WARNING : Jesus Gives It Straight With No Chaser, Can You Handle It?

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
— Matthew 7:13–14
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
— Matthew 7:21–23

Most folks today are enjoying a gospel message that deletes the message of repentance. They believe in an all-caring, nonjudgmental God who requires no repentance or a change in their lifestyle. They will say things like, "I believe in Jesus Christ, but my God is not judgmental.

My God would never send a person to hell. But I am a Christian.

"Hey, you can’t have it both ways. You can't make it up as you go.

This watered down gospel that most believe in today is extremely dangerous because it gives a sense of false assurance to the person who believes it. In the Bible we see false prophets who give false assurance. In Jeremiah 6:14, God says, "They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace."

Hey, how would you like to go to the doctor when you are having a heart attack, and have the doctor tell you, "Oh, you are fine, just walk it off(as one of my favorite football coaches would say) or You are being so dramatic! You will be OK. "There are ministers today who say, "God loves you and everything is fine. You can do whatever you want and live however you want to live. Let's just love one another and have a great time."

This is a false gospel. Yes, God loves us. Yes, God receives any person who comes to Him. But He asks us to repent. He asks us to turn from our sins. If we are not willing to do so, then we are not experiencing Biblical faith. And thus, we are not going to receive what the Bible describes as genuine salvation.


Peace,
Russell A. Biggs

What Is The Greatest Life To Live?

Drum roll please…….It is without a doubt the Christian life, why? Because God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and, worst of all, headed for a certain judgment and then turns it around and transforms it, you feel me? Check this out, He forgives all our sin, removes our guilt, and literally comes to live inside of us through the Holy Spirit, what, God living in me? Yes. Most importantly, He changes our eternal address from a place called hell to a place called heaven, you gotta love that, right?

This all comes about as a result of the power of the gospel of Christ being proclaimed and believed. Now some prefer a watered-down version of the gospel, a gospel that promises forgiveness but rarely mentions the need to repent of your sin, a gospel that promises peace but never warns of persecution, a gospel that says God wants you to be healthy and wealthy and never have any problems to speak of, a gospel that says you will so find the favor of God that a parking space always will be available for you.

But that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ that is found in the New Testament. Many like the idea of the Christian Life as a playground, but not a battleground. But wait, not only is there a God who loves you and has a plan for your life, but there is also a devil that hates you and opposes God's plan. What I am not suggesting is that once you become a Christian, you will be sick, poor, and miserable. But remember this, the essence of the Christian life is knowing and walking with God. It is about sticking with Him when the sky is blue and also when it is filled with clouds. It is about pressing on. Jesus made it clear that storms will enter every life. But as we seek to know and follow Christ, we will find happiness and better yet joy as a fringe benefit, let's go!

Peace,
R.A. Biggs

Vote: Best Actor in Bible-In Your Church-Your House

Let's say that the church is going to give awards like the movie industry gives Oscars, I am certain that Judas Iscariot would have won the "best actor" category for all time, because that is what he was. He was a spectacular actor!

As an extremely mysterious and paradoxical dude in the Bible, Judas Iscariot was notorious for his wickedness and treachery. You might even say that he was the traitor's traitor. We know that his life ended miserably in suicide because he betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver.

Yet there was more to Judas than that. If we could be transported back in time and observe the 12 disciples, I think most of us would have had a hard time picking out the traitor Judas Iscariot.
We tend to think of him as a sinister-looking guy with shifty eyes. But I think He came off as a man who was upright, seemingly very considerate, and devout in his faith.

There are people like Judas in our churches today. They talk the talk. They carry their Bibles. They sing the songs. But underneath, they are phonies. They fool only themselves.

Judas had the privilege of being one of Jesus Christ's 12 disciples-handpicked by the Lord-yet he went and betrayed Him. There was a definite progression-or regression-to Judas' sin, starting with subtle shades of hypocrisy and culminating in full-blown possession by Satan.

Judas could go deeper into sin because he never really knew Jesus. Sure, he knew about Him. He could have even been considered an expert on Jesus, given the fact that he had walked with Him and been with Him in every conceivable circumstance for three years. But Judas never really knew the Lord.

There was a progression, and Judas reached this point of betrayal over a period of time. The Bible says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12 NKJV).
-Let me give you an example: On one occasion, Jesus went to visit his close friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Martha saw an opportunity to cook up a fine meal for the Lord. Meanwhile, her sister Mary saw an opportunity to sit at the feet of the Lord and spend time with Him. She wanted to do something significant, profound, and sacrificial for Jesus, so she took a very costly jar of ointment and began to anoint His feet, wiping them with her hair.
As everyone watched this incredible sight, an indignant Judas remarked, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" (John 12:4 NKJV) That sounded very spiritual, and Mark's Gospel tells us the others even agreed with him and joined in the criticism.

But John's Gospel gives us a significant detail regarding why Judas said what he said: "This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it" (12:4 NKJV).

Things are not always as they appear, are they? She who appeared frivolous and extravagant was the spiritual one, while he who appeared thrifty and spiritual wasn't spiritual at all.

Jesus rebuked all of them and said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always" (vv. 7-8).

This warning went unheeded by Judas, and as we see here, it was Judas' love of earthly things that caused him to betray the heavenly.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested, two people failed the Lord. One was Judas. The other was Peter. One went out and hung himself. The other-after coming to his senses, going back to the Lord, and seeking His forgiveness-went into the open arms of Jesus.

At the crossroads, Peter and Judas parted ways forever. One went into the light. And the other went into the night. Where are you headed?

Peace,
R.A.Biggs

Where Am I, Where Are You?

“God, if you’re a God of love, then where are You in all this? Have You forgotten your children?” This is a question that ran through my mind one day as I was watching a report of millions of homeless hungry refugees.

One can conclude that either God is not completely in control, or He has somehow chosen to allow the atrocities that we see in this world to exist. Either way, it’s hard to understand.

As I wrestled with this, it occurred to me that the story of the Scriptures is about a God who is present and active in human history. God is not essentially somewhere else, but is active and present in this world. We see this in Jesus, do we not? The incarnation of God in Jesus sent a clear message, “I care. I have heard your cry, and I’m here to do something about it.”

So as I am watching those images and asking those questions, another thought came. I was asking the wrong question. Rather than asking, “Where is God?” the better question may be posed by God, “My people, where are you in the midst of all this?”

Isn’t this the concept in 2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. Take another look at that verse. We, the believers in Christ, are to be the physical representatives of God on earth.
If the world wants to know what God is like, the first place it should look is the Church, right? We are to embody the message and spirit of Jesus. As His representatives, God is making His dream for this world through us, not apart from us. I guess you could say that the Church is not only supposed to proclaim the message, we are to live the message.

Perhaps the next time we approach a situation in life and ask, “God, where are You in all this?”, if we are quiet enough to hear the voice of God, His reply might be, “I’m right here in the middle of it. Where are you?”

How should this change the way we live? How might this change the way you live?

READ THIS: Exodus 19:3-6; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 2:9-10

Should We Keep Arguing With The a**(Donkey)?

Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way. . . .
— Numbers 22:31

There was a prophet for hire named Balaam. Picture this, as he was riding his donkey to do what God had told him not to do, an angel of the Lord, holding a sword, intervened. Balaam didn't see the angel, but his donkey did, and she refused to go past the angel. Here is an amazing thing: the Lord opened the donkey's mouth so she could speak. But what is more amazing to me is that Balaam responded and began arguing with the animal! I would have been tripping that a donkey was talking, LOL, but that's just me a simple dude from Gary Indiana ;-).

I think the donkey was winning the argument, by the way. Meanwhile, the angel was still standing there, blocking Balaam's path. Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and what did he see but an angel of the Lord, standing in the road with sword drawn. Balaam fell flat on his face. Now he was ready to listen. Now he was willing to pay attention to the leading of the Lord.

We don't often realize it, and we don't have our eyes opened to see them, but angels of the Lord are around us to guide us, protect us, and to block our path when we are trying to go against the will of God. We shouldn't argue when we should be paying attention to our Lord. What does this story say to you? Click comment below and let us know.

Jesus Wore Jeans and a T-shirt?

Enjoy this story (author unknown). It asks a powerful question at the end!

I SAW JESUS
I saw Jesus last week. He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt. He was up at the building we call our church; He was alone and working hard. For just a minute he looked a little like one of the people who regularly attend our church. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his smile.

I saw Jesus last Sunday. He was teaching a Bible class. He didn't talk real loud or use long words. But you could tell he believed what he said. For just a minute, he looked like my Sunday school teacher. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his loving voice.

I saw Jesus yesterday. He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick. They prayed together quietly. For just a minute he looked like the guy I saw at the worship gathering last week. But it was Jesus, I could tell by the tears in his eyes.

I saw Jesus this morning. He was in my kitchen making my breakfast and fixing me a special lunch. For just a minute he looked like my wife. But it was Jesus; I could feel the love from his heart.

I saw Jesus this afternoon. He was cutting the grass in the community where I live. He was smiling and waving at everyone who was driving down our street. It made me feel special even if it was only for a moment. For a minute, I thought it was just another person we paid to keep our community clean. But it was Jesus. No one else has that much joy.

I saw Jesus tonight. He was sitting out in the street looking for someone to help him. For a minute he looked like just another homeless person. But it was Jesus. I could tell by the look of sincere suffering in his eyes.

I see Jesus everywhere. Taking food to the sick, welcoming others to his home, being friendly to someone who needs love and for just a minute I think he's someone I know. But, it’s always Jesus. I can tell by the way He serves.
Do people see Jesus in you?”

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. — Colossians 1:27

CHECK THIS OUT:
1. Where have you seen Jesus lately? What was He doing?
2. Ask someone you know when she or he last saw Jesus in you.(go for it, this is powerful)

READ THIS:
Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 5:1-2; Acts 7:54-60; 2 Timothy 1:6-10

I ALMOST PRAYED BUT...

...I worried instead. Why should we pray when we can worry, right? Do you know the story about what happened back in the summer of 1876 when grasshoppers nearly destroyed the crops in Minnesota? You will not believe this!

So In the spring of 1877, farmers feared that the dreadful plague would strike again resulting in the destruction of their wheat crop for the second year in a row and bringing ruin on thousands of farmers throughout the state. The situation was so serious that Governor John S. Pillsbury proclaimed April 26 as a day of prayer and fasting. He urged every man, woman, and child to ask God to prevent this terrible tragedy. Schools, shops, stores, and offices were closed in observance of this day of prayer.
The following day dawned bright and clear. Temperatures soared above midsummer norms. The unusual heat persisted for three days, and the people were devastated to discover billions of grasshopper larvae wiggling to life. It appeared that the grasshopper plague would return and once again bring ruin to the wheat crops.
Surprisingly, the fourth day brought with it a sudden drop in temperature and the farmers woke the next morning to find that frost covered the ground. The result? Every single grasshopper larva died as surely as if they had been poisoned.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. —Matthew 7:7

There is no doubt that God answers prayer. James 5:16b reads, “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Matthew 18: 19 – 20 states, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
Prayer is powerful, but for some reason many Christians don’t invest in seeking God’s help through prayer. James explains in his letter, “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:3)

God loves us and is waiting patiently to hear from us. He wants to hear about our struggles, our joys and even about the things in life we may consider mundane. Actually, a lack of prayer is a lack of Faith because if we really believed that God hears our prayers then our actions should show it, right? Simply, prayer is communication with God and is as easy as talking with a friend.

Today, God is inviting you to talk with him. It doesn't have to be formal, flowery, or perfect. It just has to be real, come on, tell God "where you at" He already knows anyway but when you say it you are showing faith in Him since you are talking to someone you can't see. Try it you will be glad you did.

CHECK THIS OUT: Prayer is a gift and a privilege from God to you. It is a way to connect daily with the God who created you. Make the time today to connect with Him.

READ THIS:Matthew 6:9–13; John 17; MAT 6:25-34

TRUTH -vs- TOLERANCE

According to Jesus in John 8:32 it is the truth that shall make you free. Tolerance has its place but many believe tolerance means that you no longer state when something is wrong or immoral and that is simply not true.
Can you really help someone by not being truthful to them regarding a practice or lifestyle that they are leading that is dangerous?

No, of course not yet the church today plays around with liberal concepts and even questions the authority of the Word of God in many aspects, while the world outside our doors is running all out into sin.
The truth can be painful at times yet when embraced, those wounds will lead to a permanent healing.

William Butler Yeats wrote in his poem, "The Second Coming," "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."
That is an accurate summary of the times in which we are living today: the worst have their passionate intensity, while the best lack all conviction, it should be the other way around, right?

So, when will we wake up?

When are we going to get out there and get the gospel to the world in truth? The world is chasing after wickedness like never before.
It is amazing how some people who believe in wicked, vile things will dedicate their entire lives to the promotion of those concepts. Meanwhile, there are so many Christians who know the Bible more than adequately, but won't even lift a finger to get the message of Christ out to someone who lives right next to them.

What is it going to take? We need to wake up to the urgency of the hour.A survey among evangelical Christians revealed that 95 percent of those polled had never led another person to Christ.
Yet Jesus gave us His marching orders. He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you . . . " (Matthew 28:19-20).

This is an order from our commander-in-chief, and it isn't merely addressed to pastors or missionaries. It's addressed to every man or woman who names the name of Christ.

Be tolerant as you speak the Truth, compelled by Love.

Why Are You Living Like This?

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 3:14

What should we do since we believe in and serve a God who is Truth, Holy, Righteous, Just, Good, and Loving? We should seek to lead lives that please Him.

Let’s start with truth, because God is truth, we, as His children, should be truthful. Proverbs 12:22 says, "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight". Don’t you want to be someone that the Lord delights in? Like God, we should love truth and hate falsehood.

Because God is holy we should be holy. The apostle Peter wrote, "As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct" (1 Peter 1:15–16). So we are to seek to live a life marked by holy conduct.

Because God is righteous, we should be righteous. We should love anything that draws us closer to Him, and hate all that drives us from Him. Psalm 5:12 says, "You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield". As we learn to love righteousness (right living), He will bless and protect us.

In the same way, because God is good and just and loving, we should see those character traits in our own lives, right? You might say, "Well, Mr. Biggs, that's hard." I know it's hard. I need help, too (I know you guys find this hard to believe but I really do ;-) ). I admit that I cannot do it on my own. I recognize my weakness, I recognize God's power, and I abide and trust in Him to work through me through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Each day, I seek to do the things that help me grow and flourish spiritually. And I avoid the things that tear me down or hurt me spiritually, try it today, you will be glad you did.

Do you have a better goal for your life? I don't think so. May God help us to seek to be holy, to be righteous, to be truthful, and to honor Him in all that we say and do in the matchless, mighty name of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen!

Don't Bury Your Donkey When You Mess Up

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”— Genesis 50:19-20

Have you heard the story about a farmer’s donkey that had fallen into an old, abandoned well? The farmer, unable to figure a way to get the donkey out of the well, decided to bury the donkey and cover the whole mess up. As the farmer shoveled dirt into the well, the donkey would shake the dirt off and take a step up. After a lot of shoveling, the donkey finally stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off.

Today, let’s look from the perspective of the farmer. While I’m not certain about the intelligence of donkeys, if I was the farmer, I wouldn’t be expecting much help from the donkey in the future. How would one try to convey to the donkey, “Oh, sorry about trying to kill you!”

To me, a moral from the story is that God is able to bring good from our errors. The farmer messed up in not filling up and covering the well in the first place.
It was his fault that the donkey fell into the well. What was the farmer’s solution to the problem? He decided to kill the donkey and cover the whole mess up!

Covering up for mistakes and sins, hmmmm, that sounds familiar. Fortunately, God is all-powerful, and He is able to do what we cannot. He is able to transform even the worst intentions into good outcomes. This doesn’t mean that we should expect God to remove the natural consequences for our poor decisions. In fact, I think He only rarely does this; however, because God is good, I believe He provides opportunities for some good to result.

Here’s a challenge for you today: When you realize you’ve sinned or otherwise messed something up, go straight to God. Ask Him to forgive you and always ask God to bring good out of every situation. Also, remember the words of Jesus after forgiving sin; “Go and sin no more.”

CHECK THIS OUT:
1. When have you recently tried to “bury the donkey” by covering up some sin, mistake or poor decision?
2. What good might result from admitting the wrong and addressing it head-on with God and others around you?

READ THIS: Genesis 45:1-11; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10; Romans 8:28

Why Are You So Weak, When?

God gives "power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength" (Isaiah 40:29).

The word "Power" is found 264 times in the Bible. The Lord intends us to be powerful people-mighty in optimism and hopeful of spirit, powerful in evangelistic zeal, potent in influence, strong in moral fiber and purity. We can be powerhouses in prayer and preaching.

I depend on many devices throughout the day and the same way we need to plug our cell phones and laptops into the electrical circuit for recharging, we need to recharge our spiritual batteries by spending time daily in God's presence, reading His Word, praying, confessing our sins, and fellowshipping with Him. "Feed on His faithfulness" (Psalm 37:3).

We must also learn to live by faith. Much of our burnout is caused by not trusting God to handle things too large for us. "Casting ALL your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). We falter under our heavy loads of care if we don't learn to entrust all our problems to Him for whom nothing is impossible. He wants your burdens!

We must also take breaks. Jesus told the disciples; "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). It's important to get regular sleep and exercise.

We also need to rediscover the lift of laughter. The Bible tells us to be cheerful, glad, to look up, and to rejoice in the Lord.

We become weak and lose power when we give out more than we're taking in and when we allow particular sins in our lives. Blackouts occur when we allow harmful attitudes-bitterness, anxiety, envy, and unresolved anger-to infect our spiritual power grid. Even the health and strength of our physical bodies can affect our souls, especially if our lethargy is caused by lack of discipline.

Want to avoid personal blackouts and burnouts? The critical thing in avoiding a power outage is to stay plugged in to the power source-to worship the Lord daily, keeping our eyes on Him and drawing strength from Him. "All my springs are in You" (Psalm 87). I love this concept, don’t you?

Our Lord Jesus knew the secret source of daily replenishment. Mark 1:35 says: "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."

Even the great apostle Paul spoke of being "burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life" (2 Corinthians 1:8). He admitted to once bypassing a great evangelizing opportunity because of anxiety (2 Corinthians 2:12-13).

Finally, don't be afraid to work hard. In balancing burnout with rest, don't go too far in the direction of wasting time. Paul spoke of his "weariness and toil . . . sleeplessness . . . hunger and thirst . . . [and] deep concern for all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:27-28). As we care for the needs of our families, churches, jobs, and the work God gives us, we'll often be tired. Let's just make sure we're tired in God's work and not of it. (Ahhh!)

It is not the hard work that breaks us down, but it is the grind of working without power. So to this end let us stay close to the power source.

You can do all the things He desires and requires through Christ who strengthens you.

How To Have Great Relationships

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.—Ephesians 4:29-32(NLT)

Have you ever had to call a friend, to apologize for hurting their feelings for some things you had written in an email? Perhaps like me, you’ve also found that it is very easy to write what you would not have the nerve to say if you were looking your friend right in the eye. I call these off the wall comments that hurt others “email rockets."

In today’s culture of email, texting and instant messaging, here’s a reminder: These electronic forms of communication do not take the place of a living, breathing face-to-face relationships. Relationships are most meaningful as they are lived out face-to-face and heart-to-heart. When misunderstandings arise, it takes fortitude and love (agape) to face a person and pour out your heart. Yet, that’s what is necessary for relationships to be all that God designed.

The above passage to the Ephesians is filled with practical insights on how relationships thrive in the Kingdom of God. Relationships do best when they are lived in the spirit of Jesus’ love and with a dedication to honest, forthright and transparent communication. Imagine if all our relationships could be lived out as a carbon copy of the relationship that Jesus has with each of us. Imagine what would happen if we stretched ourselves to give grace and mercy to each of those who live in our sphere of relationships.
Today, let's strive to live out our relationships as God designed them to be lived.

ANSWER THIS:
1. Think through your communication and relationship habits with your friends. How are you relating to them in a God-honoring manner? What could you do to make those relationships thrive as God has designed?
2. Look carefully at the list of relationship and communication qualities listed above in Ephesians 4:25-32. Ask God for help in those areas of communication in which you need to grow.
READ THIS:
Luke 15:11-32; Colossians 3:12-15; Ephesians 1:15-23

An ounce of determination is worth a ton of procrastination.

The Road You are Travelling, Where does it Lead?

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.— Proverbs 14:12 (NLT)

Have you heard the story of the battleship that was on a collision course with another ship one foggy evening? The battleship’s captain, radioed to the unknown ship, “I Advise you change course 20 degrees to avoid collision.” Someone on a radio replied, “I Advise you change course 20 degrees to avoid collision.” The battleship’s captain was not amused. He radioed back, “I am a ship’s captain. Change course 20 degrees, now!” Then came another reply, “I’m a seaman, second-class, and I advise you to change course 20 degrees, now!” The captain was furious, “This is a battleship! I order you to change course 20 degrees, immediately!” The seaman radioed back, “I am a lighthouse!”

Have you ever found yourself in a situation, not unlike the ship’s captain, where you just don’t want to budge on your position? Everyone is stubborn from time to time, but people who live a lifestyle of stubbornness are dangerous to their relationships and spiritual lives.
When we are overly stubborn with others we build walls that prevent relationships from growing. When those walls are high enough, they actually cause relationships to die. Relationships are based on give and take. In successful relationships no one has their own way all of the time. Both in friendships and in family relationships, the one who is never willing to “change course” damages those relationships.

Stubbornness in our relationship with God works much in the same way as stubbornness with friends and family, only worse. Being stubborn with God means that we really don’t want to please the Lord. We want to call our own shots and determine our own course in life. In our stubbornness, we reduce the Infinite, All Knowing, All Mighty God’s role in our lives to that of a pocket genie, the “magic lamp” we rub and ask for favors when we want something for ourselves. Being stubborn with God is sin; I don’t know what else to call it.

When refusing to change course we might well find ourselves, much like the battleship captain, on the verge of disaster. We may get what we want, but getting what we want can actually destroy us.
My challenge for you today, both in relationships with people and God, is that you be willing to change course if necessary, in order to build your relationships instead of tearing them down.

CONSIDER THIS:
1. What areas of your life do you most often find yourself unwilling to change course?

2. Have you damaged relationships with people or with God by being stubborn? If so, will you have the courage to ask them for their forgiveness?


READ THIS: Nehemiah 9:29; Jeremiah 7:24; Romans 2:5; Hebrews 3:15

What Should This Remind Us Of?

Someone recently asked me what did the resurrected body of Jesus look like? The Bible says that after Jesus' cruel torture, crucifixion, and three days in the tomb, He was recognizable, and that His followers knew who He was.

We know that He had a body of flesh and bone. Jesus told the disciples, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Luke 24:39). Share this with Jehovah’s Witnesses when they come to your door because they don’t believe that he rose from the dead physically but just as a spirit.

We also know that Jesus ate food. Imagine the surprise of the disciples when the risen Lord appeared to them and then said, "Have you any food here?"
"What?" they must have been thinking. But they gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb, and He ate it (see Luke 24:41–43).
His resurrected body also could be touched and felt. When the women were returning from the empty tomb, "Behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him" (Matthew 28:9).

Then, when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the Upper Room, He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing" (John 20:27).
This tells us that in His resurrected body, Jesus still wore the marks of the crucifixion. And He will wear those marks, even in eternity (see Zechariah 12:10).

I think this is to remind us of how we got there. We will not be in heaven because of our good works or good looks. We will be there because of His shed blood, because spikes were driven through His hands and feet for us. It’s alright to say Amen ;).

Should We Celebrate Easter?

There is the story about an atheist who was a little bit upset because of all the holidays that people of faith celebrated.
He said to a friend, "You Christians have Christmas and Easter. And Jews celebrate their holidays like Passover and Yom Kippur. But we atheists don't have recognized holidays. It's unfair discrimination."His friend thought about it for a moment and said, "Well, you atheists could celebrate April 1. That could be your holiday. You know, April Fool's Day. It fits, because 'the fool has said in his heart there is no God." And that is, in fact, what the Bible tells us in Psalm 14:1 and 53:1.

Easter, on the other hand, is for everyone. But it is not about bunnies or brightly colored eggs. It is about Jesus, and specifically, it is about Jesus crucified and risen again from the dead.

I don't know how you might describe your life this Easter. Maybe you are full of faith and looking forward to joining your family and friends at church and perhaps a special meal later in the day. If everything is going well for you, then praise God for that.
For others, it might be a different story. Easter might be a reminder, like Christmas, of someone who is no longer with them. And with every year that passes, they are remembered and missed. So for some, Easter is a bittersweet day.Death can seem so cruel, so harsh, and so final. And that is exactly how the disciples felt when they saw the beaten, bloodied body of their Lord hanging on a Roman cross. Then, in addition to the crucifixion, a Roman soldier took his spear, thrust it into Jesus' side, and out of it came blood and water.

There was no question about it. Christ had died. If the crucifixion hadn't killed him, certainly the spear of the Roman soldier would have. The disciples thought it was over. They thought death had finished it.

If they would have thought back, they would have remembered this was the same Lord who had raised people from the dead. He raised the daughter of Jairus. He raised Lazarus after he already was in the process of decomposition and his body was wrapped and stinking.And if they would have thought back, they would have remembered that on the day that Lazarus was raised, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25 NKJV).

But it is hard to see through eyes that have been blinded by tears. So the disciples were shocked to find an angel waiting for them with the good news: "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him" (Mark 16:6 NKJV).They thought He was dead. But He was alive again.Because Jesus has died and has risen again, it means that we as believers do not have to be afraid of death. As 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us, "But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again" (NLT). Jesus has gone to the other side, He has returned, and He has the keys to death and hell (see Revelation 1:18).

It's hard for us to accept that our bodies are wearing out. Yet the Bible says we will have new bodies one day: "We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us" (Romans 8:23 NIV).You see, my body is not the real me. The real me is my soul, my spirit. This body will die. But my soul will live on.
One day, you may open an email and read that Russell Biggs has died. But don't you believe a word of it, because at the moment you read that I have died, I will be more alive than I have ever been before in the presence of God. And the same could be said for you too if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

And here is the message of Jesus to believers: You are going to see your loved ones again. You will be with them. Not only are they a part of your past, but they are also part of your future.

He is the resurrection and the life, and if we believe in Him, though we were dead, yet shall we live.

Feed The Wolf but Be Careful Which One

But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires. — Romans 13:14 (NLT)

This story (author unknown) I read recently about a grandfather trying to teach his son about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The grandfather simply replied, "The one you feed."

Everyone who follows Christ lives with the struggle of conflicting desires and behavior. On the one hand, we want to be obedient and pleasing to the Lord. On the other hand, we still live with our natural, sinful desires that seek to please ourselves. This is real: there is tension between the two. What is clear from the Scriptures is that we become slaves to whatever we give ourselves to (see Romans 6:16) – or as the story would put it, to whichever wolf we feed.

When Christ died He set us free from being slaves to sin. Though we still struggle, we can experience victory over our sinful desires. How? By focusing on God; by feeding on His Word; by receiving the nourishment that comes from pursuing our relationship with Christ – who said, “I am the bread of life.” The Apostle Paul encourages us to be intentional about gaining the advantage in this struggle, saying “...count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.’ (Romans 6:11)

Be reminded that you belong to God and with the Holy Spirit’s help in your life, count yourself dead to sinful desires and behaviors and alive to Jesus.

The Hole--Ever Fell In One?

You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? — Galatians 5:7

We have all fallen in a hole at some point, haven’t we? We’re walking our way through life and sooner or later, we find that we are at the bottom of some hole, looking up at the sky wondering how we got here. It’s inevitable. Holes happen! You see, the issue with these types of situations in life is not that they happen, but what we do when they happen. I love the following poem by Portia Nelson, it has Russell Biggs written all over it. Read it and reflect on it for a few moments.

In Chapter 3 when the person took blame for being in the hole, how quickly was he able to get out? What do you think of the advice in chapter 5?

Chapter I
I walk down the street.There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.I fall in.I am lost...I am helpless;it isn't my fault.It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II
I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I pretend I don't see it.I fall in again.I can't believe I am in the same place;but it isn't my fault.It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter III
I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I see it is there.I still fall in....it's a habit.My eyes are open.I know where I am.It is my fault.I get out immediately.

Chapter IV
I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I walk around it.
Chapter V
I walk down a different street.

This is a good image for the Christian experience, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be great if we could all learn from the “holes” in life and NOT repeat the inevitable one-way ticket back to the bottom? Instead of blaming, instead of succumbing to habit, if we could trust the Lord to guide us to a new “walk” in life, our lives would be different.

Transformation occurs when we are committed to being formed into the likeness of Jesus. Learning to follow Jesus is about learning to walk down streets that are different.
Today, choose to walk down a “different street.”
ANSWER THIS:
1. What hole are you in now? Are there holes that you are stuck in? What is preventing you from climbing out?

2. How can Jesus guide your life in a new way today? What would your life look like if you walked down a different street? Come on, go there for a moment and then go there!

READ THIS:Luke 16:19-31; Daniel 3; Matthew 7:24-27

*WARNING* "IT CAN KILL YOU!'

In the field of medicine, research has proven that "worry" can be physically harmful. It can affect our nervous systems and make us less resistant to disease. Experts have stated that excessive worry can shorten the human life. Isn't It ironic that we worry about our lives, but in doing so, we actually can shorten them.

Here is God's antidote for it: (*Try steps 1-3 below daily for one week, you will be glad you did.)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:6-8 NKJV)

*1. The first step is right praying (verse 6-7). When we are gripped by fear and worry, we need to pray. If you want to be free from worry, then you need to be a person who prays. Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9 NKJV).
When you put God's will above your own and start praying and thinking about His greatness, then all of your problems start shrinking, not because they are getting smaller, but because you have begun to realize how big God is. It puts your problems in perspective.

*2. Second, we need to take the step of right thinking (verse 8). Maintaining personal peace involves both the heart and the mind. If you want peace in your heart, then you have to get your thoughts in order, because what we think about ultimately affects what we do. We want to nip in the bud any thoughts that would be impure or spiritually destructive.
Isaiah 26:3 promises, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (NKJV).

*3. The third step is right living (verse 9). You cannot separate outward action from inward attitude. When you live a wicked life, you are constantly in turmoil, because sin always results in unrest.
In contrast, when you live right before God, you have His peace. Isaiah 32:17 says, "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever" (NKJV).
Are you a person who is gripped by worry today? Before you can know the peace of God, you need to have peace with God. But this is only possible through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you're reading this today and know Jesus Christ, then you don't have to worry about tomorrow. God is in control of your life. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you know who holds tomorrow.

WHY IS GOD LOOKING FOR ME?

Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.—Psalm 25:4-5 (NLT)


Sometimes I miss the moments where God is actually attempting to grab my attention. So many times Jesus had to say to those that he was speaking to, "if only you had eyes to see and ears to hear." I've wondered about those words over the years. I now understand that Jesus is fully present and that He is trying to call me into participation with Him in this moment right now.
What I have missed, or better yet, ignored, is that Jesus is pulling me into this moment.


God is looking for me to put my hope and trust in Him today, ALL day long, not just tomorrow or when I’m in need of Him. He's challenging me to see all the moments of my life as being filled with meaning. Each moment is filled with the presence of God, but sometimes I'm so stuck on vision and dreams that I miss this moment right now. As a result, I’ve decided to start my days differently. I’m going to start each day by praying, asking God to give me a clear understanding of each moment. I’ll still plan and dream about the future, of course, but I’m going to concentrate more on each moment, as well! How about you? If you find that you’re like me – prone to overlook the moment in order to get to the future – I invite you to join me in this daily prayer!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
1. Think about the day you lived yesterday: Is it possible you missed God moving or speaking to you? How did He try to grab your attention?
2. What are you running from in your life? What are you trying to prove? What do you think God would say about that? Take a moment or two and talk to the Lord about your feelings.

READ THIS:Psalm 25; Psalm 4; Genesis 2:1-3; Matthew 14:13-14

Why are you following Jesus or are you?

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
— Revelation 1:8

Some folks follow Jesus because they want God to conform to their plans instead of conforming to His.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone. (John 6:14–15)

They wanted to take Him by force and make Him the king. They saw the Messiah as a political liberator. They didn't understand that before He will come to reign as Lord of lords and King of kings and establish His kingdom, He would first suffer and die for the sins of humanity.

Oftentimes people are that way with God today. They expect the Lord to conform to their conception of Him. They expect God to conform to their plans. They decide, and He is supposed to cooperate.

ALERT-“It doesn't work that way. He doesn't conform to your plans. You conform to His plans.” The only thing that is going to turn us around, conform us, is a change of heart, a spiritual awakening, and that can only happen through prayer and the study of God’s Word the Bible. See Romans 12:1-2.

Jesus Christ is not a means to an end. He is the end. He is the all in all. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

Who or What is The Holy Spirit? Part 2

When is the Holy Spirit Being Sinned against?

The Bible speaks about six sins one can commit against the Holy Spirit. Some of them can only be committed by nonbelievers, while others could be committed by believers.


1) Lying to the Spirit.

"These people draw near to me with their mouth...but their hearts are far from me" (Isaiah 29:13).


Lying to the Holy Spirit means to pretend to be something you are not—to go through the motions of the Christian life without really meaning it in your heart of hearts.


2) A believer can grieve the Holy Spirit.

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice" (Ephesians 4:30, 31).


Grieving the Holy Spirit means to make sad or sorrowful. When we allow bitterness (an unforgiving spirit) to poison our lives or we slander others, we are grieving the Holy Spirit.


3) A believer can quench the Holy Spirit.

"Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5: 19).

Quenching suggests extinguishing a fire. Unbelief can certainly hinder the working and moving of God's Holy Spirit (see Mark 6:4-5). This sin is also committed when the Holy Spirit leads you to do a certain thing (share your faith, pray more, take a step of faith) and you refuse to do it.


4) A nonbeliever can resist the Holy Spirit.

"You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!" (Acts 7:51).

These words were spoken by the early Christian martyr Stephen, as he spoke to the unbelieving Sanhedrin shortly before his death. The Holy Spirit seeks to speak to the heart of the unbeliever and lead him to God. This speaks of those who are convinced of the truth of the gospel, yet who refuse to yield their hearts to God.

5) A nonbeliever can insult the Holy Spirit.

"How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29).

It is the office of the Holy Spirit to present the saving work of Jesus Christ to the unsaved. A person insults the love of God by saying that he does not really need God's gift of salvation, or by insisting that Christ's death on the cross was unnecessary or unable to save him. To resist the Spirit's appeal is to insult God and to cut off all hope of salvation.


6) A nonbeliever can blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

"And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31-32).

This is the most serious offense against the Holy Spirit, for there is no forgiveness for the person who commits it. In the context of Matthew 12, Jesus said that they blasphemed the Holy Spirit because they attributed his works to the devil. The work of the Spirit is to convict us of sin and bring us to Jesus Christ. To blaspheme Him is similar to insulting, in that we resist His work altogether. This should not be the concern of any Christian, for this is not a sin he can or will commit.

The Holy Spirit's plan (purpose) for your life is to lead you in the will of God.
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:5-6).

In Ephesians 5:18 we are commanded; “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” “filled” is from a greek word that literally means “controlled by” and it’s in the aorist tense which means something that happens constantly as opposed to a onetime event. The passage is literally saying “be being constantly controlled by the Spirit! We will speak more of being filled with the Spirit in part 3.

Instead of lying to, grieving, quenching, or insulting and resisting the Holy Spirit, we should allow Him to freely work in our lives.

Who or What is The Holy Spirit? Part 1

In the Bible The Holy Spirit is often called the Paraclete in the original Greek, which literally means, "one called alongside to help." He is here for you—and He wants to do a wonderful work in your life (see John l 4:l 6-l8)



Some have wrongly assumed that the Spirit is more of an "It" than a "Him." That is probably due in part to descriptions of Him in Scripture that refer to Him as being like the wind or a fire, or as coming on Jesus in the form of a dove. Yet, this must be balanced with the rest of Scripture.



In the New Testament, Jesus referred to Himself as "the Bread of Life" and "the Door." The Bible also refers to God as "a Refuge" and "a Consuming Fire," as well as One who will protect us "under His wings." Does that mean that Jesus is a loaf of bread or a door? Does that imply that God the Father is a pile of rocks or a blast furnace, as well as some sort of "giant bird" in heaven? Of course not! In the same way, those descriptions of the Holy Spirit do not mean that He is simply some sort of "force" or power." In order for a being to be considered a person, he or she must possess three characteristics: intelligence, will, and emotion. The Holy Spirit displays all three.



1. The Holy Spirit has intelligence.


"But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God " (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).



Paul tells us that the Spirit "knows the thoughts of God." Only a person with intelligence can actually know things. A fire does not "know" things, nor does a plant or a tree. But the Holy Spirit does.



2. The Holy Spirit has a will.


"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing [gifts] to each one . . . as He wills." (I Corinthians 12:11 )



It is the Holy Spirit who decides what kind of spiritual gifts each believer should receive. Other evidences of the Holy Spirit's will include Acts 15:28, when the Apostles prefaced their judgment on a question of Church doctrine by saying, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit." In addition, the Holy Spirit has shown His will in setting apart people for the Lord's service (Acts l 3:2). Only persons with a will are able to communicate this way.



3. The Holy Spirit has emotion.


"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit... You have not lied to men, but to God'" (Acts 5:3a-4b).



Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit can be grieved, quenched, resisted, blasphemed, and—as this passage attests—even lied to. This passage, found in the account of Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5:1-11, also clearly states that the Holy Spirit is God.



In part 2, we will look at how we sin against the Spirit as well as answer the question “Are you Filled with the Spirit?"

Are You Following The Code? The Wrong Jesus?

Remember Hurricane Andrew, where a reporter discovered one house standing firm on its foundation amid the devastation and debris. Extremely curious, the reporter approached the owner of the only house standing as he was cleaning up his yard. "Sir," asked the reporter, "why is your house the only one still standing?""Well sir," the man replied, "I built this house by myself. I built it according to the Florida State building code. When the code called for: 2 x 6 trusses, I used 2 x 6 trusses. I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane, so I did, and it did! I suppose no one else around here followed the code."



Are You Following "God's Code"


Tragically, many people today are not "following the code" as laid out in God's Word, the Bible. Yes, we may be prepared for the more obvious sins of life. Yet we may be completely oblivious to the more subtle sins of deception and false teaching that are so prevalent in the so-called "new spirituality" in America today—and even in many of our churches.In The People's Religion, pollster George Gallup Jr. finds that most people who consider themselves religious "do not see truth as a high priority." He writes, "While religion is highly popular in America, it is to a large extent fake and superficial. There is a knowledge gap between America's stated faith and the lack of the most basic knowledge about that faith."



In other words, people are claiming to believe in things but they don’t know why!This is why we are looking at the foundations of our Christian faith in our Tuesday night Bible-study. Non-believers, skeptics, seekers - they all raise this popular objection: If God is all loving, then how can He allow evil to exist in the world? Is God being cruel in allowing evil, or is He just not powerful enough to do anything about it? Does this prove there is no God at all? Find out how to give a reason for the hope that lies in you when these questions come up, we will also look at why evil proves that God must exist.



We are, for all practical purposes, studying theology! The Christian writer, C. S. Lewis, gave this warning years ago: "If you do not listen to theology that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones."



If you have the wrong theology, you may love the wrong Jesus.


The Apostle Paul reminded young Timothy, "Watch your life and doctrine (teachings) closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16).



When it comes to building a strong foundation in our spiritual lives, there is no better place to start than with God Himself. According to Scripture, there is a single God who manifests Himself in three distinct persons, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the next message we will look at the most mysterious and misunderstood person of the Holy Trinity: the Holy Spirit, and answer the frequently asked question “Are you filled with the Holy Ghost?”.Read John 16:7-11



During the days that Jesus walked on the earth, His disciples could talk and listen to Him, gaze upon Him, and even reach out and touch Him. But on the day Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples that He would lead and guide them in an entirely new way—through the Holy Spirit. See you Tuesday!

Why Are You Still Stuck in The Past?

One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 3:13–14

Read the above verse again, it says "one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead . . ." (Philippians 3:13).
The writer Paul (like many of us) had committed horrible things, hunting down Christians and throwing them in prison. Yet he said, "I am forgetting it. I am not going to be crippled by my past." So I am asking you “why are you still troubling yourself because of something that happened in the past?” You can’t go back and change it, can you? So you might as well take the advice of the above verse and move on, right?

Our adversary the devil desires nothing more than to cripple you with your past, he whispers in your ear things like "You are an awful person because you did….” Or
“Remember what you used to do?” can you believe you did that he says.Paul, the writer of Philippians put his past behind him and moved forward as a new person in Christ. You can do that, too. The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).You say, "I have done some pretty bad things." Welcome to the club! We all have sinned. We have all fallen short (see Romans 3:23). But God can change you and make you a different person on the inside. It's so great to say, "I'm not looking back. I am moving forward as a Christian."

Remember when Lot's wife looked back (Genesis 19:26). She was led by the angels and actually left Sodom and Gomorrah with her family. She was almost out of that place. But she didn't get far enough. She just had to steal that one last backward glance.
The lesson of Lot's wife is clear: don't look back.

Don't let that happen to you. You can be crippled by past failures and past sins. Or you can put them behind you as you start over again and you follow Jesus Christ, what say you?

“A cross around the neck is no substitute for a cross on your back.”

IS THAT ALL THAT YOU ARE LIVING FOR!

What drives you with extreme passion? If you had to sum up in one phrase what you actually live for, what would you say? Stop, come on, go there for a moment and write it down!

In Philippians 1, Paul stated what he was passionate about and what he lived for. And, it is what all believers should be living for as well.Paul said, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). When we hear someone make a statement like that, we might feel as though there is a bit of naiveté on his or her part. We might think, "That is a nice sentiment, but I don't know how practical it is."We have heard the criticism of those who are perceived as overly spiritual: "They are so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good."

But I think we will discover that those who have been the most heavenly minded have been the most earthly good.

Christians have founded hospitals and universities. Christians have opened shelters. Christians are reaching out to the downtrodden and the hurting in our world today with the gospel of Christ, not only preaching to them, but clothing and feeding them as well. When a crisis develops somewhere in the world, such as famine or a natural disaster, it is often the Christians who lead the way in responding with help. The truth is, if you are truly heavenly minded, then you will be of the greatest earthly good.

When Paul said, "To live is Christ," he was speaking of the fact that he had an interest in the things of this life as well. A few verses later, he said, "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you" (verses 23–24 NKJV). In other words, "I want to be with the Lord, but I have a job to do."What I appreciate about Paul was his practical spirituality. Paul loved Jesus and wanted to live for Him. Without question, he had a holy passion for the things of God. But it is also true that Paul was utterly human. He did not walk around with a little pedestal that he would climb up on when he wanted to say something.

He was someone just like you and me. Paul would get upset at times. But he didn't have a death wish.The godliest people I know are real people. They love God. Their priorities are in order. Yet there is balance to their lives. Theirs is a practical faith, not a spacey, wild-eyed, THE ELEVATOR IS STOPPING ONE FLOOR SHORT kind of spirituality. It is this real faith that the Bible proclaims.

We could effectively impact our culture, if we would say the same thing. To live is Christ.

Ever Seen a Confused Soldier?

Are you living for God or the World or for God and the world?

When you try to live for both you become that poor confused soldier in the Civil War who couldn't decide what side he wanted to fight for. So he wore the coat from the Union (North) and the pants from the Confederates (South). Then he marched onto the battlefield and got shot at from both sides.

When you attempt to live in both worlds, you will end up living a miserable life and end up like the confused soldier.Living for both worlds—the life of compromise—is a dangerous thing. Just take a look at the life of Lot, the classic compromiser. Granted, he was a believer, but he made numerous mistakes. Lot lived in the wicked city of Sodom and eventually became a leader in the city. But he was so bound up in sin that when he went to tell his sons-in-law that the judgment of God was coming, they laughed and thought he was joking. (See — Genesis 19:14)There was no power in his witness, because he lived a compromised life.

Is that happening to you? Are you getting weaker and weaker spiritually? Do the things that once made you blush no longer shock you? Do you find yourself becoming more and more tolerant of that which is evil and less interested in that which is spiritual? Do you find that your words seem to have no effect on the nonbelievers you share them with? Such is the peril of the compromiser. They don't pull others up. Others pull them down.

“You deny Christ when you fail to deny yourself”

My Gift is Better Than Your Gift

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. . . .”
(1 Corinthians 12:6)

Are you using the spiritual gift or gifts that God has given you? Which spiritual gifts are the best for a believer to have? It all depends. If I am having a difficult time sharing my faith with someone, and you come along and have been gifted as an evangelist, then that is the best gift at that particular moment. But then let's say I am trying to understand the meaning of a particular passage of Scripture, and God has given you the gift of teaching. For you to come along could be a great benefit to me.

Then again, let's say that I am undertaking a complex project, and I need help. What I really need is someone with the gift of helps or administrations. Or, let's say that I'm lying in a hospital bed, and I'm discouraged. I don't really need a Bible study. I don't need someone to come and help me organize my life. I need someone with the gift of exhortation or encouragement. I need someone to come and help me see that God is still in control of my life. Each one of these gifts is important, as God has distributed them.

We make a big mistake when we think some gifts are of greater importance than others. They all have their place, and God has given them as He has chosen. Therefore, we need to pray, "Lord, what are my gifts? Help me to discover them. Help me to develop them. Help me to use them."

One day when you stand before God, you will be held accountable for what He called you to do. And one day, He will reward you for how faithful you were with what He gave you.

What If God Forgot About Us?

"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." (Romans 8:28 )

There are times in our lives as Christians when God will do things or fail to do things that we want Him to do, and it will not make sense to us. And because we don't see the big picture, we may falsely conclude that God has abandoned us. But we need to trust Him during these times, remembering that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. In other words, what God starts, He completes.

It seems as I get older, I get distracted and forget things all the time. But what if God forgot about us? What a frightening thought. Imagine being in the midst of a fiery trial as God is watching and waiting for that moment to take us out of it. Then the phone rings, and He is gone for a decade! Thankfully, God never forgets about us. He is in full control. He knows exactly what He is doing. He will complete what He has begun.

Sometimes in the middle of that process, we may think the Lord is missing it. But He isn't. We're the ones who are missing it. From our limited human viewpoint, we think of the temporal, but God lives in the eternal. We are thinking of today, but God is planning for tomorrow. We are thinking of comfort, but God is thinking of character. We are thinking of an easy time, but God is thinking of how to make us better people.

So let's trust Him। Whatever our circumstances or hardships, let us believe His promise to His children, "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" (Romans 8:28). All things are working together.

"If you make the commitment, God opens the way"

If Only God Knew

What I Was going Through! Ever felt this way?

The apostle Paul was in a Roman dungeon for his faithfulness to the gospel of Christ. But one night, Jesus Christ paid him a visit and offered these encouraging words:

"But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer (or courage), Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome'" (Acts 23:11 NKJV). Jesus was revealing to the great apostle that he was more than aware of his situation. Just because he was in a prison didn't mean that God had lost track of him and God Knows What You Are Going Through Also!

God has not, nor will He abandon you. Even though the local Christians did not help him, the Lord had come to visit him. Later, in his last epistle, Paul wrote, "Everyone abandoned me" (2 Timothy 4:16). Have you ever felt that way? Abandoned, forgotten, forsaken? Know this: God has not abandoned you! The Lord is with you Always!

“Better to be in a jail with the Lord than to be anywhere else without Him.”

No matter what you are going through right now, you are not alone. God is there with you, wanting to bring encouragement to you regarding your future.

One of my favorite verses about God's future for each of us is in the book of Jeremiah: "I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11)

It is worth noting that these words were given to Israel when they were in captivity in Babylon. They had lost hope. They saw no future, and felt as if God had forgotten about them.

But the Lord was saying to them (and us too), "I have not forgotten you, and there is a future!" Note that God does not say, "I know the thoughts that I have thought toward you." Rather, He says, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you."

God thinks about you all the time You are still a work in progress. God is still finishing you, so don't be impatient. Don't feel it's over, just because you are not where you want to be yet.
We see only the beginning. God sees "the expected end" and it is good!

The Bible is Racist, Sexist, Full of Errors, Myths, Fairytales and Can't Be Trusted!

As the gentleman finished his ranting I simply told him that he failed to mention that the Bible is also the Word of God and how can you condemn a book that you have never read? That fact that he has never read the Bible should not surprise you but the fact that most confessing Christians haven't read the Bible or even read it on a regular should since for the Christian the Bible is our manual for daily living. When most are asked why they believe the Bible is true, only silence prevails. I didn't always believe the Bible to be the Word of God but after careful research I now know beyond any shadow of doubt that the Bible is God breathed rather than human in origin.

Technically speaking, the Bible is not one book but actually 66 written over a 1,500-year span. Its words were written by more than 40 authors from several different continents from every walk of life, including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, and scholars.

Yet, all the authors of the Bible write about one theme even though they lived at different time periods and on different continents—God's redemption of mankind. And each one of these men was inspired by God to write these words, that's why they never contradict each other.
Scripture says, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God." (2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT). So in essence there was one author, God the Holy Spirit and that's why the writers who most often didn't know what the other authors had written never contradict each other.

Here are 4 reasons that I came to believe that the Bible is true

First, the Bible is true because it is the one book that dares to predict the future. We aren't talking about a psychic or some tabloid prediction here. We are talking about very specific prophecies that have been fulfilled. No other world religions have books that do this. Why? If they were to do so, it would be evident that they are not inspired by God, as the Bible is. Only God can speak of the future with absolute certainty because He knows it as well as we would know the past (even better than we do because we often forget what actually happened).

The basic test of the true God, the true faith, the true Prophet and the true belief lies in this: "Can they predict the future?"

The Bible is the one book that does that, not once or twice but hundreds of times! The present conflict in the Middle East? It was predicted in the Bible that the Jews would re-gather in their land, be surrounded by enemies, and that the final conflict would revolved around the tiny city of Jerusalem. Thousands of years before Babylon existed it's rise was prophesied with such great detail that it's ruler Darius was mentioned by name!

One half of the Bible's prophecies have already come to take place. Therefore, if one half of them have happened as He has said, should I have any reason to doubt that the remaining ones will happen exactly as God has said? This helps us to see that when God says something is going to happen, you can take it to the bank.

A scientist figured out the odds of just eight biblical prophecies about Jesus being fulfilled by coincidence. For example, the chances that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem were 1 in 280,000. The chances that He would have a forerunner announcing his coming were 1 in 1,000. The chances that He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver were 1 in 10,000. The chances that He would have His hands wounded were 1 in 10,000. And the chances that He would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey were 1 in 1,000.

Putting all eight prophecies together, the chances that Jesus would fulfill all of them coincidentally are 1 in 10 to the 28th power(that's 28 0's).

Imagine covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars two feet high, marking one of them. Now blindfold someone and have them walk across the state and randomly pick up one silver dollar. The chances of that coin being the one you marked is the same as the chances that Jesus could have fulfilled all eight prophecies by chance!

The fact is, Jesus fulfilled many, many prophecies, not to mention the ones fulfilled in other parts of the Bible! You can see why this book has been attacked so much over the years.

Second, I know the Bible is true because it is confirmed by science. Contrary to what some people think, Christianity is a very logical belief."Come now, let us argue this out," says the LORD. "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow" (Isaiah 1:18 NLT).There is a place for faith, but we don't have to check our brains at the door. When I believed in Jesus and His Word, the Bible, that was when the world made sense to me. Now I could understand why people did what they did and how lives could be changed.

Now you might be thinking, "No, the Bible and science contradict each other!" That is not necessarily true. There are many who have scoffed at the Bible over the years, saying how unscientific it is.

Yet, it was the Bible that first said that the number of the stars is beyond counting. Scripture tells us that God "stretched forth the heavens" (Isaiah 51:13 KJV) into a limitless expanse that can never be measured, and filled it with stars that are as numerous as the sands upon the seashore (see Genesis 22:17).To your average observer, with the latest telescope technology, the visible stars are not uncountable. They are a vast number, but they do not seem impossible to count. But the Bible flatly states that the number of the stars can be compared, literally, to the number of the grains of sand upon the seashore. Modern science has now established this to be true. Man cannot possibly begin to assess the number of stars.

The Bible says, "By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen" (Hebrews 11:3 NLT). Centuries after that verse was written, modern science has finally recognized that all matter is made up of invisible energy—protons, neutrons, and electrons. Joshua prayed and the sun stood still for an additional 24 hrs.(Joshua 10:12-13) This had been a matter of great laughter in the scientific community until astrophysicist discovered in the astrological record that there in fact is a day missing!

I don't believe in the Bible because science proves it true. Rather, I believe in the science that the Bible proves is true.

Having said all that, let me point out something that is very important for us to know about the Bible. It is not the intention of the Bible to be a textbook on science, per se. If it were, the book would be much thicker than it is, and much less comprehensible.

When the Bible addresses scientific or historical fact, it is always accurate. But the Bible is intended to be a book of redemption. Its primary purpose is not to tell us how the heavens go, but how to go to heaven. It tells us how to know God and how to live in this troubled and confused human race. It is the only book that speaks with authority in this realm.

Third, the Bible is true because it is confirmed by archaeology. Over the years, countless critics have challenged the teachings of the Bible, but recent archaeological findings have confirmed Scripture's teaching time and time again.

Over the years, critics have doubted the Bible because of what it said about crucifixion. They contended that crucifixions did not take place, as Scripture suggests. You can see how such criticism strikes at the very heart of our faith, as so much is said specifically about the crucifixion of Jesus.

But this criticism was silenced in 1968, when the remains of man crucified in his mid 30s were discovered north of Jerusalem with a seven-inch iron nail still embedded in the heel. The state of the bones indicated that the condemned man's arms were outstretched and that his feet had been placed sideways, with the nail driven first through a small block of wood and then through both heels into the cross.

Once again, the Bible gave the information before the "experts" had it.
Critics have doubted the Bible over the years because they could find no historical record of some Roman governor named Pontius Pilate. But in 1961, an inscription found at Caesarea Maritima in Israel confirmed that Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor in Judea at the time of Jesus' crucifixion.

Critics doubted Scripture's authority because no record of a high priest named Caiaphas existed. But in 1990, the tomb of the high priest Caiaphas was discovered. What about the city of Jericho? They marched around it, blew horns and the walls fell and burned? Yes, it sounded crazy until archaeoligist discovered the ruins of a city called Jericho, which was previously thought to be a myth, with it's incredibly thick and impenetrable walls. And yes, the city fell just as the Bible stated and to the experts surprise the walls were burned.
Jewish archaeologist Nelson Glueck has said, "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made that confirm in clear outline or exact detail the historical statements made in the Bible."

Fourth, I know it is true because it gave me the experience it claims it will give me. Now that is not the only reason I believe it, and perhaps not the most convincing to the skeptic out there, but it certainly helped me to believe personally.

For example, the Bible says God will forgive my sins. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NKJV).One day, I chose to believe that. I accepted God's forgiveness and you know what? That sense of guilt and the heavy burden I had been carrying was taken away.

The Bible promised me a peace that "surpasses all human understanding" (Philippians 4:7 NKJV), and I experienced that after I told God I was sorry for my sins and turned from my sin.
The Bible also said that if I came to Jesus, I would become a different person. Scripture promises, "What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).Now, I am still a work in progress, but this change that the Bible promised has happened to me and millions of other people.

The Bible said God would give me His peace and joy even in the midst of hardship if I trusted Christ. That too has happened. The Bible said God would answer my prayers if I prayed properly. I did that and my prayers have been answered and yes, no is an answer.

The Bible. There is nothing like it. Why not start reading it today and see for yourself?

Life is Way Too Short

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself; each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

A friend sent me some thoughts entitled "Things That Life Is Too Short For." His thoughts forced me to take a look at my own life and reevaluate my priorities. Perhaps you need a dose of reality today. I'll share these special thoughts with you, can you guess which ones I added to the list?

Life is too short to hold grudges or nurse hurt feelings.

It's too short to work at a job you hate.It's too short to worry about getting ready for Christmas. Just let Christmas come.(Remember this one for next year ;)

It's too short to forget to pray.

It's too short to keep all your floors shiny. It's too short to let a day pass without hugging your loved ones.

It's too short not to take a nap when you need one.

It's too short to put off Bible study.

It's too short to give importance to whether the towels match the bathroom.

It's too short to miss the call to worship on a Sunday morning. *(What church do you attend regularly, where is it located, I want to visit?)

It's too short to stay indoors on a beautiful Saturday.

It's too short not to stop and talk to children.

It's too short to read all the junk mail. It's too short not to call or write your parents (or children) regularly.

It's too short to put off improving our relationships with people that we love. Life is just too short. Way too short to settle for mediocrity!

GOING DEEPER:

1. What does Matthew 6:34 tell us not to do? 2. Matthew 6:34 also tells us today will have enough trouble of its own. What difficulties will you face today? Take a moment to pray and ask God to take control of your day and any difficulties you may face, YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID.

FURTHER READING:

Philippians 4:6 (CHECK IT OUT)