Father Time met King Death, he was sitting by a tomb.
“Hello good friend! I guess you’re here to seal somebody’s doom.”
“You might say that” sly Death replied as a smile came across his face.
“Inside this tomb lies the Jesus man, who said He’d save the race.”
“Time?” said Death, “Why are you here don’t you have things to do?”
“I come this way every day” said Time, “To draw the veil and let the morning through.
Death, why are you watching just one grave with all your vast domain? Seems to me you’d be rambling around smiting folks with pain?” Death said
“This one’s something special. He challenged me they say. He said he’d lay here just three days then get up and walk away. Well, I’m the conqueror you know they don’t talk back to me. When I smite a man to the grave it’s for all eternity.”
Time said “I have to go, I must be on my way. But I will see you again tomorrow when I come to make another day.” So Father Time passed up the hill and caused the sun to rise and left Death standing by the tomb so mighty and so wise.
The next day Time passed again, “How are things?” he queried. “Kind of quiet.” Death replied, “I’m getting a little wearied. But I won’t be here when you come back about this time tomorrow. I’m anxious to be on my way to spread more grief and sorrow.”
But the next day Time passed again and was quite surprised to see Old Death quivering on the ground in frightful agony. His eyes were set, his face was marred his cloak in disarray. It wasn’t hard for Time to see that Death has had his day. “What happened Death?” asked Father Time. “What makes you look so bad? I’ve never seen you look this way, so weak and oh so sad!” Death pulled himself upon a rock, he was looking sick and humble. He hung his head and wrung his hands, Father Time could hear him mumble.
“I was sitting here at the break of day about to take my stroll. When all at once the whole world seem to rock and roll. Then the stone moved from the door and skipped on down the hill and I could feel myself becoming sick and very, very ill.
Then I saw Him standing in the door, He didn’t move or speak. And all the sudden I found myself becoming tired and weak. He came out of the grave! He took a hold of me and threw me to the ground! He placed His foot upon my neck and took away my crown!
Then He took my keys away from me and placed them on His side. Now I must go and face old Satan and tell him that I lied. For I made a vow to Satan. I promised to hold Him down. But with a power like I’ve never seen, Jesus came forth out of the ground!”
This is my Christmas Eve message for the Canyons Church tomorrow night, just thought I’d go ahead and post it now because it’s going to be crazy times the rest of the week.
I love Christmas Lights!
How many of you have ever gone for a ride in the car with family just to look at Christmas lights?
My family has two traditions that we have done for as long as I can remember..1, we drive around for hours on Christmas Eve to look at lights, We would always end up downtown Chattanooga looking at the windows at the EPB and then go over to the park and hand out Gloves, hot coco, hand warmers and stuff like that to all the homeless folks there.
You might do the same thing with your family…OR, you may have some other traditions, but now matter what we never really “look” at Christmas lights during the day…Because light shines best in the darkness.
I want to share with you a old old story that will help us see what the real lights of Christmas really are!
Getting older we often miss the trial of Christmas for the Christmas trials. I believe that it’s also true that we can miss the lights of Christmas for all of the Christmas lights!
So tonight we travel back in time to a very dark dark time where light shined so wonderfully bright.
Judges 7:15-22 (NLT)
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord.[a] Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!” 16 He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. 17 Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. 18 As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’” 19 It was just after midnight,[b] after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. 20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. 22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away…
This was a very dark time in Israel’s history. Gods people have been long away from God and as a result the times are hard and dark. Many terrible enemies threatened to tear Isrieal apart. One such enemy was the Midianites. They would sneak into Israel and steal all of thier food! Well God raised up a man named Gideon, he was Gods chosen to be the deliverer and he is in big time trouble! The Midianites which numbered in the thousands were surrounding then and ready to destroy them…
Now I’m sure you are asking yourself WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS ON CHRISTMAS EVE! Hang on…Stay with me, I’m going somewhere with this, I promise!
God gave Gideon a plane to defeat the enemy.
At the sound of the trumpet blast and the light that blazed out from the torches the enemies were afraid and the turned and started fights each other and some ran away! You see, light shined in the darkness and the darkness couldn’t overcome it, or comprehend it, or extinguish it!
John wrote in chapter 1 and verse 5 of John..”The life-light blazed out of darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out!
And yall that exactly what happened at Christmas! God sent his son into the dark world t shine His light so that men would no longer walk and live in darkness.
So tonight we celebrate that Christmas light of all lights-who is Jesus Christ! He was born into this world to be broken, that out of His life light would shine so we could see the truth that God is real and that God is good.
Now listen to this verse and tell me what you think.
We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
That verse tells us that the light of Christ is in us. our bodies-our clay pots, like the ones that Gideon gave his men. So the question for us all to consider tonight is, the jars of clay had to be broken right. So here is what we need to think about this Christmas season.
Are we broken so the light of Christ can come shining out?
What does that mean JC?
Well, to be broken means to do God’s will instead of our own. My wife and I have a Yorkie that named Goliath when we were trying to “break him” we did that to get him to obey us instead of doing what he likes to do. When he is broken it means he will obey the rules of the house instead of his own.
Jesus told us in Matthew 5:16 to let our light so shine before all men that they may see our good works and praise God!
So, how do we let our light shine? We obey God instead of ourselves! And when we do WE SHINE!
God wants us to shine all year long, not just at Christmas so that he can send people who don’t know Him to see us. So that they can see and appreciate His light in our lives!
So here’s what we’re going to do tonight before we close in song.. I want you to think about something that you want to do better this year. Also, think about something that you don’t want to do anymore s that we can shine!
And we want to offer that to God as a gift and then when we do, we will in a symbolic act break our glow sticks and watch the light shine in this room filled with darkness.
My prayer has been for years now…for Real Revival! Not a week of meetings that we call “revival” but a Real move of God! As I have been studying revivals of the past one thing stands out to me. Is that I am sick of reading about revival. Don’t get me wrong I love reading about all the amazing things God has done in the past, But I’m longing to experence real God sent revival..Not emotions or setting..but a move of God that messes up our plans and thoughts about what “it” should look like..we will just know. Souls will be saved. Sin will be called out. a REAL MOVE OF GOD!
Requierments for genuune revival are Humility and Prayer.
D.L. Moody said ” We ought to see the face of God every morning before we see the face of man”
What is your ambition in life today? Is it to get rich? Is it to make a name for yourself? Is it even to do some wonderful thing for God? Listen to me…The highest desire that can possess any human heart is a longing to see God.
J. Vernon McGee in his book, “feasting on the word” “Feeling better has become more important to us than finding God”
Larry Crabb-on Finding God. “Most people are looking for the church that has the right music, the right programs and the answersfor all of thier problems…and all of that is more important today than seeking God”
A.W. Towzer–from his book “in men who met God. ”If we yearned after God even as much as a cow yearns for her calf, we would be the worshipping and effective belivers God wants us to be. If we longed for God as a brige looks forward to the return of her husband, we would be a far greater force for God than we are now
So what does it mean to “seek my face”? Seeking God is a sincere and persistent eddort on the part of the seeker to reach out to God in order to enter into His presence!
So How do we “seek God”?
I. Through Prayer. Hebrews 4:16 Then go boldly to the throne of grace, and obtain mercy and grace to help you in time of trouble.
With a prepared heart.
In Humility
Wholeheartedly
Willingly
With Diligence and Faith
Daily
Early
So what exactly is revival?
“An extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.” (Richard Owen Roberts)
“God breaking in and upon and over His church like ocean waves upon the shoreline rocks.” (Jonathan Edwards)
”Revival is the Church falling in love with Jesus all over again.” (Vance Havner)
“Revival is a community saturated with God.” (Duncan Campbell)
“A revival means days of heaven upon earth.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
“Revival is ultimately Christ Himself, seen, felt, heard, living, active, moving in and through His Body on earth.” (Stephen Olford)
“Revival is God purifying His church.” (Erwin Lutzer)
”Revival is that strange and sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring, re-animating, and releasing them into the fullness of His blessings.” (Robert Coleman)
”Revival is a sudden bestowment of a spirit of worship upon God’s people.” (A.W. Tozer)
”A true revival means nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness and selfishness, and making God and His love triumph in the heart and life.” (Andrew Murray)
“Revival is the reformation of the Church for action.” (Max Warren)
”Revival is God revealing Himself to man in awful holiness and irresistible power. It is God’s method to counteract spiritual decline and to create spiritual momentum in order that His redemptive purposes might be accomplished on earth” (Arthur Wallis)
“Revival comes to the church when we are thoroughly possessed with the hope held out in the gospel—and that hope is Christ Himself.” (David Bryant)
“Revival is an extraordinary work of the Spirit that invades the church to reenergize us with God’s eternal purposes in Christ Jesus.” (David Bryant)
REVIVAL
I feel a strange sensation Stirring in my heart I can feel that something big Is just about to start We Christians have been praying For revival in the land I now can sense the moving Of God’s Almighty Hand Lost souls are all around us The field’s of harvest, white We need to pray around the clock For we must do this right Pray ye without ceasing I hear the Master’s call Remember children, for the lost I did give My all I am coming very soon I hear the Saviour say You have so very little time Today could be the day It’s not my will that one should die Lost souls now you must save Revival in the land we need God’s Holy sweeping wave Change my heart, oh Precious Lord Help me now to see Revival in the world today And that it starts with me.
This is an awesome blog post by pastor Perry Noble in Anderson SC www.perrynoble.com check out his site!
The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 2 Chronicles 2:5
Solomon had a vision…it was to build someone to show the world that his God was different, that He was greater and more powerful than any other “god” on the planet.
Honestly, I believe church leaders should have THAT SAME PASSION…to work as hard as we can to build a work that SCREAMS to the world that our God is different…that He is GREATER than all other “gods.”
With that in mind I am specifically praying for 15 things for the church…
#1 – That our church services would be a reflection of the fact that Jesus is alive, not dead!
#2 – That leaders would take what we do seriously and not EVER allow things to slip into cruise control.
#3 – That we will understand that the creative potential in HIS CHURCH is greater than the creative potential in the world! Disney created a mouse…GOD created the Grand Canyon…HE HAS THE TRUMP CARD!
#4 – That we would have a heart for the same things that God has a heart for!
#5 – That we would meet people where they are and actually answer questions that rhey are asking rather than thinking they actually want to know more about where the Hittites came from!
#6 – That we would challenge people with God’s truth instead of worrying about how many people MAY get offended.
#7 – That our view of God will INCREASE…because the GREATER we see that He is the GREATER things we will attempt in His name. (People who have small vision often have a small view of God.)
#8 – That we will STOP doing church for the already convinced and begin doing it for those who are far away from God.
#9 – That we would embrace an Acts 15:19 mindset by NOT giving people a list of rules but rather teach them how to have an active, vibrant relationship with a HOLY GOD!
#10 – That the church would actually begin to minister to “one another” rather than depending on “paid professionals” to do it all.
#11 – That our agenda would be Jesus and HIS KINGDOM and not a particular political party.
#12 – That we would model John 13:34-35 to a world that is ALWAYS changed when they see these verses in action!
#13 – That we would reject the notion that God deserves “just enough” and instead we would offer Him the very best we’ve got!
#14 – That we would STOP looking for a formula but rather seek God and HIS agenda for our church!
#15 – That we would spend LESS time declaring what we’re against and more time living out WHO we are for!
He is a GREAT GOD…far greater than ANYONE or ANYTHING on this planet. And we as the church are called to point other people to that greatness…and I think our church services are a great place to begin displaying that truth to the world. (Yes, it DOES go beyond the doors of the church…but it has to start somewhere!!!)
I’m going to post over the next month or so sermons that I’ve been preparing for a series that I’m going to preach someday called ” When a God encounter happens EVERYTHING CHANGES” This is #1 in the “God Encounter Blog Post”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun”
In the book of Mark 5:1-13 we find a dude that was filled with a legion of demons…the bible calls him the Demoniac:
A legion = Wikipedia says…The size of a typical legion varied widely throughout the history of ancient Rome, with complements of 4,200 legionaries and 300 equites in the republican period of Rome, (the infantry were split into 30 maniples of 120 legionaries each), to 5,200 men plus auxiliaries in the imperial period (split into 10 cohorts, 9 of 480 men each, plus the first cohort holding 800 men).
Needless to say this fellas was pretty messed up!
Until he had a God encounter!
Text Mark 5:1-20: Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man
1 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes.[a]2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil[b] spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. 3 This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.
6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
9 Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.
11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”
13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.
14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 1617 And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns[c] of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
The Gospel changes people from the inside out.
I. Chained, Crying and cutting himself
Here is the first Cutter in history… This guy picture is on the devils business card for a few reasons…
a. He was Living in isolation (tombs)
Why did he dwell in the cemeteries and among the tombs?
1) He was bound by unclean spirits and was living a nightmare. I can imagine that he wanted to be free but could not break free from their bondage. His every thought was to get rid of the control that Satan had over his life and I wonder how often he desired to be dead and in one of those tombs forever. Anything would be better than the life that he lived. For this reason he would find broken stone from the monuments and the graves and use them to slit his own wrists, or cut himself to allow the blood to flow and get rid of his diseases and afflictions. He grasped at straws and tried anything he could.
2) Picture a naked crazy man who lives in the tombs. I’m sure this was a sight to behold…Every moment night and day you’ve got a crazy man running around the grave yard butt naked screaming and cutting himself with stone…
3) The cemetery was the only place where he could find escape from the persecutions of the people in the country. How many times they had chased him down and tried to restrain him we do not know. But one thing is for sure; they had tried many times and failed. He was better off living among the dead than among the living. At least for a few moments of time he could find peace when he was alone in the darkness of night, among the dead, where no one would come to bother him.
THIS IS ONE RUDE, CRUDE, DUDE IN THE NUDE!
b. Uncontrollable (chains)
If he was alive today he would probably be in an institution of some kind…
When I look at the condition of this demoniac and all that he faced I can only come to one conclusion. The only reason that this man was still alive is that in the foreknowledge of God, Jesus knew that one day, this demoniac of the Gadarenes would come to Christ and find deliverance. God had kept him through it all. Like it had been in the days of Job, God had allowed Satan to go so far, but no farther. God loved that demoniac and he was going to make sure that Satan didn’t destroy him before he could find eternal life. And have His God Encounter!
c. Self-destructive
The bible doesn’t tell us how long he was in this situation, but you’ve got to imagine that this guy at some time in his life…Had a Family a job some friends…but now he has nothing…
We don’t know why some people have to go so far down before they can look up and see Jesus!
Perhaps the demoniac wasn’t ready until that very moment when Jesus walked onto the shore of Gadara to finally fall on his face before the Lord seeking deliverance.
Not sure what the choices he had made that led him to this point in His life. Alone, naked, with no hope..But for this guy his life is about to change he is about to have a God encounter!
II. Cleansed & Changed!
It is a wonderful thing to know that no matter how far from God we may run, we can’t run so far that God won’t move Heaven and earth to get to us if we will just run to him and call out for help. Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost. The very Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, stepped out of the portals of glory and into a dark, evil world and one of the purposes in his journey was to find this man of Gadara and set him free.
When Jesus boat gets to the shore and he steps off something very interesting happens…
a. Mixed response (“ran to him”/”leave me alone!”)
Mark 5: 6 But when he saw Jesus He ran to him
Take note of something here – when that demoniac saw Jesus he ran and worshipped him.
No unclean spirit could stop him.
No devils in hell can keep us from coming to Jesus.
If we truly want deliverance; if we truly want salvation; if we truly want to be free, no power in hell or on the earth can stop us. Jesus made a way and the door is wide open to come to him. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Even the demons that were in this man knew who Jesus was they ran to him
I ‘m so thankful for the “BUT GOD” statements in the bible...Romans 5:8 BUT GOD gave His love to us when we were still sinners!
It’s all because of Jesus we are alive!
b. Jesus casts out “Legion.”
This man that is full of a massive amount of demons and they come to Jesus
And Jesus begins to speak to the legion inside of him.and cast the legion of demons into some pigs that were feeding on the grass near a cliff….
FYI<>this is where we get deviled ham from!
Jesus did the same for you and me.
We may not have been bound like the man of the Gadarenes, but we were bound by chains of sin.
No power of man could deliver us. We could try to bind the sin by doing good deeds but somehow that sin still broke free and condemned us. We could try to wrap human kindness and our own version of love around that sin and declare that it was controlled, but sooner or later those strong cords were shattered and we were reminded that sin still reigned in us. We could confess our own goodness, but deep inside we knew we were liars. Satan’s strong cords of sin had us bound and there was no escaping the inevitable end.
IV. Commissioned & challenged
He has this man who “no one could tame” clothes and sitting is his right mind!
Don’t tell me that you can’t live for Jesus – You can if you want to! Jesus has given us all the power we need to overcome anything that comes against us. If all those demons had to flee with one word from the lips of Jesus, what makes us think that we can’t defeat the devil by calling upon the name of the Lord? Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. If he overcame the devil then, he’s still the victor today.
I love the fact that this dude, wanted to follow Jesus..But Jesus told him to “GO HOME & TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHAT GOOD THINGS THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU”
I have learned this, when you encounter God He will leave you life changed COMPLETELY From the Inside out!
One encounter with a Holy God can do more for you than 1000 sermons could ever do.
When you have a God encounter no one will have to tell you that you did.. YOU WILL KNOW!
when you encounter Him…He gives you a radically new identity, freeing us from both self-righteousness and self-condemnation.
Thank God for Mercy and Grace…!
Mercy is God ministry to the miserable. Do you feel alone? empty? weak? Turn to Jesus…He is waiting here for you, he is saying…”come to me just as you are” I’m here for you..
This could be your defining moment… This could be the time in your life where God’s preparation and opportunity meet to provide a meaningful God experience for you.
I want you to read a few real life encounters that people have had…I found these on www.mygodencounter.com
Dan’s Encounter:
I had a lot of problems while growing up. My home life was a mess and I was picked on and rejected at school. I was depressed and angry and believed “I” was the problem. I didn’t know how to handle my emotions and would lash out when provoked. At age 14 I started using drugs and alcohol as a way to drowned my feelings. By 18 I had multiple steady habits and was selling to provide for them. I couldn’t deal with reality so I’d use what ever I could to get away from it. I was using hallucinogens so often that I became paranoid and delusional. I’d then use more drugs to try to get rid of those thoughts and feelings. I played in bands, hung out in bars and was only sober a few hours a day. Through music and selling drugs I gained popularity and people wanted me around. I was in the position I thought I wanted to be in but I still wasn’t happy. I felt like I was playing a role… I wasn’t me. I could go through the motions and fool people around me but inside I was empty and hurting. The more hopeless I felt the more wreckless I became. I was moving deeper into darkness and almost didn’t make it out. One night my body decided it had enough. I had 5 different drugs plus alcohol in my system and it shut down on me. My heart stopped beating and I couldn’t breathe. A fear like I’ve never felt came over me. I tried to make it outside for some air and I fell out on the concrete. I believed in God and the devil, but it was never more real to me than at that time. It’s hard to explain but I felt that Satan was there when I went unconcious. I also had the feeling that Jesus was there and was the reason my life was spared. From then on saw things from a new perspective. I understood that my way of life was killing me. I needed to know who Jesus was and why he let me live. He had a purpose for my life and I wanted to understand it. I cried out to Him and He was there for me in a real way. Since then things have only gotten better. I am able to live in reality and deal with my emotions without leaning on drugs and alcohol. I’m steadily learning more about who God created me to be and don’t have to play a role anymore. He gave me a beautiful and amazing wife to go through this journey with. Most of all I have a relationship with the true living God who saved me.
Jackie’s encounter
I was raised up in religion and I thought I had it down, even though my life was no different than my atheist boyfriend. We were both sexin, druggin, and clubbin. I was at the peak of my party life and didn’t have a care in the world. I thought stealing from shops was the norm and that I was invincible. I took a lot of risks and put myself in danger for the sake of personal satisfaction. I thought I was a good person compared to the others around me and didn’t need to change a thing. But my definition of being a good person kept changing based on what I justified for myself. I really wanted my atheist boyfriend to believe in God so we could have a serious relationship, not even realizing that I didn’t know God myself. One day in the quiet of my room, I prayed a sincere, honest prayer to God that he would reveal himself to my boyfriend. A week or so later I got the biggest shock of my life! Both my boyfriend AND I had a real experience with Jesus Christ that would change our lives forever! God made himself so obvious! I never knew he could be so personal and intimate. It seemed like my eyes were open for the first time. Immediately the things I used to do seemed empty and worthless compared to the thrill of engaging in communion with the God who created the whole universe. I wanted to know Jesus Christ more than anything else. I began to change because I wanted to do the things that pleased God. I was reading the Bible and seeing it in a whole new light. My prayers became alive, like I was communicating with someone so close to me. My boyfriend and I got married and from that day we have been drawing closer and closer to Jesus. It has been an incredible journey.
…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun
Yesterday morning my little family went to Oakwood Baptist church Chickamauga GA:oakwoodbc.org And heard Pastor Darrell Henry preach an awesome message on “Heaven”
Well, As I sit here at 6:08 am after a long sleepless night due to a baby up and crying~ I’ve been thinking about heaven, my future home & one thing that is certain…Heaven will be my home! You could say I’m packed and ready to go!
I read a survey that said 77% of Americans believe in heaven, 76% say their chances of going to heaven are good or excellent…Mine is not a hope so or a maybe so it’s a grantee!
Ted Turner, once said “heaven is perfect, who would want to go to a place that is perfect for all of eternity…That would be just plan boring” Well, from what I know about that fell a he aint got much to worry about…
Paul said in the book of Philippians 3:20 for our conversation is in heaven
When he spoke of Heaven he was talking about a place that was Special…It’s a place beyond human comprehension. The poet is at lost for words to describe it, the artist lacks the skills to depict it, and even the theologian lacks the ability to detail it… and in the words of Dickey V…”It’s gonna be awesome baby”
Billy Sunday said in one of his sermons “If we could get a real appreciation of what heaven is like, we would be so homesick the devil wouldn’t have a friend left on this earth”
The bible calls us “Christians” Strangers & Pilgrims in the world…We are in this world but we are not of it, Heaven is out Home..This is just a temporary stopping place!
One of my favorite quotes…from John Piper: “If I find in myself a desire to which nothing down here can compare I know the only probable explanation is I was made for another world”
I can’t wait for heaven!
I love the song that I’ve heard my whole life….
There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come, no more clouds in the sky no more tears to dim the eye; all is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore what a day, glorious day that will be!
Even so come Lord Jesus I pray…
Are you ready to go to heaven?
Are you sure that heaven will be you home?
If you were to draw your last breath here in this earth where would you be?
If you’re not sure, shoot me an e-mail I’d love to talk with you and share with you a life changing message!
The next time you feel like God can’t use you, just remember…
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer… AND
Lazarus was dead!
This is a great sermon I just read by pastor Ray Scott…Enjoy:
God is good … I remember this song from childhood…”God is good all the time, he put a song of praise in this heart of mine..God is good, all the time through the darkest nights His light will shine, God is good. God is good, all the time”
We find the GOODNESS of God as a reoccurring theme in the Scriptures - Psalm 100:5 -
“For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
God HAS to be good … it’s His very nature to be good.
Because God is good:
o We receive pardon & forgiveness.
o He hears our prayers.
o We can experience fellowship with Him.
o We can trust in Him that whatever happens in our life is based on His goodness.
SOMETIMES, we don’t SEE the goodness of God … ESPECIALLY when something BAD happens to us. When we experience a heartache, a tragedy, a disappointment … it SEEMS like God isn’t GOOD. OTHERWISE, why would God allow this to happen to us … if God is GOOD? If God is GOOD, then why the tragedy of 9-11? If God is GOOD, then why did my Dad die of cancer? If God is GOOD, then why all the suffering, not only in the world, but in my life. If God is good why did I loose that Job… (you can name them)?
BUT … EVERYTHING that God does … is GOOD! When God created the world, He stopped and said “It is good.”.
Part of our problem is that we spend too much of our time COMPLAINING about the 10 BAD things … and not enough time REJOICING over the 1000 GOOD things. YES, 9-11 was a tragedy … BUT we could be living in a place where it happens every day. YES, I lost my Dad to cancer, BUT I enjoyed 46 good years with him. YES, I have had heartaches & tragedies & disappointments in my life, BUT my GOOD GOD was there to see me through every one of them.THE GOODNESS OF GOD:
I. GOD IS THE STANDARD OF GOODNESS
How do you determine what is “good” … and what isn’t “good”? What is the STANDARD for “goodness”?
Read: Matthew 19:16-17
The Rich Young Ruler had everything money could buy … he was living the GOOD life. One day he comes to Jesus and asked him 19:16.
Jesus wants to teach him the STANDARD for “good” … 19:17a
The Rich Young Ruler didn’t know what “good” was. He thought it consisted of “good things”, “good circumstances”, “good feelings”. He even thought that being “good” would get him to Heaven (19:17b-20).
Anything that is GOOD, comes from God. If it’s not from God, it isn’t good. If something isn’t good, it didn’t come from God. It doesn’t matter how good it looks … how good it feels … how good it tastes … if it doesn’t come from God, it isn’t good. AND … if it isn’t good, it didn’t come from God.
BEETS didn’t come from God … BUT chocolate did! There will be no BEETS in Heaven! Adam & Eve had no BEETS in the Garden of Eden … they came after the fall of man … a result of the CURSE upon the earth! BEETS will be the main course in Hell … Heaven will be full of chocolate.
GOODNESS IS NOT DETERMINED BY EXPERIENCE, BUT BY ITS SOURCE.
EXPERIENCE is not the STANDARD for GOODNESS. James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
II. GOD TURNS BADNESS INTO GOODNESS
Somebody might say: “How can God be good when thousands were killed in 9-11. I can’t believe in a God who would allow that.”
Let’s say you were right … and that God isn’t good … and that He really doesn’t exist. You’ve still got thousands of dead people. Getting rid of God didn’t solve your problem at all!
How do we answer the fact that God is good … yet bad things happen? ANSWER: If it isn’t good, then it didn’t have it’s source in God. YES, God is sovereign … He is in control. God ALLOWS bad things to happen for reasons that we don’t have a clue. BUT … God didn’t participate in their sin in any way, form or fashion. God is good!
Our problem is, we use the wrong STANDARD for “goodness” … we use OUR standard. OUR standard is: “Good” is whatever is “good” for me. We say: “I am the standard for GOOD”. GOD says: “I am the standard for GOOD.”
The PROOF of “goodness” isn’t in the EXPERIENCE … it’s in the SOURCE. Nobody likes to get a SHOT … but it’s GOOD for you. Dentist …. Surgery …
God’s GOODNESS doesn’t mean that BAD things won’t happen to you. We live in a bad, evil world. BUT … because God is GOOD, He can take the BAD things, and bring eternal GOOD out of them … IF … we let Him. Romans 8:28.
We always want to blame somebody for the BAD things that happen to us. God is always handy, so we blame Him a lot. “If there is a good God in Heaven, how could He let this happen?” What are we really saying when we blame God? We are REALLY saying: “Since God didn’t act the way I thought He should … He is either WRONG, BAD, or DOESN’T EXIST.” BUT, you can’t really be mad at a God you don’t believe really exists, can you?
See how foolish this is? Are you going to believe in God ONLY if He acts like you want Him to? You would be better off carving a god out of a piece of wood … or chipping one out of a rock. Are you going to form your opinion of God from how He acts IN RELATION TO how YOU would act if YOU were God? You would be better off worshipping YOURSELF … since you’re putting yourself on a higher level than God. You’re determining what is “good”. You’re setting the standard for what is “good”. NO! God sets the standard for “good”.
God is GOOD … ALL THE TIME! AMEN? It doesn’t matter what happens to you, it could have been worse.
Dr. W.T. Watson used to tell this story at Trinity College. “There was a preacher who, no matter what bad thing you said had happened to you, he had the habit of always saying ‘It could have been worse!’ One day a man in his church decided to put a stop to this and attempted to stump ..his Pastor at the door after the service. He told his Pastor, ‘I had a dream last night’, to which the Pastor replied ‘It could have been worse’. The man went on, ‘I dreamed I died’, to which the Pastor replied, “It could have been worse.’ ‘I dreamed I died and went to Hell’, the man stated. The Pastor replied, ‘It could have been worse.’ He thought he had the Pastor this time. ‘Pastor, what could be worse than dreaming you died and went to hell?’ The Pastor replied, “It could have been true!”
It doesn’t matter what happens to you … “It could have been worse.” Ain’t God GOOD to have not allowed it to be any worse? AMEN?
Romans 8:28 – all turn
I don’t always know what “good” God has in mind when He allows tragedy, heartache & disappointments to come into our lives. I don’t know … BUT … I don’t have to know. What happens in my life may not BE good … it might be tragic & terrible. Maybe I can’t see any purpose in it at all.
BUT … What does this verse say about what I am to “know”? I may not be able to SEE how it is working for good … or FEEL LIKE it is … or UNDERSTAND HOW it is working for good. BUT … I am to “know” that it is! I need to look at it from God’s perspective … not mine.
Don’t ever think that God’s GOODNESS means that bad things won’t ever happen to you. God is GOOD … BECAUSE … HE takes the BAD things that happen to you … and brings eternal GOOD out of them. I may never SEE the “good” that comes out of it … this side of Heaven. OR … I MAY. BUT … I can “know” that God means it for “good” … OR … He would never allow it to happen.
God knows what’s best. God has one up on us … He’s OMNISCIENT! You & I can only see things in the PRESENT tense lens … God sees things with the ETERNAL VIEW lens. God has a lots better view from Heaven than I do in Bell, Florida! What happens to you & me may not BE good … but it IS working together FOR good. AND … I can “know” that … when I put my faith & trust in a “good” God.
CONCLUSION:
Ain’t God good? God is good … all the time. That’s His nature … He HAS to be good. God has given you & I so much more than we DESERVE … AMEN? If we got what we DESERVE, we wouldn’t have driven to church in our fine automobile (“It could be worse!”). We wouldn’t have such fine clothes (“It could be worse!”). We could be in the finest hospital or the finest jail in Florida. We could be lost and bound for an eternity in the Lake of Fire.
Ain’t God good? AMEN?
We’ve gotten into the habit of saying: “THIS is good!” (A promotion, a raise, a gift, a pleasure in life, CHOCOLATE!) We should get into the habit … whenever something GOOD happens to us … instead of saying “This is good!” … saying “GOD is good!” AMEN?
How can you make God’s GOODNESS … REAL in your life?
o Don’t judge God by YOUR STANDARD of “goodness”.
o Don’t judge God by whether He does what YOU want Him to do.
o Don’t judge God by how YOU would run the universe if YOU were God.
God says: “When you start creating universes … and control the tides … and keep the planets in orbit … THEN I’ll come to YOU for advice … THEN I’ll let YOU determine what is “good”. IN THE MEANTIME, we need to trust in the GOODNESS of God.
This is an awesome sermon that I read this past weekend as I have been here in TX resting and waiting…In my reading and praying the one word that seems to keep coming up, is the word Wait.
So waiting is what I’m doing.
I read this sermon by PASTOR STEPHEN MUNCHERIAN. From: May 9, 1998
I pray it blesses you as it has me today.
This morning we want to talk about what it means to wait on God. There are many times in our lives when we wait – and we wait – and we wonder what God is doing – or if He’s doing anything at all.
We have questions like – When will my children return to the Lord? Or, Doesn’t God have someone out there for me to marry and why is He taking so long to bring us together? Or, How can God allow this situation to go on? Why does God continue to allow me to suffer? Overwhelmed by the demands and pace of life – we ask questions and wonder when God will give the answer.
This morning we want to focus on what to do while were waiting on God. With God – waiting is always an adventure – never passive – always productive.
In a minute – we are going to come together to Psalm 27:14 – and talk about “waiting” – Before we come to Psalm 27:14 – I’d like to set this verse in to the context of David’s life. David was someone who understood – by experience – what it meant to wait on God.
In first Samuel 16:1 we read that the Lord said to the Priest Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? – Saul was still alive and king of Israel – but his sins were so bad that God had rejected him as king – and Samuel was really upset – God says – Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.” So the Priest Samuel goes to the home of Jesse – a man of no great rank – living in the little town of Bethlehem. And there Samuel asks to see Jesse’s sons. Its hard to imagine what this must have been like – like Ed McMahon and Dick Clark showing up at your door and handing you a check for $10 million. Only this is better – God has chosen one of your sons to be the next king of Israel.
And so, I imagine with a certain amount of excitement and nervousness, Jesse begins introducing each of his sons to Samuel. Its like a beauty pageant – or a king pageant – each son is a contestant – one of them will be chosen to be the king. There’s a procession in which each son is made to pass before Samuel. Each son comes – beginning with the oldest, Eliab – then Abinadab – then Shammah – and so forth until 7 of Jesse’s sons have been introduced to Samuel. And each time a son is introduced God says to Samuel, “This is not the one I’ve chosen.”
So Samuel says to Jesse, “This is it? Isn’t there another one?”
“Well,” Jesse says, “There is one more – he’s out watching the sheep. But, he’s just a boy.”
So David was brought in before Samuel – and Samuel, the High Priest, took his horn of oil and anointed David as king – right there in the presence of his father and older brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David. Dramatically, we see the promise of God: “David – I have chosen you to be the king of Israel.”
For about 20 years that promise hung over David’s life – and the relationship of David and King Saul. Because Saul was still king.
For about 20 years there was this strange love/hate relationship going on between David and king Saul. And, its not hard to imagine David wondering what God was doing.
On one hand David was Saul’s trusted servant – his musician, whose music would soothe the spirit of the king. David was Saul’s armor bearer. David married Saul’s daughter Michal. He became the best friend of Saul’s son Johnathan. David was a mighty warrior – the commander of thousands – who risked his life many times to defend Saul and the people of Israel.
And yet – whenever God blessed David – Saul became more jealous – more fearful. Saul placed a death sentence on David. And David fled for his life – living in villages – fields – mountains – the cave of Adullam – and even the countryside of his enemies, the Philistines. A fugitive on the run.
For 20 years there is the promise – “David, I have chosen you to be king over Israel.” And there must have been times when David wondered if he had misunderstood the promise.
Even after Saul dies – there’s civil war between the House of Saul and the House of David. Until finally – after all this hardship – and all these years – the promise is fulfilled and David becomes king of Israel.
What does it mean to wait on God? David writes in Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!”
Waiting on God means that we:
1. WAIT WITH EXPECTATION
David says, “Wait for the Lord.” The Hebrew word for “wait” is “qäwâ” – which means to wait in eager expectation with our whole being.
What do we expect from God?
I recently read a story about a salesman who had a flat tire. It was a dark rainy night – and the salesman had a flat tire on a a very lonely road. To his dismay he didn’t have a lug wrench – he couldn’t get the tire off to change it. Seeing a nearby farmhouse, he set out on foot with the expectation that the farmer would have a lug wrench.
As he was walking the salesman began to think to himself – Will the farmer even come to the door? And if he did, he’d probably be furious at being bothered. He’ll say, “What’s the big idea of getting me out of bed in the middle of the night?” This made the salesman angry. Why, that farmer is a selfish old clod to refuse to help me.
Finally, the salesman reached the farmhouse. Frustrated and drenched, he banged on the door. “Who’s there?” a voice called out from a window overhead.
“You know good and well who it is,” yelled the salesman, his face red with anger. “It’s me! And you can keep your old lug wrench! I wouldn’t borrow it if it was the last one in the county.”
What do we expect from God? Should He operate in our time frame – in the ways we understand – to bring the fulfillment we think is best?
Lately, I have become one of those people who waits to the last minute to board and airplane. I wait because I don’t like getting trampled.
Have you noticed this? In the waiting room? The boarding call goes something like this: “Ladies and gentlemen we are ready to begin boarding flight 3002 for Outer Mongolia.” And at that point almost everyone grabs their bags – checks their tickets for the 15th time – and starts eyeing the competition – all these other people they have to beat to the gate.
“Ladies and gentlemen – we’d like to begin boarding our first class passengers – those traveling with small children – and anyone needing special assistance” At this point I figure pretty much everyone needs assistance. No matter what seat they have – there’s this crushing movement to the gate.
Unless you’re flying baggage-class on Southwest – everyone has their seat assignment – their seat will be waiting for them no matter when they board the plane. And there are people who really do need help getting on board. But it doesn’t matter. We’ve been waiting – we want to go now – we’re moving to the gate.
Biblical waiting involves eager expectation. But expectation that is tempered with the understanding that God – in His time – in His way – will move – but only when its best to do so.
God has our seat assigned – He’s assigned the gate number – the flight number – the type of aircraft – He knows the route and the destination. There is a certainty – we will go. He will take us forward. He will fulfill His promises to us.
While waiting – Are we expecting His answer – and are we willing to wait for Him?
Secondly – waiting on God means that we:
2. WAIT WITH COMMITMENT
David says, “Be strong” – the Hebrew is “häzaq” and has the idea of a conscious – dogged decision to stand firm – to dig our heals in: No circumstances – no interval of time is going to move us from what we believe.
In Ancient Greece, to prevent idiotic statesmen from passing idiotic laws, lawmakers were asked to introduce all new laws while standing on a platform with a rope around their neck. If the law passed, the rope was removed. If it failed, the platform was removed.
How firmly are we convinced that God will fulfill His promises? How strong is our faith in God?
The apostles – James and Paul – were beheaded by the sword. Simon, Philip, and Andrew – were all crucified. Peter was crucified upside down. Mark had his feet tied together – was dragged through the streets – and was thrown in a dungeon to die. And then – they burned his body. James was stoned. Matthias was stoned and beheaded. Thomas was run through with a spear.
In the last hours of His life, Jesus was alone in the Garden of Gethsemane – sweat pouring like blood from His brow – agonizing with the spiritual war He was fighting. He called out to God to free Him, but He was willing to face what He was called on to do.
A few short hours earlier, in the Upper Room – Jesus had spoken of His confidence that God would win the victory. That confidence never changed because of the circumstances. He never found His own solution to the cross. And, God did bring the victory.
This is the type of commitment we’re called to. Maybe not martyrdom – but obedience – trust – regardless of circumstances or intervals of time.
Some people ridicule this type of faith. They would rather follow Benjamin Franklin’s advice: “God helps those who help themselves.” We are very clever people. And in these pauses between promise and the movement of God – we’re tempted to find our own solutions – to become involved with things God never intended us to be involved with.
Those who are mature in their faith know this – God does bring the victory. And, they are willing to wait for Him.
Waiting on God means expectation – God will move. It means commitment – to hang in there and trust God for His coming promise.
Thirdly, waiting on God means:
3. WAITING WITH COURAGE
David writes, “Let your heart take courage” – The Hebrew is “amets” – literally, “strengthen yourself.”
Imagine soldiers on the battlefield, during a cease-fire – scattered – wounded – ammunition spent. There is no idleness. There is an urgency to regroup. To take stock of what remains. To distribute supplies. To bandage wounds. To use the time wisely to prepare. To gather strength for what comes next. The cease-fire will end. The enemy will come.
God gives us times of waiting, to prepare – to take stock of the resources He has given us. To equip ourselves – to regain our focus.
Sometimes we’re rushing all over the place – working 25 hours a day – running after kids – ministries and programs – all the things that life is full of – and we have needs – and we pray with expectation. And we wonder, where is God?
David tells us to look around and see what God is already doing. Strengthen what we have. He gives us abilities and talents. Are we developing them? Are we using them in service for Him? Are we developing spiritually? How is our prayer life? Do we have quality time in Bible study? Today, are we living in obedience to God?
One example: For years we prayed for a spiritual awakening in Armenia and the Soviet Union. For the spread of the Gospel. But, in the period of waiting for God to answer our prayers – what were we doing to prepare for when He did answer our prayers?
When communism fell and the doors to Armenia were wide open there was a cry for Bibles and Christian literature. And we didn’t have any. Its taken us almost 10 years to catch up. But while we were praying we could have been preparing.
If God brings an awakening here – in San Francisco – will we be ready? We pray for revival – are we preparing for God to answer our prayers?
With God – waiting is always an adventure – never passive – always productive. Waiting on God means expectation – God will move. It means commitment – to hang in there and trust God for His coming promise. Waiting on God means that we are preparing – to be ready with what He has given us. Because He will fulfill His promises. He will answer our prayers.
David writes, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!”
Times where your problems seemed so big and your faith seemed so small?
Times where you felt so swamped and so afraid that you were going to be taken over by the storm?
take heart I think we have all had feeling like that at some point in our life!
It’s been said that your are either in a storm, going into a storm or just coming out of a storm.
To be in a storm you just have to be occupying space… I get mail at my house that just says “occupant”–it doesn’t matter who lives there it just mail for the occupying party. That’s how storms are, they will come without reason and sometimes without warning.
Jesus’ disciples were no different they encountered storms…
Mark 4:35-41. As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Peace Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
Some major points that we can apply here, between our Spiritual Storms and the Disciples Physical storm.
The first point that I see, is that:
I. THE STORMS WILL COME!
– Even if everything is going great right now, I want you to remember to have faith in Jesus, because the storms will come. It only takes a split second for everything to change for everything to be flipped upside down. Maybe you lose your job, or a family member is in a serious accident, or a tornado rips apart your house, you fill in your own personal storm_____________________, because the list goes on and on and on.
For the disciples it wasn’t a spiritual storm, but rather a physical storm. When they left the docks that evening, everything was fine. However it only took a split second for things to go horribly wrong. The winds picked up and the waves crashed over the boat, and the disciples were afraid. When the storms come they bring a few things
1. Emotions of fear
2. Anger
3. Frustration
4. Uncertainty.
If we know that the storms will come, we have to ask ourselves the next question-
How do we deal with these storms when they come?
a few things we need to do is
1. Never give up.
We need to take the storm that is plaguing our life for what it is, and that is a test or trial or temptation. We must remember to never give up!
2. Deal with the storms is to keep focused.
It’s so easy when times are hard to lose our focus from the things that are really important or the tasks that we need to accomplish. And isn’t that how Satan traps and entangles us? By putting other things in our life to break our focus and to make us lose sight of our goal. Sure it is! That’s why we need to keep focused.
3.We must remember!
We must remember to have faith in Jesus! With faith in Jesus we can be assured that no matter how bad things get, the storm will not stick around forever. And that leads us to our next point.
II. THE STORMS WILL GO!
We can always take hope in the fact, that no matter how bad things get, the storms will pass.
Jesus’ disciples saw the same things. They thought that this storm may last forever, or at least long enough to put an end to them. But what do we see from the story, the SON not the SUN come out and calms the winds and the waves and the storm that they were so worried about is over.
And isn’t that the way it usually goes! When we realize that we can’t do it on our own, that’s when we ask for help. That’s when we start looking for Jesus. And why do we do that? We do that because we know that Jesus will always be there to calm the winds and the waves of our spiritual lives. He will always be there to strengthen and comfort us.
But one question that I have, is what do we do with Jesus after the storm is gone? And here is an answer that I think shouldn’t be missed. We must remember to put our faith in Jesus! Now you might be asking yourself, why should I put my faith in Jesus? The storm is already over. Well the storm may be over, but Jesus is still there! And that leads us to our third point.
III. JESUS ALWAYS REMAINS
Just because Jesus is there in the storms of your life, that doesn’t mean that you can’t look for Him in the good times. It doesn’t mean that you should only ask for His help and guidance in the bad times, because He wants to be there when things are going great. He wants to share in your joys as well as your sorrows. When I tell you Jesus always remains, I mean always!
When we look at the disciples in the story, at what time did they go and get Jesus. It was when times were really bad, it was when they had no place else to turn.
It’s amazing to me how fast people turn to God when life gets out of control…Some prayed when:
911 happened
The election results came in
When the doctor called and gave you the news about the lab work
When your date comes home and you pray that mom won’t pull out the photo album…
We have songs about prayer in troubled time..JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL!
What I think is importnant here is that we have a life of prayer, so when the storms of life hit you wont be going to God for a little help…It will be a real realationship
Abraham lincon said: the next time you are swept off your feet fall to your knees and pray
D. L. Moody said: Every great move of God can be traced back to a kneeling figure
Phillip Brooks said: Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. pray for powers qual to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle
When the Storms come we must remember to put our faith in Jesus, because He will help us through tough times. When the storms go we must remember to put our faith in Jesus, because He will help us put our lives back together, strengthening and encouraging us alone the way. And finally we must remember to put our faith in Jesus, because Jesus Always Remains! Won’t you let Him in during the good times and the bad. I would challenge you today to always let Jesus remain in your life. And remember it’s because HE LIVES that We can face tomorrow!
