The Fabric of Your Heart!

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Everyone on this earth will remember you, LORD. People all over the world will turn and worship you, because you are in control, the ruler of all nations.  All who are rich and have more than enough will bow down to you, Lord. Even those who are dying and almost in the grave will come and bow down.  In the future, everyone will worship and learn about you, our Lord.  People not yet born will be told, "The Lord has saved us!"

Psalm 22: 27 - 32

In the End there will be no Atheists!  People who don’t believe in God now will certainly believe and will fall down in worship!  Everyone in Hell will know for certain that God exists!  

With an entire Cosmos of stunning evidences of the existence of God, those who call themselves Atheists are really “non-obeyers” rather than non-believers!  Woven into the fabric of your heart is the knowledge that God is, but because of sin you are overwhelmed with the desire to be disobedient to the One who made you! 

The things that God tells you to do are the very things that you fundamentally reject!  And the things that God tells you not to do are the things that you find yourself doing, every day!  

The resolution of your confusion is to repent of your sins, turn your heart to Jesus and be obedient to every Word that comes from God!  It is the only answer that will work now, and forever!

“Lord Jesus, I choose to trust and obey You today and forever.  Praise Your Holy Name.  Amen.”   

Jesus or Your Sin?

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This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.   It began just as God had said in the book written by Isaiah the prophet, "I am sending my messenger to get the way ready for you.   In the desert someone is shouting, 'Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.' "   So John the Baptist showed up in the desert and told everyone, "Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven."   From all Judea and Jerusalem crowds of people went to John. They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

Mark 1: 1 - 5

John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord.  That was his ministry and he did it well.  But what about men and women today?  Do our hearts need to be prepared for the Lord to take control of us?  The answer to that question is this:  Yes of course our hearts need to prepare for the Lord!  And that preparation is repentance!

Until you decide that you don’t want to be controlled by sin, your heart will not turn to Jesus!  You see, sin is your master until you repent and Jesus said that you can’t be controlled by two masters!  John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance!  And you can prepare the way for Jesus to have full control of your heart by turning away from and repenting of your sins!

You can’t bask in the love of Jesus and enjoy fellowship with the Holy Spirit while still clinging to the sins that pull you away from Him!  You have a choice: Jesus or your sin!  Which will it be?  If you choose sin you will have a miserable life with momentary flashes of pleasure followed by pain!  If you choose Jesus you will have a wonderful life with occasional times of suffering and pain, but even they will be accompanied by joy and peace that will last forever!  

Choose today to repent of all the sin in your life and hold on to Jesus with every fiber of your being!  By turning from your sin you will prepare the way for Jesus to control you fully and bless you completely!  

“Lord Jesus, I want You more than I want the pleasure of my sin.  Take control of my life and help me to repent of everything that would pull me away from You.  Praise Your Holy Name forever.  Amen.”

Remember Levi!

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I am telling you this, so I can continue to keep my agreement with your ancestor Levi.  I blessed him with a full life, as I had promised, and he kept his part of the agreement by honoring me and respecting my name.  He taught the truth and never told lies, and he led a lot of people to turn from sin, because he obeyed me and lived right.

Malachi 2: 4 - 6

Somehow, I have never really stopped to think about Levi and what it says about him in these verses from Malachi 2.  Of course, the priests were all from the tribe of Levi.  But Levi was a man of character and he lived a full life because he honored and respected the Name of the Lord!   

Levi proclaimed the truth and never told lies and many people turned away from sin because Levi lived an obedient life before the Lord!  

I would suggest that you might want to add Levi to your list of Bible characters who are good role models!  

May it be said of you that you teach the truth and never tell lies.  And may many people turn from sin because you obey the Lord!

“Lord Jesus, thank you for the example of Levi.  May his light shine brightly even today for those who follow You.  Praise Your Name forever.  Amen.”

You Can't Change!

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Can you ever change and do what's right? Can people change the color of their skin, or can a leopard remove its spots? If so, then maybe you can change and learn to do right.

Jeremiah 13: 23

These words seem to be rather discouraging.  They are saying that a leopard can’t remove its spots and a man can’t change his skin color, and in the same way a man who is doing what is wrong can’t change and do what is right!  How could this be?

Does that mean that it is hopeless for you to change your ways and begin doing what is right?  Actually, it means exactly that!  You see, you can’t change, but you can be changed!  And that change is by the power of God, not by your own strength.  

That is really the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus not only died to pay for your sins, but He sent the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and show you how to live every moment of your life as Jesus did.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, living in you, you will be changed into the image of Jesus Himself.  You will be Crucified with Christ, buried with Him and rise to walk in a new life!  

So, instead of spending your time trying methods of “self improvement,” give your body, soul, and spirit to Jesus and let Him transform you into His own image!  

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I cannot change myself into a man of righteousness, but I can be changed by Your sacrifice on the Cross!  Change me Lord, today.  Praise Your Holy Name forever.  Amen.”

Transfer of Wealth!

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My little group of disciples, don't be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves moneybags that never wear out. Make sure your treasure is safe in heaven, where thieves cannot steal it and moths cannot destroy it.  Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

Luke 12: 32 - 34

What is the “Kingdom” that God wants to give to the disciples of Jesus?  We have made the concept of the Kingdom of God too complicated.  In simple terms, a kingdom is a realm where there is a King and there are those who listen to and obey the King!  

When you become a follower of Jesus Christ, God Himself becomes your King and you live your life in obedience to His commands.  It is that simple.  God is the King and you obey Him!

The reason that you want to deposit your treasure in Heaven rather than here on earth is this:  If you are to be a faithful and obedient servant of God you must make sure that your heart is where He is in Heaven and not on this earth!  If your heart is on this earth, then you will find it hard to be completely obedient to God.  

The Kingdom of God is where you will find peace and rest and eternal joy!  

“Lord Jesus, I want my treasure and my heart to be in Heaven where my Father is there with You.  Help me today to transfer more of my treasure from earth to Heaven.  Praise Your Holy Name forever.  Amen.”

Blessed More Than Mary!

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While Jesus was still talking, a woman in the crowd spoke up, "The woman who gave birth to you and nursed you is blessed!"  Jesus replied, "That's true, but the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey God's message!"

Luke 11: 27 - 28

Mary, the mother of Jesus was certainly a blessed lady!  Millions of people around the world hold her in the highest esteem.  These verses in Luke seem to be saying that it is even a greater blessing to hear God’s message and obey it, than to be the mother of Jesus!  

When the world around her looked at Mary’s blessing, it didn’t look like a blessing at all!  Mary appeared to be a woman who was making the best of a bad situation since she became pregnant before marrying Joseph.  

But Mary knew that the Baby she was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit!  The blessings, after you hear and obey the Word of God may not look like blessings at all to the world around you.  They may think you are a person who sees things that are not there and believes things that are not true!  But like Mary, you know for certain that you are blessed by God! 

Like the old hymn says, “There is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to Trust and Obey.”

“Lord Jesus, Mary was indeed blessed by being Your mother, but I am blessed as well by being Your obedient disciple.  Help me to walkB in obedience to Your every desire for me today.  Praise Your Name forever.  Amen.”

Touch Me Again!

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One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place, and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up.  When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, "You are now well."   He placed his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight and praised God.   The man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, "Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath."  The Lord replied, "Are you trying to fool someone? Won't any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath?  This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years. Isn't it right to set her free on the Sabbath?"  Jesus' words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing. 

Luke 13: 10 - 17

Jesus said the woman in this story belonged to the family of God, but was crippled by Satan for many years.  

We live in a world today where the Devil tries to bind up or even cripple those who follow Jesus.  Every time you refuse to trust Jesus and doubt the Word that He has spoken, you are allowing Satan to bind you and keep you from walking in the freedom that Jesus gives to those who follow Him!

The only way to be free from the chains of doubt and fear is to come to Jesus and let Him touch you again!  With the Hands of Jesus placed on your head and His arms wrapped around you, you will be restored to spiritual health and wholeness!

“Lord Jesus, touch me today again with the healing power that can only come from You, my Lord and my God!  Praise Your Holy Name forever.  Amen.”