Did You Get My Message?……..

In this day of high speed this and lightning fast that. The day where a high school student can instantly Google information in the class room and know everything there is to know via there cell phone. We tend to allow our minds and souls get completely wrapped up in worldly worries and desires. Literally a “buzz” in the pocket instantly takes us away from what we are doing and we give our attentions to the wrong things or people.

So how hard do we look for God?

Proverbs 2:3-5 says: “and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

What is the most important thing on your mind? I’m sure that for allot of us God popped up first. But for some of us other things such as boyfriend/girlfriend, school, work, money, lust, etc, etc……  The list can go on forever. After all our minds can hold on to allot. But it is true that what ever we have on our minds controls our lives. Jesus said it the best when He said that we can not have 2 masters. We can either serve God or not.

So how do we break this chain that controls our lives?

First of we have to be willing. It is scary. And believe it or not it is a minute to minute, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and so on decision. This life that we live wrapped in this flesh that we fight is with us always. You here people talk about opening your minds to new things. Jesus told Judas that it isn’t the minds that need opening. But the hearts is where the change is.

1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from unrighteousness.”

Life is hard. It is full of disappointment. It has fear at every corner. It shows us no mercy. But there is one in who’s promise we can find shelter. In who’s arms we can find comfort. He is the way to help us cleans our selves. We say, “I believe, but life gets harder.” Love does not come easy. He has a plan for us all. We influence not just those that are close to us. But also those that watch us. If you claim to be a Christian, that is the same as branding yourself. We are marked for life. The unbelievers and unfaithful will critique and ridicule everything we do. This is Satan working against us. If we give in, then we are still believers, but we are disgraced in the eyes of others. We are meant to set an example for all.

There comes a time when we will all get the pleasure of meeting our Lord and Savior face to face. What will you tell Him?

“Ummmm…..well you see…..what had happened was…….”

“I didn’t get the message…..”

“I never received the text….”

The truth is that we suffer with our hearts closed. We need to suffer with our hearts open. Open to the one who cleanses us. Open to the one who loves us. Open to the one who helps us. I of course am referring to Jesus the Christ.

Turn away from worldly desires and problems. Give them to Him. Open your hearts and allow Him to cleanse.

 

 

Give it all to Jesus. He will never turn His back on us. Please pray this prayer.

Dear Lord in Heaven, I am a sinner, I am flawed, I am weak, I am stubborn, and I pretend to know what’s best. But Lord I know that you take me as I am. Please open my heart and sit on the throne inside. Let me worship You above all things. Please give me the clean hands and the pure heart that only You can give. Lord I love you and I pray that you forgive me and take me into your arms. In the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ I pray……..Amen

Battle Stations, Battle Stations, Man Your Battle Stations!!!!!

 

Consider this your draft notice. The time has come. The war has been waged for a long time. It is now time to fight. It is now time to arm ourselves. It is now time to pick up our swords. It is now time to answer that battle cry!!!

Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night. Let’s give them all we have and not let Satan have one more soul.  And as we do this may the powers of darkness tremble as our praises to the Lord our God rise. In the bible we are given very specific things that we can do to get ready for our hourly battle. When you get ready in the morning to face this world, let us remember what it says in Ephesians 6:10-18 about the armor of God:

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

 

It is very clear that we must stand firm as those called by God against the evil of this world. As we not only believe, but also submit to God’s perfect will. We can rest assured in our salvation and use it as armor to protect ourselves. And then we must pick up and dust off our swords, which is the word of God, and take it to learn, teach, and use it to bring the word of God to the whole world.

So my fellow warriors, until the whole world hears of His glory. Let’s lift our voices so that the Lord and the world hears us calling out. So that they may know that we are lifting up His name for all to hear the sound of His voice. And like John the Baptist we must be like voices in the wilderness we're crying out as the day draws near. Preparing the road for His return.

Our lord Jesus told us that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matthew 24:36. Let’s not get caught unprepared. 

So my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, my fellow warriors for Christ, let us go out and do His will and be used to bring others to His loving arms. In Jesus name I pray……Amen.

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Apologize?….For What?…..

1 PETER 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

So there are many ways to do this and many “weapons” we can put in our arsenal to not only defend our faith but also to witness to others and be used by God to bring His people back to Him.

Spiritual Maturity

Before we look to others we need to know where we stand. One way to do this is to evaluate our spiritual maturity by looking at the choices we make. The book of Hebrews notes many of the ways those choices change with personal growth and below is a list that has helped me.

Mature Choices Versus Immature Choices

• Teaching others rather than just being taught.
• Developing depth of understanding rather than struggling with the basics.
• Self-evaluation rather than self-criticism.
• Seeking unity rather than promoting disunity.
• Desiring spiritual challenges rather than desiring entertainment.
• Careful study and observation rather than opinions and halfhearted efforts.
• Active faith rather than cautious apathy and doubt.
• Confidence rather than fear.
• Feelings and experiences evaluated in the light of God’s Word rather than experiences evaluated according to feelings.

I’m Not Sorry!!

So lets step back and look at where we are. Before we can say anything to anyone we must know where we stand. Jesus told us that we should take the plank out of our own eye before we can point out the speck in our brothers eye. This holds true even for the defending of our faith. But don’t take my word for it. There are thousands of resources out there that we can research  and find out more about just what it is we believe in. The act of Apologetics is not saying “I’m sorry but……” It is the act of not only defending but in doing so sharing our faith with others.

Any good soldier knows that you can’t go to war with out expecting to get attacked every once in a while. Welcome to the Army of the Lord! We stand ready for battle, we have our swords at the ready, and we are ever vigilant to the ways of the enemy. I for one do not apologize for standing up for the truth that is Jesus Christ. To my fellow warriors I challenge you to go and learn and teach. May God bless you and keep you! May his mighty hand put you in a position to serve Him.

Links To Help In The Fight!

http://www.creation.com/
http://www.icr.com/
http://www.wayofthemaster.com/
http://http://www.answersingenesis.org/