Do You Have Spiritual Goals For Yourself And Family?

God is a God of order and He is goal oriented (John 5:17; Ephesians 1:10), therefore, as His earthly vessels, we ought to be goal oriented, it is a part of having been made in His image (Gen. 2:15).  In other words, do you have a specific biblical plan that would aid your fellow believers gain the prize of displaying Christ to the world?

Ask yourself some questions to help get started:

Where am I spiritually and how am I growing in Christ?
What do I believe about my eternal purpose, and where I am in relation to that purpose?
Do I read the Scriptures daily?
Am I offering my God given talents and gifts to my church and others?
Do I have confidence that my desires and dreams are divinely inspired?

Jesus Unconstitutional?

First of all, I am tired of buzz words like "pluralistic" and "inclusive".  These are words that have been invented and propigated by some pencil pushing geek, law school grad-therefore smart, never-held-a-real-job-in-his/her-life and spewing it forth to show how smart they are.  You need to read this article to see how the Anti Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has fought to keep a town's government from invoking the name of Jesus before their meetings.  Yes, the federal judges ruled that the name of Jesus was unconstitutional.  I bet they wouldn't dream of ruling the name "allah" unconstitutional.  Or how about "buddah"?  "vishnu", "gaia"?  What about "satan"?  I'll bet the last name mentioned is having a blast with all this.

A Journey Into The Holy Of Holies

I am on a new kick.  A new one for me, that is.  God is taking me on a journey into the Holy of Holies that I have spent little time in during the past.  You do know that we can freely enter in, don't you?  Think about it, when Christ died on the cross, the veil in the Tabernacle was rent in two, signifying that we can now enter into the holiest place.  We can enter in because of His shed blood, His fullfilment of the law, and we can, literally, gaze into the face of God.

It was said of Charles Spurgeon that he could glide from laughter into prayer without hesitation.  In other words, prayer was a part of himself, so much so that it was an extension of himself.  How is my prayer life?  Spurgeon, indeed, all the theological giants, lived with an attitude of prayer.  That means that they talked to God as a matter of fact, not formality.

We are able to enter freely in and have fellowship with the Father.  Do you know what that means to a believer?  That means that God is not a far off being that is out of reach.  Instead, He is right there with us.  Christ said that wherever there are two or more gathered, there I am with them.  When we pray, do we set an extra place for Him?

I am finding, on this journey, that I do not have to find a quiet place and prostrate myself to talk to God.  It can be a natural, normal thing to talk to Him, just like He is right there with you.  And He is, if you are a believer, because of the indwelling of the Spirit, living within you.  Your body is the Holy of Holies because it is the dwelling place of God.

A quiet place is good, even required, when we need to spend a quantity of time with God, mostly because we need to listen.  Listening is a vital part of prayer.  Often we tend to talk to God and go on our way, forgetting that which we just said to Him.  Instead, we need to listen for His response.  How much do we miss from Him because we don't stop long enough to listen?

So, here I am, learning to gaze upon the face of the Creator.  I have always prayed, but not at the level I am talking about here.  This journey has given me a glimpse of the peace that transcends all understanding, because God is here.  He has given me comfort in a new found closeness with Him.  What a wonderful, powerful God we serve.  Care to join me?

Our Solar Power Is Fixed

You probably didn't know that our solar system was down for a while, because I don't think that I shared that.  Anyway, we have had a problem for a while, I will spare you the boring stuff.  We tried everything that we could think of, nothing worked to get it going again.  Today, I spent one of the most glorious days of my life, communing with God.  God has the hairs of our heads numbered, He cares that much.  He cares about little things, like the number of our hair.  So, I latched onto that promise and spent the day talking to Him about a little thing like our solar array, yes, the whole day while at work, I talked to My Father in heaven.  There is another "minor" issue that I talked to Him about as well, but I shall not mention that here.  What I want to do here is tell you that God cares about those little things and uses them to build our faith for when the big things come.  Right now I am praising Him for caring so much that He revealed the problem to me after trying everything I knew.  I will not embarrass myself and tell you what the solution was.  It was one of those obvious things I usually overlook.  But, Praise God, it is fixed.  We serve an excellent, wonderful God, don't we?

Is Gov. Perry's "The Response" A Biblical Response?

Brannon Howse of "Worldview Weekend" has written a ver good article on why the "Response", a "restore America Campaign" championed by Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.  While I am all for restoring America, I must say that I agree with Mr. Howse and false teachers who teach a false Christ through occultic methods is not the way to do it.  In fact, it will do more harm than good.  Click the link above and read for yourself, you decide.  I think the author is right and Christians should have no part in it.

What Is Prayer?

Prayer is the disinfectant and preventative that destroys the contagion of evil.

Give Thanks Unto The Lord.

"Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the rememberance of His Holiness."  Psalm 30:4

Do You Ever Get Bumped?

If you are a saved believer in Christ, when someone bumps into you, who spills out, you or Jesus? Read more...

Happy Thanksgiving

Ps 30:12 To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

A Quote From Thomas Jackson

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson said, on February 3, 1863 in a letter to his wife from the winter encampment near Fredricksburg, "I am thankful to say that my Sabboths are passed more in meditation than formerly. Time thus spent is genuine enjoyment."

My prayer for all men, mostly myself, is that we would all spend our time that way, in meditation on the Word of God.

God Has Called Men

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Reason Sausage

A very wise man (my pastor) told me, recently, the difference between a reason and an excuse.

An excuse is the "skin" of a reason, stuffed with a lie. For example, being late for work because you were in an accident is a "reason", and a very good one.

On the other hand, being late for work because you saw an accident, is an excuse and a poor one at that. Do you see the difference?

The "skin" of a reason, stuffed with a lie. I have affectionately dubbed this phenomenon as "reason sausage".

Another example of "reason sausage" is when people say that they can't understand the King James bible and the language is archaic. The lie that the skin is stuffed with is that the language is not archaic but a language all its own and the you CAN understand it because it was translated at a fifth grade level.

Since learning this concept, I have found that I should not have shared it with my wife. She now points out the "reason sausage" I give. This makes it so I have no excuse.

The question is, do you have any reason sausage in your life?

Do You Have A No Comprimise Zone?

Take a look at this article and give it a good bit of thought, then answer the above question for yourself. In all honesty, this is an article that every Christian should read. Use the linked text to take you to the article, found at World Net Daily, written by Mike Schlote.

Nothing New Under The Sun

This was sent to me in an email. I cannot vouch for the validity of the sermon, but it speaks volumes, none the less. Also, bear in mind, that this idea of nationalized health care is not new. FDR tried to do it too. These things are like a bad headache, they keep popping up.



Sermon from a church in Virginia recently. Gen 47: 13-27

Good morning, brothers and sisters; it's always a delight to see the pews crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God's Word.Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will, to the 47th chapter of Genesis; we'll begin our reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27.

Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us?...Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray..

So we see that economic hard times fell upon Egypt, and the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again. So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock - their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey- to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year. But the famine wasn't over, was it? So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives. "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh." So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain. What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters? That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes. That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master? Yes. But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly." God provided for His people, just as He always has! They didn't end up giving all their possessions to the government, no, it says they gained possessions! But I also tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one. We see the same thing happening today - the government today wants to"share the wealth" once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of health care, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago -as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders. What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's government did then, and it will end the same.. And alot of people like to call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he aMessiah? A savior? Didn't the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, "You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"? Well, I tell you this - I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr. Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh.

Bow with me in prayer, if you will. Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone. We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people of what a ruler would do, where it says "And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come. We cry out to you because of the ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation..Lord, we pray for this nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who would be our masters.Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh's government. In God we Trust.

Blown Away

After church, today, we came home to go to work at "battening down the hatches" as the forecast for the next couple of days is rather chilling. We are expecting sub-zero temperatures at night. This with the fruit trees all having set fruit.

There is a certain amount of frustration with this, because we are faced with this for the third year in a row. To top things off, the wind is blowing like crazy out there, even at this hour (9:00 pm) as I write this.

So, we went ahead and tucked in the week old broilers in the brooder. That job was easy enough, we didn't have to add much, just some extra precautions. The next job was to tuck in the broilers already on pasture. The chicken tractors are really a warm weather contraption and with the wind blowing the way it is, I felt they needed to be covered. This was quite the chore. I attempted to put a tarp over the half that is exposed, but, again, that confounded wind kept blowing it away before I could get it set. I did have the help of my six year old daughter, and she was out there with me like the trooper she is, the whole time. She managed to grab a corner of the tarp and hold it long enough for me to get a big rock on it. I couldn't have done it without her. Thank you Elisabeth.

I even took an old, plastic garbage can and cut (broke) a side out of it and placed it in the tractor for added shelter. They were taken care of. Then it was time for the comedy event of the century as we attempted to put sheets on the fruit trees.

As my wife and I tried to throw the sheet over the trees, the wind took them away. It was like being in a gale at sea. According to the Weather Bug, we are in the 30 mph zone out of the N-NW. I would say that there are gusts well beyond that. The 30 mph wind is most certainly a sustained wind speed.

Because of all the wind and the coming temps on Monday and Tuesday (Maybe the upper teens) we have begun to feel that our efforts to save the fruit are futile. I would say that the frustration level is quite high.

As we finished, we looked at each other and said that we did what we could, now we just pray. I indicated that I had been praying that God would allow this to pass. I even lamented that we are just trying to be good stewards and use what He has provided (yup, I was whining). Then my wife suggested that it was part of the judgement. But then a verse hit me (thank you Lord) that set me back to right.

Mt 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

This provided some comfort. Our daily struggles are not, necessarily, part of a consequence of our disobedience to Him. He causes the sun to rise on the just and the unjust, the evil and the good. This is His land, and we are simply sojourners here. It is a comfort to know that we did what we could, the rest is according to His will. With this knowledge I can now take the bad a little better. He truly is in control and I must accept that, no matter what. I get it. Job got it also when he fell on his face and said "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Thank you, Lord, for giving me peace in the midst of anxiety. You are King, supreme, and You alone, command the winds and the rain.

I was just reminded of another thing, that great hymn, "How great Thou Art". Amen!

A King James, The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and Webster's 1828 Dictionary

This is all you really need to study the Word of God. That's it. It's OK to use commentaries that you trust, sure. But if all you had in the world were the three above mentioned books, you'd be alright and doctrinally sound. I believe that, firmly.

I have been teaching on Wednesday nights and we are working through 1 Peter. I can't express how much the Scriptures have come alive for me with just these three books.

I am really excited as I study chapter 3 and come to verses 18 and 19. I have my preconceived ideas about them, but can't wait to learn more. Christ preached to the spirits in prison, hmmm? Lots of things pop up in my mind.

Pray for me, if you are so inclined, that God would add clarity like never before and that I would speak only His words. As I study, pray that I would be open to His instruction, willing to change my mind, if He deems it. Thank you in advance.

A Lesson In Greek

I am a King James fan. I know that that version is the only, truly, preserved text that came strait from Antioch. And because of my love for the words that God, Himself, chose, it is constantly confirmed in my mind that the Textus Receptus, from which the King James is translated, is it. Now that I have stirred up some controversy, let me get to the reason for this post.

I am studying 1 Peter, chapter 3 that I am teaching on Wednesday nights, and I wanted to share what God has done with one, simple word. That word is "against".

The word "against", in scripture, is translated from the Greek word "epi". "Epi", litterally means, "up against", or, "on top or/upon".

When we hear the word "against" we have certain connotations that go with it. Things like, "I am against that legislation." Or, I am "opposed" to that idea, etc. Consequently, these are things we tend to think of when God says that He is "against" sin, or that He will "turn His face against those of iniquity".

But, when we look at the true definition from the Greek word "epi", we find out that God is not turning His face from evi;, but toward it. He is "up against it", or "on top of it". He does not turn from sin! He judges it!

Not only that, I can rest easy in the confidence that His face is in the face of my enemy, and we all know who that is!

Now, doesn't that knowledge change your connotation of the word "against"? It did for me. God's word is Holy and perfect, what a blessing.

If oyu want to read a really good book on the subject of the King James bible, use the link to the right and buy "In Awe of Thy Word." Well worth the money.

Lean On Me...

I recieved this from a freind that attends our church, maybe you've seen this before, but, enjoy.


Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, 'Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side.' After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently. He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this... I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time; it's withstood a lot of weather; it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall. Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time. I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times. Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.'

Is There Something Worse To Come?

My wife and I are fans of No Greater Joy Ministries and the founders, Michael and Debi Pearl, we read with eagerness the NGJ newsletter we receive bi-monthly. We started, years ago, when we were given their book, to train up a child, and have enjoyed the wisdom that God has blessed them with ever since.

This month's issue of NGJ had a really good article in which Michael Pearl talks about "bad" times coming (with a small b), and BAD times coming. He suggests that the bad times are good for the church. A time of spiritual growth and, as he put it, character. For instance, a recession is not something to fret over, it is not a BAD time, but an inconvenience. He even went on to say that a small "b" bad time can be applied to a "great depression", which some are now admitting that we may be headed for. This can be a good time for the spiritual strength of the nation. I must agree with him. Bad times (small b) are always good for the church.

It is the coming BAD time that worries me somewhat. We're talking about the state criminalizing preachers who preach the whole counsel of God, which includes sin and judgement. Or, the state "overseeing" the curriculum home school parents use and what parents teach their children. Making it illegal to teach your children the bible and the Truth, even threatening to take your kids away for causing them "mental harm", as Mr. Pearl states it, while teaching this Truth. Scary, indeed. Again, I must admit, that I agree with Mr. Pearl on this. I think it is coming. We don't know when, but it will.

I will quote Mr. Pearl here on another statement he made, that says what has been on my mind for some time, "The world is not going to get better. No political party is going to save us. Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4)".

And again, "Our judges have neutered the Constitution insofar as it expresses Biblical principles and justice. That will not change, no matter who is in office. We just had an election between the bad and the very bad. This time, the very bad won. I think that God sometimes laughs as we choose our own form of judgment...", he said. Our votes will not change a thing. Nothing short of a God driven revival of the masses will keep His judgement from occurring.

I also agree with the way Mr. Pearl wraps up the article, and I will echo his sentiments. I will not sit in fear but live life expecting His blessings to continue. I will strive for joy in my wife and children, and I will strive to share the gospel with those that need to hear it. That is our job, as Christians.

I may have to fight. But it will be a fight to protect and defend my family and the cause of Christ.

If this interests you, you can read the full article entitled Hard Times Coming for the whole story.

On The Twelfth Day Of Christmas...

This is it, folks! This is the one we have been looking for, the twelfth day of Christmas. Ont his day we receive twelve drummers drumming. OK, you say, there can't be a possible biblical connection with this one. Let's see.

Just as a drummer beats out a loud, steady rhythm for marchers to follow, so does the Apostle's Creed set forth the beliefs of anyone who calls himself/herself a Christian. Have you ever gone to a parade, and watched the marching bands go by? Listen, without the drum corps, they would get lost in a tangle of feet and batons.

These twelve drummers represent the twelve vital Christian beliefs that are stated in the Apostle's Creed. It is not an oath to be sworn, or a covenant agreement, simply a statement of faith.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy christian church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Now for the finale. At the beginning of each verse of this popular Christmas song is the phrase, my true love gave to me. I left this out for a good reason, and it is simple, really. To answer this, I am going to refer to the bible, the final authority. Let's look a 1 John 4:19.

1Jo 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. Do you see it? Each of the gifts described in this series, is a gift from our Father, with the exception of the twelfth. They are gifts from Him who loves us first, our one, true love.

I can't force a thing on anyone, but I can make a plea. Jesus Christ took the pain and penalty for all people (John 3:16), the pain and penalty we are supposed to suffer. This is the true gift from your true love. He desires a relationship with you and it is very simple. In fact, our faith is as simple as it gets, all you have to do is relinquish control and acknowledge your failure to keep His law (sinner), He will forgive you and you will inherit everlasting life with Him. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. If you haven't done this in your life, I ask you, as a man who cares about your future, to do it today.

Thanks for following this series. I had a ball doing it! You must know, that I paraphrased these little posts from a book entitled, The Real Twelve Days Of Christmas. Our children enjoy this book very much every year we read it. You can find this book for sale at Amazon.com, and I have made that easier for you, just click the link found at the right and it will take you right to it. Yes, I do get a small commission, but we have to eat, you know? Thanks for coming and, please, do come back.