully I realized I was experiencing moments of virtue and honor and I wanted to respect my Dad for dealing with me kindly when I didn't deserve it, and because of his kindness I wanted to do the right thing. So I packed all the stuff in a briefcase and my Dad drove me to the store and I went in by myself and asked for the manager. We sat down in his office, I showed him what I stole, apologized and then was anticipating my punishment because I was guilty. I wasn't trying to run away from my problem even though I knew I could be be doing community service for a long time. He said, "It looks like you are learning something. Thanks for bringing this back to me. You are free to go and please don't steal from me again." When I was walking out of the doors I cannot tell you adequetly enough how free and thankful I was to be pardoned or forgiven and shown mercy when I didn't deserve it. From that moment on I wanted to do the right thing even more and not take advantage of the gift of mercy I received from my Dad and the store manager. It was Mercy that changed my life. Mercy = Not getting the Justice that you deserve

If you are hard towards God do you want to know something....it's not his fault. It's because of your choices and possibly the choices of others you know that you are angry towards God and don't want anything to do with Him. But the truth is that both you and they are sinners by nature. Please understand that God has already shown you mercy even though you are guilty before him. Just as I was guilty before my dad as a thief and vandal, I am also guilty before God as rebellious and falling short of His perfection. In the same way you are also rebellious and falling short of God's perfection, and we really deserve to go to Hell

BUT

He took the wrath you deserve and instead poured it out upon his own Son, Jesus Christ. He wanted to prove to you that He really loves you inspite of all your sins and inspite of your rebellious nature, so Jesus died for you even while you were still sinning against him! He is not angry at you, He does not hate you. He has proven otherwise. But why do you blame God and others still for what has happened to you and for who you have become. It is only because this is a rebellios world and you are a rebellious person. I am being so direct because it is necessary, but please believe me it is in love and with hope that you will see the amazing truth of God's love for you. His Mercy is available to you the moment you believe on Him as your personal Lord and Savior. The only thing that will keep you from believing on Jesus is your personal pride and selfishness, and desire to live for your self. The Bible says that if you hear God calling you do not harden your heart towards Him. It says that TODAY is the day to be born again and to start a new life with Christ that is by FAITH.

If you are wanting to humble yourself because you know what I am sharing is true, please go and pray and talk to God wherever you are at. Look around you and wake up to the truth. That God's Son really did die for you personally so that all your sin nature could be forgiven and your eternity will be with God. Find a bible and start reading the Gospel of John. The God who created you is faithful and loving and desires that you come to know him personally. Don't delay!

With Love,

Hank

2008-12-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Becoming More Complete.

Imagine finding a treasure of priceless worth! Do you think it would be somewhat of a challenge to learn how to manage it properly? Materialistically, if I became a multi-millionaire, I would heep onto myself a lot of extra responsibilities that if not achieved and respected with excellence, would quickly get me into trouble if not full on bankruptcy. For example, I would get into trouble if I had the mindset, "Now I can go buy that ? that I've always wanted, I can go to that place I've always dreamed of, I'm free at last!" And all the while with that type of managing I would be quickly eroding and self imploding. But if I learned to manage it right, meaning in Godliness, the riches would multiply miraculously, unbelievably and I would still look the same as I do today.

Spiritually speaking I already have the pearl of great price, in Christ.Heaven, Salvation, all the promises of God, and I ask myself, " Am I managing this inheritance right?", "Am I experiencing the power?' The answer is no because I am floating around, it's as if I am taking it for granted because I am not appropriating it right. I will always have this inheritance, meaning I am eternally secure and Justified in Christ no matter what! But the waffling, distracted life of my Christian walk comes from a lack of managing my spiritual wealth properly. The Lord is showing me how much I desperately need him to have his abundant life overflow out of me.
Living in this abundant life is my #1 desire.

I say all this because how many Christians waffle, waist time, miss the point of Christian living? We know the answer is many, and I personally am not satisified yet in my Christian walk. I know there is more, much more and this realization is always pressing in on my heart and mind because the Holy Spirit is saying, "there's more don't give up on believing that and searching for it." I'm so glad our lives are in God's hand and timing. He is going to truly bring us into the abundant life inspite of us, and I believe I am coming into an area of study, that many people already know, that will help accomplish this abundant life.

I am only right at the beginning stages though. It's like I have that multi million dollars in my control and I am desiring to manage it right, and share it with others responsibly. I'm thinking about it, and feeling the Spirit confirm to me, "yes go this way" no matter the opposition, no matter the opinion or pressure. I really believe that the Lord is going to bring his whole Church into this knowledge so that they may become wise virgins fully and completely ready for his return.

So many already know about it and are being blessed and becoming even more spiritually strong. But at the same time so many Christians shake their head and by doing so automatically forfeit the blessing that awaits because they just can't let go of their own understanding on the issues. But Oh, if we would all just let this truth sink into our hearts so that it guides our every step!: "Lean NOT on your own understanding, but in all your ways AKNOWLEDGE GOD and He will make your path straight." Speaking to the Believers in Christ, have we forgotten that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob works super-naturally among his people and in ways we do not understand?

My weakness is my FLESH! My strength is the Faith God has given to me. I'm ready to see the supernatural unfold before me. It is going to happen in our coming days and whether it comes from evil motivation or Godly it won't surprise me or deceive me, that is if I lean on God in faith.

I thoughtfully say, what I believe God wants us to DO in the coming days of difficulty is enter into this realm of study that will fill our lamp stands with oil so that our lights keep shining in the darkness....supernaturally.The days that are coming are going to be super natural days. The Holy Spirit will DO his work through us and we just need to DO the work of preparing our hearts, minds, and bodies to live refined and SET APART. The Holy Spirit is going to move among us like the wind. Some will have food stored, some will find food miraculously appear, some will be hungry but sustained by the Spirit I already have many friends who have stored up 2 years worth of food.
I’m asking the Lord to help prepare my spirit so that I can receive and know his TORAH in my heart. Only those who will have TORAH will have the WAY, the TRUTH, and LIFE.

The big Question is how do we Study TORAH Correctly? If we're not careful we'll judge based on what many people think TORAH means: "LAW" and therefore "LEGALISM" but that approach is not correct and won't lend to the right understanding in the right context. Jesus Fulfilled the Law and Psalm 119 testifies to the outcome for those who live according to TORAH in the correct Spirit. TORAH means 'teaching', 'to hit the mark', 'to be lit up.'

The riches of the Word of God are wonderful and the way I have been studying it all these years has helped me tremendously. Now, I am beginning to see that there is more to be understood about Jesus Christ and His Word. I am excited to study the bible in a new light.

The following links are excellent resources for letting your roots go deeper when studying the Bible:

First Fruits of Zion

Messianic Bureau International

El Shaddai Ministries

Living Word Pictures

Jewish Voice Today

Israel My Glory

2008-12-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

The Bible Speaks on the Issue

Let me first say, if you commit to studying the bible you’ll see for yourself that it is a book of authority, truth and redemption for your life. In the time that I’ve personally spent in the bible, I have come to see this and believe that it is a book of power and is really from the heart of God… not just a bunch of books that men alone came up with, but men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. That Inspiration is the difference! The truth is I would never have known it to be if I had just listened to critics or not thought about what it had to say introspectively when reading it. Contrary to popular vote, the bible does not contradict itself. It does not contain lies, and therefore it can be trusted. If you start reading it and observe the world around you in context to the scriptures it will make sense of everything. It will become your resource for life and wisdom. But to find the treasure you must read it for yourself with a desire to know the truth about who you are in the eyes of God. Everyone loves a rose, but will you be thankful for it’s thorns too. God is awesome and His book is beautiful but it also contains a ferocious bite that people avoid like the plague. The amazing thing is that the bite is not a bite of death, rather it is a bite that leads to life. It will hurt you before it heals you in every way: Physically, Emotionally, Intellectually, and Spiritually. “For a seed to bare its fruit, it must first die.”

On the Subject of Middle East Peace:

Relevant and Current news headlines:
Date: 09/12/08-What 'yes' means
Date: 12/12/08- What Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu faces from Washington
Date: 12/15/08- Jewish Settler Population Doubled in 12 Years
Date: 12/16/08- Quartet: US-led Middle East Talks 'Irreversible'
Date: 12/16/08- Rice Sites Middle East Peace Moves
Date: 12/16/08- Rice moves to bind incoming Israeli Prime Minister

Date: 12/16/08- Adopting Text on the Middle East Conflict- Security Council Reaffirms Support of Annapolis Outcome
Date 12/16/08- Secretary Rice with Other Members of the Quartet Deliver Remarks after Meeting on Middle East- Video

Date 12/17/08- Israel Issues New Warning on Iranian Nuclear Arms
Date 12/17/08- Russia Provides 10 MiG Fighter Jets to Lebanon for Free

Date: Today- But What Does The Bible Say?

IN CONTEXT, WHAT DOES GOD’S WORD SAY ON THE SUBJECT OF THIS ‘LAND FOR PEACE’ DILEMMA IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

There are a number of facts to become aware of in order to really make sense of this.
As you consider the scriptures and research the history you will find them both to be true.

Fact #1.

The Jewish people are the Chosen People:

(Deuteronomy 7:6 , Isaiah 43: 10-11)

Fact #2.

The Land of Israel belongs to God:

(Psalm 24:1, Deuteronomy 32:8-9)

Fact #3.

The Chosen People needed a Chosen Land, and so the God of Israel strategically chose the Land of Israel for the People of Israel:

(Ezekial 5:5)

Fact #4.

The Land of Israel was given by God to the descendants of Abraham as an everlasting possession:

(Genesis 12:7, Genesis 17:7-8)

Fact #5.

Even though Abraham had many sons, the Land of Israel wasn't given to Ishmael, or to any of the other sons of Abraham, but only to Isaac:

(Genesis 17:18-19, Genesis 26:3-4,Genesis 25:5-6)

Fact #6.

Even though Isaac had two sons, the Land wasn't given to Esau, but to Jacob:

(Genesis 28:13, Genesis 35:11-12)

Fact #7.

There is no doubt about Israel's God-given borders because they are described for us in detail in the Holy Scriptures:

( Genesis 13:14-17, Genesis 15:18-21, Exodus 23:31)

Fact #8.

In addition to the everlasting covenant (which includes the Land), God swore an oath to give the Jewish people this Land:

(Hebrews 6:16-18, Psalm 105:8-11)

Fact #9.

Israel's sin and resulting exile from the Land of Israel never annulled God's covenant with His Chosen People, nor did it permanently abrogate their right to the Land of Israel:

( Leviticus 26:44-45, Deuteronomy 30:1-5, Luke 21:23-24)

Fact #10.

In His prophetic Word, God promised to regather Jews to "their own Land":

(Ezekial 36:24, 28, Ezekial 37:21, Jeremiah 16:14-15)

Fact #11.

In His prophetic Word, God calls this restored Land "Israel" - not "Palestine":

(Ezekial 37:12)

Fact #12.

God, speaking to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel, informs them that this Land is specifically reserved for the Jewish people:

(Ezekial 36:8-10)

Fact #13.

2,500 years ago the Lord also told us that the Jewish return to the Land would provoke a reaction from Israel's neighbors:

(Ezekial 36:2-5)

Fact #14.

God will severely judge any nation who divides up any part of this special Land:

(Joel 3:1-2)

Fact #15.

Eventually this conflict over the Land of Israel will entangle the entire world:

(Zechariah 12: 1-3)

Fact #16.

This conflict will be a time of great difficulty for the Jewish people, but they will be miraculously delivered out of it:

(Jeremiah 30:7, Consider Ezekial 36-39 as you watch Russia, Iran and other Countries Allign Militarily)

Fact #17.

Many Christians won’t accept these facts because they accept the erroneous teaching of ‘Replacement Theology’ which claims that God is finished with the Jewish people, and has replaced Israel with the Church.

(Jeremiah 33:24-26, Romans 11:17-24)

Fact #18.

All of God’s promises to the Jewish people will literally be fulfilled

(Jeremiah 33:24-26)

The land that nobody wants Israel to have really belongs to God:
Psalm 24:1-2: “1 The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,The world and those who dwell therein.2 For He has founded it upon the seas,And established it upon the waters.”
Leviticus 25:23: “23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.”

God chooses Abraham and promises to give the whole land of Canaan to his descendants as an everlasting possession.
Genesis 17:7-9: “7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

God keeps his promise to Abraham and chooses his son Isaac to inherit the whole land of Canaan
Genesis 26:2-5: “2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

God keeps his promise to Abraham and Isaac and chooses Isaacs son Jacob to inherit the whole land of Canaan.
Genesis 28: 13-15: 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

Jacob was chosen not Ishmael or the Arabs
Isaiah 41:8-9: “8 But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen,The descendants of Abraham My friend. 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘ You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”

God commands Moses to lead the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob into the land God gave them after the Egyptian Captivity.
Exodus 33:1-2: “1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it. 2 And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.’”

God says he will re-establish Israel as a Nation after being scattered throughout the nations for many years. In 1948 Israel became a nation again and God has been bringing them back ever since!
Ezekial 37:21: “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

God proclaims that his covenant with Israel will never be broken.
Psalm 89:34: “34 My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”

Today there are no descendants from the Canaanites. They were utterly destroyed in this battle.
Numbers 21:2-3: “2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 And the LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.”

Interesting Charts
Hebrew Bible Genesis Offspring
Tribes of Jacob Chart

Deeper Outline:
God's Covenant Through Moses

2008-12-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

Bottom Line:

BOTTOM LINE: I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ...that's the understatement of my life! My personal relationship with Jesus Christ is a powerful and real thing... truly beyond me. Knowing Jesus personally is better then having fresh air to breathe, or a cold glass of ice water, or a hot plate of food before me when I'm hungry. It's actually better then life itself. No matter what happens in my life I know Jesus is the same and He will always be faithful to what is written in the Bible. I would be lost if I didn't read the bible for myself. I wouldn't know the rich promises it contains that really apply to me personally, and as a result, and in the context of working out my own personal salvation with fear and trembling, all I care about is if I remain faithful to him and love people as he loves.

Loving as Jesus Loves Whew! That is a tall order ...but a very Sweet order. The reality is that loving like Jesus loves consistently is the greatest and most challenging goal he has placed on my life. The problem is that I don't always love people right. I still have this flesh nature to wrestle with. This flesh in me causes me to get bothered by things more then I used to, to give into those things that are not good for me and when I choose what's not good my relationship with him and others suffer. In many ways, I have become more like myself rather then Jesus and in other ways I have learned to be like Jesus. But the truth in all my changing is that Jesus has never changed. In His constant faithfulness he reminds me that I have a fresh and clean slate to begin with every moment of my life since I believe on him. This means even in my failures he gives me the assurance of hope that I can change and become more loving as I yield to and choose his ways because my life is wrapped solid in his forgiveness and mercy. I fear no condemnation for my sins because that's what he promises me because I trust in him. I know God has tranformed my life because I hate to sin against him.

BOTTOM LINE, all that I experience in my walk with Christ is because he already won the eternal battle of death in me during those days of his perfect living, perfect dying and powerful resurrecting. Because he hasn't changed from the beginning nor will he for eternity I am relieved and free! So he's the secure ROCK that I aim to stand on even in the daily grind of working hard to become more like him. My grind is the ever present battle inside of me to take captive the things in me that are contrary to his Word, and yield my life to his will by the power of His Holy Spirit and not my own efforts.

Another reason I'm so grateful for Jesus is because he knows me completely for who I really am at the BOTTOM LINE. And Who I really am is a Good, Bad, and Ugly Sinner with a capital S. I take no pride in this because it is not good. By nature I am not good. I've lied, stolen things, lusted after other people in my heart, which is adultrey in the heart, I've used God's name in vain which is blasphemy. So when I am completely honest with myself I know that I am guilty of being a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, an adulterer at heart. I am guilty of breaking Gods law. realizing this about myself was good and accepting what the bible says about me was good. I realized that being a Sinner ends in eternal death in hell for me unless Jesus' blood is applied to my life. I learned that Jesus' blood is the only ransom worth eternity in the eyes of God the Father, and when I accept Jesus in faith as the payment for my Sin Nature, God the Father graciously justifies me and makes me right in His Holy eyes. He saves me and changes me. Imagine having clothes of excrement and then being given clothes that are as white as snow. That basically what jesus has done for me. Thank you jesus! I admit the truth of my nature as a man before God and others because it is the only way of becoming really free. Free from myself and the consequences of living for myself and free to live in a new way that is really alive.

BOTTOM LINE, I would know nothing about Jesus Christ if I just listened, watched or read the media, or only read Christian books, or only listened to Pastors as they speak of who Jesus is. I would actually only get a skewed perspective of who he is. As I have witnessed the world turn in my 32 yrs and honestly assessed who I am as a person in nature, and as I learn from people and history about who people are by nature, the evidence is totally obvious that what the bible says is absolutely true. It is the only faithful book that has put into me the assurance of who Jesus Christ really is.

2008-11-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

OPEN DIALOGUE:

My Friend Jeff wrote this recently in response to some relevant questions many people are asking today about Christianity:

"I am not an advocate of saying that Christianity has to be closely connected to politics. I was simply answering the question posted. For all I care, any religion can be closely connected to politics. This country wasn't founded on freedom of religion, but that's a different conversation. As for me, I am a Christian and that means that I believe in the Bible (God's Word) to be inspired by God. That means I believe it is infallible. God's Word, (not my word) says that it is only by the name of Jesus that any of us can come to the Father and have eternal with Him (John 14:6).

This is hard for any one to believe that doesn't have faith in God. No one likes to be told that there is only one way to anything, but it doesn't change the laws of God...and by the way, He is a good, loving, compassionate, and merciful God...not oppressive. I wouldn't want to be under the oppressive rule of the Church of England either. Man might have made Christianity oppressive, but then God's Word would say that people who have done that aren't Christians. 1 John 2:4 says: "Whoever says 'I know Him' but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him." People have come in the name of Christianity or in the name of Jesus and have done things that God HATES, and everyone sees what they have done and says, "Well, there you go, that's what Christians are like." But, if you took time to study the Bible, you would see that it is the farthest things from being oppressive...but it does say that: "At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" Phillipians 2:10-11. This is oppressive to people who claim that they don't need anyone to be righteous, and to people who think they've got it all figured out.

If you believe that you can attain righteousness on your own, then this message will be foolish to you. But if you understand the inherent nature of man, you would say that we, on our own cannot make ourselves righteous. This is where The Bible says we must die to ourselves, give up our desires, and ask Jesus to come in to our lives and cleanse us from our filth. Then and only then can one experience any kind of enlightenment with God. Jesus, being perfect in nature, died on the cross to pay the price for our sin, then conquered death by raising up from the grave, and then ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. that is why we can call on the name of Jesus and be saved from the consequences of our sin nature, which is the wrath of God. Because Jesus interceded for us, we can come before the Father and have fellowship with Him, and have true life with Him here in this life and after. We deserve death because of our sin, but Jesus took our place and offered to all who call on His name, perfect fellowship with God in eternity. That's not an oppressive message.

I submit to you, if you feel that Christianity is oppressive, then you have not seen a true Christian. The 2 greatest commandments that Jesus gave us were: Love God and love people! (Matthew 22:37-40)...and loving people isn't always giving them what we want. I love my son, but he's 5 years old and he wants to play with a chain saw. I will not let that happen because I love him. If he gets his hands on a chain saw he could destroy a lot of things, and possibly kill himself or others. In the same way, God loves us and wants us to live in truth so he has set boundaries around good things and bad things. As man, we have challenged God's boundaries and have reaped destruction upon ourselves and others.

God does not change, but we continue to think we can do what we want, believe in what we want and still get to the place we want to. 2+2=4. God says that there is only one way to Him, and we challenge that and say "that's not true". It's like telling your math teacher that 2+2=5. Your teacher will say no it doesn't. Know matter how much you protest or argue, then answer is still 4. If you answer 5 on the test, you will get it wrong. It is the same with God. The only way to eternal life with Him is through Jesus. If that's oppressive to you, then I pray that you wouldn't be offended, only encouraged to find out what really is true. God promises to reveal truth to all who truly desire to find it!" Shalom, Jeff

2008-10-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Remembering Lynette...thanks to a friend.

I was just thinking about the things that we rely upon as God’s children. Those things that can really make a difference in our hearts in any circumstance we face. Those things are the PROMISES of God and a LOVE for his Word that goes beyond just saying, “I love God’s Word” I recently read a quote that spoke loud to me. People Say I know the Word of God but what really matters is if we Know the God of the Word. That makes all the difference when taking in his promises to us because then it is about our personal relationship with him and he is the focus not our knowledge or experiences. No one can comfort except our God. When death comes upon people who are in Christ it is actually a reminder of OUR BLESSED ASSURANCE that we all WILL be RESURRECTED and will be with God and one another for eternity.

I Thessolaonians 4:13-18 talks about what will happen to her and us on that awesome day:

The Hope of the Resurrection
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[f] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.[g] 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died[h] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

That promise is what keeps hopelessness and despair from entering into our grief. Jesus wept when Lazarus died and we weep also but we look to that glorious day and therefore can now rejoice and celebrate the memorial of our loved ones who go into Christ presence before us…. Although we miss them terribly with tears we can truly celebrate that they are IN CHRIST or IN ETERNAL LIFE. They are not dead they are sleeping.

Psalm 139 is a powerful revealing of how much God loves your mother in law and is in control of her life from birth to death:

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Another thing is that the REALITY of our faith is realized and magnified when our loved ones pass and so its also an encouragement to us who are still on this earth to keep entrusting all of ourselves to Christ and to most importantly share our faith with others and to love one another

1 Peter 1:13-25

A Call to Holy Living
13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”[c]
17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.[d] Love each other deeply with all your heart.[e]

23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say,

“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”[f]

And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

Just imagine if your mother-in-law did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. I can’t bare thinking about the eternal death of someone I know or dearly love that did not know Christ, because the Bible clearly reveals to humanity that God is perfectly Just and does not forgive a persons sin nature unless they have been washed clean by the atoning sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. God has provided no other way to be forgiven of sin. Praise God Your Mother-in-law is in the presence of Christ!!! I hope these three verses help and I’ll be praying that everyone will rejoice and celebrate all the grateness of your mother-in-laws life. Especially the one she is now experiencing in Christ's presence.

2008-10-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Fresh Air and Clear Skies Awaits You!

Have you ever been stuck without air and felt that sensation of panic besetting you knowing that if air doesn't come NOW! certain death is right around the corner? It's a humbling experience and thought to realize that you would certainly flail uncontrollably and do whatever you would have to in order to get back to the surface to breathe oxygen. That's because the surface is where you know you can simply depend on your natural ability to process oxygen. Or have you ever been stuck in fog for a long period of time and didn't see clear skies or sunlight? That certain gloomy disposition creeps in on you and you just long for refreshment and clear skies. You cry, "If I could only get into the clear skies and fresh air I would be at peace and secure!" Most of us have experienced these slight panics and gloomy dispositions before and we don't desire to experience them just for the fun of it. My point in bringing this up is that we should all be very thankful that we are not like the frog who DOES NOT jump out of the water even when it has heated to the boiling point of death! Right now you and I are experiencing things today that are challenging us to the core just like water challenges our ability to breathe and fog challenges our ability to see clearly. And I have a hunch that all of us no matter our differences in belief systems, race, nationality, or gender, because we're human, are crying out inside, "If only I could hear something that would make everything make sense I would have peace!" Aren't we all crying out for PEACE AND SAFETY these days? And won't we continue to do so, with ever increasing passion, as the threats to our peace and safety rise up? Just give me peace! Just give me security! This is the hearts cry of men, women and children when things begin to threaten our values, our lifestyles, our families, our freedom and most of all who we are at the core. We're entering into an era where we ought to depend on our conscience, that is if it has not been eroded away already by the lack of yielding to and choosing to follow the truth when it is heard. Our conscience is our natural ability to discern between what is right and wrong and the frightening thing is that, just like the frog, your ability to sense danger or evil or deception, or wrong can be deadened to the point that you don't even realize you yourself are in harms way, are being deceived, wronged or lied to. Even to the point of death. But,there is only one message that can cut through the fog and suffocating elements of this life. This one message brings clear skies and fresh air! There is only one message that can rip through the deception, tear down the lies that we beleive and build our lives on, that may already have a hold of you. There is only one message that can bring you everlasting PEACE and eternal SAFETY. I hope that you will embrace the message and cling to it. You are not a creature that is senseless. You know the truth when you hear it, and I hope that you will jump out of the boiling pot when you see that the truth in this following message is the FRESH OXYGEN and CLEAR SKIES you have been looking for all your life. My friend, you were made to breathe fresh air and to see clear skies!

"Have you been feeling like there is a void in your heart? Have you ever asked the question, “Why did God create me?” or “Why do I exist?”

God created every man with a God-shaped void in his heart. All of us have tried to fill this void in many different ways: with money, prestige, possessions, power and even with people.However, none of these things will ever really satisfy us. The only thing that can totally fill this void is a relationship with God.

The Bible says:
“Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live…” 1 Corinthians 8:6 We were created for Him. God created each and every one of us to have fellowship with Him. To have fellowship means to have a personal relationship. This relationship is only possible through Christ.

When God first created man, they enjoyed fellowship. But God did not create man as a robot to love and obey Him mechanically, but rather gave man a freedom to choose. Unfortunately, man chose to disobey God, which he continues to do to this day. When man sinned, this relationship with God was broken and as a result, he was separated from God.

The Bible says:
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God” Isaiah 59:2

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 It was not God who fell away from man, but man that abandoned God. When man sinned, he turned his back on God, and in a sense said, “I no longer want to follow Your will, I would rather follow my own.” Many have tried throughout history in different ways to reach God through their own efforts, but every attempt has failed.

The Bible explains:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 But the Lord desired to have fellowship with man again, so He presented a solution…

God sent His only begotten Son to the world, who lived a sinless life and fulfilled the perfect standard set by God. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for all our sins, that way all that believe in Him and accept what He did on our behalf, can be forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life.

The Bible says:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18 The Bible tells us that Jesus is no ordinary person. He is more than just a good teacher or another religious leader, He is God, creator of the universe, who has come into the world as a man (John 1:1). By being fully God and man, Jesus is able to fulfill the ministry of bridging the gap between the two, dying for our sins as a man, and now acting as a mediator to bring God and man together.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men- the testimony given in its proper time.” 1 Timothy 2:5, 6

If you would like to accept Jesus Christ into your life, and receive the forgiveness of God to have that void filled, follow these simple steps with a sincere heart:

1. Confess: This means to recognize that you are a sinner, that you’re separated from God, and that you need Him in your life.

2. Repent: Repentance is agreeing with God about what He calls sin in your life, and turning away from it. It means to leave behind the old life and to begin anew, making choices that you know will please the Lord.

3. Believe: This is trusting that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead. In doing so He brings all who trust in Him eternal life.

4. Receive: Through prayer, ask Jesus to come into your life and send His Holy Spirit into your heart to teach and guide you. This is what it means to “receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior”.

5. Profess: Jesus said that if we acknowledge Him before men, He will acknowledge us before His Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32). In other words, if we are really serious about our commitment to Him, we will tell somebody about it. A pastor, a friend or a family member. Just think about how much Jesus has done for you already, this should be a real easy step.

If you would like to receive Jesus into your heart, and have all of your sins forgiven, say this simple prayer with a sincere heart:

Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins, and that you were raised on the third day bringing eternal life. Forgive me of my sins and fill this void in my heart with your love. I want You to be the Savior and Lord of my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen." by Pastor Mark Martin at Calvary Community Church.

Please call me if you want to make a decision for Christ. I will pray be glad to pray with you. 602-696-3210

2008-09-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

IF MILLIONS of PEOPLE SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR...please watch these.

http://harvestreno.org/messageVideo.asp?id=124&quality=high

2008-09-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

RUN TO THE BATTLE! & NO SWEETER NAME!!

Dear Fellow Disciples of Jesus Christ,

The links below have been making me think about a lot of things. Please watch them. With all the coming changes we’re being given new opportunity to remain loyal to our Savior Jesus Christ, and I’ve been thinking a lot about the mindset and heart a disciple of Jesus Christ must have to really be considered one. The men portrayed in this video are warriors and I’m moved in the right direction when I remember that people really fought for what’s right in these types of battles. What courage and surrender! When their cultures changed and threats against freedom reared up they were willing to die in the fight for righteousness on the frontline. In my personal relationship with God I have asked Him to help me be focused on the right battle because there are so many to choose from. As Christians, there is really only one battle worth fighting for and worth giving up our time and our whole lives for? If we are going to call ourselves Christians then we need to accept that In God’s eyes there is only one battle that is right and we must begin or continue being focused on that one battle. Have we learned what that battle is? We must have a fresh realization that God see us only through his Son Jesus Christ and that is what we must understand. It is the empowerment we need. God does not see you alone. He sees you through his perfect Son Jesus. Get a hold of that truth and you are empowered! God the Father desires that we are a part of the offensive team rather then the defensive team of advancing his Kingdom. We are all too often on the defensive team which is not advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Advancing God’s Kingdom by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only right battle for disciples of Jesus, because it is the will of God that people believe in his son Jesus Christ above all else and right now time is of essence. He has provided no other way to spend eternity with him except through Jesus. Jesus is already the KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS and He rules over ALL. Jesus Christ rules a Kingdom of the kind that this world does not understand. It is the only Kingdom that has a single party rule that is worth being under. We are already under the LORD JESUS CHRISTS complete authority. Naturally, we belong to what has become a very confused republic called the United States of America and it is spinning out of control and out of influence. Supernaturally, which is reality, we are already part of GODS KINGDOM.

How do a small number of people within a confused republic, but who are already GODS KINGDOM members, who know the WAY to live, the TRUTH to abide in, and the LIFE to share make a lasting difference? They do two things. First, they Run to the Battle by beginning on their knees in prayer, and reading Gods word and they live carrying their cross daily so that the Holy Spirit of God reigns in their life and makes real warriors out of them. These are the ones who become BOND SERVANTS OF CHRIST. Second, they realize that fighting for the sake of Righteousness, which is the only true Holy War, is accomplished only by LOVINGLY SHARING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST DAILY. A Christian needs to share their faith with at least one person or more a day. If you are doing the first thing you will be successful in the second because God is in control of your life! Are you willing to prepare yourself for this worthy battle of being on the offensive team for Jesus Christ? The gates of hell are already against you, your flesh is already against you, this world is already against you and you will suffer persecution if you commit to being a BOND SERVANT to CHRIST! But a reward awaits you when you enter this battle which in all honesty is not an option in the Christian life.

I’m focusing my life and encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ so that we really reflect who we are in Christ right now, and this video makes me wonder –

What else do men and women, who already belong to the Kingdom of God, have to go through to be inspired to run to the right battle if it is not already the name of Jesus Christ?

What other purpose do disciples of the LORD of LORDS have that is greater? There is none. Will you run to the battle with warrior courage, loyalty and a willingness to fight to the death for lost souls for the sake of Christ who already saved you in the same way? If we are not we need to forfeit our Christian names. If we are Christians we must run into this battle, because it is the very thing that defines a Christ follower. Christ Followers are BOND SERVANTS to Him, and BOND SERVANTS Run to the Battle. No other name has the power to motivate you to fight the right battle other then Jesus, and there is no other reason to live on this side of eternity other than to fight the right battle so that others can have the opportunity to choose KING JESUS through your witness.

Dear Disciple of Jesus, perhaps we will not have another full week to share the good news about Christ. It is Yom Teruah Sept 29th! Get on your knees and ask God to change you today and entrust your whole life to Jesus Christ. Trust Jesus with everything you have and run into the battle today. The words of this song and the images are powerful and inspiring. May the Lord take us through what we need to go through so that we become true warriors in His eyes and for His Kingdom.

LET’S RUN TO THE BATTLE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL7cL_p5_84
NO SWEETER NAME: http://www.ukristo.com/movie.php?m=j8lax0k90NSJ1g20EpWLtN5JX

Your fellow soldier in training!

Maranatha Come Lord Jesus Come!

In simplicity and faith, wherever Jesus may lead me, He will go before me, and if I do not know where I go, I know with whom I go. With such a companion will I dread the danger of the journey?

2008-09-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

Part I: John 21

This is my favorite chapter of the Bible. I have a lot of favorite scripture but this one expresses where my heart is at most of the time if not all of the time. If I could place myself in any moment of Jesus' life it would be in these moments of time with him, because to me it's extremely attractive and magnificent to be in a natural environment together with my family & friends experiencing God by learning from him, watching him, sharing with him, and drawing close to him. These moments on the water and in this little beach cove, so early in the morning, with a vibrant fire, splashing fish, cold shivers, tasty breakfast, and the most raw heart to heart conversations with piercingly loving stares from the Savior of souls, God, are cutting edge life. Revealed are some of the most refreshing, challenging, healing, maturing, teachable, revolutionary, and real moments a person can ever experience. It's when I need to be revived, want to draw near to Jesus, need to readjust my priorities, or am stressed, discouraged, and needing encouragement that I think about the lessons of this passage of the Bible:

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn. “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead. After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate. Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.

The greatest part about this window of time to me is that it all occurred AFTER Jesus was crucified and AFTER he came back to life from being dead! These are the life experiences that produce new and cultivate stronger faith:

2008-08-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

Battling Unbelief

I'm reading John Piper's book called Battling Unbelief and it is full of deep encouragement and answers questions dealing with the unseen wars that can only be won by placing hope and trust in God's future promises. It's speaking about the truth in the Bible that I know I need in order to make it through these days. Deeper encouragement, deeper fellowship, and deeper understanding about the heart beat of God is what I really need and desire so I can succeed in life, and in my relationships. I am never satisfied when I am not going deeper into this personal and loving God who gave his all for me and proved his love for me. I want to succeed in God's eyes not my own or other's. Because there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord is returning to this earth very soon this is all the more important to me. Life is hard just 'doing' what has to be done to make it all work, and I keep hearing the Spirit of the Lord saying to me "finish strong Hank and don't give up (2 Timothy 4: 1-8), and fight the good fight of faith." 1 Timothy 6:12 says, "Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses." I've known for some time what the one purpose of living is really about, and pursuing that purpose is always a challenging one. The purpose of living is to invest in people so that their very soul takes steps of faith that get them closer to their Creator who is the God of the Bible. Ultimately, life is not about anything else on this side of eternity because the inevitable dividends of investing in people in this way have the most return. When all is said and done, meaning, when all the actions, intentions, and thoughts of people are judged on that intense day people are going to receive a final verdict from perfect Justice that will either place them in Hell and seperated from God forever because their sins have not been washed away or with Him in Paradise for eternity because their guilt has been washed away. People's final destination will depend on if they put their full trust in God's Son Jesus Christ and had a personal relationship with him. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 Life is about working to encourage others, whether they believe or not, into understanding the truth about Jesus Christ so that they can make that final decision of trusting him for themselves. The unseen wars that prevent investment are pride, covetousness, impatience, dispondency, lust, and so much more and these can only be won over by putting faith in God's Word into action Deep wars require deep fellowship, encouragement and intentional living so that the best investment of life can be achieved.

2008-06-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

This has been an excellent series of writings by Nancy Missler. I wanted to post this one imparticular since it brings an understanding about how a Christian is to live in the Spirit of God.

Reflections of His Image: How to Worship in the Spirit

by Nancy Missler

Over the last several months, we have been exploring the war that is continually fought between God’s Spirit in our hearts and the sin and self that reside in our soul and body (the “flesh”).
We shared that the key to winning this war is learning how to make faith choices to “put off” the flesh and “put on” Christ. As we do this on a daily basis, we’ll be able to enter God’s presence and worship Him.

Worshiping the Lord is always contingent upon our cleansing. Listen to Psalm 24:3-4, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord [to worship Him]? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He who hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
The Lord is saying that if our heart is cleansed and God’s Spirit able to come forth, then we’ll be able to enter His presence and commune with Him.

If our heart is covered with grease (as Psalm 119:70 describes) and God’s Spirit quenched by sin or self, then our worship will be an empty religious act, not changing us at all nor impressing anyone else, least of all the Lord.

In his recent Pulpit Series newsletter, Pastor David Wilkerson said:
“...a Christian can pray diligently without ever really worshipping. Indeed, it’s possible to be a prayer warrior and inter-cessor and still not be a worshipper of God. You can plead for your unsaved children, pray for the needs of an entire church, be holy and meek in seeking God’s burden—and yet never truly worship Him!

“...in short, worship cannot be learned! It’s a spontaneous outbreak—the act of a heart that’s been overwhelmed by a revelation of God’s glory and His incredible Love for us.”

Definition of Worship
The Greek word for “worship” in the New Testament is proskuneo (which actually means “to kiss”). It’s the same word used for a dog licking his master’s feet. Worship means to prostrate oneself in homage, to bow down the self and to exalt God. It’s the submission of our entire being to God. Worship is the union of our spirits with God’s Spirit in the Holy Place of our hearts. (Romans 8:26)
Worship means to ascribe “worth” to a being or object. In other words, whatever we value or place the highest worth on, is what we worship. Interestingly enough, the attributes of the “worldly” gods we worship seem to eventually manifest their characteristics in us. Rather than Christ’s image being carved into the walls of our soul, these ungodly characteristics become inscribed there. Psalm 135:18 tells us that we become like what we worship.

A great example of this is the country of Egypt. Egypt used to worship the scarab beetle, which is actually a dung beetle found in manure piles. If you visit Egypt today, you’ll notice that the Nile river bed is covered with dung and fecal material, as the cattle, animals and even children relieve themselves there. The countryside is filthy. Trash is everywhere. Egypt is also a country that is preoccupied with death (mummies, etc.). The whole country has become like what it has worshiped—the dung beetle. It’s a culture of death and decay and refuse.

We do become like what we worship! Our values, our priorities and how we live our lives revolve around what we commit our-selves to. The bottom line is that the object of our worship be-comes the guiding force in our lives.

If we want to become more Christ-like and begin to glorify Him more, we must learn to worship Him more. The changes in our inner being only occur when we are in the presence of the Lord. The Lord says in Exodus 25:22, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat.” And He promises to, “Show [us] the path of life: [for only] in Thy presence is fulness of joy; [and] at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

This last verse is saying that only in His presence can He fill us with unspeakable joy and the strength to withstand any circumstance. (Nehemiah 8:10d) And as a result, we’ll be able to share His glory to an even greater degree.

Why Worship Is Important
Worship, then, is important because it releases blessings in two directions: we come into the Lord’s presence by loving and adoring Him; He, then, makes Himself known by communicating His Love back to us through revelation and insight and joy. Worship, in other words, is a two-way communication. We worship the Lord; He then meets with us and changes us.

On a recent trip to Israel, we visited the Temple Institute in Jerusalem where the guide made an interesting statement. She said, “The priests worshiped the Lord in the Holy Place, specifically at the Incense Altar. It was here that they felt the connection was made between man and the Lord.” I was so excited to hear this because so many of my books surmised this, but I had never actually heard it stated that way until this particular trip.

Worship is a two-way connection that occurs at the altar of our hearts. It consists of not only receiving God’s Love (and being changed), but also of loving Him. Communion and worship are all about mutual affection—both giving and receiving. He ex-tends His Love to us and we reciprocate by loving Him with all our heart, mind and soul. Worship strips away “self” and allows God to continue to conform us more into His image.

The key to worship, however, is that it can only be done “in the spirit,” not in the flesh. Just as Pastor Wilkerson said, we can spend hours a day in prayer telling the Lord how much we love Him, but if we are unsanctified, then we really haven’t worshiped at all!

It’s only by the Spirit that we can apprehend God and it’s only by the Spirit that we can honor, adore and glorify Him. God’s Spirit is the only One who can re-create us in the likeness of Christ. John 4:24 tells us that since God is a Spirit, those that worship Him must worship Him “in spirit and in truth.” (Truth, here, simply means in sincerity and honesty.) (Romans 1:9)

So, learning how to worship the Lord in spirit is critical. (1 Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 29:2; 95:6-9; Matthew 4:10; John 4:24; Philippians 3:3)

It’s not a once a week function, but should dominate our lives seven days a week. Sunday worship is meaningless, unless it has been preceded by six days of cleansing, loving and communing with the Lord.

“Give the Lord the glory due unto His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)

http://www.khouse.org/articles/2008/785

2008-06-11T11:36:00.001-07:00

It's Already Been Taken Care Of!!

I was RED now I'm WHITE

I don’t know about you but this is still hard for me to believe sometimes. I know it is true and yet there is always that BUT….”But God I have sinned too many times in the face of your Glory”, “BUT Lord I haven’t learned after all these years to be a loving and gentle man even when I know you and fellowship with you” “BUT, I have failed with so much that you have entrusted to me.” BUT, BUT, BUT

I have to receive this by faith and be reminded of it constantly. Maybe you need this word today too. Maybe you have your “BUT Lords” I don’t know. I just encourage you with these following words because they are true. Praise the Lord they are True! In the same Spirit that Paul spoke in I know many of us can and will say of ourselves, “I AM THE CHIEF OF SINNERS!” "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am Chief .“—I Tim. 1:15.

Have a refreshing day knowing that Jesus has taken care of all your many sins past, present and future. What HOPE and PEACE we have when we put our faith in Jesus and his Word!!!!

Love you and God Bless.

THERE HE BROKE THE FLASHING ARROWS, THE SHIELD, THE SWORD, AND THE WEAPONS OF WAR.

Psalm 76:3 Our Redeemer's glorious cry of "It is finished" was the death-knell of all the adversaries of His people, the breaking of "the weapons of war." Behold the hero of Golgotha using His cross as an anvil, and His wounds as a hammer, dashing to pieces bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned "flashing arrows," trampling on every indictment and destroying every accusation. What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more powerful than the fabled weapon of Thor! How the diabolical darts break in pieces, and the infernal swords are broken like old clay pots! Consider how He draws from its sheath of hellish workmanship the dreadful sword of satanic power! He snaps it across His knee as a man breaks dry sticks and throws it into the fire. Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow bringing death, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, and a full atonement was made for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety. Who now accuses? Who now condemns? Christ has died, yes, has risen again. Jesus has removed the weapons of hell, has quenched every fiery dart, and has broken the head off every arrow of wrath; the ground is covered with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell's warfare, which are only visible to us to remind us of our former danger and of our great deliverance. Sin no longer has dominion over us. Jesus has made an end of it and put it away forever. Our enemy's destructions have come to a perpetual end. Declare all the wonderful works of the Lord, all you who make mention of His name; do not be silent, neither by day, nor when the sun goes down. Bless the Lord, O my soul. -- Devotional from Truth for Life Ministries

2008-06-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

It is a big responsibility to encourage one another in these changing times and not to be silent. It’s on my heart to encourage you in 3 important areas:

ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE DEPENDANT UPON GOD’S WORD
WE EACH HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PRAY & FAST ACCORDING TO HIS WORD.

1. The first encouragement is continue in your faith with Jesus Christ and, above all else, work hard to stay close to him in your hearts. Everything that matters, namely our souls and salvation depend upon Jesus alone and He will provide and protect you in changing times. In Jesus we have peace in all circumstances and we do not fear. The immoral climate of our country, the worldly ideas that constantly barrage through the airwaves, the tolerance of sin, the intolerance of biblical truth, and so much more all contribute in making our hearts and minds susceptible to a weakening of our faith in Jesus Christ IF we do not remain in the WORD of GOD. So stay close to Jesus by staying in the Word of God and begin practicing your prayer life. Talk to the Lord again and repent of your sin and humble yourself before Him. This will be a sure recipe for getting healthy again.

2. The second encouragement is to stand strong with Israel in faith according to scripture no matter the pressures or persecutions that will come along with that. For the Christian standing with Israel is like standing for your brother and not only that there is a blessing for those who will support and love the Jewish people.

3. The third encouragement is to continue or to begin praying with fasting for America in earnestness. This is the one thing we must do in order to make a real and lasting change for this country. Our commitment to prayer to God will eventually change us and this country will change when we change.

REGARDING AMERICA

HOW TO PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AMERICA? By Adrian Rogers

Please take the time to listen to this message. I pray you will not pass this by. It is very important.

http://www.oneplace.com/common/player/oneplace/CustomPlayer.asp?bcd=6/6/2008&url=http://swn.edgeboss.net/wmedia/swn/oneplace/wm/lwf/lwf20080605.wax&MinTitle=Love+Worth+Finding&MinURL=http://www.oneplace.comhttp://www.oneplace.com/ministries/love_worth_finding/&MinArchives=http://www.oneplace.comhttp://www.oneplace.com/ministries/love_worth_finding/archives.asp&Refresh=&AdsCategory=MINISTRY.LWF&Show_ID=119

REGARDING ISRAEL

In these last days the actions that will PROVE AND DISTINGUISH true Christianity from false Christianity will be those actions that produce an UNDYING & UNDIVIDED support of Israel and the Jewish people.

Psalm 122
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."

2 Our feet are standing in your gates,
O Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.

4 That is where the tribes go up,

the tribes of the LORD,

to praise the name of the LORD

according to the statute given to Israel.

5 There the thrones for judgment stand,

the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

"May those who love you be secure.

7 May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels."

8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,

I will say, "Peace be within you."

9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your prosperity.
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This link contains a very good article that will shed a lot of light as to WHY? Israel is such a big deal in today's world, and what the true Christian's stance toward Israel should be.

"This article assumes the reader has some familiarity with Romans 9-11, the most concise teaching on Israel's relationship to the Church. Among other pivotal truths, Romans 9-11 clarifies that God's Covenant calling on Israel is irrevocable; the Church has not replaced the Jewish Nation in His heart or prophetic plans."

WHY STAND WITH ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Why_Stand_With_Israel_S.pdf?docID=1227

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HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL & EXCELLENT ARTICLES THAT WILL NOT BE A WASTE OF YOUR TIME!!!!!!!

TO WHOM WAS ISRAEL PROMISED: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/To_Whom_Was_Israel_Promised.pdf?docID=1225
HOW TO PRAY FOR ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/How_to_Pray_for_Israel.pdf?docID=1223
WHY NOT DIVIDE ISRAEL: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Why_Not_Divide_Israel.pdf?docID=1226
JERUSALEM IN PROPHECY: http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/DocServer/Jerusalem_in_Prophecy.pdf?docID=1224
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As mentioned, in these last days the actions that will PROVE AND DISTINGUISH true Christianity from false Christianity will be those actions that produce an UNDYING & UNDIVIDED support of Israel and the Jewish people.

Jewish World Review June 6, 2008 / 3 Sivan, 5768
Mere hours after becoming Israel's new ‘best friend’ Obama backtracks on status of Jerusalem
By Binyamin L. Jolkovsky

Original 'misunderstood' statements contradicted campaign policy
www.JewishWorldReview.com

Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Barak Obama stood before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee parley Wednesday morning and declared his complete, unqualified support for a Jewish Jerusalem. The Holy City, he said, "will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."

The move was an attempt to score points with many in the Jewish and evangelical communities who, given Obama's past political relationships with terrorist sympathizers, racists, and other undesirables, have been wary of how, as president, he would treat the Jewish State.
The rousing applause from the audience, including some of the most powerful politicians in America, was immediate.
Almost as immediate, though, was Hamas' condemnation. Leaders of the terrorist group had previously endorsed Obama as their choice for America's Commander in Chief.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said he "totally rejected" Obama's Jerusalem pronouncement.
"The whole world knows that holy Jerusalem was occupied in 1967 and we will not accept a Palestinian state without having Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state," he added.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

To read Obama's speech in its entirety, please click HERE.

What a difference a day makes.

On Thursday, when queried by CNN, Obama said he was misunderstood.
"Well," Obama explained, "obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations."
Despite telling the AIPCAC conference what it wanted to hear and believe, an undivided Jerusalem was, in fact, never his campaign's position.
Obama's adviser for the Middle East, former Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, in May told the Israeli mass circulation daily, Haaretz, that his campaign considers it "impossible to make progress on serious peace talks without putting the future of Jerusalem on the table."
In the Democratic primaries, 53 percent of Jewish voters chose Hillary Clinton compared to 45% who chose Obama.

Other sources: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659672984&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *
AHMADINEJAD VOWS U.S., ISRAEL WILL BE "ANNIHILATED" SOON Senior Israeli official says war with Iran may be "unvoidable." Meanwhile, Olmert's government on verge of collapse.
By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., June 6, 2008) -- Using some of his most apocalyptic rhetoric yet, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is vowing that the United States and Israel will soon be "annihilated," even as he refuses to abandon Iran's nuclear program. Marking the 19th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, Ahmadinejad said: "Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started." He also insisted that "I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene." Are Israeli leaders thus planning to launch a massive air attack on Iran before the end of the year, or even before new national elections in Israel which may take place as early as November? Or are they trying to persuade the U.S. to do it before President Bush leaves office? Perhaps both. Which underscores the point I've been making for some time -- while we intensify our efforts to pray for peace in the epicenter, we also need to be intensifying our efforts to prepare for war. "An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites looks 'unavoidable' given the apparent failure of Western sanctions to deny Tehran technology with bomb-making potential," Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said Friday, according to Reuters report. "If Iran continues with its program for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective," said Mofaz. "It was the most explicit threat yet against Iran from a member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government, which, like the Bush administration, has preferred to hint at force as a last resort should United Nations Security Council sanctions fail to achieve the desired abandonment of nuclear development by Tehran. Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, has defied Western pressure to abandon its uranium enrichment projects. The leadership in Tehran has also threatened to retaliate against Israel -- believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal -- and U.S. targets in the Gulf for any attack on Iranian turf. Mofaz also said in the interview that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, 'would disappear before Israel does.'" "[T]he White House sidestepped questions about the Israeli threat to attack Iranian nuclear sites, saying it would not respond to hypothetical question," reported Ynet News in Israel. "'The world community, I believe, is united in the desire to make sure that Iran doesn't develop a nuclear weapon and have a severe threat that we don't want to see come to fruition,' White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters. But asked specifically whether the United States would support an Israeli strike on Iran, he said, 'I'm not going to talk about hypotheticals. I think we've been pretty clear in recent weeks and months about our approach on Iran.'"...Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is warning that Israel may soon be forced to launch a major military operation in Gaza to stop thousands of rockets, mortars and missiles which continue raining down on the southern cities and towns of the Jewish State....Reports the Jerusalem Post: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert returned to Israel from the US on Friday morning and, echoing the previous day's remarks by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, hinted that Gaza's day of reckoning was fast approaching. 'We are constantly evaluating between the possibility [of a deal] to reach complete quiet and the lack of a possibility of reaching such an agreement,' he said. 'The absence of the latter option will draw us closer to an operation that will be much harsher and tougher against the [terror] groups. "According to the information we have now, the pendulum is closer to a decision to embark on a harsh operation in the Gaza Strip than it is to an agreement with the terror organizations,' continued Olmert. Olmert's comments came a day after Amnon Rozenberg, 51, a father of three, was killed by a Gaza shell that hit the Nirlat paint factory at Kibbutz Nir Oz. The Security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a response to the incessant attacks from Gaza. Olmert told an Israel Radio reporter that Israel was exploring all the options available in order to achieve complete quiet for southerners without the need to enter into a violent and severe confrontation with terror groups in the Strip, adding, however, that there was a distinct possibility Israel would need to embark on an offensive and extensive operation against Palestinian terror groups." Weighing heavily on Olmert as he makes decisions about Iran and Gaza is his own precarious political position, and the fact that both he and President Bush will be out of office soon. Olmert was in Washington earlier this week, meeting with President Bush and other senior administration officials, as well as addressing the annual conference of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. But Olmert's trip may be his last to D.C. as premier. The buzz out of Israel is that early elections are increasingly expected, perhaps this November or December. While this is not yet official -- and Israeli politics are notoriously turbulent and unpredictable -- leaders and field workers of the major parties are working under the assumption that the Olmert government, tainted by the failed Second Lebanon War and new allegations of corruption, is on its last legs and that they need to be ready for snap elections in the fall. For now, all eyes are focused on June 18th, the dates the Knesset could vote to dissolve itself, automatically triggering new elections. New polling indicates the Likud Party, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is not only far ahead but surging. Were elections held this month, Likud would be expected to pick up as many as 35 parliament seats, up from an estimated 30 seats last November. The Labour Party, by contrast -- led by current Defense Minister Ehud Barak -- has lost significant ground since last November, garnering support for only 19 seats currently, down from 23. Olmert's Kadima Party, meanwhile, continues to slide. Current polls show Kadima -- likely to be led by current Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni after Olmert's departure -- would receive only 11 Knesset seats, rather than 15. Polling Data: Prospective results of a Knesset election (Results presented in seats) Likud -- 35 seats (up from 30 in Nov) Labour -- 19 seats (down from 23 in Nov) Kadima -- 13 seats (down from 15 in Nov) Israel Our Home -- 11 seats (same as Nov) Shas -- 11 seats (up from 9 in Nov) United Torah Judaism -- 6 seats (same as Nov) National Religious Party -- 5 seats (down from 6 in Nov) Yachad -- 5 seats (up from 4 in Nov) Social Justice -- 2 seats (down from 4 in Nov) Green Party -- 2 seats (up from 0 in Nov) Arab parties -- 11 seats (down from 10 in Nov) Retired People's Party -- 0 seats (down from 2 in Nov) Source: Dialog / Haaretz Methodology: Interviews with 467 Israeli adults, conducted on May 27 and May 28, 2008. Margin of error is 5 per cent.
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PRAY FOR PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR
Looking for more ways to bless Israel? Here are three specific options that are particularly appropos given recent developments. Each are taken from our list of "60 Ways To Bless Israel At 60." The full list is available on our weblog at www.joshuafund.net. 2.) Stock one bomb shelter in northern Israel with food, water, a first aid kit, other emergency supplies and a secure storage locker. There are currently some 5,500 bomb shelters that need to be urgently stocked with supplies before the next war. The Joshua Fund is currently raising funds to stock 100 as soon as possible. Cost per bomb shelter: $5,500. 3.) Provide one ton of food to care for needy families in northern Israel who were hit by 4,000 rockets and missiles during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. These families are still recovering from that war. Many live on less than $500 a month. And food prices are rising in Israel, as they are around the globe. Every month, therefore, The Joshua Fund pays for about 10 tons of food to be purchased by one of our allies in Israel, distributed to the needy in the north, as well as stockpiled for the next war. Cost: $2,500 per ton. 4.) Help purchase desperately needed medical equipment such as respirators, ventilators, operating room lamps, mobile x-ray machines and the like for under-funded regional hospitals in Israel. At the request of hospital administrators, The Joshua Fund has adopted the Barzilai Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon to help them raise funds for such equipment. Barzilai is the only hospital and trauma center serving the 500,000 Israelis living near the Gaza border and facing a nearly constant barrage of rockets, missiles and mortars. They are doing heroic work, but they do need our help. Cost: Some of this equipment is very costly, averaging between $20,000 to $80,000 each. A donation of $5,000 would help significantly towards meeting these vital needs. The Joshua Fund will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, brief you on how those projects are proceeding, and let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible. To contribute to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to "The Joshua Fund" and send to: The Joshua Fund 18950 Base Camp Road Monument, Colorado 80132-8009 Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus -- especially at this moment of Israel' 60th anniversary.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.

2008-05-27T23:52:00.001-07:00

Personal NOTES: From John MaCarthur's Message / HEAVEN? The Narrow Gate OR The Broad Gate: Which Path Are You On?

One Soul said, “I am heartily sick of the type of religion that insists my soul and everyone elses needs saving. Whatever that means. I have never felt that I was lost. Nor do I feel that I daily wallow in the mire of sin, although repetitive preaching insists that I do. GIVE ME A PRACTICAL RELIGION that teaches gentleness and tolerance; that acknowledges no barriers of color or creed; that remembers the aged and teaches children of goodness and not sin. If in order to save my soul I must accept such a philosophy as I have recently heard preached, I prefer to remain forever damned. The Broad Choice

A West Indian who had chosen Islam over Christianity said, “My Reason is because Islam is a noble and broad path. There is room for a man and his sins on it and the way of Christ is far too narrow.” That is the Broad choice.

THIS WAY TO HEAVEN! The Broad Way: Once you come in through the wide gate the whole gangs there. It’s easy livin’ man! Right? There’s no precipice. There’s lots of room. You can just stroll and roam. No rules. No morality is particularly binding. There’s room for diverse theology. There’s tolerance of every conceivable sin. Just as long as you love “Jesus” or as long as you’re religious. There are no curbs. There are no limits. There are no boundaries. All of the desires of the fallen heart are fed. There’s no need for a beatitude attitude. There’s no need for humility. There’s no need to study the Word of God. There’s no need for hard internal moral standards. You can just go along with a typical, mechanical, religiosity that is no more then hypocrisy. It takes absolutely no character. It’s like a dead fish floatin’ down stream. Very easy. Current does it all. It is the way that seems right to a man but in the end thereof it is the way that leads to death. This is the Broad way. No rules! No stance except those made by men that helps them fit into their own comfortable system. “The way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1:6)

THIS WAY TO HEAVEN! The Constricted Way; The Hard Way; The Narrow Way; The Way that is Pressed Together and Confined. The Way that is a Narrow Path on a Precipice. The Way that Demands a Walk that is Circumspective. The Way that Demands Your Eyes be Open because You Can’t Float or Flip-Flop; The Way that is Hemmed in on Both Sides By the Chastening Hand of God. The Way Where the Requirements Are Great and Strict and Refined and Clear Cut Where There’s No Room for any Deviation or Departure. The Way Where These Things Are Your Desires to Fulfill Knowing Full well that When You Fail God Will Chasten and Then Wonderfully and Lovingly Forgive and Set You on Your Feet Again. It’s the Way that is Hard and Narrow and Restrictive and Sounds Like Something You Would Never Want. But it is the Way Where All the Hardness and Narrowness and All Restrictions Were Born By Jesus Christ Himself so That His Yoke is Easy for You and His Burden is Light for You. It is the Way that You Don’t Just Get Onto Without Taking Stock of What is Being Asked of You. It is the Way that is As Hard As It Can Possibly Be Made. It is the way where you hate your father, mother, wife, brother, sister, and your own life. It is the way where you step out of the crowd and say goodbye to everyone you love or you’re not worthy to be on this Way. It’s the Way you pick up your own Cross and live a crucified life. It’s the way Where You Count the Cost Before Getting On. “So likewise whosoever he is of you who forsakes not ALL that He has cannot be my disciple.” Jesus Christ. This is the Hard Line that Jesus Drew. You can walk on this path only in God’s Strength and Grace and where you say I WILL only as He enables you to walk that narrow walk and not in your own achievement but in your weakness through his strength because you can not walk this way on your own. It is the Way where you are willing to walk this way and where you expect persecution and will run from those who want to kill you. It’s the Hard way where you don’t walk with your bare feet because it is not a lush meadow or soft path. It is the Path that is for those desiring to be real Christ Followers and is not a soft option for the weak kneed or weak in heart. It is the path where you declare war on Hell itself and find Hell declaring its full fight back onto you. It’s a lifelong path where you constantly fight your own selfish will, and arrogant pride and rebellious desires knowing that victory over them will cost you your LIFE. It’s the way that demands these terms. It’s The Hard Narrow and Confined Path…that becomes the way of Beauty because of Christ. It’s The Way of Christ.

Which Way To Heaven Is It? Narrow or Broad? Both do not go to Heaven. One goes to Hell and Destruction.

...God Says Narrow....it's through my son Jesus Christ alone...Believing in Him is the Only way I Have provided entrance into Heaven.

...The World and Man says Broad.... it is through many ways of belief. Not just one....and it is through mans efforts and goodness that he will get into heaven.

Whom will you Believe?

It's a life or death decision.

God says choose life

"For God so Loved the World that He Gave His Only Son That Whosoever will Believe in Him Will not Perish but have Everlasting Life" John 3:16

There's not much time left to choose. Don't allow your heart to become more hardened by the world. Allow God's Words ...the Bible...to speak to you and change your heart. Eternity with Christ is worth it....

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world (power, fame, pleasure, riches) but forfeit his soul." Jesus Christ.... Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36

"Wounds from a friend are better then many kisses from an enemy." Proverbs 27:6

2008-04-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

BREATH

My new little boy was born 4/10. I held him for the first time on 4/20. It's his 13th day in NICU. It was great to hold him. When I did my heart leaped toward him. He was born with lung illness which is not uncommon, but here I am with my wife experiencing something new that is not easy. Ventilators, IV's, Retraction, O2, Life or death all depending on breath. It's been tolerable cause it's a common condition and the Dr's have seen it all before. So they are reassuring and hopeful.....because he is showing improvement. But, if my boy was going into more negative health- even into death- I would hope to choose to experience that in God's strength, with thankfulness and sorrowful tears, because I have already given my son back to Jesus. The truth I lean on is that Landon is Jesus' who cares for him the most. Another truth I am leaning on during this time is so comforting. It's that God never changes. I trust that whatever comes my way, whether easy or hard ,it will not change God, but rather will give me the opportunity to respond in faithfulness and growth toward Jesus Christ.

I thank the Lord for this experience. It's showing me where my faith and endurance are. It's also showing me who my family truly is: all those who have come around to intercede for Landon's health in Jesus' name. I believe all these prayers are making a difference because it's only in the name of Jesus Christ and all that he represents that there is true power for healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually in life.

No one remembers their early early years too well... if at all. Knowing this gives me some peace because my little guy won't remember the difficulty, discomfort, pain of ventilators, pokes and prodding IVs and little surgeries that he is going thru. What's interesting in this for me is that while I'm aware of the ETERNAL value of Landon's life, he is going through things that he won't remember. I will remember it but he won't. I will remember all the feelings I had while he was going through his bout to stay alive. I don't remember all the inconveniences in my life so what's the point? The point is that the Bible in the Psalms reveal that Jesus knows what my son is going through and cares for him more than I do. God feels for Landon more than I do. That's what really has been impacting to me. Jesus, Landon's Creator, will remember what he went through as an infant just as he remembers my infancy and yours. This matters because it reveals that God cares and is merciful. The more I start thinking about this the more I appreciate Jesus Christ, because who really cares about conception to 3 yrs like he does? Of course the parents, nurses and doctors do, but the reality is that God put all these key people into place for Landon's sake and all of our care. I never think about those early early years because I don't have a memory of it. I can't remember the last time I thanked God for watching over me in the womb and through my "no memory" days. I really take it for granted and don't give enough thanks to him because those moments were the most critical to my overall life.

Spiritually speaking, each one of us is so young in faith. Some people have not even been born into FAITH yet! Their faith has yet to be conceived but one day will be! Maybe when we get to heaven the Glory and Purity and Awesomeness of God will be so all consuming that we won't remember much of what we went through during our 75+/- years of physical life here on earth. Much of me says that everything I will experience here on this earth is part of a spiritual birth process or preperation process for living in eternal faithfulness in heaven. Could it be that our whole lives on earth, with it's every experience, can be likened to our first 3 years of life? My first memories are from 3yrs and on. Conception to 3 years is empty, but it is there. And as I am learning, those first 3 years of my life were the most important to my physical, social, spiritual and...overall development as a person. In this context, it makes good sense to me WHY everything I do in this life will count and have eternal ramifications. If I eat well as an infant more then likely I will have a good nutritional base for the rest of my life: healthy bones, nerves, blood cells, etc. That's a sobering thought because the same is true spiritually: the more I read, trust and apply God's Word before I die the more glory God will get from my life in my eternity with him.

Jesus knows each of us so intimately...more intimately then we know ourselves! Does that knowledge make it easier for you to entrust and yield your life to him if you haven't done so already? He really cares for you more then you care for yourself! My son does not know how much I love him, but I do greatly and I can't wait for him to know and learn of my love! So in speaking of Jesus, what a Caretaker he is! Even while you were in your mother's womb HE WAS THERE forming you for his purposes! Read Psalm 139:

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

The Bible reveals that the deepest desire that God has is to become a Father to the fatherless and then to love his adopted children with all his strength. As I was saying, Landon does not know that I love him right now but one day he will. At one point in my life I did not know how much God really loved me. Then as I grew and became more aware I learned about his love for me and that he had to give up his own life so that I could have the opportunity to receive his love. The older my son gets I hope that it will be a blessing to him to realize how much I love him. I hope it breathes life into him and assurance. I will do everything to make it so he knows that he knows that he knows that he is loved unconditionally.

I pray that you will act on that desire you have to get to know the love that your Creator has for you. His name is Jesus Christ and you will learn about him more in the Bible. You must read it for yourself to learn about him. I pray you will trust him enough to breathe his breath of life into you.

Our journey with Landon:
http://carolsphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/4704969_rqmGh#P-1-15

2008-04-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

I'm Not Surprised the Devil is a Distractor!

I am a part of a program that essentially reveals to people the basics of the biblical faith. It's the ABCs/123s of the bible. It's a program that bypasses the bright light - big show kind of grandeur that we see in many churches today which honestly is a huge distraction from Whom we should be focused upon to begin with. In addition, it can be hard to find the real Jesus in many churches today because of all these BIG distractions. At this church, Jesus can be found working in this program. Men and Women keep coming back because they are finally hearing what they have been searching for.....the Truth! As a result real change is happening in these peoples lives and it's not easy because in many ways the Truth is setting these people free from lies and deception, unforgiveness and anger, depression and selfishness, pride and self righteousness. These are the strong parts of our sin nature. Being seperated from these things by believing in the truth found in the bible hurts initially but brings real life sooner then later. Usually, where God is working you can expect unusual things to happen.

With that said, on Monday night I was a part of one man's most unusual experience as He was seeking after God with a true heart. I had met this man only three times before and had in only three sessions seen his radar for God hone in on Him and the key issues that would allow him to become truly free. On this particular night he decided to pray to God alone in the desert about all that he had been learning. The really cool thing about this man is that he has not been hardening his heart towards God as he is learning about who God is and who he is as a man, but instead he has responded with sincerity and is really seeking after what the Devil apparently wants to distract him from. Whether you're a Christian or not the Devil will do whatever is necessary to distract you from this one critical piece of the salvation process. Satan says, "You can do everything else, even play your religion, but don't you dare ______________!" Do you know what that blank is? I'll tell you in a minute...

So he was up on the hill praying before the cross and thinking about his guilt and what it really means to give his life to Jesus Christ. He came to realize that he is not to control those things that God is in control of --- namely everything including his own life!, he came to realize that he is not his flesh when once he enters into faith in Jesus Christ, he came to realize what it means to really be IN CHRIST. And now he was working it all into his heart through prayer. So he's praying at the cross and it is dark out and he begins walking down the hill back to class. And along the path he can see the signs of encouragement. He happened to stop at the sign that spoke of REPENTANCE and he stood in front of that sign thinking about what that really meant. And as he was thinking and praying he was lead to remove his hat and bow his head to the Lord and he began to pray in the heart of REPENTANCE and WHAM!!! He was hit in the back hard enough to make him fall to the ground. He turned around in that split second and it was dark and he saw nothing. He heard nothing........................So he runs down the hill and grabs me as we are breaking out into groups and says, Hank, I have to tell you what just happened to me. We went outside and He described what happened and lifted up his shirt to show me where he was hit, and to our surprise there were four claw marks on his back that had broke his skin. The first thing I thought was the verse in Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 10-12 that says, " A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." I saw the concern on his face as he was realizing the truth that there is a spiritual realm. We prayed together and asked the Lord to continue to work the life of Repentance into his spirit. And he began reading the book of John that night.

Satan says, "You can do everything else, even play around in your nice religion, but don't you dare ______________ to Jesus Christ!" Friends, the word is REPENT. This man was about to REPENT of his sins before the Lord and WHAM!!! What does that tell you! Even if it was an owl or hawk whatever it was that slammed into him without a trace was right at the time of his faithful and sincere moment to get right with the Lord!!! I am not surprised! Are you? Even if you don't believe in Jesus are you surprised? The devil is a distractor. He even wants us to emphasize the fact that this man got nailed in the back hard enough to leave claw marks. He even wants us to watch the latest shows that emphasize ghosts and spirits and psychics and magic arts. The paranormal. Are you being distracted by the things of this world! Do you realize that Satan is putting on a big show for you .... EVEN IN THE CHURCHES!!!! Satan masquerades as an Angel of Light so that he can bring you down with him.

The ABC's/123's of the Christian Fundementals are childlike and require real faith. The fundementals/basics of biblical faith are dangerous because believing in them produces the kind of change that God is pleased with. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter into it." I can tell you this man has been receiving a gift from God and I have been witnessing it. It's a powerful childlike faith that speaks through his eyes and the humble actions of prayer and repentance.

There's going to be more of this kind of thing happening around us. Whether you are a Christian or not do not be taken by these paranormal incidents. The God who loves you faithfully demonstrated his love for you by breaking himself on the cross for you. Think of all the sins you have committed with your hands...is it stealing, violence, angry gestures, sexual impurity? Because Jesus loves you and does not want you to go to that place prepared for the devil and his demons, He pierced his own hands instead of yours. Think of all the sins you have committed in your mind...Is it lustful adulterous thoughts? Jesus said that if you have lusted after another person that you have already committed adultry in your heart with them. Is it prideful self righteouse thoughts? I am better then everyone else! Is it angry murderous thoughts? Jesus said that if you are angry with someone that you have already murdered them in your heart. Because Jesus loves you he wore the crown of thorns on his head so that the punishment for mental sins would be paid in full. If you are reading this you must understand that you put Jesus on the cross. No one else is to blame but you. In the same way, I put Jesus on the cross. I am to blame because of my personal sins! Jesus' love is so great that even while we were in the act of sinning he took the beating that we all deserved. He died a naked and humiliating death for the pornographer so he or she would not have to. He died a brutally violent death so the terrorists, and murderers wouldn't have to. He died a mocking and unfair death so the thief and liar and fool would not have to. Can't you see God's love!!!! Can't you see God's Justice!!! Don't be side tracked by Satan's big shows and tricky lies. Jesus PAID IT ALL IN FULL ALREADY! You are not being invited by God to do anything to earn this gift of free life in His Son Jesus, because you can't do enough. You are are not good enough and never will be. If you've lied, stolen, cheated, lusted, or hated even once in your life you are guilty because God is Holy. If you choose to put your faith in Jesus Christ and his love for you He will make you Holy. There is no other way you will meet God's standard of Holiness because only Jesus Christ lived that life of perfect Holiness. Praise God that there is a way of escaping what we all deserve. We deserve what Jesus got. Get it? I praise the Lord that he has helped me get it! It's about getting repentance. It's about turning away from ourselves, our wills, our reasoning, our good actions, our SELF and entrusting our SELF to God. Only he can make you truly live! GIVE HIM PRAISE!!!!

God bless you as you sincerely approach God in a repentant spirit!!!

Love your brother in Christ

2008-03-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

Where Does the Power of The Blood Of Christ Come From?

Something is influencing you! What is it that you are allowing to influence you? Is it the Truth? Do you even know what is true anymore? It's very easy to become confused in this time we live and it will become more and more confusing as time passes. So watch out dear friends!! Do you remember who Pontious Pilot was? He was the Roman Governor who asked Jesus, "What is Truth?" Here's what happened in context:

Jesus before Pilate

Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"
They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you." So Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death," to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him. "But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?" So they cried out again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a robber.

Are you a Pontious Pilot? Is Truth stairing you in the face and you can't see it anymore. My dear friend if so, SNAP OUT OF IT! I say this with all the compassion and love that is running through me right now. In Proverbs it says "Better the rebuke from a friend then kisses from your enemy." I am your friend. And I am not afraid to rebuke you because there is so much at stake. I am at risk of being deceived if I will not deal with what is naturally inside of me that wants to run away from the truth. I am a man as you and we have the same problem...namely pride. If we don't deal with our pride it will deal with us. So much of what I am trying to convey can only be understood if that stiff necked attitude is dealt with. My sincere question to you is, Do you have a stiff -neck, or an angry spirit, or a rebellious heart toward the One who is trying to show you the one way to live that will make you truly fulfilled and complete. I hope the following excerpt will help you see that living in the Truth will truly set you free!

The Way of The Cross:

"Let us look at the book of Revelation. in this book the blood of Christ is described as the "blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14). These words give us part of the answer to our question: Where does the Power of the Blood of Jesus Christ Come From? It was not the blood of the Lion or the Fighter, but the blood of the Lamb. The power of the blood comes from the lamb-like nature of the One who shed it. That is why it is so powerful with God for men. It was in His death that the Lord Jesus showed most completely His lamb-like nature.

Why is the Lord Jesus described as the Lamb? First of all, it is a description of His work. He came to be the Sacrifice for our sin. What did an Israelite do when he knew he had sinned and needed to get right with God? He would bring a lamb (or goat) as a sacrifice. The animal would be killed and it's blood sprinkled on the altar. The Lord Jesus, the Son of God, was the One who showed the true meaning of all the lambs which man had sacrificed. "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)

But the name " the Lamb" has a deeper meaning as well. It shows us His nature. Like a lamb, He is gentle and humble in spirit (Matthew 11:29) He did not take revenge. He Himself said, " I have come down from heaven to do the will of Him who sent me, NOT MY OWN WILL" (John 6:38). He came so that men might be blessed and saved. If his nature had not been that of the Lamb, He would have had hard thoughts when men treated Him badly. But "He was humble and walked the path of obedience even to death--His death on the cross." (Philippians 2:8) He loved His Father and He loved us, and so endured it all to save us. Men did what they wished to Him. For our sakes He gave Himself into their hands. " When He was insulted, He did not answer back with an insult; when He suffered, he did not threaten." ( 1 peter 2:23) He did not claim His rights. He did not hit back. He had no hard thoughts. He did not complain. He was very different from what we are! When He knew it was God's plan that wicked men should put Him on the cross, He bowed His head to death. He was put to death like a lamb. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus as the Lamb: "He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He stood silent before the ones condemning Him" (Isaiah 53:7) men flogged Him with a whip. They laughed at Him. They spit on Him. They pulled the hair from His beard. They laid the cross on His back and made Him carry it to Calvary. There they nailed Him to the cross. he was lifted up to die. After he died a soldier pierced His side with a spear, and His blood flowed out. All these things happened because the Lord Jesus was the Lamb. He did all this to pay the price of my sin. It is true that He was the Lamb because He died on the cross, but it is also true that He died on the cross because He was the Lamb.

Let us always remember this fact about the blood. Jesus' blood shows us the humbleness and self-sacrifice of the Lamb. This is what gives the blood its wonderful power with God. Look at Hebrews 9:14. There the writer links together the blood of Christ and His offering Himself as a sacrifice to God. "How much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal spirit He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to God." This is why the blood has such power with God. God the Father places great value on that which is offered to Him. He wants to see in men the nature of the Lamb. He want men who will humbly obey Him. He wants men who will give up their will to do His will. That was why God made man in the first place. Man sinned when he refused to walk in the path of obedience to God. This has been the real heart of sin ever since. The Lord Jesus came to earth as a Man to live in obedience to God. When the Father saw His Son always obeying Him He said, "This is my dear Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) In obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus shed His blood on the cross. This is why His blood is so precious to God. This is why His blood can wash away all the sins in our hearts." p84-p87

I pray you can understand this, and I pray you will want to get to know Jesus by reading the Bible. More than that I pray that you would ask Jesus Christ to save you from yourself and your sin nature. What a wonderful act of love he performed for you!!! He proved His love for you by going to the cross even while you were sinning against Him. He knew that if He did not die for you that you would not have a chance to choose Him and His forgiveness. The Lord Jesus is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all might have eternal life in Him. I have written about Hell, a most unpopular subject, because it is becoming the eternal reality for all those whose sins have not been covered by the blood of Jesus. It is real place and people are falling into Hell right now. One by one souls are falling into this aweful place forever. It is beyond words and not one of us could withstand the sorrow that God feels for these souls especially when He has provided a way of escape. The alternative is true as well. Right now souls are entering into the presence of God because they have received His free gift of eternal life found in His Son Jesus. They will be in paradise forever.

2008-03-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sobering UP!

Do you believe that hell is a real place? This world we live in and the entertainment we watch has watered down the reality of the two places souls will spend their eternity. Heaven and Hell. I am sending this video to my close Christian friends who I believe will not take this testimony about hell lightly or cast it aside as a joke…because it surely is not a joke. I have been blessed as I have thought about hell…if that makes any sense…and I want to know more about the reality of eternity and the passion of Christ’s love for souls. Do you? Think clearly about what Romans 13: 8-14 is saying to us and let the truth of God’s word change you:

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Every second there are souls entering into “hell.” Have you studied hell to know what that place is really like? There are over 400 references on hell in the bible. If we love Jesus we will love others by sharing with them the hard stuff about faith and life and salvation. I encourage you to set aside some time to listen to Bill Weise’s testimony and consider the terrible reality that those without Christ will face and also those “Christians” who are living in sin without repentance. There is no such thing as a Christian who does not repent of their sins. The Holy Spirit is calling you to live powerfully in righteousness and his strength can only work through you if you yield and surrender ALL of yourself to him. Let’s work hard to enter through the narrow gate that leads to life. This is what working hard back to Jesus looks like remember:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

Jesus see’s your heart when you start running back to him and he steps in and fights for you…he dies for you daily. Let’s repent and ask the Lord to renew our love and fear for him. The time is now! It truly is time to awaken out of our sleepiness by behaving properly as in the day. ALREADY, Our money worship is his, our drunkenness is his, our sexual sins are his, our idols must be thrown away, our vanity image is his, our unbelief is his FOR HE BECAME SIN FOR US and saved us from a real wrath born out of pure and righteous Justice. Let’s live what we believe…and do what Noah would say, “GET IN THE ARK”

Lets encourage one another in these days to sober up in the spirit of humility and real Christlike love.

Sincerely, your bro in Christ Hank
A testimony about Hell:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3453111670261816567

2008-02-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

A WARNING TO THOSE WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES CHRISTIAN!

I have been a Christian for 15 yrs. At the age of 16 I confessed my sins to the Lord Jesus and asked him to forgive me and help me live a repentant life for him alone and to live a life where he has complete Lordship in my life. Since then my life has been transformed and it is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ that has made all the difference. It is through reading the bible that I learn how to be changed and find new direction. I have an incredible assurance that the Lord has saved me from the consequences of my sin nature, the sinful choices I have made that have made me guilty before God and from hell. I do not live in fear of death or eternal punishment for my sins. I am free of guilt and shame because I have a new past and a hopeful future in Christ. I have peace and the power to forgive anyone for anything. I am truly free. I am happy in all circumstances and am joyful because I am saved. And I give all my praise and thankfulness to Jesus Christ because he is showing me more and more who he is and who I am as a child of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says: "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Lately, I have been asking the Lord to show me what his heart is feeling for those who call themselves Christians, and what is being revealed to me is very sobering and fearful.

Read these verses carefully in Matthew 7. This is a direct warning from Jesus to those who call themselves Christians:

13"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20"So then, you will know them by their fruits. ******21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' *****24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27"The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

If you call yourself a Christian in this country or this world it is automatically presumed that we share the same faith, read the same bible, and are drawing close to the same Jesus Christ in the same Holy Spirit. But this is not necessarily true. When I read the bible and then look around in this country I see a great confusion about what being a Christian really is. The truth is that you are not a Christian if you just say that you are. You are a Christian IF you live according to what the Bible says in it's entirety. It is the Bible alone that reveals what God expects. It is Jesus Christ's expectations that matters not the pastor at your church or on TV. It's not the seemingly wise family member or friend who always talks about Jesus and God stuff. It is not the opinion of the politicians, hollywood stars, scientists, or economists that matters. It's not your opinion that matters. It is the Bible alone that has the ultimate authority on our lives. It is not the Bible and the book of Mormon. It is not the Bible and the Catechism. It is only the Bible. I understand if this last statement is hard to accept if you are not a Christian, but if you call yourself a "Christian" and this bothers you then beware! Those above verses are for you. There is a song called, "The Real Jesus" by Downhere that speaks of all the many Jesus's that are popping onto the scene but the message of this song is: just give me the REAL Jesus! Believing in the REAL Jesus makes you a REAL Christian.

A real Christian believes that Jesus Christ is the one true GOD. That it is Jesus Christ who created this world and you and me. A real Christian believes that GOD is THREE seperate persons IN ONE: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Much like the SUN or WATER or MAN each have THREE seperate parts but are still considered ONE. A real Christian believes that Jesus is the only way to heaven and that there are not many ways to heaven. WHY? Because NO ONE in all of history has died and rose again from the dead as Jesus has. NO ONE has proven themselves as GOD except Jesus Christ. NO ONE has showed more love then Jesus Christ. The Bible says in John 15:13: there is no greater love then when a man lays down his life for his friends. A real Christian believes that Jesus is the only way to heaven because he is the only one who lived a SINLESS life and therefore is the only one worthy to save souls. Jesus Christ is the only one who died for the purpose of saving humanity from their SIN NATURE and then rose from the dead to prove that he is the one true God. A REAL CHRISTIAN LIVES BY FAITH IN THESE THINGS and the Bible says it is impossible to please God without faith.

A Christian is REAL if they believe in all of these things and the rest of what the Bible teaches and follows Jesus daily in a repentant life.

Jesus said that not everyone who thinks they are a Christian will enter the kingdom of heaven. There will even be those who performed miracles and healed and cast out demons that are cast into hell because they were false Christians. If this doesn't rattle your heart then I don't know if anything will. When I read Matthew 7 I sober up because it is warning religious people to stop being religious and start getting right with Jesus Christ with a sincere heart of humility. Only the pride in your heart will keep you from receiving Jesus as who he really is.