Searching for the Truth

God is the center- not me

2012-02-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

This week, the Lord has been laying on my heart about self-centeredness. Being self-centered is not where a Christian should be. A good plan is God to recieve all the glory for everything. That makes God the center. A God centered mind set is honoring to God, a self-centered mindset is honoring only to the person, it does not honor God in the least. In fact, when centering on one self the person is actually thinking of themselves higher than God.

In reality, God provides all for us. So it is actually all His. The wages that we earn, the job that we have, the house we live in, the vehicle we drive, the food we have, the clothes we have, the church we are in ( if we go) the list is endless, but I will stop there. God provides everything. When a pastor delivers a message, the message he is delivering, is one that is suppose to be from God's inspiration, meaning provided by God. Though I know there are some out there who deliver messages inspired by themselves, those are for God to judge.

God created man in His image. We are to be glorifying to Him. Thinking of Him first, He must be our center. Picture this, a series of circles encirling each other. God is the center circle, others are next, self is the outermost circle. That is the picture of a God centered life.

Think of a bird seeing his reflection in a window, they see their reflection, become disoriented and confused and run into things if not the window. That is similar to us when we focus on ourselves. We become disoriented, confused and focused on ourselves; whether it be how great we think we are or how bad we have it with all the stress and problems we have. God needs to be the center, not us.

But to the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.~ Hebrews 1:8-10 NKJV

I pray that you nor I become or continue to be, self-centered. To God be the glory! God be with you all!

The State of the Church as a Whole

2012-01-30T10:48:00.000-08:00

Today I've been getting the state of the church laid on my heart. The state of the church is in dire straits. I will pack myself right in there with everyone else. First of all, there is two sections to discuss, one that i have mentioned in the past, church goers. Church going doesn't make you a Christian. The state of the "heart and soul" makes the Christian. Throughout present time and history, I see people who are church goers, not Christians, but set themselves into the safe zone, as Christians are. True repentance (turning away from) of sin, belief in the Lord Jesus dying on the cross and rising on the third day, makes a Christian. A true Christian, does not continue doing the same sinful things as they did the day before of their salvation experience. But in this day and in history, I see it. The thing is, you don't say I repent and believe! then bam you are completely sinless. It is an ongoing experience. I do things wrong everyday still, I ask for forgiveness of my sin daily. I am not a clean individual in the flesh, in fact I am actually dirty and filthy. Jesus dying on the cross and rising again from the sting of death sin brings makes me look as white as snow to God. I don't see that in church goers. In fact, there are names for those who just go to church in the Bible, such as heathens, hypocrites. These people give Christians, or "Christ followers" a bad name. It makes those in the world see these church goers and get the wrong idea of a true Christian. The task Jesus charged to His followers is made more difficult by these people.

Bible thumpers are at the opposite end of the spectrum as well. These type are Christians, but force feed the Bible verses to non-believers or even to those who believe and don't measure up to their standards, I have encountered them a lot as well. We as Christians need to show these non-believers the love Jesus showed to those while He was here on earth. He did get angry a few times depicted in the New Testament, but that was always toward those who were selling in the market in the temple twice! So why should we who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior condemn people for not believing or scare them into believing? We need to have compassion for the lost. This world is actually, literally going to Hell. We need to show the love of Jesus. Satan has snared many in the traps of various things of the world. We need to stay out of those snares ourselves and "Rescue the Perishing" as the old hymn says. One thing is for certain in this life, everyone will die at one time or another. The time for judgement will come! It says it right in the Bible! My name will be in the Lambs Book of Life, will yours? I pray that all who read this will have their name in there as well! If you are not sure of that I pray that you would dive into the Word and get onto the Right Path. God be with you all!

Men are for Women, Women are for Men!

2012-01-14T09:12:00.000-08:00

I live in a state that has legalized same sex marriage. For the record this as everything else is in the Bible. Once again, for the record, God detests homosexual behavior, it is in the Bible. Leviticus 18:22 says, You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. - That is God speaking! Moses wrote it, God inspired it! The human race is degenerating greatly with the acceptance of this behavior. That is not a statement of anything but truth. A familiar story from the Bible shows how much God hates homosexuality, among other things that went on in Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:1-26 says, Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them andbowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.
Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.
The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. -NASB- So doesn't this show how much God detests that behavior? God brings this up several more times. I will only give you one more 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. - NASB- By revealing these passages from scripture, I am not saying God nor I hate or despise the offenders mentioned here. God nor I do not hate the sinner, just the sin.
I pray earnestly for those homosexual people I know. They will not inherit the kingdom of God. I pray for all to repent (turn away) from their sinful life apart from God and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior! God detests ALL sin, not just homosexuality, a liar is just as guilty of sin as a homosexual in God's eyes, but that's another blog post! God be with you!

We need to pray people!

2012-01-05T07:38:00.000-08:00

Lately the Lord has been impressing on my heart about prayer, and the lack of it and the lack of compassion in it. If you know the Bible, prayer is emphasized as a necessity. Jesus even teaches how to pray. Matthew 6:9-14 says, In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come.Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. This is the Perfect mold for prayer! The Lord Jesus Christ gave it to us. Not repeating it word for word, but applying it to your prayer structure is key for an effective prayer life. In Romans 15:30-32, Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. Paul and the early church prayed in earnest at all times! In 1 John 5:14, the apostle John urges, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
This is a real sticking point for people. I find lots of things I pray for are for my will not God's. Therefore, they don't get answered. Many times I find that if I pray earnestly for something, it doesn't get answered right away. It takes time, God's will is done at the perfect time. Longsuffering is needed many times. Don't be angry or disappointed, God has a plan and it is to happen at the perfect time for His glory. Praise God for that!

Sin- A Daily battle for all!

2012-01-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

In this season of holiday lull with time off from work and Winter break from school, I have time to ponder things about myself and the general state of Christianity and of the world.

About myself, I am still a filthy rotten sinner. The difference between new me and the old me is that the old me was a sinner, continuing to sin unrepentently without regard to a higher power, or regard for others for that matter. Now the new me, though I still sin often, I acknowledge my sin to the Lord and repent (turn away) from my sin and strive to be a useful vessel for the Lord to pour out wherever He wants.

The general state of Christianity is very watered down and wishy washy. Two things I see happening from this,
a.) People are coming to Christ, but are given poor guidance from those who are lazy Christians or false Christians
b.) The Church ( the body of believers) has shut their doors and thrown up barriers to stay seperated from the lost and dying world.

As guides for us who know the Lord as Savior, the New Testament gives outstanding examples of how and what we are obligated as a Child of the King to do. We are His hands and feet and His voice. The best thing that we can do if we do not wish to show the AWESOMENESS of the Lord is just get out of the way, and let those who choose to follow the commands of Christ do what is commanded in Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) Go thereforeand make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Things I see in the world or I guess you could say non-Christianity is the further tumbling down of society. The music is terrible. There is messages of hate and destruction in all of the music this day and age. It has a negative effect on people who listen to this stuff. Television is another tool used by the world to degenerate society. I see this happening right before my eyes. In a local town there was a teenage boy who emptied gas cans throughout the inside and outside of his house and killed his brother and dad, and severely injured his mom and sister. The night before there was a show on called "Criminal Minds" where a kid did the same thing to his family. Coincidence? maybe, but the things that are on TV are far more bold and brazen for the youth of today to see.

I pray that the New Year would be a good marker for you, if you are a Christian to rachet up your portrayal of Christ, because we do not know how long the Lord will tarry. If you are not a Christian, I pray that the Lord touches your heart in a special way and you come to know Him as your Lord and Savior! To God be the glory!

Christians Under attack~ Christians on the attack

2011-09-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

This has been a very tough couple of weeks for me. I have had troubles with house issues of all sorts, bill collectors hounding me, been verbally attacked by those close to me outside of work, been verbally attacked at work. All the while keeping up with my Biblical studies for school. Through all this I have been in constant prayer and meditation, because this has happened to a lesser degree several times before. I have learned much about Spiritual Warfare over the past 6 years to understand that Satan has lost me from his side and am now his enemy. Since he has lost me, he will try whatever he can to minimize the work the Lord is doing through me. I see many Christians fall by the wayside through this. The Spiritual Warfare goes on from Satan attacking the flesh that is still in everyone; believer or not. I see Christians doing questionable things all the time, and I must admit, I have done before as well. All a believer can do, is acknowledge the error to the Lord and move on. It is my desire to do the Lord's work, be a good example to others, let the light shine bright that the Lord has put in me, keep myself from dirtying the light with my silly dispositions and sometimes worldly behavior. Time is short I believe, it is so much more important for ALL Christians to shed the fleshly things, stop letting Satan diminish us and "Spread the blessed Gospel Light" quoting a old hymn.

The Bible tells us to be lights, Jesus tells us to be lights, We need to stand up for Jesus! There is weeping going on in heaven right now I believe because God's elect, the people He chose to spread the seeds of the Gospel throughout the world are not doing it!

The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.~1 Timothy 5:24

You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.~ Psalm 90:8
- There is no real secret sin, God is omniscient- He sees our iniquities and I can't help but feel terrible when I let the flesh make me a stinking mess to God instead of a sweet smelling aroma.

in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.~2 Corinthians 2:11

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.~ Ephesians 6:12

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.~ 1 Corinthians 9:25-27

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whateveryou want.~ Galatians 5:17

So please join me Christians in striving to be a sweet savory aroma to the Lord, not stinking rotting flesh. We must finish the race strong for the Lord!

What Have You Done For HIM Lately

2011-08-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have been on vacation at Odosagih Bible Conference the last few days and for the next few days to come. So far I have had the opportunity to do my schoolwork in peace and quiet and also study God's word nearly all the time! What a blessing! At any rate, God has been pressing upon me to do my best for Him always. I also am compelled to plead with you whomever reads this to give God your firstfruits whatever it may be, and always give your best in His Name. Honor the Lord with obeying His word. As the old hymn goes, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. My sin had left a Crimson stain, He washed it white as snow". Whether you believe this is so or not, it is the truth as the Bible lays out. Jesus died for ALL sin, the sins of the world! So, being a believer, I am ashamed of the lackluster performance that I give for Him in all I do. I must decrease and allow Him to increase in me. Can the same be said for you? I am praying for you and for me to leave the world behind and let the Holy Spirit flow through us bringing many to know Christ through our words and actions! All for HIS glory and not ours!

To those who don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, turn from your sinful life and follow the One who paid the price for your wrongdoing! I did and life is much better inside my heart anyway. Jesus is calling you to "Come home" to Him!

Past and Present- Still the Same Part 2

2011-08-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." Then the word of the LORD came to him saying "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the brook of Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." ~ 1 Kings 17:1-4

This is an example from the past of what God does to those who turn away from Him. It is also an example of what happens to those who follow Him still but are in a land that is inhabited by those who have turned away.

God brought on a drought because of the generations of kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did take care of Elijah by sending him to the brook of Cherith where the water was more abundant, and the ravens were bringing him food as commanded by the Lord. But life was a little uncomfortable for Elijah as well, but God still took care of him!

I relate this to today. Is America following God as a country? No! At every turn we are bombarded with people who use the very Constitution that the forefathers of this nation created. Why did people colonize this country? RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. The country is becoming constricting more and more on this inalienable right.

We as Christians need to stand up and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ! Now more than ever! To God be the Glory!

Past and present- Still the Same

2011-08-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

If you watch the news at all, look at the headlines or just listen to people around the water cooler; everyone knows that the United States is in a real financial crisis. The United States has become a nation that does not have a reverence for God as we once had. In fact looking at the nation as a whole, generations have passed since this was a God fearing nation.

This came to my attention recently in many instances. The church (body of believers in Christ) in America has to stop being complacent and worldly and stand up for God! We have let ourselves go into the world as we are commanded to, but that is only part A of command we are also to make disciples of men! We tend to blend in with the crowd and fail to do part B. If it weren't for the fact that the world is getting so bad, downright evil; you couldn't tell a believer from a non-believer in many instances. I see Christians drinking excessively, swearing (using the Lord's name in vain) excessively, damaging their bodies with smoking, watching movies that are inappropriate for a Christian to watch, Listening to suggestive songs, the list goes on and on.

Truth is, in this day and age; the world is a really easy place to slip into complacency and do the same things that the very people we are trying to plant the seeds of the Good News of Jesus Christ in! The end is nearing ever so closer! Do I really know when no, no one does; only God Himself! But the things indicated in the Bible seem to be falling in place. SO CHRISTIANS WAKE UP! The day of judgement drawing ever so near!

He Runs after us!

2011-08-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Today our new dog slipped his collar while our son was letting out on his leash. My son had no shoes on yet and the dog ran for the hills as they say. Fortunately I guess it was down the side of the road. Immediately, our son took off out the door after the dog in his bare feet running on rocks and cinders. That prompted me still just waking up to run out the door and drive down the road looking for our son and dog. A long story short, I found our son safe and sound about a mile down the road, a sheriff's deputy helped us out by seeing where the dog went, my wife and girls came along took my son in the direction the dog went and they found him!

This reminded me of Jesus, running after us as He states in the Bible about the Shepherd leaving the 99 sheep of the flock to chase after that one lost sheep. Our son only had to run one mile in his bare feet to get our dog, Jesus runs to the ends of the earth for His sheep, the lost and dying sheep. He uses many ways, one key ingredient though is for us who do know Him as our Lord and Savior to tell the world about Him and the great things He has done for us! So, go tell the world about what Jesus has done for you!

Staying Strong in Adversity

2011-08-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

In the we midst of all this financial crisis that ALL of the govenment has created, my wife and I have experienced the brunt of this crisis in trying to get our financial aid for college straight. The government has apparently become more tight on the subsidized funding of school loans. We both go to Liberty University and the financial aid check in has been a challenge for both of us. With the new rules, I must pay a portion of tuition to go, and my wife has had significant difficulty getting registered and must sit out a month and pay as well.This is a test of the Lord for sure. In our own mind we think, " how in the world are we ever going to get through this?" The thing that is very easy to forget is God is in control. We have been hit with more difficult things in life to deal with. Resting in the Lord and letting God help us through in prayer and supplication leaning on and looking to Him for guidance is what we need to do! Psalm 33 comes to mind as our life here is in meekness and living on only what God provides for us to survive, resting in the "manna" that He provides! Glory and Honor to God!

Behold the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep their soul alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
For our hearts shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
Let your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.~ Psalm 33: 18-22 NKJV

Please pray for my wife and I as we get through these trials and tribulations with going to college!

Religious: To be or not to be that is the question

2011-08-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

While I was editing my profile I noticed I had to choose something. The best coice I had on the list was Religion. This is what I had to select, but not what I practice. Religion is a confining thing that makes a person be a certain way. Getting religious is dangerous. It relegates worship to just being ritualistic. Religious is what I was when I was a Catholic growing up learning all the rituals that come with Catholicism. You must do this, kneel now, touch your chest when you hear the bell, say the "Our Father" ten times, and so on and so forth. This is only an example in which I am sure of, the other denominations are just as religious in different ways. Religion is a growth stunt for growing in Christ.

Being Christ-like is what every Christian should be striving to be while we live in this dying world. We must bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world so that they may be saved.

Back in the fight

2011-08-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am rededicating posting on Blogger. Why is this? Because I must spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world! I am still in training to obtain a degree and recieve the necessary training to tell the truth. I am a young man in Christ while I am 41 by birth age, I am only 6 in Born Again age. However I am driven by the Holy Spirit to give the Gospel and researching in my heart as well as commentaries that will bring forth the Truth we ALL need to hear. To God be the Glory as He works through me in my postings. God be with you all!