February 2012 Blog Posts (68)

I was recently reading something Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. In II Corinthians 9:8, he wrote, “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (II Corinthians 9:8). What Paul was saying is that when the Lord calls us to any specific work, he has already made provision for everything we need to accomplish that task. Did you notice that it began with the words, “God is…

But he did. Let's face it, there a lot of things even Christians wish Paul and Jesus hadn't said but why? Is it because of the way we've been influenced by our culture? Yes there is context and intent to consider, but it seems some things can't be misunderstood.

I have this problem. A friend of mine is going away for vacation...with her boyfriend. The trouble is she calls herself a Christian. What bothers me about this is that Paul said in 1 Cor.…

Life gets tough sometimes. We know that, we have witnessed it in our own lives, but just to let you know, Jesus knew we would need the kind of peace that would see us through any and all situations. He said, “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid” (John 14:27). The Message renders this in a comforting way: “I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you…

I am sure you have been watching the news, just like me, and I am sure you get fed up with it, just like me. Some days I just turn it off and surf the internet or listen to music (or mostly I do both). Anyway, how do you respond to how Christ described the last days as a troubling and frightful time: “People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world . . . nations will be in anguish and perplexity . . .” (Luke 21:26, 25).

What did Jesus give us to prepare for…

We will now consider a second purpose that a foundation serves, and see how it relates to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. The second function of a foundation is that it unifies the building which stands upon it. Paul said, "in Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." (Eph. 2:21) A foundation is the common base of all of the exterior walls, and…

As Paul faced his court trial in Rome, he was held under horrible conditions (see Philippians 1:13-14). He was guarded around the clock by soldiers of the Praetorian guard; his feet were chained to a soldier on either side. These men were crude, hardened, cursing frequently. They had seen it all, and to them in their line of work, every jailed man was a guilty criminal, including Paul.

According to the 28^th chapter of Acts, Paul remained in Rome for at least two years,…

Paul gave some excellent instructions for the church at Philippi:

“Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I will have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all…

I have mentioned this before, in fact, not long ago, but I want to discuss my “theories,” if you will, about Progressive Miracles. The reason I am bringing this up again is because some are still complaining that it is taking too long for their “miracle.” Now notice I did not mention your name, and I am not chastising you and making fun of you. I just wanted to remind you how in the Old Testament, we see many times when our Mighty Father “miracle-working power,” came…

There was a brave man who saved another from drowning. When asked what he could do to repay him and show his great appreciation, the brave man thanked him and asked, "What do you own?" 

He replied, "Well, I have a few wet dollars in my wallet and a couple of credit cards. I'd like to take you to lunch and meet my family."

"Thank you, what else do you have?" said the brave man.

The saved man stumbled a bit and said, "I have a car that I used to…

A few weeks ago I noticed that our fruit and nut trees were beginning to bud. Yikes! It is too early! I admit, though, that this early sight of spring triggered an urge in me to begin some deep house cleaning. While I’m not a spotless window freak, I really do need to get the window cleaner out. If the “soul” of our home is mirrored by our windows as our eyes are said to be the mirror to our soul, then we’re in big trouble!

Like with many other cleaners, window…

Jesus made a magnificent statement. Look in two chapters. First, John 14, then in John 17:

“The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that is who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him” (John 14:21).

To me, that is a tremendous statement. He first said that our obedience is evidence of our love for him, and then he followed that up by saying, if we love him, the…

I am addressing this to a friend of mine; however, I am sharing this with you because I believe it might help clear up something for many of us. This friend doesn’t know I am sending this, but she does know that for quite some time, I have been praying for her and her business.

Every time I call her she asks, “Do you have something from the Lord, for me?” Well, today I think I do. For this message, I will call her Betty Sue . . . as I said, she owns a business and during my prayer…

I would like to share an event we find in the book of Judges. As was the normal situation, Israel fell into idolatry and the Lord had to, once again, rescue them. However, I should point out that the root of their sin was unbelief, which brought about in all kinds of fears! So the Lord sent them a prophet to expose their root sin.

The prophet told them in so many words, “Look at you—a bunch of wimps, hiding out, afraid to stand up and fight. You’ve already given up. But you have a…

Our Father has made many promises to us, and He keeps everyone of those promises. Of all those promises (all of which are for you, by the way) I am thinking of four specific promises you should trust him for.

You can first expect to be rewarded as you diligently seek the Lord. You find that promise in Hebrews 11:6: “[God] rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Look that verse up, in fact, read the whole chapter and see how good He really is.

The…

With all the talk going on in the church about spiritual warfare, Christians still have not learned how to stand up to the enemy. Quite frankly, we are weenies and pushovers for the devil!

Oh, don’t get upset with me. It you are offended by hearing that you are a weenie, then go the Lord and confess to being a weenie and that you need to grow stronger. (Oops, that probably offended you more. Sorry). You see, I don’t believe that every little misfortune that befalls a Christian comes…

Continuation of Personal testimony

Ordering our Footsteps…

Times of Prayer

So many people’s lives get complicated by the do’s and don’ts of religion. Being a Christian can be very simple by having an open transparent relationship with Christ and bearing fruit. We are so blessed to live in fellowship and companionship with the Holy Spirit giving us understanding and…