Hearing from God

Romans 14:23b for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Inside each of us there is the voice of God to tell us about sin. As a preacher I have wasted countless hours trying to define sin for myself and others. This voice of God is clear, concise and leaves nothing out. So, why do so many people seem to be deaf. The Lord desires for his people to follow him in love, not be-grudged obedience. If we truly love God we will pay attention to his voice.......are you listening?

7-31-2015      Luke 8:9-15

S.       9And his disciples asked him, saying, what might this parable be? 10And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

O.      Jesus explains the parable to his disciples.

A.      I am glad that the Lord does not want me in a place of misunderstanding. Most problems in life can be explained. I will listen to the explanations to gain understanding and promote unity.

P.       Father; open my understanding and expand my patience that I may find unity with you and my fellow man. Amen. 

Is God Smiling?

This is not a time of panic and fear, worry and grief, hate and anger. This is the day of preparation, repair and renewal. Jesus is coming to catch away his Bride. We must be ready and watching. Fill your mind with his word, his promise and his faith. Repair your broken relationships. Renew your soul in the Spirit of forgiveness. Joy will fill every corner of your being as God smiles upon you from his throne.

7-28-2015      Luke 7:40-50

S.       40And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.41There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.44And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.48And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.49And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?50And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

O.      Jesus forgives a woman her great sin.

A.      I must never see sin as “big or little”. I must forgive all sin against me, and learn how to treat people as if they had not sinned.

P.       Father; grant me divine help to forgive and to release all bitterness, grudge and hate. Teach me to love as you love. Amen.

7-29-2015      Luke 8:1-3

S.       1And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, 2And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 3And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

O.      Women are included in those that ministered to Jesus and his Apostles.

A.      God calls who he will whether man or woman. I shall not follow man-made rules concerning the role of women in the church.

P.       Father; give me discernment of the Spirit as to who you have called and the self-called. Amen

7-30-2015      Luke 8:4-8

S.       4And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

O.      The parable of the sower.

S.       I must sow the seed of God’s word, some will produce a crop and some will not.

P.       Father; guard me from discouragement and fear that I may keep on sowing your word. Amen.

Restore

I enjoy seeing old things restored. Cars are my favorites. I would like to see some old relationships restored. The world is changing at a very rapid pace and I am not at ease as to the direction we are headed. Building, or should I say re-building, the best things from the past would be my choice. Not to fill some great museum but to relax in the tried and true. Jesus is soon to return.

7-27-2015      Luke 7:36-39

S.       36And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 37And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touched him: for she is a sinner.

O.      The feet of Jesus are anointed by a woman with a bad reputation.

A.      Jesus knows the heart, the reason and the motivation behind all we do. I seek to have a pure heart and mind in my serving of God.

    P.       Father; create in me a pure heart and a clean mind and teach me how to accept and love                     others. Amen. 

Overcome evil.....with Peace!

More killing, more violence and more hate is the news of the day. There is a famine in this land. The missing element is peace. How do people who are about to die at the hands of Isis keep their faith? They are filled with peace. Peace is the evidence of a pure heart, clean mind and a sanctified soul. After walking down this path of faith for over forty years I still find myself needing more peace. I worry too much, I fret too much and I complain too much. God has given me every need along the way, healed my body, lifted my head, restored my vision and cleansed my soul. My peace is hurt when I focus too much on the news instead of on my Savior. Yes, this world is in sad shape, but my Lord has overcome this world and he will help me overcome as well.

7-24-2015      Luke 7:18-23

S.       18And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.19And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? Or look we for another? 20When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? Or look we for another? 21And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

O.      Jesus sends word back to John of who he is after demonstrating his power.

A.      I must live my faith by my actions, my deeds and by my words.

P.       Father; you have given me power to live a victorious Christian life. Teach me your values and increase my faith. Amen.

Jesus is soon to return......YES

Jesus is real and he will soon return for his Bride. I believe this with all my heart, mind and soul. I want to be ready and watching for this blessed event. Many times I become so involved in the events of a busy life that I forget about the world outside and all the crime and hate. But then I watch the news and I am reminded. I don't panic or dread because I know God and my faith tells me that he will never leave me or forsake me. I see the signs, I know the truth and it all says: Jesus is coming.

7-23-2015      Luke 7:11-17

S.       11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.15And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.16And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, that a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.17And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

O.      The dead is raised.

A.      I was dead in sin and Jesus raised me to life. I will tell the world of my glorious Saviour.

P.       Father; thank you for the knowledge that even the dead can be risen. Thank you for your love, mercy and grace. Amen. 

Treason

We are at war with terrorism since 9-11. The world's terrorist are funded more from Iran than any other source. Mr. Obama wants to release billions of dollars to our enemies in Iran and help them build nuclear weapons. The Congress will be voting over this treaty in the coming days. They will decide the fate of all man-kind in this vote. Obama is guilty of treason and should be treated as such. I pray for our leaders each day, even Obama, and I still see "blind leading the blind". Speak to the congress Christians! Don't be silent......for silence is consent!

7-21-2015      Luke 6:46-49

S.       46 and why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

O.      How Jesus feels about obedience.

A.      I must be a doer and not just a hearer. This is where I got my saying from: You are what you do, you do what you are. There are consequences to all that we do, or don’t do.

    P.       Father; fill me with love, joy and peace as I empty my life into your work. Amen. 

Evil must be Stopped!

Speak out all you that call yourself Christian. Speak out in your prayer closet. Speak out before your family. Speak out to your neighbor. speak out in the market.Speak out to your elected officials. Speak out to the world.
Tell of the excellence of our our Saviour. Tell of the plan of salvation and our deliverance from sin. Tell of the risen Jesus. Tell of the soon return to redeem the watching and prepared bride. Tell of the splendor of Heaven.
We must also speak out about the evil that is here. The evil that is killing, destroying and robbing man of his opportunity to receive grace. The evil deeds in racial disorder. The evil deeds in political maneuvering. The evil deeds in religious trappings. The evil deeds in family relationships. The evil in the silence of many.
Evil is just as real as the God in whom we trust. Speak up Christian!

7-20-2015      Luke 6:45

S.       A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

O.      The source of a man’s words.

A.      I must speak as a good man. My heart must be good. Only God can create in me a good heart.

    P.       Father; cleans me from sin and create in me a pure heart that I speak good things. Amen. 

Sinner or Christian?

Are you a Christian or are you a Sinner? I hear many people say that they are both. How can this be? Jesus died to set man free from sin and erase all record of sin from the repentant soul. Jesus never refers to himself or to his followers as sinners. None of the Apostles ever refers to Christians as sinners. If Jesus says that he came to set us at liberty from sin, why do we oppose him and call our-self sinners? This must be deception. We know that "as a man thinks in his heart, so is he". So, if we think wrongly we will act wrongly. So, right thinking will lead to right actions. What are you then, a sinner or a christian? You can't be both!

7-2-2015         Luke 6:21

S.       21 blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

O.      Hunger and tears are replaced with fullness and laughter.

A.      Salvation is an exchange process. Here Jesus gives me food (to be full) and joy (to laugh) to begin the thinking process I must embrace to live as a Follower. (Christian or Disciple)

P.       Father; teach me how to think. I know that the word says that “all things become new” and I need to think about myself in a way that will be in proper alignment with your word. You have exchanged my sin for salvation. I must not think of myself as a sinner, but as a redeemed, made new, cleansed and holy child of God. Help me Lord, for I am weak. Amen. 

God's Broken Heart

God is weeping over America. This is not a God fearing country any more (if it ever was). Man's law is perverted. The freedom we brag about is only a sham and disgrace. We are under multiple dictators all hiding behind judicial robes and political position, immoral self proclaimed leaders, enemy's of freedom and fairness. God will hold each of these judges and politicians accountable. "To whom much is given, much is required". I pray for these poor, deceived souls........for the night comes.

7-1-2015         Luke 6:20

S.       20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

O.      God’s kingdom is for all!

A.      Poverty is not a socioeconomic factor in God’s kingdom. All people have the same standing, love and opportunity to overcome sin and enjoy rich fellowship.

P.       Father; help me teach what real poverty is to this up side world. How that money has little to do with poverty. I am thankful to be your son and enjoy rich fellowship. Help me to encourage everyone I meet. Amen.