Keep the Faith Now

"The Lord says: Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mortal man and turns his heart away from God. He is like a stunted shrub in the desert, with no hope for the future; he lives on the salt-encrusted plains in the barren wilderness; good times pass him by forever. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water, a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. It leaves stay green and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit." Jeremiah 17:5-8 TLB The man whose trust is in flesh and heart and has departed from the Lord is cursed. Like a twisted desert shrub he does not live, he merely survives. On the other hand, the man who trusts in the Lord is blessed. He is like a flourishing tree with roots by a stream. That man continues to bear fruit even during the heat, especially during the most difficult times in...

Dear Children: I will never stop expressing my undying love for you. It has been quite some time that many of you have allowed me to even speak with you, but I knew that I would have that opportunity today. I want you to understand there may not be many days, nor hours, nor minutes, including seconds, that I will return to take my children home. I cannot reveal the day, but I want to assure you that it will be really soon. Please understand this was not my original plan for mankind. From the beginning of time everything I did, I did to create a perfect environment for you, full of beauty and splendor, for your pleasure all the days of your lives. But unfortunately my creation interrupted my vision for mankind. Please be mindful that this act of disobedience would cost us all so much. The cost for me would be a broken relationship with one son Adam, (who represented all of mankind) and the sacrifice of another Son to take the punishment for my disobedient son. The cost for mankind woul...

"By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”* And with those words He breathed His last. When the Roman officer* overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent." Luke 23:44-47 It is the sixth hour which was high noon. For three hours, darkness envelops the land. The sun stops shining as though the world of nature cannot bear to look at what is happening. An old age is closing, but a new one is about to begin for me and you. The temple curtain, which shrouds the Most Holy Place, is torn in two. Jesus summons a last cry. It is a prayer of commitment to God before falling asleep. He dies with His Father’s name on His lips, even the Roman centurion in charge of the execution is greatly moved. Lik...

“There was once a man who planted a vineyard, let it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner’s son. Let’s kill him, and his property will be ours!’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Luke 20:9-15 Why do people reject Jesus? Why do believers hold back, and refuse to commit themselves to Him as Lord? Whatever the motive an individual may have, the decision to reject Jesus is a terrible tragedy. ...

"They beat Him over the head with a stick, spat on Him, fell on their knees, and bowed down to Him. When they had finished mocking Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him. Then they crucified Him and divided His clothes among themselves, People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: “Aha! You were going to tear down the Temple and build it up again in three days! Now come down from the cross and save yourself!” Mark:15-20,24,29-30 GNT The biblical account of Jesus’ crucifixion reveals few variants from the usual procedure. The fact that Jesus was crucified confirms that His condemnation was pronounced by the Roman procurator Pilate, who alone had the authority to impose this death sentence. Further, the wording on the placard ‘The King of the Jews’ reveals that the crime for which Jesus was condemned was not the Sanhedrin’s charge of blasphemy, but the political crime of high treason, gen...

“Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishnes. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:18-23 There are many foods that we consume on a daily basis that really destroy our bodies. Many of us eat food that cause physical sicknesses and disease that can result in a poor quality of life or even physical death. Many foods that we consume and the amounts of them is what destroys the temple. But what about the junk that is already in us? As well as trying to discipline ourselves on what goes in, we ought to discipline ourselves to control the behaviors that come out. For it is not what goes in the mout...

"The light will be among you a little longer. Continue on your way while you have the light, so that the darkness will not come upon you; for the one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Believe in the light, then, while you have it, so that you will be the people of the light.” John 12:35-36 GNB Have you ever had a crisis in which you deliberately and emphatically and recklessly abandoned everything? It is a crisis of will. You may abandon your will many times externally, but it amounts to nothing. The real deep crisis of abandonment is reached internally, not externally. Have you deliberately committed your will over to Jesus Christ? It is a transaction of will, not of emotion, most times in service or in prayer we give up things and it is only an emotional transaction and never an internal one. Your emotion is simply the gilt-edge of the transaction. If you allow your emotions to be first, you will never make the transaction. Do not ask God what the tr...