Give a Little Bit

Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." 

Ephesians 2:19, "Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God..." 

Romans 5:1-5, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have a peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2) through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3) And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4) and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." 

The past few months seems to have been a terribly difficult few months for the people in this world! Everything from wars, terrorism, natural disasters and violence to the pain, suffering, grief and confusion that often times accompanies those events. While I was preparing to write a new entry, with a subject already in mind, I came across this video! At first I thought by accident, but then nothing is by accident really. I was NOT expecting this to touch my spirit as much as it did! I wasn't expecting it to elicit the raw emotions that it managed to do. I smiled during the first time I watched it, I wept during the second time watching it and during the third time, I found the hope that seemed to be elusive due to all of the negative images and news reports we tend to get shoved down our throats on a daily basis! Hope in PEOPLE! All over the WORLD! And it's through my love of Jesus Christ, the Almighty, that I am able to say, without a doubt, that He IS OUR ONLY HOPE! He IS hope! That's what the Bible SAYS! And, it's because He resides in my heart, that I was able to FEEL the love He has for His children that He's created all over the entire world. I saw it and felt in through something as totally unexpected as "happening" by this video. No accident, I assure you! That's how God works though so it shouldn't surprise me! Evidenced in the random acts of what little this video clip can show, it gave me much more insight into knowing there are MANY more out there with kindness, gentleness and love! But those people aren't "seen" all over the world because the "good" in people don't sell newspapers, up ratings or make money. This is to share a smile, a tear, a thank you and love to all who come across this site! So I've chosen to share this instead of writing....for today! May each of you see the face of God through the eyes He has given you, may you each feel the love and compassion for your fellow human beings, and may you each find the HOPE in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! Please enjoy!


 


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Heaven and Hell

In an earlier post, I'd written a blog entry about the Description of Heaven. For those of you who haven't read it yet, you can click on this link http://shieldoffaith62.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-biblical-description-of-heaven.html and it will take you to it! But what about Hell? What does the Bible say about Hell? Is it a physical, spiritual or a place of conscious physical torment? And many people ask the proverbial question, “If God is a LOVING God, why did He create Hell?” Let's take a look at what the Bible has to say.

The CHOICE is yours

Let me begin with the last question, but the first one that everyone wants to argue the validity of the Scriptures and the existence of God with, “If God is a LOVING God, then why did He create Hell?” First, you have to realize that hell was NOT originally created for people. Hell was created for Satan and the angels that followed Satan, those who rebelled against God Almighty. This has one direct answer with many parts attached to it. In Matthew 25:41 it says very clearly, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." So first and foremost, as you can see, Hell was never intended for His own children that He created in His image. It was created for the rebellious Satan and the angels that followed him. You should know and fully UNDERSTAND that God does not send anyone to hell. God doesn't want any person to go to hell because He created us to have a relationship with Him and to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 

But if a person rejects Jesus Christ, they are also rejecting heaven, then that person must accompany Satan forever. God gives us a choice, either we choose eternal life with Him or we choose eternal suffering with the devil. You would think that it would be an easy choice for people to make, but, unfortunately, so many people reject Jesus Christ and God's offer of heaven. And God will not force Heaven or Jesus on anyone. It's all a CHOICE. There won't be one person in Heaven who didn't want to be there. So, if a person chooses to reject Christ, that person has chosen hell for themselves. God did NOT send them there. Sadly, there is going to be a whole lot of people in hell, even the so-called good people. So many in fact that hell had to be enlarged! Look at what Isaiah 5:14 tells us as proof, "Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure." 


What does Hell look and feel like? Here are just a few scriptures to describe this horrible place!Hell is described in the Bible as a place of great despair, sorrow, darkness, torments and agony. Read the following verses, and you will see what I mean.

1) A place of weeping and gnashing of teeth - Matthew 25:30 "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

2) A place of outer darkness - Matthew 22:13 "Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

3) A place of torments - Luke 16:23 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

4) A place of Sorrows - 2 Samuel 22:6 "The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;"

5) A place of everlasting destruction - II Thessalonians 1:9 "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" 

6) A place where men are tormented with fire and brimstone - Revelation 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

7) A place where fire is not quenched - Mark 9:44 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

8) A bottomless pit - Revelation 9:2 "And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."

9) A place of no rest - Revelation 14:11 "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

10) It is ultimately a lake of fire - Revelation 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

11) A permanent separation from our Creator - Matthew 13:49-50 "So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

By the above descriptions, I would say hell is truly a place of torment! Those in hell will not only face physical torment, but emotional and mental anguish as well. Forever! Without ceasing! You see, those in hell will be fully aware of the fact that they could have gone to heaven if only they hadn't chosen to reject Jesus Christ. Luke 13:28, "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." In hell people will learn the true meaning of regret.

For those who think, mistakenly, that hell is here on earth, think again! Matthew 12:40, Jesus Christ says: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Clearly hell is IN the earth, not ON the earth. In Numbers 16:32-33, another good description from the Bible giving an account of people falling into hell alive, says, “And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them:" The Birmingham News, April 10, 1987 had an article entitled "Earth's Center Hotter Than Sun's Surface, Scientists Say". The article stated that scientists had discovered, "THE EARTH'S INNER CORE HAS A TEMPERATURE OF OVER 12,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT!" And THAT was in 1987!

Fire and Brimstone

Have you seen pictures of a volcano erupting, spewing a lake of fire from inside the earth — consuming everything within miles just from the heat? I remember when Mount St. Helens erupted back in 1980, reporters were comparing it to when hell surfaced upon the earth. I've also heard them being compared to a “descent into Hell.” Thousands of years ago, the Bible described a place called hell in the heart of the earth that matches exactly what science is discovering. It's in the Bible! Volcanoes have always fascinated me, not only for the fierceness of it's eruptions, but for the mere fact of how it elicited my deeper comparison to the center of the earth being hell and what it must feel like. By the time a volcano erupts and the molten ash is shot hundreds, and even thousands, of feet into the air and land nearby, one can only imagine the intensity of just the HEAT emitting from the fiery ash!

Our minds cannot wrap around the intensity of how truly horrendous and horrible this punishment really will be if one chooses not to follow Jesus Christ into Heaven, accept God's free gift of salvation and reside eternally with Him! Revelation 14:10 says, " . . . and he shall be tormented with fire and BRIMSTONE . . ." And Job 18:21 describes the " . . . PLACE of him that knoweth not God," in Job 18:15 as, " . . . BRIMSTONE shall be scattered upon his habitation." (emphasis mine.) Do you know what brimstone is? It's sulfur. And do you know where sulfur or brimstone is found? INSIDE THIS EARTH! According to the book Volcanoes by Pierre Kohler (p. 43), when Mt. St Helens erupted in 1980 — 150,000 tons of sulfurous gas was ejected! Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written over 3,000 years ago, and yet Job knew what science wouldn't know for years — inside this earth is BRIMSTONE! Nature magazine discovered (July 2002) what the Bible knew over 3,000 years ago. Inside this earth is "fire and brimstone."

Interesting to note here is that in Mark 9:46, Jesus Christ says about hell: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Jesus explicitly says THEIR worm, not A worm or THE worm, but THEIR worm. The Bible teaches that Christians will one day have a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. So then is it possible to conceive, as some Bible students teach, that men and women in hell take on the form of their father, Satan (John 8:44)? In Revelation 12:3, Satan is described as a red dragon. Maybe Jesus Christ is referring to the body lost men and women will have for eternity in hell? That's just a thought, not a biblical fact. It's a possibility though, I would think, that if God's children will one day have a body like Jesus, then why wouldn't Satan's children have a body like the snake that he is...hence a worm?! Scientists have discovered cracks on the ocean floor where fire was leaking out. Do you know what they found around these fire-breathing vents in the crust? Eight-foot long worms, found no other place in the world! The book, The Deep Sea, by Joseph Wallace (p.39), reads, "Perhaps the strangest of ocean creatures recently discovered are Riftia, the giant tube WORMS. Measuring up to 8 feet in length, the worms are ONLY FOUND NEAR DEEP SEA VENTS."

The people that will reside there are only those who have chosen NOT to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, who have chosen NOT to repent, and who have chosen NOT to ask for forgiveness of their sins. It's not because they did something bad. It's not because they murdered, raped, or were adulterers. It's not because they broke the Ten Commandments because ALL of us have broken them. We ALL fall short of the Glory of God and it's ONLY through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on the Cross for ALL of OUR sins, who took ALL of our pain, our sins, our anguish and emptiness away, taking it upon His body. All He asked was for US to CHOOSE to believe in His birth, death and resurrection for our sins in this world. All He wants is for us to repent, confess, accept and receive His free gift of salvation so we can be covered in His shed blood, have a relationship with Him, and where our sins are remembered no more! It's a CHOICE.

Spending eternity in Hell with Satan will be a choice all of us have to make in this lifetime! If death comes before the choice is made, then THAT will be your choice....hell. We never know when we are going to leave this world. We are not promised tomorrow. TODAY has been given to us and it's an opportunity to receive the Lord Jesus into your hearts! I've already made mine years ago! Some people love their sin more than they love God and find it difficult to surrender to His Truths. Some blatantly turn their faces from him and seek the wiles of Satan because of all the lies he brings to them, all of the empty SHORT LIVED promises he gives to them....and some just are so broken that they MISTAKENLY feel they are UNLOVABLE and UNFORGIVABLE and believe they have to get "right" in their lives FIRST before seeking out Jesus! It's the other way around.....SEEK HIM FIRST and the transformation will follow!

Good and Evil. Darkness and Light. Paradise and Hades. Eternal Life and Eternal Damnation. All these opposites can describe the differences of Heaven and Hell. God is not the Father of all. He is the Creator of all, but not the Father of all. He becomes our Father only when we come to Christ. Jesus said in John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil...." He was thinking of lost and unsaved people of the world. John 1:12 tells us that "as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God....." These are the ones who can claim God as Father. They are saved, and they'll never go to hell. But remember this, you are not a child of God until you come unto Him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Even though the world tries to extinguish the cries and reality of hell, the truth of hell echoes all throughout our world. We desperately pretend to cover our ears and ignore the "screams, the weeping, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth" but it is there. . . And we know it. People refuse to accept that such a place exists. But it is there. And we know it. Nothing we can do, nothing we can say, can erase the horror of hell from our minds. Because it is THERE......AND WE KNOW IT!  

So which will YOU choose today? Heaven or Hell?

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The Promises of God

Seek Him First

As this world is constantly changing and evil is abound as far as the eye can see, I am reminded of the promises of God all throughout the Holy Scriptures. No matter how bad this world gets, no matter how much Satan and his minions of demons rule this world, God is in control, He is orchestrating everything to get the stage ready for the Second Coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. So this entry is going to be a little different than my others and is just simply going to be bullet points of His Promises to His children, those born again, Christ believing Christians as a reminder of His love. For those who don't know Jesus Christ and haven't accepted Him into your heart as your personal Savior yet, this will be a comfort to you, a confirmation of His love and His goodness. Of His kindness and His mercy. His power and His GRACE! Jesus died on the cross for ALL of us, for ALL of our sins. He shed His blood for US! It's not too late to accept Him, to believe in Him and to have a relationship with Him! Unlike man, who makes promises and breaks them almost before the promise is out of our mouths, God never breaks His! He can't! He won't! So let's take a look and see what some of those promises are to us!


1) Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

2) 2 Peter 1:4, “By which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

3) Philippians 4:6-9, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

4) Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

5) Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

6) Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

7) John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

8) Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

9) 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

10) Romans 8:1-11, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3) For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4) that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8) So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9) But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

11) John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

12) Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

13) Revelation 21:1-7, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2) Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3) And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5) Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6) And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7) He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” 

14) Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2) A time to be born, And a time to die; a time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3) A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4) A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5) A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6) A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7) A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8) A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.”

15) 1 John 4:1-6, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3) and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 4) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5) They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6) We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

16) 1 Peter 3:15-18, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16) having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17) For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.18) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit...,”

17) Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

18) Joshua 23:14, “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.”

19) 1 John 2:25, “ And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.”

20) Luke 18:27, “But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

21) Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

22) 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

23) Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

24) Micah 7:19, “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."

25) Psalm 34:4, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."

26) Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

27) Psalm 84:11, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.”

28) James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

29) 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

30) Jeremiah 30:17, “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord"

31) John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

32) John 14:2-3, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

33) Psalm 91:4-6, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday." 

There are many more of God's Promises but seek, and you shall find, ask and it shall be given! It's in the Bible! In closing, the Word stands through the test of time, through the fires of the ravages of men, through the scoffers and the haters. But God? He REIGNS! He is ALL we have! He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega! And more importantly, through all of the darkness we see in this life, through all the heartache and pain we may feel, through all of the flood of emotions we may experience in this lifetime, God is in control! His love endures forever! He is a Loving God who wants us to spend eternity with Him and His Son! God is our HOPE! Let this be encouragement to those who know Him and let this shine the light into the hearts of those who don't and a confirmation of His Love!



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Will You Be Ready When The Lights Go Out?

Isaiah 14:24, "The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand."

Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Proverbs 3:25-26, "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared."

His Love for Us

It's been nearly 7 months since my car accident and although I have been spared from death at this moment, I still am dealing with some residual side effects of the incident. It wasn't my time to go home to be with my Maker but the Almighty God sure had His protective hand on me during that moment in time! Head trauma is a scary thing! Every so often I will reflect on my experience because with all intents and purposes, with the traumatic kind of impact I had, I really should have been injured a lot worse than I was and have been praising the good Lord above every day since! It really could have been a lot worse. Even some of the techs at the emergency room commented the same. Yes, indeed, it could have been worse. I glanced at the photos I was able to take while still in shock, awaiting the moments out in confusion as all of the lights from the emergency vehicles were slowly dimming and leaving the scene. I cringed!

For those who haven't read that entry, I was at a complete stop behind a vehicle that was in the process of turning and just as it completed it's turn, I felt this horrible, sickening impact from behind which threw my head back so hard, it not only literally knocked the breath right out of me, making me gasp, but it also knocked me out cold! My head bent the head rest back slightly from the blow of the impact. My HEAD! My mom always said I was hard headed.....there's proof! Anyway, the kid wasn't paying attention and no time to brake, crashing into my car from behind, full speed. It pushed my trunk in, bent the frame, the lid of the trunk was all the way to the windshield, as was the front of his pick up truck! It wasn't a fender bender. And because I was at a stop and he was going full speed, it had twice the velocity as it would have had if both of us were moving.

To reiterate how that morning went going into work, it was one of those mornings that I felt totally compelled to pray and talk to the Lord. I did that the entire time....and shortly before the accident I had prayed for His hand of protection over me, for Him to use me in the way He needed to and to let me be a witness! Little did I know what was soon to happen! But maybe in some small way I already sensed it was going to happen because of the fervent and urgent prayer of protection I began to pray for myself! I was spared from seeing it happen or seeing it coming. My head was slightly turned to the left, and in my neurosurgeon's words, “Had your head been turned just a millimeter more to the right it could have been a broken neck, paralyzing you or worse....death.” How sobering is that statement! The Holy Spirit prompted me to pray for my own protection just SECONDS before it happened and I followed the lead. I had injuries, blood on my brain, neck, arm, elbow and residual memory issues, but only one fractured finger. The ONLY bone that was broken...my left ring finger and it healed before it was ever taken care of because everyone else was focusing on my head and neck. The Lord revealed a pre-existing cyst in the middle of my brain through this accident that was completely and miraculously healed! I believe in His Healing hand and through that experience, even my neurosurgeon was baffled. I wasn't. I knew how that disappeared. People have accidents everyday. Countless lives have been lost. Serious, and life threatening, life altering injuries, have been sustained in accidents less severe than mine. I don't know why I was spared, but I was. However, I was also ready when the lights went out.....

God Loves Us

Most people go through life never thinking that their life could change in a blink of an eye. Thousands of people have been severely injured or have lost their lives from car accidents. But car accidents aren't the only  way that our earthly lives can change or be gone forever. Heart attacks, other kinds of accidents, crimes and a host of other things. Why was I saved from serious injury or death in this car mishap, and so many others were not? Why others survive tragedies while others don't will remain a mystery to me, but that really doesn't matter in the end. What really matters, is not that these things exist or may happen to any of us at any given moment, but that we are READY to go home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ when the lights do go out! As apostasy begins to reign supreme in this fallen world and the Church age is winding down to a halt, millions of people are running around without giving much thought of tomorrow, let alone the next instant. Our next breath is never guaranteed to us or our loved ones. So many people live their lives on a daily basis as though they will live forever. Well, there is some truth to that actually, because we will all live forever, either with Jesus Christ in Heaven or apart from Him in hell. Our loving God gave us that choice!

For those of us who know Jesus as our personal Savior, we have that peace in knowing where we chose to spend eternity. For those of you who haven't made that choice but you're reading this right now, it's not by accident that you have been brought to this site, to this article and it's not too late. If you haven't made the choice just know that your life can change in a millisecond, without warning, without giving you a second chance! Matthew 28:20 tells us something so beautiful from our Lord, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” We go through life mostly never giving thought to what's going to happen in the next second just as I wasn't giving thought to what was about to happen to me. I was thinking about what my day at work held for me....and in that second of prayer....I don't remember caring what that day at work COULD have held for me. It didn't matter. Don’t take your life for granted. It's a gift from God, but some day there will be a reckoning for what we've done with that life. If our life has been given to Jesus the Savior by our faith and trust in Him, we are given the blessed hope and promise of a home in Heaven with Him for eternity. We are also assured, as the verse above states, that He is with us through all we may go through while upon this earth. He is not only our Redeemer, but He is also our Strength. He is our Life.

Most of us have read, and love, the Psalm of David - Psalm 23! Here rests the answer to all that we are looking for and I will close with it now.....


Psalm 23:
1) The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2) He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3) He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever and ever Amen!





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God Is There Through All the Suffering

Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Those are comforting words and very true to those who know and love the Lord God. It doesn't come with conditions. It doesn't say we will rejoice and be glad in it IF....The Lord made this day, and everything, down to the millisecond, has already been done. He knows every single thought, feeling, emotion, action, event and reaction to every single person alive on that very day! He is in control of it ALL! He knows it ALL. He has created it ALL. He is there through it ALL! But what about those who just don't understand all the suffering in this fallen world? Can they believe those words too? Absolutely!

As we look around us, there seems to be a rash of “chaos and tragedy” going on in every corner of the earth's axis. Terrorism, not just in the USA, but in the world. Natural disasters, not just in the USA, but in the world. Murders, violent outbreaks, crimes, deviancy, breakdown of family units, addictions, not just in the USA, but in the world. It's everywhere. And people ask the same proverbial question over and over.....”Where is God in all of these disastrous tragedies? Why is there so much suffering if there is a God?” This question was asked many times in the Bible as well. Job wondered this in Job 21:7-15: “Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become mighty in power? Their descendants are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull breeds without failure; their cow calves without miscarriage. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice to the sound of the flute. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?'” When we ask this of God, we are asking from our human perspective, seeing things through our worldly eyes. Which is all temporary. Job concluded this in Job 21:30: “For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; they shall be brought out on the day of wrath.” There is a day when wickedness will be dealt with in a permanent way.

Luke 11

This isn't an easy answer for those who subscribe to atheistic or agnostic views, because unfortunately the only reason they primarily have those beliefs is because they have been seriously, and often times severely, wounded along the way, maybe losing a loved one suddenly, or violently, maybe a violation, whatever it may be, it was enough for them to turn from knowing and seeking the very one who created them, who loves them enough to give them life and the very one who wants and desires to comfort their aching hearts if only they called upon His name! He already took our sins, took our pain and suffering and our heartaches away to the grave with Him on the Cross! He already KNOWS how we feel because He FEELS it too! Or for those who follow false gods, because everything is based on works and not salvation through Jesus, and some of those works are violent ones. Some of the rituals are violent. Suffering is hard to witness in anyone! Whether it be someone you love, someone you are acquainted with or a total stranger. It is not easy to understand why it's allowed, why it happens to believers and non-believers, and as human beings, we will NEVER know the full answers to those questions because we don't have the mind of God! We aren't all knowing.

It doesn't take the pain away but it does comfort those who are born again, knowing that whatever the crisis is, whatever suffering comes in this life, our Sovereign Lord will turn it all around for the good as it states so beautifully in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Notice how the verse doesn’t say we all will see immediately or even in this lifetime how God has caused good to come out of a bad circumstance or tragedy. But remember, we can only see things dimly in this world through our worldly eyes. In this temporary world where our eyes can only see objects for as far as one eye can see. And notice that God doesn’t make this promise to everyone. He makes His solemn pledge that He will take the bad circumstances, tragedies and heartache that come upon us and cause good to emerge if we’re committed to following Him. If we are born again Christ believers of the Lord Jesus! God is right there...up close and personal. All someone has to do is call upon His glorious name and He will show His face to those who seek it!

So let's take a look at what is said about suffering in the Bible. In Romans 5:3-5, it says it best, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” So to be clear first of all, God did not create evil and suffering. However, it is true that He did create the potential for evil to enter the world, simply because that was the only way to create the potential for genuine goodness and love. But it was human beings, NOT God, in our own free will, who brought that potential evil into reality. Although suffering isn’t good, God can use it to accomplish good. And He has time and time again! Romans 8:28 is quoted earlier as a reference to acknowledge His mercy, love and grace for His children and to provide proof that He did not create evil or suffering. In the beginning, in Genesis 1:31 it says: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” God has existed from eternity past as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, together in a relationship of perfect love. That's what He wanted for us when He created us. But love is a choice. And in order to love and have the ability to choose to love or not to love, He had to provide us with free will. As one philosopher said: “I believe all suffering is at least potential good, an opportunity for good. It’s up to our free choice to actualize that potential. Not all of us benefit from suffering and learn from it, because that’s up to us, it’s up to our free will.” Unfortunately, we humans have abused our free will by rejecting God and walking away from Him, allowing sin to enter. That has resulted in the introduction of two kinds of evil into the world: moral evil and natural evil. Both of which we are seeing an exponential growth going on all over the world!

Moral evil is the immorality and pain, suffering and tragedy that come because we CHOOSE to be selfish, arrogant, uncaring, hateful and abusive. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So much of the world’s suffering results from the sinful action, or inaction, of ourselves and others. It’s unfair to shoot someone and then blame God for the existence of evil and suffering because Satan exists and evil persists because sin is loved more than our Lord Jesus! There's an old cartoon that said: “We have seen the enemy, and he is us.” True today as well. The second kind of evil is called natural evil which include things like wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes that cause suffering for people. But these, too, are the indirect result of sin being allowed into the world. As one author explained: “When we humans told God to shove off, He partially honored our request. Nature began to revolt. The earth was cursed. Genetic breakdown and disease began. Pain and death became part of the human experience.” The Bible says it’s because of sin that nature was corrupted and “thorns and thistles” entered the world. Romans 8:22 says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Nature longs for redemption to come too and for things to be set right. That’s the source of disorder and chaos. Disorder and chaos is what we are living, breathing and experiencing right this very moment in time!

And God is NOT the author of disorder, chaos or confusion! Satan has that title, albeit, a short lived title! Satan comes around us to have us focus on grief and trials, fostering us to have no hope. Those who are believers have just that, HOPE! Jesus is HOPE! Despite how things may APPEAR, we are to understand our trials by Phil. 2:13-15: “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure; Do all things without complaining and disputing,; that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world...” He has us to be His examples no matter what state of health we are in. Praise the Lord! But don't forget that the devil is like a dog on leash that God will use in order to chasten and direct a believers life if He deems it necessary. As believers, we don't have the same relationship with Him as the world does. He is used to buffet us not exploit us. God will use the enemy to keep us awake.1 Pet 5:8-10 tells us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 


Our God is an ever present friend and as our ever present friend, He suffers right along with us! He asks us to cast our cares upon Him. He has a purpose for our trials and sufferings. Job, who probably suffered more than any other person in the Bible, gives us insight into how God controls the circumstances in our lives. The enemy had permission by God but he could only go as far as God would ALLOW it. The Lord has overall control in every single situation. In this suffering that the Lord allows for His children, He does not fully reveal to us the why’s or the how’s. Isaiah 55:8-9: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.' For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." It's by His infinite wisdom that He interacts with His children. Job 28:20-24 “From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?  It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air.  Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears.' God understands its way, and He knows its place.  For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens.”

Gods ways are unsearchable. We can't always see or even remotely comprehend Gods purpose, but with the eyes of faith we can understand the things of heaven being done in our lives on earth. Here on earth we are God's children being conformed to Christ’s likeness through suffering. Jesus suffered the ultimate suffering! Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, can ever compare to His suffering on the cross for ALL of OUR sins! If there is no suffering there is no learning. Christ called us to sacrifice and die to our self, in our lives, by picking up our cross and following His footsteps. Charles Spurgeon said, “Through our trials God is slowly weaning us from this earth for the world beyond.” He is purging us from something very real and offensive to him. Those things which are contrary to Him and His ways. They don’t make us perfect but implant faith and give us a glimpse of what rest we will have in the promised land.

As Lee Strobel once said, "So when tragedy strikes, as it will; when suffering comes, as it will; when you’re wrestling with pain, as you will – and when you make the choice to run into His arms, here’s what you’re going to discover: you’ll find peace to deal with the present, you’ll find courage to deal with your future, and you’ll find the incredible promise of eternal life in heaven."

The day is coming when suffering will cease and God will judge evil. The entire universe is God's and, in it's entirety, is under His total control, but not everything is according to His perfect will which is why we were asked to pray that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Nothing happens that God isn't aware of, or ultimately, isn't in control of because it is He, who has set the boundaries to it all! Yet He allows evil to continue even though it is not His will. Some suffering and evil is allowed by God as training or used as chastisement or it can be a judgment. God usually allows such suffering with a view toward restoration and reformation of character. For unbelievers it's used to bring them to know, love and accept Him. For believers it's for our growth and to bring us closer to Him. Faith grows in the soil of adversity. The more life throws at you, the greater the amount of fruit that will be produced. We receive spiritual blessings through our buffeting, although at the time it may produce discomfort and anguish. But the day is soon coming when God will judge all evil in this world.....and that will be a beautiful day! God promises a time when there will be no more crying, no more tears, no more pain and suffering, when we will be reunited with God in perfect harmony, forever! Let the words of 1 Corinthians 2:9 soak into your soul: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

That’s absolutely breath-taking, isn’t it?


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Fast Food Religion in a Fast Food World

Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

And 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


In the popular 2004 documentary Super Size Me, which sought to prove the unhealthiness of McDonald's food, children couldn't identify pictures of Jesus, George Washington or George W. Bush, but could easily recognize Ronald McDonald. In a 2001 book called "Fast Food Nation," it stated that 96% of U.S, schoolchildren can automatically recognize Ronald McDonald. That percentage ALONE should be cause for concern! The author of the book, Eric Schlosser, writes, "The impact of McDonald's on the way we live today is hard to overstate. The Golden Arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian Cross."  How sad that our children, whom we are to protect, teach and guide, and who are a gift from God Almighty Himself, recognizes the worldly things that are nothing more than a monetary promotional marketing strategy, over the one True God who CREATED!

This information prompted me to take a look at the world we live in with a different set of eyes. Those statistics were from 2001-2004 and even for those times, they were extremely high. As we've progressed, or actually regressed, in time since then, I can only imagine what the stats are now. Think of the fast food industry as a whole for a moment. It's fast, easy, little to no nutritional value, packed with high fat empty calories that weigh you down. Once the food is consumed, you tend to forget about it until a short while later, when you realize the empty calories didn't satisfy you so your belly begins to rumble with hunger again. It wants more food. A vicious cycle. But isn't that what the fast food moguls want us to do? Keep getting hungry for their food, making it easily accessible to us and more so to our children, while their pockets get bigger? Don't get me wrong, businesses and making money is the American way and the fast food industry is no different.

We need to see marketing for what it really is though, and that's to make "suggestions" subliminally, of what we are influenced to buy. The mass media influences people's buying decisions every day and McDonald's has a strong ad campaign....directed not towards the adults who are making these decisions, but towards the children who CAN'T make decisions! Bombard them with images of happiness, fun, happy meal toys and what “appears” to be good food as per Ronald McDonald himself, and do this over and over.....well, they will find the golden arches and Ronald McDonald safe, pleasing and will demand from their parents the fast food happy meals! Which is why they recognize Ronald McDonald more than Jesus Christ who created them and knew them before they were conceived! I believe in this world right now, more people "crave" fast food more than they "crave" walking with Christ.

This is the mentality of a lot of  Christians in the world today as well. People seem to crave everything FAST, without much substance and will speed by life without even noticing they've missed out on all the wonderful blessings and gifts from the Lord. As mentioned above, devouring fast food only leaves you with empty calories and doesn't give you any nutritional substance. Neither does a watered down, feel-good approach to being a Christian that so many leaders are pushing, or "marketing," to their congregants. It's no different. Many don't want to offend, to go against the "societal norm" or to lose their numbers in the seats. But the inerrant word of God is spoken to ALL who has ears to hear and as shepherds, those words really need to be taught the way our Lord intended. However, what these so called shepherds are neglecting to tell their viewers and members is the Gospel is to be taught to fill the hunger, to grow up the body of Christ and to teach that ONLY God's word is TRUTH. The Word of God is meant to convict, to prove us worthy, to draw us closer, to get deeper understandings, to know His love, grace, mercy and sacrifice. How can we know this if we are still drinking milk?

If teaching the Word fully and truthfully in it's complete context is done, not only will Christians hunger be filled, but the truth will prevail in all parts of their lives, not just those areas they WANT substantiated by twisted and misinterpreted scriptures. It will fill their hunger, yes, but it will also have them come back for more MEAT, maturing them from a babe into an adult. The kind of substance that God wants us to chew on is discovered when the apostle Paul used an analogy of weaning for those who grow in knowledge and obedience to God. ALL people will mature at different intervals, having different growing pains, if you will, transitioning from milk to meat, but the important thing is that they DO and that they are exposed to the MEAT in order to grow! This is the essence of learning and growing in a relationship with the Lord and teaching the Word of God!

In 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, it explains this a little clearer, "But I, brothers, could not address you as a spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2) I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3) for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4) For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5) What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7) So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8) He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9) For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." 1 Corinthians 3:2, simply put means in this analogy that he has instructed you in the elements of Christianity - in its simplest and easiest truths; because from the low state of your minds in religious knowledge, you were incapable of comprehending the higher truths of the Gospel: and in this state you will still continue. The apostle thereby exposes them to the absurdity of their conduct in pretending to judge between preacher and preacher, while they had but a very partial acquaintance even with the first principles of Christianity.

There are many references through the Holy Bible about being weaned off of milk into the eating of meat, the solid form of the Scripture. The drinking of milk continually would only stunt your growth per se', and would never move you towards a deeper, more meaningful understanding and relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Much the same way that eating fast food always leaves you hungry for more because of the empty calories that it's all packed with. Several places within the New Testament the Holy Spirit describes God’s Word (doctrine) as both “milk,” and “solid food” (meat).  Since a new-born Christian is directed to grow to spiritual maturity, he or she needs to understand that it's necessary to transition from the “milk” to the “solid food” of the Word.  This kind of growth can't happen any other way.  It's only by the “use” of the “solid food” (meat) of the Word that a Christian may fully discern both good and evil as it is taught in Hebrews 5:14, "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." 

In 1 Corinthians 3, we learn that the doctrine of Scripture is divided into two categories, milk for babes and food (meat) for adults.  The carnal Christian can only bear the milk of the Word, whereas the mature Christians savor in the solid food meat of the Word. The milk of the Word is that aspect that is apparent as a babe in Christ reads the Scripture. It's called by many the devotional characteristics of the Word.  The solid food (meat) of the Word is the deeper meaning, and in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 we learn that the solid food (meat) of the Word has to do with rewards (or otherwise the suffering of loss) that are manifested in the coming Kingdom of our Lord.  These rewards are given out on the basis of faithfulness in the service of the Lord. Let's take a look at those verses and see what it says, "Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13) each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14) If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15) If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." In Colossians 1:28 Paul gives expression to the fact that he warns and teaches every man in all wisdom, that they might be fully grown when they come to appear before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ.  In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul admonishes Timothy, and it carries on to us today, to study the Word of God, that one may be able to divide aright the Word of Truth.

So if Christians are living in a Fast Food World, being caught up in the worldly things, and are only desiring a Fast Food Religion, then they are NOT experiencing what the Lord desires from us! They are drinking milk, not maturing into the "adults" they were meant to become, and only seeking out the feel-good teachers who will selectively teach the feel-good sermons. What danger that is in the eyes of the Lord! God didn't make "religion",  man did and so too many people forget that the Word is for EVERYONE! God gave His only Begotten Son to die on the cross for EVERYONE, not a specific group. Although identifying as a born again Christian could very well be considered a group in today's society, those who do identify that way, are the sons and daughters of God. His children and in that sense, it's ok to be in that group. I look around in this world and see so many "following" man as though they were stars, idolizing them, instead of following Christ! They don't have the discernment to know they are still being fed milk and until they break from the watered down versions being taught of the Holy Bible, they can't mature! Paul had no desire to appear in the presence of the Lord with a bunch of babes in Christ, but he longed to be able to present them all to the Lord as adults, mature in their thinking pertaining to the things of God, which maturity comes only through the study of the Scriptures.

Everything in this world seems to be moving fast! Everyone can't seem to find time for family or friends much less the One True Creator so it shouldn't surprise me in the least that people are seeking a Fast Food Religion as well! Anything easy, quick and less intrusive! But while they're seeking empty calories, stunting their growth in Christ, I'm going to go chew on some good, solid MEAT! Maybe one day our paths will cross and I will be able to share some of the meat I've eaten with those who still haven't lost their baby teeth.....



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Jesus and the Empty Tomb

Mark 16:6 states clearly, "And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him." 

Easter is not about a fictional Easter Bunny, colored and decorated hard boiled eggs or loads of chocolate goodies being delivered in baskets. It's not a celebration of a rabbit, it's a celebration of Jesus, our Lord and Savior's resurrection from the grave! This day is a very important day for Christ believing Christians because it's a time of celebration for Jesus' empty tomb. The importance of the Easter season is so much more than what we wear to church, candies and baskets, or stories of fairy tales. For the believer, the reality of the risen Savior holds the ultimate eternal significance. Four important truths scream out of the empty sepulcher in the hills of Israel. These four words should come to our minds: the Bible, forgiveness, redemption and triumph! Because these are the things that the resurrection emphasizes. This is why the empty tomb MATTERS!

Believe!

The resurrection of Jesus Christ validates four very crucial points for the believer. First, it authenticates the Scriptures. The Old Testament prophesied the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In John 2:19, Jesus, talking about his body, said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." Even Jesus' enemies knew that His resurrection was the heart of His claim to be God. That's why after Christ's death they were so insistent to Pilate that the tomb be guarded. Second, the resurrection validates our redemption through faith in Christ ALONE. Justification is the act by which God takes our sin and places it on Christ and takes Christ's righteousness and credits it to us. As a result, God declares us not guilty. Christ's resurrection is proof that God has accepted Christ's payment for our sin. Third, the resurrection speaks directly to our own spiritual victories. The pain and heartache you may be experiencing now are real . . . but also temporary. There is a final chapter to be revealed, and the empty tomb gives us a hint of how that chapter will read. Death, sin, and suffering will be swallowed up in victory. God had said, the chosen one would reign so the most important facet of the resurrection has be the predictability of it. A dead Messiah couldn't complete such a task yet, there still were those people who didn't believe, and were still surprised, that God could raise His Son from the grave. This very event had been declared many centuries before in the Old Testament. A dead king cannot be a reigning King! Keep in mind, the extraordinary fact that there is NO other faith that can proclaims a living sacrificial deity! I would say that alone is strikingly amazing! Coupled with the fact that numerous verses throughout the Bible, predicted such an event can only serve to strengthen our faith in God and the precepts of the Scriptures. Fourth, it clarifies the nature of eternity. The empty tomb clarifies what our bodies are going to be like in eternity. When Jesus arose from the grave, He did not leave His body behind and enter into some eternal spiritual existence. The Bible says that Christ's physical body was transformed into a new body that was superior to His old body, and yet retained some of its characteristics. The same will be true for our new bodies. We will be able to eat and drink as Christ did, and will be recognizable to others as Christ was to His disciples.

In I Corinthians 15:4 testifies to this by saying, "and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures," Paul was a learned scholar of the Old Testament and was familiar with the numerous predictions of a risen Messiah. Despite Israel's blanket refusal to accept Jesus as the promise of the scriptures, God remained faithful to fulfilling and authenticating the promises of the Old Testament. Praise God! In Acts 2, Peter testifies to the foundation principles of the resurrection: "The Lord has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: “I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body." (Psalms 132:11). Peter eventually ties in the idea of God's promise to David and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the resurrection, God authenticated the authority of the Word by fulfilling the promise of a risen savior. We all accept that Jesus needed to die in order to perform humanity's final atoning sacrifice. But we need to realize just how important it was to raise the chosen Son of God. Just as the voice at His baptism and transfiguration proclaimed to those who witnessed God's satisfaction, the resurrection proclaimed to the ages "it is finished." We are reminded of the importance of the resurrection in I Corinthians 15:14, "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." Ask yourself why would our faith be empty? Well, in Romans 4:25, it is answered for us, "who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification." Christ's resurrection results in God's ability to consider us justified in Christ by demonstrating God's acceptance of the Son's sacrifice. If Jesus hadn't been raised, the preaching of the gospel would have then, been a lie; the faith would be without meaningful content and TRUTH; and Christians would be hopeless.

The resurrection of Jesus authenticates our ability to be victorious in our Christian walk. There are two passages of scripture that confirm and confer this principle. Let's take a look at what Romans 6:8-10 says, "(v8) Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, (v9) knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. (v10) For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God."  Walking in the "newness of life" if prevalent throughout Romans 6-8, but not in OUR own strength,  but in the power of the resurrected Christ that we've obtained spiritual power from in order to overcome our old way of life. Romans 6:8-10 relays the truth of our empowerment, because we also have that very same  position from our faith in Christ. We are resurrected into a new life in faith in Christ too! However, we aren't  left to our own devices. With the awesome miracle of the resurrection also came an awesome gift. In Romans 8:11 exclaims, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." 

Colossians 3:1-17 also appeals to our new life of faith through the resurrected Lord. In the opening verse, Paul encourages us to live in the VICTORY of our new life in Christ Jesus! He says, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." He is telling us to become in experience what we already are by God's grace. We need to take victory over all of our life circumstances, our defeated thinking processes, our failures and grab onto our ability to overcome them, as is outlined in the following verses, is all possible because of verse 1: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (5) Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (6) Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, (7) in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. (8) But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, (10) and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, (11) where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Character of the New Man
(12) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; (13) bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (14) But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (17) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

As Promised....

While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same. Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible's historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus. The Lord will continue to allow us to uncover evidence of His existence to present to those who still don't believe! A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this event in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 A.D. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle.

N. T. Wright, a scholar who has written extensively about the resurrection, contended:
If nothing happened to the body of Jesus . . . I cannot, as a historian, see why anyone would have continued to belong to his movement and to regard him as its Messiah. There were several other Messianic or quasi-Messianic movements within a hundred years either side of Jesus. Routinely, they ended with the leader's being killed by the authorities or by a rival group. If your Messiah is killed, you conclude that he was not the Messiah. Some of those movements continued to exist; where they did, they took a new leader from the same family. (But note: Nobody ever said that James, the brother of Jesus, was the Messiah.) Such groups did not go around saying that their Messiah had been raised from the dead. [Nicholas Thomas Wright, "How Jesus Saw Himself," Bible Review 12 (June 1996): 29.]

So, with Easter upon us, let us not forget what this extraordinary day represents! Let us not focus all of our undivided attention on a fictitious rabbit, hard boiled and decorated eggs and new Spring dresses! Remember the importance of the Empty Tomb, remember that He IS Risen and that God loved you so much that He gave His only Begotten Son to die on the cross, to shed His blood for your sins, buried and rose three days later! HE IS!

I don't need proof. I already have it....He LIVES!



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Judge Not....

I believe one of the most misused scripture in the Bible is Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” The reason I feel it's misused more often than it is used properly is because it's always quoted out of context. In order for any part of the inerrant, God-breathed Word of the Bible to be fully understood, we should read it, and quote it, in the context of which it was written. In verse 2-5 of this same chapter, it is clearly evident that verse 1 is referencing hypocritical judgment. To put it simply, when it says "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." it means you can't judge another for his sin if you are guilty of the same sin!

Now for those who tend to cling to the Matthew 7:1 scripture to point out and often times condemn those who expose error need to read the whole chapter...in it's context. Jesus said in Matt. 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves....” And how can we know and warn others of false prophets unless we judge them by the Word of God? Many wolves in sheep's clothing appear genuine, speak educated, and seem to know the Bible. Well, Satan knew the Bible to or else who would he be able to deceive so many by mocking God? Sometimes it may be hard to spot for those who are taken by their charm. But a closer look and the truth will shine through. A little leaven....In order for us to warn the sheep of “ravening wolves” we must be able to righteously judge them accordingly. Actually, all throughout the Bible we can find proof that they SHOULD be identified and exposed. Many Christians sadly use this verse towards others who call out false teachings because they either don't understand it's true meaning, or they are afraid of ruffling some feathers. And many unbelievers use this scripture to justify why Christians are judgmental because they stand for the rightness of the Word of God and refuse to deviate from scripture in order to appease man. In Matthew 7:16-17, it says, "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? (v17)  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit." Is the Lord saying that we can't judge the person (tree) by the fruit of their life and doctrine? Absolutely not! You can't know if it's producing good fruit without judging. ALL judgment should be based on the Bible teaching, and NOT according to ones own whims or prejudices. There's a huge difference!

Let's take a look at another passage in John 7:24, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Here, our Lord is commanding us to "judge righteous judgment," which simply means judgment based on the Word of God. If any judgment is based on anything other than the Word of God, it's in strict violation of Matthew 7:1. A faithful Christian has to be able to discern the type of judgment on the basis of God's inspired law, the Bible. A person that has the ability to discern between the good and evil has at least one of the major traits of spiritual maturity. Hebrews 5:14 is an example of this, "But strong meat belong to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." W.E Vine says of the meaning of discern, "a distinguishing, a clear discrimination, discerning, judging; is translated 'discerning' in 1 Corinthians 12:10 of discerning spirits, judging by evidence whether they are evil or of God." Strong agrees that it means to judge also.

Be BOLD

False teachers are free to spread their venomous doctrines today because there is a conspiracy of silence among many Bible believers. Then among the non-believers, or the flocks of the false teachers, there is evidence of the feel good mentality that is awash in today's churches. Nobody wants to upset the apple cart, thus squashing the truth, hidden beneath a bunch of fluff. There are groups specifically targeting those who want to expose the false teachers and have taken it as far as the courts stating it's in violation of one right or another. So wolves in sheep's clothing are able to ravage the flock, destroying many and without a lick of guilt. John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders of his day) "a generation of vipers" in Matthew 3:7. I do believe if he were stating those truths in that way in this day and age, he would be considered unchristian, unloving and most definitely unkind. Even Jesus said the religious Pharisees, in Matthew 12:34, "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." 

Many people believe it is absolutely wrong to expose error and name those who are falsely bearing these bad fruits, being the guilty teachers of today. Let's see how many named names PUBLICLY through the Bible:
1) Paul named Peter publicly being guilty of unscriptural practices, in Galatians 2:11-14, "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; (v12) for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. (v13) And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. (v14) But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you[b] compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" As you see, when the integrity and the purity of the gospel was at stake, there is no choice but to name names and expose error, as did Paul.
2) Paul named Demas for loving the world in 2 Timothy 4:10, "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world." Again, anyone who forsakes the cause of Christ for worldly and ungodly living and pleasures, should be named and exposed.
3) Moses called the name of Balaam in Numbers 22-25 and Peter exposed "the way of Balaam...who loved the wages of unrighteousness" in 2 Peter 2:15. Balaam was a prophet that was in the work for the money just like what could be said of some TV false prophets today who are leading many sheep astray. They beg for money, living like kings themselves, while the multitudes of innocent and desperate people send them all they have of their hard earned money. And how do you suppose we should be silent and keep our mouths shut about those who prey on the weak and still be true to God?
4) Hanani named the king Jehoshaphat. In alot of ways, he was a good king but forgot to practice religious separation. He caused his son to marry the wicked Ahab's daughter. (See 2 Chronicles 18:1; 21:1-6) Hanani said, in 2 Chronicles 19:2, "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you." With this clear statement, one must truly consider who they are supporting, who they are in partnership with and who they are working beside....because whatever you are doing alongside of them, you are supporting their false teachings, helping the "ungodly and loving them that hate the Lord." Know the doctrine WELL and always ask if it lines up with the Bible. If it doesn't then call it out! And those who teach it...as it's been done with the Catholic religious leaders, the Mormon leaders and the New Age leaders. We are talking about the LEADERS and TEACHERS and NOT the followers.
5) Nathan identified the man in a very high place who was a secret adulterer. I'm sure this man who held the highest office in the land felt he couldn't be rebuked by some lowly and unpopular prophet such as Nathan, but Nathan went right into the presence of David, revealing the sin in a parable form and then told the enraged David, "Thou are the man.Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul." 2 Samuel 12:7.

So is it right to expose error and name those in error? Yes, it is! There are many more examples throughout the Bible to prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt and for those who refuse to use Matthew 7:1 in the context of which it was written! It is absolutely the right thing to do to do what Jude 3 tells us to do..."Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." False teachers and prophets are truly breaking down the barrier of the separation between God's people and false religion because there is too little preaching and teaching on the doctrine of separation. Balaam breached the doctrine of personal separation by causing the men of Israel to commit fornication with the Moabite women then breached the doctrine again of ecclesiastical separation by causing the men of Israel to bow down to Baal which brought a curse upon Israel. We need to get back to the teaching of the TRUTH about personal and ecclesiastical separation or we will just have to expect the continuation of the widespread havoc and false "tolerance" that we see in the world today!

Now to how the Bible admonishes us to expose error, and it does tell us to admonish them!
First we are to TRY them as it says in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." ALL doctrine and teachers are to be tried according to the Word of God. In Isaiah 8:20, another reference is made, "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." The church at Ephesus was commended because they had "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars." in Rev 2:2. It's never right to tolerate false teachers but there will be those who want to disobey the Word and will avoid this teaching.
2) We are to MARK them and AVOID them. In Romans 16:17, " Now I urge you, brethren, mark those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." This is telling us that those who contradict the teachings of the Bible are to be marked and avoided. Any contradiction, whether it's false doctrine or ritualistic worshiping of false gods and idols are to be avoided. In order to do this, it requires discernment and judgment in the light of the Bible.
3) We are to REBUKE them as it states in Titus 1:13, "Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith." This was written because they were going from house to house and subverting whole houses with false doctrine (v.10-16). We can't just sit by and silently hold our breath while whole houses are being subverted in false doctrines, without rebuking and admonishing people to avoid their teachings!
4) We are to have NO FELLOWSHIP with them as it is written in Ephesians 5:11, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Reprove simply means to condemn, find fault, rebuke and refute so how can we obey this particular Scripture unless we do what it says!?
5) We are to WITHDRAW from them. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 states this command clearly, "But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us." The context clearly shows that obedience to sound doctrine is what Paul has in mind because he says in 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15, "And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. (v15) Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." 
6) We are to REJECT HERETICS. In Titus 3:10, it says, "A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject." We need to reject those who deny redemption by the blood of Christ. We are to try to admonish them first, and if they refuse this or don't respond to it, then we are to reject them.
7) We are to TURN AWAY from them. 2 Timothy 3:5-7 says of the last days, "...having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (v6) For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." If we can't identify these false teachers or heretics, then how are we to turn from them? It requires that their message be compared to the Word of God. As a true, God-called preacher/teacher to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." as it's stated in 2 Timothy 4:2. Typically it's an unpopular task but it's the duty of the God-called man to do!
8) We are to LOOK OUT for those who preach ANOTHER GOSPEL. Paul warned about those who preached another "Jesus....another spirit...or another gospel." in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and in order for us to KNOW them, we have to judge their Jesus, their spirit, and their gospel by the Word of God. Here's what Paul said of such preachers preaching another gospel in 2 Corinthians 11:13, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ." In verses 14-15 Paul explains that these preachers are the ministers of Satan.

Multitudes today are preaching a watered down, perverted gospel of the Lord God and they will not go unpunished. In Galatians 1:6-9, listen to what Paul warned them about, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, (v7) which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. (v8) But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (v9) As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." Those who are teaching salvation by baptism, salvation by works, who command their people to worship a man by kneeling down and kissing the ring he wears (the pope) teaching a salvation that can be lost, all paths lead to God, that God is in all things, and teach a resting place of purification or temporary punishment called purgatory by which those who die in a state of grace are all preaching and teaching a perverted gospel. I have sat down on different occasions to watch a Christian program only to immediate recognize a false teaching! I recognize it because the Holy Spirit warns me against such teachings. I have had many discussions with believers and non believers about some of the cult leaders, false teachers of doctrines and surprised at what they are afraid of....the TRUTH.

Do Not Falter!

We live in a world that has now changed the definition of "tolerant" and true solid, God-fearing and God-loving Christians are being cast aside for a newer version of Christianity. One that has sold out to the government, the minority groups who bring senseless lawsuits against anything they find hurts their feelings and have allowed the louder voices of the "world" quiet ours. It's time we stand up, stand firm and be bold for Jesus Christ because HE is the only way, truth and the life! He wasn't ashamed of us and neither should we be ashamed of Him! We need to warn the sheep of all heretics, identify them by name and stand against the false doctrinal teachers that preach a different gospel. If we don't, the young lambs coming up behind us will not understand and will be devoured by the wolves!




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