1 Cor 6:9-11
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Today I want to share the short story of my past to give you an understanding of my joy of the present and the future.
I would say that I had had what I think is a normal early childhood. I went to school, played games and sports with the neighborhood kids, went on vacations with the family and learned to ride a bike! What else is there?
My parents divorced and remarried when I was to young to understand, and life goes on. At this time this is the life I learned to live with and didn't seem to have much of an effect on me!
Entering the seventh grade is where life turned the corner, not drastically at first but just the beginning! I started smoking cigarettes and we know what society calls those, the gateway drug to other things and for me it was true! Being introduced to other drugs and of course alcohol led my life down a whole new path! These things were prevalent in my family by one member or another so no big shock to me!
I was able to make my way through high school even though skipping class and even being expelled my senior year was a part of my course! I met my wife, we got married, had three children and while our heads were still spinning the next chapter begins! Married at 17, three children by 20 and not a clue for what life was all about! Divorce was a major subject in our home, no direction and not much hope for the future. Dependent on the government for aid and nothing else to speak of.
BUT GOD!!!!!!
Laying in our bed one night God allowed us to sense a dark presence in our room, not knowing anything of the Lord, faith or the power in the name of Jesus I turned to my wife and out of the darkness spoke these words, "I think that we need to start going to church"! Without my knowledge of her past she responds, "I know just the one"! And the next chapter of life begins!
I said short story so here is my closing statements! We started going to church! Our pastor and assistant pastor taught us the word of God through bible studies and pulpit ministry! We believed and obeyed the scriptures concerning our lives and are now forever changed! I felt a calling to ministry only after a few years in the church, began the licensing process and now have been pastoring for almost 10 years!
The brilliant future in the title comes with this testimony. I have been married to the women I married in high school for going on 24 years and there is not a greater marriage that I know of from any other! All of my children are in church and all aspire to some kind of ministry! I have been forgiven of all my sins, I have been baptized in the most precious name, Jesus and He has filled me with the Holy Ghost! I am content in my life though I still struggle at times, but I know that Thou art with me! My Past is behind me, My present is now and My future is brilliant!!
Read and memorize 2 Corinthians 5:17
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
The devils duty!
John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
As a child of God to live victorious this is one scripture that I need to understand! My enemy will try to destroy everything in my life to get me to turn away from serving the Lord. If the devil can get me to blame God, if he can get me to become bitter against the church or cause my faith to diminish enough then his chances of fulfilling his duties are much better.
The devil may try to scare us and torment us but in truth he knows to be more affective in a Christians life he will offer glamour, fame and even riches. These things can just as easily steal, kill and destroy our relationship with God while still believing that we have a relationship with God! I am being overwhelmingly blessed and have been given favor so it must be God! Does God get the glory? Are you just as committed to Him and the kingdom as you were before? Is church and fellowship still a necessity for your life? Do you still uphold your standards, convictions and morals or has that all fallen by the wayside?
The enemy is subtle, Gen 3:1. Yeah hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? What is the devil trying to do with this statement? He is trying to get us to question what it is that Gods word really sais. God didn't say that we shall NOT eat of every tree, what He did say was Of every tree of the garden thou MAYEST freely eat but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it!
The devils plan is to get us to look, participate in and desire anything and everything that is contrary to the word of God and a Christians lifestyle! He knows that he cannot defeat us unless we give in to his temptations and in truth it is we who defeat ourselves giving him the victory.
Eph 6:11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The word wiles here means tricks or schemes. Another words we are able to stand against the devils plan to kill, steal and destroy! The bible tells us that we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Cor. 2:11 Knowing this we have to be able to recognize in every situation what it is that is taking place. When I have an awesome time in the presence of God and only a short while after leaving the service I find myself falling right back to bitterness, or anger or just feeling all the weight that was lifted coming right back, this is the sign of the enemy working his plan. After feeling some victory, encouragement, hope and faith in your life and then you run face first in to a brick wall, the enemies plan is at work! One step forward, two steps back. The enemies plan at work!
1 John 2:15-16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The enemies plan is to get us to look to the world for all its beauty and see what we could have and what we deserve and to cause us to think that the Lord is keeping us from it! The rich young ruler had all that the world could offer but when he came to Jesus seeking what more he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus simply asked that he deny this worlds good and follow Him but that was to much for one who had so much, that's the enemies plan at work!
The devils duty is to steal, kill and to destroy our lives in Christ by any means necessary. To avoid defeat we must learn and abide in Gods word and to live with contentment! Because discontentment is the enemies foothold in our lives!
Read Luke 4:1-13
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
As a child of God to live victorious this is one scripture that I need to understand! My enemy will try to destroy everything in my life to get me to turn away from serving the Lord. If the devil can get me to blame God, if he can get me to become bitter against the church or cause my faith to diminish enough then his chances of fulfilling his duties are much better.
The devil may try to scare us and torment us but in truth he knows to be more affective in a Christians life he will offer glamour, fame and even riches. These things can just as easily steal, kill and destroy our relationship with God while still believing that we have a relationship with God! I am being overwhelmingly blessed and have been given favor so it must be God! Does God get the glory? Are you just as committed to Him and the kingdom as you were before? Is church and fellowship still a necessity for your life? Do you still uphold your standards, convictions and morals or has that all fallen by the wayside?
The enemy is subtle, Gen 3:1. Yeah hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? What is the devil trying to do with this statement? He is trying to get us to question what it is that Gods word really sais. God didn't say that we shall NOT eat of every tree, what He did say was Of every tree of the garden thou MAYEST freely eat but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it!
The devils plan is to get us to look, participate in and desire anything and everything that is contrary to the word of God and a Christians lifestyle! He knows that he cannot defeat us unless we give in to his temptations and in truth it is we who defeat ourselves giving him the victory.
Eph 6:11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The word wiles here means tricks or schemes. Another words we are able to stand against the devils plan to kill, steal and destroy! The bible tells us that we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Cor. 2:11 Knowing this we have to be able to recognize in every situation what it is that is taking place. When I have an awesome time in the presence of God and only a short while after leaving the service I find myself falling right back to bitterness, or anger or just feeling all the weight that was lifted coming right back, this is the sign of the enemy working his plan. After feeling some victory, encouragement, hope and faith in your life and then you run face first in to a brick wall, the enemies plan is at work! One step forward, two steps back. The enemies plan at work!
1 John 2:15-16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The enemies plan is to get us to look to the world for all its beauty and see what we could have and what we deserve and to cause us to think that the Lord is keeping us from it! The rich young ruler had all that the world could offer but when he came to Jesus seeking what more he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus simply asked that he deny this worlds good and follow Him but that was to much for one who had so much, that's the enemies plan at work!
The devils duty is to steal, kill and to destroy our lives in Christ by any means necessary. To avoid defeat we must learn and abide in Gods word and to live with contentment! Because discontentment is the enemies foothold in our lives!
Read Luke 4:1-13
Saturday, March 15, 2014
The Comforter!
John 14:15-18
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Jesus was about to enter the final leg of His journey and He was offering some final hope to His disciples. Jesus spoke to them and said that He would be leaving them but the Comforter that He would send would come and be with them!
Peter in John 13:37 after hearing of Jesus' departure said, Lord why cannot I follow now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
Peter had become accustomed to being with Jesus. Being in His presence was comforting to Peter and I believe the very thought of Jesus not being around caused Peter to become anxious. Jesus understood the need for this fellowship and communion and assured them His comfort would return.
And He shall give you another Comforter, that He may ABIDE with you FOREVER!! John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The comfort that we need in our lives, the comfort that we seek in our lives can only come from the Holy Ghost! The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send! The Comforter came on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost filled all that were in the upper room in Acts 2:1-4.
Its not enough for Gods people to come to church and feel the presence of God during services and then have to go back out in to the world alone! The Lord would have His children filled with His Spirit that He may dwell IN them and that we would never be alone, we would never be comfortless!
John 16:12-13
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
The Holy Ghost doesn't just provide comfort but is also a guide to us in to all truth! There are many things that we don't and cannot understand without the Holy Ghost because there are things that can only be spiritually discerned!1 Cor 2:11-14
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God dwelling in us to give us the ability to understand spiritual things. The comfort in that is knowing that when I receive the Holy Ghost and He abides in me, greater understanding in what I feel and have to deal with in this life is then revealed to me!
Comfort doesn't come while in His presence, Comfort comes as His presence!
In the presence, of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, in the presence of the King!
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Jesus was about to enter the final leg of His journey and He was offering some final hope to His disciples. Jesus spoke to them and said that He would be leaving them but the Comforter that He would send would come and be with them!
Peter in John 13:37 after hearing of Jesus' departure said, Lord why cannot I follow now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
Peter had become accustomed to being with Jesus. Being in His presence was comforting to Peter and I believe the very thought of Jesus not being around caused Peter to become anxious. Jesus understood the need for this fellowship and communion and assured them His comfort would return.
And He shall give you another Comforter, that He may ABIDE with you FOREVER!! John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The comfort that we need in our lives, the comfort that we seek in our lives can only come from the Holy Ghost! The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send! The Comforter came on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost filled all that were in the upper room in Acts 2:1-4.
Its not enough for Gods people to come to church and feel the presence of God during services and then have to go back out in to the world alone! The Lord would have His children filled with His Spirit that He may dwell IN them and that we would never be alone, we would never be comfortless!
John 16:12-13
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
The Holy Ghost doesn't just provide comfort but is also a guide to us in to all truth! There are many things that we don't and cannot understand without the Holy Ghost because there are things that can only be spiritually discerned!1 Cor 2:11-14
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God dwelling in us to give us the ability to understand spiritual things. The comfort in that is knowing that when I receive the Holy Ghost and He abides in me, greater understanding in what I feel and have to deal with in this life is then revealed to me!
Comfort doesn't come while in His presence, Comfort comes as His presence!
In the presence, of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, in the presence of the King!
Monday, March 10, 2014
Naked (rated G)
Rom 12:1-2
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This blog is written for those who are professing a Christian lifestyle and not for those who desire to live a worldly one. When people come to me for biblical advice or even my opinion my answers are always dependent on whether they have faith in the bible or they don't! If a person doesn't believe that the word of God is true then giving them scriptural answers will have no effect on there lives!
For example, if a person asks me what I think about a certain lifestyle I may ask them if they are trying to please the Lord or if that doesn't matter? If pleasing the Lord doesn't matter then how they live doesn't matter. (my opinion) If pleasing the Lord does matter then we can look at it from a biblical perspective and proceed accordingly.
The bible teaches us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. Verse 2 speaks of non-conformity to the world and to be transformed in our way of thinking! The word conformed here means to be fashioned alike! If we are not to be fashioned like the world then what are we to be fashioned like! We are to be fashioned after the image in which God created us, in His image!
If you were to ask me if I believe that we should run around naked, I would say yes but not in the way that you are thinking! Remember after there sin in the garden God had clothed them with raiment to cover there bodies but He didn't clothe them immodestly or with any style of ornaments.
People of the world may call that plain but it doesn't matter what they call it! This is the way that God has created us and as far as the Christian is concerned that is what should matter! There is a saying that the body is a canvas and should be treated as such but it is a work of art the way God created it and should be left alone!
Gen 2:25
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
They were naked and not ashamed! So the very thought of needing to decorate the body could easily relate to being ashamed! Ashamed of our appearance, the appearance God created. Every tattoo, piercing, dyes, ornamental jewelry, immodest clothing is simply applied for appearance!
God created us naked, without shame, covered our sinful bodies with clothes but needed to add nothing else.
The world would have us to be like them but Jesus would have us to be like Him and I want to be like Jesus, as naked in appearance as He would have me( fully and modestly dressed) and not ashamed!
We are to be a witness of Christ and to do that we need to have a lifestyle that is not drawing attention to us, but to reflect there attention to Jesus. I must decrease!
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This blog is written for those who are professing a Christian lifestyle and not for those who desire to live a worldly one. When people come to me for biblical advice or even my opinion my answers are always dependent on whether they have faith in the bible or they don't! If a person doesn't believe that the word of God is true then giving them scriptural answers will have no effect on there lives!
For example, if a person asks me what I think about a certain lifestyle I may ask them if they are trying to please the Lord or if that doesn't matter? If pleasing the Lord doesn't matter then how they live doesn't matter. (my opinion) If pleasing the Lord does matter then we can look at it from a biblical perspective and proceed accordingly.
The bible teaches us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. Verse 2 speaks of non-conformity to the world and to be transformed in our way of thinking! The word conformed here means to be fashioned alike! If we are not to be fashioned like the world then what are we to be fashioned like! We are to be fashioned after the image in which God created us, in His image!
If you were to ask me if I believe that we should run around naked, I would say yes but not in the way that you are thinking! Remember after there sin in the garden God had clothed them with raiment to cover there bodies but He didn't clothe them immodestly or with any style of ornaments.
People of the world may call that plain but it doesn't matter what they call it! This is the way that God has created us and as far as the Christian is concerned that is what should matter! There is a saying that the body is a canvas and should be treated as such but it is a work of art the way God created it and should be left alone!
Gen 2:25
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
They were naked and not ashamed! So the very thought of needing to decorate the body could easily relate to being ashamed! Ashamed of our appearance, the appearance God created. Every tattoo, piercing, dyes, ornamental jewelry, immodest clothing is simply applied for appearance!
God created us naked, without shame, covered our sinful bodies with clothes but needed to add nothing else.
The world would have us to be like them but Jesus would have us to be like Him and I want to be like Jesus, as naked in appearance as He would have me( fully and modestly dressed) and not ashamed!
We are to be a witness of Christ and to do that we need to have a lifestyle that is not drawing attention to us, but to reflect there attention to Jesus. I must decrease!
Friday, March 7, 2014
666
John 6:66
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.
And you thought this blog was going to be about the mark of the beast! It is not but what it is about is what the devil would have us to do, WALK AWAY!
To many times when affliction comes we want to blame the devil for our problems. We give the devil to much credit for what is going on in our lives and we are giving him the victory for what is in fact our own doing! It was Flip Wilson who coined the phrase, The devil made me do it! The problem with that statement is people believe that the devil is responsible for our sinful action when in fact it is us who are responsible.
If I am afflicted I will run to Jesus! If I am troubled in my spirit I will run to Jesus! If I am in need of a certain thing in my life I will run to Jesus! With that said the enemy knows these things and would be foolish to do things against me that would cause me to run to Jesus! So what he tries to do are things that will make me run from the Lord!
LIKE WHAT? That's a great question, like what. Like causing you and a brother/sister in the Lord to be at odds with each other. Like causing you to get offended by the preaching of the word instead of convicted. Like causing you to see or hear all the negativity all around you! Like blessing your life with all kinds of material goods of this world causing you to turn your eyes from the Lord!
The devil doesn't want to make the life of a Christian miserable because we will turn to the Lord. What he wants to do is get us to a place where we think that we don't need Jesus anymore or that we need Him a lot less! A happy sinner rarely needs Jesus!
What the enemy of our soul wants more than anything else, is for us to go back and walk no more with Jesus! The devil doesn't care if you worship him. He doesn't care if you declare his name. He doesn't care if you are a nice person and you help people. The only thing the devil cares about is whether or not you are a worshipper of THE GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY!
The cross before me, the world behind me, I wont turn back, I wont turn back! Take this whole world but give me Jesus!!!!!
Read Matt. 19:16-24
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.
And you thought this blog was going to be about the mark of the beast! It is not but what it is about is what the devil would have us to do, WALK AWAY!
To many times when affliction comes we want to blame the devil for our problems. We give the devil to much credit for what is going on in our lives and we are giving him the victory for what is in fact our own doing! It was Flip Wilson who coined the phrase, The devil made me do it! The problem with that statement is people believe that the devil is responsible for our sinful action when in fact it is us who are responsible.
If I am afflicted I will run to Jesus! If I am troubled in my spirit I will run to Jesus! If I am in need of a certain thing in my life I will run to Jesus! With that said the enemy knows these things and would be foolish to do things against me that would cause me to run to Jesus! So what he tries to do are things that will make me run from the Lord!
LIKE WHAT? That's a great question, like what. Like causing you and a brother/sister in the Lord to be at odds with each other. Like causing you to get offended by the preaching of the word instead of convicted. Like causing you to see or hear all the negativity all around you! Like blessing your life with all kinds of material goods of this world causing you to turn your eyes from the Lord!
The devil doesn't want to make the life of a Christian miserable because we will turn to the Lord. What he wants to do is get us to a place where we think that we don't need Jesus anymore or that we need Him a lot less! A happy sinner rarely needs Jesus!
What the enemy of our soul wants more than anything else, is for us to go back and walk no more with Jesus! The devil doesn't care if you worship him. He doesn't care if you declare his name. He doesn't care if you are a nice person and you help people. The only thing the devil cares about is whether or not you are a worshipper of THE GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY!
The cross before me, the world behind me, I wont turn back, I wont turn back! Take this whole world but give me Jesus!!!!!
Read Matt. 19:16-24
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