Nov. 11, 2015

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE SEEKING THE EARLY RAIN?

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19 (KJV) My friends The times of refreshing. Those are the key words we as Christians must seek.

The Early Rain, God’s promises to His faithful ambassadors who will complete His commission in our lifetime. The Early Rain we must be praying diligently with heartfelt supplication daily as we allow the work of God’s Spirit to convict, instruct, restore, guide and empower every aspect of our lives before Christ second coming.

And Friends, all doubt must be erased that the Son of man will not “come at an hour when ye think not.” The question we must ask ourselves is, will I personally be A leading vessel for Christ during this time?

“The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring up.

Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection. There is to be “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” There must be a constant development of Christian virtue, a constant advancement in Christian experience.

This we should seek with intensity of desire, that we may adorn the doctrine of Christ our Savior.” (E.G.White) My friends today Christ is seeking a decision from the heirs to His kingdom, and joint heirs with His Son.

In addition, we can only make the right decision when we have allowed the transforming power through His Spirit to take full control of our life as we become passionate about spreading the good news as we proclaim how God’s presence has made a difference in our life, to our friends, families, love one’s, neighbors, co-workers and too a world lost in sin.

For it was only when the Disciples came together on one accord  through God’s Holy Spirit that allowed the day of Pentecost to happen. Acts 1:4 (KJV) tells us “On one occasion, while He was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”

 Acts 1:12-15 (KJV) tells us further “Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying……They all joined together constantly in prayer….then Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) gives us the climax “

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.

My friends as Children of the king. we must focus on the Journey. We all have our individual cross to bear and we can only bear it if we have allowed God’s Spirit to be poured out within our hearts and bodies until we are overflowing.

And then “There shall be showers of blessing: this is the promise of love; [and if we have faith and endure] There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above. Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need: Mercy-drops round us are falling, But for these showers we plead.”

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Nov. 9, 2015

MY FRIENDS, WHAT IS GOD DOING TO GET OUR ATTENTION?

“There is a place I long to be In my Savior embrace where I am free From life’s [trials], where there’s rest and sweet communion, because Jesus has all that I need. For in His presence there is fullness of joy. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore. There is no place that I would rather be Than in the arms of Jesus my King.” (Daryl Coley)

“I long to be,” Nothing is more important than the embrace of our Savior as we wrap our arms around Him and say I have searched throughout my life and this is the only place where I find comfort and Joy, and that is only from the Masters touch.

My friends its personal, and I need each of us to focus on where we are in our relationship with God? Or where we would like to be. But whatever He means to each of His Children one day He must become real as we look back as far as we can go where pain became real.

For me, a puppy I lost as a child, oh the hurt I felt, but at that point, at that young age, God was letting me understand, it is the pain and disappointments of our life that gets our attention. Because it is when He has our attention is when we understand, He is all we need.

And He’ll do and use whatever it takes even the death of His Son on the cross to make us understand He is all we need. “Have you ever lost a loved one who you thought should still be here? Do you know what it feels like to be tangled up in fear? What if He’s somehow involved?

What if He’s speaking through it all? To tell us I love you” (Mandisa God speaking) My friends, what is it that God has to do to get our attention besides Calvary where our Salvation was paid for? And it is only through our faith, endurance and understanding that we realize, He is all we need that allows us to cry out daily, Lord not my will, but thy will be done.

My friends, we are broken, and we need to be fixed and it is only God’s grace and mercy that can repair what we can never do ourselves. But we must understand God will do whatever it takes to fix one of His broken vessels and “get our attention.”

Because He wants us to know it is not about the death of a puppy, or a love one that is no longer with us, or a job that you truly loved but have been told your services are no longer needed, or the cancer you have to deal with, or the Child who no longer knows God.

My friends, it’s personal, it’s your life, your story, your journey. But whatever our situation or circumstances is, we must understand, God is trying to save us. “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night” for my friends, family, love one’s and the world.”

Not from where we have come from, but for what is in front of us that I know the chaos and the god of this world keeps us from focusing on. But God loves us so much, and whatever He is doing to get our attention, we must listen.

And tell ourselves, Christ said 2,000 years ago that He was going to prepare a place just for us and He will come back to get His faithful who have endured, and wherever He went, we will do whatever it takes to be there also.

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Nov. 8, 2015

MY FRIENDS, CAN WE FIND OUR WAY BACK HOME?

Going back home is “a means to reconsider and reconfigure our strategy for living.” It is the element that calls for each of us to change directions. Like the Prodigal Son. (Dallas Willard) “When he came to his senses, he said, I will go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you…..

So he got up and went back home to his father. Luke 15:17-20 (KJV) The common element we have with sheep is the propensity to get lost and stray away from the path once we leave home.

Which then causes us to wonder aimlessly into self destruction until Satan has us believing there is no way back, we have gone too far into the abyss. Then our hope fades with each day we stay away.

It’s a difficult journey going back home. But we must set our mark on the prize which is life eternal. And then on that day we make it back home, the Father will repeat His words of love to us “He who was lost is now found and there is celebration in my household!”

That Is God. That’s the image of God that Jesus Christ gives us as our lives become restored into the image of God. To most, home is a wonderful place where we felt accepted and loved. But now, only a distance memory if sin continues to abound.

In addition, we no longer see the thin line between good, and evil, darkness and light, or the taste of bitter from what is sweet! Is 5:20 (NKJV) Take for instance in Genesis. Jacob running from a predicament that He created from his own self-interest and not God’s.

He leaves home and sets out on a Journey upon finding out his brother Esau wants to kill him. As he falls asleep one night, God reveals himself and assures Jacob of the same blessings that was promised to his ancestry before him.

But my friends, it was all about his faith. And many years later when Jacob decided to go back home, he was brought him face to face with God. This must also be our choice as we decide what must we do to be saved and our sincere and heartfelt passion to return to God.

And Jacob wrestles with God all night, that my friends was passion and a desire to seek God’s face as he told God “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” These words, was Jacob’s way of asking for forgiveness, and God’s continued blessings.

And we like Jacob, must hold on with a passion, until we hear God’s voice. But remember, sometimes that voice becomes hard to hear among the chaos of this world and the things Satan has placed in our way that causes us to forget our way back. So we must seek God with all our heart and soul.

But we must also “Ask and it will be given to us; we also must seek and we will find where God has been trying to lead us throughout our life; we must also knock and the door of God’s heart will be open.” Matt 7:7 (KJV)

And then one day soon there “will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of our God.” And like Jacob we can say, “I saw God face to face and my life was spared.” That my friends is the way to find our way back home. Oh what a wonderful God we serve.

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Nov. 7, 2015

MY FRIENDS, WE MUST OVERCAME BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB!

“These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7:14 (ESV)

“God grants men a probation in this world, that their principles may become firmly established in the right, thus precluding the possibility of sin in the future life, and so assuring the happiness and security of all. Through the atonement of the Son of God alone could power be given to man to establish him in righteousness, and make him a fit subject for heaven?

The blood of Christ is the eternal antidote for sin. The offensive character of sin is seen in what it cost the Son of God in humiliation, in suffering and death.” (E. G. White, What Was Secured by the Death of Christ)

My friends, the sacrifice for all mankind was a “vicarious sacrifice” meaning it was all “performed, exercised, received, and suffered” in our stead, for our salvation. So how does the blood and death of our Savior make the Dirt and mire of a sinner’s character a candidates for God’s pure and Holy Kingdom?

First, Christ death summarizes Christ infinite love and if our focus is on our salvation and not the chaos of this world, each day we will confront ungodly habits and motives and the desires of the flesh that Satan places before us as an alternative to salvation.

The secret of truly washing our robes in the blood of Christ is maintaining a passion to live our lives like Christ lived His while He was on this earth which requires a restoration, and transformation process.

Isaiah tells us “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

That text tells us, there are two opposing forces working against one another. Isaiah states “though your sins are like scarlet” but once we have been in the presence of Christ and once we stand in the atmosphere of his love, grace and mercy, we then see the purity and holiness of the red blood of Christ against the dark, reprehensible character of the dark sins in our life.

In addition, we then realize “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Heb. 9:14 (ESV)

Which tells us, if we devote our life to Christ the power of His blood transforms our life into the Character of Christ and then our sins are made pure, holy and “safe to save.” By the pure blood of Christ.

What a sacrifice that saved our life, yes the blood of Christ becomes victory for all who believe and endure. “Oh the blood, Crimson love Price of life’s demand shameful sin, placed on Him, the hope of every man.”

“God has assured us that however guilty we may have been in the past, however deep dyed our sin may have been it is possible to be restored to purity and holiness. This promise deals not only with the results of sin but with the sin itself, it can be eradicated and completely put out of the life.” (White)

But it requires a personal relationship with Christ that says. I will give you my all, because you gave me your all through the purity of your blood on Calvary. And one day soon my friends, because of the blood shed for us, we will live throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity in His holy presence.

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Nov. 6, 2015

MY FRIENDS, PART OF THE GOSPEL HAS TO BE OUR STORY!!

“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” Is. 40:31 (NKJV) My friends, the eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher.

It rises on the winds that bring the storm. The same with a child of God, our faith rest on the promises of God that says, “He will never leave us, nor forsake us.” Our faith eliminates all doubt because we have risen above the storm.

We look back, we know this is just a part of our story that Christ has built around this journey He has placed us on, that is why Christ has chosen us, we have become a part of His good news.

The gospel is now within us because we have lived it, it becomes our story. We can tell the world we did not escape the storm, we just rose above it. Satan had a plan, he made us an offer that at times we could not refuse.

He told us “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Is. 14:14 (NIV) But our Savior told Satan; there is only one Most High, and He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

In addition, “I have prayed for my children, and their faith will not fail; and when they have returned to Me, they will strengthen their brethren.” Luke 2:31-32 (NKJV Paraphrased) and my friends that becomes our story, that becomes our gospel, that becomes our praise.

And when we are on the front lines of the battle field we will “strengthen our brethren” with the good news that “Jesus saves.” Christ has told us, “and it shall come to pass in the last days, I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.

And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.” Acts 2:7-8 (NKJV) My friends, no one is left out in God’s plan, if we have decided to be “heirs to God’s kingdom and joint heirs with His Son Jesus Christ,” that becomes our gospel, that becomes our story, and that becomes our praise.

In addition, our God is not finished with us, He “will complete what He has started,” Phil 1:6 (KJV) tells us, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

So my friends Today, we just have to accept God’s plan, there can be no last minute adjustments, He needs our undivided attention, the chaos cannot effect our judgement, we must daily rest in his presence above the storm, as we seek His Spirit with a passion.

Remember, the story of our life is still being played out, but now it is all about God’s needs. Soon we will hear the midnight cry, “soon Gabriel will sound the call. Look around you friends, prophecies are being fulfilled and the signs of the times they are appearing everywhere.

We can almost hear the Father as He says, Son go get My children” who have come out of Babylon and have “come out of great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7:14 (ESV) And now they are “safe to save”

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

MY FRIENDS, THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS AVAILETH MUCH, IF WE BELIEVE!!

“……The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:16-18 (NKJV)

My friends, oh the Power of prayer I can only imagine when we lay prostrate and our prayers are fervent and heartfelt it reaches the throne room by way of our Comforter, where our Savior is already interceding on our behalf.

He here’s the cries of His child like a mother who is alerted to the cries of there precious child in an unfamiliar world who is seeking the familiar warmth of a mothers touch that for nine months established a bond of love that only a mother could feel for a child and a child for a mother.

Let’s imagine Christ folds his priestly robe neatly in place as he did before he left His tomb after redeeming man at the cross. But at this moment His focus is on the cries of His child who seeks His help through prayer.  My friends it’s personal, we must feel the presence of God as one of His Children.

Elijah a man like you and I who knew the power of prayer and understood our heavenly father’s love for him in all of His petitions, let’s try and relate our prayer life to his and see why at times we can’t get the same results.

Let’s start at the foundation of what James is trying to tell us. The first part of the verse says “The effective (producing the intended or expected result), fervent (showing great warmth or intensity of spirit) prayer of a righteous man (virtuous or godly man or woman) avails (effective use in the achievement of a goal) much”

Once these attributes are put into place then the power that can and will only come from God and His Spirit begins to work on our behalf because now what we have prayed for is all about given God all the glory and honor, self is dead, we now live through Christ.

“God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” We must have a deep, earnest sense of our needs. We must feel our weakness and our dependence upon God, and come to Him with contrition of soul and brokenness of heart.

Faith takes God at His word, with or without feeling. It “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. When we have offered our petition once, we must not then abandon it, but say, as did Jacob when he wrestled all night with the angel, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me,” and like him we shall prevail.” (E.G. White The Bible Echo, September 24, 1894.)

My friends through our partitions to God, every situation and circumstances even the unseen that only God sees are put into harmony with the life of Christ as we move out onto the front lines of the battle field. But we are safe now we have now exchanged our problems with Christ as we take up our cross and serve.

Problem accomplished through our faith. Our Savior now unfolds His priestly robe and puts it back on as He continues to intercede on our behalf. My friends “whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you (will) receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:24 (NKJV)

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Nov. 4, 2015

MY FRIENDS, WE MUST FIRST BE TRIED, ARE WE WILLING?

We are ambassadors that represent God’s kingdom. But we must also realize, Satan has chosen us to represent him here on earth. James tells us “But each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15 (KJV) But we must remove every “weight of sin that so easily ensnares us“ Paul tells us, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” Col 3:23 (KJV).

The stakes are high my friends, but if we give it all to the Master our reward is eternal life in God’s kingdom and never again will anything “impure enter Gods kingdom, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Rev. 21:26-27 (NIV)

But there must be a refining process like gold that makes our character’s “safe to save” as we carry our Cross which purifies us for God’s Pure and holy kingdom. In addition, “the trials of this life that Christ allows on this Journey to the promise land, test our faith and produces a pure product.

And such faith is worth more than gold. Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold will ruin. When our faith is proven to be pure, the result will be praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ comes. We have not seen Christ, but still we love him.

We can’t see him now, but we believe in him. We are filled with a wonderful and heavenly joy that cannot be explained. Our faith has a destination, and we must have a passion from within at reaching that destination. Which is salvation and life eternal.” 1 Peter 1:7-9 (Paraphrased)

Is.1:25 (KJV) tells us, Christ will “thoroughly purge away our dross, and take away all of our alloy or impurities.” But our life must be centered around Christ needs, and we must be willing to give our all for His glory and honor. My friends, a road-map is before us which is God’s word.

Consistent with this, the more we Study and ask God’s Spirit to guide us in all “truth and understanding,” the more we begin to realize there is no short cuts to the kingdom “for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (KJV)

Each of us have been placed where we are today because we are “heirs to God’s kingdom and joint heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ. And we are also willing to be tried in the fire, and once tried, “The Spirit of the Lord will be upon us and He will anoint us to take the good news of the gospel out on the front lines of the battle field!!

And He will anoint us to make extraordinary things happen in the name of Jesus Christ!! He will anoint us to take a shared vision that tells the world, “oh what a friend you have in Jesus,” if you will only accept Him as your personal Savior!!

In addition, “He will send each of His chosen to heal the brokenhearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives and to the oppressed that Satan has bound up for perdition!! My friends we have been anointed to “proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,” if we will accept. And each day God’s Word and Spirit must be our benchmark, with heaven our destination.

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Nov. 1, 2015

MY FRIENDS, THE INVITATION HAS GONE OUT WILL YOU RESPONSE?

What is God’s overall plan for the redeemed? John tells us in Rev. 21:1 (NIV) Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”

My friends, the invitation has gone out. Restoration, paradise incarnate, and a new creation beyond our finite imagination all restored for the redeemed. 2 Peter 3:13 (KJV) tells us, “we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.”

Remember the invitation was originally given on Calvary when Christ said “it is finished.” That let us know, God’s faithful were no longer bound by our sins, or this world that will one day pass away. And if we have Faith and believe in God’s promises, all that was lost in the original Eden will be restored to God’s faithful, one day soon.

But where I need you to focus today is not only the restoration of a “new heaven and a new earth,” for that is a given, but the restoration of our hearts before we can enjoy the fruits of it all.

My friends, we can no longer look at this world as an alternative to what our God has planned for us. We must stand still and recognize the voice of God. He knows what the future holds if we no longer seek with a passion to distinguish the Good Shepherd’s voice from the god of this world.

John 1:12-13 (KJV) tells us, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten…of God.” Christ main objective when He walked among us was not to bring physical restoration to the lost.

But a restorations that restores man and woman back before sin when Adam and Eve walked through the Garden of Eden with God. Imagine in the very presence of God daily. Remember, as children, we always knew our parents were not far from our presence.

They were an extension of who we were, and we were an extension of who they were, our lives existed around one another and one day we will have that same relationship with “our Father which art in heaven.”

“And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Rev. 22:5 (KJV) My friends, the “they who reigns” in that text are the redeemed whose “robes have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, our Savior.”

They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.” Is. 56:23-25

Remember, the invitation is still open, but we must RSVP at this very moment, not when it’s convenient. And if we have Faith, endure and believe in the promises of God, all that was lost will be restored one day soon. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Oct. 30, 2015

MY FRIENDS IT’S PERSONAL, HE WANTS TO SAVE YOU AND I!!

My friends, it’s personal because it is all about each individual’s relationship with God. He is our friend if we will only believe what He is willing to do for His children if we will only “Keep our wants, our joys, our sorrows, our cares, and our fears before Him.

[We] cannot burden or weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of our head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11 (KJV). His heart of love is touched by our sorrows, even our utterances of them…..……

Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. [Remember] He rules over all the affairs of the universe……There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel…..

No sincere prayer escape the lips of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest…….The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.” (E.G. White Steps To Christ p 100)

Consistent with this, God so loved the world, not as a group, but individually He gave His only begotten Son for you and I,” because His desire was that we receive life eternal through his Son if we would only believed. In addition, as God’s children He sees our character flaws.

He also sees our overall development into where he has been trying to take His chosen who are His heirs and joint heirs with His only Begotten Son. Just the thought of Him given us that opportunity should cause us to want to serve Him and give glory and honor to His name each day.

Even though we are being refined daily in the fires of affliction, He is only preparing us for the journey ahead. Today with our permission, He molds us into His image, He shapes our character into His likeness.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ez. 36:26 (ESV) as He prepares us to be a-part of that number John said no man could number.

But my friends, we must remember, everyone that will be in that number will all be on one accord, because all have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. So each of us personally must “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:14 (ESV)

That is why today it becomes an individual decision that we ask ourselves, “what must I do to be saved? And how can My life be centered around God’s will and not my will? My friends these are the decision we must make but we must also remember like in the days of Noah “God’s spirit shall not strive with man forever.”

But today His grace still abounds, and we still have a right if we believe and endure “to the tree of life, and a chance to enter into the gates into that city.” that no “Eye has seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things God has prepared for those who love Him.” Rev. 22:14, 1 Cor. 2:9 (NKJV)

My Friends, where there is no vision, the people perish…..Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)