What does God hear?

I recently saw an incredible speech from Gianna Jessen an Abortion survivor. I pray everyone who reads this blog will take the time to watch the video I have attached of her speech in 2008. May Her voice never be silenced, and may God's protection rest on Her. But my question above is one that can send a chill down your spin if we think about it. The passage I wish to look at is found in Genesis chapter 4.

Genesis 4:1-15 (New International Version)
Cain and Abel
1 Adam [a] lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. [b] She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth [c] a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." [d] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." 13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so [e] ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

Now the question I wish for us to ask ourselves is based on what we read in verse 10, "Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.". When the blood on just one person cries out to God, what must it sound like to God when we have aborted so many children each year? You may be saying to yourself that we don't abort that many children anymore. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's National Institutes of Health; "Each year 42 million abortions are estimated to take place, 22 million safely and 20 million unsafely. Unsafe abortion accounts for 70,000 maternal deaths each year and causes a further 5 million women to suffer temporary or permanent disability." To give you some perspective on how many people 42 Million is; Neyland stadium, where the Tennessee Volunteers play football, holds a little more than 100,000 fans. It would take 420 Neyland Stadium's full, to equal 42 Million people.

What must that sound like to God? Are we not made in the image of God? Does God not value life so much that He sent His Son to die in our place so that we may live? We are seeing things backwards as a society. We seek to glorify self and make self happy when we should be glorifying God and making God smile. We as a society are turning a deaf ear to what God hears. May God help me hear what He hears, See what He sees, and Love how He loves, Amen.

To Burn the Quran or not to Burn the Quran.

Gods word says: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).

This is an easy answer as much as I do not like it sometimes. No, we should NOT burn the Quran in an act of vengeance but rather show love to our enemy. On the eve of 9/11 it is hard for me to not have feelings towards radical Islam, yet hatred is not what the real Christian is all about. Lets not forget that we are commanded to love our neighbor and that includes everyone. How can this world see the love of Christ if we as Christians show hatred and resentment instead. So my challenge to our nation in the coming days is to love our enemy by meeting their needs. And the Islamic world NEEDS Christ. May God soften our hearts towards those that persecute us and give us a passion for reaching them for Christ.

A new Global Tax

The world is moving fast towards a single Economy, single Government, and religion. The following is just another story on our government and its acceptance of this.



Richard Trumka is a friend and ally of President Obama. He has surrounded himself with Socialists, Marxists, Communists, and One World People. Just a few years ago the American people would have been outraged and screaming at the White house over this. My how times have changed. May God have mercy on our country that has turned away from Him and embraced the Great Lie.

War is on the Horizon

Iran: Any attack on nuke plant would be an international crime'

Click here for the full story.

The reports coming out of Israel are claiming that Iran's Nuclear plant must be hit within the next 8 days to keep it from becoming active. It is now time to pray for Israel and the world. It is time to pray for the lost because the end could be nearer than we think. If Israel attacks Iran and destroys the nuclear plant it can start a firestorm of reactions including bringing the Muslim world together in a holy war and Russia into this developing situation. Russia and Iran have over the past few years developed an alliance that was foretold in Ezekiel 38-39. Russia is invested in Iran and any attack would not only be an attack on Iran but Russia as well.

I believe that the Russian/Iranian alliance will us the same pretense that the US led alliance used in attacking Iraq. Weapons of Mass Destruction will be the excuse. I also believe that if there is an attack by the Russian/Iranian alliance we will see the protection of Israel by God, and can be explained no other way but that it is God.

8 days is not a long time. The signs of our time are unlike any we have seen in history before.

Matthew 24:32-33 (New International Version)

32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[a]is near, right at the door.

If we stay watchful, and watch for the signs we can know the end is close. The most important thing in all of this is that you are sure what side you are on. You either are a believer in Christ or you are not. What side are you?

If I could just touch His hem.

Have you ever seen someone at church during a song raise their hands in worship? I'm sure that is common to some that read this and not so common to others depending on the type of worship service you are accustomed to. Well for me it doesn't happen a lot though I suspect many in the crowd want to raise their hands in worship but peer pressure causes them to resist the promptings. Have you ever wondered why people raise their hands? I used to wonder what the person was thinking or feeling that caused them to raise their hands in worship. I am not sure what others think but for me I know why I have a desire to raise my hands in worship and its not so much raising my hand as it is reaching up for Jesus.

Sometimes I find myself in a place where I feel like I am dirty from sin, depressed from failing yet again in my Christian walk. When I have a repentant heart, I feel that if I could just reach up and touch His hem that I will be clean from this filthy state I'm in. It's not that Christ hasn't forgiven me or anything, in fact, its my short coming in feeling dirty for sinning even though He has already paid the penalty for me. Just like in Luke when we see two pictures of Jarius and woman that had been sick.

Luke 8:40-55 (English Standard Version)

40Now when Jesus returned, the crowd(A) welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41(B) And there came a man named Jairus, who was(C) a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42for he had(D) an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
As Jesus went, the people(E) pressed around him. 43And there was a woman(F) who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her(G) living on physicians,[a] she could not be healed by anyone. 44She came up behind him and touched(H) the fringe of his garment, and(I) immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter[b] said, "Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!" 46But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that(J) power has gone out from me." 47And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48And he said to her, "Daughter,(K) your faith has made you well; go in peace."
49While he was still speaking, someone from(L) the ruler’s house came and said, "Your daughter is dead;(M) do not trouble(N) the Teacher any more." 50But Jesus on hearing this answered him, "Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well." 51And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except(O) Peter and(P) John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52And all were weeping and(Q) mourning for her, but he(R) said, "Do not weep, for(S) she is not dead but(T) sleeping." 53And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54But(U) taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child,(V) arise." 55And(W) her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat.

I know exactly how the woman feels. There are many times that I feel like if I could just touch His hem, then I will be cleaner than before. I want so bad just to be with Christ and like Christ and without sin. He is the only way that we can be clean. I reach up because I want to worship and sin no more.

Jarius is a picture of what many of us today feel. Jarius saw what He and others thought to be the impossible and even laughed at Jesus. Even though in verse 53 it says They laughed at him, showing a lack of faith, Jesus showed his power over death by calling her spirit back to her. My point in mentioning this part of the passage is simple. There is nothing so bad, so wretched, so impossible that Jesus cannot fix it. If all hope appears lost we can cling to Jesus, we can reach for His hem. By the power of Jesus we are made clean, and we are made alive were we once were dead. Praise His Holy name.

When you feel down, or depressed, or frustrated just remember Jesus is there. All we have to do is reach to Him. Repent from you sin, and turn away from the old ways of our sinful lives. Turn to Jesus and follow Him. There is no greater joy than when we are following Jesus. So next time you are in church don't be like those that laughed at Jesus, or like the crowd looking for who touched Jesus. Have faith like the unclean woman made whole and the young girl that was dead and was made alive.

I know I have posted this before, but this time I want everyone to watch this video and see if you feel the desire to reach up for Jesus. Pray that He will make you clean, and renew your walk with Him. If you do not know Christ then I pray you will take this opportunity say a little prayer. Let Jesus know that you are a sinner and that you need Him. Tell Jesus that you believe that He died for your sins on the cross and rose again on the third day. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and make you clean. Ask Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life and that you want Him to guide you in all you do. Amen. If you said this prayer please let me know by sending me a message so that I may pray for you, and assist you in finding a church home.

Have you ever wondered?

I've been pondering lately why the world seems so backwards to me, and I discovered that its all about the point of view that you have. The Christian has a radically different view of the origins and end of the earth that a Non-Christian would. Let me do a little bit of comparing.

Non-Christian: There is no God. Believes in evolution. Believes that the world came into existence through a Big Bang, random chance, or even aliens planting mankind here. Believes that there is no end of the world unless caused by mankind. Mankind hurts the world by overpopulation, misuse of natural resources, misuse of the environment. Believes in population control through abortion, and some even believe in killing off the non-productive citizens of the world. Believes that a tree or animal is more valuable than human life because the planet is over populated, and we are killing our planet that we need to last forever because there is no God to come back to save us.

Christian: There is a God. Jesus Christ is God and He is Creator of all things, and nothing exists that was not created by Him. The world is about 6000 years old. Mankind is to be a good steward of the planet that God made for us. There will be an end of this world when Jesus comes back with judgment. Jesus will make a new Heaven and a new Earth. Life is precious. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. The world is fallen and this fallen state is a disease that affects all things.

So when I see people that cry over a whale that beached itself, but get violent to protect their right to kill their baby, I can understand their delusion when I realize how they see things. The fool says in his heart, There is no God. how true that is. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life. He is the only way to spend eternity in heaven. He is the Truth and all things that do not line up with Him is lie. Jesus is the perfect example of life an the answer to all things. The Life, with out Christ we are without hope and are doomed to eternal separation from God and eternal judgment. Please don't buy into the lie of the world. Cling to Jesus, and live.

Death has lost it's victory

Dedicated to Mike:

1 Corinthians 15:42-57

42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”[a] But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like[b] the heavenly man.

50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[c] this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.[d]
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?[e]”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.




This passage and song is dedicated to my brother-in-law and dear friend Mike, who passed away today. Even though he is gone from us now, and will soon be placed in the ground I know, with 100% confidence that I will see Mike again in heaven someday. His body will no longer be battered and beaten from the cancer and diabetes. He will have a new body with no pain and no tears, Praise God! Death has no victory with you my friend because Jesus Christ was your savior. It is well with my soul, See you soon.

Grace

In my journey through the bible again I have been pondering some of the passages I have been studying in the books of the law. Many of the old testament laws had a penalty of death or being put out from the people or excommunicated in a manner of speaking. For instance, in at least two passages, I have read about Hebrews that worked on the Sabbath and were put to death in accordance to God's law. Adulterers were put to death in accordance to God's law. People who deviated from God's plan for worship, and tried to worship in a slightly different way were put to death. Hebrews who questioned God's selection of Aaron and the Levites as priests were swallowed up by the earth. All of this seemed harsh to me until I realized that the relationship of old testament believers with God was different than it is now with us. The short answer is we are under grace now but what exactly does that mean?

To answer this question we have to understand a couple of things. First God the Father cannot be in the presence of sin. This is why we see the Holy of Holies shielded by an extremely thick veil. It is why the high priest had to be cleansed and holy before he entered the presence of God behind the veil. This is why the sin of all people had to have a blood sacrifice as a payment of sin. The penalty of sin is death and must be paid. The Hebrews had to bring sacrifices to the high priest to pay for their sins, and the High priest presented this to God in the Holy of Holies. This is the reason that the penalty of death was on so much of the law given to Moses.

Today, the Christian does not have to offer a sacrifice to God for our sin...why? Because Jesus Christ was our perfect sacrifice that paid for all of our sin, past, present and future. This is possible because a calf, lamb, bird, goat or whatever the sacrifice is was not perfect. Jesus Christ was perfect in every way and is the only sacrifice that is able to pay for all sin. Therefore, when we sin as Christians today, that sin has already had a sacrifice given for it. We need to confess that sin to Jesus Christ so we can remain in a right relationship with Him. We do not however, need to worry about the penalty of death, meaning death and eternal separation from God in hell, if we have accepted the gift of salvation, which Jesus offers us freely.

Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, lived among us and endured every temptation, never sinned, died for all humanity on the cross, rose again on the third day, and lives today in Heaven. Jesus is God and Man. Jesus is creator of all things. Jesus knows everything about you, both hidden and revealed. Jesus loves you and wants all to come to Him, and believe in Him that they may have everlasting life. Jesus is the only way to heaven, and our only way to have a relationship with God the father. We pray in the name of Jesus and enter the throne room of God to present our prayers. Only the High priest after he was made holy could do this before Christ, but now Christ makes this possible.

We still have the law as a guide even though we cannot while here on earth ever hope to obey every letter of the law. Trust in Jesus today. He is the only way that we can be saved. Time is short, and the world is changing. Don't let the end come and you still without Christ. Remember the wages of sin is death, but through Christ we can have eternal life.

The name of Jesus

I am inspired by a study we are currently doing in Church called the ever loving truth. No organization, no person, no government, no anything has trouble with the name Bob or Bill or Jack. If we say the name Jesus however then somehow everyone is offended and we have to be tolerant of other people without them tolerating us. Have you ever wondered why? Why is it we can pray to allah, buddha, or a block of wood and its ok, but if we pray in the name of Jesus then everyone is offended somehow. What is it about that name that people are afraid of? Its because the name of Jesus has power in it but the name of Bob does not.

Philippians 2:9-11 (New International Version)


9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

There will come a day when all of those people can be offended all they want BUT they WILL bow a knee, and they WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the Glory of God the Father.

Do not be afraid to share Jesus even though people will get offended. We have been promised persecution if we choose to follow Jesus. But then again how little is the persecution that I could face compared to what He did for me on the Cross and the hours leading up to it. I will count it gain to be persecuted for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A call to prayer

I started a quest to read through the bible again about 3 weeks ago and its going well so far. I am almost through with Genesis, and I am eager for God to speak to me in a deeper way than He has been while I have hit at random through the bible. Because I am in Genesis I think my blog has been a little lacking because nothing has hit me between the eyes so far, that has gotten my writing desire going. There has been a burden on my heart though.

I don't know how much any of you watch what is going on in the world, but I do on a daily basis. I am to the point now where I don't even recognize the country I live in. Its like I grew up in some different world and now that I am on the doorstep of 40 I have been moved to some alternate reality. The rioting around the world from unions over the cuts in pensions because their country is broke is frightening. Greece is on fire with protesters and people are getting hurt just because someone didn't get their entitlement check in the amount they were expecting. I realize I am probably over simplifying the chaos but in a nutshell the government is broke because they have spent themselves to death. To save the government of Greece they have to change the spending and people don't want to give up the benefits that they have enjoyed. But is any of this worth killing some innocent bank worker? Heaven forbid the USA ever sees a day like this. I am afraid however that this type of rioting is on our doorstep.

The US has 119 trillion dollars in debt and unfunded liabilities as of today. With Cap and Trade on the docket and who knows what else is coming under this administration, we now have no way of paying our debt under our current system. If every taxpayer in America made 1.7 million dollars and we had a 70% tax rate we could pay it off. Um, not gonna happen.....unless....the government inflates our dollar. Well what does that mean? Simply put, the total amount of currency available is multiplied by some variable, lets say 10. Your 1$ bill is now worth 10$, however your debts have not changed. So if you are making 50,000 dollars per year all of a sudden you will be getting 500,000 per year but your fixed liabilities will not changed like your mortgage or your car payment. What will change is the price of consumables like food, gas, clothing by a factor of 10. Needless to say this causes a huge strain on the economy.

Will we ever get to this point I am not sure. The IMF(International Monetary Fund) is the private organization that is leading the effort of bailing out Greece, but at what cost to Greece? The IMF is a world banking organization that the US contributes 17% of capital to which by the way the next biggest contributor gives just 6.2% and that is Japan. Most of the countries in the world give to this fund, so really we are financing 17% of the bailout for Greece. Also this week the IMF is calling for a single currency and governance for the world to prevent this from happening ever again. Even our politicians here in the US both Democrat and Republican are spewing the same rhetoric.

If all of this doesn't send a chill down your spine I don't know what will. We are moving on the fast train to a world government at a pace never seen before. If there was ever a time to get on your knees, repent, and pray for our world and the lost, it is now. Turn from your sin, abandon the fear we have in sharing the gospel, and cling to Christ and His promises like Peter and John did while facing the Sanhedrin in the book of Acts. We have nothing to fear as long as we have Christ with us. Let us not let one person in our lives go to hell because they never heard the gospel of Christ.

Time is running out.....

Do we really believe?

I asked my children a couple of days ago a question that made them really think. The question is, "IF, you were taken up to heaven, and were standing before the throne of God, and He was there arms wide beckoning you to come closer; what would you say?" My children told me they would thank him for things and ask for blessings. They also said they wanted guidance in their lives. What would you say?

Every time we stop to pray, that is exactly what happens. We are communicating with the all knowing, everlasting, creator God of all things. Um.....WOW!!! When I stop to think about that it leaves me speechless and awestruck. For starters, the fact that we even have access like we do, is amazing. But the bible does say, that those that have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, become children of God. That all makes a little more sense to me now. Even the most powerful King would not deny His children an audience whenever they wanted. We have the access because of what Christ did for us, in becoming our sacrifice for sin. When we believe that Christ died for our sins and rose again on the third day, and accept that, we become children of God. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your savior, you are missing out on so much.

Now, back to the Christian, what would you say? I believe that if we really understood the privilege that we have, in the ability to communicate anytime we want, with God; maybe we would not say repetitive empty prayers. How many times in our life have we ran through a prayer at the diner table without thinking just to fulfill some duty so we could eat? How many times have we prayed because we wanted to say "well I've finished that duty for the day", now let me go do what I really want to do? If we really believed that we were in the throne room of God and talking to Him, I think we would have a hard time getting up from praying rather than quick repetitive empty chants we call prayers. I challenge you to think about were you are and what you are doing next time you talk to God. Lets not abuse this awesome privilege we have.

He is Risen!

John 20
The Empty Tomb
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

16Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

How do we get to a one world currency and government?

Revelation 13:16-17 (New King James Version)

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or[a] the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

I have often wondered how we as a world get to the point where nobody in the entire world can buy or sell without having the mark of the beast. How do we get to this point in our society that seems so radical? Well, in the past few weeks I can finally see the road that will take us there.

Our world is tied together by our economies. Its easy to see this one daily basis just by looking at the effect that our rising and falling currency has on the rest of the world and ourselves. This is important to understand, in order to grasp the danger that lies ahead. The economy of Greece is on the verge of collapse, and other economies of the world are heavily invested in Greece. When the economy of Greece finally collapses it will have a domino effect hitting other world economies. The next to fail after Greece will be Spain, England, and Germany since they are so closely tied to Greece. When these three fail then the entire EU will fail. The EU failing will cause the United States to fail if we have not already. When the US fails the world fails.

I said that the US would fail if we had not already. Our economy is in deep trouble because of the massive spending over the past couple of years. Economist say that by 2020 just 10 years from now, and maybe sooner, Medicare, Medicaid, and Interest on our debt, will consume every tax dollar collected. Think about that. That does not include any other spending just those three. We cannot afford to keep spending like we are. Look for our dollar to be inflated in order to attempt to pay for all of our debt. other economies of the world are spending just like we are and that is why Greece and the EU are in trouble as well.

No the question is, what happens when the economies of the world collapse? Well look at the EU. They started out as the EC, a European Commonwealth, that just had a shared currency and now they are unified under a government. When the economies of the world collapse, its a perfect time for a group like the United Nations, though I'm not saying this is the group, to step in with a common world currency to try to stabilize the world wide crisis. The problem with a single world currency is the governing that follows.

We are on the edge of disaster and it seems that none of our leaders have a clue. Friends, get out of debt, turn to Christ, and pray. A time of great tribulation is coming and Christ is the only thing we can cling onto that will not fail us. Repent from your sin, get on your knees in prayer, turn back to Christ and fear no more. I know this seems radical and weird, but its how I see it through my eyes. Until next week.....pray.

The Middle East on Fire

This morning I heard a news report that President Obama snubbed visiting president Benjamin Netanyahu not once but twice. Obama is demanding that Netanyahu stop the building in Jerusalem and come to the table to accept a two state peace between Israel and Palestine. This will never happen, and tensions are rising. Our president as of this morning has only a 9% approval rating among Israelis. I've spoken before about the war of Gog and Magog. We see that all the players are aligned in this present time, like never before in History. Iran is allied with Russia and are on the fast track to getting an operational nuclear weapon to use on Israel, or try at least. Turkey has abandoned their alliance with Israel, while Iraq and Egypt are at peace. This is the picture of Gog and Magog. Friends, the time is close, and the world is being positioned for biblical prophecies to come true.

Matthew 3:2 (New International Version)

2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

The time to repent and come to Christ is now. You do not want to be on the losing side when Christ returns. Come to Jesus, and live.

Do we still Love our Neighbor?

Jesus gave us the two greatest commandments in Mark chapter 12 verses 28-34, but I want to focus on the second one. To love your neighbor as yourself. This comes to mind for me because I was reading about the last days in Matthew 24 and a verse stood out to me. Verse 12 listed below is what hit me so hard.

Matthew 24:12 (New King James Version)

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

While examining my own heart, I wonder if I truly love my neighbor or has it grown cold? I end up asking myself some questions. Have you watched what is going on in this world? Are you frustrated with the school systems? Are you frustrated with the Government? Are the laws in this country backwards, when a person drives drunk and kills someone gets 6 months in jail, but someone who kills a dog gets 2 years in jail? Do you get tired of the bias toward Christianity? Does it bother you that Christ is being erased from all facets of life for the sake of separation of church and state? Is common sense dead? It feels like lawlessness is more acceptable now-days, rather than the biblical world view of living life.

After all of this examining of ourselves, do we still pray for our political leaders faithfully or do we just yell at the TV about how crazy all of this mess sounds? Do we pray for our teachers and school boards everyday, or complain about what our children are being taught and wish someone would do something about it? For me I fear that my love for my neighbor is at least getting chilly and I need to spend more time on my knees. I challenge everyone to examine yourself, so we do not fail at one of the greatest commandments. Lets love our neighbor.

How much do you love the Lord?

This post is meant to open our eyes to what is really important in our life. Do you love the Lord with all your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength? This is the greatest commandment according to Jesus when asked by scribes in Mark 12:28-31. Also, He says to Love your neighbor as yourself, and that there are no greater commandments than these two, since all the law is wrapped up in them. Again I ask you and myself, How much do I love the Lord? I would like to think that I can answer in the affirmative to both of these statements, but I need to ask myself some questions first. Am I willing to give up anything for Christ, or rather live without stuff for Christ so that He alone is Chief in my life? In the following passage a rich young man comes to Christ to ask him about eternal life.

Matthew 19:16-22 (New King James Version)

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good[a] Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good?[b] No one is good but One, that is, God.[c] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[d] and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”[e]
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth.[f] What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Are we willing to sell our computers and give the money away so that we can follow Christ? Are we willing to sell our cars, house, clothes, electronics, our way of life? Are we willing to sell all we have and give the money away to follow Jesus? What is it in our life that we are putting before our relationship with Christ? We are so blessed here in America and even our poor have more than most other countries. I feel we are a country of rich young rulers that would go away sad if we had to sell our comforts to follow Jesus.

Now for the hard part. A day is coming, though I do not know when, as believers we can see the signs of our sinful world moving towards the return of Christ. We may be asked in our lifetime to choose between our faith in Christ or the comforts of our life. As we read in the following passage in revelation,

Revelation 13:16-17 (New King James Version)

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or[a] the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

To take the mark of the beast is to reject Christ and doom our soul to eternal Hell. We as believers need to make sure we have our life's priorities in order with Christ at the top. Now is the time to repent and cling to the Lord. Now is the time to get right and put away our selfish desires. Pray hard, study your bible, reach out to your friends and share Christ. Do not be afraid now when the persecution is little. Be bold and brave knowing that Christ is with you and will not forsake you.

Now I'm not saying lets all go out and sell all we have, but I am saying lets evaluate our life. Lets all make sure we have Christ first in our life, and that we can see that in our own life by examining our own actions. Lets act now before we are forced to make that decision. I pray we all, including myself, strive to Love Christ with all of our Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength.

Trust in the Lord

I am sorry it has been a while since my last entry. I have no excuse other than I have been lazy and complacent. Please pray for me that, I will not be so distracted by the world that I forget to give God time in my daily life.

This passage jumped out at me the other day while I was browsing through my bible waiting for Sunday School to start.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.

It is such a simple truth but how often we abandon this clear path that God has prepared for us. The first part is Trust. The definition of the word Trust is as follows: "Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, of a person or thing; confidence." -Websters Dictionary. Can we honestly look at ourselves each day and say we are Relying on the Strength and Surety of the Lord? Or do we fall into what the second part of the verse says. "...lean not on your own understanding". So many days I get up in the morning and choose not to pray and dedicate my day to Christ. So many days I go through and forget that Christ is there to help me and guide me through out the day. Instead of relying on Christ, I jump into the day with the understanding that I am making the choices of the day alone. Now the day may not have turned out bad, BUT, how many opportunities have I missed today that the Lord had prepared for me? Could I have been a witness to someone today if I was in-tune with Christ? He tells us in the following verse that if I acknowledge Him in all I do he will guide my path. Wow! Just think about this for a second. The Creator of the universe wants to have the type of relationship with me that will guide me through each day in his perfect will. I imagine holding the Hand of Christ as I walk through a busy life knowing that I have His protection and guidance. So, to sum it all up, lets start our day off right by trusting the Lord, acknowledging Him, and following His guidance. True joy comes from a right relationship with Christ.

Are your sins too bad to be forgiven?

Have you ever believed that what you have thought, said or done is so bad that God could not possibly forgive me or love me. I say to you know that is not so. There is nothing you can do that is so bad, that when you call upon the Lord he will deny you forgiveness. This passage in Luke I was reading the other day and it touched me in a profound way. The passage below is about a sinful woman or presumably a prostitute forgiven.

Luke 7:36-50 (New King James Version)

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Jesus was invited to a Pharisees house for a meal and sat down to eat. Now its the custom of the day to treat your guests with certain customs like washing their feet and greeting them to welcome them into your home. The Pharisee did none of this, but a prostitute or sinful woman in the area heard that Jesus was going to be at this house and she made it a point to be there. This woman had done many things sinful in her life and Jesus even points out that her sins are many, but first he lets the Pharisee know his error. I find it interesting that the Pharisee treated Jesus so rudely. Could it be that the Pharisee had a hidden agenda in inviting Jesus over for diner? I guess the whole point is that the Pharisee also had sin in his life, but he felt it necessary to point out to Jesus that the woman weeping at his feet was a sinner and he should not be associating with her. But Jesus knows the hearts of men, and knew that this woman had sacrificed much to get to Jesus so she can be forgiven. This woman knew she had sin in her life and knew there was only one way to get forgiveness and that was to get to Jesus. She had faith that if she could just get to Jesus and be allowed to clean his feet, which I think she didn't even feel worthy to do that, she could be cleansed of her sins. She didn't even feel worthy to clean his feet because of her many tears shed at his feet. She did not care how much the alabaster flask cost or that she was getting dirt and filth in her hair, all of that was a small price to pay for the chance to be cleansed by our Lord. Oh how often I have felt so unworthy to even approach Jesus, that if I could only crawl to Him and touch His feet maybe He will have mercy on me. The most powerful verses of this passage, to me, is the last 3 verses. He tells her "Your sins are forgiven", and then in the last verse He says to her,
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” We have just seen a salvation, wow. This woman, even though her sins were many, came to Jesus in faith knowing that others would talk about her actions, it did not matter. She showed faith that Jesus could save her, and what anyone else thought it did not matter. What a beautiful picture of repentance, forgiveness, and salvation. Then Jesus said go in peace. There is no other peace like that of having your sins wiped away and trusting in the Lord.