His Will is Better than My Wants

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Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.  After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue.  Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, “Effatha!” which means “Open up!”  At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly.  Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it.  They were completely amazed and said, “Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk.”

Mark 7:32-37 - CEV

These verses tell the story of a man who could not hear and could barely talk when some people brought him to Jesus!  They only asked Jesus to touch the man!  Jesus did touch the man and he was healed!

In a real way every man and woman who is alive today on planet earth is both deaf and cannot speak!  Until Jesus touches you, you cannot hear the things of God and you certainly cannot talk about them!  But when the Lord Jesus puts His fingers in your ears and puts His own saliva on your tongue you can hear the things of God with perfect clarity and you can speak about them as well!

When you encounter Jesus in your life, it is better to simply ask that He touch you rather than asking for healing!  His "Will" is so much better than your "Wants."  Let Jesus have His way with you!  You will never regret it!

"Lord Jesus, I am in need of healing, but much more than that I need to be touched by You today! Everything You do Lord Jesus is Good! May Your Holy and righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

FEAR AND FAITH

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That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let's cross to the east side.”  So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along.  Suddenly a storm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.  Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?”  Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.  Jesus asked his disciples, “Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?”  Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41 - CEV

The disciples of Jesus were afraid of the storm and then they were afraid of the Lord!  When Jesus commanded the storm to stop, His followers saw that Jesus had more power than the storm did!  That made them afraid of Him!

Even as followers of Jesus today, we are amazed that Jesus can heal the sick and intervene in life situations that concern and trouble us.  But, if we were to see the overwhelming power of God work in the world around us and even the heavens above us we too might fear as the disciples did!

God is "Almighty!"  That means that there is nothing too hard for Him to accomplish.  There is nothing too big for Him to move.   Everything in all the Cosmos is subject to His power and will!  

When I was a child I believed that my father could do anything!  A child with a loving father always believes that.  Now that I myself am a father and even a grandfather, I know that I was wrong about my earthly father.  He did love me, but he could not do anything he wanted to.  But, I am not wrong about my Heavenly Father!  God can do everything I thought my earthly father could do and so much more!  

The Devil tries to destroy earthly fathers so that their children will not know what Jesus is really like!  It is harder to love your Heavenly Father if you hate your earthly one!

"Lord Jesus, give me the Faith to believe that You can do anything and everything that needs to be done.  May I be at Peace in all the storms of life!  Praise Your Holy and Righteous Name, now and forever. Amen!"

Jesus With the Wild Animals

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About that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River.  As soon as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky open and the Holy Spirit coming down to him like a dove.  A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”  At once God's Spirit made Jesus go into the desert.  He stayed there for 40 days while Satan tested him. Jesus was with the wild animals, but angels took care of him. 

Mark 1:9-13 - CEV

Three things happened while Jesus was in the desert for 40 days.  Satan tempted Him, Jesus spent time with wild animals and angels took care of Him.  There is much written and taught about the temptation time of Jesus and much speculation about how angels took care of Him, but what about His time with the Wild Animals?  

Except when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, I don't remember any mention of Jesus and an animal other than during these 40 days when He was with Wild Animals.

I wonder if Jesus talked with the animals.  My dog can understand much of what I say to her.  Surely, animals understand what Jesus says to them?  And  Jesus can understand what animals think and feel since He created them!

Today, some animal lovers think more highly of animals than they do humans.  Don't forget that animals were not created in the image of 
God.  Adam and Eve were created in God's imagine.  But animals were important enough that God saved them from the Flood in the Ark of Noah and while in the wilderness, Jesus spend time with them!

My friend, you are not an animal, but if you are in the wilderness, Jesus wants to spend time with you today!  If you already know Jesus, He wants to have a wonderful time of communion and fellowship with His follower.  If you don't know Jesus, He wants you to come to Him and meet Him today!  Jesus wants you to be with Him not for 40 days, or even 40 years.  Jesus wants to be with you forever!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for creating all the animals in the world!  But most of all thank You for creating mankind and showing us Your love by dying on the Cross for our sins.  May Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."  

   

Listen to Jesus

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As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he took his twelve disciples aside and told them in private: We are now on our way to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses. They will sentence him to death, and then they will hand him over to foreigners who will make fun of him. They will beat him and nail him to a cross. But on the third day he will rise from death. 

Matthew 20:17-19 - CEV

Jesus told His disciples exactly what was going to happen in Jerusalem.  If these followers of Jesus had listened to what Jesus said, they would have known what was going to happen.   But they did not listen!  So they were confused and suffered as they watched Jesus nailed to a Cross and buried in the ground!

As you listen to Jesus speaking today through His Word, do you really hear what He is saying, or are you like the disciples who heard the Words and yet could not believe that Jesus meant what He said?

So as you open your Bible today ask the Lord to help you open your mind as well to actually hear what He is saying!  You may have read a verse many times over the years and yet never really listened to what the Lord is saying in it!  

"Lord Jesus, help me today to hear clearly what You are saying to me.  Open my ears and my heart to hear Your Word like never before.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

Jesus Gives You a Choice

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Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.  If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

Matthew 16:24-25 - CEV

How does a man forget about himself and give up his life?  

At our local hospital there are a number of older men and women who volunteer every day to park cars for those who have come to see the doctor and find it hard to walk all the way from the parking lot.  There is another group of the elderly who push wheel chairs and serve as guides through the maze of hallways to help visitors find the person they want to see.

In the United States, at this time those who are part of the military are all volunteers.  No one is forced to "serve" as a soldier.  

Disciples of Jesus Christ are all volunteers!  No one is forced to follow Jesus and no one is compelled to walk in His steps!

Some who are not Christians often accuse followers of Jesus of "forcing" others to live by the standards of righteousness.  That is not true of Jesus.  Jesus wants you to come to Him of your own free will!  Jesus opened the door to Heaven for everyone who will walk through it by faith in Him.  But the door to Hell is also wide open for anyone who choses to go that way!

Jesus did not come to keep you from making the wrong choice.  Jesus came so that you would have the right choice available because of His Blood!  Jesus is the Way to Heaven, but you must choose Him in order to go!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for making it possible by Your own Blood for me to spend Eternity with You in Heaven!  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

The First Miracle at a Wedding!

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This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David's family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God's Holy Spirit.  Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.  While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her.  Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

Matthew 1:18-23 - CEV

The Bible does not tell us anything about the Wedding of Joseph and Mary.  Joseph was going to call it off when he found out that Mary was pregnant.  Matthew tells us that Joseph did not want to embarrass Mary, so perhaps he was just going to call off the public celebration of their marriage.  But, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him to go ahead with the wedding!

Jesus was in His mother's womb when she married Joseph!  Jesus Himself was the first miracle at a wedding.  The "First Adam" did not come to earth as a baby.  He was formed from the dust of the ground and as far as we know was an adult when he took his first breath.  But Jesus didn't arrive on earth that way.  Jesus came as a baby and was born in a barn!  

The First Adam brought sin into the world and Jesus paid the price for all of it!  

The Christmas Story is only the first page of the final chapter of how Jesus bought you back from the control of Satan!  

Jesus is the best Christmas gift ever given!  Jesus gave you everything you will ever need for all of Eternity, if you will receive it!  All Jesus wants from you is your heart!  Lay your heart open before Jesus and let Him have control of your life, now and forever!

"Lord Jesus, You are the only Way to Heaven and the only Hope for all men!  May Your Holy Name be praised now and always!  Amen."

Leftovers From God

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When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?”  He said this to test Philip, since he already knew what he was going to do.  Philip answered, “Don't you know that it would take almost a year's wages just to buy only a little bread for each of these people?”  Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the disciples. He spoke up and said,  “There is a boy here who has five small loaves of barley bread and two fish. But what good is that with all these people?”  The ground was covered with grass, and Jesus told his disciples to tell everyone to sit down. About 5,000 men were in the crowd.  Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he passed the bread to the people, and he did the same with the fish, until everyone had plenty to eat.  The people ate all they wanted, and Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftovers, so that nothing would be wasted.  The disciples gathered them up and filled twelve large baskets with what was left over from the five barley loaves.  

John 6:5-13 - CEV

Every day, all over the world, God multiplies grain after it is planted in the ground and watered.  The barley seeds that made the five loaves could have been planted in the ground and produced many more seeds.  Then, when those seeds were planted in the ground, there would be even more. Repeating this process a few times would produce more than enough grain to feed 5000 people, and even have the 12 baskets full of leftovers!  The same was true with the two fish.  If they had not been caught and one had been a male and the other one female, in time they would have produced plenty of fish for the crowd!  

Why did Jesus tell His followers to gather the leftover bread?  The Bible says so that nothing would be wasted.  One of the best things about a large family dinner is the "leftovers."  At our house we usually send most of them home with our children, but there almost always are enough for a few meals at our house too!

When you see the power of God making miraculous provision for those who are hungry for God, don't forget to gather the baskets of leftovers!  Don't waste the spiritual food that can still feed you for days and even beyond!

When Jesus feeds the crowd around you, don't forget to gather the leftovers and be sustained by them.  Sometimes those leftovers can give you strength for all the days of your life to come here on earth!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for always providing enough of Your Word to feed the crowd and satisfy Your Children now and forever.  Praise Your Holy and Righteous Name always!  Amen."

HOW SNAKES LOST THEIR LEGS

The Lord God then asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The snake tricked me,” she answered, “and I ate some of that fruit.”  So the Lord God said to the snake: “Because of what you have done, you will be the only animal to suffer this curse— For as long as you live, you will crawl on your stomach and eat dirt. 

Genesis 3:13-14 - CEV

In the January 2018 edition of the magazine called "Scientific American" there is an article titled:

How Snakes Lost Their Legs

This well respected journal claims that there is now fossil record of snakes with legs.  I don't want to be an "I told you so," but I learned that when I was not much more than three years old and went to Sunday school each week!

Here is the dilemma.  Do you believe what the Bible says because science can confirm it to be true?  Or do you believe what the Bible says even if science has not yet be able to establish God's Word as true!  Science is not the standard of truth!  The Word of God is the standard of truth!  

Scientists are sometimes able to discover that the Bible is actually true!  When they do, it may bring some closer to a point of faith in God!  But if you only believe what the Bible says if science is able to confirm it, you will miss most of the message God has for you!

Don't build your faith on the findings of science.  Let your faith provide science with many wonderful things to investigate!

"Lord Jesus, may my Faith be built on what You have said and not just on what science can prove.  Thank you Lord for telling us thousands of years ago that snakes had legs!  Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever.  Amen."

Your Damascus Road

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About noon I saw a light brighter than the sun. It flashed from heaven on me and on everyone traveling with me.  We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice say to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me? It's foolish to fight against me!”  “Who are you?” I asked. Then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus! I am the one you are so cruel to.  Now stand up. I have appeared to you, because I have chosen you to be my servant. You are to tell others what you have learned about me and what I will show you later.”  The Lord also said, “I will protect you from the Jews and from the Gentiles that I am sending you to.  I want you to open their eyes, so they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins will be forgiven, and by faith in me they will become part of God's holy people.” 

Acts 26:13-18 - CEV

When Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, the light was so bright that Saul became blind to the world around him.  

After Jesus rose from the grave He appeared only to those who would tell others about Him! (Acts 10:38-41)  When a man or woman sees the resurrected Christ, he or she has a story to tell!  And what a story it is!  It is the story of light overcoming the darkness!  It is the story of life doing away with death!  The story of Jesus on earth began in Bethlehem the night that He was born, and it will not end until He returns and takes His people home!  

When Jesus shows Himself to you, you will be blinded by the Light!  Like Saul whose name was changed to Paul, the purpose of your life will change!  Instead of running after the things that "light up your life," you will seek to reflect the light of Jesus to everyone you meet.  

The story of Charlie is real.  Charlie mentioned Jesus to everyone he met.  I heard his grandson tell me that once Charlie saw a man high up on a ladder as the man worked.  Charlie called out to the man and asked "Do you know Jesus?"  The man said "yes" and Charlie shouted a word of approval and walked away! Charlie is now with Jesus in Eternity after spending more than 90 years on this earth telling others about the Light of Christ!

In a sense, all Christians have a "Road to Damascus Moment" when Jesus shows Himself to them and calls them to tell others about Him!  If you have not yet seen Jesus, ask Him to show Himself to you today!

"Lord Jesus, give me the courage to tell everyone I meet today about You!  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

Do You See Jesus?

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God gave the Holy Spirit and power to Jesus from Nazareth. He was with Jesus, as he went around doing good and healing everyone who was under the power of the devil.  We all saw what Jesus did both in Israel and in the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was put to death on a cross.  But three days later, God raised him to life and let him be seen.  Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him. 

Acts 10:38-41 - CEV

After Jesus came out of the grave He appeared only to those who would ultimately tell others about Him.  Everybody did not see Him!

Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene when she came to the tomb.  He appeared to all the disciples, except Thomas on that day in a closed room.  

That is the same as it is today.  Even though Jesus returned to Heaven and sat down on the throne on the right side of God, those who follow Him still see Him working in the world every day!

There are worship songs which cry out to 
God with a desire to see Jesus!  Seeing Jesus happens when you walk in faith and trust Him in everything.  When you obey Jesus, you will see Him!  

When the Bible is the Lighthouse on the shore of your life and it shows you the way to walk every day, you will see Jesus over and over again during your day!

If you don't see Jesus, stop and turn your heart back to Him and ask Him to show you the path your day should take!  When you take the way He shows you, you will see Him working in everything!

"Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see You today.  Show my heart the way You want me to walk today and every day for the rest of my life here on earth!  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

The Spirit Will Give You The Words

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But before the end comes, the good news must be preached to all nations.  When you are arrested, don't worry about what you will say. You will be given the right words when the time comes. But you will not really be the ones speaking. Your words will come from the Holy Spirit.  Brothers and sisters will betray each other and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed.  Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 

Mark 13:10-13 - CEV

Many places in the world have laws against proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  If you tell others about Jesus while in those countries you may be arrested for doing it.  If that happens to you, these verses say you don't need to worry about how to respond to the charges.  The Holy Spirit will give you the Words to mount your defense!

Of course, that does not mean that you will be released and the charges dropped.  But it does mean that you will continue doing the Will of God if you use the Words of the Holy Spirit to respond.

Don't forget that a large part of the New Testament was written by men who were in prison!  

But don't you need to prepare a defense against the charges?  The answer to that is no.  You simply need to spend your time deepening your relationship with Jesus!  Then the Words you speak will come straight from His Spirit!

Ponder this:  A man can tell others about Jesus without a having a relationship with the Lord Himself!  If you do that and do not have the Holy Spirit in your heart, there is no promise of His help after you are arrested!  You are not a Christian because you tell someone else the message.  You are a follower of Jesus Christ because of your faith in Him and your willingness to be obedient to Him in everything you do. 

Check your own heart to see if you indeed have the Holy Spirit living in you before you boldly proclaim the message that may land you in prison!

If you are already there and are struggling for comfort from the Lord, go back to square one and give your heart to Jesus.  Ask Him to be the Lord of your life in everything, and receive His Holy Spirit!  Then you will be ready to live with His Power leading your every step and every Word you speak!

"Lord Jesus, help me to draw closer to You today and every day.  Give me the Words to speak and the thoughts to think whether I am in prison or I am free.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."   

  

Eyes of Eternity

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Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man answered, “Master, I want to see!”  Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” At once the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.

Mark 10:51-52 - CEV

Jesus healed the blind man and did for him the one thing that Bartimaeus could not do for himself!  The only thing Bartimaeus did was to embarrass himself by crying out to Jesus in public and asking Jesus to have pity on him!

After he was healed, Bartimaeus "went down the road with Jesus."  His physical eyes were opened that day, and of course would be a wonderful blessing for the rest of his life here on earth.  But the most important thing that happened to Bartimaeus was that he became a follower of Jesus.  When you follow Jesus, your spiritual eyes are opened and will stay open for Eternity!

Every man who does not know Jesus Christ is blind!  You may see perfectly with their physical eyes, but you live in Spiritual Darkness!

When Jesus passes by your way, cry out to Him no matter who is there and might hear you!  And when Jesus asks you what you want from Him be quick to let Jesus know that you want to see with the Eyes of Eternity!

"Lord Jesus, open the Eyes of my heart and let me see as You see.  Give me the courage to proclaim to all what You have done for men and tell them that You still heal the eyes of those who are blind! May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

Sunrise in Your Heart

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If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark.  But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don't cause problems for them.  If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don't know where we are going, because we can't see in the dark.

1 John 2:9-11 - CEV

When the lights go out, everything changes!  If you live in a place where electricity is plentiful enough for you to keep the lights on after dark in your house, you know what I am talking about.  A disruption in your electricity makes life much more difficult.

When I was a child and grew tall enough to reach the light switch, I thought it was a "great joke" to turn the lights out on a dark night!  My parents quickly told me that darkness is not a joke!

If you are walking in the light of Jesus Christ and filled with His Holy Spirit, you are living a glorious life.  It is the one Jesus planned for you to live on this earth.  But if you chose then to hate someone, even one person, you turn out the lights in your life!  Darkness will come upon and you may not even notice that darkness!  

Spiritual darkness is not a joke!  When you love everyone, even your enemies, you turn on the lights in your heart and you will know where you are going.  When the lights are out, you don't where you are going!

If I were Satan, I would try to get followers of Jesus to hate just one person.  That will flip the switch and turn off the Light in your life!  If there is someone that you hate, darkness is coming upon you.  Replace that hate with the Love of Jesus and watch the "Sunrise in Your Heart."  

"Lord Jesus, reveal to me whether or not there is hate in my heart.  If there is, please help me to repent and replace it with Your Love!  Praise Your Holy and Righteous Name, now and forever.  Amen."

The Last Brick in the Wall

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I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!  Every time I think of you, I thank my God.  And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy.  This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it.  God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:2-6 - CEV

Imagine that you are still alive on the Day that Jesus Christ returns to earth!  On that Day the last person to hear the Gospel of Jesus will consider the message, have an opportunity to accept the Lord, and then Jesus will come!

When the job of telling others is complete, Jesus Christ will return!  The thing that you and I can do to hasten the return of the Lord is to tell someone about Him today!  The message that Jesus died to wipe out sin and it's consequences must be proclaimed!  There will be a final heart who embraces the call of Jesus and then the Trumpet will sound.  

That person may be on your spiritual radar.  You may be the one to deliver the final invitation to accept Jesus Christ!  If you are destined to play that role in the culmination of all things, your name will be included in the final chapter of the Story of Jesus!

Truthfully, no one knows how important their role is in the completion of God's work on earth!   When you tell someone about Jesus, you may be putting the final brick in the wall of the Story of Eternal Redemption for all who will accept it!  

"Lord Jesus, help me to remember that You want me to play a role in the completion of Your work here on earth!  Every time I tell someone about You today remind me that this may be the Last Brick in the Wall!  Lord Jesus, may Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."  

And if you are not a follower of Jesus, you may be that last brick! 

Eternal Torture

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I saw another angel. This one was flying across the sky and had the eternal good news to announce to the people of every race, tribe, language, and nation on earth.  The angel shouted, “Worship and honor God! The time has come for him to judge everyone. Kneel down before the one who created heaven and earth, the oceans, and every stream.”   A second angel followed and said, “The great city of Babylon has fallen! This is the city that made all nations drunk and immoral. Now God is angry, and Babylon has fallen.”  Finally, a third angel came and shouted: Here is what will happen if you worship the beast and the idol and have the mark of the beast on your hand or forehead.  You will have to drink the wine that God gives to everyone who makes him angry. You will feel his mighty anger, and you will be tortured with fire and burning sulfur, while the holy angels and the Lamb look on.  If you worship the beast and the idol and accept the mark of its name, you will be tortured day and night. The smoke from your torture will go up forever and ever, and you will never be able to rest. 

Revelation 14:6-11 - CEV

These are some of the most disturbing verses in all the Bible.  They promise that those who "worship the beast and the idol and accept the mark of its name" will be tortured while the holy angels and the Lamb watch!  That is a gruesome picture of the horrible fate of those who reject Jesus!

When it comes to "torture" those of us in the Western World have decided that we "are better than that."  We don't torture our enemies, but God does!  Right now, you may even be churning inside and upset with me for bringing these verses to your attention.  The usual way to deal with them is to read them rapidly and go on to what comes next!

We reject torture, even when it is used to extract "life saving" information to stop a terrorist attack or other terrible threat!  But God, according to these verses will use "torture" as eternal punishment for those who reject Him!  The hardest part of this description is that the "holy angels and the Lamb" will watch!

I have prayed about what to say next about this terrible situation!  When you reject Jesus Christ, you separate yourself from God and all His blessings!  Perhaps the "torture" is the simple fact of being cut off from everything that comes from God!  God is the author of all Good, so if you are getting nothing from Him, your continual state of existence will be all Bad!  Pain will rule in everything.  No joy will step into your life.  In fact your "life" will be death and not life.  

When you remove yourself from the presence of God, everything you experience will be the opposite of God!  That is the perfect definition of "Torture."

Your existence will have no love, no compassion, no peace, no rest, no joy, no grace, no forgiveness, no beauty, no wellness, no trust, no understanding, no mercy and absolutely nothing that is GOOD!  God will have to do nothing to you to immerse you in Eternal Torture!

Eternity, out of the presence of God will be more terrible than you could ever imagine!  Turn to Jesus now and remove the possibility of Eternal Torture!  Jesus will give you Eternal Life instead!

"Lord Jesus, make me afraid of facing Eternity without You.  I need You now and I will need You forever.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be Praised Now and Forever.  Amen."

Waiting For and On Jesus

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Christ did not have to offer himself many times. He wasn't like a high priest who goes into the most holy place each year to offer the blood of an animal.  If he had offered himself every year, he would have suffered many times since the creation of the world. But instead, near the end of time he offered himself once and for all, so he could be a sacrifice that does away with sin.  We die only once, and then we are judged.  So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people. But when he comes again, it will not be to take away sin. He will come to save everyone who is waiting for him. 

Hebrews 9:25-28 - CEV

If you were a waiter at a five star restaurant, your job would be complicated.  Not only would you serve the food and take away the dishes, but you would "watch and wait" as you are ready to respond to any of the wishes of those you are serving!

Waiting for Jesus to return is not a passive activity of watching the sky and hoping that it will be today.  We not only wait for Jesus, we also wait on Jesus!  We look for His face not just to see it, but more importantly to see His expressions.  Is He wanting you to do something for or even say something to this person you have encountered today?  

In His face you can see if the Lord is pleased with the next step you intend to take.  In His face you can see what He thinks of every thought that you allow to stay in your mind.  

When you wait for and on Jesus, your day is busy beyond your imagination.   Ask the question: "Is this what Jesus wants me to do today?" 

When you are "Waiting for Jesus" you are watching for Him to let you know what He needs! When you respond with obedience, peace that goes beyond understanding and the joy of Heaven itself will fill your heart!

"Lord Jesus, may I wait for and on You today and every day for the rest of my life.  Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever.  Amen."

All About Others

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Don't be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don't be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don't be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols.  God is angry with people who disobey him by doing these things.  And this is exactly what you did, when you lived among people who behaved in this way.  But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others.  And stop lying to each other. You have given up your old way of life with its habits.  Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better.

Colossians 3:5-10 - CEV

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, have you given up your old way of life with its habits?  Or are you still controlled by your body?

Before you turn your life over to Jesus Christ and become His disciple your life is all about you!  What you seek every day is some way to make yourself happy.  You want to be famous and prosperous.  You want those things that satisfy your desires.  In your "world" you look for position and power!  It is the same self centered existence that you first had as a baby, seeking and crying for everything your body wants!

But Jesus came to make you free from a life that is all about you!  When Jesus pours His life into your  heart you have awakened within you the desire to live for others and not for yourself!  It is not the approval of other men that you seek, but rather the approval of God as you set about to be a blessing to people God created in His own image!

When your life is all about "others," you will become more and more like Jesus.  Then, you will better understand the One who Created you!  Your priority list for life should have God first, others second, and yourself last!  That will happen as you become the new person Christ made you to be!

"Lord Jesus, help me today to understand You more as I put You and other people before my own desires.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

Open Carry the Holy Spirit

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You can be certain that in the last days there will be some very hard times.  People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless,  heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything good.  They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.  Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.

 2 Timothy 3:1-5 - CEV

For many years I have read these verses and thought that they are talking about TODAY! When men and women rebel against God, no matter what age they live in, the way they live is basically the same.

 
But there will be something special about the "Last Days."  The times will not just be hard, but they will be very hard!  Love for others will disappear and love of money will grow large!

  
The description of those who live without Jesus in the Last Days is frightening.  They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, godless, sneaky, reckless, heartless, puffed up with pride, and hateful of everything that is good.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, your job is to bring the Good News of the Cross to those who live in the Last Days!  

Recently, the President of Mexico was quoted in the news as saying that the way to defeat the Drug Cartels in Mexico is with "Hugs and not bullets!"  This was in the wake of the murder of nine American women and children on the way to a family celebration.  I believe that the only way to defeat the Drug Cartels is with the credible threat of overwhelming military power!

In the same way, those who are living in rebellion against God and all that is good, probably will not respond to "hugs."  But they will consider the Word of God when they see His Almighty Power displayed in the lives of those who follow Jesus!

 
If you want to win others to Jesus in these Last Days, let His Power be seen in your life as you walk fully controlled by the Holy Spirit!  Let all those who are led by Satan see for certain that God's Guns are bigger than the guns of the Devil!  

           
"Lord Jesus, give me the courage to stand against the Enemy of all that is good and right by Your Mighty Power alone and not by my own strength!  May I "Open Carry" Your awesome power and never conceal it!  And may Your Name be Praised now and forever.  Amen."

     

Hang On for the Ride!

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When Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering fast, he spoke sternly to the evil spirit that had kept the boy from speaking or hearing. He said, “I order you to come out of the boy! Don't ever bother him again.”  The spirit screamed and made the boy shake all over. Then it went out of him. The boy looked dead, and almost everyone said he was.  But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up.  After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him, “Why couldn't we force out that demon?”  Jesus answered, “Only prayer can force out this kind of demon.”

Mark 9:25-29 - CEV

How often do you pray?  Those who follow Islam pray five times a day!  Jesus said that His followers should pray without ceasing!  

The christian who does not pray is like a farmer who puts his hand to the plow, but does not hook up the horse to the plow!  If he leaves the horse in the barn and attempts to show his neighbors how powerful he is by plowing the field with his own strength, he will fail!  

When you pray, the power of Almighty God comes to plow the ground before you.

When God is pulling your plow, you can stop pushing and just hang on for the ride!  You will be right there and see Him break up the hard hearts of those who had previously decided not to follow Him!  

Prayer in and of itself is not powerful!  You can pray to the Sun or the Moon and Stars and nothing will happen.  It is not the "act" of prayer that works, but rather the One to whom you are praying!  Prayer unleashes the Power of God in the world around you!  

I don't remember who said it, but the quote is this: "When a christian prays something will happen that would not have happened if he had not prayed!"

When you put your hand to the plow today, instead of spending your time pushing the plow, bow your heart before the Lord and PRAY!

"Lord Jesus, You are the Power behind every Prayer!  You, Jesus are all I need for every situation in this life and Forever.  Praise Your Holy and Righteous Name, now and always.  Amen."

Satan Wants to Impeach Jesus

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At this, the angel said, “Lord All-Powerful, for seventy years you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. When are you ever going to have mercy on them?”

The Lord’s answer was kind and comforting.  So the angel told me to announce:

I, the Lord All-Powerful, am very protective of Jerusalem.  For a while I was angry at the nations, but now I am furious, because they have made things worse for Jerusalem and are not the least bit concerned.  And so, I will have pity on Jerusalem. The city will be completely rebuilt, and my temple will stand again.  I also promise that my towns will prosper—Jerusalem will once again be my chosen city, and I will comfort the people of Zion.

Zechariah 1:12-17 CEV

The Bible tells us much about ourselves, and it tells us about God!  If you want to know what God is like, read the Bible.  If you want to know what God "likes," read the Bible.  God can be pleased with you and the way you are living, and He can be "furious" with the nations!

God did not create this earth and everything on it, and then walk away and watch to see how we would do.  I suppose some people don't even think God watches what goes on here on earth.  They think He will have a Day of Judgement on which He will then find out what happened!  That is not the God of the Bible!

God is the Creator and the daily sustainer of life on earth.  He notices when a sparrow falls to the ground and dies.  He knows the number hairs you have on your head.  God knows your heart and everything about it.  And God is waiting and longing for you to know His Heart!  That is the desire of Jesus Christ and the reason why He has not yet brought the End of Days upon us!

As a follower of Jesus, you have a front row seat to the greatest battle in all of human history!  Satan wants to "impeach" Jesus and take Him out of power in your life.  But Jesus wants to bring you to a place of Eternal success and unimaginable Joy and Peace!

Jesus paid the price for everyone's sin when He died on the Cross!  All that is left is for you to turn your heart to Jesus so that His death will be credited to your account! 

"Lord Jesus, thank You for doing for mankind what we cannot do for ourselves!  You are worthy of all Praise and Glory and Honor now and forever, Amen!"   

Biblical Not Political Correctness

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Be cautious and hide

    when you see danger—

    don’t be stupid and walk

    right into trouble.

13 

Don’t loan money to a stranger

    unless you are given something

    to guarantee payment.

14 

A loud greeting

early in the morning

    is the same as a curse.

15 

The steady dripping of rain

and the nagging of a wife

    are one and the same.

16 

It’s easier to catch the wind

or hold olive oil in your hand

    than to stop a nagging wife.

Proverbs 27:12-16

The wisdom of the Bible Book of Proverbs is wonderful, but it is also sometimes "politically incorrect."  Who would dare speak publicly today about a "nagging wife?"

Political correctness is simply a consensus of society about what you can and cannot say without being offensive to a majority of the people.  I have a serious warning to those who hold to being politically correct.  Often, being politically correct means that you are being Biblically incorrect!  Biblical incorrectness may not offend the world around you, but it does offend the God who created you!

Let the words you speak be guided by the God who made you rather than the world around you who uses their own foolishness for the standard of wisdom!  

Some good examples of the way this world wants to pull you away from the standard of God are these:

God made you as either a man or a woman, and you do not have a choice in the matter!

God is not the author of the statement: "All religions are the same.  It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you do!"

God did not design marriage as a temporary relationship, which you should expect to only last a short time before you move on to the next one!

God did not say that the "pursuit of happiness" is the greatest purpose in life!

Don't be afraid to be Biblically Correct even if you are not Politically Correct!  Learn the ideas of God from the Bible and speak the Words of God no matter what the consequence here on earth!

"Lord Jesus, may the Words of my mouth and of course the meditation of my heart always please You!  May Your Holy Name be praised now and forever.  Amen!"