Matthew 6:25-34 – “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” NKJV

My question is a valid one especially in the times in which we live today.  “Are You Worried?”  I have contended that often the opposite of faith is not doubt but fear.  Fear may be the result of doubt and will most assuredly cause the condition we call “worry.”  Many people are worriers and I have heard some say, “I’m a natural born worrier.”  I challenge that because in my view worry is a learned trait, not something that you just instinctively have at birth. 

My mother was a worrier!  We could be driving along the highway and she would hear noises that my dad could not hear due to his loss of hearing. She would worry over that sound and the more she worried the worse the potential problem became. She worried about my brother, sister, and me (although I confess it may have been justified in my case).  I told her one time, laughingly, “Mother you’d worry if you had nothing to worry about worrying about not worrying.”  She smiled and acknowledged that was probably true.  Her mother was a worrier although her father was not.  My dad was more of a person who faced whatever came and dealt with it to the best of his ability and then let things take their course but mother worried. 

Jesus instructed us in this passage, not to worry about our lives (what we would eat, drink, wear, etc.)  He focused on that which is of ultimate importance of the “spiritual” rather than the “physical.”  He gave us the descriptive picture of how God cares for the birds the flowers, and things in nature and if He cared for and about those things He cared Even More for us – (Some environmental extremist should read this).  

You can’t make yourself taller by worrying about your height.  You can’t lose weight by worrying about the reading on the scales.  You can’t make yourself well by worrying about your health.  You can’t make yourself rich by worrying about your lack of money. 

We have God’s promise to take care of us.  I like what David said in Psalm 37:25 – “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsake or his descendants begging for bread.”  God knows full well what we need even before we bring them to Him. 

Jesus gives us a view of the valuable and vital in verse 33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  God first in our lives identifies a total surrender and commitment to Him and opens the door for the provisions of the Lord to flow out to us in all things.  Jesus then said something that is almost amusing in the next verse – “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  Simply, each day has enough of its own problems to worry about things that have not yet happened.

The bottom line is either we are confident that God is who the Bible declares Him to be or we are not.  If He is, then “worry” should not be a part of our lives. If He is not, the “worry” won’t help.  When that ugly enemy of peace comes in we should remind it of the Promises and Provisions of the Heavenly Father and resist it refusing to allow its place in our lives.  I know that is much easier said than done but it is doable in Christ through the Power of the Spirit of God.

Instead of being a Worrier be a Warrior! Instead of allowing “worry” to rob you of your peace allow the Holy Spirit to flood your heart with the Peace that passes all human understanding!  I’ve been in the place more than once where either God came through and proved to be the God of the Bible or I went under and He has never failed and I’m still here.  To God be all the glory!

May God bless you is my prayer and give you a worry free day and life!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Ezekiel 33:1-6 – “Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’  NKJV

This passage has troubled my heart for months now and I keep coming back to it time and again in my study and prayer time.  I look around me and see the condition of our world, our nation, much of the church, and multitudes of people who walk in deception and darkness. 

I’ve been trying to sound the alarm but my heart cries out remembering the passage in Matthew 9 when Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  Then I think of the words of John the Baptist when questioned if he was the Christ, Elijah, or the prophet in John 1 he said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.”  My heart keeps crying out, “Where are the Watchmen?”

The duty of the watchman is to sound the alarm.  He cannot control whether or not people take heed and respond, he can only sound the alarm.  If he fails to give warning then the blood of the slain is on his hands and I fear that we have come to that place in our world and our nation. Today multitudes are being slain (literally, figuratively, economically, socially, morally, and spiritually) and too many who have been called to be “Watchmen” are sitting silent fearing upsetting some so that their position can be secure.  The Gospel has not concern about Political Correctness or the man-made ideology of separation of Church and State.  It has the lost in view and the redemption offered.

Likewise, on the political front (some may castigate me over this) if we see destruction, the sword, the evil, the calamity and remain silent will we not also be judged for our silence?  We know the truth.  We know the potential problem.  We know the danger.  We know the answer.  If we sit silent how will God view that when we stand before Him? 

I fully believe that America is a catalyst for the Last Days Harvest and if she is destroyed then we will find ourselves on the outside looking in at what God is doing because He Will Build His Church! His will is not always done so don’t tell me that whoever is elected is necessarily God’s will it might just be due to the negligence and silence of people.  When good people do nothing evil triumphs!

I am first and foremost interested in the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.  I am also interested in preserving a Free Nation for posterity and a nation where one can openly and freely worship and spread the Good News that Jesus saves!  If you are interested in the souls of men, I beg of you, pray to the Lord and ask Him what He would have you do in these days.  I ask you to do nothing more than what He directs.  It is His Harvest not mine or yours! He is in charge we are not.  We are fellow laborers and that is it!  I know that I’ve been called to be a Voice, so I pursue that with all diligence and only death will silence me.

You must understand that I believe that we have A Life not a bunch of compartments in which we move and operate.  That Life touches everything about us and in any and all those areas which are touched We are to be Watchmen! I am not and do not want to be your Judge, I am simply a Voice! What you do with the sound of the Alarm is your choice!  I pray that you choose what God chooses and if you do we have both done our jobs!

May the Lord Bless you richly is my prayer!

John 3:3 – “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  NKJV

Recently I have had a number of people suggest to me that there are “many roads” or “doors” to heaven and that Jesus is just one of them.  I declare to you that according to the Bible, as I understand it, their assertion is false and there is Only One Way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. The Bible describes Him as “The Door.” 

Here the Pharisee Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews questioned Jesus and Jesus began his discussion with the words of the passage listed above.  This so caught Nicodemus off guard that he was flabbergasted. That opened the door for Jesus to give him and us some of the most powerful statements regarding God’s purpose and provision for man with regard to Salvation.  But the one thing Jesus made clear was This is not Optional!

The New Birth is not like an option on a car that you can take or leave it is an absolute requirement for access to the Father and Heaven.  Jesus identified the difference between “natural birth” and “spiritual birth”.  Then He comes to one of the most quoted passages in the Bible:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”  (v. 16)

 We stop quoting there but should not.  If you consider the verses that follow you see a very powerful truth that we sometimes miss.

1. In Verse Seventeen we find the desire, will, and purpose of God is not “condemnation” but “redemption.  Will all be saved – NO!  So is the will of God “always done” – NO!  Man can reject the will and purpose of God as was seen in the Garden of Eden and has been seen through the ages and even in our own lives.
2. In Verse Eighteen we find that if we believe which implies receiving the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and the fact that He is the Only Begotten of the Father who died for us – we escape condemnation but if we do not believe we are under condemnation already.
3. In Verse Nineteen we find an explanation of that condemnation and an understanding of the nature of man outside Christ.  The Light or Christ bringing us the Good News (Gospel) and because of the evil nature of man’s heart and his rejection of Jesus men chose darkness and sin over light and redemption.
4. In Verse Twenty we find that everyone who practices evil Hates the Light and refuses to come to the light because the light will expose his lifestyle and actions and force him to deal with them.  That person tries to remain hidden in the shadows and continue his lifestyle thinking that by being hidden he is somehow escaping the condemnation and judgment to follow.
5. In Verse Twenty-One we find that those who love the truth come to the light willingly so that their deeds may be clearly seen and examined by God which opens the door for chastisement and correction because the heart cries out to Please God!

Many religions of the world claim to be roads to Heaven but I declare to you that based on the biblical truth there is ONLY ONE ROAD, One Door, One Way and that is Jesus Christ!  So, if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior I urge you to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your lost condition and the offer that God has made through the Sacrificial Work of Christ on the Cross and Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today!  If you do, God says and I say – “Welcome to the Family.”

Will that immediately solve all your problems – NO!  But it will give you access to the throne room of heaven and the Father and provide the Holy Spirit a means of “transforming” your life into the Image of Christ.  It will be the beginning of your preparation for Eternity with God in Heaven rather than Eternity in Hell.  The choice is yours because God’s offer is to “Whosoever will.”

May God bless you is my prayer!

Isaiah 1:4 – “Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.” NJV

Israel had turned from the Lord and He was no longer the central figure in their lives, their nation, their government, or their focus.  Isaiah calls them:

1. A people laden with iniquity.

They were burdened, encumbered, weighed down, saddled with or loaded with iniquity.  It wasn’t just a casual infrequent situation but a “lifestyle” that had developed in the people and the nation.  I sometimes wonder if our “casual Christian Theology” and our willingness as a nation to allow laws to be passed that relegate God to the back burner in our nation our government and our lives compares to Isaiah’s description of Israel.  I’m afraid I have to say – I Believe It Does!  When we allow laws to be passed that devalue human life, especially a life that cannot defend itself or argue for itself such as the unborn, have we not become laden with iniquity?  When we have become calloused to sin have we not become laden with iniquity?

• A brood of evildoers.

The imagery of a group of birds hatched at the same time is clear but it goes beyond that to a species, a breed, a group, or a kind that are of the same nature and character.  Isaiah calls them a “brood of evildoers.”  So this brood is a special group and the whole of their nature is bent toward and focused on evil.  It is self-centered to be sure and man-centered without question leaving one to conclude that it is anything but God-centered.  Evil is commonplace and the philosophy of “the end justifies the means,” “all is fair in love and war,” or as some in modern politics have argued, “Never let a crisis go to waste,” is paramount in this attitude.  Evil is the root, the objective, the vehicle, the tool, the means to accomplish the desired purposes.  Does that not fit much of our society today?

• Children who are corrupters!

Those who lack moral integrity, are open to bribery and other dishonest practices, morally depraved, putrid or rotten, contaminated, unclean depicts this group.  People who go out of their way to pollute the minds and hearts of others to achieve their purposes or somehow make them feel better about their own sinful ways are pictured here.  Is this now what we see especially in politics today?  We see it in business, in interpersonal relationships and sadly, at times, in the Church.  Is this not prevalent in America today?

• They have forsaken the LORD.

Israel had turned their back on God for their own self-centered purposes.  The problem in the Garden of Eden was that Adam and Eve made the choice to fire God as the “Center of their Universe” and install self.  That resulted in the fall and that depravity has run rampant in man’s heart from generation to generation.  Only through the Blood of Jesus can we be free.  Today, I fear that many in our nation have forsaken God and have no doubt that our Government does not honor Him at all.  So, this would be a picture applicable to America today as well!

• They have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel.

I don’t believe that I even have to comment here.  There is little doubt that if America continues in the direction that we are going for God not to judge us would require Him to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.  We are testing the longsuffering character of God and pushing Him to the limit.

• They have turned away backward.

That is a picture of “backsliding” if you will.  It is to reverse course and go the opposite direction which is what “repentance” is.  Repentance involves doing a 180 degree turn from sin toward God.  To turn from God back toward sin and the evil depraved nature, character, and actions of the human spirit is to “backslide.”  It is to insult the very Grace of God and demands God’s action.  Israel felt His wrath, so I must ask are we in that place today in America?  If we are not already there how much further can we go before we are?

My call is for us to “return to the Lord” knowing that if we return to Him with a whole heart He will return to us and receive us into the beloved.  It is time for a revival of repentance in America and that must begin with each of us.

May God bless you as you go through your day!

1 Corinthians 1:31 – “…just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” NASU

The apostle is making a reference to Jeremiah 9:23-24 and gives a condensed expression of that passage.  He said “just as it is written” identifying that you could find it and read it somewhere.

In the KJV it says “He that glorieth” and here “boasts”.  Many people ‘boast’ about many things and frequently it is done in a prideful and self-aggrandizing manner producing such a foul odor that one can hardly stand to be around the individual.  The prophet Jeremiah and the apostle both identify that any glorying or boasting not only should be but must be In The Lord!

We are not saved by our strength, wisdom, goodness, or works but by the Grace of God.  It was not our sacrifice on the Cross that opened the door to God and Salvation but that of Jesus.  If we defeat the wicked one on any occasion it is not human strength that accomplishes that feat it is the Power of God!  It is His grace, His mercy, His love, His wisdom, His power, and His anointing that breaks the yoke, not human ability.

If you have been deemed successful in the eyes of men in your labors whether that is in the spiritual or commercial I caution you to only ‘boast’ in the Lord and recognize that God enabled you to accomplish that.  I guess ‘you didn’t build that’ would be correct if we recognized that the ability that enabled one to accomplish came from and comes from the Lord. 

If you are leading a congregation of thousands it is not because you are great but because God’s greatness is being revealed in you and released through you.  You may be leading or laboring in a small congregation and deemed by man as unsuccessful but in the Eyes of God a tremendous success because you are doing what He has determined for you to do at this time.  I am what I am by the Grace of God.  If I am rebellious “I did that” but if I am obedient and follow God, “He did it.”

Boasting is okay but only if it is In the Lord! Proverbs 27 tells us not to ‘boast’ of tomorrow because we do not know what a day may bring forth.  James tells us in James 4 that instead of boasting or bragging about what we are going to do we should in humility declare “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 

He went on to declare that the boast that the people were giving was filled with arrogance and as such was an evil boast.  Then he spoke the much quoted and often out of context passage of verse 17 – “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  If you are a booster other than In the Lord, you fall into the category spoken of in the aforementioned passage in James.

Therefore, as you go through this day go in the grace and peace of the Lord.  If God has spoken a vision to your heart boldly stand in it but do not project your plans as ‘yours’ and fail to recognize that Without the Lord you will either fail or your success will be hollow.

May God go with you as you go through this day.

Closing Thought: “What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!” – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Matthew 5:14-16 – “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  NASU

Some have a problem with it being said of them, “you are the light of the world.”  They resist saying, “Jesus is the light of the world, not me.”  Yet, our Lord declared that those who are followers of Him are “the light of the world.”  We are the light of the world because He is Light and He lives in us, therefore He shines forth from us.  The world does not see Him it sees us.  The world does not often read the Bible it reads us.  The world does not hear God it hears us.  Therefore, we are epistles known and read of me.  We are God’s light in the world through our lives on a daily basis. 

Jesus made it clear that we will not go unnoticed and unobserved therefore we are to ensure that the light we are presenting is one that will glorify God.  We are to live and conduct ourselves in a manner that will cause people to glorify God and recognize God in our lives, words, deeds, and actions. 

If you think you can hide try going out in public to be unnoticed and see how many people see you that you know.  But beyond that, I’ve experienced times when years after an event I would have someone come up to me and tell me about a time they saw me in a place during a situation and tell me how I conducted myself. 

Thankfully on those occasions, I conducted myself in a godly fashion and had a positive impact on those lives.  Yet, if I am honest, I have to admit there have been times when I allowed my flesh to override my spirit and I didn’t respond as godly as I should have.  I know that if anyone observing that situation was to meet me later in a church setting they would have a negative attitude toward me because I demonstrated something other than Christlikeness.  That hurts my heart to even think that there have been times like that.  I rejoice in the lives I have impacted for the good of God and the Kingdom.  I continually ask God to help me make it 100% of the time and He continually puts me in situations where that is tested.

You and I are not islands and we are not invisible. Therefore, as we go through each day we must remember that “We Can’t Hide” people see us and observe our behavior. If anyone knows your testimony for Christ and you fail to present a godly attitude they will take note of it and it will impact them.  We are representations and manifestations of God to this world so let’s let our light shine so as to draw people to Christ like a moth to a flame. 

God be with you as you go through your day!

Romans 15:13 – “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” NASU

Here Paul is using the words of Isaiah the prophet regarding the Gentiles to declare ‘hope’ to those people and instructing the Israelites not to reject the Gentile believers.  Only those Israelites who also believed in Jesus as the Messiah would embrace this truth. Otherwise they would consider the Gentiles outsiders and without hope in God.

I love it when the Bible writers use descriptive words that reflect the nature and character of God such as here – “God of hope.”  He is identifying that God is the source of Hope and outside of God there is Hopelessness!

In this passage, we can infer that when God, who is Hope comes to us He fills us with Joy and Peace in faith.  We Hope in God and in that Hoping we are seeking, as were the patriarchs of old “That city whose builder and maker is God.”  They received the promises but did not see them in their sojourn on earth and we may not see all that we know God has promised but we Hope in God and that Hope fills us with His Joy and His Peace and solidifies our Faith enabling us to have the Resolve to stand firm trusting Him.

Paul tells those listening that as this transpires the God of Hope will cause them to abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Imagine that, abounding in hope or having Hope overflow in your heart so that you are virtually unable to be depressed or despondent. You become an eternal optimist if you will. 

You have optimism because The God of Hope has filled you with joy and peace, anchoring your faith and cause Hope to abound in your hearts.  You exude Hope and it is infectious.  It may also be irritating to a pessimist who calls him or herself a realist and doesn’t want to hear your optimism but has no fear if you maintain your relationship with God, God will demonstrate His power in your behalf and the pessimist will have to make a choice.  That choice is either to turn to God and allow the God of Hope to infuse Hope into their hearts or cling to their pessimism and cynicism and become even more miserable.  I choose Hope rather than Hopelessness!

Therefore, as you go through your day go in HOPE!  God bless!

Proverbs 17:22 – “A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”  NASU

There are scientifically documented studies regarding laughter and its benefits.  We are told that laughter causes the blood to flow more readily and that enhances the cardiovascular system in a positive fashion.  Good-humored people generally have blood vessels that expand and contract easily and are more elastic.  Laughter increases the heart rate, oxygen consumption, and works the muscles of the face reducing wrinkles. 

It has been documented by medical researchers such as Dr. William Fry a psychiatrist and professor emeritus at Stanford University’s School of Medicine who tell us that laughter like physical exercise once it has been engaged in will result in a reduction of the heart rate and blood pressure.  Some fitness experts compare laughter to a mild workout because of the connection to the muscles when one has a good belly laugh. 

Laughter reduces stress, causes endorphins to flow allows the adrenal glands to function at peak levels.  It has been documented that people who laugh often and deeply have an increase in their immune system, higher levels of antibodies and natural killer cells.  One research showed that those levels remained up for up to twelve hours after hearty laughter.  Laughter reduces pain, lowers blood sugar levels improves sleep, relaxation, and breathing.  Laughter is not just good medicine it is powerful medicine.

If you contrast that to the negative health results of a broken, depressed, sad, gloomy, cynical attitude and spirit you will be amazed.  Does that mean that anyone who doesn’t laugh is going to be sick and one who does won’t, NO!  It means that overall you are healthier and certainly happier if you are able to and do laugh and laugh often. 

I love having fun.  I joke a lot but am also very serious.  I find that it is far better to laugh at and during bad times than to allow them to dominate my thinking, ruin my day, and control my life.  I find that when I get a really good belly laugh I am relaxed more than I could be in any other activity.  I’ve laughed loudly in times of utter exhaustion and found that after the laughter subsided I was renewed in my strength and ability to continue one rested as though I had gotten a good nap.

Not only those things but people who are joyful and laugh are much more pleasant to be around that a sourpuss show is always scowling, grumpy, and cynical.  I try to avoid sour people as much as possible because I like to laugh and people who don’t really don’t want me around anyway and their attitude are sometimes infectious and I don’t need that disease. 

I had someone tell me once in a major crisis that they could not believe that I could tell jokes and laugh in the midst of the situation.  However, God gave me a sense of humor and I will see the humorous in many events of life that enable me to get past the direness of it and often find solutions as a result of laughter.  No, I do not make light of everything and do not consider frivolity to be appropriate for every situation, but I do find that being able to laugh is of immeasurable value.

May God help you to laugh, love, and enjoy life today and every day!  BLESSINGS!