O God, deliver us from the fear of man. Remove the pride from our hearts, so that we may see that Your opinion of us is the only one that matters. Remove the blinders from our eyes so that we will see the lost souls around us. Help us to see that they are sinking into an eternal hell while we sit by and watch, paralyzed by the fear of what they might think of us if we tried to warn them. Help us to see that this life and all of its attractions does not count for anything. So what if we miss out on what this world can offer us. Give us a holy boldness so that we will fearlessly snatch others from the mouth of hell. O God, deliver us from the fear of man!
Amen.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Get Real!
It is time that we were truly honest with ourselves, and with God. Many of us have been fooled into thinking we can have the ways of this world, and still have Jesus. We think we can be one person in church on Sunday, and another person during the week.
We might have fooled ourselves, but God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7). He desires us to be truthful on the inside (Psalm 51:6). Many of us in fact are LUKEWARM! We are on the fence! God is about to vomit us out of His mouth (Rev 3:16).
Get real with God! Get off the fence! There is no middle ground in the Kingdom of God. It is all or nothing. Get the sin out, get the compromise out!
Jesus is waiting for you. He stands at the door of your heart (Rev 3:20). He longs for you to return; to let Him back in. He wants to forgive, to restore, to pour His mercy down on you.
Get real with God.
We might have fooled ourselves, but God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7). He desires us to be truthful on the inside (Psalm 51:6). Many of us in fact are LUKEWARM! We are on the fence! God is about to vomit us out of His mouth (Rev 3:16).
Get real with God! Get off the fence! There is no middle ground in the Kingdom of God. It is all or nothing. Get the sin out, get the compromise out!
Jesus is waiting for you. He stands at the door of your heart (Rev 3:20). He longs for you to return; to let Him back in. He wants to forgive, to restore, to pour His mercy down on you.
Get real with God.
Friday, April 4, 2014
What's Worth Living For?
Only one life will soon be past
only what's done for Christ will last.
This life will soon be over. The years go by faster than we care them to. We spend the years cramming as much as we can into life, and then it is gone forever. In eternity, one hundred years is as a vapor, if we are blessed to live that long, and then we stand before God.
What will it really matter then? What will all of our accomplishments matter? What will it matter then how much money we made? What will all of our hobbies and pursuits matter? What about all of the entertainment we now enjoy? All the time spent in front of a screen will not matter in God's eyes. All the leisure time, all the money spent to pamper ourselves, will not matter.
Only what we have done in this life for Jesus Christ, will count on the day we stand before Him!
The time spent in prayer for the lost, the time spent witnessing for Him, the time spent in fellowship with Him, these are the things that matter now! Do we live for Him? Do we really love Him? Do our lives show it? Do we obey His commands, or live in disobedience?
If most of us would be honest with ourselves we would probably find that most of what we do is done for ourselves with little or no regard for God. We would find that we are to a large degree self seeking. None of that will stand on that day when we stand before God. All that we do, even that which is not wrong in and of itself, for any reason other than for God and His glory, is done with wrong motives. If we would take this seriously, we would find that our lives would be simplified greatly, and our walk with Christ would be renewed.
May God help us to turn around and begin to live for Him, and Him alone. May He get a hold of our hearts so that we will seek first His kingdom and righteousness. May God have mercy on us.
only what's done for Christ will last.
This life will soon be over. The years go by faster than we care them to. We spend the years cramming as much as we can into life, and then it is gone forever. In eternity, one hundred years is as a vapor, if we are blessed to live that long, and then we stand before God.
What will it really matter then? What will all of our accomplishments matter? What will it matter then how much money we made? What will all of our hobbies and pursuits matter? What about all of the entertainment we now enjoy? All the time spent in front of a screen will not matter in God's eyes. All the leisure time, all the money spent to pamper ourselves, will not matter.
Only what we have done in this life for Jesus Christ, will count on the day we stand before Him!
The time spent in prayer for the lost, the time spent witnessing for Him, the time spent in fellowship with Him, these are the things that matter now! Do we live for Him? Do we really love Him? Do our lives show it? Do we obey His commands, or live in disobedience?
If most of us would be honest with ourselves we would probably find that most of what we do is done for ourselves with little or no regard for God. We would find that we are to a large degree self seeking. None of that will stand on that day when we stand before God. All that we do, even that which is not wrong in and of itself, for any reason other than for God and His glory, is done with wrong motives. If we would take this seriously, we would find that our lives would be simplified greatly, and our walk with Christ would be renewed.
May God help us to turn around and begin to live for Him, and Him alone. May He get a hold of our hearts so that we will seek first His kingdom and righteousness. May God have mercy on us.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Elijah, a man just like us.
Elijah stood against the idolatry of Israel in the days of Ahab and Jezebel. At his word it did not rain for three and a half years (1Kings 17:1). This was God's judgment against His backslidden people.
After three and a half years of drought and famine, the word of the Lord came to Elijah once again. He was to show himself to king Ahab, because God was about to send rain (1Kings 18:1).
Before God could send rain, the people had to repent of the sin that had placed them under the judgment of God. They had to put away their idols, they had to chose whom they would serve (1Kings 18:21). In a remarkable trial by fire, baal was proven to be no god at all, and The Lord God was shown to be the one and only God (1Kings 18:20-40).
With the sin dealt with, Elijah prays for rain. Seven times he sends his servant to look before he sees a cloud the size of a man's hand (1Kings 18:42-44). This cloud grew until the sky was black resulting in a heavy shower.
You may look at this biblical event, as well as other miraculous accounts, and feel that God only used special people to do extraordinary things. He used "super apostles" like Paul, and the disciples to do amazing things.
The bible tells us that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (James 5:16-18). He was no different than you or I. God has chosen each one of us to do things for Him in advancing His kingdom. Some are pastors, teachers, evangelists. Others are witnesses in the home and in the workplace. The passage in James 5 is talking about prayer. We need men and women with the kind of faith that Elijah had when he prayed down fire, and then prayed down rain.
God desires to send the fire of His Spirit to cleanse and purify His people. He desires to send the refreshing rain of His presence to a dry and weary land. He is not looking for a great individual to use. He is looking for an individual full of faith, and willing to be used in any way.
God will send revival. Will it come through you?
After three and a half years of drought and famine, the word of the Lord came to Elijah once again. He was to show himself to king Ahab, because God was about to send rain (1Kings 18:1).
Before God could send rain, the people had to repent of the sin that had placed them under the judgment of God. They had to put away their idols, they had to chose whom they would serve (1Kings 18:21). In a remarkable trial by fire, baal was proven to be no god at all, and The Lord God was shown to be the one and only God (1Kings 18:20-40).
With the sin dealt with, Elijah prays for rain. Seven times he sends his servant to look before he sees a cloud the size of a man's hand (1Kings 18:42-44). This cloud grew until the sky was black resulting in a heavy shower.
You may look at this biblical event, as well as other miraculous accounts, and feel that God only used special people to do extraordinary things. He used "super apostles" like Paul, and the disciples to do amazing things.
The bible tells us that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (James 5:16-18). He was no different than you or I. God has chosen each one of us to do things for Him in advancing His kingdom. Some are pastors, teachers, evangelists. Others are witnesses in the home and in the workplace. The passage in James 5 is talking about prayer. We need men and women with the kind of faith that Elijah had when he prayed down fire, and then prayed down rain.
God desires to send the fire of His Spirit to cleanse and purify His people. He desires to send the refreshing rain of His presence to a dry and weary land. He is not looking for a great individual to use. He is looking for an individual full of faith, and willing to be used in any way.
God will send revival. Will it come through you?
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Religion of the Heart.
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah. "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies-
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
Isaiah 1:10-18NASB
Many individuals are content to worship God with mere lip service, and through countless rituals. They somehow believe that God looks down on all of this and is pleased. They feel that this all God requires, and they are then free to live as they please.
All of the countless rituals, all the empty praise and meaningless prayer, are nothing more than an abominable stench before God. God is looking for hearts that are inclined to Him. He desires our devotion, our commitment of all we are and have to Him. Everything must flow out of a loving devotion to God, out of a passion for Him and His glory.
Those practicing a mere external religion lack that love to God, and love to their neighbor that is required. God desires justice and mercy, and that must flow out of the heart that has been touched by His love and mercy.
We often use the words of verse 18 as a call to the lost to receive salvation, but in the context, He is calling His backslidden people to repent and come back to the "religion" of the heart that pleases Him.
It is no different today. God still desires the worship of those who are truly redeemed. He desires praise that flows from a heart filled with reverence and awe. He desires the deeds done in love, and for His glory. He is looking at the heart.
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
Isaiah 1:10-18NASB
Many individuals are content to worship God with mere lip service, and through countless rituals. They somehow believe that God looks down on all of this and is pleased. They feel that this all God requires, and they are then free to live as they please.
All of the countless rituals, all the empty praise and meaningless prayer, are nothing more than an abominable stench before God. God is looking for hearts that are inclined to Him. He desires our devotion, our commitment of all we are and have to Him. Everything must flow out of a loving devotion to God, out of a passion for Him and His glory.
Those practicing a mere external religion lack that love to God, and love to their neighbor that is required. God desires justice and mercy, and that must flow out of the heart that has been touched by His love and mercy.
We often use the words of verse 18 as a call to the lost to receive salvation, but in the context, He is calling His backslidden people to repent and come back to the "religion" of the heart that pleases Him.
It is no different today. God still desires the worship of those who are truly redeemed. He desires praise that flows from a heart filled with reverence and awe. He desires the deeds done in love, and for His glory. He is looking at the heart.
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