Be Blessed

1 John 3: 17-19

17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

These few scriptures can be summed up in the few words that Jesus spoke when one of the Pharisees ask him what was the  great commandment.  He told him to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all they soul and with all thy mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.  As Christians we have an obligation to others.  If we see someone in need, we are to help them if we can.  Prayers are wonderful and they can reach heaven, but if you have the ability to do more and don't do it, then you are sinning against God.   The bible teaches us in James 4:17

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.  I do not believe that God means for you to be taken advantage of by these scriptures.  He gave you a mind to think with and I don't know about you, but I know when someone is trying to take advantage of me because they know I am a Christian and when they are simply in need. God's spirit will lead you if you allow him.  One of the greatest feelings in the world is feeling God's spirit lead you to help someone and then seeing the joy in that person, knowing that God provided for their needs.  I encourage you today to begin to listen to the Holy Ghost and allow him to lead you.  We have friends and neighbors all around us that are in need, we also have strangers that are simply friends and neighbors that we haven't met yet.  If you want to be blessed of God, begin to bless someone else.  My bible also teaches me that it is better to give than to receive.  Acts 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.  May God richly bless you this Holiday season as you reach out and begin to bless others and may you form a habit of blessing that lasts a lifetime.  Blessed be his Holy name. 

Be Thankful

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Colossians 3:15 KJV

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and at this time of the year we all seem to be able to find all kinds of things to be thankful for, but as children of God we should be thankful every day of our lives. Knowing Christ as our savior should bring the "Peace of God" into our hearts and this is enough to be thankful for throughout eternity. Just saying we are thankful is not enough. We should show God that we are thankful by the lives that we live. Our lives should be an open invitation for others to see Jesus Christ and want to know him. It shames me when I hear a sinner say, if that person is going to heaven then I will be right behind them, when "that person" is supposed to be a child of God. Sinners need to understand that you can't pattern yourself after mankind that a true Christian will pattern their life after Jesus Christ. I encourage you today to not look at those that would cause you to say such things, but rather to look to Jesus and come to know him. To know him is to love him and to love him is to want to be like him. We are a spiritual being living in flesh and blood body and those two things war against each other. The flesh is weak and people fail God everyday and make mistakes but we don't know how often they are on their knees crying out to God for forgiveness. We can be thankful that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ standing in the gap for us, pleading our case. Let us not judge one another by what our eyes see, but let us love and pray for one another that if we sin, we seek God's forgiveness. The devil is a liar and if I listened to him telling me that if that one goes to heaven you will be right behind them, then I would likely find myself in a devil's hell. I choose rather to look at my brothers and sisters in Christ and if I see them stumble, I will pray for them to be able to stand back up, never to falter, never to fail. I am thankful today that God has given me love in my heart and allowed me to know his peace, a peace that is beyond all understanding. I have so much to thank him for...

Sing praises unto the Lord

Psalm 95:1-2
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

The bible is filled with scriptures about praise and worship.  God desires the praises of his people.  When we begin to praise him, his holy spirit lifts us up and we can feel his presence and experience knowing him in a way that others can never understand.  When that joy starts bubbling up inside and your feet want to dance before him, there is nothing that can stop the movement of his spirit.  We often sing a song at our church called, "I'm one of them"  one part of it says this.  

I've got what my grandma had, I got it just like she did.  It was way back yonder in the head of a holler, he called me when I was a kid.  I'm one of them.  One of those Holy Ghost believers.  I know by the gifts inside.  I've seen to much already to change my Pentecostal life.  

The words to this song says it all.  I've seen to much for anyone to ever try and convince me that the Pentecost way is wrong.  I've felt the Holy Ghost stirring in my soul and I know God's presence when I feel it.  I love when God moves upon 80 or 90 year old people that many times have to have a walker to get around, but when his spirit stirs, their feet go to dancing before him as they praise him.  Friend, only God can give that kind of strength to those weary legs.  I am not ashamed of my savior nor am I ashamed of his presence in my life.  I don't ever want to stand before him and hear those words, depart from me, I never knew you.  I choose to sing and praise him while I live upon this earth.  I choose to do my best to walk upright before him and lift up his name with gladness on my lips.  He has never failed me.  When I go to him in prayer, I see answers.  He told me ask and ye shall receive.  He is my father and I am his child.  He is the rock that I run to in all my times of trouble.  Friend, if you have not had an experience with Jesus Christ, I invite you to pray.  God sent his son into this world to die so that you could live.   He loves you.  The most powerful message I can pass along is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Believe it in your heart, confess it with your mouth and you shall be saved.  Begin to praise and worship him and you shall be filled with his holy spirit and you to shall be "One of them"...you will know the joy of serving Jesus.  Blessed be his holy name!!

Psalm 27:6
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

Psalm 47:6
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Psalm 75:9
But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

Psalm 92:1
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

Psalm 146:2
While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

Romans 14:11
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Christ prayed for you

John 17:14-18

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
This world has been turned upside down, not only by ISIS but by all the different groups of people out in the world that want to do anything they want to make a dollar, live any way they want, treat others any way they want. We are living in the days when the world calls evil good and good evil and people are ok with that.  God's children are living in this world, but as Jesus Christ himself said, WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD.   If you are washed in the blood and have accepted Christ into your heart, then you are no longer of this world.  You have an earthly body to use while here, but you are SPIRITUAL.  As the days go on, times will be harder on God's people.  Jesus also knew this and that is why he prayed for them.  Once we comprehend that we are spiritual and begin to live more spiritual, we will begin to understand more about what is going on all around us.    God will make a way for his people, but we must stand upon the word of God.  Share his word with others and pray for the world and those around us.  God did not call us out to hate, but rather to love.  I know that many times I speak of war being the only way, but I do not believe that contradicts that fact that I also love.  I pray for ISIS, our leaders, the hate groups, the abortionists, and anyone else that I believe is living contrary to God's truth, but in the same token, I believe that when an act of war is perpetrated upon our fellowman or our country that sometimes war is inevitable.  Joshua fought a hard battle once and was defeated.  When he prayed and talked it over with God, then God let him know that there was sin in the camp.  Get rid of the sin and you won't be defeated.  Joshua got rid of the sin and fought the same people a second time.  The battle was going strong at sundown and  Joshua asked God to stop the sun.  God stopped time for Joshua so he could win the battle.  How much more would he do for his people today if we would only get rid of the sin among us.  War is something we sometimes face and I believe it is sometimes the only way, but God must be the center of everything.  If we are not living according to his word, then we may find ourselves like Joshua and be defeated by the enemy simply because there are those among us that are hiding sin.  Jesus knew that we would face evil in the world, but he has prayed for us and died for us, we must live for him.  Blessed be his Holy name.

We are blessed

King David desired to know all the wonderful things of God.  Psalms 119 is such a blessing to read.  We need to follow David's example and seek God's face, desiring to know all of his ways.  I love verse 11:  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 
David  prayed that God  would open his eyes and teach him his laws.  He wanted to know all about God so that he could live according to his word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  Throughout the  psalm we see him seeking God's face, pleading to know more about God, more about his ways, more about his statutes, more about his commandments and the only reason he had for wanting to know more about it all was that he might live according to God's ways and tell others about Gods wonderful works.  27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.  44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.

We as Christians could learn something from reading the psalms of King David.  Things were not always easy for him.  He was hunted like an animal by his enemies.  He knew something about suffering, but he also knew something about praying.  He knew where his help came from.  So many times in life when we are hurt, when we suffer loss, when we are in need, when our greatest HOPE and our greatest HELP is in God, we turn and walk away from him instead of crying out to him.  God knows our pain, he knows our needs and he knows our sorrows.  If we would turn to him with our whole hearts and seek his face, he would hear from heaven bring comfort to our souls.  We need to read his word continually and seek for knowledge and wisdom to understand his laws.  The more we bury God's word in our hearts, the more JOY we will have in our lives.  I like to say that we get out of it what we are willing to put into it.  If we go all week long and never pick up the bible to read, or we never go into our prayer closet and pray then we can't expect to go to church on Sunday and have the blessings of God fall upon us.  Our lives should be a living example of God's ways.  Sinners should be able to know things about God just by watching how we live.  It is my heart's desire Lord that my life would portray your word.  I feel like King David when he said, 94 I am thine, save me: for I have sought thy precepts.  97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.  124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.  We can never walk God's path on our own, we need his help, his guidance and his love.  We are so much more blessed than David was.  God's spirit would come upon King David, but when Jesus Christ ascending back to the Father, he said he would send us a comforter that would never leave us nor forsake us, the Holy Ghost.  God has given us his Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us to be there always leading us. What a blessing God has given mankind.  We don't have worry about if we do something right or wrong if we will only listen to him.  The Holy Ghost will speak to our hearts and he will teach us God's ways.  He is our comfort and our guide.  We are most blessed to have him in our lives.  Blessed be his Holy name.  

Seek Wisdom

Colossians 1:9-11
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Paul is speaking to the Colossians letting them know that Epaphras, a fellow servant in Christ had told him about how they had accepted the gospel of Christ.  Notice that once Paul heard that they were now Christians, he told them he would not cease to pray for them.  This is an example to us today.  When we see someone come to Christ, then we should not cease to pray for them just as Paul did.  It's the prayers that we pray for each other that keeps us strong in the Lord.  I heard a dear brother in Christ say last night that when we are on a mountaintop that we need to remember our brothers and sisters that are in a valley and pray for them.  There may come a time that the role is reversed and they are the one on the mountain and then they will be praying for us.  We as Christians need to always remember that God desires the prayers of his saints and we are to pray one for another.  Nothing can ever take the place of your own personal prayer life with God, but there will be times in our lives that we walk that dark valley and it's those times that we need the prayers of others.  The bible also teaches us that we have not because we ask not.  I am not talking about material things, but rather the spiritual things of God.  Just as Paul did, we need to be asking God daily to fill our fellow Christians with his knowledge and spiritual understanding so that they can live worthy of him.  We can only walk in the light once we understand the light.  Jesus Christ is the light of the world.  It pleased the Father that all fullness would be in him, that by his birth, death and resurrection from the grave he made a way for mankind to be reconciled to the Father.  With this knowledge, we are equipped to begin seeing the spiritual things of God.  Once we can comprehend that Jesus Christ was not just a baby born in Bethlehem, but that he was in the beginning with God, that it's all about Jesus, then we will begin to truly know wisdom.  The bible teaches in Colossians 1, verses 16 and 17 that Jesus Christ created all things.  He was right there from the very beginning.   16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

This is the wisdom and knowledge that we need to be asking God to reveal to his our new brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to seek his will in and ask for wisdom and knowledge to understand his word that we can be strong in him and walk worthy of him.  Blessed be his Holy name.  

A mystery revealed

Ephesians 3:1-6
1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Paul was one of the greatest apostles to ever walk this earth and witness for Jesus Christ.  Scholars are not certain how many books of the new testament that he wrote, but if you include the book of Hebrews (they are not certain he wrote Hebrews) then that would be a total of 14 out of 27 books of the new testament.  Can you imagine God choosing a man that had once beaten and abused his children to be lifted up out of darkness and shown the mystery of God's intentions toward mankind?  Paul was a man of authority and God intended to use that strong will for his own good.  Up until this point there was a separation between the Jews and the Gentiles.  The Gentiles were not considered worthy to receive God's word.  The separation of the Jews and Gentiles is thought to have started with Seth, the son of Adam, but the true separation is attributed to the calling of Abraham to be the father of God's chosen people, Israel.  God called them out to be a separated people.  Some scholars believe that God's intent was for them to be a nation of priests, prophets, and leaders that would be a light to the world and teach all the other nations about God and the savior he would send into the world.  Somewhere along the line things changed and the world ended up with two separate peoples, the Jews, God's chosen and the Gentiles, all others.  It remained this way for thousands of years until one day on the road to Damascus, God decided it was time to change things.  I believe myself that God's intent was to use his chosen people to teach the world about him, not shut the rest of the world away from him.

Acts 22:17-21
17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the GENTILES.

We all know that the the world leaders are pushing for "One World Order", they want one church, one money, one God, but there is just "ONE PROBLEM" with what they want.  "IT'S A FALSE GOD" that they expect mankind to serve.  When God sent his children, Israel forth into the world he told them that they were not to bow down to false gods.
Exodus 23:24
Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

I do not believe that God hated these other people.  They were his children that had went astray like lost sheep but they had had turned so far from him that he created himself a new people with Abraham and his seed.  He still loved them and if any chose to listen to his people, to live among them and come back to him, then they were welcome.  That is the mystery that he showed to Paul.  That he loved the Gentiles also and that he would welcome them into his fold.

Exodus 12:49
One law shall be to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

I believe God had a plan for "ONE WORLD ORDER", but mankind WAS NOT AND IS NOT capable of carrying out God's plan.  Mankind has created for himself too many religions that separates man from God.   Mankind's idea of one world order will never work because they have pushed the "ONE TRUE GOD" out of their plan, but there will come a day that we will have a true One World Order that is led by Jesus Christ himself as Lord of Lord and King of Kings.  When he comes back and sets his foot upon the Mount of Olives, then he will set up his kingdom and finally, there will be order in the world.  Mankind will serve "ONE GOD" and the world will be as it should have been.  Blessed be his Holy name!

Obey God

Romans 13:1
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Paul is telling the people here that while on this earth we will always be subject to someone.  We will have a government ruling over us.  We will have laws to obey.  He is also letting us know that it is God that gives the leaders what power they have.  God himself sets up the nations and God can bring them down at his own will, because there is no true power but of God.  Paul goes on to tell the people that "rulers" are not against good works but against evil.  Paul is telling the people how is it supposed to be.  This entire chapter in Romans is telling us about obeying the laws, paying tribute to whom it is due, (taxes) and keeping of God's commandments. You see at the time Paul was teaching this, the keeping of the commandments of God was a good thing.  It was what set you apart as a good person. Paul unfortunately did not look ahead in time and see that one day the laws that he taught the people to obey would be so twisted by hatred that they would go against God Almighty.  Paul clearly tells the people the kind of things to obey in verses 9 and 10.

9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

If the laws of man go against the laws of God, then the bible also teaches that we are to obey God rather than man.  When Peter and the other apostles were brought before the high council for preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus, he told them plainly that we are to obey God rather than man. 

Acts 5:29

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

There are many laws in place today that go directly against God's word and as Christians we can not support those laws.  We can not support those that support and put those kind of laws in place and if we do, I believe we will be held accountable to God.  We will be persecuted for standing up for what is right, but Christ was also persecuted.  The apostles didn't stop teaching and preaching about Jesus even though they were beaten and thrown in jail.  We MUST STAND upon the word of God and not waver from it's truth.   We MUST have FAITH that God will take care of his own.  Blessed be his Holy name.

A chosen generation

1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

I have heard people say they wish they were born in this time or that time, they are unhappy with things that are happening in the world today and I have been guilty myself of often wishing I was living a hundred years ago, but as I was reading what Peter wrote to the new saints of God, I realized that I am among that "Chosen Generation".  I believe that God's children today are the generation that will see Christ's second appearing.  Christians are a "Royal Priesthood".  In the days of Moses, only the priest could make a sacrifice to God, but our sacrifices to God are our our own bodies, a living sacrifice, acceptable to Christ.  With his death, he tore down the veil and made it possible for ALL to come boldly before the throne of God!  I believe the children of God are a "Holy Nation" that may be scattered all over the world, but united in God as a "Holy Nation"  and yes, a "Peculiar People".  Christians are peculiar because they have the capacity to LOVE even those that hate them.  Sinners can't understand or comprehend the LOVE OF GOD so therefore in their eyes, Christians are peculiar or strange.  This is a marvelous day to be alive.  Let me tell you friend that today is the day of salvation.  We need to be lifting our hands and praising the Lord.  He has called us out of darkness and we walk in his marvelous light!!  We know the truth!!  I believe we are "The Generation" that will get to see Christ coming back for his children!! Lift up your head, your redemption draweth nigh!!  

One day and I believe it could be any moment, Christ will step out on the clouds and call his children home. Being a part of this make us a "Chosen Generation" The dead in Christ shall rise and we will all go up to meet him in the air. This is not his second coming, it is the rapture of his people.  1 Corinthians 15 teaches us about his second appearing, what we refer to as  "The rapture". 

1 Corinthians 15:52

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Luke 21 and Mathew 24 will teach you all about Christ's second coming.  These are two separate events.  There is a "second appearing and a second coming"  He appears in the clouds to call his children home and his second coming is when he will set his feet upon the mount of olives to set up his kingdom and rule the world!  

I am thankful this morning to be among this chosen generation that he called out of darkness and into his marvelous light.  

 Remember when Mordacai was talking to Esther, and he remined her that it was just possible that she was born for a time such as this.  Born for the time they struggling in. 

 Esther 4:14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

 We as Christians today worry about the times we are living in, but God in his wisdom raised us up for a specific reason, for this time.  We too were born for a time such a this!!  We are a chosen generation!!  I am thankful that he opened my eyes that I might see.  Blessed be his Holy name!

  I am thankful that he opened my eyes that I might see.  Blessed be his Holy name!

Pray one for another

Ephesians 1:17-19

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Paul is talking to new believers here.  He is praying they have wisdom to understand God, that their eyes be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ and that they understand his greatness and his intentions for those that believe on him.

We as children of God should be following Paul's example.  When we have a new convert in the church we should be praying for them daily.  New Christians are as babies and they don't know as we know what God is able to do.  It is our duty to pray for them that God will give them wisdom in his word.  We are to pray that God will open their eyes to understanding and that they will allow the Holy Ghost to guide them and teach them.  It is not our duty to go to them with all kinds of man made rules about how they should dress, how they look, how they should talk, or even who they should hang around with.  Those things are not what God wants us to do, that is his job.  A truly converted Christian will learn those things From the Holy Ghost!  If we do as Paul did and pray for God to give them wisdom and and that he open their eyes to understanding, then the Holy Ghost will do the rest.  As they begin to read God's word and learn of him they will begin to change.  As the Holy Ghost dwells on the inside and starts guiding them, then you will see a change on the outside.  If a person is a true Christian, they don't have to tell anyone, it shows in the way they walk, the way they talk, the way dress, and the way the treat others.  It's called "THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT"  and you will know them by the fruits they bear.  

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:

The bible teaches us to pray one for another.  Many will ask for prayer from their fellow Christians if they are sick or in need but but the bible teaches us to confess our faults. If, as a Christian you have something that you feel is a fault, then go to a brother or sister in Christ and seek their prayers. The bible tells us where two or three join together that God is in the midst.   I believe that many times we face battles in life that are hard because we don't do as God tells us to do.  We try to stand alone when God wants us to be a body, fitly joined together, praying for one another.  

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Mathew 18:20
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

To many times you see Christians tearing one another down instead of building each other up and that is not of God.  The world will tear us down and hate us.  Jesus taught us that the world would hate us because they hated him, but we are to love one another and pray for one another and so fulfill the word of God.  To do anything less is going against God's own word.  Blessed be his Holy name!