Don't Forget.

And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need.  These are the sacrifices that please God.

   ~ Hebrews 13:16 ~

This text is interesting as it starts by saying "Don't forget" We can get so caught up in our day to day lives we can forget to do something as simple as doing good and sharing. The Bible is telling us to live our lives conscious of what we do, or with purpose. Pagan is a word used in the Bible to identify someone that worships false gods, or a non-Christian. The Bible tells us in Matthew 5:47 "If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that" So what is important is not so much a religious act of being kind but rather a condition of the heart that desires to please God. So don't forget...do good to everyone, and share will all in need.  

A New Song

O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.

~ Psalm 38:21 ~

The Author of this Psalm was obviously suffering as he goes on crying out to God for two more chapters by saying things like "My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me" Sometimes God allows us to go through things to bring perseverance, character, and hope, and to bring us nearer to Himself so we can see our dependence on Him, and completely surrender to Him. He is always right there with us though, He never leaves us to go through it alone, and then, God delivers us from our suffering, restores us and makes us steadfast and strong so that people will know he is God and will praise Him. We see evidence of this later in the Psalms when the author says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust..." Are you hurting? Cry out to God today, he wants to restore you, He wants to deliver you, but you must cry out to Him, and trust Him with all you heart. Cry out to Him right now, continue to do it until you are set free, and praise the Lord Jesus Christ as He fills you with a new song.

IS God cruel for sending people to Hell?

Heaven is not for good people it is for forgiven people. So let's get over the notion that God is so cruel in sending people to hell. God poured out His wrath on His own dear Son so we wouldn't have to go to hell. The last thing God wants is for anyone to perish. But if we are bound and determined to reject His offer of forgiveness, then it is really on us. The Bible tells us that God "does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent" (2 Peter 3:9). ~ Greg Laurie ~



Worn Out Bibles

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16–17 ~

            A man took his wife to see the doctor, and as he was sitting in the waiting room, he saw the doctor come rushing out, asking if someone had a screwdriver. He returned to the exam room with the screwdriver, but a few minutes later, he came running out again and asked for a pair of pliers. The man was getting concerned at this point. Moments later, the doctor came out and asked if anyone had a hammer Unable to stand it any longer, the husband said, "Doctor, what is going on in there? What is wrong with my wife? "I don't know," the doctor replied. "I can't get my medical bag open."

When it comes to our Bibles, the same is true for a lot of us. We haven't even opened them. This is why I think it is very important to bring your Bible to church. It is also why I don't put verses up on the screen at the church where I pastor. I don't have a problem with that in principle, but I don't want people looking at a screen; I want people looking at their Bibles. I want their Bibles to be used.

            It seems bizarre to me when I see people going to church without a Bible, and when I see preachers who don't preach the Bible. It does matter what God's Word has to say. So it is important to read your Bible. It has been said that a Bible that is falling apart is usually an indication of a life that isn't. So I like to see worn-out Bibles. The devil will do everything He can to keep us away from the Word of God. So let's use our Bibles. ~ Pastor Greg Laurie ~

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ~ Colossians 1:17 ~

Feel like your falling apart?  Watch this short video that shows how even the molecular structure of our bodies glorifies God and demonstrates Jesus holds all things together. Find peace in Jesus.



STOP TRUSTING IN YOURSELF by David Wilkerson

Paul did not speak of having faith until he had lost all confidence in his flesh. He took all his education, self-confidence, abilities, doctrines and zeal and cast them aside. He spoke of faith only after he had said, "I cannot trust my flesh." The same is true for us.Before anyone is capable of true faith, he must come to a sense of how lost, helpless and utterly hopeless he is. We do not have saving faith until we come to the end of believing that someone or something other than Jesus can save us.

Saving, justifying faith involves submitting your life to Christ with all your heart. It includes a repentance that says, "Jesus, I have got nothing to offer You. I come to submit to Your lordship!"

 So, you ask, who is truly justified by faith? It is the one who knows he is lost and helpless and he has tried everything and failed. Now he commits his whole life into the Lord's hands — with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. He cries out, "Lord, I am Yours! You are my only hope." And he is saved!

THE TRUE BLESSING OF TRIALS, AFFLICTIONS, AND SUFFERING

Don't beafraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.
~ Isaiah 41:10 ~

A friend recently shared with me that God once told her "In ministry, I allow you to express your talents and giftings, but in trials and sufferings, I give you Me"

It is Finished

When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. ~John 19:30~

The cross was the goal of Jesus from the very beginning. His birth was so there would be His death. The incarnation was for our atonement. He was born to die so that we might live. And when He had accomplished the purpose He had come to fulfill, He summed it up with a single word: "finished."

            In the original Greek, it was a common word. Jesus probably used it after He finished a project that He and Joseph might have been working on together in the carpentry shop. Jesus might have turned to Joseph and said, "Finished. Now let's go have lunch." It is finished. Mission accomplished. It is done. It is made an end of.

            So what was finished? Finished and completed were the horrendous sufferings of Christ. Never again would He experience pain at the hand of wicked men. Never again would He have to bear the sins of the world. Never again would He, even for a moment, be forsaken of God. That was completed. That was taken care of.

            Also finished was Satan's stronghold on humanity. Jesus came to deal a decisive blow against the devil and his demons at the cross of Calvary. Hebrews 2:14 says, "Only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death." This means that you no longer have to be under the power of sin. Because of Jesus' accomplishment at the cross, finished was the stronghold of Satan on humanity.

            And lastly, finished was our salvation. It is completed. It is done. All of our sins were transferred to Jesus when He hung on the cross. His righteousness was transferred to our account.

            So Jesus cried out the words, "It is finished!" It was God's deliberate and well-thought-out plan. It is finished—so rejoice! ~ Pastor Greg Laurie ~



Freedom in Christ Jesus

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?  Galatians 4:8-9

I used to believe in superstition. I used to worry about bad luck if I broke a mirror, or something bad happening when I walked under a ladder, and lets not forget Friday the 13th, just to name a few.  When I became a child of God though He started teaching me things in His Word (the Bible) and the Bible tells me not to believe in superstition as it is of Satan. So I stopped believing in superstition and starting believing God. I was set free from the fear of superstition. If I start to worry again about superstitious things I am no better of than I was in the beginning and am enslaved by them all over again. What good is that? The Bible tells us when Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed. So ask yourself  "is there anything in my life that Jesus has set me free from that I am now allowing to creep back into my life?" If so confess it to God, turn from it, and walk in freedom, as in Christ you are set free from bondage of ever kind. "...if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"