Aug. 6, 2015

MY FRIENDS, UNDER THE WEIGHT OF IT ALL CAN WE STILL SERVE?

At times it becomes very personal as I focus on my journey. So Today I need my friends to make it personal also and with a sincere and contrite heart prepare to have a conversation with God, as we tell Him how badly we need Him to get us through today. In addition, we also feel we are breaking under the weight of it all and we are afraid we might fall and become unable to get up. So we feel empty but still willing to keep listening for that still small voice and looking for Him in the midst of the noise to hear if He is telling us to go?

Or telling us to stay? Or are You telling us to hold on to You for just one more day? (Mandisa, Where You Begin Paraphrased) My friends, this journey and the weight of it all takes its toll at times. Like “Moses who was at Horeb, the mountain of God tending His Father-in-laws sheep when a Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire….And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses!” Ex. 3:1-4 (NKJV)

What a journey for Moses, from a child of parents held in bondage by the Egyptians, to being raised in the royal courts by Pharaoh’s daughter to being a fugitive on the run for murder and now Moses is eighty years old and I can only imagine He is also having a conversation with God feeling he is also breaking under the weight of it all. But still willing to keep listening until he hears from God.

And it is at this point God knows He can use Moses, because God is “long-suffering, not willing that any should perish but that all should repent” Before we can fully fulfill His plans for our life. So He tells Moses “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, “and have heard their cry….and now I want to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey.” Ex. 3:7-8 (NKJV)

My friends, we cannot be ashamed of the good news of the Gospel. Under the weight of it all God’s grace is sufficient to carry any and all burdens we may have that keeps us from finishing this journey. We must also understand Gods voice is getting faint because He knows we are not listening in the midst of the noise of Satan and the things of this world.

So what God sees in our heart is our willingness to stay luke warm and complacent about His end time prophecy and how close we are to His second coming. Consistent with this He hears the cry of His Children who feel they have no hope from the oppression of this world. He also sees that the “vineyard is plentiful.”

And even though there are no more Noah’s or Moses or Elijah’s or Rahab’s or David’s or Daniels or Peters or Mary Magdalene’s or Paul’s around, “the rocks will cry our if need be. But if there are a few who are willing to “foesake all others.” Like Moses, He needs faithful leaders who are willing to lead the children of God  to the promise land. That land no “eye have seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9 (NKJV)

Aug. 4, 2016

MY FRIENDS, EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM BUT ARE WE READY?

Saint Louis in 1984, there an unemployed cleaning woman noticed a few bees buzzing around the attic of her home. Since there were only a few, she made no effort to deal with them. Over the summer the bees continued to fly in and out the attic vent while the woman remained unconcerned, unaware of the growing city of bees. The whole attic became a hive, and the ceiling of the second-floor bedroom finally caved in under the weight of hundreds of pounds of honey and thousands of angry bees.” (Robert T. Wenz.)

My friends, our “Socially Acceptable Sins” along with all of the wasted time talents and money “which so easily and cleverly entangles us” into serving other gods, we are caving in under the weight of it all. But, grace still abounds while at the same time God is telling us to “come out of Babylon” because our season of probation is just about up. And like in the days of Noah grace has just about run its course and now God is saying “My Spirit shall not strive with man much longer.”

My friends, God is not asleep “He sees that the wickedness of man [is] great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [is] only evil continually” Gen. 6:5-7 (ASV) And soon He will “divide His sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left……to those on His right hand, He will say, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world………. “

And those on the left hand He will say, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matt 25:32-41 (NKJV) Today, we must decide where is our final destination or time will decide it for us. Either this earth remains our home or we are pilgrims in a foreign land who seeks another destination, God’s kingdom. “Noah did not mix the soft, pleasing deceptions of Satan with his message.

He did not utter the sentiment of many of his day [and ours] who declared that God was too merciful to do such a terrible work. many asserted that God would grant the wicked another season of probation; but Noah did not indulge them in the faintest hope that those who neglected the present opportunity, who rejected the present message, would be favored with another opportunity of salvation.” (E. G. White Sings of the Times April 18, 1895)

Its personal, because God is preparing you and I for what we are not quite ready to face when that day of “tribulation” comes. And there will be no favored believers being translated to meet Christ from this Earth before that “day such has not been since the beginning of the world.” Some even believe those left behind will have an additional thousand years to get it right and then life eternal.

But Christ says “Behold, He cometh, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.” Every eye means all must be ready to receive Him at the same time and to believe anything else that is not in God’s word, is detrimental to our Salvation. My friends, we are living at the end time prophecy before Christ second coming and the “breaking news” tomorrow will be much worst then the “breaking news” today.

But “Take heed that no one deceives [us] or the harvest that Christ has entrusted to us,“ but, we must believe “Christ is coming quickly,” and every eye will see Him. “And His reward will be with Him, to render to everyone according to their” personal relationship with Him”

MY FRIENDS, THE DARKNESS OR THE LIGHT WE MUST CHOOSE THIS DAY!!

“Human eyes take several hours to fully adapt to darkness and reach their optimal sensitivity to low light conditions. The quickest gains in vision sensitivity are made in the first few minutes after exposure to darkness.” This is when God’s voice is still clear and precise and it is during this time, we can hear God’s Spirit saying “ye [meaning you and I] are a [part of a] chosen generation……a peculiar people; that  should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you [and I] out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)

And as God’s chosen, once our eye sight have become accustomed to the darkness, our faith and commitment to Christ is weakened and that still small voice is no longer applicable to our life, only the darkness we have accepted as an alternative to what God requires for our Salvation. In other words the light that comes from God’s word is no longer conducive to our lifestyle because we have become accustomed to living in darkness.

But if we would listen to that still small voice the light will begin to clarify and purify our Christian values. So my friends if we are serious about our Salvation and life eternal, then we must become Passionate about the Light of Christ, it must become real as we seek His presence each day as we begin to clean up our bad habits that represent the darkness of this world. We must not forget the process that brings about darkness in our life can only change if self dies, and our life is lived through a personal relationship with God.

For every action of darkness that the god of this world tries to bring into our life there must be an overpowering and opposite reaction from the Spirit of God that keeps our eyes on life eternal and the light of God’s word. Remember, If we keep walking in darkness and ignoring the light, nothing changes. Light denotes the values of Christ and life eternal, darkness denotes our desire for the things of this world and death. John 8:12 (ESV) states, “whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This is what walking in the light is, and once we begin to walk in the light we begin to produce fruit meaning others will begin to see God’s light through us. “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light. And in him is no darkness at all….But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7 (ESV)

Now through Christ we have become “light barriers” we don’t produce the light for only God can do that, but  through us others can see the source of all light, they see hope in “the fullness and admonition of Jesus Christ who saves us from our sins” So now my friends, through Christ we have become the light source to the world. And a city set on a hill for Christ, cannot and should not be hidden.”

Our Savior has given us a mandate and that is to, live in the LIGHT and “let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works [as we] give glory to [Our Father in heaven, as we pray that your name will always be kept holy. And we also pray that your kingdom will come and your light will always shine through us and your will, will always be done here on earth, the same as in heaven.]” Matt. 5:14-16 (KJV)

July 28, 2016

MY FRIENDS, IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL OUR LAST SEASON IS COMPLETE

Jacob “had power over the Angel, and prevailed.” Hosea 12:4. (KJV) “humiliation, repentance, and self-surrender,” this sinful, erring mortal went face to face with the all-knowing all-powerful omnipresence and prevailed” “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Gen 32:30 (KJV) The wrestling match of the century. God vs. man, the Great I Am against a mere mortal, places this event in the pages of the historical narrative in God’s Word as one of the greatest of all time. A metaphor of our struggles we will encounter right before Christ second coming.

Because each day our problems move up in a designated weight class, and the closer we get to eliminating self completely the main event always gets more and more dramatic, trials more precise, problems, situations, circumstances, the injustice of life, a disobedient child, a drunkard husband, and the list goes on.

So now it’s personal and I have placed each of us in the ring with God as our opponent. So how do we win like Jacob in the middle of our struggles each day? As we read the narrative of Jacob and the many seasons of his life, we must realize as God’s children, we can never settle for “a form of godliness while denying the true power of God.”

Like the uncircumcised Philistine Goliath, who went into the ring with a man after God’s on heart with only a sword, a spear and a javelin, David was prepared to endure through his faith until God gave Him the victory. So we must never focus our attention on the timing only our will to endure. Remember Jacob fought all night. 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) tells us “The Lord……is patient with you [and I], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

“In other words we must forsake all others” and if we will focus on the struggle and where God has brought us from and where He is leading our footsteps, we will also be able to say I have been in the presence of God, “and my life is preserved.” But it is not over until the last season is complete and God says to us personally “Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matt. 25:21 (KJV)

My friends, we must always remember God is preparing us for greater fights against the enemy. A fight we are probably unprepared to handle right now. For there will come a time in our life, such has not been since the beginning of the world until this time….” Matt 24:21-22  And “All who desire the blessing of God, as did Jacob must stay focused on victory through Christ.

And as Jacob, we will lay hold onto God’s promises while allowing God’s Spirit to guide us in all truth and understanding in God’s word until our season is complete. “There is so little exercise of true faith and so little of the weight of truth resting upon many professed believers because they are sluggish in spiritual things.

They are unwilling to make exertions, to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for the blessing, and therefore they do not obtain it. That faith which will live through the time of trouble must be daily in exercise now. Those who do not make strong efforts now to exercise persevering faith, will be wholly unprepared to exercise that faith which will enable them to stand in the day of trouble.” (E.G. White Story of redemption)

July 27, 2016

MY FRIENDS, CAN WE GIVE GOD A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE CONTINUALLY?

Why would praising be a sacrifice? When in the context of praising an all knowing, all powerful, omnipresence God we are only expressing our approval and admiration with Joy and celebration for all God has done for us. “The word “sacrifice” comes from a Greek verb meaning “to kill or slaughter for a purpose.” So a sincere praise, with a contrite heart requires that we kill self completely along with anything else that threatens to diminish or interfere with our worship or our personal relationship with God.

because my friends It is “by Him, in Him, with Him, to Him, and for Him that we offer our sacrifice of praise to God.” (Jack Hayford Ministries) In addition, as we begin to “forsake all others” and take up our cross and follow Christ “the author and finisher of our faith” we still have work to do while there is still daylight and God’s presence and grace is still manifested in a world where the light of His Spirit grows dimmer each day.

As God’s chosen, we are ambassadors of His word. And as ambassadors, its personal because it is you and I that must continually offer up our “sacrifice of praise” to God daily by proclaiming the grace, and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So as we continue our journey to the promise land, let us all do as the demoniac who became a living testimony for Christ, as those around him witnessed the transformation from the touch of the Master’s hand.

Mark 5:19-20 (KJV) tells us The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.” As we look over our life, what does God really mean to us? And where has he brought us from?

And as we contemplate our answers let us remind ourself of the high cost that was paid for our Salvation, and the only thing that God ask in return is a sincere and contrite heart that has been transformed into His Character and recognizes His voice as we respond by offering “a sacrifice of praise” to Him as we “forsake all others” and “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that [His] house may be filled.” Luke 14:23 (KJV)

So now “let us “through Him, at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of [our] lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name” Heb 13:15 (AMP) as we spread the good news of Christ soon return, while always remembering that a “sacrifice of praise” to God is not just something we have become accustomed to when we go to Church and stand up, waving our hands back and forth as the Spirit entertains us.

But a “sacrifice of praise” to God is what we are and what we have become from a complete transformation in Christ. Remember my friends Our Savior is “the light of the world. Whoever follows Christ will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And as we take on the Character and image of Christ we become light bearers for him as we offer up “a sacrifice of praise” to God today, tomorrow and as we become a part of that “great multitude John saw that no one could count,” throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.