Archives for June 2015

June 29, 2015

MY FRIENDS, WHAT DOES MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT MEAN TO YOU?

“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilled. Grace, grace, God’s grace, that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace that is greater than all of our sins! Marvelous, glorious amazing grace, wonderful beautiful amazing grace.”

Webster defines grace as “the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” As I look at grace it become personal and each of God’s children have to have a passion to feel what grace means to you.

As for myself, when I look back over my life and the many times I’ve fallen and yet my God has forgiven me, so I say “thank you For unmerited favors, for new mercies, for waking me up this morning and letting me see one more dawning.

And today, I can say with no reservation, I should have been dead and living in my grave” waiting on my just reward for a life of abounding sin that totally was out of control, and this course, the god of this world was leading.

But my friends, that unmerited favor from our all-knowing, all loving God, looked beyond my faults and saw, even a wretched sinner as myself, that His grace was sufficient and now today I cannot keep from praising His name. So today you must ask yourself, what does grace mean to me.

Paul Had health issues which he talks about it in 2 Cor. 12:7-10 (NKJV) when He tells us, “a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

So my friends, whatever grace means to each of us, it is given to make us strong so that we as God’s chosen can take pleasure in our “infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses,” all of the things we will experience in this world as He prepares us for what we might not be ready to handle later if we don’t go through something.

In addition, sufficient does not say to us, “Grow up. It doesn’t say Get over it. It doesn’t say, you’ll understand it better by and by. It just says, My grace is sufficient for you, It says, have faith, I am standing with you in every situation and circumstances of your life.”

But at times, Satan will have us thinking, Salvation is not worth it, but my friends, we must endure until the end because, the reward is life eternal, in a place “no  eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things that have been prepared for God’s faithful that love him and is willing to give Him our all.

For all of His children who can hold on to the promises of God in this sinful world can contemplate the true meaning of grace and recognize there is no restrictions or limit to God’s grace. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassion fail not. They are new every morning; great is our faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

June 28, 2015

MY FRIENDS, “GOD CAN HAVE HIS MANSIONS JUST SAVE MY CHILDREN”

Oh the heartfelt prayers and the pain that parents feel for their sons and daughters as we partitions the Good Shepherd. My friends God has promised and He does not lie “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

He also “Records [our] misery; [and] list [our] tears on [His] scroll. Ps 56:8 (NIV) And our God’s promises are sure, Remember He has brought each of us back to the “path of His righteousness” and He will do the same for our children.

Oh how our Savior cherishes the Sincere prayers of parents, even after the parents have been laid to rest and now wait to be awaken by God. Oh the tears God records throughout our life, which becomes a permanent hedge around his chosen children who will find their way back home in the loving arms of Jesus one day.

In addition, if we live in the presence of God daily you must understand everything about our life takes faith, even the Salvation of the love of our lives, our children, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward” Psalm 127:3 (KJV)

I now understand after all these years “God will not turn away [our] petitions, and leave [us] to the buffeting of Satan in the great day of this final conflict. It is for you to work with simplicity and faithfulness, and God will establish the work of [our] hands.

The lifework performed on earth is acknowledged in the heavenly courts as a work well done. With joy unutterable, parents see the crown, the robe, the harp, given to their children…. The seed sown with tears and prayers may have seemed to be sown in vain, but their harvest is reaped with joy at last. Their children have been redeemed.” (E.G. White A Mothers Prayer)

Satan may kill this body of God’s chosen, but we must keep our eyes stayed on the Master and until that great day, each day we must pray without ceasing and among those heartfelt prayers must always be laid aside special one’s for our children and love one’s that allows God too feel the pain that is centered around our partitions.

Satan always the clever strategist knows if He can keep our focus on the things of this world, the sound of chaos and confusion that our love’ one’s encounter each day who have left our fold and now are totally confused because the god of this world has them totally captivated with the things of this world will become secondary.

Our attitude must be “God can have His mansions, just save my children” because nothing should be more important then what our Savior has entrusted us with and therefore He expects us to do all we can to make sure they are among the redeemed John says “no man can number”

So have faith my friends, one day “when our children come to themselves, they will arise and go to our Father which art in heaven, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight” and soon there after, all of God’s chosen will await in anticipation!!

“Jesus raises His mighty, glorious arm, lays hold of the pearly gate, swings it back on its glittering hinges and says to [His faithful who have endured], “you have washed your robes in my blood, stood stiffly for My truth, enter in.”(E. G. White) And we will see because of the love, grace and mercy of God, our reward will be mansions and our children.

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

June 25, 2015

MY FRIENDS, THE CROSS AND SALVATION MUST BECOME REAL TO US

“Holy, holy, holy, as we look up and that day has finally arrived!! Hope my friends, this is the picture we want imprinted into our mind and on our heart every waken moment. As God’s chosen our mandate is to “proclaim to those who live on the earth to every nation, tribe, language and people” this same hope, and the good news of the gospel.

But it must become real to us a “Breaking News” event as we tell the world “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.” Heb. 10:37 (NKJV) Remember we are sinners who have a story to tell about what God has done and is doing in our lives to others.

In addition, as our Character becomes more and more like Christ, “our light will shine before men and women, that they will see our good works as we glorify our Father in heaven.” Matt. 5:16 (KJV) Christ knew before the events of that day when He was crucified, what would be required of us, that is why He said “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 (NIV)

And as disciple of Christ that text is telling us, we must feel our Saviors pain as He was being slapped and spit upon, as the Rabble shouted Crucify Him! Crucify Him! We must feel His pain as He was being scourged and beaten by the Roman Guards, as He was mocked by the rabble as they placed a crown of thorns on His head and a purple robe on his back, as a Cross was laid across His shoulders.

My friends, are you ready to carry your own cross and feel the spikes driven into our Saviors feet and hands as He is placed between two thieves as the Rabble shouts and “blasphemes Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

If you are a child of God you must also feel the passion of Christ and the sadness in his voice when he says “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” This all must become personal and a real event, that happen for our Salvation.

Remember success as a Christian for Christ is not Him asking us to devote ourselves to His cause: but for us to yield ourselves to His will, as this journey become real and the challenges and the responsibilities of carrying our own cross become real.

But thank God there is also a real place, our new home that will be our reward if we have faith and endure and one day soon “Jesus [will] bring us our own crowns, and with His own right hand placed them on our heads.

He [then will give] us harps of gold and palms of victory. Here on the sea of glass His faithful Children [will] stand in a perfect square… And we [will all be] clothed with a glorious white mantle …. Angels are all about us as we marched over the sea of glass to the gate of the city…..

Then Jesus [raises] His mighty, glorious arm, lays hold of the pearly gate, swings it back on its glittering hinges and says to us, “you have washed your robes in my blood, stood stiffly for My truth, enter in.” We all march in and fill that we have a perfect right in the city.” (E.G. White)

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

June 23, 2015

MY FRIENDS, IS GOD’S GRACE REALLY SUFFICIENT FOR OUR PAIN?

Can you imagine a large piece of wood or a splinter driven into your flesh that you are never able to remove, the daily pain, constantly pleading with God to remove it? Forever wondering how does God expect you to serve him with this constant discomfort?

You know nothing is too hard for God, for he is Omnipotence, an all-powerful being and since He is also Omniscience, all knowing, He knows our pain, but for some reason, this is a prayer He will not answer in spite of our diligent service and commitment.

Let’s see how Paul handles such a dilemma. In 2 Cor. 12:7-10 (NKJV) Paul tells us, “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” My friends, maybe the thorn in our flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment us is not always physical.

Maybe it is a child on drugs or pregnant, or a sick husband or wife needing our constant care, or maybe like Paul it is personal ailment that we have had for years that we constantly pray about, but to no avail.

But also like Paul, God’s tells us, His grace is sufficient. In addition, He will never allow situations and circumstances to come into our life that He knows we cannot handle. But what He does give us, is His grace and power which is sufficient and through our weakness we will be made strong through Christ, if we will only believe and endure.

And as God’s presence is constantly being renewed in our lives each day, His will is than made known to us as we continue on this journey until we have crossed over into the promise land. For “everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” Ecc. 3:1 (NKJV) So we must allow our faith to lead us.

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1 (NKJV) But we must take God at His word when He tells us “My grace is sufficient. Webster tells us the word sufficient means “adequate for the purpose”

Christ was asked by His disciples when they came upon a man who had been blind from birth, who sinned they asked, was it the blind man’s Parents or him? Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

I must work the works of Him who sent me… As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5 (NKJV) My friends God knows and understands, but our life must be centered around Him and His will for us. As a Child of God, as long as we are living in the presence of God we must “boast all the more gladly about [our] weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on [us].

That is why, for Christ’s sake, [we] delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when [we are] weak, then [we are] strong,” as God prepares us for His pure and Holy kingdom and the faith and  endurance it will take to get there.

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

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June 22, 2015

MY FRIENDS, HOW LONG BEFORE WE BELIEVE?

“Why do we sing when no one is listen? Why do we sing when nobody cares? Why do we sing when we could be doing something else; Or pursing the things of this world?” And than we answer our own question, “We must sing ‘cause we cannot keep silent! We must sing ‘cause He gave us a song! We must sing ‘cause He has redeemed us, We must sing praises to Our God.”

My friends, our faith must hold firm, we must never loose sight of Christ second coming or stop praising God for what He is doing and continues to do in our life. We must fix our eyes on the prize, eternal life. And that takes faith.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1 (NIV) After 3 years of no rain, Elijah goes back to Ahab.

“Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” At this point, Elijah’s only concern was to bring Israel back to the reality that there was only one true God, and you must serve Him. “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

Now the question is presented to God’s chosen in the 21st century, “How Long?” Prophecies are being fulfilled “How long?” It will not be easy to lay aside “every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” If we will not allow Christ to be the “Author and finisher of our Faith.”

So my friends, it must become  personal, ask yourself “How Long” I suggest you go back and read all of 1 Kings 17, and 18 but where I need you to focus on today is after the Mount Carmel experience when Elijah faith must now bring back the rain, that three years earlier He had predicted would stop.

He tells Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” Then Elijah tells his servant to “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” Then on the seventh time His servant said “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!”

“This was enough. Elijah did not wait for the heavens to gather blackness. In that small cloud he beheld by faith an abundance of rain; and he acted in harmony with his faith, sending his servant quickly to Ahab with the message, “Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.” 1 King 18:44 (NKJV)

My friends, Faith such as this is needed in the world today faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let go until Heaven hears” “Through faith God’s children have “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” Heb. 11:33-34. (NKJV) (E.G. White Prophets and Kings pp 157)

God has told us in Mark 9:23 (KJV) all things are possible to him that believeth.” So “How long?” Now, you can answer your own question again, It want be long, soon, the Father will say to His Son, Let’s go get my Children. My friends, are we ready?

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

Jun 21, 2015

MY FRIENDS, AS FATHERS, AT TIMES WE JUST SIMPLY FAIL!

A good father should be the one that gives his family the strength and stability in all situation and circumstances. We don’t have time to take a class in fatherhood, so the decision that we make are not always the wisest one’s.

So as fathers, sometimes we just fail. A child should not have to worry about the Bogey man or those nightmares of life in growing up. But sometimes we just fail because of the inexperience of fatherhood, or simply, we just have not allowed God total control of our life.

But our father which art in Heaven never fails. Our Savior knew this, He knew He would not leave or forsake him. When the Spirit led Jesus into the Wilderness He had just receive His father’s assurance as He told the world after His Son’s Baptism.

When “Jesus came up from the water; “immediately the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” John 3:16 (NKJV)

“When strength fails, and the will power weakenes, and faith ceases humans simple fail at times. “Moses was wearied with the forty years’ wandering of Israel, when for the moment his faith let go its hold upon infinite power and he failed just upon the borders of the Promised Land.

Elijah, who had stood undaunted before King Ahab, had brought down fire from heaven, had slain 400 prophets of Baal, fled for his life before the threats of the idolatrous Jezebel. Thus Satan has [always] taken advantage of the weakness of humanity. (E.G. White Desire of Ages pp 120)

But my friends, our Father does not fail. Our Savior before He carried that cross to Calvary looked back, He remembered the wilderness experience and His encounter with Satan after fasting for 40 days.

He remembered His journey on this earth for 33 years and the guidance and strength His Father had given Him, never leaving or forsaken Him, no matter what situation or circumstances he was in. So He stayed focused. And the word says, God gave Him Strength to finish the course, and He will do the same for us today.

Luke tells us in Luke 22:44-46 (KJV) “and being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow He asked.

“Why are you sleeping?” Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” But remember this is the same Jesus that faced a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee, totally composed, and undisturbed. He had faced demonic hostility, temptation’s from Satan, at every step, and the cross examination, of Jerusalem’s religious Elect, with total restraint.

But here in the Garden, Humanity took its toil at just the thought of failure, But He stayed Focus, because He knew His father, so Satan was never able to gain entry. My friends as a father myself we will fail throughout our life, But just as Christ agonized and prayed for strength, we must do the same.

In addition, as time moves toward Christ soon return when there will be trials and tribulations that seem unbearable, as we begin to ask, where is God, at that moment, we must look back on His promises and where He has brought us on this Journey He has placed us on.

Yes we have failed at times, and yes, the hardest season we will ever experience in life may have not come yet, but it only remains a failure if we don’t stay focused, endure and do all we can through the Spirit of God to make sure our families cross over into the promise land with us.

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

June 20, 2015

MY FRIENDS, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER CHRIST GREATEST MIRACLE?

Great!!! Wonderful! Marvelous! Awesome!!! are all adjectives describing miracles preformed by God in fact John states in John 21:25 (KJV) And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”

My friends, today we are going to make it personal as we close our eyes and go back 2000 years too when our Savior walked among us. Now let’s  go to Cana in Galilee, to a wedding reception. and observe as Christ performs His first Miracle, turning water into wine.

Now let’s go over to Capernaum and watch him cast out demons. Let’s remain in Capernaum and witness Him healing a man that is paralyzed. We now walk over to the town of Nain as we approached the town gate, “the dead child of a widow was being carried out. After Jesus saw the widow, he miraculously brought the dead child back to life and gave him back to his mother.”

Now that is impressive. After that He calms a raging storm, heals someone else that is demon possessed, then a woman touches the helm of his garment and is healed of a blood disease. He gives a blind man his sight, feeds 5000 people, with 2 fish and five loaves of bread, walks on water, heals a leaper.

In addition, after being in the tomb for three days, brings His friend Lazarus back to life. Then after His on death, raises Himself from the grave, after three days. He Then walks around town a few more days, then He ascends into heaven. impressive, impressive, impressive!!!

So today my friends which of these miracle would you consider the greatest or the one that is most impressive of them all. Well I cannot give an answer for you. but I can give you my own opinion, and it is fact, a miracle that I did not mention because it is probably only impressive and awesome to myself.

The greatest miracle of all time, is when He took a wretched sinner like me, and if He has done the same for you, then you can also make it personal. And that is, He transformed our life from being the sinners we were, to the one who recognizes and believes through our faith in the cross and His word that the transforming power on Calvary absolutely and without any doubt in our minds saved us from the penalty of sin which is death.

Oh the grace of God! And what Calvary meant for our salvation. Romans 5:7-8 (KJV) tells us “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

which also allows us to become heirs to His kingdom. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” John 1:12 (KJV) And now because of what he has done for us we can’t hold it in, his message is like a fire burning inside [us]! It feels like it is burning deep in our bones! And we cant hold his message inside.

we have to tell everyone. Jer. 20:9 (ERV) what God has done for us and that he will do the same for anyone who believes and endures until the end. And then soon after, the greatest miracle of our life will be complete when we receive our reward from Christ Himself, life eternal in His  pure and holy kingdom.

So friends stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY

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