Day: May 30, 2019

“While Jesus and the disciples were going through cities and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem, one of them said unto him, Lord are there few that can be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:22–24).

We need to understand that the gate can also be a door, and that door is Jesus. He is the only way to obtain eternal life. Remember there are two eternal destinations. One is eternal life with the Lord, and the other is eternal damnation in Hell. We have the mindset that there are ways that we can go to Heaven, but Jesus taught that there is only one way and He is it.

“Jesus continued to say, once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are” (vs. 25) What a terrible thing to hear, that the Lord will tell you that He doesn’t know you. We do the same thing to people. You may see a picture of someone on TV or in the paper, but you don’t know them. Jesus knows who we are as a person, but unless you have accepted Him as Savior, He doesn’t know you spiritually.

He continues in verses 26–27: “Then shall ye begin to say, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”  We tend to make up rules on how to get to Heaven. As Jesus said for the second time, Go away I don’t know you. Then He added, you workers of iniquity. What does iniquity mean? The dictionary defines it this way: “lack of righteousness or justice; wickedness, in other words wicked, unjust, or unrighteous acts.” Do we fall into any of these descriptions? Have we done any of these things? If we say no, then we are liars because we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out” (vs. 28). All of the so-called good things that we do will not get us into Heaven. Going to church, paying tithes, praying, and doing what we believe to be holy will count for nothing unless we accept Jesus as Lord. Being a Christian isn’t easy. We are persecuted, killed, mocked, and hated. Jesus told us that this would happen, but He also said that He would be hated first and He overcame the world.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). The Lord made it clear; the path to eternal life is open to everyone who asks. The key word is asks. When we were children, we asked our parents for a certain thing for our birthday or Christmas. If they could afford it, we usually got it. Jesus is the same way, He wants to give us eternal life with Him, but we have to ask. Put your faith and trust in Him and you will receive.

Many places throughout the world still will not accept Jesus as Lord. That is why the gate is narrow. But the gate to Hell is wide. Too many churches are preaching a gospel that is contrary to what Jesus taught. Some teach that anything goes, therefore just do your own thing and you will get to Heaven. That, my friend, is the wide gate. The narrow gate is more intense. We have to recognize that we can’t save ourselves; we have to rely on Jesus to see us through. We need to trust and obey the word of God. Don’t depend on man’s way. It will lead you straight to Hell.

That is why it is so important to follow what Jesus taught. God wants us to live with Him. The devil wants just the opposite. Which gate you go through is strictly up to you. No one can force you to accept Jesus. He won’t force himself on you as well. God gave us a freewill. What we do with it is up to us. I pray that you will choose Jesus, “the narrow gate.”  If you don’t know Jesus, just simply pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins and begin to live for Him.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16–17).

That, my friend, in those two verses tells of the Rapture of all who have placed their trust in Jesus as Savior as to where they will be going. The word “rapture” doesn’t appear in Scripture; simply put, it means to be caught up or seized or carried away.  When will this take place? No one knows. It could happen at any time, maybe before you finish reading this article. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

For the sake of time, finish reading Matthew 24; it will tell us if we are living in the last days before Jesus comes to take His children home. There are warnings throughout the Bible telling us that this event will happen. Should you miss the Rapture, follow these instructions; it may just save your life. This may be easier said than done, but if you miss the Rapture, STAY CALM. There will be mass panic throughout the entire world. Luke 21:25: says that there will be distress, perplexity, and fear in the hearts of men. That, my friend, is an understatement; it will be far worse than man can imagine.

This is only the beginning; governments will take control by using all means of harsh and ruthless methods. A one-world government will come together (Revelation 17:12–13). This is happening now with the European Union. Daniel 9:26–27 tells us that a prince that shall come forth is not Jesus, but will reveal himself to be the Antichrist. There are many scriptures that tell us about the Antichrist, and his dealings with those who are left behind.

To quote them would take up most of this article. Read the Book of Revelation to see what is in store for those who are left behind. Hopefully by reading this article, you will be prepared for what will happen if you miss the Rapture. Remember, don’t panic; panic will only cloud your mind. If you are left behind, begin to work for Jesus. How, you say? Revelation 12:11 states, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Jesus’ blood is what this is talking about. Throughout time, Christ’s shed blood has cleansed us from sin and it will be that same blood that will save you during this time of Tribulation.

People who are saved during the Tribulation period will be hunted down and murdered. Satan will use everything at his disposal to stop the Word of God from being preached during this time. So be prepared to die for the cause of Christ. You will have to endure great hardship, but your reward will be with Jesus. “… These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

This may sound old fashioned to some, but re-read the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:1–17. Keep them. Remember what we were taught about the Golden Rule. Practice it. You will have to hold on until Jesus comes back to put an end to Satan and his evil works. You may live through the entire Tribulation, or you may die, so be prepared to die for your belief in Jesus. Put away all evil, work for Jesus, and be a witness for Him.

Don’t at any cost take what is called the mark of the beast. If you do, you have damned yourself and any hope of salvation will be lost. By receiving the mark, you will bring down the wrath of God upon yourself. Without the mark, you will not be able to buy or sell. The mark will be placed upon your forehead or on your right hand.  I would suggest that you know the locations of where food is stored. Stock up now. The number again is 666 … don’t take it.

Be sincere when witnessing for Jesus. Revelation 20:4 states, “… I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their right hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” That is comforting to know that you can still live with Jesus in Heaven.

That was very easy to understand. Don’t take the mark, and preach Jesus. These past several decades since Israel became a nation (1948) the world, and even our own nation, have despised the Jewish people. Give them your support. These people are God’s chosen people and Satan will do everything that he can to wipe them off of the face of the earth

Seek out other believers and join with them. There is safety in numbers. Your life will depend on it. Should you be with Christians when the Rapture happens, you will be in the beginning of the Tribulation period. It isn’t too late to be saved. There will be people preaching the salvation message during this time, so don’t hesitate to get saved.

My question is this: Why haven’t you already been saved? If you want to miss the Tribulation period, then get saved. It isn’t too late. Remember, no one knows when the Rapture will take place. Your soul depends on the decision that you make right now. Suppose you die tomorrow. If you are unsaved, you will not live with Jesus in Heaven. The choice is yours to make, so don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is nothing but a fairy tale, because it isn’t. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and invite HIM into your life today.

We would be foolish to ignore all the bad news that’s breaking around us, much of it coming from an all-out assault on the Christian faith. But, the writer of this piece can say that he is not in the least bit discouraged. He doesn’t feel doomed, downtrodden, discarded, and defeated. Is he insane, or is there sound biblical warrant for such a statement?

For one thing, Christ is Lord and he is presently ruling from his throne. Though Jesus was brutally murdered for crimes He did not commit, and physically died, it is also true that He was raised from the dead—all according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1–8). Christians should remember that we are not fighting FOR victory but rather FROM victory. We have already been rescued from the rule and reign of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom (Col. 1:13).

While faith makes all things possible, the Bible never tells us that faith makes all things easy. Christianity began as an apparently small sect with some Jewish connections in the Greco-Roman world and grew to be a major force on the planet. However, this advance was not without its martyrs, many martyred with their wives and children in a most brutal way in the Roman Coliseum—slaughtered by hungry lions and swordsmen brought in from the remote reaches of the empire. Indeed, the door of opportunity swings on the hinges of adversity. The apostle wrote: “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9)

So, the Lord is presently ruling, and secondly, he has not changed his mind about saving the lost. The Lord Jesus proclaimed the saving Gospel to a variety of people in a variety of contexts. He challenged the religious establishment of His day, sometimes taking on the leaders in a direct and confrontational way (see Matt. 23). He ministered to children and used them as an object lesson, teaching faith and confidence in God (Mark 10:13–16), despite the fact that children were virtually regarded as non-entities in the first-century world. Jesus ministered to the then-despised Samaritans (John 4), and had a saving encounter with a Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:21–31). His Spirit-led apostles and disciples went everywhere preaching the Gospel. There is no indication in the Bible that once a predetermined number of people come to faith, that Jesus would change His mind about saving the lost.

Thirdly, despite all the press about the Middle East and central Asia becoming a land devoid of Christians, the pundits have been wrong before. Charles Sennott, Middle East bureau chief for the Boston Globe published a book titled The Body and the Blood: The Middle East’s Vanishing Christians and the Possibility for Peace (2002). The purpose of the book was to document “the dramatically diminishing Christian presence in the Middle East,” a veritable “Christian exodus” that has left the Christian community there “withering” and “imperiled” in the face of war, persecution, and radical Islam. Is Christianity truly going to die out in the land where it began? The Christian Science Monitor lauded the book for its reporting and insights, and Foreign Affairs called the book a “touching account of a venerable community whose numbers are sharply declining.”

Sennott’s book reflects the prevailing media view. “Christians Leaving Middle East,” declared a CNN headline, and the BBC reported “Christians Quit Christ’s Birthplace.” The Denver Post reported that “Christian communities have shrunk to a miniscule portion of their former robust selves” and “… in 50 years they may well be extinct.”

In his book Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future (2005), Joel Rosenberg writes: “There is just one problem with such stories. They are not quite accurate. Not anymore, at least” (p. 204).

Botrous Mansour is an Arab Israeli evangelical Christian living in Nazareth. Ray Bentley, pastor of Maranatha Church in San Diego, asked Mansour: “What would Jesus want an Arab Israeli Palestinian evangelical Christian raised by Greek orthodox and Catholic parents living in His hometown to do?” Mansour’s answer:

“‘The Lord has prepared me to minister for Him in His hometown in a unique way,’ Mansour said. Working through the Nazareth Baptist School, Botrous and his colleagues are a bridge that crosses another seemingly unbridgeable gulf: linking the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish worlds. The student population of the school is more than 20 percent Muslim. Botrous’s quiet, diplomatic demeanor has navigated dangerous conflicts between powerful Muslim families who were determined to send their kids to the finest school in Israel—sometimes at great risk to Botrous and his team.

“… ‘My heavenly identity is most important,’ Botrous said. ‘I want to love my neighbor, not put on masks, be what the Lord wants me to be.’ To American Christians he says, ‘We’re your brothers and sisters here. We are a small minority, we have challenges, but please remember that we exist. … It would be easier to move to America, where we won’t feel excluded. But we know we are called to be here and to work for transformative change in the land of our Savior’” (Bentley, The Holy Land Key, pp. 63–64).

But there is a fourth reason why I am not discouraged by the progress of the Gospel, and that is because God is raising up faithful servants in non-ordinary places to proclaim the Gospel. For example, God is raising pastors from house churches in China who will minister in house churches in China. There is a very fine Christian college and seminary on one of the South Pacific islands that is training them.

In America, God is raising a number of ethnic language pastors who are planting growing ethnic language churches. Pastor Oleg Xu, a powerful preacher of the Word, was born in Kazakhstan (former USSR) and speaks fluent Russian. His parents are Chinese and he speaks fluent Mandarin. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, Oleg has served as pastor of the First Slavic Baptist Church of Oklahoma City. At present, he is the pastor at Sugar Land Chinese Baptist Church in the Houston metro, one of the fastest growing ethnic language churches in America. This writer has spoken at meetings sponsored by the Southwest Chinese Baptist Association’s youth meetings and has seen young men and women come to know Christ and to walk with Him in commitment of life. Many go on to attain the highest degrees in science and engineering.

Fifthly, everything that Satan does that is bad, God is able to reverse and bring about good. Romans 8:28 reveals that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God. In the persecution following the martyrdom of Stephen, Christians were scattered everywhere in the ancient world. Yet their scattering led them to preach the Gospel where they would not normally have gone (Acts 8:1–4). What looked like a defeat was actually a victory! Joseph’s brothers were jealous and sold him into slavery, but this dastardly deed put Joseph in Pharaoh’s court. He became ruler over the food supply and thereby could save his family from the evil effects of the famine (Gen. 45:1–8).

Added to all of this is the very significant fact that sixthly, there are signs of “pushback.” In a recent issue of Charisma, Christian apologist and social commentator Michael Brown notes: “The gay revolution will continue to overplay its hand. As those who were once bullied now bully others, this will produce an increasing backlash, as seen with the ‘Houston Five’ last year. And as gay activists win more and more battles in the courts and society, that will actually work against them, and their goals will continue to become more and more extreme.”

This same pushback is doing great damage to radical Islam. The recent horrific attack by the Taliban on a government school in Peshawar, Pakistan, where nearly 150 school children and teachers were massacred, has produced outrage and an all-out attack by the government of Pakistan on Taliban strongholds. The same is true with the tragic immolation of a Christian man and his wife, who was five months pregnant, in a furnace in a brick kiln in Punjab Province of Pakistan. The government of Pakistan is now considering this a “barbaric and horrific” murder and is seeking to bring the culprits to justice.

Following the terror attack in Paris. The Wall Street Journal featured a revealing front-page report titled: “A Backlash Swells in Europe.” “This bloodshed shows that anyone who ignored or laughed off the concerns about the threat Islamism poses is a fool,” said Alexander Gauland, a leader of Alternative for Germany. In the past, such rhetoric would have been quickly dismissed, but now it is gaining in support. And the arguments of the Muslim clerics who are trying to justify the bloodshed is producing more anger and resolve. The radical Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary has blamed France rather than the terrorists: “So why in this case did the French government allow the magazine Charlie Hebdo to continue to provoke Muslims, thereby placing the sanctity of its citizens at risk?” he asks. This kind of blame-shifting is intellectually perilous. If somebody is unhappy with what is permitted in a country, does that allow such individuals to commit horrific crimes?

Psalm 67:1–2 reads: “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among ALL NATIONS.”

(Originally published in the February 2015 Prophetic Observer)

The story in Luke 15:1–24 tells of a man who had two sons. The younger of the two asked his father to give him the portion of goods (money) that was to be given to him at a later date. The father gave this son what he asked for. Instead of spending it wisely, he began to spend it foolishly. This story has seven steps down and seven steps up that this young man would go through.

The first step in verse 12 is the father giving the son what he wanted, or what is called self-will. Verse 13 is that of selfishness by spending his new-found wealth on himself. He simply wasted it, as scripture says, on “riotous living.” We all are guilty of this type of living at some point in our lives. We may come into a sudden sum of money and the first thing that we want to do is spend it. It burns a hole in our pocket until it is gone.

The next step down is separation; we may leave our family to go sow our wild seeds. What causes us to be sensual in our living? Living only for ourselves and no one else. The next step down is spiritual destitution, which causes depression and despair. As this son continued his downward spiral, he experienced self-abasement, or cast himself low by eating food that was meant for swine. His final step down was starvation because he had spent all of his money on foolish things. His father could have sent money to him, but he chose not to because he wanted his son to experience the consequences of what he had done. In other words his son needed to see the error of his ways.

This son is now at the bottom of his downfall, but he came to his senses. He realized that at his father’s house there was plenty of food to eat with plenty left over. So he resolved to himself that it was time to go home. This is the second step in his upward climb. He then realized that he had sinned against his father for what he had done. This is the third step in his upward climb. He then returned to his father’s house as he continued to climb out of the wasteful life that he had been living. This is the fourth step that he had to take. The fifth step that he had to take was that of being reconciled back to his father.

When his father saw him coming down the road, he went out to meet him with hugs and kisses welcoming him home. When this young man left his father’s house he had money and probably fine clothing. But after he had spent all of his money and having to eat with swine, his clothing became tattered and torn. When his father saw him, he told the servants to get the best robe and put it on him. The sixth step back up was to receive a new robe. The seventh and final step back up was to rejoice. This occurred when the father saw him and they ate and were merry.

Does this story sound like something that you have been through? Jesus told this story to make a point. The point was that we have done exactly what this young man did. The difference is, we have done this against our heavenly Father. God is waiting for us to take the seven steps upward so He can welcome us home someday. We can be encouraged that Jesus died so that we can be reconciled back to God. These scriptures will help you understand how we are justified through the Lord Jesus Christ. We all have sinned and came short of the glory of God. But thanks be to God, He provided a way to escape His wrath and live with Him for all eternity. All we have to do is to accept Jesus as our Savior by asking Him into our lives. God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. But we have to take the first step and these other things will fall into place.

If you are not saved, I encourage you to become saved because tomorrow may be too late. Romans 5:1–18 explains what great blessings we receive when we are reconciled back to God.

Psalm 1:1–2 says, “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee; I will sing praises to thy name, O thou most High.” What is praise? The dictionary defines praise as: “To commend the worth of, express approval or admiration of, to laud the glory of God.”

The Bible tells us as God’s people to praise the Lord. The word hala or “Hallelujah,” simply means to praise the Lord. It is amusing to hear people, especially non-believers, say “hallelujah.” They don’t realize that they are praising the Lord. For the Christian, it is our duty to do just that. We are to give Him praise not only in the good times, but in the bad times as well.

He inhabits our praises; He loves us and wants us to praise Him. Regardless of the situation that we are in or the troubles that are besetting us, praising Him shows that we love Him, and our praise is coming from the heart. It is also a testament to the world that no matter what we are facing, we love God.

When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they began to praise God for seeing them safely across, in order to escape the Egyptian army. They also praised Him for giving them the Promised Land. The Old Testament is full of praises to God. A few scriptures that you can read are Judges 5:9 and 2 Samuel 22:4, 47, and 50. David wrote several psalms showing his desire to praise God: Psalm 18:3, Psalm 22:23, and Psalm 52:9 just mention a few.

When you are in need of a boost in your spirit, I would encourage you to read the entire Book of Psalms. It will refresh you in ways that no man can. Man doesn’t have the words to bring us comfort as God’s Word does. Man’s word is just that—man’s word. God’s Word was inspired by the Holy Spirit, which brings us the comfort that we need.

The New Testament also tells us to praise the Lord. We read in Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21 that even Jesus gave praise to God. The Apostle Paul in Romans 15:9–11 told us to give praise to God when he said in verse 11, “Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles.” Not only do we praise God, but the angels in Heaven do as well. God calls every nation to praise Him (Psalm 67:3–5; Psalm 117:1). In short God calls all people throughout the world to praise Him.

The entire universe is even called to praise God (Psalm 148). God has not left anything or anyone out of the command to praise Him. Why is it so difficult for us to grasp this simple command from God? Simply put, we just don’t do it. Why? We either don’t think He is worthy of praise due to circumstances in our lives, or we just could care less about it.

Another reason we don’t praise Him is we may not know how to, or you may feel that He won’t hear you. If you are a Christian and are sincere in your praises, He will hear you. All you need to do is put your trust in God and have faith that He will hear you. The Holy Spirit will guide you in your prayer time and praises to God.

Praise takes place in several different ways. Psalm 100:4 says that we are to “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless His name.” A church setting is one place to praise the Lord, or a Bible study group, or just being alone.

We not only praise with our tongue, but we give praise in song with or without instruments. Another way to give praise is telling others what God has done for us by saving us, by healing us, or by some other blessing that He has given us. In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter calls upon us to praise God for calling us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. We once were in darkness, but by the shed blood of Jesus we are now in the light.

That alone is cause enough to praise God. Philippians 1:1 says, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, others will see our lives by the good works that we are doing. Then they, too, will ask how to get what you have. This will open the door for you to lead others to Christ. This is our way of praising God for His saving grace.

If that isn’t enough to praise God for, then I don’t know what else it would take. Praise God for creation, His holiness, His unfailing love, mercy, and grace. When you need a reason to praise Him, remember those things that He has done for you. Jesus, the second person in the Trinity accepted praise as God.

Luke 19:37–39 states, “And when he was come nigh even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, master, rebuke thy disciples.” Notice what Jesus said in verse 40, “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Jesus had it correct. If we don’t praise God, then the stones will cry out in our place. I really don’t want stones to praise God in my place, do you? If you don’t know the Lord, I pray that you will accept Him this day, and give Him the praise for His saving grace.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:1–6).

This psalm is perhaps the most quoted one at funerals and is recognized as one of the best-known scriptures. It has a very calming effect when directed at the Christian as a means of support and comfort.  As we take a closer look at it, I hope that should you be going through a difficult time that you will take the time to reflect on what it says.

What is a shepherd? It is a person who takes care of sheep. We are the Lord’s sheep, and He takes care of us. A shepherd ensures that his sheep lack for nothing. This is why when we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we shall not want. Does this mean we will not go through hard times? As long as we are in this world, we will face tough times. He is faithful to see us through these times; we just have to keep on trusting Him to get through it.

We will lie down in green pastures. God again will ensure that we will not lack—a green pasture is healthy. A pasture that is brown and dried up is not healthy and will not produce crops. God wants us to thrive and grow in our Christian walk. God through Jesus will restore us back to Him. If you need restoration in your soul, call upon Jesus and He will restore you. Jesus is our leader and our guide through this life here on earth. We elect people to lead us, but they seem to always fail to lead. Jesus will never fail.

The path of righteousness isn’t an easy path in this day and age, with all the evil that we are subjected to. We need to keep holding on to Jesus until we leave this world. If you feel like you are slipping from your path, pray and ask the Lord to help you back onto the path. We are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Death will come to all of us unless the Lord comes to take us home in the Rapture.

No one knows when death will occur. If you or your loved ones are not saved when death comes, you will not be with the Lord. We need to be ready when it comes. The Lord walks with us through every valley of life. By holding on to Him, He will see us through to the top of the mountain. This is why we shall fear no evil. God didn’t give us the spirit of fear. Don’t let the devil trap you in his snare of fear.

God comforts us with His rod and staff. A shepherd has a staff. One end of it is a hook that he uses to bring back a sheep that has wondered off. This is the same principal that the Lord uses when we go astray. Jesus is preparing a table in Heaven for His children. We will be seated with Him some glorious day. Our enemies will not be there. Won’t that be wonderful? Our cup will be so full that it will run over with the blessings of God. God wants to bless us more than we can imagine.

When we put our trust in Him, goodness and mercy will follow us all of our lives. One of the greatest things about this psalm is the assurance that we will dwell in His house forever. When we get to Heaven, we will be with the Lord for all eternity.  What a great blessing that will be to know that we will be with Him forever.

The only way to have the promises of this psalm is to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. I hope that you will take the first step and invite Jesus into your life by asking Him to forgive you of your sins.

Throughout the Bible God tells us that He loves us. When we read John 3:16, Jesus in His own words actually tells us just how much God does love us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Have you given any thought to what this scripture really means? Let’s break it down a little more.

For God! God is our heavenly Father who created everything, who sees and knows all. The very God to whom we owe our very being gave. Have you given any thought to the word “given”? Have you ever been given anything? Of course you have. Have you out of love given to others? We love our families and friends very much. That is why we give to them—not because we have to, but because we want to.

God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son. God gave us Jesus to die upon the cross so that we would not have to pay the penalty of sin. Not one of us would give our son to die for a lost and sinful world, but that is exactly what God did for us. Why would God offer His Son to die in our place? It is simple to understand. God destroyed the world once before, and it must have pained Him to do it. That is why He said that He would never do that again.

We overlook the word “perish.” What does it mean? In Scripture, it means to die in one’s own sin without the saving grace of the shed blood of Jesus. Without the shed blood of Jesus we were all headed to Hell, but God saw a way for us to escape this fate by sending us His only begotten Son. When you begin to piece this scripture together a little at a time, it makes better sense.

Another key word is “believeth.” What is it that you believe in? Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again on the third day? If we believe in Him and accept Him, we will not perish. Perish is a harsh word, so if we believe we will not perish.

The next words are, “but have everlasting life.” There are several meanings to this phrase. We will spend eternity somewhere. God gives us a free will to do as we please. If He had not given us a free will and had instead imposed His will upon us, then He would be a dictator. The choice of where we will spend eternity is ours to make—either with the Lord in Heaven or in Hell with the devil and his cohorts.

Ask yourself this question: Do you really believe in Him? If your answer is no, why not? God has given us His Son. What more can He do to convince you to believe? John 3:16 is very simple to understand, and is straightforward in its meaning. God loves us, He gave His Son, that whosoever (which means anyone that believes) should not perish, and have everlasting life with the Lord.

Verse 17 states: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Are you saved? Do you want to be saved? Do you want the assurance that when you die you will spend eternity with the Lord? Would you consider giving your life to Christ? God has made the way. Now it is up to us to either accept or reject Jesus as Savior. I would encourage you not to wait before it is too late, because tomorrow may be too late.

Read John 3:16–18 and ask Christ into your life. “For God so loved the world that HE gave. …”

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

This scripture was directed to Israel, but it can be applied to any nation. There are several points that we need to understand.

• The first point is: “If my people.” If you are a Christian, you are one of God’s people. You need to heed what this scripture is saying. Far too often we have been arrogant and have shut God out of our lives. We want to do everything for ourselves. We say that we don’t need God’s help. When we do this, we will fall on our face and fail. This scripture is asking us to do several things.
• The second point is to humble ourselves. Being humble means not to be proud or self-serving. God wants us, when we come before Him, to humble ourselves leaving pride at the door. We must recognize our failures and have sincere sorrow for our sins.
• The third point is to pray. No matter how often you pray, it is important to come with humility. Remember that we depend on the Lord for everything. Put your trust in Him and have faith that he will provide for your every need. Our prayers have to be sincere and continual until He answers them.
• The fourth point is to “Seek His face.” This means we have to seek Him with our entire being. We have to long for Him to have more of a presence in our lives. We often shut Him out and only pray when we get into trouble.
• The fifth point is “Turn from our wicked ways.” Do we still sin? Do we conform to the world and its ways? We are all guilty of this in some way. We will no longer be guilty of these things when we leave this world. Until that day comes, I urge you to draw closer to Him. Confess your sins and ask for mercy, forgiveness, and a spiritual cleansing.

When we do these five steps, then God will do these things. First, He said that He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin; without forgiveness we are lost and will face His wrath. God will correct us when we go astray in order to bring us back into the fold. Hearing from God is an important aspect of our lives.  He wants to restore us with His presence, peace and most of all with His love.

The next thing that He will do is heal us. Several aspects of God’s healing are to heal our land by sending rain to a drought-stricken area. He is able to heal our physical, financial, spiritual, and any other needs according to His will. We are still in this world and not all of us will receive total healing until we get to Heaven. Don’t give up in your prayer life; keep your faith—He will answer your prayers.

This scripture needs to be applied now more than ever before. We are at a crossroads today. Christians are losing faith and are leaving the church. We need to hold up our brothers and sisters in Christ as many throughout the world are being murdered, driven from their homeland, and censored for talking about Jesus. We need a worldwide revival and it is going to require us to follow this scripture. When we do, God will intervene and put a stop to this evil.

If you are not a Christian, I hope that you will seek God and ask for forgiveness. Seek Him while you still can. Tomorrow may be too late. He is faithful and just to forgive you of all your sins through His Son Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 13:24–26, Jesus began to teach about good seeds and tares. What is a tare? It is defined as a small seed and is a noxious seed (or bad one). Jesus said “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.”

When the servants of the farmer came and asked him, “Didn’t you sow good seed? Where did the tares come from?”, he told the servants that the enemy did it. The servants asked the farmer, “Do you want us to go gather up the tares?” The farmer said, “No, because if you do, you will pull up the wheat as well.” The farmer said to let them grow together until harvest time. “Then we will gather the tares first, bind them, and burn them, and take the wheat into the barn.”

This parable shows that Satan will do anything to disrupt what God does by sowing bad seeds with the good ones. Does this sound familiar? That is exactly what is going on in today’s world. Satan is doing everything he can to counteract all the good that God is doing. Remember, he is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is a liar and a thief. Sometimes his tricks work by causing believers to go astray. All we need to do is take a look at what is happening around us, not only in the world but in America as well.

Take a look at television fifty years ago. You didn’t hear the terrible language or see almost-naked people. Comedians didn’t have to curse to be funny. Cartoons didn’t look like demons. Children’s shows were clean and funny at the same time. Movies weren’t as nasty as they are now. Cursing in public was frowned upon. Now anything goes, and it doesn’t matter where or who may be in the area. The disrespect for people wasn’t tolerated; today, it’s dog eat dog. Respect from young people was a good thing; today, older people are beaten, robbed, and murdered for a few dollars. Yes, there was crime then, but nothing like it is today. Satan has changed what was wrong and made it right, and what is right and made it wrong.

Even the church has fallen prey to this. Take a look at what is happening within the church today. When I was growing up, my dad wore a suit to church, women wore dresses, and children wore nice clothes. Now, people wear whatever they want—shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops, and the like. God wants us to look decent when we go to His house. Yes, times have changed, but that doesn’t mean we have to look like the rest of the world.

Preachers have really changed. Take a look at the way they look now. Dressing anyway they want with no respect for God’s house. Pulpits are gone; no Bible in their hands. They want to entertain us instead of preaching the Word as they should. They want us to feel good and be comfortable. I don’t go to church to be entertained or to feel good. I go to hear the Word of the Lord and praise His name.

The Word of God should make us understand who God is and what He has done for us by sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins. His Word strengthens our faith and encourages us by knowing where we will spend eternity.

Money is another area where the church has changed. How many preachers do nothing but talk about money? Music used to be something that was wonderful. Now it reminds me of a rock concert. We don’t sing the old hymns much anymore. The sanctuary is dark, and it looks like a bar.

Satan is behind these changes. What we need is to go back to the old-fashioned way of going to church, of praising and worshipping God with fear and respect. This has caused many Christians to leave the church. When this happens, Satan has won. We need to throw him out of the church and our country. Begin to praise God and resist Satan. When we do this, his tares will have to leave.

These things will end someday when God puts a stop to it at the end of the ages. Stand up for God. Be alert about what is happening. Pay attention to false teachers, preachers, and false Christians. Satan knows that his time is short, and he knows Scripture. His demons will come as angels of light. Discern the spirits. If it isn’t glorifying Jesus, it isn’t from God. Jesus said in Matthew13:37 that He is the one who sows the good seed. The field is the world, and the tares are of the children of Satan.

But be of good cheer. Jesus will see to it that these tares will have their place in Hell, and we will shine forth as the sun. Jesus said, “he who has ears, let him hear.” Are you hearing what Jesus said? Are you ready for eternity? Have you accepted Jesus as Savior? Do you want to go to Heaven? If you haven’t accepted Jesus into your life, what are you waiting for? Today is the day to accept the Lord, for tomorrow may be too late. Simply pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins, and then begin to live your life for Him. That way you will counted as a good seed, not a tare.