Thoughts ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZONPRTOFF dateof comment Look Inside Data Conditions:Order: 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16| Dateof Comment 05/26/2024 I am beginning to feel like we do not worship our King in the manner he deserves. When I see how the men and women in the ghetto worship God, I know there is a lot to learn. Let's first look at what the dictionary says about worship. It can be a noun or verb. I know that my God is a God of action and I feel that is the type of worship he is looking for is the verb. noun reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage: They attended worship this morning. [The example sentence the dictionary used does not mean much if the heart is not in it.] adoring reverence or regard: excessive worship of business success. Synonyms: idolatry, adoration, homage, honor the object of adoring reverence or regard. verb (used with object) , wor·shiped, wor·ship·ing or wor·shipped, wor·ship·ping. to render religious reverence and homage to. to feel an adoring reverence or regard for (any person or thing). Synonyms: adulate, idolize, glorify, adore, revere, venerate, honor verb (used without object) , wor·shiped, wor·ship·ing or wor·shipped, wor·ship·ping. to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity. to attend services of divine worship. to feel an adoring reverence or regard. I feel the latter verb is used too much by Christians. We attend worship services without God or the Holy Spirit in the mix. This is not the way our sovereign God designed worship. Paul talked about worship with Timothy: 1 Timothy 2:8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. This means get your attitude right when worshiping the King. Paul also tells us what not to do in the next two verses with false worship: Colossians 3:5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Ephesians 5:5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. This is how the families do it in the ghetto. We need to model these three verses: John 4:23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. John 4:24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Philippians 3:3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, Other than if the sun is shining in your eyes, it is a good idea to remove your hat. After all you are a crafted specimen created by God. Don't cover up his work. 1 Corinthians 11:7 A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. Until we give our bodies unto him, we may never experience real worship. It will always be fake. Romans 12:1 A Living Sacrifice to God And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 14:6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. I have been given ministries by God. I would fail if he was not in the middle of it. I want to make sure that he gets the glory and the victory or else: Acts 12:23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So, he was consumed with worms and died. Always look into your past to make sure something is not hidden like unforgiveness or vows, or your worship will be like this: Malachi 2:14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows. I really think God likes women because he keeps reminding me about how we need to behave to our wife. If Jesus Christ lived as example to us, we should do the same just because it is right. As we close remember that a synonym to worship is "honor". I firmly believe that anything that glorifies the name of our King is worship. Your heart reveals to God what type of worship you are giving him. The people in the ghetto spent over three hours worshiping God. All the families shared the wonders of what God is doing in their lives and asked for prayer. None were looking at their watch because they scheduled their Saturday for God. Now that is the heart of worship. 05/21/2024 I don't know if you are like me but sometime I just get tired of waiting for all of God's promises to come. I feel the whole world is against me. Even those of old had these feelings Psalm 119:84 How long must I wait? When will you punish those who persecute me? Thanks to all of your prayers I have never felt like this guy: Psalm 69:3 I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. I bet you know what I am going to say next. Yep you are right it all has to deal with faith. Faith requires us to wait on God. As you begin to understand how God works you learn why things take time. It still sucks having to wait. I do know if we get to excited and get outside of Gods timing we can mess things up for ourselves and other people. It has been nearly 4 years with all the stupidity going on. This verse is interesting and still works today. I do believe it is getting close: Daniel 12:12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days! Psalms also talks positive about waiting: Psalm 27:14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. This tells us that God is at work for those that wait: Isaiah 64:4 For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! Waiting allows God to help us: Jeremiah 14:22 Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain? Does it fall from the sky by itself? No, you are the one, O Lord our God! Only you can do such things. So we will wait for you to help us. Lamentations 3:26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord This next verse shows how much God is waiting on us. He wanted to give people time to repent. Plus God would look stupid sending the rain before the boat was finished. It would have sunk. Imagine that 120 years for him to wait for someone to repent and they still did not. 1 Peter 3:20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. Look at what Abraham did: Hebrews 6:15 NLT Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. Also remember what happen when Abraham did not wait on God as planned. God's word is designed to give us that hope and encouragement to wait. This does require us to read it to get the technique down: Romans 15:4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. While we are waiting on God's promises lets do this to distract ourselves: 1 Corinthians 1:10 (New Living Translation) I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 05/20/2024 This world likes to kick old people out to pasture. It is true that it is difficult for the older to perform strenuous tasks. That is why you never see someone playing pro football at 50 years old. It is the same in the job world where they want those over 60 to retire because of possible medical issues and higher wages. This is a big mistake because God has given the older generation of his children wisdom: Proverbs 20:29 NLT The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old. Psalm 92:14 NLT Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Joel 2:28 NLT The Lord’s Promise of His Spirit “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. All of these verses show that old people are valuable to God. God is actually using me more now in my older years then when I was young. God said, "Bless my children in the ghetto." Because of this his children there know how to worship God amazingly. Many churches should learn from them how to worship from the heart. God also said, "Make my people in law enforcement and fire laugh. While you are at it, make my college students laugh also." This is all proof that we are never too old to benefit our King. I am planning on staying on this path until my King leads me down a different one. All I know is that if that happens his other children will be blessed. It is a result just because of the love our King has for his kids. Here are some thoughts to close with: Romans 15:5-6 (New International Version) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is an amazing promise: Hebrews 6:10 (New Living Translation) For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. 05/17/2024 Rush Limbaugh use to drive the Liberals nuts because he would say "I have talent on loan from God." It is funny because it did drive them nuts. But it is also true. God has given us talents to be used to further his Kingdom. It has only been in the last 5 years that my King has been putting all the things he had me learn from the time I left high school to complete his plan. That has been a long time for me. I can do some amazing things with computers to further Gods plan. But check out me compared to who our King is: Ecclesiastes 11:5 (New International Version) As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. He definitely has me beat on this one. It gets worse as we read on. Romans 11:33-36 NIV 33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” 36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Definitely not much of a comparison to our God who gave me everything from my talents to my finances. Everything is his already. Even though verse 35 says "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?", I still believe in: Malachi 3:10 NIV 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Let us close by remembering: "For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. 05/15/2024 There never has been as much uncertainty as there is now. Stupidity is rampant and God is low on the totem pole of today's culture. God has something to say to you if you are worried about what kind of world you and your children will be left with. Psalm 103:17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children. [Proof even our children are covered. Bring them up in the ways of Christ and release them to our King.] The last time I checked God was still on the throne and Jesus was there mediating for us. I like what Jesus prayed over those who are obedient: John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Never forget about the original verse on fear: Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. David saw how God never left his presence: Psalm 34:7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. Psalm 118:6 The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Make sure you have not lost your love for the things of God. This brings fear: 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. It does require faith when you read these verses that God will make things happen according to the events that he has planned. Remember this verse: 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by faith, not by sight. [Strong faith brings hope into our journey on earth. When faith dies so does hope.] Sight can deceive what is actually happening. CGI is everywhere making us feel fake is real bringing fear into our lives. Studying who God is will reveal what is fake in our lives. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is key to winning the battle and that he has got this situation under his control. I hear that God laughs at the dumb stuff the enemy pulls. This tells me he has no worry about overcoming anything the enemy may come up with. Even though we go through trials our King has not only protected us, but our children are also under his protection. Trust him and continue working towards a Christ like life. 05/14/2024 Christians show the cross as a symbol to who they are. Did you ever look at a cross really close. The cross itself represents what Isaiah said would be the type of death that Jesus would have to endure when he completed his ministry on earth. But what else do you see. That cross is empty. Jesus was removed, placed in burial clothes and placed in a tomb. In some ways, the tomb should be our symbol because that is the place Jesus took the keys from Satan and conquered death. The tomb was also where Lazarus was raised from the dead: John 11:44 NIV The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” When Jesus released his Spirit on that cross death was being conquered: Matthew 27:50-53 NIV 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. I am thankful that most Christians do show a cross that is empty. But in many of the Catholic churches you will see Jesus still hanging there. One thing I do know is that when you are hanging on a cross it is physically impossible to conquer death. That cross still represents the suffering he endured for us and that should never be taken lightly. Because our God is so Holy Jesus Christ was necessary before anyone could stand in the presence of the Father. Everyone from Adam on had to wait for what Jesus was going to do. We are fortunate that Christ already paid that price and we do not have to wait. But we have to acknowledge him as our Savior before this can happen. Matthew 10:32 NIV “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Luke 12:8 NIV “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 05/09/2024 As we serve God we may come up with dreams of our own. These dreams may be honorable, but they just never seem to materialize. I am beginning to realize that God has dreams of his own. He uses his children to fulfil his dreams. Unlike our God who is an amazing multitasker we are not. When we divide our attention between his dreams and our dreams, we experience an efficiency drop in our performance on the things God asks us to do. We need to remember that God's dreams grow as we mature. He will give us more responsibility and possible expand into other areas. But we cannot grow if we are pursuing our own dreams. For example, we have a ghetto ministry. where we are serving his children in the ghetto. I thought it would be cool to start a ministry in the Fort Collins area for the same class of people there. My dream really has not materialized because he needs my full attention where I have been planted. We need to fulfil God's dream first. It's not that he doesn't value people in Fort Collins but his dream for me is the people in the ghetto down in the Denver area. He is wanting to bless these families. I totally understand why. These people are amazing in the way they worship God. We all know that God is spiritual in nature. These people have figured out how to worship God spiritually. There is no time in heaven and in spiritual worship there is also no time. When we truly get into worship no one checks their watch. No one is concerned about what time it is. God loves people who focus in on him and are not worried about their own agendas. That is one reason God wants to make sure these people are taking care of because they know how to honor our King. Peter sums it all up: 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. He wants to bring honor to his children in the ghetto and he wants to bless their needs. He needs my full attention to accomplish his desire. Let’s give glory to our King by shelving our dreams and fulfilling God’s dreams first. 05/07/2024 If you are like me, you come across verses that we need to work on. This is one of my verses: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I cannot say that I am always in that joyful mood. Sometimes I am ready to let life just have it. I do have to admit that the people who pray for me help keep joy in my life. Jesus Christ himself is a good reason to have joy. Making a positive difference in the life of God's children also brings joy into my life. I guess if I would never talk to my wife, it would be doing the same thing to God if I did not pray frequently. Talking to your wife in an honorable way frequently builds relationship with her. So, it is with God if we want relationship with him, we need to talk to him frequently. I do have to admit that I am in most circumstances thankful but not all. Sometimes if things are not working right, it is more convenient to come up with four letter alternatives to use on the circumstance that is failing. This is why Paul said, "Never stop praying". This will develop a habit to instantly start praying when circumstances fail. 05/05/2024 We are entering into a time when prayer is needed more than ever. I talked about it some in February 2023 but prayer is big topic. Prayer is only between God and the individual and God and his body. God is required to make the equation work. Even the Holy Spirit talks to God through prayer. Make sure your prayers please our King: 1 John 5:14-15 NLT And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. Matthew 6:5-7 New Living Translation Teaching about Prayer and Fasting 5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Matthew 7:7 Effective Prayer “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. Some things in life can only be conquered by prayer: Mark 9:29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” Paul says that we need to be persistent in our prayers. The Holy Spirit can lift things up to God that we may forget: Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Colossians 4:2 An Encouragement for Prayer Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Notice that staying alert is mentioned in both verses. The human filter can block the hearing or seeing from God. We need to concentrate on what we are praying and be ready when he answers. Colossians 1:3 Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praying in an audible voice when you are by yourself praying works: Hebrews 5:7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Jesus knew what we would do when he quoted his prayer Matthew 6:9-13. 1st he knew that God could become a routine. He wanted us to keep his name fresh and always have reverent fear for Yahweh. 2nd he wanted to see what Joel 2:28 predicted to save as many people as possible. 3rd he knew the importance of surrender to the will of God. 4th God Loves the thankful heart. God wants to hear it from your mouth. 5th He also knew that our sin nature requires asking for forgiveness. But why should God forgive us if we are not willing to forgive others. 6th In order to win in a spiritual battle, we have the power to bind the enemy, but we must declare it in the name of Jesus. The easiest way to get away from the enemy is when he is bound. Matthew 6:9-13 New Living Translation 9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need,[a] 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b] but rescue us from the evil one. I am not good at fasting, but I do know that if you want to supercharge your prayers, you will see a radical performance increase when fasting is included. 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!!! 04/27/2024 I was watching Flashpoint the other night and I was appalled when I saw how the enemy has overtaken all the ivy schools in the United States. When the ivy school started, they taught biblical principles while giving the students an education. Over the years, the enemy has infiltrated the faculty who intern are indoctrinating the students to make them anti god. I watched as woke students were preventing a Jewish student from attending class by blocking his route. He tried to walk around them, but they moved as he moved. These same woke college students are also into pronouns, abortion, racism, and everything else that is contrary to God. I firmly believe that they read the Bible and do everything just the opposite of what it says. I do know that all colleges are not like this. I happen to minister to a college in Denver that's just off I-25 in the middle of town. Those students are meeting twice a week to talk about Jesus and encourage other students to come. They even do some laughing. I know some of the history of some of these students that they are bold. Some of them when they were in high school challenged their principle for not bringing his bible to school because he felt that was inappropriate. That student mentioned the fact that Jesus would ask him why he did not have his bible when he went to school. It made him think about “I am too embarrassed to take my bible to school. My King may be too embarrassed to represent me in front of the Father.” That challenge made him start bringing his Bible to school and he began to stand up for godly principles and God. You must be bold in an environment that has the tendency to look away from the things of God. It is a privilege for me to serve the students in this university. They are a dream of mine that has come true which is to love the older generation because of the stories that we have to talk about the things of God in our life that will encourage them. I love them too because of their youth which makes us feel younger just because they are young: 1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Our youth will eventually be running this country and I want them to be able to run it better than my generation is. I may not be able to change the world, but I can start here with this generation of students. My prayer for these students, faculty members, and the future college students that will be coming is that God will continue to make them bold in the things of God and they will continue to want to bring other students into the Kingdom of God. And God as they bring glory and honor to your name that you bless them in their careers and marriages as they grow older. Continue to give me the words to encourage and train them in living a Christ like life. God continue to give me honorable material so I can make them laugh. I know that everyone likes a good mystery, but it would be cool to someday meet the coolest students on the planet. After all God would not have me here if you were not cool. 04/23/2024 We all know that the primary reason Jesus came was to replace the old system of animal blood sacrifice with his. Jesus paid the final price for us. Isaiah 53:5-6 (New International Version) But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NLT O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:20 (New Living Translation) My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Jesus does so much more than just cover our sins. He has a lot of titles besides being our high priest: 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV) For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. What is a mediator? The definition is: noun a person who attempts to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement; a go-between. What is interesting are the synonyms: arbitrator, arbiter, negotiator, conciliator, go-between, middleman, intermediary, moderator, intervenor, interceder, intercessor, reconciler, broker, honest broker, liaison officer, peacemaker, umpire, referee, adjudicator, judge. Jesus does all of these things for us. Now we need to do this for him: Philippians 1:29 (New Living Translation) For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. This is the pattern to know how to follow Jesus: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 GNT 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, 17 so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. 04/20/2024 I don't know if you've ever had one of these discussions with God where you say, “Lord things are just not working out. I am getting tired of struggling with finances. I am going to have to stop what I am doing until circumstances improve.” What do I mean by this? It seems like Malachi 3:10 effect just seems to die off. Malachi 3:10 NLT 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! When I first started doing things it seemed to work out. There was money to buy silver, spend on families and gangs. Even though I could not splurge on anything there was always excess money in reserve which I always acknowledged as the Malachi 3:10 effect. Now we have high inflation and lows prices which lowers my income coming in. The cash reserves are dwindling, and it's looks like it is becoming impossible to continue to support God's ministries. God had a humorous way of answering what was going through my mind. I like to listen to Kent Christmas because he talks about the things that God's doing in our corrupt and evil government to expose what's going on. I began to realize that his message would be more for me. Just like me, he started out at a certain place before experiencing Malachi 3:10. At first, he was working with a $40,000 in the checking account. God turned this into $5 million without asking for donations. The next thing he brought up is God is now looking for people with exemplary faith in what he is about to do. Kent’s goal is to affect Nashville Tennessee for Jesus Christ. To do this God is having him put up a bigger building for the people to come. He is planning on during construction phase that there will be times when the checking account will be empty. Like he said God is looking for people with exemplary faith. This requires us trusting in what God is going to do. The sad part about all of this is if our faith is not strong enough, we're ready to abandon ship even before that moment occurs. We all know that God is never late but very seldom is early either. But he always comes at the right time. So, we need to give God the time he needs to do what he wants. And we need to prove to him that we are willing to wait on him. Kent believes that God is going to provide all the financing through his people and the ungodly. God has revealed that this is coming: Proverbs 13:22 NLT 22 Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly. We serve the God of the impossible. When it comes to our finances continue to put him to the test. Unless we gamble or spend our money foolishly, we will see Malachi 3:10 occur in our lives again. Even knowing what is going on it still is not fun to go through this. This is what God is looking for: Romans 5:4 NLT And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 04/18/2024 Our constitution guarantees us to have the freedom of religion. The only problem with the freedom of religion it also allows foreign gods to be accessed into our country. It should have said the freedom to worship "Yahweh". If you read Exodus 20 you'll find out that that the current form of our constitution is not acceptable to our King Exodus 20:3-6 NLT 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. When you read the Old Testament you can see how many times Israel was destroyed worshiping demonic gods. America is in danger of seeing the same kind of judgement. Well, what can we do about this? We know that if we go out and persecute other religions we are no better than they are. Our God is a God of love. Jesus would try to bring the message of God to the people first and convert them to the Kingdom of God. If we would live like Jesus Christ people will see what it's like to serve Christ and will want what we have. But we should do everything in our power including prayer to discourage foreign gods from entering our country because the curse of the Old Testament is on every nation who worships foreign gods. Our money, homes and cars all have a purpose but they too can replace "Yahweh" as our God. Jesus also knew this and that is why he said: Matthew 6:33 NIV 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Jesus wanted to make sure we have our priorities "right". You notice I did not say "left". 04/17/2024 There is not a lot that is said in the bible about debt. These are the only two verses that I could really find that related to debt. Proverbs 22:7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. Romans 13:8 (New Living Translation) Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. There is a lot to be said to not owing anything to anyone. Since there are no payments coming up there is nothing to spend your money on but on future things that may come up. The ministry I have in the ghetto would be really tough or next to impossible if I had payments that I would have to make on things. The next best thing to not owing money to anybody is the ability to say "no". It is amazing how fast your money builds up when you say "no" to almost everything. Time will prove that you did not need or really want that. Why else do we have garage sales. Eventually there are things that you can justify buying and have fun with it. I will spend money on those things, but I am never going to be pushed into getting anything because someone else has it. Contentment is one of the greatest gifts that God can give us. Contentment can bring peace. Never be so content that you become lazy. It is good to earn money to bless others and have a drive to keep the things operating that our God blessed us with. America is one blessed nation. Our poor people are wealthier than 80% of the world. The covenant that our founding fathers made with God and the fact we give more than any other nation is why we are so blessed. Malechi 3:10 works for nations too. 04/15/2024 This is definitely one of the most powerful verses in the bible. If you are living in the world you will struggle with this because of your fear of what others may think of you. But if your heart is truly in God's Kingdom you will be excited to do everything it says: Romans 10:9-10 (New Living Translation) If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Yep, you will be wanting to bring up the goodness of Jesus Christ in every conversation you have so people will know where you stand. And you will not care what others may think. Make sure you never take love out of the equation. This is what makes us different from other religions that bore hatred if you are not one of them. Pay attention to the word "openly". Paul used it twice. 04/13/2024 Why God are you letting me get screwed like this? Have you ever asked this question to yourself before? This sums things up in one paragraph: Faith doesn't always take you out of the problem, Faith takes you through the problem. Faith doesn't always take away the pain, Faith gives you the ability to handle the pain. Faith doesn't always take you out of the storm, Faith calms you in the midst of the storm. Ask the Holy Spirit for greater faith: 1 Corinthians 12:9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. Continue to let Love live: 1 Corinthians 13:7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Paul wants everyone to encourage each other to finish their own battle: 2 Corinthians 1:24 But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm. Make sure your faith is God based: James 1:6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. When we go through storms: 1 Peter 1:7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. Pay special attention to this part of the verse: "So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." You are not alone ever: 1 Peter 5:9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. There are even supplements you can take for faith: 2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT 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. For others who are in extreme difficulty: Jude 1:22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. The purpose of faith: Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 04/08/2024 God actually created us to do good works, but our good works cannot cover the screw ups we make. Paul reminds of this many times: Romans 3:23 NLT For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. This one confirms that we were created to do good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. James also confirms Paul: James 2:26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. It looks like sitting on the couch and watching movies all day is not in God's plan. We need to be where the people are reflecting and talking about Jesus Christ. That brings Glory to his Son. One of the most dangerous things we can do is to be thinking about all the good things we have done in our life. This takes focus off our King and exalts our personal life to the point that we believe we have earned that spot into the Kingdom of heaven. One thing I like about Paul is his life that he led under Jesus Christ. It shows me that we are nothing without Jesus. When he was counselling Timothy in his second letter, Paul knew his time was up on this earth. Only Jesus Christ can deliver a peace that his letters reflected to Timothy. Jesus came for all of us. He wants all of us to have that peace Paul had while we do good things for our King. 04/06/2024 I always like this verse because it looks like John 3:16 Part II. I really believe if we are developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that we will also develop a love for our brothers and sisters. John asks that we should want to lay our lives down for them: 1 John 3:16 NLT 16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If our relationship with Jesus Christ is weak, it will probably prevent us from even wanting to make a sacrifice for someone else. This verse confirms this: 1 John 4:19 We love each other because he loved us first. 04/05/2024 We all know that this is the plan that the Old Testament talked about: Ephesians 1:7 (New International Version) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. This may surprise you, but I believe God envisioned this when he created Adam: This is Laminin. The molecule Laminin is the protein that holds all human beings together. Did you notice its shape? It’s a cross! Isn't it amazing that God knew we would need the cross when He created us. He knew when He created us that we would sin. He knew we would need a Savior. He knew His only Son Jesus would have to die on the cross to save us, and so He made the very molecule that holds our entire bodies together in the shape of a cross. Molecular biologists call Laminin “the glue of the body,” because without it, our bodies would fall apart. The truth is, without Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, our whole lives would fall apart. Colossians 1:17 says that Jesus “is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Jesus is the one who holds our lives together, just like Laminin holds our bodies together. Without Jesus, our lives are a mess. We are nothing without the cross of Jesus Christ!
