Month: January 2018

REAL PRAYER – Praying God’s Way….


Spiritual Blog - Prayer

Matthew 6:5-7 – “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”  NKJV

 

The Pharisees loved to appear religious and reveled in being noticed when they prayed. I’ve seen it in church when someone would pray and eternal prayer and cover everything they could in doing so.  I’ve endured that when someone would pray over the food before we ate and once I learned who those were if I were in a position to choose who prayed it would not be them.  Some seem to believe that by their multiplicity of words that God is somehow impressed or maybe they just like to hear themselves talk or believe that others are impressed.  Honestly, I know God is not impressed, I certainly am not, and do not believe that very many other people are either.  Hopefully, I am not sounding ant-prayer, but expressing that the prayer God desires is not based on the volume or length of the prayer but the heart.

Jesus directed us that when we go to prayer to go into our “prayer closet” wherever that might be we are to shut out the world and every distraction.  It is there that we have a private and open conversation with God.  He advised against using vain repetitions which would suggest that He is saying, “Get down to it, say it what is in your heart, then listen for Me to speak.”  God doesn’t have to be convinced to do what He has declared He wants to do. He only has to find open and willing vessels through which to do it.

Real prayer is not how long the prayer is or how many times you say “Oh God,” or whatever it is you say.  REAL PRAYER is when the heart is totally open to the Spirit of God and you express to God what is on and in your heart and listen for His response.  He is a “speaking God”.  We find that in Genesis and find that He is still speaking in Revelation.  What would make us think that He does not want to speak to us today?  I’m not telling you that you will always hear an audible voice, it might only be an impression or a particular scripture coming to mind and into view but He is speaking nevertheless.  He will speak and guide us if we will allow Him to do so.  REAL PRAYER is a conversation, not a monologue where we place before God our laundry or a shopping list of wants, wishes, and desires.  It is where we present our hearts to Him and allow Him to present His to us.  We just might find that what we are seeking is not what He desires to give or have us do and we need to modify our focus.

Therefore, instead of just petitioning God with a continual requests allow Him opportunity and give Him some time to enter the conversation.  You just might find that it is transformational in your life.

May God be with you as you go through your day!

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THE ONE THING THAT IS CERTAIN in a World of Uncertainty…..


Spiritual Blog - God Is Certain

Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”  NKJV

            There is not much certainty in this world in which we live.  We do not know what a day holds or what the morrow will bring.  We have only the ability to look through a glass darkly and can only see the beginning from the end.  We know in hindsight but do not have the absolute foresight to know the certainties of the future or even the uncertainties.  We are limited creatures living in a temporal world that is passing away.  From the moment we are born we begin the process of dying and everything between the cradle and the grave is a veiled mystery for the most part.  People change, circumstances change, conditions change and we are left wondering what happened as often as we walk in the certainty of how something will turn out.

            Yet in the midst of all the uncertainty, we have a declaration and promise from our Lord here in Matthew 24 that is ROCK SOLID and ABSOLUTE.  He declared that the one absolute certainty is that HIS WORDS WILL NOT FAIL.  If He has declared it you can take it to the bank, set your watch by it, and stake your life on it – – IT IS ABSOLUTE!  Oh, I know that there are those who would argue that but argue as you may I believe it to be the ABSOLUTE TRUTH!

            I have in my heart promises that I know God has made to me in times of prayer and meditation upon Him and His Word and I know that He will move Heaven and Earth if necessary to bring them about.  He gave me some promises when my children were born that looked for the longest as though they would not be realities and today they are.  When I was diagnosed with parathyroid cancer the Holy Spirit whispered to my inner man that God was not through with me yet and I would recover fully and completely and I have.  The medical doctor who did the surgery acknowledged that what took place was not his doing but came from a source higher than he.  His words were, “God did this.”

            I don’t know what is going to happen to this nation.  I don’t know what is going to happen, the rest of today or the rest of my life.  I don’t know what is going to take place in the next ten minutes but I know that God is still on the throne and still in control and will WHATEVER HE DECLARES AND HAS DECLARED IS ABSOLUTE!  I trust His Word implicitly and completely.  So as you face the uncertainties of life face them with the certainty that God’s Word is ABSOLUTELY DEPENDABLE.  

            May God be with you as you go through your day!

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GRIEVING WITH HOPE…..


Spiritual Blog - Grieving

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” NKJV

 

            I am not sure why I feel promoted to post this devotional today, but sense that there are some grieving that need encouragement.  I have no doubt that each person who reads this has lost a loved one and has known the unpleasantness of GRIEF.  I’ve seen people I cared very much for pass over to the other side and was terribly uncertain about the condition of their soul.  Oh, I’d talked to them about the Lord and some of them had assured me that Jesus was their Lord but their lives seemed to contradict that assertion and thus the cause for concern.  I make no attempt to judge them for that is God’s business and I will continue to hope that they were, in fact, sheltered beneath His wings as they departed this life and entered that eternal state.

            I know the emptiness of having a loved one or a family member depart this life and the realization that I will never, in this life, get to hear them speak or to tell them the things that are in my heart concerning them again.  I know the pain of the loneliness and at the same time the joy of knowing that they passed from a troubled world into one that knows no trouble.  They passed from a world filled with sorrow to one that knows no sorrow.  I know that they are in a far better world than those of us left behind but missing them and grieving that loss is still natural and even healthy when done biblically.

            I’ve been in memorial services where there was such a spirit or morbidity that one could hardly stand and in others where there was such a spirit of peace and joy that one could hardly keep from leaping to one’s feet and shouting “Hallelujah.”  In one there was HOPE and in the other only GRIEF. 

            I really like the way Paul concluded his statement concerning this eventuality and reality of death.  He said in verse 18 – “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  What words? 

  1. That we do not sorry as those who have no hope.
  2. That our loved ones who have died in the Lord are with the Lord.
  3. That those of us who remain will one day also be with the Lord.
  4. That Jesus is coming back for us all.
  5. That we will one day leave this world behind giving it a permanent wave and entering into the eternal presence of the Lord.

          Those wonderful words of comfort!  Losing a loved one when there is HOPE is a GRIEVING that can be endured and even be a source of rejoicing as well as giving us a purpose and determination to live in such a way as to see them again.

           May God be with you as you go through this day!  May He turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy in all things and at all times!  BLESSINGS!

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HAVING EVERYTHING BUT HAVING NOTHING…..


Spiritual Blog - Everything

Mark 8:34-38 – “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him, the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” NKJV

 

I find the words of our Lord so penetrating and thought-provoking it is beyond words.  Jesus has the ability to speak a few words that would require volumes to fully dissect and digest and yet are so clearly understood and simple.  Here is one of those passages that contains so much that one could spend a lengthy amount of time meditating upon each line and sentence and yet not exhaust what is said.

We spend much of our lives trying to “get ahead” and “carve out a niche” for ourselves and yet Jesus said that if we are to follow Him we have to “deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.”  Our ambitions must become secondary to His desires, goals, and plans for our lives.  We spend a significant amount of our time trying to “preserve life” or give ourselves a platform, condition, and cushion upon which to live the “good life.”  Yet, the Master said that if we “seek to save our life we will lose it.”  If our singular drive is “storing up for ourselves” we will find that we are putting money in bags with holes and in the end, our lives will come to naught.  Most people want to reach the place where they “have arrived”, their “ship has come in,” or some other description of success materially and monetarily but Jesus said, “So what if you manage to gain all the wealth of the world and its power and prestige but lose your soul what have you accomplished?”   What will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Our LORD makes it clear that it is possible to have EVERYTHING in this life and yet have NOTHING of eternal value.  I’m not suggesting that having money, possessions, or even position is in itself a bad or evil thing I am suggesting that if that comes between you and God it is.  The Scripture makes it clear that we are to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness” and in so doing He will provide whatever we need when we need it and in the amount and timing that we need it.

I don’t know about you but it is my desire to have ETERNAL WORTH, not just EARTHLY  WORTH.  If I can have both and use that wealth for the cause of the Kingdom I will rejoice but if I have to choose one or the other I will choose GOD!  I would rather have Jesus than any wealth or fame.  I’d rather have Jesus than be the king of a vast domain.  I rather have Jesus that anything that this world can offer and in having Him I have everything that this world can afford.

May God be with you as you go through your day!

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A VOICE OF REASON IN THE ENEMY’S CAMP….


Spiritual Blog - Enemy

Acts 5:22-42 – “But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, 23 saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” 24 Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. 25 So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 

26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

 29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

 33 When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. 34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God.”

 40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” NKJV

 

            I’ve used a very long passage to make a short statement.  In today’s world, we are, more than ever, coming to the place that we have to choose to obey God or man.  This is true in our daily lives, on the job, in social gatherings, in personal relationships, and in politics.  The enemy will desire to destroy us if we proclaim that our commitment and responsibility is to God not man and that we, at the risk of our own personal safety, will obey God first and foremost.

            In this account, there was a plot to kill the disciples but there was one voice of sanity and reason in the enemy’s camp that I pray exists somewhere today in our government, churches, and relationships.  Gamaliel advised – “If this is of God, you cannot overthrow it lest you be found to fight against God.”  Sadly, those who fight against God and do not believe in him have no fear of opposing the Almighty God!  We need to fully trust God and believe what He speaks to us through His Word and Spirit to our inner man.  If we stand firm in following the Lord, it is my belief that God will open the eyes of some in the enemy’s camp and cause them to realize, as He has throughout human history that it is futile to fight against God.  If they persist they do so at their own peril and it is no longer them fighting us it is them fighting God Himself and that is a battle they cannot win.

            So, in this New Year be encouraged that if we follow the directive of the Lord WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!  I am excited about what I know God is doing and is about to do!  I have more excitement and anticipation as 2018 unfolds than I’ve had in a very long time!   BLESSINGS!

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BORN TWICE – DIE ONCE…..


Spiritual Blog - Born Twice

Hebrews 9:27-28 – “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”  NKJV

             My purpose is not to get into a debate about differing beliefs about the “Coming of the Lord” and how that will affect us who are alive on Earth at that particular moment in history.  I simply take this passage and state that according to Hebrews we will all die it is an appointment established by God due to the fall in the Garden.  Job said of us humans that our days are short and filled with difficulty.  The Bible tells us that we are like the flowers that grow by the way we will fade and die.  But, natural death is not the end there is eternity to follow and that affords two distinct possibilities.  Eternal Life or Eternal Damnation or (Death)! 

            The Bible is replete with passages concerning this truth and as the writer of Hebrews describes the way to ensure that you only die once and, are not a part of what the Bible calls the “Second Death” you must be “Born Twice”.  One birth is natural and the second is spiritual as Jesus told Nicodemus a man must be “born-again.”  That new birth is what we call SALVATION or REDEMPTION and takes place when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  It is when we recognize, acknowledge, confess, and repent f our sins and receive God’s forgiveness for our transgressions.  It is what Jesus came for, lived for, died for, arose for, and will return for.

            If you have only experienced the natural birth then I urge you to look to the Cross and ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and receive His grace, mercy, and pardon and allow the work of the Spirit of God to transform you into a “new creation” where old things are passed away and all things are new.  An event that will have your name inscribed into the “Lamb’s Book of Life.”  An event that will translate you from the kingdom of darkness into God’s Kingdom of Light and make you a member of the family of God.  An event that will cause “death” to lose all its sting and ability to cause fear and trepidation in your heart!  An event that will allow you to live life to the full and live every day as if it might be your last and do so knowing that if it is you will spend eternity in the presence of God in a state the Bible calls ETERNAL LIFE!

            Don’t die twice!  May God be with you as you go through this day!  Blessings!

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LEADING BY SERVING…..


Spiritual Blog - Leading

John 13:12-17 – “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” NKJV

 

 For a long time, have had a bad taste in my mouth for much of the clerical hierarchy that exists in the church.  Oh I believe that there is a “first among equals” and that there is a “Moses” or a “point man” for each local congregation but Lording it over people is not the biblical way.  Jesus demonstrated that truth in this passage and gave us an example of “True Leadership” which comes through serving.  Too often I’ve seen people who want to be served rather than being willing to serve.  I’ve seen those who feel it is beneath them to get their hands dirty with a menial task (so to speak) because of their position or place.  I’ve cleaned toilets in the church while serving as the “senior pastor” and it did not bother me to do so.  It was not always because it was expected but sometimes because it was needed or just because I chose to do so to demonstrate that I was willing to serve.  I’ve put on my nail apron and worked alongside others in a church work day or in helping some needy family in the community and thought nothing about it and never felt nor allowed it to diminish my ability to speak authoritatively as the need presented itself on a biblical matter.

It has long been my contention and conviction that if a person cannot or will not follow they are not qualified to lead and should not be allowed to occupy a position of leadership regardless of so-called credentials or qualifications.  In my years of ministerial leadership I almost always was willing to choose the person with a servant’s heart over someone with seemingly more impressive qualifications that did not exhibit that same spirit and attitude.  We do not need a hierarchy we need a community of people joined together in Jesus Christ functioning according to the “gifts and callings” of God upon their lives.  I’ve taken the follower’s role even when the lead man when I recognized a gift operational in a person’s life that fit the situation and made them more qualified than I.  Allowing people to function in the talents and abilities that God has given them is far more efficient than trying to be Moses “pre-Jethro.”  Study and you will know what I mean.  Moses was trying to be the SOLE LEADER of the entire nation and his father-in-law gave him wisdom that could only come from God and experience that gave us an example of what the local church should look like.

If you find yourself in a position of leadership be willing to serve and if you are not in a position of leadership and have a desire to lead be willing to and actually serve.  If you do so with a cheerful heart God will promote you to whatever position and place that He deems is where you need to be and serve.  After all, it is HIS CHURCH and we are MEMBERS of His Body!  He chooses what part we play and when we play it and one role is not more important than another.  The physical body needs all its parts to be a fully functioning and complete unit and so does the Body of Christ.

May God be with you as you serve Him and others!  Blessings!

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LEARNING TO LISTEN…


Spiritual Blog - Listening

Isaiah 30:21 – “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.”  NKJV

            Too often we fail to listen!  We hear but we do not listen.  We do not listen to each other, we do not listen to what is being said because too often we are thinking about what we are going to say next rather than actually listening.  We do that in our daily lives and we do it with God.  I have gotten into trouble more times than I care to remember because of this flaw and work on it constantly to develop HEARING EARS!   My wife, probably correctly stated, says I have “selective hearing.”  I confess, there are times when I tune things out either because I think I know what is going to be said,  I am disinterested, or did not get the full gest of the conversation initially and rather than interrupt and ask questions I just nod and pretend.  I answered questions wrong as a result of that to the delight of many around me and to my great embarrassment.

            Yet, when it comes to God we need to LEARN TO LISTEN and develop ears that are highly attuned to the Voice of the Spirit of God and the Word of God.  If we do then this promise becomes not only a benefit but a refuge at all times and not just in a time of danger or potential trouble.  It becomes a confidence!  It becomes a source of faith!  It enables us to develop a trust relationship with the Lord that can come in no other way than having HEARD HIM and then OBSERVED HIM FULFILL what He declared.  A few times of that and you will develop a keen desire to HEAR GOD!

            Many have been the times when I wanted to hear from God but allowed the noise surrounding me to become so loud with the clutter, fretting, fear and anxiety that I could not hear what He was saying.  I contend that GOD IS ALWAYS SPEAKING but we are NOT ALWAYS HEARING!  God from Genesis to Revelation is a SPEAKING GOD!  He “spoke” and the Worlds were framed.  He “spoke” and blind eyes were opened, deaf ears unstopped, lame limbs regained strength, and the dead came back to life.  HE SPEAKS and it is our responsibility to LISTEN and HEAR what He is saying!  He is not just speaking to hear his gums rattle, he has a purpose!  He NEVER talks just to talk.  He SPEAKS because there is something to be HEARD.

            So I encourage you to remember the words of our Lord Jesus when He said, “My Sheep hear my voice and they know Me.”  Sheep respond to only their master’s voice because they recognize that voice and it is not something that happens naturally it is a learned process.  That applies to us as well with the Lord.  Through the years, I have learned HOW I HEAR GOD through finding out HOW I DO NOT HEAR GOD.  It has been through making mistakes I have learned something about truly hearing Him.  I recognize the COUNTERFEIT by recognizing THE REAL!

            Therefore, as you go through the day may you HEAR that still small voice of the Lord and follow Him.  Blessings!

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THE RESULT OF TRYING TO DETHRONE GOD….


Spiritual Blog - Dethroning God.jpg

Genesis 11:1-9 – “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7 “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”  NASU

 

This ideology or desire on the part of man was not new to Nimrod and the people in Babel it actually began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve as far as humans are concerned but Isaiah identifies that it went much farther back when Lucifer was one of God’s Arch-angels and rebelled against THE MOST HIGH.  The devil convinced one-third of the angelic creation to go along with him in attempting to ‘dethrone’ God.  He convinced Adam and Eve that God was hiding something good from them and that if they ‘voted God out of office’ and became the center of their universe all would be wonderful.  It cost them the Garden and introduced death to the race.  Here in Babel the attempt to virtually ‘dethrone’ God and elevate man to a place that God will never allow brought about the inability to communicate, the various languages, and ethnicities that were scattered across the globe.  It has been the source of incredible confrontations and complications in man’s ability to live with man on planet earth.

 Sadly, on a smaller scale, many do the same thing in their personal lives by ‘ignoring’ the clear directives of both the Word of God and the Spirit of God.  We refuse to ‘forgive’ and thereby close the door to forgiveness for ourselves, alienate another human being who could be useful in our journey, and bring injury to them and our ‘bitterness’ that results in others being defiled and their spirits marred.  I fully believe that God is sovereign but that does not negate His directive for me to ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel’ trying to bring the Good News to everyone so that none be lost.  Sadly, we have difficulty to communicate not just because of differences in spoken languages or dialects but in differences of beliefs we do not all speak the same language either naturally or spiritually.

I have found in my opportunities to minister around this nation and world that when I carefully ensure that He is supreme in my heart, mind, life, and thinking I find that He uses unique ways to help me communicate to others. God’s Love is a language that is universally understood even when our words are not.  The Spirit’s drawing power is universally felt even when our words fall short.  It is when we allow something to ‘dethrone’ God in our lives that we find the confusion sets in and in that state we are unable to communicate and cooperate with our fellow human travelers through this thing we call life.

May God be with you as you go through your day!

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HONORING GOD AS THE ONE TRUE GOD…..


Spiritual Blog - Honoring God

“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” — Exodus 20:2-6 (WEB)

            We read in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!   5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” NKJV Throughout the Bible God declares Himself to be the ONE TRUE GOD and that there are no other gods beside Him.  Yet, we have a world full of false religions and false gods and even find them in the Christian church in one form or another.  We make things idols in direct disobedience to the directive of our God and as a result, we open the door to many things of the demonic realm that we should not have to deal with.  Jesus defeated the devil on the Cross and in the Resurrection and yet we seem to be willing to continually open the door for the devil to come back in and bring torment.

            It is time that we as individuals, churches, cities, towns, states, and nations honor God as God.  I’m sorry if you believe that there are multiple equal gods I believe the Bible and it declares that there is ONE and that is Jehovah God the Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe the account of Genesis and believe the inspiration of the Bible through the conclusion of the Book of Revelation.  I believe that Jesus is the “Way, the Truth, and the Life” and that no one comes to the Father but through Him the Door.  I willingly accept his sacrifice for mankind and rejoice in His willingness to forgive our sins and graft us into the true vine and make us a part of His family through His shed blood of Redemption.

         It is time that we returned to HONORING GOD as GOD!  It is time that we recognize His sovereignty and majesty and bow before Him now for there will come a day when “every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”  If we are ashamed of Him before men He will be ashamed of us before the Father.  If we serve Him and honor Him now in this life we will hear the words, “Welcome My good and faithful servant enter into the joys of your Lord,” on that eventful day when we depart this thing we call life.

            I urge you to give honor to God as God in all that you do and all that you are!  He will come in and fellowship with you and teach you things that you did not know and enable you to walk this walk in a way you never dreamed possible.  May God be with you as you go through your day!

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