What you seek...or don't...

What you seek...or don't...

“The LORD Is Our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:6 NLT 

It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and peace to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. How often are the saints of God sad and downcast! I do not think they ought to be. And I do not think they would be if they could always see their perfection in Christ. There are some who are always talking about corruption and the depravity of the heart and the innate evil of the soul. This is all quite true—but why not go a little further, and remember that we are “perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28 NKJV)? It is no wonder that those who dwell on their own corruption should wear such unhappy looks, but surely—if we call to mind that “Christ has made us right with God” (1 Corinthians 1:30 NLT)—we will be of good cheer. Though I suffer distress, though Satan assaults me, though there may be many difficult things to be experienced before I get to heaven, they are done for me in the covenant of divine grace. There is nothing lacking in my Lord—Christ has done everything I need! On the cross He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30); and if it is finished, I am complete in Him. I can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:9). On this side heaven, you will not find holier people than those who receive into their hearts the doctrine of Christ’s righteousness. When the believer says, “I live on Christ alone; I rest only on Him for salvation; and I believe that, however unworthy, I am still saved in Jesus,” this thought rises up as a motive of gratitude: “Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I not love Him and serve Him, seeing that I am saved by His merits?” “The love of Christ controls us . . . that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV), If we are saved by imputed righteousness, we will greatly value imparted righteousness. C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

If, my Dear Reader, you are indeed claiming the name of Jesus as your Savior and Lord, how do you proclaim it?

Walking around in silence? Holding onto past failures?  Living the day in the strength given to you?  Are you silent when the situation demands you speak up about Jesus?  Are your fears of what man can do to you stronger than your faith that is to be in God?

Are your idle thoughts spent wasting away the time given to you?  Do you spend the time at all investing in the life to come?  

Where your treasure is there your heart will be found.  Is it at all in Heaven?

I ponder these thoughts at times and more.  My brain multitasks more than most.  There are times when I have no reason to be awake other than a brain that won't calm down because of thinking going on in the background. 

I read what we read today. So many preachers speak on the depravity of the human condition to believers who are made perfect in Christ Jesus.  Yes we have depravity but we also can claim victory.  What we have IN Christ far exceeds what sin does to this mortal body. 

Paul didn't dwell on his every failure. He knew Satan would be there to remind him. I don't need reminding of my failures either.  Between the consequences and Satan's minions reminding me that's been covered.  

People sometimes wonder about what's next after this life.  They struggle to come to grips with the simple truth of the Gospel.  Not having Christ means your next breath after death will be in Hell. Having Christ means your next breath will be in the presence of Jesus.  Prominence and celebrity status mean nothing at the point of death.  Consider some of the most brilliant minds that have lived were atheists...spent their whole life denying God.  Their next moment after death was to find themselves in Hell crying out to God for a second chance.  Intelligence has nothing to do with understanding the Gospel.  Faith as a mustard seed.  Faith as that of a child.  The message is simple. The pride of man is what is complicated. 

It's not easy to find the positive in things or people.  Often we see the mistakes of others before we see our own.  

Looking ahead to what is coming is more exciting than the view in this world. 

As I was reading today...a man in a Doctor's office visit is told some grim news.  His life would not be as long as he had expected.  He asks his Doctor "What lies ahead after death?" The Doctor replied "I don't know." "You're a Christian man and you don't know?" The man responded. 

Just then a dog could be heard scratching at the door.  The Doctor opened the door and his dog came in, excited to see him

"Did you see his reaction? He has never been in here before. He had no knowledge of what to expect other than to know his Master was on the other side.  I don't know what to expect on the other side for me other than to know my Master is there."

What do you seek in today?

Self satisfaction?  Relief from fears?

Are you seeking distraction from what's going on in the world?  Are you comfortable with your future? 

If you should die today and you go through that inevitable door between life and death, do you know for sure that it's Heaven that you will see?  Forget your status in this life for a moment.  In God's eyes we are all equal. All sinners in need of a Savior. Those who have Christ Jesus as their Savior can read in the Bible what to expect next.  Interesting it is that from the words of Jesus Christ Himself you can know what to expect if you refuse the offer of Salvation.  You will indeed find yourself in Hell in anguish and torment. 

Your choice to make.  Come to Christ AND listen to Him or refuse and don't. 

But regardless of what you think or want to see...your choice makes a Heaven or Hell difference.  

It doesn't matter what you have achieved in this life.  How many beautiful children you may have had.  What birth defect you were born with. What illnesses you have lived with.  You still choose and your choice determines your destination. 

Have your RSVP? There's a catch...

Have your RSVP? There's a catch...or not.

Come to Me, all you who labor . . . and I will give you rest. MATTHEW 11:28 

Many of the practices of Western etiquette came from the French court of King Louis XIV in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. At his palace, Versailles, Louis XIV had the rules for court behavior written on “tickets,” or etiquette. It’s also why our familiar RSVP means “Répondez, s’il vous plait”—Respond, if you please. Jesus told a parable about how the Jewish nation politely RSVPed to God—but with the wrong reply. When God sent Jesus to the Jews as their Messiah, they should have interpreted His invitation to “come to Me” (Matthew 11:28–30) as an invitation to enter God’s eternal kingdom. But they made up excuses to reject God’s invitation. In the parable, the recipients of the invitation to a great banquet replied that, sorry, they were too busy. So the host reissued the invitation to the forgotten of society, the inhabitants of the highways and byways, and brought them in. Those to whom the invitation was originally sent missed out on that chance to enter the kingdom. If you’ve RSVPed to God with a “Sorry, too busy,” you might want to reconsider—and accept! When an invitation comes from God, failing to respond is the same as saying no. - Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening 

Really read and consider those last sentences of the devotional.   

Failing to respond is the same as saying no. 

The Bible gives many of the excuses that people have for not coming to Christ.  

I have this to do, or I want to do that...

I can't I don't want to lose out...

That religion stuff is an excuse for weak people. 

Thing is everyone will be without excuse before Christ Jesus.  Everyone. 

This isn't my opinion nor is it my arbitrary statement.  That's exactly what the Bible says on the matter. 

A man died and finds himself in a vast white plain.  He sees and recognizes people on both sides of a fence. Know one side is those "Jesus people" the other side he recognizes as being the more seedy of society.  Not wanting to be associated with either he climbs up on that fence. Figured that he would be safe there.  A time came whe he heard a call. All those religious people as he called them vanished.  Then a while later the other group left.   Next thing he knows he sees an angel looking being looking around.  He gets curious and hollered to him. ""What are you looking for?" The being smiles and approaches him. "Oh, there you are. Come with me."  

"Am I going to Heaven?" The man asks. 

"Oh no. I am Satan. You're coming with me."

The man objects "No! I didn't choose them and I didn't choose those others! I was a good person in my life!"

"You didn't choose Jesus, you sat on my fence, you belong with me." Came the reply. "I own the fence of indecision."

So where are you today? Thinking that you aren't required to choose?  I wouldn't keep on believing that lie if I were you. 

Soon a call is going to come from Heaven.   The call for the dead in Christ to arise first, those who are left that are still alive are next.  There's no third category. There's no third group of 'good people'. 

There are billions and billions of 'good people' in Hell.

People who thought the fence of indecision was their safe spot. 

There are also billions and billions of enraged people in Hell angry at God for the choice THEY made in this life to reject Jesus Christ. 

Hell is a very big place. Getting there is easy.  It is no party place.  Jesus fully described the pain and misery and sorrow of people who are there.  

Your RSVP for Heaven comes through coming to Christ for Salvation.  You are sealed from the day of judgement. You will be among those whom will hear the call and ascend to Heaven when the call is made. 

Lastly this RSVP is not a license to sin. 

Just because a person comes to Christ it doesn't mean they continue to live as though they had not.  

Finding out more about the one who saved you ought to be very important to you. Learning how to do what He wants should be important to you.  Learning to live, laugh and love as He does more in your life than you could think or imagine is where you will find happiness and peace and hope. All the possessions of the world mean nothing compared to that. 

Know for sure about your RSVP. 

Know today whether or not you are really on Satan's fence. Get off of it, get over your own reasons for not coming to Christ.  Quit standing in your own way.

Found: Your Missing Life

Found: Your Missing Life 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” JOHN 11:25–26 

The King of kings came into the world humbly. He was born in a stable, His cradle a feed trough. In His thirty-three years of earthly life, He owned no possessions. He had to depend on others to provide for His needs, and He had to borrow everything He used. The stable where He was born was borrowed. He borrowed money to pay His taxes, a boat to stand in and preach, a cross on which to die. Even His tomb was not His own. But He had a mission that He alone could accomplish: He, the Son of Man, came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He bore our sins “in His own body on the tree” that in the age to come we might have eternal life (1 Peter 2:24; Mark 10:29–30; and John 3:13–17). Of Himself He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25–26). He “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself . . . so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. . . . We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 9:26–10:10). - Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening 

Everywhere you go, everywhere you hear, you see and hear messages from this world on how you should be.  What you should accept and not accept.  What great or not so great things are before you.  Corporations try to sway your thinking. Schools used to teach only to prepare you for life. These days a great many schools try to use it to indoctrinate children into other schools of thought that are contrary to the Word of God. 

Slogans are reworked every year about being all you can be.  About getting more schooling. Get this degree or that degree and it will make you something!  Yes, deeper in debt. Extremely few enter into getting a degree leave with both a degree and no debt. 

A wall full of degrees will not give you the life that is only found in Christ Jesus. 

I was reading this morning and only now realized that a commonly used phrase by a lot of Christians is taken out of context. 

Let's read it. Matthew 19:25-26 "When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Many grasp a hold of those last 6 words.  The context is more important. It's about Salvation.  It's about Jesus saying that no path taken by mankind will ever save them in God's eyes. Jesus is the WAY, the truth, and the LIFE.  

A key reason that so much emphasis is put on striving to find a path in life is the denial of the one thing that's necessary. Salvation in Christ Jesus.  Jesus said he who wants to find his life must lose it. To give it up. To deny yourself take up your cross and follow Him.  That means not living for you. 

Degrees and achievements, acolytes and celebrity status mean absolutely nothing in Heaven.  Being a billionaire who has achieved great worldly things, done fantastic things for mankind, without Christ is a person doomed to eternity in Hell.  

Look at what Dr. Jeremiah said about Jesus, about what He owned, about His possessions in His 33 years on Earth. 

He COULD have thought a thought and instantly forever changed the future of humanity.  Really consider that this is THE same God who spoke the world into existence. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He could have spoken a word and started everything over again. He could have made a Throne here on Earth in that Temple by saying it or thinking it. Could have usurped all earthly authority and taken back the Kingdom in the twinkling of an eye.  Ever really consider all that?  He denied Himself, took up His own cross, and Followed His Father's Will.

The Plan of God is to seek and save those who are lost.  Presented to Israel who rejected Christ, it was offered to the World.  Offered. Not demanded.  Mankind has tried for centuries to either create their own gods or to find their own way to God. 

With man it is impossible.  With God reaching down from Heaven in the form and person of Jesus Christ it is possible. 

Look at your life today. Are you living for Jesus or you?  Simple question. 

Are you lying to yourself about your goals and ambitions?  Are you at all, in any part of your life, living for Jesus?

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,

Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

Refrain:
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

2. Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

3. Living for Jesus, wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy Name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.

4. Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.

Truths of God...Matters not What We think.

Truths of God, it Matters not what We Think 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 

I believe that for marriage to become the treasure the Bible says it can be, Jesus Christ must be at the center. When Jesus Christ comes into a life, that person gains the basic equipment necessary to become “one” with another person, to be secure in identity, someone who doesn’t have to prove personal worth because he or she recognizes that worth in Jesus Christ. The best thing that can happen to any marriage is for both partners to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and walk with Him by faith. Would you like to know a priceless secret? Here it is: God is awesome, and He’ll change your life, He’ll change your marriage, He’ll change your family, and He’ll change your future for generations to come. That’s what God, through Christ, will do! He is waiting for you to give Him an invitation into your life. He does not barge in where He is not wanted. If you will take the initiative today, you can begin right now to live as you were meant to live. When you do, you will start to personally experience the awesomeness of God at work in your marriage and family. And when that happens, anything is possible.  - Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening 

My friend remember from the first that I have said, my calling is to write what I am told to write. Some will not agree with what is said, for those it is between them and God. 

Marriage is meant and only meant to between one man and one woman. 

There is no other way before God. When asked about divorce, Jesus Himself reaffirmed that which He established in Adam and Eve.  For those who cry out for anything different, your pleas fall upon deaf ears with God.  To insist on it being your way above God's way, you are establishing yourself as god in your life. In the 10 Commandments it clearly is written you shall have no other gods before Me. 

When Jesus says in Revelation of people who were weeping and gnashing their teeth.  Those are people who refused to let God be God in their lives.  They insisted upon being the ultimate authority in their lives.  That it was their way they wanted and not God's way.  

Was reading in Exodus this morning also besides my devotionals.  In the 10 Commandments it also mentions having no other gods before Him.  Mentions having no idols. To have an idol set before us means we hate God.  Did you realize that?  It's contained in that passage.  20 verses 4 and 5. "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,"

Marriage, as defined by God, as lived as it was meant to be lived, is a miracle in real life.  To include God in your walk of life takes you places you never dreamed possible.  To include Him in your marriage takes it places you never dreamed possible. 

Any attempt outside of what God says marriage is to be is a sham. It's fake in God's eyes. It serves only to further denial of God's Word and Will in the life of people. 

We often try to sugar coat the truth.  God absolutely will not.  We often try to reason within ourselves to do something that we know is wrong.  

Plainly put, I cannot trust me.  I will indeed lie to me. I will indeed steer me wrong.  I know this from looking back on my life and being real with me.  I have the capacity to certainly lie to get what I want. 

The truth is a life dependent upon Jesus, well, that kind of thing just doesn't fly. 

It's why the Bible is so important.  It's why reading it daily is important.  It's why a God-defined marriage is important to a God blessed marriage.  God will not bless a marriage that He does not condone. In fact He went to great lengths to describe what kind of an abomination it is to Him concerning the sexual aspects of people not living as He intended. 

We have before us a life as Christ intended and a life our sin nature intends. Our sin nature will guide us to Self being on the Throne of our hearts.  A Christian puts Christ on the Throne of our hearts.  The sin nature battles us in keeping Him there.

We cannot live a moment of a day in our own strength apart from God.  We need to rely on the truth of God to live.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

Live for Christ today.  If you have been obstinately holding onto your way of living. Let go now. You do NOT want to be counted among those who are weeping and gnashing their teeth at God. 

Live like the truths of God mean something to you. 

A Woe from Jesus should be Frightening

A Woe from Jesus should be frightening 

Matthew 18:1-7 NASB "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!

We live in a world of profound sin. We qade through it every day.  We are in deeper than we want to acknowledge or that we realize.  The forces of darkness are cunning beyond words.  

Ephesians 6:12-13 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm."

These words and those of Jesus earlier were at a time when the Roman Empire was gaining traction. Christians were becoming the enemy of the state.  

In our day we are returning to the ways of the Roman Empire.  Christian people are constantly coming under fire.  

There are countless wolves in sheep's clothing in government, in politics, in the Church, in the workplace.  

You can't even fathom the depths to which Satan is going in order to subvert the will of God in the lives of men and women. 

Subliminal messages are throughout just about every single television program and every movie from rated G on up.  What you might consider safe movies for children are actually programming them through their subtleties.  

The early Church was warned to be on their guard.  We live in a highly technical age whereas way more avenues exist to subvert the human mind than at any time since the Genesis Flood. 

How are you doing in protecting yourself mind, soul and Spirit? Are you even trying?

My conviction of late is indeed praying Ephesians 6.  I cannot get through any part of my day without the armor of God.  

I can't trust me.

Until I am in a glorified body, separated from my sin nature, there is no rest. Scripture says we ENTER into rest when we leave this world. 

We have been conditioned through schools and what we have watched to believe what we hear, or see.  Scripture tells us what to see, to hear, to believe and it's not in television or movies. 

Look at that woe from Jesus. 

We have everyone from the early days of radio and television, from the early days of movies, who have sought ways to control people.  Of how they can subvert people. 

In today's world it is indeed about the information. What we see, what we hear, it's all about the information. People can't go even an hour without trying to find out what they missed in their online world. Why is that? Because it's become a drug. 

Fear of not knowing.  Fear of missing. 

We have children being programmed at schools and from video games to be something they are not...and parents are not allowed to challenge it.

Woe from Jesus to those who cause these little ones to stumble. 

What are you doing to fight for your mind?

What are you doing to fight in this Spiritual war we are in?  

You must choose who it is you are going to listen to. 

You must realize that prayer is your greatest ally and weapon.  

Children are being murdered not just through abortions but through indoctrination into ungodly thinking. 

I, like Paul, urge you to take prayer seriously. Take this battle to Heavens Throne.  We need to stand firm in this world.  We cannot do it alone. 

Lost Identity in our world today

Lost Identity in our world today 

Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. Romans 3:31 

When we believe and are adopted into the Lord’s family, our relationship to Adam and the law ends immediately. But then we are under a new rule, and a new covenant. Believer, you are God’s child; it is your first duty to obey your heavenly Father. Have nothing to do with a servile spirit: you are not a slave, but a child. And now, seeing that you are a much-loved child, you are bound to obey your Father’s faintest wish, the slightest hint of His will. Does He want you to be baptized or take communion? You neglect this at your peril, for you will be disobeying your Father. Does He command you to pursue the likeness of Jesus? Isn’t it your joy to do so? Does Jesus tell you, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48)? Then you will labor to be perfect in holiness, not because the law commands it but because your Savior calls for it. Does He want His saints to love each other? Do that—not because the law says, “Love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18), but because Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15)—and this is the commandment He has given you: “Love each other” (John 15:17). Are you told to give to the poor? Do that—not because charity is a task you dare not shirk, but because Jesus teaches, “Give to everyone who asks you” (Luke 6:30). Does the Word say, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5)? Look at the commandment and reply, “Ah, commandment—Christ has fulfilled you already! I have no need, therefore, to fulfill you for my salvation, but I am happy to obey you—because God is now my Father, and He has a claim on me which I would not dispute.” May the Holy Spirit make your heart obedient to the constraining power of Christ’s love. May your prayer may be, “Make me to go in the path of your commandments, for I delight in them.” Grace is the mother and nurse of holiness, never the apologist of sin. 

“Your heavenly Father . . .” Matthew 6:26

God’s people are doubly His children—they are His offspring by creation and they are His sons and daughters by adoption in Christ. And so they are privileged to call Him, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Father! Oh, what a precious word that is. Here is authority: “If I am a father, where is the honor due me?” (Malachi 1:6). If you are sons and daughters, where is your obedience? Here is affection mingled with authority, an authority which does not provoke rebellion. God demands an obedience that we can most cheerfully give—and should not withhold even though we could. The obedience which God’s children yield to Him must be a loving obedience. Do not perform God’s service as slaves to a taskmaster; but run to obey His command, simply because it is your Father’s desire. Yield your bodies as “instruments of righteousness” (Romans 6:13) because righteousness is your Father’s will—and His will should be the will of His child. Father! Here is a kingly attribute so sweetly softened by love that the King’s crown is forgotten in the King’s face. His scepter becomes not a rod of iron but a silver staff of mercy—the scepter indeed seems to be forgotten in the tender hand of the one who wields it. Father! Here is honor and love. How great is a father’s love to his children! What friendship cannot do, and mere kindness will not attempt, a father’s heart and hand must do for his sons and daughters. They are his offspring—he must bless them. They are his children—he must show himself strong in their defense. If an earthly father watches over his children with unceasing love and care, how much more does our heavenly Father? Abba, Father! The one who can say this has sung a better song than the angels of heaven. There is heaven in the depth of that word: Father! In that term is all I can ask, all the necessities can demand, all the wishes can desire. I have all in all, and to all eternity, when I can say, “Father.”

Oh this morning...we live in a world today where identity is threatened. Where identity is being redefined by people who claim to be wiser than the Creator who made them.  Even within the Church identity is getting lost.  People not remembering who they are in Christ Jesus.  They look at the world's claims and what the Bible says and are confused?  They doubt?  

Our identity in Christ as Christians is as much written in blood as that of the signature of God on the soul of a man who belongs to Him. There's the blood of Jesus Christ who makes the identification. 

Why my friend would you listen to a perverted world?  Why would you seek to redefine you before Jesus Christ?

This world is heading for the moments in the Bible where their anger and rage and hatred are boiling over at God because they refuse to believe and repent of their sexual immoralities.  That blind rage is twisting our political system in America.  

That blind rage is saying it isn't enough to be silent, you must join them in their rage and anger to support what they say is right and wrong.  

In Christ is peace that passes all understanding.  Not rage. 

In Christ is found truth, not truth redefined. 

In Christ is found Salvation, not a man made poisonous future.

In Christ is found the love of God.  Not the pointless love of self. 

In Christ is found the identity of a believer. 

As Scripture has aptly described wolves have infiltrated the Church.  They have twisted God's way and God's Word.  They have taught as precepts the doctrines of demons within the Church.  When it mentions evil men will proceed from bad to worse...that includes within the Church. 

Who you are defines where you are going. 

Look at your life today. Look at how you have defined yourself.  Is it going to be Jesus that people see in you or are they only seeing you? 

Life is more than posessions or obsessions with things in this world.  Nobody's got a U-haul on their casket.  Every single person in Hell doesn't want to be there. 

Look at your choices, are they helping you to keep your eyes on Jesus?  Are they only about your own good, your own welfare?

When not occupied with the necessity of work, do your thoughts ever rest in Jesus?

Are you at all trying to learn more about Him?  Or do you only spend your time on you?  The bank called, your reality check bounced.  You may not have taken your walk with Jesus seriously before, but you can start again right here, right now.  

If you haven't come to Christ for Salvation, let today be the day you find that which you have been looking for all your life.   Let today bring peace to your heart that you have never been able to find in this world. 

Come...come and see Jesus and see who you were meant to be...not who you are today. 

We have it backwards

We have it backwards 

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. PSALM 30:5 It’s interesting that David follows a pattern of looking at the day that was begun in the creation account in Genesis. He says that weeping comes in the night, but joy comes in the morning. If you remember, when God created the heavens and the earth, He said, “The evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5). We think just the opposite, don’t we? We think of a day as the morning followed by the evening. I think there are wonderful truths embedded in God’s perspective on life. If you will look at your day as the evening and the morning instead of the morning and the evening, you will begin your day in the evening by meditating on what you need to accomplish the next day and asking God’s blessing on it. Then He is free to work in your heart and mind as you sleep to prepare you for accomplishing those things. When Christ returns, there will be no more weeping. Weeping is ours during the night, but our eternal joy is coming in the morning of Christ’s return. - Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening 

I read this one several times this morning.  It was a rough night last night for me as far as sleep goes.  Nothing in particular was noticeably on my mind,  but yesterday in an of itself was difficult.  The weekend was difficult.  

I struggle between two worlds of thought concerning the dying of people.  One is to openly grieve as much of the world does.  The other is to be both happy and envious of where many of those whom I know have gone.  

This world is entering a new spasm of birth pangs, as Scripture calls it.  There's no explanation other than that for the headlong path of evil in this world.  I was watching a video yesterday of seriously slowed down videos of popular rated G movies yesterday, detailing how subliminal messages were being spread to the masses that promote what we read about in Revelation...people who refuse to repent of their sexual immorality.  But that wasn't on my mind as I slept.  

But that wasn't what was going on as I was trying to sleep.  My body's not getting any younger. Minor aches happen.  Concerns about the up and coming days ahead are a concern.  Changes in how my nation is becoming honesty frighten me.  

I see some of the same things happening to America as it was before the overthrow of Israel in the Old Testament.  The degrading passions of people.  Of the sinking of morality into places not seen since the beginning of the Church age. 

I know that I know that I know Jesus is coming soon.  As it was in the days of Noah so it is becoming more and more. 

This world is not destined for centuries of life like portrayed in movies.  There's never going to be something grand awakening by mankind to save mankind.  

The only thing true about the future of mankind is what the Bible says about man and God. 

As Dr. Jeremiah said in today's devotional, looking at the world differently, honestly, looking at time differently is important.  If God said a day begins at Evening then it does.  I am no stranger to crying myself to sleep.  It's happened in various times in my life.  Undoubtedly it will happen again before I find myself standing before Jesus.  There's much to be concerned about in our world.  But God is still God over all.  There's no craziness, no wickedness, no evil, that can ever be more powerful than what He has said is going to happen in this world.  Satan cannot prevent a single thing from happening as written in Scripture. He is powerless to stop any decrees from God. He is not God's equal. He is a created being.  The only beings who are not created are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All are subject to their authority, to their judgment, to their will. 

As evil advances, we plan accordingly.  We prepare for the day that comes when those in the Church in America become the primary targets of evil.  It's because we represent a Holy God.  We, as Scripture says, are the lights in a world that revels in their deeds of darkness.  

So preparing for a day that begins in the evenings really does make sense. It is really appropriate.  You are already wide awake in the evenings to be reading and considering the Word and work of God.  You are not rushed in your time of prayer. You are not inclined to forget God.  

Much of American is a boiling pot right now.  One political party against another.  Each both wanting but not advocating massive change in our daily lives at the behest of corporate America and special interest groups.  It is no longer enough to keep your opinions to yourself. That is now considered condoning wrong behavior or thoughts. You are being pressured into openly supporting things that are against Scripture.  To that end, let it be known to whomever reads this, I and my house choose to serve the Lord.  As Daniel's 3 friends said, so say I, we will not bow down to a way of life or thinking that is contrary to the Word of God. Period. 

As for you, my Dear Reader, you have or will have choices to make.  Life is going to get more complicated.  Lines are being drawn in the sand.  Interesting that the Bible compares sand with vast numbers of people. This world is going to be enraged against Christians and Jews on a scale not seen since the high point of the Roman Empire.  5 years ago nobody saw what we are experiencing today.  

I pray that a who read this indeed are saved in Christ.  Jesus guarantees that He will be with those who are saved in Christ Jesus. I have nothing to fear in this world because of that.  Do you? If you are indeed living in fear, now is the time to get right with God.  Now is the time for you to repent and be saved. Now. Not 'maybe later'. Jesus is returning.  The speed of which is faster than an eye can blink when it happens.  Don't put it off. Please. 

Oh that the unbeliever cannot see

Oh that the unbeliever cannot see 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ROMANS 8:18

 In 1946, Akio Morita invented the world’s first transistor radio in Tokyo. An American company offered to buy him out at a generous price, but Morita wanted his company’s name on the product. He declined and struggled to stay in business. But his perseverance paid off as his company, Sony, became a world leader in electronics. Far too often our focus is on today’s suffering instead of tomorrow’s reward. Morita could have sold out early and relieved his cash-strapped condition. But he was convinced that if he held on, greater rewards would come his way. And he was right! The Christian life is like that. We frequently experience significant, unexplained, even undeserved suffering in this life. But the apostle Paul tells us to hold on—don’t sell out! The suffering of this life—or the temporary relief we might enjoy by giving up our faith—cannot compare with the glory and rewards that await us in heaven. Has the devil made you an offer you can’t refuse? Don’t sell out! What you’ll lose in heaven is far more valuable than what you’ll gain on earth.

- Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening 

It's impossible to consider what you cannot see or hear or touch.  My Brother's analogy is very appropriate in this when someone call him about a car problem.  "What color shirt am I wearing?"  He cannot diagnose what he cannot see, hear, touch. 

People today are only going by their experiences and that of others.  They allow jealousy, greed, envy and a host of other emotions to rule their thoughts. 

The believer has something else to consider.  The ways of righteousness and the plan of God.  

They said to Him, “Rabbi … where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day. John 1:38b–39 

There comes a time for each of us when merely talking about the Christian pilgrimage is not sufficient. We must actually set out on the journey! We can spend many hours debating and discussing issues related to the Christian life, but this means little if we never actually step out and follow Christ! For generations, the coming of the Messiah had been pondered and predicted by the nation of Israel. Perhaps no topic garnered more discussion among Jews than the nature and work of the Messiah. Andrew had listened to John the Baptist and had heard of the coming Messiah. Now, suddenly, he was face to face with the One he had yearned to see! Andrew's mind was filled with questions he longed to ask. Instead of entering into a theological dialogue with Andrew, however, Jesus turned and began to walk. Andrew's questions would not be answered by discussion alone, but by walking with Him. Christianity is not a set of teachings to understand. It is a Person to follow. As he walked with Jesus, Andrew watched Jesus heal the sick, teach God's wisdom, and demonstrate God's power. Andrew not only learned about God; he actually experienced Him! Moments will come when you stand at a crossroads with your Lord. You will have a hundred questions for Him. Rather than answering the questions one by one, Jesus may say, “Put on your shoes, step out onto the road, and follow Me.” As you walk daily with Him, Jesus will answer your questions, and you will discover far more than you even knew to ask. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day 

The unbeliever cannot understand the things of God.  Scripture says that plainly.  

They who are in darkness saw a great light.  John wrote that at the beginning of the book after his name.  In that light people saw their need.  Their real need.  They saw themselves for the first time. They saw who they were before God. A great many of the people who encountered Jesus were indeed changed.  However some may say but they still crucified Him!  Yes. Because the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving. None of the people whom Jesus touched, healed, set free from demons had the indwelling Holy Spirit because He had not come yet.  

The unbelieving in this world cannot know the freedom and future of God because they insist on life being lived their way.  Some dare to reach the edge of coming to Christ but won't step into Salvation.  They like to be warmed by those who are in Christ but don't really want to change.  

Jesus said thay many will say to Him of how they did this or that in His name.  But they never were saved. Without Salvation you cannot know nor understand the things of God nor what all God has done.

They who are in a dark room cannot know anything but darkness.  Until they want to really see they cannot.  The only path to that light are those who have come to Christ.  They are His lights in this world. 

They are His representatives. His Ambassadors because they came and were saved, they became Children of God and are no longer citizens of this world. 

I live in the United States but my citizenship is in Heaven.  

If you are reading this and it's got you curious, come to Christ.  Look at what Blackaby said of Andrew.  Andrew was wanting to know more and Jesus said for him to walk with Him.  The answer is not going to come without walking with the One who has your answer. 

The wickedness of this world is rising.  As I was reading in Dr. Michael Youseff's book Fearless Living, the degree and level of sexual immorality is only going to get worse.  You will hear less and less about prosecuting sexual assault cases or sexual harassment. You will hear less and less about sex trafficking.  You will hear less and less about sexual abuse of children.  In Revelation it is repeated that the world refused to repent of their sexual immorality.  Currently the pornography industry is well over a billion dollar a year industry.  

The eyes of the unbelieving cannot see the damage done to civilization.  2,000 years ago civilization was worse than now in regards to sexual immorality. 

The eyes of the unbelieving cannot see the horrors inflicted upon the unborn through abortion. 

The eyes of the unbelieving cannot see the righteousness of God.  They cannot grasp Spiritual things because they are foriegn to them. 1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

If you are tired of not knowing nor understanding what in this world is going on.  Now is the time to come to Christ. 

Now is the time to find understanding. 

Without Christ, without the indwelling Holy Spirit, you cannot see nor understand the things of God.  You also cannot know the life yet to be lived by those who have come to Christ.  You cannot understand what they see in a life in Christ without joining them. 

Come to Christ and see the world through eyes that now see and ears that now hear. Turn and be healed.  

Matthew 13:15 "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'"

Life in Christ isn't what you Think

Life in Christ isn't what you Think 

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Job 1:9

This was the wicked question of Satan concerning that upright man of ancient times. But there are many in the present day about whom it might properly be asked—they love God after a fashion because He prospers them, but if things began to go badly, they would give up all their boasted faith in God. Some people, if they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion things have gone well with them, will love God in their poor, worldly way. But if these people must go through adversity, they rebel against the Lord. Their love is the love of the table, not of the host; a love of the cupboard, not of the master of the house. As for true Christians, they expect to have their reward in the next life and to endure hardness in this. The promise of the old covenant was prosperity, the promise of the new covenant is adversity. Remember Christ’s words: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit” . . . what? “He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2 NKJV). If you bring forth fruit, you will have to endure affliction. “Oh, no!” you say. “That is a terrible prospect.” But this affliction works out such precious results that the Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations—because as those tribulations abound, so too will the consolation of Christ Jesus. Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod of discipline. Sooner or later, every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Don’t be afraid, but rejoice that such fruitful times are ahead for you. In these times you will be weaned from earth and made fit for heaven; you will be delivered from clinging to the present and made to long for those eternal things which are so soon to be revealed to you. When you feel, as regards the present, that you do serve God for nothing, you can then rejoice in the infinite reward of the future. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

Suffering isn't what you would expect to learn from coming to Christ. But that is what Jesus says to expect.  But before you consider that to be a negative thing...remember...that this is from God.  We intentionally exercise and suffer through it to obtain a better result.  We suffer through experiences with people and situations to obtain a result.  

We are to be gold under fire. Impurities can only be brought up to the surface with sufficient heat. Not excessive heat but sufficient heat.  

Silver is a good example.  Specific time and specific heat are required or it isn't purified. 

A friend of mine is going through a very very rough time in this life physically.  He is indeed a Christian.  No doubt about it. 

Yet to look at his sufferings in this life you could get the impression that God has it out for him.  That God doesn't care about him.  He himself would tell you it's the exact opposite. Right now in this moment he is in a hospital.  His body going through a great deal of pain.  Has Jesus forsaken him?  By no means.  Is God giving him more than he can handle?  God is giving him what he can handle....God is handling the rest. 

We who are in Christ are His workmanship. We are being made to be fit for Heaven.  Which implies we will not be fit for this world when He is done. 

A tree is a marvel to behold that has lived a hundred years or more.  That tree must endure suffering to become a house, a bowl, a spoon, a bed, anything that can be made from it.  It endures being kiln dried or air dried. It endures the cutting and pruning process.  It endures being made into lengths and various sizes of lumber. It endures being cut in pieces yet again.  Then reassembled into something marvelous in the eyes of its earthly creator. It is no longer fit for the world from which it came and is now fit for the world in which it now is in.

We who are in Christ will endure suffering but we are promised never to endure it alone.  We are to be like Jesus, like Paul even, to keep our eyes on that upward call in Christ.  Time may feel like an eternity but eternity is outside of time. We will indeed suffer but we will indeed love what we will look like when Jesus is done.  

The church today and THE Church...the difference is there to be seen.

The church today and THE Church...the difference is there to be seen. 

"Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,  “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or mother.’ And by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, by saying:

‘This people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far away from Me.

And in vain do they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand! It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.”

Then the disciples came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone; they are blind guides of blind people. And if a person who is blind guides another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” Jesus said, “Are you also still lacking in understanding? Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements. These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”  Matthew 5:1-20

There's much to be seen in Scripture...this time, at least for me, it was a wow moment.   This passage applies to many many so-called churches today.  Note the intentional use of the lower case use of church.  The Church is not that way. 

Later on in Scripture we are warned that wolves will infect and infiltrate the Church.  The result is a mere shadow of what God intended.  People really will honor with their lips but their hearts will be far from God.  

It is with profound sadness that I know people who have been lead astray in these so-called churches.  On the day they worship they are one kind of person. Their mouth, the rest of the week, says they certainly are a different kind of person.  

As Jesus Himself just said, out of the mouth comes whatever is in the heart. 

This is far more than being about Pharisees or Sadducees.  This is about everyone. 

Look at what is revealed. 

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements.

In politics this is what is coming out of the mouth of supposed leaders...even more saddening is the media is both oblivious to it and endorses it at the same time. 

In the Church should be no such behavior. 

In your life should be no such behavior.  

If you consistently use foul, derogatory words and phrases you see what is in your heart. Blaming others for what you say is a lame excuse.  In the day of Christ Jesus you will stand alone to explain yourself. No lawyers, no help from others. Just you before the Lord Jesus Christ...the Judge. 

Scripture says we will give an account of every idle word we have said.  

Now you see the point behind the passage that says we ought to take every thought captive.  

This was a wow passage to read this morning.  So many churches out there have recrafted and rebranded what the Church is supposed to be in order to entice people to come in and join verses the real reason to be in Church. 

Take a good hard look at the words you use.  They honestly will speak volumes as to the state of your heart.

Look at what you are interested in. 

It will speak volumes as to where your allegiances lay.  Whether it's for Jesus in your life or for you in your life. 

The Cure for Loneliness

He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” HEBREWS 13:5 What is loneliness? I don’t know how to define it; all I can do is describe it. It’s an underlying anxiety at having no one close, a sharp ache in a moment of grief, and an empty feeling in the pit of the stomach when we know we have no one to whom we can turn. There is no anguish like loneliness. But God has a cure for loneliness. In our walk with Him, He offers friendship, a family, and a peace that passes all understanding. When we meet Him, we are not guaranteed never to feel lonely, but we are promised that we will never be alone. After all, He is the one who said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening 

We live in a populous country yet loneliness ranks the highest in problems for most.  

8 billion people in the world and even globally this remains a huge problem.  

It's what drives many a sinful behavior in mankind.  From suicide to pornography to unspeakable violence to others to vast varieties of sexual immorality and idolatry. 

Satan has learned over the centuries to mimic the Holy Spirit in using a soft voice to get to people.  To wear them down. To get them to quietly believe lies.  

There's a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where Picard was captured. He was tortured in this episode and all he had to do to stop it was to believe a lie and speak that lie and his tormentor would stop.  Fiction or not, the same practices happen in our world by terrorists and demons.  The worst...the worst are the soft lies that have no appearance of sin to them. 

I know, first hand, of the soft lies. Lies about who I was, who I really belonged to.  Lies about me physically.  All lies that were never shouted, just constantly repeated, over and over. I imagine that is a verbal version of waterboarding. Creating attitudes and emotions that have nothing to do with the truth of God or God's Word. 

I was battered and worn down and in a mental state that put me at the doorstep of suicide.  To speak with me today you wouldn't know that about me.  But Satan's lies were constant and consistent back in early 1999.  I lived alone. The constant negativity that surrounded me in my loneliness drove me to trying to find a way out. Any way out of it. 

But even in the midst of all the lies and in the midst of all that was going through my mind, the promises of God held fast.  Honestly the transformation that began after God stopped me from committing suicide was profound. But was far from complete.  The beginning of my being saved from that fate was showing me that the promises of God were stronger than Satan's lies.  As Scripture says a bruised or battered reed He will by no means put out. Those who have come to Christ are His and no lie or lies of Satan can ever change that.  

I have seen a picture of what looks to be Jesus reaching down into water to grab someone to pull them up out of it. 

That's what He did for me.  It's what He can do for you. 

We are going to face what appears to be great loneliness.  Separation from loved ones and friends.  But the most important person in our lives can never be separated from the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. 

If you don't have Jesus as your personal Savior you are needlessly facing this world alone.  You will deceive yourself into believing you aren't lonely that you have this in your life or that in your life.  It's a grand deception.  You can keep yourself busy with work or hobbies but you cannot fill that ache in your heart with anything but Jesus. 

You might fire back at me with a claim that I just don't know what has happened in your life.  You're right, I don't.  But I know the one who has.  Whether or not you are a Christian Jesus still knows every single thought that has ever crossed your mind. Every single word you have ever spoken or stopped yourself from speaking. He knows every intention of your heart and mind. 

Guess what? He still tells you that in spite of all that, He still died for you.  He still loves you. He still has a place for you in Heaven if you would just receive His free gift of Salvation.  The condemned to die who believed was told he would be with Jesus in paradise.  The other that was condemned to die who did not saw Jesus with the one who believed from the pain and torment of Hell on that same day after he died too.

As being born in sin we are all condemned to die because of that.  The only way to be saved is through Jesus Christ.  The gift is free.  Turn, repent, believe.  After Jesus pulled me up out of that mire in 1999 He reminded me that He still loved me. Reminded me that He still has a Plan for me.  Reminded me that those lies were just that. Lies.  It was the beginning of my road to recovery in my walk with Jesus. 

You might be living with loneliness in this world today.  Surrounded by the lies the media proclaims. The lies that your governments proclaim.  The lies that you have believed.  

Let the truth set you free. The truth is that in Christ you will find a relationship with Jesus that is closer than a brother.  You will always have someone to talk to who knows your sorrows and knows your pains. 

The gift of Salvation is free.  

Your way hasn't worked...why not try what He is offering?

Your Missing Piece is...

Your Missing Piece is...

In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him. COLOSSIANS 2:9–10 

Insight into who you are and why you are here is available only from the Creator, because you were created for Him. The missing piece in your life is not more education or better therapy. The missing piece in your life, if you don’t know Christ, is to put Him at the center where He belongs. God created you uniquely for Himself. He put a vacuum within you that cannot be filled with anything else but Him. When you stuff in all the pleasure and all the madness of this age trying to find meaning in life, you will never discover it. But something happens when you say a simple prayer, giving in to God and receiving Him into your life. Then Jesus comes to live within you. God loves you, He knows you, He has a plan for your life. He wants you to know who you are and why you are here, and if you will put your trust in Him, He will give you that perspective in your life. You were created in God’s image, so you are really only yourself in relationship to God. When you let God take control of your life through His Son, life begins to have some meaning. - Dr. David Jeremiah "Morning and Evening"

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37 ESV 

There are many kinds of worthless things. The cap and bells of the fool; the laughter of the world; the dance, the music, and the drink of the immoral—all of these we know to be worthless. They wear the title clearly. Far more dangerous are those equally worthless things Jesus mentioned in Matthew 13:22—the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. A person may follow worthless things as truly in the place of business as in the theater. If he spends his life amassing wealth, he passes his days in a worthless pursuit. Unless we follow Christ and make God the great object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most frivolous. It is clear that there is much need of the first prayer of our text: Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things. And then, Give me life in your ways. The psalmist confesses that he is dull, heavy, crude, all but dead. Perhaps, dear reader, you feel the same way. We are so sluggish that the greatest motives cannot enliven us, apart from the Lord himself. What? Will hell not awaken me? Can I think of sinners dying, and not be spurred to action? Will heaven not stimulate me? Can I think of the reward that awaits the righteous, and still be cold? Will death not provoke me? Can I think of dying and standing before my God, and still be lazy in my Master’s service? Will Christ’s love not force me onward? Can I think of His dear wounds, can I sit at the foot of His cross, and not be stirred with a fervent zeal? It seems so! No mere thought can bring our zeal to life—God Himself must do that. And so the cry, Give me life in your ways. The psalmist breathes out his whole soul in passionate pleas: his body and his soul unite in prayer. Turn my eyes, says the body. Give me life, cries the soul. This is a proper prayer for every day. Oh, Lord, hear it in my case this evening. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

When we slow down enough we tend to look at ourselves in retrospect.  We see more of us than we likely want to see.  Look at both of these devotionals again.  

There is your missing piece. 

People would rather listen to the lies of the world than the truth of God.  But this doesn't stop those who are Children of God from sharing, at least it shouldn't. 

It's been said that everyone has a God shaped hole in their lives.  This is entirely true.  A very trustworthy statement. 

Look at what we have read.  Look in the mirror my Friend. Look long and hard in the mirror.  Is Jesus trying to talk to you but you're not listening?  Look at the true story of the woman at the well.  Jesus was not thumping her over the head with the pack of scrolls telling her what's wrong with her.  He knocked and waited to see if she would open up the door. 

Even if you have come to Christ you can easily be buried by the cares of the world.  You can be enticed by wealth or status.  Believing that your prosperity was for you to enjoy.  Wipe your eyes.  If you have been so blessed, are you using that blessing to care for others?  It is a warning in Scripture about squandering wealth. Those people have their reward here on Earth and won't see it in Heaven. 

I will take a moment now to confess something.  It's only been in what I have let go of in this life that I have found more of a life in Christ. Temptations are great in my life just as they are in your life to want to live at ease without worry about anything.  The strange trap of wealth isn't in getting it, it's in keeping it.  Getting wealthy can be granted by God in a heartbeat.  Yet if that person isn't prepared for the consequences of that wealth they waste it. The worst vehicle accidents every year are teenagers who were given a vehicle they had no right to be driving.  The vehicle was way too powerful for inexperienced hands.  

We who are in Christ want to share what Christ has done for us with those around us.  Nothing more.  No agenda. No trap. No guilt trip.  As it's written of Andrew to his brother Peter, come and see.  That's it in a nutshell.  You're missing something in your life.  I can tell you right away what it is, but it's much better if YOU come and see yourself. I am not here to make up your mind for you. What you decide, after you give forth the effort to examine what you are shown, is between you and Jesus. 

Sadly there millions each day who want nothing to do with Salvation in Christ Jesus.  These millions enter into Hell as they leave this world.  A no of any kind to the Gospel message at the end of your life means entry into Hell.  It is a sin to deny Christ and to deny at the end of your life means that the wages of sin must be atoned for. Since you do not have Salvation in Christ Jesus, you must pay up on your own. Since the only accepted payment is Salvation in Jesus for entry into Heaven and should you not have it, Hell is the next destination.  Jesus didn't have to leave everything in Heaven to go through everything here on Earth that He did to make a way to provide Salvation. But He did.  He loves you, me, all mankind that much.  The crux of the matter is you need to ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior.  Nobody can choose for you.  He is that hole in your life that you keep trying to fill with everything else, in which nothing is fitting. 

The missing piece for those who do not have Salvation is Jesus Christ. 

See? No getting beat over your head.  All I have done is presented the truth to you.  It's on you to consider what you have read.  The message is simple. Come and see.  Acknowledge that God is right and you are wrong. That you need a Savior. Ask Him to come into your life and save you.  Turn from your sins to a life in Christ.  

There...see that the piece you are looking for is the same shape as that?

Opening your eyes

Opening your eyes 

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Luke 24:45 

Last evening we saw Jesus opening Scripture; here see Him opening the understanding. In the first work He has many fellow-laborers, but in the second He stands alone. Many people can bring the Scriptures to mind, but only the Lord can prepare the mind to receive those Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus differs from all other teachers—they reach the ear, but He instructs the heart; they deal with the actual words, but He imparts a taste for the truth, by which we perceive Scripture’s quality and spirit. When the Lord Jesus, by his Holy Spirit, unfolds the mysteries of the kingdom, the most unlearned people become advanced scholars in the school of grace. The Lord grants the divine anointing by which we are able to see the invisible. How happy we are if we have had our understanding strengthened by the Master! How many people of profound learning are ignorant of eternal things! They can read the words of revelation, but they cannot discern their spirit. These people have a veil over their hearts which the eyes of human reason cannot penetrate. Such was our own case not long ago. We who now see were once utterly blind; truth was to us as beauty in the dark, a thing unnoticed and neglected. Had it not been for the love of Jesus, we would have remained to this moment in utter ignorance—for without Him graciously opening our understanding, we could no more have gained spiritual knowledge than an infant could climb the pyramids or an ostrich fly to the stars. Jesus’s college is the only one in which God’s truth can really be learned. Other schools may teach us what to believe, but Christ’s alone can show us how to believe it. Let us sit at the feet of Jesus, earnestly praying for His aid—that our dull minds may grow brighter and our feeble understanding able to receive heavenly things. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

Until and unless we are willing and ready to be taught of God, we won't be. 

Until and unless we are willing and ready to listen to God, we won't hear.

Until and unless we are willing and ready and want what God wants for us, we will miss out on what life is all about. 

Looking at the growth of the Disciples we can see them going from being chosen by God to all those things just mentioned.  Only 1 didn't get it.  

When we maintain the idea that the things of this world are more important than our walk with God we will have trouble. 

When family, friends, work, hobbies, anything or anyone is more important than your relationship with Jesus, then it's in your way to a right relationship with Jesus.  You cannot love others as Christ loved the Church until the Spirit is within you, and is teaching you how to do that from God's perspective.  You have to let go of you to learn what it means to be like Christ.  Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ. 

It's not easy to deny yourself.  Wants and desires are a constant drip throughout your day. Constantly vying for your attention.   Soft whispers of suggestion that don't go away.  None ever shout at you for your attention.  They always say just enough to make you strain to hear the rest. 

But once you begin to be a listener, when you really become a student, being taught of God is unlike anything else in this life. 

I have been blessed to know a great many Godly men in my life.  Some have entered into the promised rest of God.  I have also known imposters, who are nothing more than the hired hands that Jesus warned us of.  As Jesus taught, you shall know them by their fruits.  

Both have taught me many things.  But the Spirit is the one who has been the real teacher.  Eye has not seen nor ear has heard nor has it entered the heart of man all that the Lord has prepared for them.  1 Corinthians 2:9.

I recently saw a post that was simple but profound.  The person was supposedly talking to God about needing to hold His hand and asking Him to do that for them. He tells them no. He will hold their hand though.  They said they didn't understand.  He explained that if it's me doing the holding the risk is great that something would cause me to let go.  If He is the one holding my hand, He will never let go.

We are bombarded with billions of things, ideas, notions, myths, desires, fantasies trying in all reality to do one thing if we see the truth...that one thing is to keep us from hearing the Word of God. To hear the truth of God.  To know the love of God. 

The reason why the Jewish leaders hated Jesus so much was ironic. He exposed their deeds of darkness. They were also blinded by the unwavering brilliance of His light.  While in darkness they were content with their sin. When Jesus was near His light exposed them.  They both saw their wretched state and wanted Him to go away so that they could maintain their ignorance of life.  They loved the darkness. They didn't want to see.  

Thing is...once Jesus conquered sin, death and the grave...nobody either among the dead or the living will ever escape being exposed to His light. 

In this world now we have the opportunity to become children of God, children of the light.  Those who have not come to Christ will have a problem with us because we reflect the light of Christ. Jesus said the world hated Him because He testified to the truth about man.  He said the world hated Me, it will hate you too. 

Both sadly and interestingly this hatred is being played out in this world in an ever more visible form each day.  Blind rage and hatred is consuming great swaths of this world.  The rage makes no sense to those who are not part of that rage.  What makes sense is cast aside.  

As long as Spiritual eyes are unwilling to see then hearts will not be taught of God. 

I have seen and have had my eyes opened to many things in my life that I never would have thought possible all because God never let go of my hand.  I, like Paul, could tell you great and wonderful things but they were for me to know and experience. I cannot fully put them into words. 

Seek Jesus today while it is still today. 

Seek to be taught of God if you are a Child of God.  Let go of what you think is important in this world and ask Jesus to show you what is important to Him. 

Open your Spiritual eyes and see the world as you have never seen it before. 

Speaking to Jesus not at Jesus

What Can Happen in Us who Come

I cry out to the LORD with my voice; With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. PSALM 142:1 

When we verbalize our feelings and concerns to God, it is like entering into a conversation with an intimate friend. It is, in fact, a healthy way for us to open up and reveal what is inside, to bring up from the depths of our heart those things we may have stuffed down inside. Fortunately, God is not shocked or surprised by anything, so there is nothing we cannot tell Him. It is an insult to the One who tells us to cast all our cares upon Him not to do so (1 Peter 5:7). Why would He tell us to verbalize our problems to Him if He did not mean for us to? Even psychologists tell us that verbalizing our problems, whether in writing or out loud, is a good way to bring clarity and definition to what are often very confusing feelings. Suddenly, as we put our feelings into words, we actually begin to see things more clearly ourselves—all because God is willing to listen. - Dr. David Jeremiah "Morning and Evening" 

He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:27 Those two disciples on the road to Emmaus had a most profitable journey. Their companion and teacher was the best of tutors, an interpreter in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). 

The Lord Jesus lowered himself to become a preacher of the gospel, and He was not ashamed to exercise that calling before an audience of two persons. Even now, He would not refuse to be the teacher of just one. Let us seek the company of such an excellent instructor, since until He becomes wisdom for us (1 Corinthians 1:30), we will never be wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). This unrivaled Tutor used as His text the best of Books. Although He was able to reveal fresh truth, He preferred to explain the old. He knew by omniscience the most instructive way of teaching—and by turning immediately to the writings of Moses and the prophets, He showed us that the surest road to wisdom is not speculation, reasoning, or human books, but meditation on the Word of God. The readiest way to be spiritually rich in heavenly knowledge is to dig in this mine of diamonds, to gather pearls from this heavenly sea. When Jesus himself sought to enrich others, He dug in the quarry of Scripture. The two disciples Luke described were led to consider the best of subjects, for Jesus spoke of Jesus, explaining things about himself. Here the diamond cut the diamond—what could be more admirable? The master of the house unlocked His own doors, conducted the guests to His table, and placed His own delicious foods upon it. The one who hid treasure in a field was the one who guided the searchers to it. Our Lord would naturally discuss the sweetest of topics, and He could find none sweeter than His own person and work. With an eye toward these, we should always search God’s Word. Oh, for grace to study the Bible with Jesus as both our Teacher and our Lesson! -C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

It is interesting when you see a student opening up to learning.  It is even more interesting to see the teacher recognize it.

I have seen many give up on people in the workplace because they don't see the learning potential that is there.  That is a horrible injustice.  Some take time to find what works.  Whether or not it's a recognized disability scars in life are a disability to some. 

You might have noticed that the leading devotional today is from Dr. David Jeremiah.  I am making it a point to read more in order to keep the things of God at more of the forefront of my mind. To that end the need to be careful arises. Just as Jesus said that many will stand before Him and claim they did this or that in His name, He says to them to depart for He never knew them...care must be taken in what you take in to your mind.  As Scripture also says, test the spirits to see if they are so. 

I have read 3 of Dr. David Jeremiah's books so far this year.  Sound and Scripturally based they are so far.  I was pleased to find his own version of Morning and Evening.  

Enough of that explanation...look at what is being said...of learning and speaking to God.  I really could have included material from Blackaby today too on this subject. Indeed it was almost a trifecta of them speaking on similar things. 

Being open to what God has to say is a first huge step.  We need to sit on our hands and stop telling Him that we got that, we understand that.  Put at least one hand over our mouth to shut ourselves up in those times when He is trying to speak. 

I have had coworkers who got 10 percent of what I was trying to teach and then up came the hand. They didn't need any more help they got it.  I, at the time, wasn't getting the support that I needed from management to deal with him.  In the coming months the things he worked on were being returned by customers. 

We need to be more listener's to God's Word than speakers.  We can only learn when we get sin out of the way.  We can only understand when God brings His wisdom.  

In my life it's a daily blow-my-mind experience writing these posts.  For over 30 years I wanted to write something meaningful.  In my own strength and wisdom I wasn't getting anywhere. Then God stepped in and the result is before you.  In the lives of those two in Spurgeon's devotional, they were finally at that point of being ripe for learning.  They were finally hungering and thirsting for righteousness.  The part of Dr. Jeremiah's that fits in is the need to be the one to open up to God and be real with Him.  

We are good, really good, at hiding feelings.  We are very proud of a great many things in our lives. So proud at times we refuse to see that God isn't.  That the things we embrace are actually stumbling blocks to a right relationship with Jesus. We 'love' this or that in this world so much that we are REALLY telling God "Come and teach me, but sit next to my idol, that's important to me too.".  

There can only be one God in the life of a believer.  If you are putting anything else in higher regard in your life than your relationship with Jesus it's an idol.   You will not be as teachable as you might think when those things are impacting your life. 

It's been a slow and painful process as God's been removing things from my life that are in His way.  Charley Pride wrote a song called "I'm always standing in my way". In our growing and learning as believers in Christ so are we.  Satan loves to get us to convince ourselves of what isn't dangerous to our walk with God.  Loves to get us to 'trust' people in this world on all kinds of levels rather than to be open and honest with yourself and Jesus.  To believe that this professional or that would never lie to us. 

Where are you today in being truthful with Jesus? Are you at all interested in what interests Him? Are you at all cultivating the field He put you in to work?  Are you at all looking at your life from His perspective?

Or are you more comfortable putting your hand up to Jesus's face to tell Him what is right and wrong?  

Talking is either done at something or someone or to something or someone.  Do you talk at Jesus or to Him? Is He your butler or your best friend?  You need to shut up, sit on your hands and look at your relationship with Jesus.  Making sure it is a friendship,  not a business arrangement. 

Temptation isn't Disguised

Temptation isn't Disguised 

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. 2 Samuel 11:2 

At that hour David saw Bathsheba. We are never out of the reach of temptation. Both at home and away, we are liable to meet the allurement of evil—the morning opens with peril, and the shadows of evening find us still in jeopardy. The people who God keeps are protected, but woe to those who go into the world—or even dare to walk their own house—unarmed. Those who think themselves secure are more dangerously exposed than anyone else. The assistant of sin is self-confidence. David should have been fighting the Lord’s battles; instead, he lingered in Jerusalem and gave himself up to a luxurious rest, for he arose from his bed in the evening. Idleness and luxury are the devil’s jackals, and they find abundant prey. Harmful creatures swarm in stagnant water, and neglected soil soon yields a dense tangle of weeds and briars. Oh, for the constraining love of Jesus to keep us active and useful! When I see the king of Israel at day’s end, sluggishly leaving his couch and falling at once into temptation, let me take warning. May holy watchfulness guard my door. Is it possible that the king had gone to his housetop for quiet devotion? If so, what a caution we have to count no place, however secret, a sanctuary from sin! While our hearts are so like a tinderbox and sparks so plentiful, we must use all diligence in all places to prevent a blaze. Satan can climb housetops and enter quiet rooms—and even if we could shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions are enough to work our ruin unless grace prevents it. Reader, beware of evening temptations. Never feel secure. The sun is down but sin is up. We need a Watchman for the night as well as a Guardian for the day. Oh, blessed Spirit, keep us from all evil this night! Amen.

- C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

We live in a time not seen since the days of Noah.  Weird way to put it, right?  Noah's day was thousands of years ago!  How can I say such a thing!  Evidence.  Plenty of evidence to prove otherwise.  It's only human pride and arrogance to say that as time has gone on that we've become more advanced.  Archeologists have found beyond unexplainable findings that prove what I am here now asserting.  

Today's world is fraught with dangers when it comes to temptations.  Not too unlike King David, we really don't need to take very many steps to find temptations, probably don't even need to leave your chair.  It could be right there in that phone you carry around. 

An idle mind is the devil's playground.  King David knew what he should have been doing.  Yet talked himself out of doing it, or listened to someone telling him he was too valuable, he should rest. He shouldn't take any unnecessary risks.  If they lost him what would become of them?

Satan is blamed for a lot, and often rightly so, but not in everything.  We have a sin nature that is just as bad as he is.  Just as deceptive, if not worse.  Once we convince ourselves of something, it takes quite a knock on the head to change our way of thinking.  Once we convince ourselves something is harmless, until proven otherwise, its harmless.  Once we believe something isn't all that, until God persists in showing us it IS all that, we won't listen to any messengers He sends.  

     Idolatry is one of the worst.  In our day and age we have so much in technology that the lines between what does and doesn't constitute idolatry are obliterated. 

We convince ourselves, much as King David had, that we're deserving of what we see coming.  Desire blows away common sense and drowns out the Spirit of God. Desire to fit in. Desire not to be left out. Desire to feel a certain way once the pleasure we think we seek happens.  It's a common understanding of sexual predators that they begin with small offenses and escalating them over time they become the worst of the worst.  The high they get from their exploits doesn't last.  

That is also the way of idolatry.  A few trinkets start a shrine.  Next comes shirts and hats. Then comes a thorough study of whatever it is in order to make yourself look like you know your stuff.  Houses get themed out to accommodate their idols. Next comes denial. Oh it's not any of that! It's not an idol!  They can't give a solid answer as to what it is, or why so much of their time, energy, effort and more importantly, money was poured into it but to them it's not an idol problem.  Really?  People willingly waste hours if not days a week on whatever has become their idol but only give their Savior, if they are indeed saved, minutes a week of their lives and withholding their offerings and tithes because of things that aren't needs.  If they aren't saved they essentially do the same.  Christians living like the world. 

Temptations aren't just a group from the past nor are they a brand name cat treat.  Temptations are everywhere.  

We are our own worst enemy.  I cry out daily for God's help in keeping my Ephesians 6 armor on.  I can't trust me! 

I am easily swayed by bling. Easy to be convinced that something isn't that baf or bad at all.  I am easily swayed to believe even the news outlets because of a deep seated desire to believe they wouldn't harm me.  Yet in who's encampment do they belong? It isn't God's.  In all of the Old Testament there are examples of why you should not trust the purported wise people of your time.  Satan is over them, using them to his ends.   That will only change during the 1,000 year reign of Christ. 

The temptation to believe anything we are told, be it from doctors, news organizations, politicians aren't just a mild pressure of a thing, it's a heavy pressure of a thing.  We are given little choice to accept or be ostracised.  Right now we live in Satan's kingdom.  It won't be the Kingdom of God again until after the Tribulation. 

We don't take things like temptations seriously enough.   We don't even try to resist when the temptation looks so desirable.  

Remember the cost to King David. 

His son was taken.  It costs someone something when we give in to temptations. Either personally or publicly it always costs.  Can be your reputation. Can be your responsibilities. Can be trust. Can be....fill in the blank.  The Bible says it's GOING to cost.  King David eventually saw his son again. But oh how painful that meeting must have been.  

Look at your life today.  How are you dealing with temptation?  Me, I am constantly bombarded.  Seconds are all it takes from ending the reading and writing that I do each morning to see it rear its ugly head.  Seconds.  Our sin nature takes no rest.  

A revival can only come when people  impacted by the conviction of the Spirit, renounce their ways and return to Godliness.  What has kept the Rapture from happening?  People still turning and revivals still happening. Yet even that is but one part.  Every man will be without excuse in the day they stand before Christ.  In as much as the possibilities being endless in the possible ways of sins in humanity, they all will be accounted for. 

We need to fight back when it comes to temptations.  Nehemiah's prayers were simple. "Help!" was it.  

Look at what you have compromised on in your life.  You and I are guilty of taking our passions for living for Jesus and have given them to things and people of this world.  Sports teams, politicians, celebrities, even family and friends are higher on the list than God is.  We know more about any of them than we do about Jesus!  I know more Christians that know more about their chosen sports teams and all their players and history than they do about their Bible. 

The time is now to turn and repent, to seek Godly living.  To renounce whatever has taken God's place in our lives. 

Ignorance is no excuse

Ignorance is no excuse 

“The Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing.” Daniel 9:26 NLT 

Blessed be the name of Jesus—in Him, there was no reason for death. Neither original nor actual sin had defiled Him, and therefore death had no claim upon Him. No one could have taken Jesus’s life from Him justly, for Jesus had done no wrong to anyone. And no one could even have taken Jesus by force unless He had been pleased to yield himself to death. But think—one person sins and another suffers. Justice was offended by us, but found its satisfaction in Jesus. Rivers of tears, mountains of offerings, seas of bulls’ blood, and hills of incense could never have removed our sin. But Jesus was killed for us, and the cause of God’s wrath was cut off at once—sin was put away forever. Here is wisdom, in which substitution, the sure and speedy way of atonement, was devised! Here is condescension, which brought the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns and die upon the cross! Here is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His life for His enemies! It is not enough, however, to admire this spectacle of the innocent bleeding for the guilty—we must make sure of our own share in it. The object of the Messiah’s death was the salvation of His church; do we have a place among those for whom He gave His life a ransom (Matthew 20:28)? Did the Lord Jesus stand as our representative? Are we healed by his wounds (Isaiah 53:5)? It will be a terrible thing indeed if we come short of our portion in His sacrifice—then it would be better if we had never been born. Though it is a solemn question, we can be joyful in knowing that it may be answered clearly and without mistake. To all who believe on Him, the Lord Jesus is an attentive Savior, and upon all of them His blood of reconciliation has been sprinkled (Hebrews 10:22). Let all who trust in the merit of Messiah’s death be happy every time they remember Him, and let their holy gratitude lead them to complete consecration to His cause. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening 

In the midst of a corrupt, or crooked, perverse generation is where Philippians says we are.  Chapter 2 around verse 15. 

Look at the headlines of our world and you see what was probably on the television stations before the flood of the book of Genesis.  What I have never heard mentioned is the thought that things still got progressively worse AFTER God mentions His plan and purpose to Noah. AFTER He tells Noah, Noah begins to build the Ark. For over a hundred years the people heard Noah preach repentance while he cut timber, figured out how to dry it, cut it and hoist it into place to build this massive boat that God directed him to make.  They had 120 years of grace & mercy and spit on every year of it to the face of God. 

Evidence is everywhere yet people do the fake "Evidence? Where? I don't see anything!" Just like adults do with children in faking that they are invisible. 

Things have been unearthed that explicitly show the great level of technology that existed before the flood. Its probably a hundred years more advanced than we are now.  More advanced? Yes.  I have seen fossils and discoveries of pre-flood technology.  A geode that inside is a unquestionable transistor material.  3 poles and the voltage capacity that exceeds anything built today.  The imagination of man to build or create things before the flood was immeasurable. Only after the flood, when the vapor canopy collapsed did the radiation from the sun begin to have an impact on the development of the human body.  

It's also my firm belief that Noah and his family were certainly of the same line of thinking as modern day Amish.  Why? Because they knew exactly how to build and live off the land without technology.  They were able to immediately begin building a home, planting gardens etc.  They had no pre-flood technology.  But I digress. 

Ignorance to the reality of God's message to mankind is the first group of people who are named in Revelation, at the end, who will under no circumstances ever see Heaven.  The unbelieving. Read it. Revelation 21:18 "But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

People like these are in the headlines today.  Being told they are the future. They are the good people. They alone. That if you adhere to the truth of the Bible, you are the outsider, you are the evil that is destroying their perfect world.  

Scripture says to beware of those who call good, evil and call evil, good.  Isaiah 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"

Wickedness is on the rise. The times, or time period, of the Gentiles (those who are not Jews) is reaching that same boiling point as the day Jesus told Noah and his family to get in. Enough was enough. 

We are approaching our own "enough is enough" point in history.  Over 2,000 years of grace and mercy to all who are not Israel.  Realize this...this period of Grace and Mercy was hidden from the Jews. God said He was going to make them jealous by a people not their own.  

Had the Jewish people NOT crucified Christ, people sometimes wondered what would have happened.  You really want to know?  The events of Revelation would have begun. Had they received Christ as the Messiah, had they accepted the message of John the Baptist, Daniel's 70th week would have played out.  Not the overthrow of their Roman oppressors.  Not the peace of God ruling from a restored Israel.  Judgment begins with the household of God.  He said so.  Revelation is the judgment coming. 

Ignoring God speaking to you is an affront to God.  Raging at God is disrespectful to Him.  Intentionally turning to idols is an abomination to Him. To do these things intentionally is to put yourself in this category: 

Revelation 21:18 "But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

By the way sexually immoral means everything associated with the changing of anything to do with gender behaviors and living that differs from the way God intended for a man and woman.  These are ranked as worse than those who practice idolatry. In fact read the rest of Revelation. The world at large will refuse to repent of their sexual immorality. Practically the whole world will be a Sodom and Gehmorrah.  

Are you living out your excuses? Are you closing your heart and mind to the truth of God?  Are you more afraid of coming to Christ than you are in believing that His love for you is true? Are you doing the same to Christians in your heart and life that the world did to Noah? Mocking and scorning, raging against the truth of God??

The interesting parallel to Noah and the Ark and the Rapture is this:  Noah did not know the day nor the hour of when the Lord Jesus Himself would show up, call them to enter, and close the door Himself. 

Soon Jesus is returning.  Soon He will proclaim to the dead and those who are alive and remain: "Come!" 

Will you be staying or leaving?  

The Word of God is clear: every single person will be without excuse.