Ending One Year

Ending one year; 

beginning a new one; 

a time for reflection; 

a time for new goals

Where does God fit in?

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Do you hear the longing?

Would that we would long for Him as much!

Here God gives us the directions for not only next year but for every year to come; “for ever!”

But will we obey?

He gave us our hearts, yet He longs for our hearts to love Him!  

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John‬ ‭14:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“that they would fear me”  those who fear The LORD know Him (His power, His grace and mercy, His integrity, His justice) and have wisdom!

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs‬ ‭9:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

He is not a Santa Claus; there to provide your every wish if you are good! 

Oh no! He, The Creator is everything!

“For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:” Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:28-29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The way we live shows all we believe. Our desires for the temporal things of this world; no consideration given to eternity. Yet, He knows our needs and makes provision for them even promising more if we live for Him! 

“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms‬ ‭37:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Is He the desire of your heart?

He wants to be!

You who want to go to heaven, but have not made Him Lord of your life will not be satisfied in heaven. If your sights are not set on Him and Him alone, you will be sadly disappointed for He is heaven!

2019 a new opportunity to crucify your flesh and live for the One who died on The Cross for your sins! 

My prayer: Father God, this new year I want more of You! I pray You continue to open my eyes and ears and to change my heart; please give me a greater hunger and thirst for You and Your Word!  Shine Your light in the recesses of my heart and expose any darkness hiding there so I may repent! Cleanse me from secret sins! Make me holy, Father, as You are Holy! My desire is for You! I thank You Father for Your mercy and Your grace. Make me suitable for Your use, as You see fit. I give You all the glory and all the praise for You alone are worthy! 

Even so - MARANATHA 

The Night Is

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” Romans‬ ‭13:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Daily I write to you "Repent!"

Daily I warn of time drawing to an end!

You may get tired of hearing it, but I have no choice, for the world as we know it, IS coming to an end. 

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

You who have been content to halfheartedly be counted as a Believer, will soon have to step up or turn totally aside. For you will indeed be called to choose, between life or death. Be mindful of the ramifications of your choice.

Again: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark‬ ‭8:35-37‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The choice may come all at once or little by little.

My friend ask me the other day, "How do you eat an elephant?"

The answer: "One bite at a time!"

As you make your daily choices you are either moving away from or towards sin! There is no standing still. You are either gaining ground or losing it. 

Today starts a new year and resolutions are being made! Is at the top of your list: 'A Closer Walk With God'? If HE is not your principle purpose in life and your desire for 2016, then your salvation is suspect!  

Being "Saved" is a daily walk;  putting to death the deeds of the flesh! If all you desire is to gratify your flesh, with things of this world, then you are deceived, and need to repent! Just because your church told you you are "saved"; because you "made a decision"; if your life has not changed then you are still destined for hell! You MUST take up your cross to follow Him! 

Jesus said: “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” Matthew‬ ‭10:38‬ ‭KJV‬‬ The cross is not a piece of jewelry you wear around your neck as a fashion statement! It IS a way of life! 

It means casting down your idols!

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:34-37‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When He said:  “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus‬ ‭20:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬  He was serious! 

He is a jealous God, and He will tear down your idols, if you won't! 

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew‬ ‭22:37‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Do you see the word 'all'? 

He means ALL! 

You can't "love your children with ALL your heart" and "the LORD with all your heart" too! 

He will share His throne with no one! 

He HAS to be number one! 

And time is running out for you to get it right! 

Determine today to make Him your LORD; withholding nothing! Surrender, once and for all, and do not look back, for tomorrow may be too late!

Repent! 

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:1-2‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 1/1/16

O The Depth

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Romans‬ ‭11:33‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I stand in awe more today, than ever, at the power of God! His hand is never too short to reach the lost! No task for Him too great! His provision there for any need; small or great! His abundance of mercy unwavering even for a stiffnecked people like me! 

I blinked and 2017 has come to an end! 

I’ve never seen the days fly by so quickly!  “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭13:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Never have I heard of such violence; across the map; no town left untouched!  “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” Revelation‬ ‭18:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

All the while, God is moving and changing hearts near and far! 

Miracle after miracle; bringing together people from across the globe to spread The Truth. 

I am amazed! I am overwhelmed! 

What will The LORD do in 2018? I’m anticipating His goodness; His mercy; His faithfulness to those who deserve only His wrath! 

He’s calling His out of Babylon!

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭18:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

He’s filling His banquet hall for the wedding feast, with the least; those who know they are lost; those who readily admit the need of a Savior!

“So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” Luke‬ ‭14:21-24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

He’s searching out a people who will not be satisfied unless they have all of Him! Hungry for more than the worldly church has offered! Thirsting for living water - not signs and wonders! A people not ashamed to be different or radical for His service! They come broken and His healing leaves them willing to be crushed for His sake! Just to be a vessel used, poured out for His work - for His Kingdom; sold out; spent; submitted; surrendered!

Obedience - to His Word! The word for the New Year! Conformed into a His image! Crucified with Christ!

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

While others are making Resolutions, we are resolute in Him performing His way in us!

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The Day of Jesus Christ! Oh, brothers and sisters it’s coming! We must be about the Master’s work! 

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:37-38‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Join me in prayer. Heavenly Father I offer myself for Your use this moment, this day, this week, this month, this year and the next! Use me as You desire, for that is my only desire! I choose to walk according to Your Word; in obedience holding back nothing! I choose to walk in forgiveness; I chose to walk in love, and when I miss it, I will walk in repentance! Drive out all darkness that inhabits my heart for my desire is for You to abide therein! Guide my steps throughout the upcoming year! May You get all of the glory! In Jesus’ name I pray! Amen!

Even so - MARANATHA! 

 From 12/31/17

The Eyes

“the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:12‬b ‭KJV‬‬

This seemed to be an appropriate word for this day and I’m sure no coincidence my reading would begin here in this New Year!  

Continuing:  “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;” Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:13-16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Deceived people do not know they are deceived! And true worship is obedience. If we are not obedient to The Word Of God then we are worshiping a different God who says it’s okay NOT to do those things written in The Bible; it’s okay NOT to read His Word! Because if you don’t obey God, by default you are obeying His enemy! 

“And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Hearken! (heed, obey) Do you do that? 

Does the Word guide your every step? It’s supposed to! 

Does God speak to you throughout the day? He will if you seek Him with your whole heart!

“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:18-21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The enemy is whispering in your ear, “that’s O.T!”  

Don’t let him deceive you! 

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Are you diligent in your obedience?

“For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:22-25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The reward? A blessing!

“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.” ‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:26-28‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And a curse if you do not obey!

When God opened my eyes, I realized the church preached the blessings of God but that the curse was all over it! (Deuteronomy 28)

But when we love The LORD with our whole heart we don’t obey for the reward of blessings, we obey because we love Him and want to please Him! Pleasing Him is the desire of our heart! Disappointing Him almost an unbearable thought! 

Praise God for His mercy and His grace! Repentance sets us in good standing again, when we miss it! But the church refusing to acknowledge its sin has, by and large, done away with repentance! If you don’t sin, you don’t need to repent! THAT’S the biggest lie the devil has sold the church! And because repentance hurts it was quick to be believed! That’s how you obey another god; refuse to repent!

Jesus said to the church, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” ‭Revelation‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jesus is still calling the church to repentance! 

Repentance is a walk! God set it up so in our walk of obedience, when we fall down we can get back up! It’s part of the walk of sanctification!

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” ‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:9-10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When we don’t read our Bible we don’t know what sin is, because The Holy Spirit uses the Word to open our eyes to the sin in our lives! That’s why you don’t read it! The devil keeps you so busy,  you put it off! He knows if you get a hold of the fact that unrepented sin hardens your heart and that you would be set free if you turned! He wants to keep you captured! He doesn’t want you to know that fear and worry (unbelief) are sin. So is grumbling and complaining! So is gossiping! “Those are just “little ones” “everybody does it”; he won’t even use the word “sin!”

We are told the biggies are “murder, stealing, adultery” when the true “biggie” is unforgiveness!

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Unforgiven people will not be in heaven! So no matter what your denomination preaches, if you are holding onto unforgiveness in your heart, you WILL NOT see The LORD!

God spoke to a friend and said: “When you forgive _________ you are most like Me!”  

The devil holds a grudge!

You have a choice who you will serve this new year! 

You have a choice who you will follow! 

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua‬ ‭24:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Happy New Year!

“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Even so - MARANATHA 

From 1/1/18

Unto A Land

‬‬“Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33:3-6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In previous verses, the children of Israel had forsaken The LORD, played the harlot by having an adulterous relationship with an golden idol, and God's anger had been unleashed! 

Notice the response of the Israelites. “And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.”

God was ready to kill them all; but for Moses interceding on their behalf! Instead Moses moves his tent and The LORD tabernacles with him outside the camp!

‬‬

“And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”  Exodus‬ ‭33:7-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The people were isolated from the presence of God because of their sin! They, in mourning, worshiped Him from the door of their tents. They were not allowed to enter in. God removed Himself from them because they had removed themselves from Him, when they willfully played the harlot! Except for Joshua!  He had not sinned. He had waited on The LORD. Because he was faithful, he moved with and never left the tabernacle! 

“And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33:12-17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We, just like the children of Israel are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart! We are supposed to be separate from the world, however, we too have played the harlot and made gods in our own image! And today we are reaping the fruit of our sins! We shake our head and point the finger, however, do we mourn? Do we remove our ornaments? Do we even worship Him from the door? No, we don't repent, for we don't recognize our sin! Our whole nation should be in mourning, yet we go on like nothing has happened!

A friend reposted on Facebook yesterday, a powerful message, that I had to share! 

"Shut. Up. And. Mourn!"

What will it take? How much more, before we turn back to The LORD?

For our country to return, each of us has to turn!

We should all be on our face in repentance of our sins and the sins of our nation! Revival starts in my heart and in yours! 

Examine yourself! 

Repent while there is still time!

“If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 7/9/16

What Has Your Heart

What has your heart?

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

It is so much easier to do anything and everything else than examine our heart!  It is much less painful to ignore those hard things that we have hidden there, than to look at each hurt and to revisit each sin. 

You see, what we hide there is sin, but no one wants to call it that! Each of those sins have other names and those other names have become acceptable in the church today! Like the desensitization of violence and pornography (we've brought into our homes through television); bitterness, judgments, anger, fear, worry are even more acceptable today, but yet they also will keep you from seeing God! 

The church at large does not believe there is a sin problem under its roof! Because its members asked Jesus into their heart, they believe He took care of their sin, past, present and future. 

However speaking to believers, in the Epistle of John: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”(‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:8-10‬ ‭KJV‬‬) we see that confession and repentance cleanses us from all unrighteousness!

And again James is also speaking to believers: “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.” James‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

A righteous man has dealt with his sin! 

No sin is too big for God to forgive! However, even the smallest sin, (unconfessed and unrepented of) will keep you from having a pure heart; will keep you from God! He made the way for us to get to Him, but we have to walk it out! 

Yes, it is a great deal easier to do everything else than examine your heart! There is always your house to clean; bills to pay, games to go to with the kids, church functions, and don't forget yard work! Busy-ness is the excuse the devil provides, to keep us separated from God! He knows our days are numbered and his intention is not for us to win "parent of the year" but make us miss heaven! If we are distracted enough we will hear: “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew‬ ‭7:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We have got to get our priorities right!

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Actively seek Him!

Examine your heart!

Confess your sin!

Repent!

Make Him LORD!

While there is still time!

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 8/20/15

And He Shall

“And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“to turn the hearts” and “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

God used John The Baptist and He wants to use you!

When you are saved, you are turned from darkness (in your heart) into light and He begins to make you ready for His use! He begins to clean you up; prepare you! His intent - to covert you to “His people!” 

Cleaning up hurts and we often resist! But He, in His mercy and grace,  doesn’t listen to our cowardly protests. With a firm but gentle hand He takes us through the steps He ordains; through the muck and mire, to get us to The Rock where we can stand on firm footing; all the while washing us with His Word.

“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:26-27‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We have the choice to allow His work or resist! We can seek and facilitate or we can run and prevent; that will only slow down the process, for He will have His way and we will finally surrender; for He is God and we are not! 

It seems the dirtier we are; the deeper the mire He pulls us out of, the more willing we are to be clean. Those who have not wallowed in filth perceive themselves to be clean and are more reluctant to submit! 

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64:6‬a KJV‬‬

It’s all about the heart! 

I’ve heard so many say, “God knows my heart!” Which is a true statement; He does! The problem is WE don’t know our own heart! 

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

David knew!

“Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

David saw his sin and cried out to God! And we must too! He had walked with God from his youth. He had been used mightily by God, and yet God had to show him his sin.

We must know and recognize our sinful state; our need for a Savior! God shines a light on our hidden sins when we read His Word! His Word convicts us so that we may repent! 

“John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And Jesus did too! 

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And He is still speaking to His church:

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Today the church celebrates His birth! 

Remember the purpose of His life! Remember His commission to us! Remember our time is short! Remember His return is eminent!

Give Him the best gift - yourself!

Repent and surrender while there is still time!

Even so - MARANATHA 

From 12/25/17

“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And She Brought

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”  ‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As a child I would read this story and think to myself, "I would have made room for them!" I judged the Innkeeper. Did you?

As I grew older, the world took up more room in my life. My wants and desires did not include the Son of God. But every Christmas I'd celebrate Santa; baby Jesus resided in my crèche, but not in my heart. The tree and trimmings took prominence; the music heralding His birth filled the house and car but not my heart. No room. 

I was tired; frazzled by the hurrying to be ready for the jolly old man. Threatening the kids with no gifts if they were not good; spending money I did not have; taking a day to put it together and a day to take it down. Proud of my efforts, and looking forward to December 27; done for another year. 

Then when my life fell apart, I was told by a friend to examine my heart!  He told me to make a list of all of the people who had hurt me and all who I had hurt. I had no idea the pain I had stashed in my heart; unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, and such. We met; I confessed my sins, repented and forgave. I made room in my heart for Jesus. Up until then there literally had been no room. Oh, many years ago, I had invited Him into my heart, but there was no room. So when my friend showed me in the Scriptures my lawlessness,  I chose to repent and obey. I moved out the old man to make room for a new Owner. When I obeyed, the weight of the world left and I felt light! The heaviness that had weighed me down was gone, and the things of this life were less important. I then had all I needed. No more emptiness, amidst the clutter. The vacuum filled with a peace, I had never known. His promise true.  I joined with the angels praising God:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

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

All things new! A new creature in Christ; a new life to live serving Him! I read Mary's reply to the angel and know the honor and humility she felt! 

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:38‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Everyday: do with me LORD as You will! 

I celebrate His birth everyday! 

Christmas is not a "season"; it's not a "Day"; it's a way of life for those who are His.

Glorify Him today in repentance!

Obey Him, everyday!

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 12/25/16

And In Them

“And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:14-15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John‬ ‭12:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

"If the grain (corn) rots it becomes a perversion and you fall into error!" (Bob Phillips 'Ascending The Mountain of Glory') 

I was listening to that sermon the other day, and those words hit me hard! Read it again.

"If the grain/corn (Word) rots it becomes a perversion and you fall into error!" 

He was saying - we hear lots of Word, yet if we are not obedient to it - it rots! The rottenness becomes a perversion (is corrupted seed) and we fall into error! Compromise of the Truth is error! 

We hear but not obey. We hear it again, and still do not obey, we justify our disobedience. We finally cease to hear at all and and the enemy can then sow bad seed and we will accept!

Rotting seed is not seed that dies! 

There is a difference! Rotting seed is useless; does not even resemble its original form; only good for destruction.

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Luke‬ ‭8:11-15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The storms come to break us of the hardness of our hearts! We have a choice to humble ourself before God and through repentance change our course, or continue with an unbending back and a stiff neck, trying to be strong and in control! 

The storms WILL continue and He WILL break you, for only He can be God! 

"They may start as a Category 1, take down a few trees. Or it may take a Category 5 with complete destruction, to turn us around!" (Emily Shropshire from 'When It Pours - Jesus Reigns')

“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Father, please forgive the hardness of our hearts! We repent of our pride! We ask LORD that you open our eyes, open our ears, and change our hearts! Bring us to repentance! We lay down our pride and humbly ask that you continue the work You began in us!  We cast down our idols and we tear down our high places! We vacate the throne and ask that You take Your proper place, for You alone are God, and we are not! Amen.

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Psalms‬ ‭103:17-18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 9/22/15

And The Spirit

“And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭15:1-5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Did you catch that? 

“The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”  Wow! 

Those are true words especially for today! 

We as a people and we as individuals have forsaken The LORD and He has forsaken us, in kind! 

However, when we repent and seek Him with our whole hearts He WILL be found by us! 

"The LORD is with you while you are with Him"; when was the last time you heard that preached? 

At no time, in the Word of God, does it say you can do your own thing and God will bless it! Every time man does what is "right in his own eyes", it leads to destruction! 

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans‬ ‭3:10-18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When we seek God, it has to be with our whole heart! It can't be halfway! He will not share His throne with other gods. We must cast down our idols! 

The trials and the tests are to turn us back to God. He knows our time is running out. The time for playing church is over! He is serious and we must be too!

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus‬ ‭20:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I read recently:

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

"By God's design, your idols will always turn on you." (Geri McGhee)

Our idols today (our golden calfs) are our children, our spouses, our jobs, our homes, our sports or hobbies! Whatever consumes our time. Whatever we put above our time with God! Whatever we worry about!!!!

Ask God to show you your idols, He will! Then you remove them, repent and ask God to take His rightful place as LORD!

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬ ‭KJV‬

Be obedient! 

Seek Him first in all things! 

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 12/24/15

Come And Let Us

“Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.”  Hosea‬ ‭6:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The trial you are going through is orchestrated by God to return you to Him! He knows judgment is coming. 

“For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:30-31‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The worldly church worships another god; one who does not require repentance of sin. It's a sleeping church, accepting all in love, without warning of the day of judgment. 

“But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”  Romans‬ ‭14:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Again: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

“But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When you worry and fear everything but God, then it shows unbelief. It says, you think God does not have the power to protect or save you; for indeed the god you serve is powerless. 

 “Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭13:4‬ ‭KJV

Our lack of obedience to His Word shows who our god is; a god made in our own image.

“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  Revelation‬ ‭14:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The loving thing to do is to warn of the coming judgment, for after you die, there is not opportunity for repentance. Jesus' ministry was one of repentance. From beginning to end.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”  Revelation‬ ‭3:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

It's because I love you, that I preach this message. The time for playing church is over. Examine your heart! 

Repent while there is still time. 

We are not promised tomorrow.

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 12/21/16

For I Am

“For I am the Lord, I change not;”

‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3:6‬a ‭KJV‬‬

God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. But if you do not know Him personally, you can be deceived. 

If you have not read The Bible; or if you have only read parts of it, then you can be deceived.

“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”  ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Repentance of sin is preached throughout.

God is still trying to turn you back to Him. He is still in control. His arm is not too short, but time to repent is.

He causes storms and adversity, trials and fires to move you from unbelief and complacency; to turn you from your wicked ways of pride; to break up your hard heart.

He will keep the fire hot and increase it as needed to purify you; to make you a reflection of Him. Digging your heels in, in resistance is futile! For you are not battling the devil, you are battling God. (1 Chron 21:15, Judges 9:23, Acts 13:11)

You see, the battle is not yours, it's the LORD'S! We are to let Him fight! We are to submit. We are to surrender, so He can! 

Jesus showed us the way, and we are to follow His example. Lay down your will and get on the cross. 

This is contrary to what the worldly church teaches. 

If we want to see God move, we must humble ourselves! Get out of His way! He is God, we are not!

When you battle alone, you have every right to be fearful. When you are warring against the devil in opposition to God, you will lose. 

Surrender to The Maker of all things; The Creator of the universe, there is nothing too big for Him! And He will have nothing before Him; no other gods! Lay down your idols, tear down your high places; that includes your children, your spouses, your pets, your careers, your ministries, your sports and hobbies, just to name a few! The list is endless! 

“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When you stop battling God and join in His war, letting Him lead, instead of running ahead of Him, then you can trust Him to be with you!

He wants ALL of you!

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:8-14‬ ‭KJV

Give up! Let Him lead!

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 12/20/16

And It Came

“And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭18:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We know the story. David had killed the giant; the people had celebrated David and Saul had eyed him with jealousy and anger. Because of those sins an evil spirit came upon Saul.

“And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭18:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

So, Saul was not only jealous and angry, but he also feared David! The Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. Notice - when the evil spirit came upon Saul he prophesied! Here again is that lying Spirit we see in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. 

What jumped off the page at me this morning is that with the evil spirit Saul “prophesied.” 

Confirmation that today’s prophets can prophesy from an unholy spirit. Where there is unrepented sin such as pride and ambition an evil spirit can and does impersonate a spirit of light. Just because one says “thus saith the Lord” does not mean he is speaking the truth. Here is where discernment is so important. And discernment comes from God.

“Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord; I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth–gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so. Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭18:18-22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Ahab was happy hearing the lies he wanted to hear! He didn’t like the truth, because he wanted everything his way. He refused to walk in obedience to God’s word. Even after the Truth was spoken to him, he refused to listen and obey! So God gave him up. 

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Samuel‬ ‭15:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When we reject The Truth, God rejects us too; just like he did Saul!  Saul had the opportunity to turn back to God in repentance but because of the sin of pride, he refused - he disobeyed. He chose dark over light - rebellion to God’s Word. 

Saul never humbled himself.

God has given up on many today for the same reason. Instead of humbling themselves before The LORD and seeking The Truth they seek a name for themselves; building bigger churches. Instead of preaching repentance of sin and obedience to The Word Of God, they preach a sugar-coated gospel that leads straight to hell, and the people love it! They worship another Jesus who does not require repentance of sin! 

“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jesus’ first message was repent and His last message to the church is the same! 

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation‬ ‭3:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We must get this right! Pray for God to open your eyes, to the REAL truth! Seek it with your whole heart! Humble yourself, before He humbles you! 

“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”  1 John‬ ‭1:6-10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 1/22/18

Though The Cross

“Though the cross of Christ has been beautified  by poet and the artist, the avid seeker after God is likely to find it the same savage implement of destruction it was in the days of old! The way of the cross is still the pain-wracked path to spiritual power and fruitfulness. So do not seek to hide from it. Do not accept an easy way. Do not allow yourself to be patted to sleep in a comfortable church, void of power and barren of fruit. Do not paint the cross nor deck it with flowers. Take it for what it is, as it is, and you will find it the rugged way of death and life. Let it slay you utterly. - A.W. Tozer 

Who is hanging on your cross?

Does the Jesus you worship even resemble the Son Of God, or have you made Him into your own image? Is He "The Word" that was spoken at the Creation of the universe, or is he a name with no power that requires nothing of you?

Did Jesus hang on the cross so that you could stay in your sin; walk in unrighteousness; hold unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart towards your brother?

Do you read your Bible, occasionally, yet skip over the hard parts about "taking up your cross daily", "dying to self", (Matthew 16:24, Philippians 1:21, Colossians 3:3) and concentrate on love, peace, & Grace?   

“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If you read these scriptures and immediately think: "that's not me" instead of thinking, "Oh God, please reveal to me if I've missed You!"; then you are deceived!

A deceived person is happy in the assurance that his ticket is punched, and he is heaven bound! He prays to a god that requires nothing, does nothing, but offers everything!

If you have no fear of your god, then he is not God!

Any God that would sacrifice His Son for your sins, so that you could be with Him in Glory, will let you die and go to hell, because you refused to be obedient and follow Him!

“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If He says to be Holy, then you can be holy, and you'd better become holy!

Time is running out! 

Don't wait until the "Glory train is pulling out of the station" to realize that, though you bought your ticket, you never got on the train!

Repent! 

Seek Him with your whole heart and He will be found!

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 4/19/14

And The Lord

“And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.” Numbers‬ ‭33:50-53‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.” Numbers‬ ‭33:55‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.” ‭Numbers‬ ‭33:56‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When the Children of Israel were given their inheritance, God gave them instructions of what He wanted them to do! They were not obedient and we are, today, still reaping the results of their disobedience.

And we have done the same. 

When we "we made Jesus our Savior” God gave us a new heart; our land to possess. In His Word, we are given specific instructions on how to drive out the inhabitants (the enemy), but we listened to his (the enemy's) lies and have "done what seemed right" to us. (Deuteronomy 12:8)  We have been disobedient, and are paying the price! We are harassed and tormented, and have been (for so long) we believe it to be the norm! It does not have to be! 

In repentance we can take back the land! In humbling ourselves, confessing the unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, worry, pride, etc. that lives in our heart and repenting of our sins of disobedience, we drive them out! 

When you deal with your sin (instead of justifying it) the demons have no authority to stay. They have to leave! 

It is a battle, and few win, because of the lies the enemy has sown, and we've accepted as truth. The traditions of men and doctrines of demons have kept the church in bondage for hundreds of years!

Just as in the days of Josiah:

“And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.”  ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭22:11-13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We do not read, much less live, by the Word of God! We have not torn down the high places, and our idols abound! 

Freedom comes when we are obedient to God's Word; not what our denominations teach! 

Time is short and His wrath is great! Look everyman to himself; examine your heart, and turn back in repentance! 

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Don't wait for everyone else! You are responsible for you! You want your land healed? Humble yourself and repent! Don't wait another moment!

If He is not your LORD, then He is not your Savior!

Repent!

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 10/26/15

Let No Man

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

It seems everywhere I turn I hear preachers and self-proclaimed prophets speaking vain, empty words! 

Their long, prayers and prophecies promising this and such are full of "empty words!” I have listened in amazement, thinking "this is gobbley gook"; it makes no sense, it has no substance, yet all around me people make a big deal over their proclamations! 

"Empty words" are void of life! They promise peace and prosperity, never speaking of obedience, conviction, repentance or dying to self! Their routes are devoid of sacrifice! Never will you be called to follow Christ to the cross! They are lying spirits!

“Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭22:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:24-27‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If it feels good; if it requires nothing from you, but promises the world; it's a lie! 

We are called to live like Jesus! We are to take up our cross! We will be hated and persecuted! Our families and our friends will speak hurtful words about us! We are called to suffer for the gospel! 

I like the way Charles Spurgeon put it: "If you are called to endure hardness for the sake of the truth, then those are the sufferings of Christ. If you suffer for your ownsake, it may be a punishment for your own sins."

If you are promised, by someone laying hands on you, that things will be better and money and happiness is coming your way, you are being lied to! Our life is not meant to be easy. It is through the fire we are proved and made to be a reflection of the Master! Jesus promises peace through the storm, only if you keep your eyes on Him!

Guard your heart! Read your Bible! Know His word! The Holy Spirit will reveal to you The Truth and give you a check in your spirit when deception comes calling! Pray God opens your eyes and gives you discernment! Pray you will not be deceived!

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Even so - MARANATHA! 

O Lord, Rebuke Me

“O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long. But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs. For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me. For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is. Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭38:1-22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We try everything the world has to offer. We incur huge debt; take every pill recommended; suffer countless humiliations; waste away in our despair; retreat from all contact; the darkness overwhelms -

Has your storm gotten to the point you are willing to do anything? 

Is it so bad that you are willing to humble yourself before God and man?

“For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭38:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Remorse - 

Confession - 

Repentance -

I was at that point. I surrendered.

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 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.”

‭‭James‬ ‭5:15-16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In obedience to God's Word, I met with a few people; I humbled myself; confessed and repented of my sins, and my life has never been the same.

He rescued me.

Even though all remained the same; in a single moment everything changed;

life -

light -

hope!

“For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭38:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

There is no other hope -

Repent while there is still time.

Even so - MARANATHA! 

Ye Adulterers

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Have you ever considered what "friendship with the world" means?

I'm sure most church goers would play this scripture down. Many would say, "well God knows my heart", and would think that I've gone too far, when I take issue with movies, music, books and the like about the occult or witchcraft! 

Why do we listen to the devil when he says, "God winks at that stuff?” “That’s not real!” 

“Well, we live in different times now!” “It can't be that bad!"

I'm here to tell you God does not wink at sin, and He takes witchcraft, satanism, idolatry, and sorcery very seriously! 

Here are some more scriptures addressing this sin:

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭15:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus‬ ‭20:27‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“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.” Revelation‬ ‭21:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

All sin is pleasurable for the moment. No sin is worth going to hell for. When we dabble in the things that offend God there are consequences. We open ourselves up for demonic activity in our lives. He looses the tormentors upon us and then we cannot understand why our lives fall apart. Our sin brings upon us the curse of God. (Read Deuteronomy)

It all comes down to who/what has your heart.

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Hebrews‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

What's at stake here is your heart!  

Who will have your heart?

God wants your heart, and so does satan.

It's your choice but it has to be one or the other! God won't share His throne!

His commandment is quite plain!

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Thou shalt have none other gods before me.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

To put it a bit plainer: IF You think that playing around with books and movies about God's enemy is okay with Him, then He is not your God. You have already chosen the other side! You are in darkness, not light!

It is time to repent! 

These are serious times and it's time to get serious about our walk! The narrow path has no room for things of the world! It's a hard road, with not much traffic on it. You see your friends and your family may not be on it, and may want you to stay on the broad path with them! But you can't walk on both! It's one or the other! Jesus walked it and we are expected to also. 

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:28‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Mark‬ ‭10:29-30‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Ask yourself why you are attracted to the darkness. Examine your heart.  Then choose to walk in the light and repent of your sin for the time is short! 

Even so - MARANATHA! 

From 3/5/16