Both Conservative and Liberal

Click here to listen to blog

No one is loyal to God; no one does right. Everyone is brutal and eager to deceive everyone else.  People cooperate to commit crime. Judges and leaders demand bribes, and rulers cheat in court.  The most honest of them is worse than a thorn patch. Your doom has come! Lookouts sound the warning, and everyone panics.  Don't trust anyone, not even your best friend, and be careful what you say to the one you love.  Sons refuse to respect their own fathers, daughters rebel against their own mothers, and daughters-in-law despise their mothers-in-law. Your family is now your enemy.  But I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer.

Micah 7:1-7

These words, written almost 3,000 years ago are as up to date as the latest News Alert!  When men cease being loyal to God they follow the same pattern of sin.  "Everyone is brutal and eager to deceive everyone else."  

Go back and read these verses again and think about how things are in the world today.  Without Jesus, the course of any culture moves rapidly toward destruction!  But with the Lord at the center of any land, justice and mercy overwhelm the forces of evil and the Glory of the Lord is seen across the land and around the world!

Choosing Jesus is not a choice between conservative or liberal.  Jesus is both conservative and liberal!  Jesus is "Truth" and He is THE WAY not "a way."  But Jesus also gives Salvation from sin and death to those who did not earn it and do not deserve it!  Both the "Left" and the "Right" find in Jesus the things they value most.  But Jesus is beyond political perspective.  The "chief of sinners" can come to Jesus and be received by Him.  The most "far left" radical can give their heart to the Lord as well as the most "right wing" person among us!  

When you come to Jesus and love Him with all your heart, you will find that He also loves those with whom you totally disagree!  Then He moves on your heart to love them too!  

You will soon find that loving someone across the borders set up by suspicion, hate and fear will free you to seek the lost like never before!  Bring men and women to Jesus and let Him correct the things they misunderstand in the world around them!  That's what He does with me and you!

"Lord Jesus, thank You that the Good News of Your Death, Burial and Resurrection is for all men and women everywhere.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

Full Disclosure to the Lord

Click here to listen to blog

Before I confessed my sins, my bones felt limp, and I groaned all day long.  Night and day your hand weighed heavily on me, and my strength was gone as in the summer heat.  So I confessed my sins and told them all to you. I said, "I'll tell the LORD each one of my sins." Then you forgave me and took away my guilt.  We worship you, Lord, and we should always pray whenever we find out that we have sinned. Then we won't be swept away by a raging flood.  You are my hiding place! You protect me from trouble, and you put songs in my heart because you have saved me.

Psalm 32:3-7

There is a raging flood that will sweep away men and women who do not confess their sins to the Lord!  According to these verses we can sin and then find out later that we did it!  Sin is, therefore not something that we always do on purpose.  

A man's conscience is not the deciding factor about whether or not something is sin.  You can sin with a completely clean conscience!  Just because something is legal and even acceptable in the eyes of your country and culture does not mean that it is right according to God Almighty!  Also, history is filled with people who lived honestly and righteously before the Lord and in the light of His Word but they became criminals in the eyes of the government of their country!  

The Word of God is the standard by which our sin is revealed.  If you don't know what God has said about a thing, how can you know what He thinks about it?  

If you desire to be an upstanding and honest citizen even when the laws of your country contradict the Word of God, you may find yourself honored by your country, but not by God!  It is better to be right in the eyes of the Lord than to be the most revered person in your land!  

"Lord Jesus, give me the courage to confess all my sin to You and be willing to walk according to Your Word in everything I do!  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

Changed To Be Like Jesus

Click here to listen to blog

Six days later Jesus took Peter and the brothers James and John with him. They went up on a very high mountain where they could be alone.  There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.  All at once Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus.  So Peter said to him, "Lord, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While Peter was still speaking, the shadow of a bright cloud passed over them. From the cloud a voice said, "This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him. Listen to what he says!"

Matthew 17:1-5

Jesus, the Son of God Almighty was perfect in every way.  He was changed in the way the disciples saw Him, but not in who He was!  The “Transfiguration,” as it is sometimes called, simply revealed the Glorious nature of Jesus to Peter James and John.

As followers of Jesus we too are changed, but not just in the way we appear.  We are changed from fallen, lost and hopless men and women into “Spirit Filled Children of God.”  And, oh yes, the difference can be seen by those around us!  

The change in your life is not because of all the good things you now do.  The good things you do are the result of that change.  Because of the Holy Spirit living in your heart the world will see that you are a different person!

“Lord Jesus, may Your Love and the Holy Spirit rule in my heart so that the world may see the change that You are making in me today!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen.”  

Spiritual Child Abuse!

Click here to listen to blog

About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus called a child over and had the child stand near him.  Then he said: I promise you this. If you don't change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.  But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.  It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks!  The world is in for trouble because of the way it causes people to sin. There will always be something to cause people to sin, but anyone who does this will be in for trouble.

Matthew 18:1-7

When someone harms and hurts a child there is no mercy from most courts and judges!  There is no way to explain away or justify abusing a child!

These verses talk about Spiritual Child Abuse!  When you become a follower of Jesus Christ, you are indeed a Child of God!  You exhibit many characteristics that are common in small children. You trust your Father without question.  You love everyone.  You enjoy the beauty of the world around you without paying attention to the wicked corruption promoted by Satan.  

Even as a father who is willing to lay his life on the line for his child, Jesus came to die on the Cross to save Children for God!  

When men try to draw away, tempt and otherwise abuse Children of God, they are in for trouble!  Spiritual Child Abuse will always cause God to respond! 

If you are not a follower of Jesus the warning is this: "Don't abuse God's Children!  He will not take it lightly if you do!"

If you are a follower of Jesus remember this: "Your battle is not against those who might abuse you.  Your struggle is against Satan as you stand every moment on the Word of God and in His strength!  Then you will overcome at every turn!"

"Lord Jesus, help me today to truly be a child in Your Holy eyes! And may I never be guilty of Spiritual Child Abuse!   Praise Your Holy Name  now and forever!  Amen."

NEWS FLASH

Click here to listen to blog

If we say that we share in life with God and keep on living in the dark, we are lying and are not living by the truth.  But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.  If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn't in our hearts.  But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and his message isn't in our hearts.

1 John 1:6-10

When you say “I have not sinned,” you are making a declaration of “I have no need for Jesus!”  If fallen humanity could pick themselves up off of the trash heap of life and present themselves to Jesus clean and worthy of Heaven, then Jesus did not need to come!

So why am I ashamed to admit that I have sinned?  Refusing to acknowledge my sin tells the world “If you just live like me, you won’t need Jesus!”  

NEWS FLASH! When you turned your heart to Jesus, your body did not rejoice!  Your flesh probably said, “But what about my desires, and the pride that I want to take for being who I am?”  As a follower of Jesus you decided that you would not be ruled by your body and it’s many desires!  

When the Bible says “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23) it is talking about you and about me!  As long as you live and breathe on this earth temptation will try to draw you away from Jesus!  

You and I, and all men and women are sinners because that is the nature that Adam and Eve passed on to us!  The Devil wants you to believe and declare that you are not a sinner and have no need for Jesus Christ!

“Lord Jesus, I need your sacrifice for my sin as much as anyone ever born on this earth!  The Apostle Paul declared himself to be “Chief of Sinners,” but so are we all!  May Your Holy and Powerful Name be praised now and forever.  Amen.”  

Falsely Accused

Click here to listen to blog

Then I heard a voice from heaven shout, "Our God has shown his saving power, and his kingdom has come! God's own Chosen One has shown his authority. Satan accused our people in the presence of God day and night. Now he has been thrown out!  Our people defeated Satan because of the blood of the Lamb and the message of God. They were willing to give up their lives.  The heavens should rejoice, together with everyone who lives there. But pity the earth and the sea, because the devil was thrown down to the earth. He knows his time is short, and he is very angry."  When the dragon realized that it had been thrown down to the earth, it tried to make trouble for the woman who had given birth to a son.  But the woman was given two wings like those of a huge eagle, so that she could fly into the desert. There she would escape from the snake and be taken care of for a time, two times, and half a time.  The snake then spewed out water like a river to sweep the woman away.  But the earth helped her and swallowed the water that had come from the dragon's mouth.  This made the dragon terribly angry with the woman. So it started a war against the rest of her children. They are the people who obey God and are faithful to what Jesus did and taught.

Revelation 12:10-17

It is a terrible thing to be falsely accused!  It still upsets me to remember the time when I was falsely accused of stealing a small bottle of breath freshener from a pharmacy near my home.  I was only 16 years old, but the memory remains more than a half century later!  

When the Devil accuses me before God the accusations are not false!  He is not lying when he tells God that I am guilty of sin and deserve to spend eternity in Hell!  I might wish to declare that I am innocent, but that would be a lie!

What is true is this: Jesus gave His Perfect Life to die for me, so that I might not suffer the eternal consequences of my sin!  If Jesus is my Lord and my Savior, the charges against me, no matter how extreme are irrelevant!  

Don't spend your energy trying to defend yourself against the accusations of Satan.  You see, it really doesn't matter if they are true or false!  Jesus paid for all of your sin and is, according to a popular Christian song from many years ago, "MY LAWYER IN HEAVEN."

If you are falsely accused, Jesus will vindicate you.  And if you are accurately accused of sin, Jesus will forgive you!  

Cast your cares on Jesus and trust Him for everything in your life!  He has never failed anyone who does that!

"Lord Jesus, You are an amazing Lord and Savior and must be praised Now and Forever!  Amen." 

Fellowship of Confession

Click here to listen to blog

If you have sinned, you should tell each other what you have done. Then you can pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot.

James 5:16

There are two phrases in this verse that are very important.  “Tell each other” and “pray for one another.”   They clearly show the Fellowship of Confession.  We are to confess our sins, but we are told to confess our sins to “each other!”  Confession is not intended to be a one way street.  

Satan wants sins to be kept secret.  He wants you to feel guilty about your sin, but not to tell anyone about it!  When sin remains a secret it is like an infection under your skin that needs to be drained.  If you refuse to open up the sore, it will only get worse!

The Enemy uses “everybody’s doing it” to get as many people as possible deep into the throws of sin!  Jesus uses “everybody’s confessing it” to open the doors of the prison of even a moment of personal rebellion against God!  Of course, confessing your sin is worthless without the Blood of Jesus, which is the power behind your confession.  But Christians without repentance and confession of their sin are immobilized by the mud and mire of their guilt!

The Bible says in 1 John 1:8  “If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn't in our hearts.”

Add the fellowship of confession to your repentance and experience the peace of God in every way!

“Thank you Lord Jesus for the healing that comes through confessing our sins and praying for each other.  May Your Holy and Precious Name be praised now and forever.  Amen.”