Thoughts ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZONPRTOFF dateof comment Look Inside Data Conditions:Order: 1|2| Dateof Comment 04/29/2024 Have you ever watched those movies where the Chinese families are involved in a drug trade. Even though they are mean towards other people to protect their trade, they physically bow down to their elders. They realize what honor is all about. God talks about honor in scriptures but why is it that America has lost the ability to demonstrate honor. The first step in this world is in the family like the Chinese know. Never forget about the widows because God holds them special. This holds a promise: Ephesians 6:3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” 1 Timothy 5:1 Advice about Widows, Elders, and Slaves Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. The second step is: 1 Peter 3:7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. The third step is widows and orphans: Deuteronomy 24:19 “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. Jeremiah 49:11 But I will protect the orphans who remain among you. Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.” Remember when Jesus commanded that John take care of his mother. John was preserved so he could take care of Mary: The fourth step is those who put their lives on the line for us: Romans 13:3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. This includes the military, police and highway patrol, undercover officers and our firefighters. I write the comments and put up the videos just to honor them. I like the last part of the verse "Do what is right, and they will honor you." God even commands us to obey the laws of the land if they do not go against his word. The most important part is the spiritual side of honor. God knows when you are fake: Matthew 15:8 NLT ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. John 5:23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him. John 12:26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. Romans 14:8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. What about your leaders in Christ: 1 Thessalonians 5:12 Paul’s Final Advice Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. What about your brother and sisters in Christ: Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. 1 Corinthians 6:20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. Do it for Jesus: Colossians 1:10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 1 Peter 5:6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. This verse demonstrates this honor he will give: John 10:28-30 (New International Version) I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” If you continue a life of dishonor, you will experience this: Romans 14:11 (New Living Translation) For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” God will get the honor he deserves. On a final note: Luke 19:10 (New International Version) For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” All because he loved us!!! 03/13/2024 Have you ever asked yourself the question, "What does God think of what I'm doing." Especially after reading verses like this: Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. This verse was written more to prevent us from getting cocky and thinking that we're something special when we're not. It is designed to keep us humble. Jesus came because he knew we would never get it right. I like to listen to what the prophets have to say. Amos tells us that God does not do anything without talking to his prophets first. Amos 3:7 Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. Kent Christmas tries to run his church like the church in Acts. He asked the same question. God physically told him, "I am well pleased with what is going on in this church." Kent's reaction to what God said was in reverence to our King. His church is a house of prayer there strictly to glorify God and bring healing and the word to people. What God said also applies to the people that work in ministries that they are called into and are run the way God designed them to work. God calls all of us to do a ministry for him. Using God's gang and street ministry as an example, people are giving up their time, talents and money to ensure that we can continue to bring souls of the gangs and people on the street to Jesus Christ. Others are using their time and talents that God has given them too and are doing the same thing with the college students. If you are tithing like you should, God is also well pleased with you. This is encouraging knowing that God is pleased with us. Let's keep this going by continually living our lives for Jesus Christ and devoting our time and talents to what he wants. Another encouraging thing I heard from another prophet Hank Kuneman was relating to all the evil that is going on in America right now. In fact, it is going on across the whole world right now. Evil is being exposed but I feel they are like a child who is told not to do something, but they're not disciplined. They continue doing evil because they know they can get away with. Hank Kuneman had this dream that God told him to read 2 Samuel 5:20. He repeated this request seven times: 2 Samuel 5:20 New Living Translation 20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “The Lord did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means “the Lord who bursts through”). We know that 7 is the number that means completion. I think God is about to take all these people out and destroy him like they like he did for David. Instead of David, God is using Trump, who was also called by God to be where he is today. I firmly believe that he is the leader that is going to accomplish this with the help of the Holy Spirit. I think the time frame is imminent. If God was going write this verse today, it would go like this: 2 Samuel 5:20 20 So Trump went to Washington DC and defeated the elites there. “The Lord did it!” Trump exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So he named that place MAGA (which means “the Lord who bursts through and makes America great again”). 03/06/2024 Have you ever thought about how amazing our brains are. If God gave us all photographic brains, we would remember everything that includes things like how many times I took a dump in 2023 and all the atrocities anybody did to me while I was growing up. I am glad that our brains do not retain everything. This can also have a small downside. For example, all of us probably know what a smartphone is and probably use one a lot. I still think android phones are better than the iPhone. I could not find anything in scriptures to prove me wrong. I use my smartphone to get research material from social media apps for my videos that I store on my phone. I then use an app to rename the files to identify a period of time. Then I upload them to Dropbox so that way they're on my computer when I go home. I'm getting so good at that I can almost do it my sleep now. But using that same smartphone, my wife wanted to get a video off of her phone and put it on mine, so that I can move it over to my Dropbox folder. Since I only did it one time in the past, it made me think of how I did it last time. I did remember that I did it through Bluetooth. I know that there are network options that would accomplish this, but I tried this first. After I had the phones connected, then I asked myself "Now what?" I normally would use a file manager to do that. Google said to use "share". I did that but the options presented did not make any sense. I looked closer and saw "see more options". After I clicked the link, there was the Bluetooth share option. Now I can download a movie on my wife's phone without any problems, because I've done it more than once. But as time passes will I forget this again. God knows this is a problem. That is the reason why he wrote this: Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 (New International Version) These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. God put this verse here because he knew that we always lose information that we do not access very often. That void in our brain will be replaced by whatever we deem as important. Just like a smartphone, it takes practice to be able to master God's word. So, we have to continually use it and tell other people about it. If you teach your kid about the things of God, it's also going to help you retain the information that you learned from the time you gave your heart to Jesus. The sad part is if this information was never placed in our brain in the first place. How can we speak the truth of Jesus Christ to others if we don't know what that truth is. Watch and you will see that those who understand and love God the most are constantly in his word and learn from others. They will test what others tell them to make sure it is not contrary to God's written word. If you could give 10 minutes a day to each sentence in Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 which translates into 50 minutes a day for God. Try it and see how much more you will know and retain about our King. 02/04/2024 Have you wondered what it was like when David was trying to stay one step ahead of Saul. I believe it could be as exciting as a "mission impossible" movie or like the "Bourne movies" where the government is out to get you. In Hollywood you can predict the outcome because it is written on man's script. For David it was different because God had the only script. David had to learn who he could trust and still remember who his God was while this was all going on. I wonder how many of the enemies plots where foiled because God himself foiled them or they were leaked out from the enemy themselves. David was constantly on the move (one big adrenalin rush) even asking for bread from the temple. It seemed like Saul was never far behind in getting him. When that day came when David was released, he sang NOT SPOKE words that only glorified God: Psalm 18:1-2 (New Living Translation) For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang: I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. The rest of the chapter summarized the things David was experiencing up till this MILESTONE moment: 3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. 4 The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. 5 The grave[a] wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. 6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. 7 Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger. 8 Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him. 9 He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. 10 Mounted on a mighty angelic being,[b] he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. 11 He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds. 12 Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals. 13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. 14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused. 15 Then at your command, O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare. 16 He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. 18 They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. 19 He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. 20 The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. 21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. 22 I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. 23 I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. 24 The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence. 25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. 26 To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. 27 You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. 28 You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. 29 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. 30 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. 31 For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? 32 God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. 33 He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. 34 He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. 35 You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help[d] has made me great. 36 You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping. 37 I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered. 38 I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet. 39 You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet. 40 You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. 41 They called for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer. 42 I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt. 43 You gave me victory over my accusers. You appointed me ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me. 44 As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreign nations cringe before me. 45 They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds. 46 The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted! 47 He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he subdues the nations under me 48 and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. 49 For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. 50 You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever. Do you know that we serve the same God David did? We even have Jesus Christ as our high priest to represent us. This even gives us an edge over David. As you read this chapter, I am willing to bet you are not facing anything worse than David did. God did not place this chapter to fill some white space in a book. He put it there because he wants us to know we can have victory over our enemies by giving ourselves to him like David did. 08/27/2023 Have you wondered how people who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ begin to think and see things differently than others. People who call them Christians and who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will see things as the world sees it and many times will behave just like they do. There are many verses that explain why God's children see things the way God sees them. Colossians 2:3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Isaiah 50:4 The Lord’s Obedient Servant The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will Job 12:13 “But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his Job 28:28 And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’” As you begin to accumulate this wisdom from God, you begin to see all the stupid things that people are doing. I always wonder if I am only one who thinks the way I do. I began reading a story on the telegram platform and I swear this lady was reading my mind. This is her writing that she quoted. I just added some Bible verses in between her writing to confirm what she was talking about. She starts here: It doesn’t seem fair… You look around and you see so many people completely oblivious to everything, happily going about their lives as if nothing had happened, was happening or will happen. I now get the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’, mind you, it’s only bliss until it’s not, by which time it might be too late. Jeremiah 10:21 The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the Lord. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered. Nonetheless, as the dial turns, as we transform and transcend, we are the ones that get to hear the static noise and the maddening dissonance. We are the ones that can see the chaos unfold, that get to feel the pain, the frustration and the anger, whilst the unaware plan their next holidays, enjoy the football match, watch their favorite soap opera, claim the weather has gone crazy and look forward to retiring. Luke 17:28-30 28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Sharing this insane world with the unaware is becoming increasingly difficult and irrationally unfair… Romans 5:4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. At times we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders, other times we feel the lightness of freedom within our souls and as we go through this rollercoaster of emotions, we must keep it to ourselves, knowing all too well, we wouldn’t be understood by those who think killing cows will solve climate change. Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Their unconscious and unconcerned attitude gets on our nerves most of the time, whilst other times we envy the simplicity of their existence. This ride is exhausting, isolating and unnerving but there’s no way back, there’s no getting off, no stop button, no exit and no escape. One step after the other we must keep going, slowly learning ways to cope, to coexist and to enjoy each day as best we can, for these are days of our lives we are not getting back. 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Many of us have lost a lot along this road, but there’s something we gained that will give us the advantage when the time comes; we gained strength, we realized our own power and we embraced the faith that keeps us going. It doesn’t seem fair right now, but let’s not forget, we don’t seek fairness, we seek justice, we seek freedom, we seek sovereignty and we seek LOVE like the world has never seen before. The pain, the suffering, the anger, the exasperation, the sorrow, the frustration and the rejection we feel, is the price we must pay for what is coming. Bliss will be in the hands of the conscious, the truthful and the faithful. The ignorant just have a limited time to wake up before it’s too late. I hope they do. ?????????????????? end quote https://t.me/LauraAbolichannel 2 Thessalonians 1:4-9 We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. 7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. Everybody needs to stand firm and not lose hope. I'm even telling myself that I need to do this also. We have a world today that desperately needs Jesus Christ to deliver us from this madness. The only thing that we can do is continue to stand up for godly principles in the way we pray, bind the enemy, vote for godly platforms (Many so called Christians voted for demonic platforms in the last two elections) and speak to our fellow man about the things of God. Oh, by the way GOD WINS!!! this last spiritual battle where Jesus will get his message sent to every nation on this earth. He will also remove the lukewarm from his church of today. This modified church will make the devil tremble and perform miracles in a magnitude that has never been seen before. 06/13/2023 Have you ever thought about when God created us that he created us with everything we need. There is one room in our bodies that he leaves empty. This room was designed to bring glory to our King. We have the free will to decide what we want to put in there. It is a fact that if we decide to worship the devil that He can give us wealth, fame, and the life of luxury. All of this was not designed to fill this empty spot. Oh, don't kid yourself we can try alcohol, sex, and drugs to fill this area. We are still left with an empty depressed feeling. God calls it our heart. This is how he designed it: Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. This is proof that our heart brings glory to Jesus: Isaiah 26:8 NLT Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. This is what happens when you give your heart what it desires: Jeremiah 15:16 NLT When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Your heart is like the stones. If you do not let your heart worship our King, it will cry out: Jeremiah 20:9 NLT But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it! This is what happens when you put the right thing into your heart: John 14:27 NLT “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. When you have Jesus living in your heart, do not do anything to make him leave: 1 John 5:21 NLT Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. A heart filled with Jesus is true freedom: Galatians 5:13 NLT For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. This is what happens when Jesus is replaced with sin: Galatians 6:8 NLT Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. A defiled heart is asking for these two things: James 5:5 NLT You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. Jude 1:16 NLT These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. It is not easy to keep your heart clean, but we must start by being obedient to our King: 1 Peter 1:14 NLT So, you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. This verse fits 2023 in America: Jude 1:18 NLT They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. As a church we need to unite and stand against these evil people. A compliant church will always lose to the power of the devil because we never take a stand. As men and women, we can vote and speak up. On the spiritual side we can pray and bind the enemy. In order to live this life of power, Jesus must be residing in that once empty room. On a final note, do not ever doubt what you can do for God. Paul says it well: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT 26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 06/05/2023 Have ever thought about how well God did when he created everything including us. He even did it without my advice. When he finished creating us, he wanted us to become part of his plan. God gives us all talents and special abilities. These things were designed to bring us money to live on and to do things for the kingdom of God here on earth. Everyone of us have some talent that will benefit the Kingdom of Heaven. The problem we may develop is pride if we think God cannot do things without us. Even worse is believing that we can do everything on our own. David had something to say about this pride: 1 Chronicles 29:11-15 “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. Really, life is a gift from God. We need to humble ourselves when we begin to realize how fragile we are. I am alive today because God has a purpose for my life. There is no other reason. If we and our children are willing to continue to serve God with our whole hearts, the Lord will remain amongst us for a long time: Ps 103:17-18 NLT But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! We all need Jesus Christ and to develop a relationship with him. The Holy Spirit will help in this area. Let's not forget how we fit into God's plans. 04/27/2023 Have you ever thought about how much emphasis Jesus puts on the individual. Jesus would have come to this earth just for my sake to save just me. That is how much he loves us. The parable of the Sheep tells us his dedication to locate us and bring us back into the fold: Luke 15:1-7 NLT 15 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Unlike the Sheep though, Jesus will not drag us back like a Shepherd for the Sheep would do. We still have the choice to reject him and he would leave us alone. But he never really leaves us alone. He still hopes that we will decide later to let him bring us back into the fold willingly. Always remember though that tomorrow is never promised and if you do not make that choice before that day you will be separated and sent to the Lake of Fire. Zacchaeus is proof of one who accepts the offer of Jesus Christ: Luke 19:8-10 (New Living Translation) 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Just remember every time that person returns to the fold of Jesus Christ, the angels in heaven rejoice. This shows you how valuable you are that they would do this. It was hard to fathom that this is the whole purpose of Jesus Christ coming to Earth in the first place. 03/15/2023 Have you ever thought about what it takes to love like Jesus. Peter did in one of his letters. He created a list and I feel like it must be in this order: 1. Moral excellence 2. Knowledge 3. Self-control 4. Patient Endurance 5. Godliness 6. Brotherly Affection 7. LOVE Of course, there are seven steps. We know of the number 7 in God's Kingdom. 2 Peter 1:5-8 (New Living Translation) 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The amplified version adds a lot more detail to this verse: 2 Peter 1:5-8 (Amplified Bible) For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit]. For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot get up one day and love. It is a process and the work required to make Christ like love with greatly please our King once we implement it. Here are some more encouraging verses that show what love can do: Colossians 3:12 (New Living Translation) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Philippians 2:1-5 New Living Translation Have the Attitude of Christ 2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Our attitude has a great impact on what we can accomplish for our King like the last verse says: 02/27/2023 Have you ever thought about the God we worship. Many times, we worship based on how we feel. True worship is based on glorifying our King no matter how we feel. You are right when you say this may be a difficult thing to do. The Holy Spirit would love to help if we let him. Here are some verses that someone else came up with. I feel they make our worship purer: Psalm 51:15 NLT 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. Psalm 63:3 NLT 3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! Psalm 71:23 NLT 23 I will shout for joy and sing your praises, for you have ransomed me. Psalm 120:2 NLT 2 Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. Psalm 141:3 NLT 3 Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Isaiah 6:5-8 NLT 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” Psalm 80:18 NLT 18 Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more. Psalm 119:25 NLT 25 I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. Psalm 119:37 NLT 37 Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Isaiah 57:15 NLT 15 The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. Habakkuk 3:2 NLT 2 I have heard all about you, Lord. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy. Ephesians 1:17-19 NLT 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom[a] and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.[b] 19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power. If one keeps the flesh from tainting our worship, following these verses will bring the worship our King deserves. 02/02/2023 Have you ever wondered why sometimes it takes a long time for our prayers to be answered. It is not because God has not heard them. But it is many times like what's going on in Daniel's life: Daniel 10:12-14 NLT 12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. 14 Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” Paul talks more about this spiritual warfare going on: Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT The Whole Armor of God 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. We can prepare for ourselves but we cannot put the armor on other people. Our only option is to pray asking God to bind the devil so our prayers are not hindered. The enemy wants to make sure that every person you pray for fails. The next step that hinders prayers is unforgiveness. Jesus talks about this in Mark: Mark 11:25 NLT But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” If you pray for things that glorify yourself and put God on the backburner you may also see slow answers to your prayers. Make sure you believe it is possible that God can do it. Doubters will see slow response times to their prayers. Other times you may be doing everything right but since we serve an event oriented God, the timing may not be right. The other case is that he may be testing your faith. Whatever happens do not give up praying. Always look at condition of your own heart to make sure that it is not the problem. Jesus is ready but are we. 11/30/2022 Have you ever wondered why the church has become so gutless. A lot of it is because of the misunderstanding or ignorance of God's word. Timothy talks about not getting into a "foolish" argument: 2 Timothy 2:23 Again, I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. There is the reason why we need to read God's word to not make this mistake. Many people who think they know God will usually speak against those who truly know God's word: 1 Timothy 6:4 Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. This greatly weakens the church. If those people are sinning though Timothy has something to say about this: 1 Timothy 5:20 Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. This will definitely purify the church by getting rid of sin inside of the church. Even if you know the Bible better than anyone else, it is not a good idea to debate against everything that is said. I have heard people give the wrong part of the Bible where something was found. The message was accurate, but the location in the Bible was wrong. 2 Timothy 2:14 Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. But if you look carefully at the verse, it mentions foolish arguments. Anytime you stand for God's truth people are going to argue with you. The church is using this verse as an excuse not to say anything so that evil can have its way. They say, "If I speak up against this, I will just start an argument. If I stand up against abortion and I say why God does not like it. I will start an argument. When the world challenges your values, this is another thing where you may have to speak the truth. This is where the church avoided confrontation with no prayer in school, abortion, gay marriage, sexual identification, locked down churches and the freedom of speech. Their excuse is we need to show love and have compassion for these people. We want them to love us at God's expense. Many times Jesus was challenged to start an argument. One of my favorite ones were when they challenge Jesus about stoning the woman: John 8:6-11 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” Jesus took them on knowing he could start an argument, but he used the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to keep them quiet. Argument won The law said that she must be stoned but they knew that Jesus was forgiving sins and they tried to trap him by going against the law. His answer was, "Let the man who has committed no sin throw the first stone." Not a word was said, and everybody began leaving Jesus standing by the woman. Jesus still knew that she was in the wrong and told her not to sin no more. The next one I like is whether or not it is right to pay taxes. Luke 20:20-25 20 Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. 21 “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22 Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23 He saw through their trickery and said, 24 “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 25 “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” Even though Jesus knew it was a trap it did not stop him. His words silenced them. Argument won The abuse of this verse also makes the church weak: Luke 6:37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. In this verse people think that it means if I don't judge other people that I will not be judged. This is garbage: Matthew 12:36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. Do you know that if you see someone sinning and you decide not to do it because you believe it will not please God you are judging. A judgement is made every time you decide if something is right or wrong. What people don't understand about that verse is how we judge other people is going to be how we are judged. If we judge harshly, we will be judged harshly. If we judge in love, we will be judged in love. Do not misinterpret scripture to allow Coexist stickers to identify with fake gods because we are not to judge them. This a slap in God's face. We have to put what God wants over Evil and continue to judge what is sin based on God's word says. Let's make the church strong again. 11/23/2022 Have you ever noticed how it seems that when people are talking about God, they are referencing the Old Testament more than ever. The New Testament was the result of Jesus Christ coming to earth and dying for our sins. He started a new covenant. The Old Testament though still has so much to offer. The Old Testament shows what will happen to us when we do the things the Israelites did. Our sins can lead to the same consequences their sins did. If we were smart we would have learned from what they did wrong and avoid doing those things at all cost. The Old Testament also displays how God does things. He seems to repeat certain things he did based upon what events are going on today. Lately, Exodus 14 has been used a lot. The parting of any body of water is only possible by the power of our God Yahweh. But there are things that are present today that God is going to do that will be just as cool as parting the Red Sea. God is going to be separating the good from evil in this great spiritual battle that is going on today. This means even his church. Wokeness and closed doors have to go. Pay attention to verses 24 and 25. Not too many people bring this up but you notice that God after he parted the sea begin messing with the minds of the Egyptians. He was mentally messing them up. When you become fearful you begin to make a lot of mistakes. Exodus 14:21-30 New Living Translation 21 Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! 23 Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. 24 But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. 25 He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!” 26 When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.” 27 So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived. 29 But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. 30 That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. God is doing the same thing today with what's going on in our world today. There is so much corruption in our government just like there was with Pharaoh that God is messing with the minds of our corrupt leaders. I mean what's the odds of Hunter Biden's laptop being freely given to the public to expose what's going on. Even now God has use the FTX crypto currency debacle to expose our government sending taxpayer money to the Ukraine in turn they sent it back as crypto currency to fund our leaders special interests whether it was election fraud or just getting rich. Not only the Democrats did this but many Republicans have compromised themselves for the love of money. No wonder so many people were interested in sending money to Ukraine because of the agreement they made to send it most of it back as crypto currency. God is putting fear into these people's minds just like he did the Egyptians. Everything is coming together to expose what is going on. As the enemy tries to hide the truth, he is going to try to destroy the church and anyone who stands for the truth. These people are going to meet the same fate that Pharaoh experienced. God is going to do this. Psalm 21 talks about how God works: Psalm 21:8-13 New Living Translation 8 You will capture all your enemies. Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you. 9 You will throw them in a flaming furnace when you appear. The Lord will consume them in his anger; fire will devour them. 10 You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they will never have descendants. 11 Although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed. 12 For they will turn and run when they see your arrows aimed at them. 13 Rise up, O Lord, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts. We know that God is about to do more mighty things. There has been so much being exposed right now. It is so cool how God allowed Roe v Wade to be thrown out. The Covid 19 scamdemic was proof that they are interested in shutting all of our churches down and locking us down. The lockdowns have failed worldwide at preventing the spread of the disease. This is also being exposed. Some of you may be saying that this has been going on for close to a century now and God never did anything to stop it. A lot of this has to do with God's own church and our passiveness to come against evil. I guarantee if the church would've been strong and stood up against this evil, this would have ended long ago. Heck, if Christians would all just vote for the candidate that Jesus Christ would pick, this alone would end all a lot of these problems. We would have more God-fearing leaders. Just remember voting for a candidate is not glorifying your pocketbook. It is choosing the person whose values more closely represent the views of our God. Just remember Romans says that we all fall short when it comes to holiness so there is no such thing as a perfect candidate. It is our duty to do research on people we select. 2020 was the year where we had a godly platform and a demonic platform and many churches and Christians selected the candidate with the demonic platform. We cannot let our emotions control who we vote for. Things are different today. Many of God's people have gotten down on their knees and prayed that God would just would restore this nation. The pilgrims made a covenant with God that he still wants to honor. Jesus Christ still needs the resources of the United States to reach the rest of the world so that he can come back again. God's prophet Kim Clement predicted that there would be a man from New York who would become President of the United States and cleanup the swamp. President Trump has been already working on this with the help of the Holy Spirit in trying to clean this mess up. In the process of him doing this, the enemy is really getting nervous in what he has been doing. That is the reason there has been so many failed attempts on President Trump's life. What God is about to do is real for sure. Just think about the stories that you are going to be able to tell your children and grandchildren when this all comes to past. 11/17/2022 Have you ever noticed that money has the power to bring glory to the kingdom of God. It can be a curse at the same time. I am a firm believer that in order to determine what money is to God is based upon the condition of your heart. Does your heart reflect the kingdom of God? God has given me a ministry where money is used to help families in need. I give my buddy money every week to help two families that God selects. These families are in the ghetto of Denver. Most of the families have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ already. Lately, there has been 17 families that come together with the two new families. They are worshiping God when my buddy gets there. The one thing I love about blessing other people is what happens next. Their faith in God is renewed immensely. If the spouse of one of the family has not accepted Jesus Christ yet, they do when they see what happens when God performs a miracle. Another cool thing about blessing other people is that they began praying for you. My buddy witnesses this every week. They continue to ask God to bless me for what I have done. I do have to admit that I was never planning on doing a ministry like this. But after God got me started doing this, it has been amazing every time. Could you imagine if all the people you bless pray for you on a regular basis like these people do. What power those prayers can over one's life. I have noticed that other people have been exposed to what we have done in that area. Someone physically went in and donated time and money to build a basketball court for the kids in this neighborhood. This all occurred after we started doing this ministry for God. I don't know if you guys have ever read the Robin Hood series on how Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor. We have done the same thing. We have stolen from our selfish desires and given money to people in need. It is cool to be known like we are the Robin Hood of the ghetto. These people have no idea who I am. I can walk by any one of them and they would not recognize me. Likewise, we feed gangs every week. God has us feed them not only to show his love but they have trouble debating with my buddy when their mouths are full. So he is clearly able to read the word of God to them while they are eating. All gangs realize that no one uses their own money to feeds anybody for free. When this happens they begin to ask questions. They eventually began turning their lives over to Jesus Christ because of the love we show by feeding them. So this is proof that money can be used to glorify our King. The gangs and the people in the ghetto call me blue Mustang. I've always wanted to upgrade my current Mustang to a GT500. I could easily stop feeding the families and the gangs and get one of those today. But if I would do that I would miss out on all of God's blessings that he promises. In Malachi 3:10 he promises that he will blow the doors off your barn if you give unto him. But sometimes this still means waiting. The more that you give the more that he gives. With God it's never a one-to-one relationship. He can greatly outdo anything that I could give him. So I am waiting on his timing when I am going to be able to get one. But my number one priority is to continue blessing families and changing the lives of the gangs we come into contact with. After all our command is to go out in the world and bring love and message of Jesus Christ to the masses. If I decided to go to the ways of the world, my money would only serve my glory. There is definitely no satisfaction in that. First John 2:15-16 talks about the love of the world. I can replace "the world" with the word "money" and I would not change the meaning of the verse at all. Money is used today to commit all sorts of iniquities. It is amazing what people will do to get it. 1 John 2:15-16 (New Living Translation) Do not love (this world->money) nor the things it offers you, for when you love (the world->money), you do not have the love of the Father in you. For (the world->money) offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this (world->money). Paul's letter to Timothy also deals with the problems the love of money can generate: 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. Money can influence even those in the church. Peter talks about the false teachers how the love of money is more important than them giving an accurate account of what God's actually says: 2 Peter 2:15 They (false teachers) have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice. So if our main goal is making money, we cannot see this: Psalm 119:18 (New Living Translation) Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. If money is your goal this verse below will translate: Psalm 119:143 (New Living Translation) As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. "As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find it harder to make more money." There is nothing wrong with money but it should be avoided if you think it makes you look cool at the expense of our King. Do not let money or anyone take you away from serving God. Peter had something to say about that: 1 Peter 2:15-16 (New Living Translation) It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Remember we a representatives of Jesus Christ. Let's not put money ahead of him. 1 Peter 3:18 (New Living Translation) Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 08/26/2022 Have you ever thought about how God made us. We all have talents. Each talent he gives us is designed to be used to worship him. Those talents can also edify the body as Paul says: Romans 12:4-5 (Good News Translation) We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. The enemy plans out ways to get us envious of other peoples talents. I love our worship teams but the enemy will tell you that your talents are miniscule. He than will tell you how cool you would look on that stage. This is the reason God strives to get us to have Kingdom hearts so we see our talents the way he does. There are many people who serve God behind the scenes and they are storing more treasure in the Kingdom of God than those getting earthly recognition. Your talent is needed to complete Christs church. The next thing we have to realize that God calls us to do certain tasks. If you are not called by God to do it you may get hurt. On Tuesday I went to a meeting that was interesting but I was in there for three hours and I was too stiff to drive home. It was nearly 9pm but the evening was beautiful. I decided to take a walk and headed east. As I passed the Chase building I noticed the homeless there. One guy was laying on the cement like he was already asleep. I said to myself that my buddy would go a get these guys some pizzas but I was not sure of myself that this was wise so I continued walking. The minute this thought crossed my mind God woke my buddy up and said, "Get 4 pizzas and take some pillows, blankets and the clothing bag you have. Head over to the Chase building in Greeley." My buddy questioned God about which one. God just said just get going you are wasting time. He was really confused when God said I was involved. I later found out the guy on the ground had a knife and God warned my buddy about it. The other homeless there saw the pizzas he was carrying and mumbled to that guy laying down not to do anything stupid because we get to eat. When my buddy aproached that man he commanded, "Be still in the name of Jesus Christ." That man was physically paralyzed with fear and immediately promised not to stab anyone again as he handed over the knife over to him. They all had good manners as they ate. They then asked if he had any extra clothing. That is when he brought out the extra pillows, blankets and clothing. The guys in the park noticed what was going on and they also came over to eat. God always make sure he has enough. My buddy never wastes an opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ to anyone. Some of them gave there lives to Jesus Christ that very night. You see, I may have been stabed if I would have gone over there. Even taking that walk was dangerous but since I was barefooted, they thought I was homeless. They continued to watch but did not come after me. I have been called to financially support God's ministries and to write to help strengthen our walk with God. Yes, I would like to experience what my buddy sees first hand. But I have learned that what I am doing is pleasing God and I get to hear the reports from everyone. I have been putting stuff up to make people laugh. This is important to Glorify God by what I do and I have been called to do this. My buddy on the other side has been called to face the pistols and knives to bring Jesus Christ to the gangs, cartels, prostitutes and people on the streets. Everyone needs to find out what ministry God has called you to. Don’t worry God sometimes waits until we get older. God's events determine when God calls us. With all that is going on today God is calling his army so be ready. That means you! 07/18/2022 How many times in life do we get into trouble because we do not listen. I have seen this on the highways where people head out into storms and get stranded when they were told to stay home. God tells us to stay away from things like pornography and we do not listen and get addicted to it. Listening may not be just hearing but also from reading God's word. The deaf listen by reading. When God speaks he can be drowned out by earthly things. We then have no idea when he is talking to us. We need to expect him to say something. When he says something then the next step is to JUST DO IT. James has a lot to say about this. James 1:19-27(New Living Translation) Listening and Doing 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. [How many times does this get us into trouble? This is where the expression insert foot into mouth comes from.] 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. [This may mean turning the TV off and start hanging around people who love God.The world filters out God's word with its word. ] 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. [The church has fallen into this trap. Abortion, homosexuality, pedophilia and other sins are ignored because we do nothing about it. We do not want any turmoil in our lives so Let's ignore it. ] 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. [See, there is Blessing when we remove what the world offers.] 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. [Many times what comes out of our mouth is the only thing people see of Jesus in us and who he is. This is the hardest one to keep but is possible with the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are not born again it may be time for you to commit to this. JUST DO IT.] 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. [This is when you begin to figure it all out.] As we listen to our King and do what he tells us, our life becomes this: Psalm 119:7 (New Living Translation) As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! 06/03/2022 How we speak to each other has a great impact on both parties. Many times when we become frustrated with life we speak harshly to our spouse or even friends. This in turn can create anxiety or tension in the other party. Even worse, a lost friendship. Solomon is right: Proverbs 15:1 (New Living Translation) A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. If I keep my tone down it is more difficult to upset the other party. Soft tones keep friendships. If I raise my voice to my wife she will resent me. But using a soft tone saying the same thing will keep the tension to a minimum. James knows a lot about our tongue: James 3:1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. I remember the movie "Star Wars". They would always talk about the power of the Force. I think our tongue has even more power then the fictional Force described in the movie. Our tongues can set the world on fire for Jesus Christ or advance the enemies foothold on our lives. We have a choice to make but never silence. What, you say that, "I am just going to be quiet to prevent inserting my foot into my mouth." Look what happens in silence: Job 11:3 Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed? We are to stand up for our God and speak about Jesus Christ to others. How can we lift up Thanksgiving to our King if we are silent: Psalm 30:12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. Removing prayers from schools and abortions strong foothold are a result from silent Christians. Our continued silence has resulted in gay marriage, transgender behaviors and church lock downs. God gave us tongues to bring his message of Jesus Christ to the world; so speak up so people can hear you. The Holy Spirit will speak to the Father through our tongues and we do not want to stop that either. We need to follow this: Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words 05/23/2022 Have you noticed today that advertising is always based on Me, Myself and I. The Advertiser directs their marketing skills towards our self-centered desires. Paul message is just the opposite: Romans 15:2 (New Living Translation) We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. In Romans 15:3 it reminds us that even as powerful and awesome as Jesus is, he came to serve. Why do we think we are better then he is by having the world revolve around us. We need to make a heart change to take the focus off of us and look towards others in the area of serving God and disciplining. We need to encourage one another. The Holy Spirit is willing to help in this area. He knows the thoughts of everyone. He can Reveal details on other people's lives to assist you. Pray that he will show how to build these people up. Again, read God's Word to understand more about Jesus and what he stands for. There are mysteries in God's word that the Holy Spirit gives us. But you have to read it before he can Reveal it. 05/10/2022 How often do we examine our own life. We know that Jesus Christ forgives our sins and forgets them. He never leaves us either. This action is to be mimicked by us as Christians. That is why Paul wrote: Ephesians 4:32 (New Living Translation) Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. This pleases our Lord and encourages. It does take love to do this. Sometimes people can drive us nuts. But in the end they will see Jesus in you. If you envision walking in the footsteps of Jesus you will feel ashamed of not following what Paul wrote. This is exactly what Jesus does every day for us. 05/05/2022 Have you noticed the breakdown in the morals in the United States. When they removed prayer in the schools in 1964 things started to decline to the point that abortion was legalized. This was the beginning of the breakdown talked about in Hosea: Hosea 4:6-7 New Living Translation 6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. God warned Hosea what would happen to us when we began to forget who God is and what he stands for. He also warned what would happen to pastors who have know idea who he is. God will reject you and shut your churches down. He is only interested in pastors who speak the truth. That also goes for us fathers. We need to speak truth to our children. No wonder we are starting to miss out on God's blessings. Teaching is important to God. Just look at some of these verses: Jeremiah 8:8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the Lord,” when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies? Jeremiah 8:9 These wise teachers will fall into the trap of their own foolishness, for they have rejected the word of the Lord. Are they so wise after all? Matthew 5:20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Matthew 23:13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. Matthew 23:15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! This is something to think about when we bring someone to the Lord. We need to know who God is to be able to disciple them.
