Three Martyred in the Philippines in January 2010!

When thinking about my Christian faith I am often faced with the fact that faith in Jesus Christ is not a popular thing in the world. Hostility is increasing daily over Christianity by many different groups, but the largest group is Muslims.

In January 2010, a group of an estimated 15 or more heavily armed Muslim men attacked a couple of farmhouses while the families slept. In one house at around 9:40 pm in the evening these hardcore haters of Christianity opened fire and three of the four people were killed and one wounded.

Hector, Norberto, and Lyneth lost their lives in the name of Christ. These Muslim extremist who do not fit the profile which many world leaders would like for us to believe about the Muslim faith as being peaceful are just the opposite. Their desire is for all Christians to perish off the face of the earth. They want the livestock and property of Christians around them and will kill to get it.

This is only one of hundreds of incidents like this which cost a fellow believer their life. Here in the land of the free and home of the brave are we willing to share the gospel of Christ with those around us even if it places our lives under the threat of torture, imprisonment or even death? Think about this as you ponder your faith today. How far are you willing to go? Many of us may not really know how we would react in a similar situation, but we do need to count the cost of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

No matter what transpires in our lives here in the United States of America, we can rest on the true words of Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

To see the full story at VOM and videos, go to the Persecuted

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Our Confident Hope!

Our Confident Hope
By Scott Bailey

Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

"God provided us with His Word written down throughout the ages to reveal who He is, who His Son is, the amount of gracious immeasurable love He has for His people, and how to live a real authentic eternal life. Although, the biblical words are ancient, they are still as relevant today as they were four thousand years ago. Further, history which has taken place since the Bible was written also, has been preserved and recorded for our instruction. We can rely on the historical value found in God’s word.

These ancient words are still, even today, the best counselor we could ever want. Through patient meditation and enduring study of the Bible we find hope weaved into the fabric of ever passage. These Scriptures are there to not only instruct and give direction, but also, to encourage, to sooth, to calm, to restore us, and to bring us great comfort in the hope delivered within.

For centuries tyrants have been attempting to get rid of God’s word. However, the Scriptures continue to endure the test of the times. The Bible is still the most widely distributed book in all the world of all times. The very words contained within its pages are guarded meticulously by the Holy Spirit. He does not allow it to be distorted, abused, or altered away from its original contextual meaning. Each writer who contributed to the Holy Bible we have today was spiritually inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit. The contributions span over several thousand years, but all connect together as though written at the same time. God guards His Word.

Our ultimate desire in reading, studying, and praying over the Scriptures is the hope found within the pages of God’s Word…the Good News that although we are condemned to eternal death because of our sin, God made a way for reconciliation by the justification in Jesus Christ dying for our sins. Furthermore, the fact Jesus came back to life after His death, and eventually was taken to heaven to be at the right of the Father. The Good News is found in no other and so there is no hope apart from Christ death, burial and resurrection.

Our ultimate goal is to be in heaven for all eternity with our Lord. Our hope is that the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ will find us no matter what state of sin we are in. Hope is looking forward and upward with a unique God given desire when placing ones loyal trust in another. For the Believer, we are placing our loyal trust in Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Our hope is an inner joy and confidence with the expectation of our external salvation which is only found in Jesus Christ!"

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Salvation found in Christ!

"Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. Unless one places their loyal trust in Jesus Christ that He in fact did die for our sins, was buried and did come back to life eternal three days later…unless one believes Jesus was and is who He said He was and is, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told about the narrow path leading to the small gate. The small gate is Him and the narrow path leading to Him is the only way to heaven. Reference in Matthew.

The full and complete gospel is this:

-Starting with Adam, we have been a depraved people separated from God in need of salvation otherwise we all have been doomed from that time until today as a ruthlessly sinful people. As Scriptures tell us, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Furthermore, it is appointed that each person die once. After this is the judgement of God.

-God made a way though for our sins to be atoned for and forgiven through His Son Jesus Christ by voluntarily going to the cross for us and dying. This was determined by the grace of God. Grace is simply this…unmerited favor of God.

-However, the good news does not end there. Jesus did not stay dead. God brought Him back to perfect life in three days. He conquered death for us by rising from the grave. We celebrate this each year called Easter.

-The best news is that Jesus Christ sets at the right hand of the Father reigning as our Lord and King. He is there as the filter by which God the Father sees us. He cannot look upon sin, but Jesus made it possible for God to look at each of those He elected to be saved.

What does this mean for you? If you place your undivided loyal trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior today, your eternity with God starts at that moment. We are immediately justified by Christ actions on the cross. The rest of our earthly life is our sanctification. But God will make sure His people endure to the end.

Realize this, not one of us will ever be good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven apart from Jesus Christ as our mediator between the Father and us. So, if you want help with this you can stop right where you are and place your trust in Christ today.

You must first admit before God you have been a sinner, that you cannot on your own merits gain salvation. Tell God with His intervention in your life you will forever change the sinful direction you are going now called repenting of our sins. Then tell Jesus you are trusting in Him today to save you and your are making Him the Lord of your life forever more. Thank Him for the salvation you just received. This must be done from a heart that is serious. It is not mouthing a prayer, it is not walking an isle to the front of a church, and it is not living a good life. Salvation is placing your true authentic trust in Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior. From this authentic life, you will ultimately desire to be holy and bring God glory with your life. Yes, we will make mistakes along the way, but our underlying desire is to please and obey God.

I would encourage you if you have trusted in Christ, to seek out a good Bible teaching and preaching church, read your Bible daily, and pray often.

Amen and congratulations to those who have given their life to God."

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Don't Wait!

When we put off forgiving others it is never a good thing. The regrets just mount up like piles of mud on our heart. A verse of Scripture crossed my path this morning and a wonderful little story to signify the purpose not to let your forgiveness be filed away for some other day.

Jesus reminded the people, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." -Mark 11:25 (TEV)

It was a cold winters evening when an older man in his seventies suffered a serious heart attack while shoveling snow from his sidewalk. He was immediately admitted to the local hospital. He was then treated at once in the emergency room to stabilize him and placed in the ICU room for observation.

Once the man gained his "where-abouts" he motioned for the nurse to come to his side. The nurse quietly asked, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

The man replied, "Can you call my daughter to simply let her know what has happened? She is the only family I have left in this world"

The nurse said she would and went to her desk to make the call.

As the nurse made the call the daughter answered the phone. Once hearing the news the daughter, Donna, became very upset at the news. The daughter nearly shouting into the phone while crying told the nurse, "You must not let him die. Dad and I had an argument over a year ago and I have not spoken to him since. My last words to him were "I hate you!" and I stormed out of his life. For nearly 15 months I have wanted to go back to him and beg his forgiveness, but just put it off. Please, don't let him die until I can get there to see him. I'll be there in about thirty minutes."

As the nurse hung up the phone and walked towards the patients room she notice the alarm going off in his room and staff from everywhere running into the man's room. He had gone into a full cardiac arrest. For nearly twenty minutes solid they tried everything from jump starting his heart to adrenaline in his veins, but nothing would revive him. The old man died just minutes before his daughter could arrive to see him.

As the nurse was cleaning up the area around the man's bed, she noticed the daughter outside talking to the doctor. She was visibly upset. The nurse went to speak with her to help console her. She could see the pain and anguish on the daughters face. A since of failure and hopelessness was welling up inside the daughter, Donna.

Donna began to explain how she never hated her daddy, but always wanted to be approved by him. She did not want to go another day without his forgiveness for their argument months before, but just never got around to going to see him. Now, it was too late. But she insisted on going in to him one last time.

The nurse thinking why put yourself through more anguish lead the daughter into the room. Donna walked on over to his side and buried her face into the sheets of the bed sobbing and crying loudly as she convulsed on the bedside.

The nurse trying not to watch this exhibition of anguish and sorrow noticed a piece of paper and pencil on the night table next to the bed. She made her way around to where it was and picked up the paper to read it. As she read it, tears began to roll down her own face and she handed it to the daughter to read. It was a quick and scribbled little note that read:

"My Dearest Donna, I do forgive you. I pray you will forgive me. I know that you love me. I love you too. -Daddy"

The story for these two ends here. The tragedy of guilt and shame of what could have been comes to mind here as we ponder the thought of forgiveness earlier in this father and daughter relationship. The simple answer to this story is "Don't wait!".

"Forgiveness is man's deepest need..." -Horace Bushnell

The ability to forgive is a gift from God and He intends we use our gifts everyday.

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Grace out of nowhere!

"The grace of God is His unmerited love for His people proven through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ."

Ever thought much about the grace that brought you to the cross and delivered you into eternal salvation through Jesus Christ? I never thought much about the details, just always understood it was God's grace which is simply God's unmerited favor towards those who will Believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Well, this brings me to a little story I wanted to share.

A little over one hundred and fifty years ago in a rather large community of England a huge prospering church had started three smaller mission churches on the outskirts of town. These churches happened to be in the slums and more poor areas of the community. However, often they would gather at the mother church for one large communion service. People from every church would gather at one location to observe the sacraments of communion.

At the alter area where a communion rail was set up you would have former thieves, burglars, rapist, murderers, bankers, lawyers, doctors, housewives, etc all lined up observing communion together. On one particular special service event a young pastor observed two people taking communion side by side at the rail.

He knew the background behind both men. Neither of these men seemed to realize they were even next to each other at the communion rail. However, the pastor certainly did. You see the one on the left was a Supreme Court Judge out of England. Next to him was a former hardened criminal described further as a thief. This judge had sentenced this thief to several years in prison years before. Now, they are both at the same table, kneeling before the same God in communion.

The story goes on to tell us the burglar or thief once out of prison was converted to Christianity shortly after that. His life change was proven in the years of Christian work and the fact he had left the old life of being a thief behind.

After this particular service, the judge and the pastor were walking home together when the judge ask the pastor if he knew who was kneeling at the communion rail beside him on his right.

The pastor was stunned at the question, because he had assumed the judge hadn't noticed. "Yes I did", said the pastor, "but I didn't think you had noticed."

The two walked along in silence for several more minutes when the judge spoke, "What a miracle grace is."

The pastor replied with a simple, "Yes, what a wonderful grace."

The judge assuming the pastor did not understand his meaning asked, "But to whom do you refer?"

"Well, of course to the conversion of the thief!", the pastor confidently replied.

The judge quickly came back with, "I am not referring to the thief, I am speaking of myself."

The pastor stopped walking and with squinted eyes said, "You're thinking of yourself? I certainly don't understand what you are talking about."

The judge gently begin to explain, "Yes, I am referring to myself in this matter of grace. You see, it didn't cost the thief very much to get converted when he was released from prison. I am not downplaying his conversion, I am speaking of the amount of grace upon the thief. I mean, the thief had nothing but a history of burglary, stealing, thieving, and so on. He could only respond to Christ with a big YES when Jesus came calling him. He had nothing within himself to fall back on to keep him from it. But look at me and my life on the other hand. I was born into a family who were Believers, they brought me up in the church, they taught me from early on in my childhood to be truthful, not steal, to be an upstanding person in the community. I mean I went to Oxford University and received all these wonderful degrees eventually becoming a judge. So, pastor, I want you to understand that nothing but grace could save a person like me. Only the grace of God could make me admit I needed a Savior. Only grace could penetrate such a snobby heart to see that I was just as bad a sinner as any person I had put behind bars. Pastor, it took more grace to bring me to salvation than the thief I was kneeling beside at the communion service today."

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."

Interesting view of the grace of God isn't it. Do you understand what it took to bring you to salvation? I feel much like the judge. To bring an upstanding person to the throne of grace is such an odd thing, but yet it is still unmerited favor with God. I don't deserve His grace or His salvation anymore than anyone else does. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

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Forgiven & Forgotten!

"What a tremendous gift from God it is when we are able to forgive and let go of others ills against us - forigve & forget! This is the way our Lord deals with us, when we genuinely ask for forgiveness in repentance, God forgives & it is as if we never committed the sin which made us an enemy to Him in the first place.

I read a story the other day about a young seminary professor who would always introduce his New Testament class with a story from his past.

He and his dad were close and one day he told his dad a lie which hurt his father deeply. For years this young man grew older, but let the lie go unresolved. Guilt built up inside him about the lie and eventually a sense of tremendous remorse began to knaw inside of him. So, finally he sat down and wrote his dad a letter.

In the letter, he reminded his dad of the incident which he lied to him in case he did not remember. He explained in genuine tone his remorse over the lie and asked forgiveness without any explanation or excuse for the lie. The man went about his days when fairly quickly a reply letter came from his dad. It simply read, "Sure I remember the incident and YES your are forgiven!".

To the son this was a tremendious weight lifted from his shoulders as he had carried the weight of the unresolved lie for years. The further payoff came many years later when his mother and father both were much older, became ill, and died within a few months of each other.

He was the oldest child, so it was he duty to go to the parents home and start the process of sifting through their belongings. He ventured into the attic and found an old trunk with many momentos they had kept throughout their life together. Everything that was really precious to them monitarily was in that trunk.

As he was wiping tears away at the memories his parents had kept from he and his siblings childhood years, he came across that letter he had sent to his dad asking his forgiveness. He wiped the tears back, opened up the letter to re-read what he had written. As he turned the letter over on the backside was written in his father's own handwriting a word "FORGIVEN!" and it was underlined. His father had forgiven him and when his dad was done with something and beyond he would write it down and underline it meaning "finished".

By the letter being in that old trunk of mementos, with the word FORGIVEN written on it was his dads way of saying I have no unfinished business in this trunk. This was a tremendous gift his dad had given to him not only at the time of the reply letter, but years later when he found the letter as a treasure and the word FORGIVEN written on it. His dad had relinquished all traces of the hurt, the resentment, and the bitterness over the years.

In the same way, our heavenly Father will forgive us when we are genuinely remorseful and repentent before Him. I understand from my own experience, we sometimes need to ask for forgiveness from someone, and at other times we need to simply forgive someone and let go of the hurt and pain they might have caused. Either way forgiveness whether given by us or received by us is a gift from God to be treasured. God is here to help us in either situation.

In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus tells us, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." This is speaking about an attitude of heart and action from that attitude.

Geroge Herbert once wrote - "He who cannot forgive others breaks the brdige over which he must pass himself."

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It's Who You Know!

I ran across a great little story I wanted to share today.

"During the Civil War, a young soldier walking over a battle field came across a dear friend who had been shot. His life was rapidly draining from him. The concerned soldier straightened his shatted limb, washed the blood from his fallen comrade's face, and made him as comfortable as possible under the most difficult of circumstances. He then said he would stay by his friends side as long as life was still in him. At this moment he asked his fallen friend is there was anything he could do for him.

"Yes," replied the dying soldier, "if you have a piece of paper, I will dictate a note to my father and I think I can still sign it. My father is a prominent judge in the North and if you take this note message to him at any time he will help you."

The note simply read, "Dear Father, I am dying on the battlefield; one of my best friends is helping me and has done his best for me. If he ever comes to you, be kind to him for your son Charlie's sake." With rapidly stiffening fingers, Charlie signed his name.

After the war, the young soldier in a worn out uniform sought out the prominent judge. The servants at the house first refused to admit him because he looked like many of the other war veteran tramps coming by the judge's home for free handouts.

He made a ruckus and insisted he see the judge at once. Finally, the judge hearing the commotion out front of the house, came out and read the note. At first, he was convinced it was another beggar's trickery and appeal. But the judge studied the signature and even in its scribbled state he was still able to recognize it as his own son's signature.

The judge embraced the veteran soldier, led him into his home and said, with tears coursing down his cheeks, "You can have anything that my money can buy and everything my influence can secure."

What brought about the sudden change in the judge's attitude? It was the signature of his son, Charlie, affixed to the bottom of that note. It was the father-son relationship that made all the difference.

There is an old saying in our world, "It's not what you know, but who you know that counts!"

This same principle holds true in the spiritual world as well. All the knowledge in the world will not help you as you approach your heavenly Father, but your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, His Son, will open to you all kinds of possibilities! It's not too late to make right the relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who will in turn provide you an access to the throne room of heaven before His Father!

J. Hudson Taylor once said, "All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for Him, because they reckoned on His being with them!"

At the moment we know the Son, we instantly are known by the Father too. In John 16:23 Jesus says, "In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

It is who you know that counts eternally.

*Story adapted from the book "Moments for Fathers" by Robert Strand

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We are declared new & we are being made new...daily!

"God is in the process of transforming us into the same image of His Son Jesus Christ...this process is also known as "Sanctificaiton". "What joy the gospel gives me! I can approach the throne of God with confidence-not because I've done a good job at my spiritual duties, but because I'm clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ." -CJ MaHaney

So, stop spinning plates as the monks do & renounce our self-righteousness behavior...boast in the achievement & work of our substitute & Savior Jesus Christ. We shouldnt be trying to smuggle a holy character into the free grace of God.

To clarify a couple of things that are confusing to most people including me:

Justification is being declared righteous. This is our position before God permanently ours at the time we are converted. Justificaiton is immediate and complete at conversion because of the Person Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross and resurrection. We cannot be more justified before our holy God in the future.

Sanctification is the process after our salvation which is us being made righteous...this is until we go to be with Him in heaven. We are daily being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. It is our practices which continue while living here on earth. Remember, Justificaiton is the declaration, and Sanctificaiton is the process. We can become more Sanctified each day but not more Justified. The motivation for our Sanctification is based a grace filled obedience to God.

Finally, Justificaiton is objective because of Christ's work for us on our behalf. Sanctification is subjective because it is Christ continual work in us throughout life.

A brand new Believer in Jesus Christ is equally justified as any great saint in the past who lived for Christ fifty years or more...they are on equal ground. Because in the sight of God we are either completely justified or completely condemned...depends on our trust in Jesus Christ or not.

to read exerpts from my newly published book "A Pilgrimage Through the Wilderness" goto The Pilgrimage Book

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The Way is Narrow into the Kingdom!

"Jesus also tells the listeners John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He
is the ONLY way to the Father in heaven. This goes against
everything a secular humanistic people are brought up to believe. How
can this be? “I thought all I needed to do was walk an isle in a
church, repeat a little prayer after the preacher and boom, I am
in the family”.... for more go to Pilgrimage-Wilderness.

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Post from A Pilgrimage Through the Wilderness by Scott Bailey

"Confession time is in order here. I still have times when life just
piles on top of me more than I can handle. It weighs me down to my
knees to the point of crying out before God. There is no way I can see
God if..." to read the rest go to A Pilgrimage Through the Wilderness" by author Scott Bailey

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Strange Humiliating Situations

An exerpt from A Pilgrimage Through the Wilderness"

"God places us in humiliating situations in strange ways, but it is
necessary in order for us to understand the importance of total denial
of our self and total obedience to His commands. Self-denial is
described in many ways, but most vivid is we are to murder everything
about ourselves which gets in the way of obedience to God. Whatever
we do, say or think that draws our desires from doing what God wants
us to do should be spiritually mortified. The wilderness experiences of
professional trapper, Hugh Glass and God’s commander on the
ground in Egypt, Moses, came at what they would tell you a “strange
time”. As Believers, however, we must embrace the wilderness
experiences as a purposeful part of God’s sovereign plan. God’s plan
is to use us in the advancement of His kingdom and His greater glory.
We must yield ourselves to this season of life when we feel lonely,
traumatized, in horrific pain, bleeding from our exposed flesh, so
hungry our ribs are showing or thirsty. The strength, direction, and
ability to learn are planted deep within us by God Himself and when
needed, He will draw out of that well." -A Pilgrimage Through the Wilderness

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Taste His Goodness & Thirst For More!

Have you ever tasted the goodness of God after a long thirsty spell, and yet once the thirst was quenched by God Himself, you end up thirsting for more? We are never completely aware of how much grace we need from God, but once tasting His goodness we find He has more waiting for us & wants us to desire Him even more. Read Ps 42:1-2

It is amazing to me how thirsty we can get even after having just drank our fill from a never ending stream of water. His grace never stops flowing as I continue to thirst for Him even when I have been filled. Most of us lack that authentic burning desire for our Triune God, but He wants to be wanted! In His sovereign ways He will move us to thirst after Him mostly by pouring out His grace all over us. Also, His mercies are delivered to us fresh each morning many times even as we sleep. How could we ever not want our God after experiencing His gracious goodness...it makes me thirst for Him even more!

It is a spiritually dry land we live in today. People are starving for what God can give them yet they are drinking from every fountain in town except the one fountain that delivers a never ending stream of fresh water...Jesus Christ!

So, just a deer pants with his head hung low for a fresh stream of water to quench his dry thirsty mouth, we too must come to God with this same humble desire to be quenched in the fountain of His never ending love.

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Our Hypocrisy Shines Through Our Externalized Religion!

The Hypocrisy Jesus was talking about: "You use great , wonderful words, but you don't mean them. You talk about love, but you don't love. You talk about forgiveness, but you don't forgive. You talk about acceptance, but you don't accept." Too 'churchy' in word w/out sincerity at heart can externalize our religion. It is right attitude along with right words that count.

People outside the church have been listening to our empty words for decades and want nothing to do with our church or religion at all, because they heard us talk about loving them, but only received a bunch of stiff necked hypocrites. They were different than we were, they heard from the church we should accept those different, but all they received was snobby nosed outwardly religious zealots. We cannot influence the world around us as a church if we are praising with our lips while our hearts are stone cold towards the people we are claiming to minister to. The church has little affect today because of such hypocrisy.

For Reference: Mark 7:6-7 "Jesus replied to the Jewish leaders saying, 'Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vein; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

For me, I must watch the very words I use to make sure they match up with my heart. Do not be mistaken though, truth must be said. Sin is still sin in the eyes of God and God will not overlook our sin apart from the blood of Christ covering our life. But my challenge for 2010 is to deliver my words with more emphasis on grace than of anger. A persons words can sure be mistaken for hatred when delivered in the wrong way. Grace filled truth penetrates a person's heart much faster with more effectiveness than vile empty platitudes.

"Lord, I must confess my own times when I have suffered from the sinful illness of hypocrisy by worshipping outwardly, but my heart was dry as dead men's bones. I am truly grateful and thankful you have forgiven me for these ills against You. Teach me daily to worship You and exalt You both in spirit and in truth as Your holy Word says to. Thank You, Jesus, for not counting this against me and in your patience can teach me true worship through prayer, meditation on Your Word, listening intently to the great men of God You have placed in my life weekly, and singing the old hymns and new praises. May I be forever to the praise of Your wonderful glory. AMEN!"

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A New Year & A New Desire!

A new year has begun. It snuck in last night in the darkness with innocence and striving to be better than the last one. Thinking over the past year's struggles and lessons served as confirmation that man's free will cannot remove us from sinning. Only God can direct our results to make the right choices. When we find ourselves in sin, it is a reflection of our human inability to make the right choices. We cannot "will" ourselves not to sin only God over time changes the inner the desires of the Believer's heart towards holiness & us making the right choices. I am afraid this comes through painful growing wilderness journeys.

Refer to Romans 7:15-20 Paul struggled with the desire to do what was right yet ended up in sin. I can jump right in the middle of that one...it plagues me daily. Example Paul used: the 10Th commandment (by the way commandments are not suggestions). Thou shall not covet...Paul's desire was not to covet, yet he ended up coveting anyway. Paul found that just based on his own will-power or free-will not to covet would not keep him from coveting...when he desired (in Christ) not to covet & allowed the Spirit of God to rule in his life's desires, this is when he did not sin by coveting. Paul discovered our desires do drive our choices, but it is the God given desires which make for right choices, not the other way around.

Contemplating over the desires of the heart we need to ask ourselves "is the good I want to do really because it is something the Holy Spirit is prompting me to do, or is it for self-righteous reasons?" Make sure the reasons for our desires are pure and godly in order to find ourselves making the right choices. Over the year to come we can improve on making right choices, but it will require a daily diet of God's Word & drinking a constant solution of prayer, but the main ingredient in our daily meal is the "will of God" being powerfully active in our lives. As our desires direct our choices, we need to make sure the results reflect a true godly desire to do what is right laced with holiness and God glorifying aroma.

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Who is God?

The question of who God is comes up often. I was asked to write an article about the subject for a writers site I am a member of which caused me to think how I could describe who God is within such a brief span of time. Fact is, I can't do that. However, people cannot see Him and most do not really know Him and any visual I can bring out on paper to help someone experience the slightest glimpse of our God is worth the attempt. Over the past several years I have developed a personal and in-depth relationship with my heavenly Father. It is from this thirty two year relationship I draw this small amount of commentary on who I believe God to be.

First, let's look at the visible signs of who God is. We can see in His creation through nature God is the master painter and poet. The colors, the landscape, the variations of plants, animals, clouds, sky, and water are all a testimony to who God is. He is the creator of all things large and small. God is the sustainer of all things large and small. The Bible tells us God feeds the birds of the air, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” So, we can see just in one tiny aspect of nature a Creator who cares for His creation and sustains His creation.

Have you stood at a distance looking up at majestic mountains before? Some with snow caps, rocky ledges, and trees scattered about their slopes. Other mountains seem to be covered by low flying clouds or the image of smoke veiling their majestic peaks. Only a God who creates all things could possibly make something so beautiful. From a prayer of Moses we find this, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth or ever You had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.” Here according to Moses, God has been God since before the formations of the earth. God created the heavens and the earth as Scripture tells us.

I remember picking up a very small rock one time to find on the bottom settled into the rock a tiny creature fossilized into the rock. The creature that made up this fossil was once alive, breathing, moving about the earth. Humanly speaking, I could only visualize what my finite mind could imagine this creature looked like and how it moved about only a few thousand years ago. I have no real way of knowing if what my mind would let me see was actually fact or not. However, God was the Creator of this tiny being and He saw it as it was moving about and breathing brand new on the earth. The fact is God gave that tiny creature its very breath and heartbeat to live by. God also, knew the very last breath it took and how it died. God in His vastness observed every living creature on this earth and knows were all of them from thousands of years ago are buried. Our God who reigns supreme over all the earth is also in the tiniest details of our life.

Since we have established Him as creator let’s look at something He created in His own image. This should, also, help us to understand who God is. In Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So, God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; both male and female He created them.” We find two interesting documentations of truth here. First, God is speaking in terms of “Us” making man in “our” image. Wow! The implications are huge in this fact of Scripture. This is not saying more than one God existed. What it is stating clearly is God comes in more than one part. We find the first concept of the Holy Trinity in these verses as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In plain English, the Father is speaking to His Son about the creation. Secondly, we find humanity is not an animal or a plant. God here has given man dominion over all the animals and mammals. God, our supreme authority, has endowed us humans with authority as well. We are to view God's likeness through the example of the Son, Jesus Christ, as He walked and lived here on the earth.

This brings me to a main point of who God is. However, let me make something clear at this point. No human being can contain the depths or the heights as to who God really is within any volume of papers. God is beyond huge and there is no end to His depths. So, this is a small attempt to give the reader a mere glimpse at who God is. Now, Jesus taught His disciples if you have seen Him then you have seen the Father and vice versa. Many teach today a distorted view of Jesus. The portrayal of Jesus in most people's eyes is a man without deity, without authority from God, and just one of us on a spiritual journey while leading others to do the same. I want to assure you Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not merely just one of us. Sure He came to earth through the birth canal of His mother Mary. She conceived Jesus by a miraculous conception only to be understood by God Himself. However, Jesus was still full deity, fully God with our human skin wrapped around Him.

Jesus walked on this earth teaching grace, love for our neighbors, taking care of the poor and hungry, but most importantly He taught first we must repent of our sins and follow Him. Jesus spoke often about repentance, sin, hell, and the kingdom of God. We find here God is serious about sin. He wants sin out of our lives as far as having control over us. As part of our Christian life, God wants us to exemplify in our life the love of God for His people. We do this by feeding the poor, clothing them, and loving on them while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ at the same time. Food, clothing, and shelter is not the gospel nor will it get these people to heaven, however, it is a doorway by which you have the opportunity to share the gospel with them and glorify God by your testimony to them. The gospel is we are a sinfully depraved humanity in need of a Savior otherwise we are doomed to an eternity in hell. God is a righteous judge, but He loves His people so much He provided His Son as a sacrifice for our sins in order for us to be reunited in relationship to Him in a way He no longer would have to turn His back on our sinfulness. Jesus became for us the mediator between humanity and God the Father. By placing our trust in Jesus Christ as our perfect Savior and mighty Lord, and believing that Jesus Christ did come back to life on the third day as Scripture tells us, we are then saved from eternal damnation in hell and have the full power to be obedient to God. We are at that moment a son of the living God. God adopts us at the moment we place a total loyal trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Do you still wonder who God is? Well, without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you will never have a good understanding of who God is. By knowing Jesus, the Son of God, over time you will start to understand just how vast God is. You will understand that for a Believer suffering is a part of life yet God directs every aspect of the suffering. Nothing in all His creation is out of His reach. God is a loving God, true! God is, also, a just, holy, and righteous God too. He hates sin and hates sin in His people’s life. God hates sin so much, He was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son in order for those who believe His Son can have eternal life. In John 3:16 we observe both the wrath and judgment of God while at the same time we discover the grace, mercy and love of God.

In a one sentence statement to help someone begin to think about who God is: “God is loving, our creator, gracious, Almighty judge, perfectly righteous, completely holy, Sovereign over all things and events, full of mercy, our protector, supreme healer, omnipresent, Infinite, Immense, good, Immanent, and so much more”. As I said before, I cannot within the pages of any book explain who God really is. This is a very brief glance at who God is. The understanding of our finite glimpse at God comes only when our Infinite God has accepted us in a relationship with Him.

Colossians 3:1-4 "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

To know God is to know the Son, Jesus Christ. Trust in the Son today and begin a tremendous relation with the Father you will never regret in all eternity.

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Training up a child to:

Originally posted by Scott on August 29, 2009


What is it we as parents are suppose to train up our children to do, be, want, or come back to? Have you as a parent ever wondered that? I know I have numerous times.
The entire verse goes like this:

“Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will come back to it” -Proverbs 22:6

I have seen the numerous wayward children just like everyone else has that so far has never come back to anything their parents taught them or have they gone the exact direction their parents taught them? Interesting subject I know. I have started exploring exactly what it is we are to teach our children growing up that when they are “seasoned” rather than just old they can come back to it and it be of some profit to them.

Proverbs 22 builds around this verse 6 it seems. It tells us some of what we are to teach our children as they are growing up. Each stage of their life we can teach them more and more, going deeper and deeper into each subject. I want to warn you that very little has to do with what job they will have, what college they will attend to what degree they should get. God has placed within each child a “bent” that they are moving towards regardless of what us parents really think or desire for them. It is our job as parents, in tune with our heavenly Father, in the power that He entrust to us, to learn over time what our children’s personality traits are, what kind of character God is moving them to be, and build that training around this.

One example I will share:

Train up the child to: (Proverbs 22:3 “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”)

-exercise sound, good judgement and to use their God given common sense on a daily basis.

-be careful about their conduct around other people

1. be cautious in their decisions on what they are doing from what they eat, to what they are wearing, to what they say, to how they act, to the people they hang out with, to how they spend their money and time and so on.
2. look for the danger signs, the warning signs around them of doom that might be coming if the continue in a direction they are going. Teach them to seek out shelter and refuge in the Lord if they can see those danger signs.

-provide carefully for the future

1. not be frivolous with their time, financial spending and actions
2. learn to save not only spend
3. budget their time, resources, and money at all times
4. be looking ahead as best they can to be sure they are not caught off guard
5. be a person worthy to be trusted by others and accountable

This is one example of our parental training. This example of course can go as deep as anyone would want to take it of course. Most of us parents can teach this from past experiences, from what our parents taught us, and most importantly from what the Word of God instructs us in these areas of life.

In the Proverb to train our children, this comes as no easy task, but it is commanded to us by our heavenly Father as instructed to us in His Word. So, if we only teach our children worldly things without any of the important points here, we are setting our children on the path of doom to never to stay on the path of godliness or to return to it if they get off track.

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What child is this?

Christmas is a great time of the year to bring the central focus of our spiritual lives back in focus towards the One we owe every single breath we take. Jesus Christ was gloriously and majestically seated in heaven before this span of time came into existence. However, His creation was fallen, sinful, drastically depraved to the core. Murder, adultery, paganism, atheistic, idolatry, cursing, drunkenness, vileness, cruelty, wickedness, and more was the astonishing, but Sovereign result of such a perfect beginning.

God the Son, knew He must enter into the world He created someday, step into our corrupt skin and decaying bodies in order to live out a life of perfection, making war on sin, die a horrific brutal vile death on two splintered wooden planks called a cross, willingly accept the rusty bone crushing spikes into His hands and feet, and in the end defeat the cold dark musty smell of death in a deep cold dark rocky grave in order to save His lost family from a rapidly disastrous world.

Some two thousand years ago a Jewish baby was born in Bethlehem on a dark night in the late summer or early fall. His mother only a young lady of about 13 years old having never been with a man gave birth to this child. To her amazement in later years her baby boy named Jesus would actually be the Christ, the long awaited and predicted Messiah.

You have to wonder if in Mary's mind throughout her life with Jesus if she ever really understood the magnitude this baby boy would play in the coming history of the world. Yes, an angel of the Lord did tell her what was coming, but at 13 could Mary realy grasp Who this Messiah would be or what His life would really be like. She had never known a Messiah. Most likely her closest encounter with the Messiah was read to her by her mother or father. However, she had a simple faith in her God enabling her to trust the fact her pregnancy was everything miraculous and was nothing of her own will or doing. She did not ask to be the one to bare the Christ child. However, she handled the situation with much grace and trust while dealing with some fear and trembling along the way.

Today, just a little over two thousand years since the birth of our Savior into this world, we celebrate His birth each year. Every year seems a bit more commercial from the year before. I am ashamed to say, but the church does not do much to fight this commercial battle only perpetuating it further by in some form or fashion instituting a mythical character called Santa into the Christmas story. It is all about the stuff, people, getting and giving, good health, great parties, elegant decorations, seeing lights, and more. Nothing wrong in any of those when kept in the proper perspective, however, the world has chosen these things to be the focus of the Christmas holiday season rather the entrance of our Savior into the world.

I do think far too many of us both in the church and outside the church keep Jesus lying in the hay packed manger with aHis swaddling clothes on, cooing at His mother. Something to bring attention to is the fact Jesus was a baby for only a short while like any of us. He grew up into a strong vital young man with a purpose only He and His heavenly Father knew. For three and half years He had a strong following of twelve close associates and crowds of people only a few evangelist today could dream of. But once Jesus started delivering His real messages, the twelve close followers and associates began to get nervous, with one figuring out he was not following the future ruler he signed up for, and the large crowds started diminishing. The message He began to deliver was the fact the kingdom of God was near and they must repent of their sinfulness, asking God for forgiveness of their sins, and committing their total and complete trust in Him as their Savior, the Messiah, God the Son. This message tore these people into a restless bunch which many in the crowd being Jewish leaders began to plot His death after these messages.

Today, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, keep the focus on the fact He is at the right hand of His Father in heaven, robed in glorious splendor, taking His rightful place on His throne. He is not in a manger surrounded by sheep anymore nor was the focus, in my humble opinion, suppose to be on the manger scene. He is not riding on a donkey with his mother Mary anymore. Jesus is not wrapped in swaddling clothes, He is not walking the countryside anymore...He is preparing a place for each of His "beloved" to live with Him for all eternity. Jesus Christ is the victor of a life which started in a manger, but ended up on His throne.

As the day draws to an end think of Christmas as the beginning of our eternal blessing found in the Savior we celebrate on this day. For the most part all the world stops in celebration of Christmas. Whether they acknowledge Jesus or not, they still uphold the holiday in some form or fashion. No other so called 'savior' can boast of this in all of history. Jesus Christ is the long awaited Messiah, the Son of the living God, God in the flesh. Celebrate Him today in spirit and awe...remember He is the KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS!

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Exceedingly and abundantly powerful!

REPOST from a post by Scott on January 12, 2009

Ephesians 3:20-21 is a doxology Paul places in this letter to the Ephesians. A doxology you might ask is a praise or glory given to Almighty God. Every prayer should have a doxology if not entire prayers most of the time. Think about our prayers for a minute. How much time do we honestly spend in praise and glorifying our God compared to the amount of time we spend asking for something. It is absolutely amazing the time spent in “asking”.

Of course, God wants us to come to Him and ask. He already knows what we will ask for, but He still wants that open line of communication with us to ask for anything in accordance with His will. As true Believers we should have in mind that which God wants not really what we want in the flesh. In taking a closer look at this doxology at the end of chapter 3 from Paul to the Ephesians we find out much more than we might imgaine.

When we ask or confirm something of God, in accordance with what we believe He wants for us, it would be good to do so with this mindset:

1. God has the power to do whatever He wants to do…He is our Sovereign Lord.

2. God can produce, make, or fashion in us whatever He desires…He is our Sovereign Lord.

3. God can go far beyond in delivering what we have ask or begged for. He can go exceedingly, unthinkably far beyond anything we can even dream up or think in our minds. Think of asking in these terms: desiring, craving, begging, calling out for that which God has placed on our hearts to ask for…He is our Sovereign Lord.

4. God does this in accordance with His power, His unending ability that He has put on display within our lives..He is our Sovereign Lord.

5. God’s exceeding abundance is a great reflection of His inexhaustible fullness of mercy and grace. The “well” can never be overdrawn. The “well” of God’s grace and mercy will never go dry. We are always welcome at this “well”. Remember Psalm 81:10 “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it with good things.” (NLT) He is our Sovereign Lord.

6. God’s power is all-sufficient and almightly powerful that He has saved each of us as Believers. This same power (awesome ability) is the power that was able to take a spiritually dead bag of bones like me and bring it to Himself in salvation. No one has this kind of power except God…no one! He is our Sovereign Lord.

7. God is looking for excellencies and praises to be ascribed towards Him in our prayers…He is our Sovereign Lord.

8. God provided us with a mediator in Jesus Christ His Son…He is our Sovereign Lord.

9. All of the praises and glories that we garble towards God goes through the hand of Jesus Christ our great mediator (high priest)…He is our Sovereign Lord.

10. All of graces, mercies, and gifts that come to us from our heavenly Father comes through that same hand of Jesus Christ our Lord…He is our Sovereign Lord.

So, this is how I offer up this doxology personally for me this morning:

“Finally, O Sovereign God, who has the awesome ability to produce unthinkably far beyond what I have desired or begged for or can even fathom in my small mind to ask for, according to Your great power that is constantly on display in my life daily, it is to You, my Almighty God that all the honors and glory and praises through my perfect Lord Jesus Christ be lifted up and may they be lifted up from every generation for ever and ever! AMEN.”

Just remember while praying to give God the praise and glory for your life today…He is our Sovereign Lord.


References:

-Matthew Henry Commentaries

-Logos Strong’s Lexicon Greek guide

-NIV Bible, NLT Bible, KJV Bible, & NASB Bible

*This was copied from an original post dated January of 2009.

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A root canal without pain-killers, ouch!

In the wilderness, spiritually speaking, we find ourselves in a deep hurt most of the time. To be gutted out, cleaned out, and scraped out, will not be a pleasant experience. However, it is necessary to prepare you for what God is about to do next in your life. I would compare this process to a root canal without pain-killers. The "no pain-no gain" motto of past years concerning the need for people to work-out physically speaks volumes and still rings true in the spiritual work-out of life too. It is painful in order to gain the insights God has for us. The pain, hurt and dejection makes us stop and listen. Without it we would not be transformed into what God is sculpting us to be. It is in this broken state where God stops our progress and shows us what the end result will be if we continue down the path we are currently on. He takes the sin in our life and crushes us under the weight of it in order to have something worthwhile to work with. He rebuilds us at this moment from the ground up to be a holy and righteous vessel in Christ for His greater use.

We need to stop the natural human instinct of avoiding pain, brokenness and quick fixes and allow this crushing process to take its course in our lives. I did not say this would be easy, but once you settle your mind to the fact God is working on something in your life, it can make it somewhat more bearable. It is this brokenness before God that could actually save your life in the future.

Make plans now for long periods of time in the Word of God and in prayer to God. Spend the first moments of your prayer time listening quietly, listening intently to God. When you are compelled to speak, make sure the focus is on God and not on yourself. Our tendency is to focus our prayers on wants, needs, hurts, and selfish desires. However, the challenge is to get beyond ourselves and focus on God, His holiness, His honor, His glory, and to desire Him like you have never desired Him before. The challenge for each of us is to be completely satisfied in God alone, even when our life is at its lowest mark.

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Who can stand against us?

If God is for His Believers then who can really stand against them? Can anyone separate His people from His love? Can trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, job losses, danger, hunger, or even the threat of death separate them? No! Why? Because God's people are more than conquerors through Him who loved them. Paul's says he is convinced that nothing can separate God and His people. Read the entire context in Romans 8:31-39

As it is written in Scripture "For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." God loves His people with the most effectual love anyone could ever imagine...He will not let anything get in the way of that love.

I know of so many of my friends, family, and even friends of friends who are jobless right now and many have been unemployed for nearly a year. Most of them the severance pay has run out and the savings is getting low with only a hint of a possible job. You can take great hope in the fact that even though it seems you can only see life through the shadows right now, and everything has a dim fuzziness to it, God is in complete control. He is working all this for your good in the end from the far side of this wilderness you find yourself wondering through. Right now, it may seem dry and hopeless, but just remember who you are living this life for...the glory of God.

Be most satisfied in Christ even on the darkest most depressed day of your life....find your satisfaction in Jesus not in worldly securities...that is our temptation, but "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him"-Piper. The wilderness experiences in life are training grounds...it is boot camp for anyone God intends to use greatly for His glory. Take hope in the fact you will make it to the other side of the desert. Bruised, beaten up a bit, matured, and hopefully "all ears" towards the heavenly call from God on your life. God will make a way through the wilderness for each of His own. Right now, settle in your mind and in your soul, the fact the road ahead may get more rough. The darkness surrounding your circumstances may in fact seem unbearable at times. Keep on the forefront of your mind a promise from God, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." -Deuteronomy 31:6 Learn to live on the promises of God especially when times are tough just like Moses and David did several thousand years ago.

"When God wants to use His people in a greater way to further His kingdom, a dark and lonely journey through the wilderness is absolute." -A Pilgrimage Through the Wilderness

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