Keep the Faith Now

"But of this be assured: if the householder had known at what time the burglar was coming, he would have been awake and alert and watching and would not have permitted his house to be dug through and broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour and a moment when you do not anticipate it." Luke 12:39-40 AMP Jesus states that just as the owner of a house does not know when the burglar is coming but must be at all times ready to protect his property, so also believers do not know when their Master will return, and should, accordingly, always be prepared in mind and heart. When least expected, He arrives. At an hour that you do not expect Jesus will return. Is your security system any good? Are you telling others about Christ return, but yet, you have not taken heed to the warnings for yourself? Burglars broke into a New York firm which manufactures burglar-proof glass. To get in, they smashed a big glass-panel door. They got away with about

"Lord if you keep in mind our sins then who can ever get an answer to his prayers? But you forgive! What an awesome thing this is! That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for He has promised. I long for Him more than sentinels long for the dawn." Proverbs 130:3-6 Whatever our condition, we must continue to wait on God. Sometimes we may experience great trouble and affliction and be at an utter loss of what to do, sinking and drooping, but we have the priviledge to call on God. In spite of all our sins God still comes to our aid. We don't deserve our prayers to be answered but God's love for us is so awesome, He forgives us and will help us in the times of trouble. Waiting for God is no easy task, especially for those of us who have a problem with waiting. We want everything to happen when we want, but the best things in life do come to those who wait on it. So as you sit and wait for Him do not think that your waiting is in vain, God's timing is

"The Lord knows those who are really His, and a person who calls himself a Christian should not be doing things that are wrong. Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right." 2Timothy 2:19-20 The Living Bible How are you living? These days it is very hard to tell the difference between believers and unbelievers. We have become so accustomed to secular ways that people even find scripture to justify why the church has to adapt to today's culture. I know that the church can't be the church of twenty or thirty years ago, but holiness is right and that doesn't change. I understand the need to reach out to this culture, so that many can get to know Christ, but the way some beleivers are living is out of order! We have traded holiness in for every ungodly pleasure and we are loving it instead of loving God. Many in the church are very young, are gifted and called to the work

"But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted." I Peter 2:9-10 Msg. Bible "But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I’ve hand-picked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you.‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me." Acts 26:16-18 (The Message) We are a chosen people, which immediately takes us to the grace of God. God did not choose us because we were good or

"Wave upon wave of destruction rolls over the land, until it lies in utter ruin; suddenly, in a moment, every house is crushed. How long must this go on? How long must I see war and death surrounding me? Until my people leave their foolishness, for they refuse to listen to me; they are dull, retarted children who have no understanding. They are smart enough at doing wrong, but for doing right they have no talent, none at all." Jeremiah 4:20-22 The Living Bible God is like a heartbroken parent warning about the disastrous results of a choice of life-style. However, God allows everyone the freedom to determine his or her own life and destiny. God agonizes at the intensity of sin that still dwells within the hearts of His people. We have been called out to be God's very own, but still have no understanding of Him and what He requires of His children. The word calls us retarted and blockheads who really don't know God. Instead of seeking relationship with Him we searc

"Then the owner of the house shall come and report to the priest, It seems to me that there may be leprosy in my house! The priest shall order the house to be emptied before he examines it, so that everything in the house will not be contaminated if he decides that there is leprosy there." Leviticus 14:35-36 Leprosy may be a broad generic term for any number of eruptive skin diseases and disorders. Indeed, specific identification of the disease so named in the biblical accounts with that now called leprosy (from the formerly more general Latin loanword lepra) or Hansen’s disease was not made until the Middle Ages when the disease became widespread in Europe. The biblical descriptions of leprosy are not clinically precise, and the necroses associated with Hansen’s disease are apparently not in view in the Bible. “Leprosy” in garments and buildings was caused by mold, rot, or fungus. The extensive code for dealing with “leprosy” is one means of stressing the separation of t

"O Lord don't turn back your tender mercies from me! My only hope is in your love and faithfulness. Otherwise I perish, for problems far too big for me to solve are piled higher than my head. Meanwhile my sins, too many to count, have all caught up with me and I am ashamed to look up. O my God you are my helper. You are my Savior, come quickly, and save me. Please don't delay!" Psalms 40:11-12,17 TLB Double trouble demands a double deliverance! Not only are we dealing with trouble we created for ourselves, but we have to deal with our enemies as well. God I am counting on you to free me of my past and deliver me from my present distress, for at this moment I am in over my head and at times I am ashamed to look up, because I feel like my present struggles are as a result of my past mistakes. But only you O God faithful full of tender mercies can free me from this pit that I'm in. It seems like things are good for a while then something else that I have former

"Stay always within the boundaries where God's love can reach and bless you. Wait patiently for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in His mercy is going to give you. Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt. Save some by snatching them from the very flames of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren't pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners." Jude 21-23 TLB As we watch the rescue efforts of many trying to save those in Japan from the terrible devastation that has hit that country, I can't help but be reminded of the great rescue mission that we have been assigned to. Japan's death total is now over 10,000, but the great hope that we see is there are many who are being rescued daily. We regret the lost of those who did not survive, but we must praise God for those that have been r

"Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strageties and tricks of Satan. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies, the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God's approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your sheild to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:11-17 Attention people of God! The enemy knows that his last hour is

"Obey God because you are His children: don't slip back into your old ways, doing evil because you knew no better. But be holy now in everything you do, just as the Lord is holy, who invited you to be His child. He Himself has said, "You must be holy, for I am holy. SO Get Rid of your feelings of hatred. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs. Now that you realize how kind the Lord has been to you, put away all evil, deception, envy, and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of your salvation; cry for this as a baby cries for his milk." I Peter 1:14,2:1-3 TLB This ethical transformation must take place for all who call themselves children of God. We are to put to rest the cravings of this world and crave for the spiritual milk of God, which is the sustenance of every newborns life. The goal of God's plan of redemption for mankind is to restore right relationships among people and be

"There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only to test your faith to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire test gold and purifies it, and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of His return." I Peter 1:7 TLB Everything and everyone must pass the test. In order for a product to get FDA approval it must be tested and meet the reqiurements and guidelines given for a product to be released for use and marketing. Christians are also tested and proven, going through the transformation of old to new, being purified in every area of our lives, that our faith will not be destroyed as we are refined for the Master's use. Who wants trouble? No one does, life get's very tiresome and frustrating at times, to the point that we

"If a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong. Share each other's troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord's command. If anyone thinks he is too great to stoop to this, he is fooling himself. He is really a nobody." Ephesians 6:1-3 TLB Everyone, everywhere, get's hit with situations that knock us down every now and again. Many people are suffering many hardships all over the world. We have famine and war at an all time high, people fighting for freedom and justice, children trying to survive their environments filled with drugs and gun violence, bully's and suicide, people fighting cancer, diabetes, heart trouble, and every other sickness, fighting all these attacks from the enemy, the one who tries to steal our souls. Some of these issues you can take medicine for and some you can not. But how does one heal when

"Don't be afraid for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression you will not be burned up, the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel" Isaiah 43:1-3 (TLB) Don't be afraid of the trouble you are experiencing at this moment, remember God is with you, through it all. In exchange for our freedom from the enemy, God gave Jesus up as a ransom for His people, Jesus died that you might live, God traded His life for yours, because you were so precious to Him, honored and He loves you. So don't fear when you go through, even though your troubles are so deep, through it all, even in very rough tide God will cover you and not allow the waves of life to carry you off and drown you! When you feel like the heat of this fiery tria

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer," I will give to the thirsty the springs of the Water of Life, as a gift! Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son." Revelation 21:4,6b-7 "If we really understood Heaven, we would be most unhappy and unsatisfied with life on Earth. We would rebel against our earthly limitations. If we saw Heaven, we could not bear this earth. That's why Heaven is forever: we cannot bear to leave it after we get there." C.L. Allen To all my family and friends, we love this life and none of us wants to die. Death is a subject that we choose not to discuss, but it is a part of the process of this life. No one welcomes death, but he does come without being invited. How do we deal with the pain of losing loved ones, being seperated from those we live with every day, what do we do when sudden