It states in2 Corinthians 7:10:
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Let’s say that you did not know God. You spent your entire life feeling like a victim of circumstances, only because you didn’t know any other way for life to be. Let’s also say that one day, you are witnessed to by a Christian who tells you about the love of God and how He sent His only son to die on a cross so that you and all who accept him can be saved. Again, just for argument’s sake, let’s say that you accept this and become a Christian. Just because you now have the Holy Spirit working on the inside of you, now you have this belief that your sorrows and suffering are finally over. Unfortunately, that is not the truth.
You see, there are 2 types of sorrows, the sorrows that God sends your way in hopes that you will completely turn from your sins and repent, and the sorrows of the world. God loves you so much that He will send trials and tribulations your way so that you will understand that He is in control and that you NEED Him. These types of trials make you stronger and stronger. The trials and sorrows of the world are much different. They usually come about when you are willfully living a life that is not pleasing to God. When you sin and don’t repent (ask God for forgiveness), you give Satan a loophole to step in and give you grief. If you continue to sin without repentance, it will only lead you to calamity and certain death. By certain death, it means that you will be separated from God forever when you die. In the Bible, it says that God is Love; can you imagine existing without Love? Sure, you are probably thinking to yourself, “well if I die, who cares if there is love? I will be dead.” You see, once your human flesh dies and is gone, your spirit will live on. You do however, have a choice as to where it will live on.
Remember, today is a new day and you can even start now by living a life that is pleasing to God. You cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven by doing good works, but if you assuredly believe in your heart that Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, died for YOUR sins, then you too will be given the opportunity to be called a child of God. Don’t forget that when you do sin, if you sincerely repent each time you sin – and at the same time, turn away from your sin, you will surely be forgiven by God our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ who intercedes on our behalf.
It has been a while since I posted on this site. I have been working on a different blog of mine and have neglected this site. Here is the other blog: http://end-times-prophecy.com/blog. I, along with many other end times watchmen and women have seen many signs on the earth and in the sky that soon, Jesus will return to rapture His Church, His Bride. Many of the end times watchmen and women are saying that they believe, and have been told by Jesus Himself that Jesus will return to take up His Bride in 2010. Jesus has also spoken to my heart, but has never given me a time frame. He just said “SOON”. Soon to us humans mean “NOW”. However, since 1,000 years is like a day to our Lord (2 Peter 3:8), then His idea of SOON, may be a slightly different interpretation than ours. Even so, I also believe that this “SOON“, actually means SOON to us as well.
Here are a couple of conversations that I recently had with Jesus:
October 16, 2010, 2:30 am
I asked Jesus about His return and told Him that I just couldn’t grasp the concept of us “vanishing from the earth” and going up in the air with Him. I told Him that He performed many miracles during His time on the earth; miracles that people could actually “see”. I reminded Him that He does not do those types of things for this generation. I told the Lord that when I tell people that Jesus will return soon to rapture His Bride, that all I get is a blank look in return. People just cannot grasp that concept because it they have never seen the kinds of miracles that Jesus performed so that the people would believe. Then Jesus told me this:
“Faith is believing without seeing. Those who put their faith and trust in me, will be raptured.”
October 17, 2010, 2:00 pm
I was talking to the Lord again today about the rapture and told Him that it is not easy for me to tell people that He is coming this year. All of the watchmen and women have been prophesying and saying the Lord is coming in 2010. I told the Lord that I know He is coming soon, but what will it do to those peoples’ faith who have been saying He is coming this year? What if it isn’t this year, or even next year for that matter? I told Him that this was the main reason I wasn’t telling people that He was coming that quickly. Is it possible that many will turn away from their faith, and may even think the whole rapture idea was a hoax? I myself would never believe that because I have such a close relationship with the Lord. But what about those who have not completely surrendered their lives to Him? What about the lukewarm church who know who Jesus is, but still live their lives as if life will go on forever?
The signs are clearer now than they have ever been of His imminent return. However, 10 years is SOON to Jesus, but 10 years is a LONG time in the human realm. I have been feeling so much concern that I am prematurely setting people up for disappointment and I expressed that to Jesus. Then the Lord gave me a revelation:
Jesus’ return is something like this: It is like a little girl who has known from birth that it was prearranged that she would one day marry the King. She was predestined for royalty, but at the same time, until that wedding day came, she would still have to live her life, experiencing life’s disappointments, life’s blessings, and life’s joys – all the while anticipating the day the King would come and take her hand in marriage. The girl would experience throughout her life the anticipation of knowing that one day she would be part of a kingdom that is so different from what she has known her whole life. With this anticipation comes a bit of anxiety of not knowing what to expect when the time comes. As the time grows closer to the time the King would come, the Bride begins to have doubts that maybe the King really isn’t coming, that it was all a horrible joke that had been played on her. She is getting older, and yet still the King has not come to take her hand in marriage. She begins to stumble and fall and get caught up in the things of this world and then she begins to feel that now she is not worthy to marry a King. She feels dirty and ashamed so how is it that a King would want to marry her? Because the Bride has not always lived Her life worthy of royalty, she cannot even think that this King would even want Her and reject Her when He comes.
The same will be when Jesus comes for His Bride. His Bride has known that one day He would come and take Her hand in marriage, but the Bride doesn’t know when exactly He is coming so She waits in anticipation and with some anxiety because She can not even fathom what it will be like to be married to the King. This is partially because the King’s world is so much different than Her own. The Bride knows that there is no kingdom greater than this King’s but because she cannot even picture it in her own mind, it has become more like a fairytale. Something that one could only dream about, but never would become a reality. She has dirtied Herself with this life and no longer feels worthy to be married to a King. She cannot picture in Her mind what this new life would be like, so She gives up hope that this is never going to happen and that She should just make the best of where She’s at now, with very little hope of ever marrying the King.
Believe me when I say this, Jesus IS coming and He is coming SOON! Even if it does not happen this year or even next year, just know that one day the Lord will come to rapture His Bride and take Her home with Him. Because He died for our sins, with an accepting and repentant heart, we can be washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb – who is Jesus Christ Himself – The King that we are waiting for!!
Here is some very relevant scripture in 2 Peter 3:
2 Peter 3
The Day of the Lord
1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
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This year the U.S. Government is conducting the 2010 Census. Let’s just say that instead of the Census, the United States Government decided to take a poll in every household asking each member of each household whether they knew Jesus Christ as their Savior ~ what do you think the outcome would be? Think about it. Think about the current morals and ethics of this nation as a whole, and what is being presented in the media (television, radio, internet). If we judged our nation on media alone, I would say that the majority of this nation is non-Christian. Okay, now let us take a look at who our president is. Barack Obama himself, the leader of a nation founded on Christ, has professed that the U.S.A. is no longer a Christian Nation (Watch Video).This really does disturb me that our leader, who professes to be a Christian, makes a statement that shakes the very foundation on which this nation was built.
I received an email yesterday, one that I am surprised I had not seen before. Amazing how some things in Washington get swept under the rug and are not widely publicized. Just so you know, I am the type of person who researches my emails before passing them on to others as “fact”. I am sad to say that the following email is actually true (I have also inserted YouTube videos and news sources so that you can read/view for yourself):
In 1952 President Truman established one day a year as a “National Day of Prayer.”
In 1988, President Reagan designated the first Thursday in May of each year as the National Day of Prayer.
In June 2007, (then) Presidential candidate Barack Obama declared that the USA was no longer a Christian nation. (Watch Video)
This year (actually in 2009) President Obama, canceled the 21st annual National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the rouse of “not wanting to offend anyone” (View Article)
On September 25, 2009 from 4 am until 7 pm, a National Day of Prayer for the Muslim religion was held on Capitol Hill, beside the White House. There were over 50,000 Muslims that day in DC.
I guess it doesn’t matter if “Christians” are offended by this event – we obviously don’t count as “anyone” anymore.
The direction this country is headed should strike fear in the heart of every Christian. Especially knowing that the Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be converted they should be annihilated.
This is not a rumor – Go to the website to confirm this info: ( http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/ ) Pay particular attention to the very bottom of the page: “OUR TIME HAS COME”
I hope that this information will stir your spirit.
The words of 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
We must pray for our nation, our communities, our families, and especially our children. They are the ones that are going to suffer the most if we don’t PRAY!
May God have mercy…IN GOD WE TRUST.
Please share this with others, maybe someone, somehow can figure out a way to put America back on the map as it was when we were growing up, a safe place to live and by the Ten Commandments and Pledge of Allegiance, etc!
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You see, while researching the content of that email, not only did I discover that the email was accurate but also discovered some more alarming truths. I came across a website: Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (http://www.defendchristians.org/). They revealed some information about our president and provided some reasons why they feel Barack Obama is not a Christian. Ordinarily I am not one to point fingers at others, or tear down someone’s character – when I should be building them up in love the way Christ would want me to, but I also feel that it is my duty as a Christian to defend my Lord Jesus Christ for all that He stands for, and for all that He has done for us. Here are some YouTube videos that may actually enlighten you as to what may become of Christians – because we, as a Nation, have turned away from God:
It is with great sadness that Rev. Don Hamer, the speaker in these videos, passed away this past week. Even though we know he has gone home to the Lord, he will surely be missed. Read Tribute to Rev. Don Hamer
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Here is another Video where on June 28, 2006, then Senator, Barack Obama Mocked & Attacked Jesus Christ And The Bible:
In spite of all the bad news I passed along, I do have some GOOD NEWS! Jesus is the GOOD NEWS. He took our place on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven, so that we would not perish but have everlasting life! More Good News is that God is in control of everything and knows everything that is happening in this world. We now live in the end times and in order for prophecy to be fulfilled, certain events must take place.
In Mark 13:3-8 it says:
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
5Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.”
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Scripture tells us “do not be alarmed”. In other words, do not be afraid. It tells us this because like I said before, God knows what is happening and is in control of the situation.
Luke 21:7-11 says about the end times:
7“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
8He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
10Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”
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The point that I am basically trying to make with this entire article is, if you read in the next part of Luke 21(see below), you will understand that some day, and at some point in time (especially if this great nation of ours does not turn from her wicked ways), we will be persecuted for our Christian faith.
Luke 21:12-19 says:
12“But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17All men will hate you because of me. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By standing firm you will gain life.”
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We must stand firm in our faith even if it means persecution or even death. We are not to be afraid of what is to come, for the Lord is with us always. He will protect us and provide us with the right words to say when faced with adversity. I will leave you for now with the comforting words from Psalm 91:
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Ordinarily I write about what it means to be a Christian and why we are called by God to do certain things. Today I come to you as a concerned United States Citizen and as a Christian, urging you to step up to the plate and do your part in the humanitarian effort for the Haitian earthquake victims. On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered a catastrophic earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and many more injured, and without food, water or shelter. The bible states that in the end times that there will be great earthquakes and famines. Luke 21, verses 10-11 states:
10Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”
Mark 13:8 states:
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
Those of you who know the written word of God may be wondering if this particular earthquake is one of those signs. Personally, I don’t know if it is or not, and I believe that right now as Christians, we shouldn’t be placing our focus on that. We should be focusing our attention on the humanitarian effort and asking ourselves “What can I do to help the Haitian people?” This morning on CNN President Obama, along with former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton gave a speech, rallying the American people to come together as a nation in a humanitarian effort to help save the lives of the Haitian people, and help them to reclaim and rebuild their country.
The two Former Presidents Clinton and Bush have established a website where you can go to donate toward saving the lives of the people of Haiti. From a statement on their website here is what they are saying:
“Through the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, we will work to provide immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivors. We will channel the collective goodwill around the globe to help the people of Haiti rebuild their cities, their neighborhoods, and their families.”
Won’t you please join in this effort as a Christian, as a decent Human Being and as my Brothers and Sisters in Christ? Even if you can only donate $5 or $10, I believe that every little bit helps and we can make this world a better place – even if it is just a little bit at a time.
Also, I believe that prayer can move mountains. If you find it in your heart, please pray for the Haitian Nation that God will have mercy on them and that He will bless them, making them strong. Please pray that those He has claimed as His, will come to know Jesus as their Savior.
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV): But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Often you will hear Christians talking about “The Blood of Jesus” or “The Blood of the Lamb”; and some of you may not fully understand what it is that they are referring to. You see, human beings are creatures that are sinful by nature, and there is only one way in which we can be reconciled to God; and that is by our sins being washed clean by the Blood of Jesus (sometimes referred to as the Blood of the Lamb). If you do not understand what this means, then I am sure that it may sound a bit far-fetched, considering the color of blood. However, in the Kingdom of God, it is only by blood that one’s sins can be washed white as snow. It is only by the Blood of Jesus that we can be forgiven of our sinsand be freed from our guilt as sinners. It is only by the blood of Jesus that we are able to be reconciled to God, and dwell with Him in Heaven forever. Here is what 1 John says about The Blood of Jesus:
1 John 1:5-10~ Walking in the Light
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 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, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.
The History of “The Blood”
Adam and Eve were the first to introduce sin into God’s perfect and sinless world. It was in the Garden of Eden that Eve first disobeyed God and caused her husband Adam to sin as well. After this, God banished them both from the garden; and because they had eaten from the forbidden Tree of Life, they would surely die instead of spending eternity with God (Genesis 2:4 – Genesis 3).
In the days of Noah and after the flood, burnt offerings were offered up to God at the altar (Genesis 8:15-22), and this pleased God very much. Years later, but not long after the mass exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, Leviticus 17 tells us that the Israelites were instructed to provide burnt offerings at the altar for atonement (forgiveness) of their sins. Here is what it says in Leviticus 17:10-14:
Leviticus 17:10-14 (New International Version) 10 ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”
13 ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”
It is in the book of Exodus that God spoke to Moses about redemption (Exodus 40). God redeemed his people from bondage in Egypt with His mighty hand, in order to fulfill the oath that he had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At Mount Sinai, the covenant was established and the Law of Moses (as we now know it), was given. It was at this time that God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle to be His dwelling place in the midst of His people.
And so it was, for God to accept their sin offering (sins that were against the laws and decrees that God had commanded for the people of Israel), the Israelites were instructed to follow certain rituals and traditions (The Sin Offering ~ Leviticus 4). In order for sins to be forgiven, the shedding of blood is an absolute requirement. Because of the sinful actions or thoughts that the Israelites had committed each year, an atonement for those sins was needed. There were more than 600 commandments that the Israelites were supposed to keep, but keeping them was impossible for them to do. Therefore, it was the High Priest who made the sacrifice on their behalf each year. The High Priest would then sacrifice a pure, spotless lamb without blemish, and it was to be slain and offered unto the Lord so that the people could be forgiven of their sins.
The Final Sacrifice ~ The Blood of Jesus
In His mercy, because God knew that it would be impossible for any human to keep ALL of the commandments of God, it was through the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 9:6-7), that God foretold of The One who would eventually come; The One who would become the final sacrifice for the remission of all sin, on our behalf (Isaiah 53). Yes, it was Jesus Christ, The One who Isaiah foretold would come to take away the sins of the world. It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we can be forgiven of our sins; and it is only by His blood that we are able to be reconciled to God.
We are living in the Last Days also known as The End Times or End of Days. Our world is continuously evolving into a place where God is no longer in the center of mankind. People have generally become greedy and a lover of themselves. The Last Days are a time when many will turn from their faith in God and their morals will fall by the wayside. In 2 Timothy here is a good explanation of what is to come:
2 Timothy 3:1-9 (NLT) – The Dangers of the Last Days
1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) 8 These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. 9 But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.
It is written in the Gospel of Matthew 24:4-8 (NLT):
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying, `I am the Messiah.’ They will lead many astray. And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.”
Jesus is referring to some of what will happen in the Last Days. I myself, love Jesus so much that I want the truth to be known to me at the right time, and I pray that most of you feel the same way. Many churches do not understand that we have entered the Last Days. Many believe that we are still in the Church Age, just as the Pharisees believed that the Messiah had not yet come. They turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the fact that a we have entered a New Season. It is great that we go to church and hear the Word of God and praise and worship the Lord; we can shout all the Hallelujah’s we want from the mountaintops, but that will not change the fact that the Church Age has passed. God is preparing His Church for something new, something BIGGER. It is called the HARVEST. I am not saying that you shouldn’t go to church by any means. What I am saying is that many priests, pastors, teachers, preachers, etc., are not preparing their churches for what is to come, something that is right around the corner.
Before making His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, in Luke 19, Jesus spoke about how many would be blind to the fact that the Messiah was already here, that it was already too late for those who will reject the Truth. They would not be able to acknowledge that the One they were waiting for is here, and that their waiting was over; that a new season was already beginning. Here is what those scriptures say:
Luke 19:41-44 (NIV):
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
You see, there is a time and a season for everything under God. Reading in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3:1-8, helps us to understand how there are many seasons that have taken place and will take place throughout time. Although God is the same always from beginning to end, our world is not. In order for the prophecies of the Bible to come true, many events must take place, therefore thrusting mankind into the ever-changing times, into new seasons as each prophecy is fulfilled. Here is how it is explained in the Old Testament of the Bible:
Ecclesiastes 3 (NLT) – A Time for Everything:
1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
The Church Age has been a time of planting, a time of Evangelism. But now much of that is changing. Many pastors are rising up preaching the feel-good ministry, teaching their congregations about self-worth and how they can be prosperous. Don’t get me wrong, prosperity is great as long as you keep it in perspective. I, like many other Christians, believe that one day, what the enemy has stolen from us, will be returned to the righteous – and then some. But that should not be the focus of what is being taught in today’s churches. What should be taught is that we as Christians, should be making disciples of ourselves and spreading the Good News to the entire world. That is my exact intention with this website. Granted, as the expression goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. So be it with the Word of God. You can provide the knowledge of the Good News, but you can’t MAKE someone listen. You can plant a seed, but unless someone waters it, it will not grow and bear fruit. The time has come when it is imperative that the seeds planted during the Church Age are watered and tended to so that when the LORD swings His sharp sickle across the earth, there will be an abundant harvest of righteous souls. In Revelation 14, John talks about the vision he saw regarding the Harvest of the earth. He talks about how the Lord (someone like the Son of Man) will swing His sharp sickle first, harvesting the righteous (the ripe crop on earth), and then how the angel of the Temple in heaven will swing his sickle and gather up the unrighteous (the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth) to be judged:
Revelation 14:14-20 (NLT) – The Harvest of the Earth
14 Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.” 16 So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.
17 After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.
Because the times mentioned above are not all that far into the future, it is imperative that Christians in all lands rise up and understand that we must each do our part to preach the Good News of Salvation to the lost. If given the opportunity, we as the righteous in Christ, must plant seeds in those who have never heard the Gospel. We must watch for the signs of the times and be on guard, so that we do not miss any opportunity to water the seeds that have been planted.
Today as I was watching a sermon Dr. Charles Stanley was preaching on television, I felt compelled to share his sermon with all of you. Today’s sermon was regarding “Life-Changing Prayer”. I consider myself to be a very “in tune” Christian; a Christian who is very attentive to God’s Word and constantly seeking God’s will for my life. Even though I have these Christian qualities, I am sorry to say that there has been something lacking in my prayer life. Yes, I do pray each and every day, and most days several times a day, but for the most part, I feel that my prayers lack substance. After listening to Dr. Stanley, it finally dawned on me what my prayer life is actually lacking. It is lacking consistency and a set direction. Believe me when I say this, my prayers are all over the place! Because I found Dr. Stanley’s sermon today so stimulating, I would like to share with you what I feel are the important points of the sermon regarding a life-changing way to pray. This type of prayer can be for yourself or for someone else, keeping in mind that you are requesting that you or the person you are praying for, will see life from God’s viewpoint. Please note that a good part of what I write will be direct quotes from Dr. Charles Stanley and not my own personal views.
Colossians 1:7-14 (New International Version) 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Quoting from Dr. Charles Stanley’s Sermon outline, here is the introduction: I. Introduction: How do you respond when people ask you to pray for them? Do you know how to lift them up before the Lord? In the first chapter of Colossians, the apostle Paul has given us a powerful model for intercession. We can have confidence that God will answer this life-changing biblical prayer.
Life-Changing Prayer(How your prayers can make a difference in yours or someone else’s life)
Request direction for that person’s life (“Be filled with the knowledge of His will”).
Request for them to walk in a manner worthy of Christ’s name (“In all spiritual wisdom and understanding”).
Colossians 1:9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Request that their life will make an impact (“Bearing fruit in every good work”).
Request for them a desire to know God (“Increasing in the knowledge of God”).
Colossians 1:10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God
Request that they will be given strength by the power and knowledge of God (“Strengthened with all power”).
Request they will have the right attitude about life, joyously giving thanks to God (“Joyously giving thanks to the Father”).
Colossians 1:11-12 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
When you pray, pray in confidence that God the Father will have heard your prayers and that you trust He will answer your prayers.
How do you feel when you know that someone has done something wrong to you or someone you care about, and they ask you for forgiveness? Most people without even thinking, will feel that if they forgive that person, they are condoning their behavior or what they’ve done. However, this is so far from the truth. Jesus said in Matthew 18:21-22:
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Why do you think Jesus would actually want us to forgive someone who sins against us? Is it because He thinks we should condone sin? No. It is because when we ask Jesus to forgive us of our own sins, He does. And if we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, God may not forgive us for our sins.
In Mark 11:25, Jesus tells us:
25 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
You see, if you want God to forgive you for your own sins, then you MUST forgive others. Now you may be asking, how can this be done? If someone has hurt you, forgiving them is usually the last thing you intend to do, right? Let me tell you a little bit about forgiveness. I honestly think that forgiveness is one of the hardest things we are expected to do in our Christian walk. If you know that you have to forgive someone and it isn’t in your heart to do that, how can you? Did you know that when you do not forgive, that person actually has power over you? That’s right, they actually have power over you. I say this because when you are angry, feeling rejected, or you are mentally or physically wounded by someone and you hold on to that, it is constantly playing out in your mind over and over again, just like a broken record. When you don’t forgive, you are actually hurting yourself.
Here is an example about forgiveness: Let’s say that you just caught one of your friends cheating with your spouse. At this point you are feeling angry, rejected, betrayed and bitter toward your spouse and your friend. Your spouse begs you for your forgiveness, but it just isn’t in your heart to forgive them. Your friend doesn’t bother asking you for forgiveness, so in your mind you feel that you will never forgive them. A few days go by and your spouse keeps begging for forgiveness, but still you cannot forgive them. You go to sleep angry each night and wake up angry each morning. But still, you do not condone what they did, so you will not forgive. Two weeks have now gone by and you still haven’t forgiven your spouse or your friend. You are now starting to suffer with migraines and you are drained because you haven’t been sleeping well. You become irritable and your job is starting to suffer as well. Now you are at a point where something has to give – or you are going to have worse problems.
Finally. You approach your spouse and say that you need to discuss what happened and where to go from here. You make the decision that if you want to continue in your marriage, you are going to have to forgive. At this point you forgive your spouse and you find a way to work things out. Just because you forgave, does not mean that you condone. You feel better because when you forgive someone, you are no longer resisting something that inevitably needs to happen in order to maintain your relationship
However… you still have not forgiven your friend and you never plan to. Your friend has been avoiding you and has had such a bad attitude. It is as if they have no remorse for what they’ve done to you and your family. The migraines continue, the anger still hovers in the background and you are still not sleeping well. What should you do at this point? The first thing that I suggest that you do is to forgive your friend. I know, it is not an easy thing to do. But there is a way of doing this, without even saying a word to your friend. What you now need to do is forgive that person in your heart. Obviously they are not coming to you asking for you to forgive them, and they seem to have no remorse, so I would not go to them and forgive them either. BUT I would forgive them in my heart so that they no longer have the power over me, causing me to hold on to that anger and resentment. Once you have forgiven somebody for wronging you, you will be set free. You will have no reason to hold on to any of that bitterness or negative feelings any longer. Sure the anger and resentment will creep back up from time to time, but you will just need to forgive them again and again, for as long as it takes. Even though your friend (or ex-friend at this point) has not asked for your forgiveness, if you take it upon yourself to forgive them in your heart, they never need to know. You are doing this for your own peace of mind and to heal your own heart, not to make them feel better.
So remember, when someone sins against you, once you have come to your senses, you need to realize that at some point you will have to forgive them and let it go; because if you don’t, it will eat at you until you do. Believe me, after many hard lessons and many sleepless nights, I finally began to use this technique in my own life, and it really has made a positive difference in the way I interact with other people.
The 4th of July also known as Independence Day is again upon us. Instead of writing a new article about the fourth of July, here is a link to the one written last year about this time:
Have you ever wondered just exactly who and what your inner spirit is? Have you ever heard anyone speak about a near-death or out-of-body experience, of how they were in a situation where they were dying or pronounced dead, and that they’d left their bodies and literally rose above the situation? How they found themselves looking down and watching as someone was working on them, attempting to save their lives?
I know that this scenario has played out in movies such as City of Angels and Ghost, but still, doesn’t that make you stop and wonder about what your inner spirit is actually capable of doing? Can the spirit leave your body and return? Is it a separate entity from your body? I myself had often wondered about this for many years. It was just recently that I had a revelation about the human spirit in correlation with God.
One day I was astounded by the abomination that I saw when I was cutting the back of my own hair. As I turned around to see the back of my head in the bathroom mirror, I was appalled by what I saw in the reflection of the small hand mirror that I held. You see I wasn’t wearing anything on the upper part of my body because I didn’t want the hair clippings to get on my clothes. When I looked at the reflection, what I saw were huge dangling rolls of fat that I obviously knew were there, but hadn’t really looked at in a long time.
Having been a hairdresser many years back, I have been giving myself haircuts for the past 20 years, because I just happen to like the way I cut my own hair. Ordinarily I cut my hair fully clothed, but this time I was cutting most of my hair off into a short bob and didn’t want to deal with the hair clippings getting embedded in my clothes. So there I was looking at the reflection of my backside and all I wanted to do is throw myself down on the floor and cry.
I had been trying to lose weight for months, but hadn’t really gotten very far, and what I saw in the mirror that day proved it. Instead of throwing myself down on the floor and crying, I did something worse; I started to mentally punish myself for looking so disgusting and letting myself go like that. I didn’t stop there. I began telling myself just how ugly I really am and that I could not believe anyone would ever say I was pretty and actually be telling me the truth, especially the way I looked now.
Only a few moments passed after beating myself up mentally, when I had a very clear revelation. I began to realize that it isn’t what is on the outside that needs to be beautiful, but it is actually what is on the inside that God truly looks at. I thought that if I could separate my spirit from my body and take a good look at it, I wondered what type of reflection I would see. When I was finished analyzing and looking my spirit over top to bottom, I was simply amazed! I then said out loud, “Now THAT’S BEAUTIFUL”!
Within moments the ugliness that I felt disappeared and I was able to focus on what is beautiful about me. I began looking at myself the same way that God looks at me, and realized that even though my spirit is in this body, my body is only a shell that houses the “Beautiful” spirit that God created for His Glory, not for Man’s glory. I realized right there and then that God does not see us in our flesh, but lovingly looks at our spirits to find our true selves. My spirit is kind, generous and loves the Lord more than life itself.
Don’t get me wrong, my spirit does have its ugly days, but even when it does, God still loves me and promises to never leave me. Even now, as I pass a mirror and am tempted to look at what is wrong with what I see, I don’t give in to that temptation any more and look beyond what the human eye can see. I see a “Beautiful Spirit reflecting back at me”, even on my worst days.
After telling this story to my dear friend Donna, and seeing how much it blessed her, I decided to write this article and share it with others, hoping it will be a blessing to them as well.
