Know The Enemy, He IS Real

Now you are on a journey to know God. You must also know the Enemy.

One of the biggest accomplishment that the Devil ever accomplished was convincing the world that he doesn't exist. This is a very true statement. Hollywood would have you believe that the Devil, if he were real, would be a red wrinkled face, horned head, tail waging, pitchfork wielding, demon straight from hell.

Why? The reason he wants people to think that he is nothing but a made up nightmare is simple. If there is no Devil. Then there is no sin. If there is no hell. Then there is no reason for a God. If there is no consequences for your actions, then there is no reason for a Saviour. No hell, then no heaven. No Devil then no God. No sin. Just do as you will.

As we have discussed in the past, he needs do nothing to coerce you into doing anything. You are already his. All you have to do, is NOT accept the Christ that IS Jesus. That's it. Live as you will. Do as you will. There is no need to change a thing.

It's like you, having two twenty dollar bills in your pocket. I take one, and put it in my pocket, and walk away. Which bill are you thinking about? The one in your pocket? Or the one in mine? Chances are, you are really angry that I took one of your bills. You want it back. You want me to stop taking your bills. You are thinking of ways for me to stop taking your bills. The last thing you are thinking about is the one in your pocket. Why? You already have that one. No. You are concerned with the one that got away from you. By me.

Satan is the same way. He doesn't care about you if you already belong to him. He cares about you once you leave. He will do whatever he can, to make sure that you do not take anymore from him. So that's when you really have to be careful.

To attempt to keep more people from leaving to begin with, he tries to convince many that he doesn't even exist. That is also why the false premise of who and what he is. He is NOT a demon straight from hell. Truth is, if he was to appear in a church today, as he truly is, many would most likely fall at his feet thinking he was Jesus himself. In Isaiah 14, it tells us a wealth of information that you may not know.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The first thing you need to realize is that he is called Son of the Morning. He was the fairest of all the Angels. He is beautiful. He is majestic. He would appear to many as Christ himself. Not some red wrinkled face, horned head, tail waging, pitchfork wielding, demon straight from hell. But a vision of beauty. He hasn't changed. he is who he is.

Second, "I will ascend into Heaven." Which means what? If you were to say, I will go into that house, that means you are not there. Right? He said in his heart, I will go into Heaven and I will put my throne above God's. He wanted to become God. He was cast down. He failed. A third of the Angels followed him. They failed as well. THIS is the whole reason there even is a hell. For him and his followers. It was never intended for us.

Now we see how Satan works. Does he send you nightmares? Does he get in your face and threaten you? Does he yell and scream? Growl? Nope. He suggests. He whispers. We see this after God created Mankind. He was jealous of us. He was the first Angel. He and his followers were God's FIRST creation. They were the ones. Now, because of their disobedience, God started over. That is the gap between Genesis one and two. So in Genesis 3, we see him in action for the first time.

1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Now again, did Satan make her do it? Nope. Did he make Adam take it and eat of it with her? Nope. He simply told her a half truth. He lied. But he was calm about it. He fed into what he knows she desired. To be like God. He knew that Adam was the same. And to get Adam to sin, he used Eve.

You see, the devil will not force you to do anything. He will make whatever you desire seem obtainable. He will make something seem right. He will whisper in your ear. He will feed your desire. He will not however, tempt you with something that has nothing to do with you. I do not do drugs. I do not drink daily. I have been known to have an adult beverage from time to time. Do not misunderstand. I'm not against drinking adult beverages. Neither is God by the way. Jesus drank wine. As a matter of fact, the first miracle Jesus did was turn water into wine at a wedding. The Bible even tells us in 1st Timothy 5:23

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

So I'm not anti drinking. I am anti drunk. So please understand what I'm saying here. I do not drink daily, nor do I ever use drugs. So the devil is not going to show up at my door with a six pack and a bag of Pot and say "Hey, lets party." Do you do drugs? Are you an alcoholic? If so, he MAY show up at your door with them. But he will not waste his time at mine.

Are you addicted to Porn? If so, you may be walking in the mall. All of a sudden, you may see a girl wearing a see through top with no bra. Or just a girl walking through the mall wearing next to nothing in general. Now that imagine is in your head. You go home, turn on the Computer, and there you go.

This is how he works. He does not tempt you with things that will not tempt you. He knows you. He knows what buttons to push. He knows how to whisper in your ear, and what to say. He does not FORCE you to do anything. It is still ultimately YOU, who decide to do it or not. To give in or not. To sin or not.

Can he do whatever he wants to you? Nope. Why? Because he is NOT God. He needs God's permission. Think about that. Look at Job. in Job 2

1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

Think about this for a second. There are set days when "The Sons of God," remember this is before Jesus came giving us the opportunity to become Sons and Daughters of God ourselves, had to present themselves before God. In other words, give an account to God, about what they have been doing. Here comes Satan himself. Walking in to present himself before God.

2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Again, he is not in Hell. He is not in Heaven. He is in the World. He is ON the Earth. He is not locked up yet. Do not buy into Religious teachings or Hollywood that want to tell you any different.

3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

Now God knows he was messing with Job. God understands that Satan HATES anyone that loves God. Does He say to Satan, "Stop messing with him. He believes in Me and he is Mine?" Nope. He lets Satan answer the question. Satan says this.

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Satan said, "Put forth YOUR hand now, and touch his bone and flesh. You see, Satan told God to do it. Why? Because Satan can do NOTHING without God's permission. God said, "Behold, he is in your hand." The only thing God told Satan he could not do, was take his life. He did not give Satan authority over Job. He said Look, he is already in your hand.

That is a powerful Truth. What does that mean? Job, like us, was in the world. He was, as we are, flesh. Remember, God created the world, and gave all authority of it, to us. Adam gave our authority over the world to Satan, in the Garden of Eden. Since then, Satan has become lord over the Earth. So the Spirit of Man can become adopted into the Family of God, which means we live forever. However, while in the flesh, in the world, we are in Satan's hand. We are subject to the things in the world and of the flesh. That is why the fruit of the Flesh, or the works of the flesh, and mankind's heart, is evil.

So Satan goes out and tempts Job. He inflicts his body with sickness and disease, turns his family and friends against him, and does many other things to Job. But Job endures it all, never loosing faith, and is HIGHLY rewarded for doing such. 

Look at Peter. One of the Disciples Jesus loved the most. The Same Peter that was the only other man in recorded history to walk on water. Yes he did. When they were in the ship and Jesus came walking to them on the water, Peter walked on the water also, until he allowed doubt to creep in and then needed Jesus to save him. According to Matthew 14

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

This is the same Peter that Jesus said in Matthew 16: 18

 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

This is the same Peter who said to Jesus that he would die for him. He would go to hell with him. The same Peter who cut off the right ear of Malchus, the High Priest's servant, when they came to take Jesus in the Garden to crucify Him. Jesus said THIS to Peter in Luke 22:

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Imagine that. One of the most faithful people ever to walk the earth. One WITH Jesus always. One that Jesus told on him he would build his church. That same Peter, Jesus said, Satan wants you. Peter may have been thinking something like Jesus was going to say, I told him no. Don't worry Pete, I got ya back. But he didn't say that. What did he say? I pray that you are strong enough to with stand whatever it is he throws at you. He said, yup. Actually he most likely said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand."

You see, even Jesus himself, while with us, in the flesh, was tempted by Satan. In Matthew 4

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Notice the first temptation was that of what most people see as a necessity. Food. Jesus was fasting. You could say He was seeking first the Kingdom of God. Doing God's work. Remember, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added onto you?" So Jesus was hungry, and Satan, KNOWING he could, tempted Him to break his fast. To turn rocks into food and eat. But Jesus responded...

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Now as it is written in Romans 8, remember? Nothing can separate us from the Love of God. That nothing can in fact kill us? Not the Spirit. That nothing ever formed can do our Spirit any harm. Also know this. Satan KNOWS the Word. He was there when it was written. He can quote the Bible chapter and verse. He KNOWS God and has, and continues to, see Him face to face. Does that make him good? Just a side note to my 'holier than thou" friends out there. But Jesus said this...

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Now this one is important to understand. Again, Satan IS the lord of the earth. He told Jesus, I will give you all this, all you have to do is worship me. The promise of riches. A temptation even back then. But he would not be able to tempt Jesus with this, if he was not able to deliver. You see Satan can tempt Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world, because they belong to him.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Notice a couple of things here. First, who is it that Satan tempts? Is it those who do not know God? Nope. It is the faithful. He doesn't waste his time tempting those that already belong to him. he doesn't have to. Remember what Jesus said to the holier than thou crowd back in the day? Remember what he said to the "religious folks?" The Priests and Scribes. In John 8 he said this...

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Then in Acts 4, Peter told the High Priest and Rulers, the religious folks, this, talking about Jesus....

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Remember, hell was never intended for man. We get there by choice. By not accepting the gift that God gave the world through Jesus. In Matthew 25, Jesus said this...

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

All you have to do to join the Satan and his angels is not accept the gift. That's it. You can be as religious as you want to be. You can do whatever you chose to do. But if you do not have the key, you can't go through the door. Therefore, Satan has no need to tempt you with anything.

So what is the key? Asking God to forgive you for your Sins and accepting His gift. Accept Jesus's sacrifice for you. Allow His blood to be your blood. His death to be your death. His resurrection to be YOUR resurrection. He died so that you do not have to. He died so that you may live. All you have to do is accept it. Ask for it. Say this prayer in your own words.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

Now the other thing you need to realize here is this. It took Jesus THREE times to resist the devil before Satan left Him. Three times. Are you greater than Jesus? Becoming a Child of God, does not mean, you can now walk on water. That you will sit on your couch and a bucket of money will drop out of the sky and you will coast through life without another care in the world. No. It means Satan will now tempt you to attempt to keep you from leading anyone else away from him. But I've got good news for you. You are NOW a Child of God. Being a Child of God, you have the power and the authority to resist the devil and all his temptations. In James 4:

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Now notice this also. "But he giveth more grace." in other words, his grace is not sufficient to over come your Sins. It is MORE than sufficient. It does not say you get only what you can handle. It says you get MORE grace than anything you need. MORE grace than is needed to cover your Sins. All you have to do is resist the devil and he will flee from you. In 1st Peter 5:

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Again, the Word does not declare that you, now as a Child of God will have a free ride. All will be peachy. That you will no longer be tempted of the devil. No, as a matter of fact, NOW is the time you will be. However, you have more than enough grace to overcome it. You have God on your side. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. When you successfully over come the temptations, you will be "perfect, stablish, strengthen, settled"

11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Until next time, God bless, and Jesus IS Lord!

Your Needs Will Be Met

Sometimes we forget who we are, and we fear. But God says, Fear Not, your needs will be met.

If you have been with us over the past couple of weeks, you know we have talked about who God is. That God is a God of love, and not some old man sitting on a throne, waiting for you to mess up, just so He can condemn you to everlasting torment. He is your Father. He Loves you. He wants nothing but the best for you, both in this life, and the one that follows.

Last week, we talked about who YOU are. Both in a world sense and the way God sees you. We talked about the difference in being a creature by God, and a Child of God. The difference in walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit. I gave you this prayer to pray, in your own words..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

Then we talked about who you are now. A Child of God. Adopted by the Spirit of God. A Heir to all things that is, ever was, or will be. The God that created all, is now your Daddy. As you remember in Romans 8 declares:

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

And?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So we are now Children of God. As a Child of God, NOTHING can separate us from the love of our Father. NOTHING. However, we still live in the world. from time to time, we allow the things of the world to creep in. We start concentrating more on how we can get ahead, or make more money in our Jobs. We worry about paying the rent or Mortgage. We worry about paying the Electric Bill. Can we afford that new car? ETC.

We get so caught up in the stuff, of this world, that we forget our Father, is GOD. When you forget that very important fact, you can allow the same fear that everyone in the world has. What next? What will tomorrow bring? How will things work out? What must we do?

Jesus tells us how we should pray. He gives us what has become known as the "Our Father" Prayer. However, lets actually look at what Jesus said. First, he did NOT say, just recite this prayer multiple times during service and all will be find. As a matter of fact, right before he gave it to us, he said THIS in Matthew 6:

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Then he said THIS:

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

After this manner Pray. "Our Father, which is in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name." You are to recognize God. Acknowledge HE is the God of Gods, Lord of Lords. Honor his Godliness. Do just use him as a symbol or an icon of religion. Recognize that HE is GOD. That you are talking to him as you would your Earthly Father.

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." In other words, recognize that it is God's will that is the most important. Not what you feel like. Or the way YOU think things should be, but God's will. All is His, both here and in Heaven. He has a plan and a purpose for you and for your life.

"Give us this day our daily bread." Meet our daily needs. Ask God, of whom Jesus just told us "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." So just ask Him. He already has a plan. He really doesn't need your help.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Ask for forgiveness of your daily Sins. Yes, you still Sin daily. Ask Him to forgive you. While you are asking Him to forgive you, forgive anyone in your life that may need forgiveness. If they ask for it or not. Remember what Jesus said while dying on the Cross? Luke 22:

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

You have been adopted into the Family of God. You have received the same Spirit that was in Jesus, and are now equal to Jesus. You are a Child of God. Whenever someone does something against you, they do not truly know what they are doing, or whom they are doing it to. So forgive them so that God can forgive you for your Sins. Just after the Prayer "outline." that Jesus gave us. He said this:

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

How can we expect God to forgive us, if we are holding on to anger or ill will towards someone for doing something stupid towards us. You are a Child of God. Why are you worried about your neighbor saying something that is most likely not even true about you. Or why worry about your co-worker playing games trying to get a head. You do not rely on man. You rely on God. Do you not think he is more than capable of getting you that promotion if it fits into His Plans? Do you think He is not willing to show the truth? There is NOTHING that your neighbor, co-worker, and even boss, can do that will effect God's plans. You are part of those plans now. So why worry?

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Help us to recognize the snares of the Devil. Teach us the ways we should go. Be with us and keep us safe. Not only from the World, but in some cases, from ourselves as well. Again, give God the Praise and Glory, for He is God.

So basically, Jesus tells us to pray to our Father. Realize and give Him credit for being older and wiser than us. Give ourselves over to Him. Ask daily for forgiveness our the Sins we commit and forgive those that do stupid things toward us. Then end the prayer with praise. Back to Matthew 6

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You could even say it this way?

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

You see, God is not really all that worried with how much "stuff" you have. He is more concerned with you and your soul. He is more concerned with how YOU treat others. Are you sharing the Gospel? Are you sharing His word? Are you doing His work? If you do, don't forget what Jesus said in Matthew 19:

29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

And again in Luke 18:

29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

If we try to do it on our own, we may succeed in a worldly sense. We may become successful. We may get much stuff. But remember what Jesus warned us of in Luke 12:

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

But in this same passage, Luke 12, Jesus tells us that we should not worry of such things. Again, Your Father knows what you have need of. He said this..

22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

In Mark 10: 

27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,

30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

You see, the world doesn't like the fact we are God's Children. They do not like the fact we do not have to worry. Jesus said a few times, that the world hated him, therefore, being a Child of God, and doing our Father's will, will make the world hate us as well. But we must not take thought of what the world thinks. We are in the world not of it. We need to rely on God Himself. He will meet our needs. Mark 11:

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Think about that. This is a promise, given to us by Jesus himself. And in Luke 11, Jesus says it this way.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

We have nothing to fear folks. ZERO. As long as we are doing the right thing. Seeking first the Kingdom of God. Seeking God. Seeking Jesus. Doing His work. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. There is nothing that can even kill us anymore, being a Child of God. Even your death is now in the hands of God. Remember that story of Satan talking with God about Job? Job 2:

3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

We will talk about about this meeting coming up in a future Message. But even Satan himself can no longer kill you, if you are a child of God. So why are you worried about what Joe Schmo may do to you?

So how do you seek first the Kingdom of God. How do you get to know who God really is, and how do you learn who Jesus really is? How do you grow in Faith? Simple. Read God's Word. Get a Bible if you do not have one. Read it. Ask God to show you what he wants you to see. Find a Church that is teaching the Truth. Ask God to lead you to one. The one he wants you in.

Get knowledge. Feed your Spirit. Grow in Faith. Then ASK God, what would you have me do? It may be helping out in a food pantry. It may be as simple as sharing the Word. It may be that you should become a Pastor. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Everyone is different. But God knows who you are. He knows what you are capable of. He already has a plan and a purpose for your life. Find out what it is.

As for all this other stuff? God knows what you have need of before you do. He knows before you ask. The same Spirit that raised Lazarus from the Dead, is IN YOU! Do you really think that the Spirit is unable to find a way to feed you? To make sure you have a Roof over your head? Do you think, as Jesus said, we know how to give good things to our Children, and we are evil, imagine how much more God, being Love itself, will give his Children.

So fear not. Be of good cheer, God is your Daddy. Your needs will be met. Until next time, God Bless, and Jesus Is Lord!

Who Are You?

Not a trick question.

Are you a good person? I always thought of myself as a good person. If you ask, most will look at the question in a earthly, world sense. They would reason it out. "Lets see, I haven't been arrested. I love my spouse and kids. I give to charity, go to church on Sunday, I try to never speak ill of anyone. yes. I would say I was a good person."

In a sense, if looking at it strictly in a world sense, you would be right. However, remember what Jesus said when Peter called him "Good Master?"

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Matthew 19

Jesus, the King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega, the Lord himself, corrected it when he was called good. If Jesus did not consider himself as worthy to be called good. Then are you better than he? You see, Jesus was in the flesh, the same as we all are. Therefore the temptations of the flesh were the same for him. The fruits of the flesh would have had the same result for him, if he had given in, as they would and do for all of us.

The Word declares the very distinct difference in walking in the flesh and in the Spirit. According to Galatians 5

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 

So what are the fruits of the flesh? 

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

All these things mankind, men and women do, on a daily bases. Walking in the flesh and the things of the flesh are natural. They are human nature. The end result of them all is the same. Death. Oh society may, and has, become numb to some of them. It may even have become acceptable. Or at least seen as "no big deal." But none of that changes the fact of what these things are. Most of these are self explanatory. The others?

Lascivious? Characterized as or by expressing lust. Tending to incite lust. Look at TV? Look at movies. Go to the malls and see how our young women are dressing? The Internet? You get the point.

Sedition? Stirring up rebellion.
Revellings? To rebel or take much merry in oneself.
Effeminate? Characterized by weakness, or self indulgence.
Covetous? Excessively desirous or something. Greedy.
Emulations? To try to surpass or become equal to something greater than you.

These are all the fruits of the fresh. The works we do in the flesh. These are the normal desires of one walking in the flesh. 1st Corinthians 6: says it this way..

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

So before you accept the gift. Before you become a child of God, you will do these things. Many of the 12 did these things. These are the works of the flesh. But wait? We are all God's Children. Right? Wrong. We are all God's creation. Not all God's children. In John 8, it tells the story of how the religious folks, those that thought they were holier than thou, asked Jesus why he said they were not of God. His answer may surprise some of you. Here it is. John 8

37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

You see, even back then, many believed that we were all God's children. Especially those "born" into religion. Those said to be the chosen ones of God, just took it for granted, that they were children of God. Again, this is Jesus himself talking. he said this.

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

They became offended by this. How could this man tell them they are not of God? He told them the truth. He even told them this...

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

This is one of many things that Jesus told those who claimed to be God's children and the chosen ones, that caused them to want to put him to death even the more. But Jesus is not concerned with what you are. He doesn't care where it is you come from. He doesn't care how much money you have. He doesn't care what man-made tradition, called religion, you belong to. What he cares about is YOU. Who you are as a person. What he cares about is a personal relationship with YOU.

Look at the people God chose? Noah got drunk, David had an affair, Moses was disobedient,Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Martha was a worrier, Jonah rand from God, Peter was a hot head, Thomas was a doubter, Matthew was a tax collector, but I think the best example is Paul. More on Paul in a few.

The point is this. God is no respecter of persons. It doesn't matter what religion you belong to. It does not matter what social class you belong to. It does not matter your Race. What matters is simple. What is your answer? What is your decision? Will you or won't you. Ephesians 2 declares:

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

What God cares about is what you are willing to do NOW. Not your past. Not your Sin. But are you willing to accept His gift? Are you willing to change your ways? Look at John 8

4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

They sought to stone her. They wanted Jesus to condemn her. What did Jesus do?

7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Now here is a women, caught in the very act of adultery. Yet, Jesus did not condemn her. He forgave her and allowed her to go forth and "sin no more." he wasn't concerned by what she did. But what she would do.

Lets look at Saul? Do you know Saul from Tarsus? Acts 8

3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

Acts 9:

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

You see, Saul, was equal to the most vile of humans. He was equal to Hitler in every way. His sole purpose of existence was to kill and enslave God's chosen people. He was really good at it. But that day, on the road to Damascus, everything changed. He became Paul. You know, the one that wrote a lot of the New Testament.

So again, God does not care what you have done in the past. He does not care what you are doing as we speak. What he does care about is that one on one relationship with you. His desire is for you to get to know him. To seek out Him and His will for your life. He does not consider what we feel is good, bad or, indifferent. He cares about YOU. He cares if you are willing to hear Him.

Look at Matthew. He he was, sitting at the "Table of Customs" In the middle of his sin. When Jesus came up to him and said two words. Matthew 9

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

"Follow me." Did Matthew say, "Well, who are you?" Did he ask why? Did he reason the pros and cons? Nope. He said "yes." He rose and followed him, leaving everything behind. So you see, even though we are not good. Even though we are all sinners. God loves us. He wants to save us from ourselves. He wants a relationship with us.

Look at Ephesians 2 again.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

There is nothing you can do to be saved. It is a gift from God. John 3 declares:

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

And:

16 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.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Romans 8 declares this.

1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Now again, the works of the flesh are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and the end result of which is death.

So what are the fruits of the Spirit? In Galatians 5:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Read that again. There is no law. There is no conviction. When you walk in the Spirit, you can not do the deeds of the flesh, which are under the law. They will convict you. They will find you guilty unto death. But NOT the fruit of the Spirit. Back to Romans 8:

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those that are in the flesh, can not please God. There is nothing you can do to win favor in God's eyes if you are walking in the flesh. There is nothing you can do to be saved. No amount of what we call good, can overcome the Sin we live in, just by being born. So how do you become a Child of God? Through His gift. Accepting The Christ Jesus. In John 11

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

That's it. That's all there is to it. In John 14 Jesus gives us this good news.

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

So once you receive Jesus, he receives you. He sends you the Spirit of Adoption. THEN and only then, do you become a child of God. Then and only then, can you walk, not according to the flesh, but the Spirit that is now in you. Say this prayer, in your own words.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

Part Two. Who Are You NOW?

Now back to Romans 8

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Now remember, you once walked in the flesh. Doing the deeds of the flesh, because that is human nature. Now that you are of the Spirit, you are no longer bound by the flesh. You are now a completely new creature.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Before you accepted the Spirit you were NOT a Child of God. But the good news is, if you have accepted Jesus, you are now. Here is the good news you should rejoice in.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Think about that for a second. Seriously. Imagine a worldly Royal family. You have the King, Queen, and the kids. Who are the kids? Prince and Princesses. They are Heirs to the Throne. All that their family rule, they are next in line to inherent.

Now think about God. he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. The creator and ruler of all things. You have just become his Heirs. You are now part of the Family that is God. Your Daddy, is the King of Kings. Think about that.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

This you really need to get. Highlight in in your Bible. Write it down. Memorize it. Know that this is the absolute truth. This is who you are now. No matter what the world may say. No matter what anyone else may say. No matter what you may see happening at this present time. THIS is the absolute truth. Take comfort in knowing this.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Think about that. The only reason you heard about God, Jesus, perhaps even stumbled upon this Blog, is because God CALLED you. I'll say that again. The only way you can find God, is if he CALLS you. Now he who he called, he sets up a plan and a purpose for their lives. Need more good news?

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NOTHING! There is NOTHING that can steal away your salvation. NOTHING can separate you from God from this point on. So why worry about your neighbor? Why worry about your Boss and what they might think about what has just happened to you today? Why worry about much of anything?

You were once "dead man walking." Now you are a Child of God. You once were under the Law. Now, there is no Law. The Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings, is your Daddy. Rejoice and be glad in that. If you do not have a Bible, go get one. If you do not have a church, pray that God, your Daddy, leads you to one He wants you to be part of. Get to know Him. Get to know all the good news and promises that now apply to YOU.

Now next week, we will be talking about how the Word declares, that now, as a Child of God, your needs will be met. You see, sometime we forget who we are. I did. We forget that we ARE the Children of God and when we forget this, we fear. But fear not. Be of good Cheer, for God says, your needs will be met.

Until next time. God bless. And Jesus IS Lord!

Who Is God?

"In the beginning, God"

To believe in anything greater than self, greater than what can be seen, heard, or touched, one must believe in God. To accept reality, one must believe in God. To believe in Science and Math, one must believe in God. To understand life itself, one must believe in God.

The truth is simple. There are two predominant theories of why we are here. One, evolution. Second, creationism. One, is scientifically, and mathematically impossible. The other, many say takes too much faith to believe in. I submit to you, that to believe in evolution, you would have to possess much more faith than to believe in God.

Evolution would have you believe that there was nothing. From nothing, came one single cell organism, and that one single cell organism formed into EVERY life on the planet. Hot blooded, cold blooded, trees plants mosquitoes, man, etc. EVERYTHING.

Now science and mathematics both prove this false. Nothing from nothing is nothing. Nothing to nothing is nothing. You must first have something to be added. Second, DNA and other scientific breakthroughs PROVE that we are not all related. Hot, cold blooded, Trees, people, fish, ETC. We are all unique and can not have evolved from one cell. So to believe in evolution, you have to have faith that what science and mathematics prove false, actually happened.

So we have God. God said, BANG! There was life. God said, there is Man. God created all that is, was, and ever will be. God IS. If God is, then we are nothing more than part of his creation and to truly be happy, must get to know who He is and what he wants for us. That age old question. Why are we here? Who is God? What can we do, to get to know Him?

So lets look at God. God is not, some old man, sitting on a throne, demanding your respect, or he is ready to condemn you to and ever lasting damnation. Sorry. He's not. Let me introduce you to God. Not some form of God created by the traditions of man called religion, nor by the mind of some fiction writer weaving a story. No, I want to introduce you to the real God. The God who loves the world so, he gave his only begotten Son to die for all mankind.

God created us. We sinned and turned out backs on him. He wanted to wipe out all his creation for the second time, yet found ONE man faithful. Noah. Because of Noah, mankind was given a second chance.

"And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Gen 6:13

Noah followed what God said, and we were all spared. Every time you look up in the sky and see a rainbow, know that this is God's Promise to Noah.

10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 

13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. Gen 9:10-15

So having established a new covenant with the one man on earth, that God found faithful and just, God could by no way destroy us all. Even though, again, being all of one accord, one language, one mindset, we turned our backs on God again. We fell into the same temptation as Lucifer, and attempted to enter into Heaven itself. It was called the Tower of Babel.

Gen 11

"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech."

Because of this, they could, being of one accord, accomplish this quest. God created the Races.

6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Ever since this time, Racism and division has existed. But this was still not enough. Man's heart was continually evil and the imaginations of it were as well. God gave us his Ten Commandments, not to make our lives more difficult, but to keep us safe and in good graces with Him and the ways He established for us. We forgot these Laws. So he sent Profits to warn us. Entire Races of people ignored His will, and reaped the fruits of their disobedience. Then, he decided there was only one way. Jesus.
God laid down His Godhood, and became flesh.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14

John 3:16?

16 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.

Keep reading...

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

See we see signs in sporting events. On TV. All over the place. John 3:16. But most of the time. That's where it stops. You see this is true. God loved the world so. Did many things to attempt to save us from our selves. The only thing left for him to do is pay the price for us. So he sent Jesus, God in the flesh, to suffer all sin and death, that we may live. However, in this very simplicity, mankind still finds a way to get lost. They seem, many, to think, it can't be this simple. But it is. As it goes on to say?

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Notice it does not say, God said, believe on Jesus or be sent to hell. No. It says, believe in Jesus, and be saved. There is a big difference. You see, God does not say, believe or else. He says believe or else there is nothing more for you to do. You are ALREADY condemned. You Condemn yourselves, by not accepting the gift. 

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Lets say you are in debt. You are about to lose your home. I come in and say, I understand you are in debt. You are about to lose your home. You owe a price you can not pay. Here I am. I will pay it for you. Take this briefcase full of money. There is more than enough to pay your price, and even make the rest of your life one of ease.

You have a choice to make now. Say yes. Take the gift. Save your home and live at ease. Or? Say no. Do not take the gift. You lose your home and suffer many things. Did I condemn you to this? No. You CHOSE it. By not accepting the gift I have for you, what was about to happen, happens. I do not hate you. I am not vengeful toward you. I'm not punishing you. You CHOSE to reject my gift.

Look at the hot stove. You are cooking. Your child comes up and goes to touch the stove. You tell your child, "No. Do not touch it. If you touch it, you will be burned." He touches it. He gets burned. Did you burn him? No. You simply told him what would happen because you wanted to spare him the pain.

God is the same. Look at Romans 8

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

So it is God who justifies who you are. It is God who sees your heart and knows your will. He is the one that makes you whole, and pure. Able to accept the gift of salvation. Does it then mean it is God that also condemns? If you do not do what he says, he will throw you in the lake of fire? No. What does it say? 

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

You see, God condemns NO ONE. He created Hell for Lucifer and the third of the Angles that followed him.

Matthew 25

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

In Isaiah 14

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

Revelations 12?

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

And in Revelations 20

9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Hell was never intended for Man. It was created for, and exists for the devil. However, we all have free will. We can chose to accept the gift of life, which is simply accepting Jesus, or we can chose not to. If we chose not to, then we go down the same road. We chose the same path. We reject God. He does not reject us. It is by our own actions that we are condemned, or it is by the grace of God, through the blood of Jesus, we are saved.

Continuing in Revelations 20

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Again, who is it that is written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Those that accept the Lamb. Those that accept his sacrifice for their lives. His death that they may live. God is a God of Love. He created you out of love. He will not condemn you, of which he loved so, he gave Jesus to suffer all that is. Did He do this just to justify sending you to everlasting condemnation? Everlasting torment? He has given you the simplest way out. He has even paid the price for you. All you have to do is accept it.

So the next time you hear that God is a God of hate, and vengeance, just waiting to condemn anyone that does not obey him to everlasting torment, know this. It is a lie. Understand who God really is. The only way to fully understand God, is to get to know him. The only way to get to know him, is accept the gift that is the Christ Jesus and his sacrifice for you. Whereby you can then receive the Spirit of Adoption, and cry Abba Father.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8

If you are hearing of these things for the first time, please, take a second. Say this prayer in your own words.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. You have just become a new creature. You have just been adopted into the family of God. Get to know him. If you do not have a church, ask Him to lead you to the one HE wants you to be a part of. Get Baptized as a outward profession of your faith. Get to know His word, and keep it. For it will keep you.

Until next time, God Bless, and Jesus IS Lord!

The Importance Of The Knowledge Of Truth

What Is Truth? 

Truth is. Plain and simple. Nothing else matters. Truth is. Everything else is perception. Everything else is interpretation. Truth just is. It doesn't have a desire to be justified. It doesn't have a desire to be glorified. It cares not for your opinion or acceptance. It just is, if you believe in it or not.

Take the glass. Half of the glass is liquid. Half is taken up with air. That is the truth. Now some see it as half full. Some see it as half empty. Some call the liquid in the glass as water, since it is clear to the eye. Some call it alcohol. Some say they do not know what it is. Others may attempt to explain the emptiness of the glass as being oxygen. Some suggest that it is CO2. Some, may even say it may be helium.

Then you have those that attempt to justify the glass. Where did it come from? Why is it there? What is the purpose? Is there a deeper meaning than, it is? Some may even argue that the glass is not really there. That it doesn't exist. However, none of this changes the fact that there is a glass. None of this changes the fact that in the glass there is liquid taken up half the space, and there is an absence of liquid taken up the other. That is the truth.

Now many that accept the glass, are right. Those that reject the glass are wrong. In the glass, the liquid is water. Those that accept the fact that it is water, are right. Those that thought it to be, or claim it to be anything else, no matter how clever they may think they are, are wrong. The truth is. Anything else, is not the truth, therefore, wrong.

So those that accepted the truth, those that are right, was it the glass that justified them? What about those that were wrong? Was it the glass that condemned them into false perception? No. The truth is. It really is this simple.

Truth in all things exist. The importance of knowing the truth is simple. Once you know the truth, you will never fall for the lie. You know your name. That is truth. When I was born, I was given the name Peter. That is the truth. If someone came up to me and said, "Your name is Bob." they would be wrong. I would understand that they are mistaken, or, if after corrected, they continue to call me Bob, I will then know that they are lying and have no desire to know the truth. So I would no longer waste my time attempting to correct them.

This is a faith based Blog. The things that are posted here are base on the Truth. The Truth according to God. If this sort of thing offends you, please continue on to another site. It is not my intention to offend. Everything posted here will be lead by the Spirit, and backed by the Word of God. This is not about me. It will have very little to do with me. I am but a vessel to partake truth and revelation according to God. If you become offended, please consider looking more closely at yourself. Research it yourself. Seek out the truth. Remember, it is. It matters not your acceptance. That is why I encourage you to NEVER take anything you see here, or, just blindly accept anything, anyone, ever, tells you, as absolute fact. Seek it out for yourself. If you know the truth, you can never be mislead.

The intent is to post a weekly faith based message. It should most likely appear here on Sundays. However, that does not mean things will not appear at anytime. I do encourage you to feel free to contact me at anytime at the Email, opntalk@gmail.com. You can also leave a message, comment, or share testimonials here on the Blog. I have enacted the modification option, mostly for spam, but assure you that I will post whatever you send in within reason. No hurtful, personal attacks. If someone shares here, they will be supported. If you do not feel you can conduct yourself in a common curious manner, then perhaps you should abstain from participation. We are to teach, help, and heal each other in the Kingdom of God, and in the Family of God. Learn from one another, strengthen one another, and be the family God wants us to be. If that is your desire as well, Welcome.

My Story

One of the very few times I will talk about myself.

My name is Peter. I was born August 17th 1969. I have pretty much always known God. Well, I have always known that God exists. I never accepted that all there was to life was going off to school, work, paying bills, and going home. That reality had to be more than merely existing.

I grew up in small town America. A little town, hamlet really, called Salisbury Mills NY. It was a different time. I do not believe that my Grandmother even had locks on her door. My earthly Father left when I was 13 months old, therefore I never knew him. Myself, Mother, Aunt, all lived with my Grandmother and Grandfather in a big three story home.

Growing up was the best time of my life. My Grandmother taught me the importance of caring for others. We always had a big, Thanksgiving style Dinner on Sundays, where we took turns bringing dinners around town to certain others that had no one to cook for them. Me and Billy would be outside and playing all hours. We never had to worry about the evils in the world. We would just live. Play. Have fun. Get involved. I would not change a thing.

My Grandmother also "made" me and my best friend, Billy, go to Sunday School on Sundays. We were in church plays, took part in bake sales, learned to sing songs, and where to find the Books in the Bible. My Grandfather had Parkinson Disease, so Grandma didn't go often, but she did attend the big occasions. With the help of others, in my early life, even Grandpa made a couple.

However, I did not really understand who God was, or who Jesus really is, until I started, completely unintentionally, a Spiritual quest. I was 19 years old. I was working as a Security Guard at a local Mall. I was working with two individuals. Both claiming to be Christians Both claiming to be "Born Again." Both telling me two COMPLETELY different things.

First was a young man named James. He told me that he was attending a church in the inner city. When I asked him about it, he asked me "Ever see the movie "Blues Brothers"?" Yup. He said that's it. Signing, dancing, healing. Praising God for hours. It was a true celebration. Every Sunday. He told me about Jesus dying for me, and that I had to be born again, and receive the Holy "Ghost", speak in other tongues, to be saved. I agreed to attend. It was, without doubt, an experience. Not really my cup of tea.

Then there was an older gentleman named Dwight. He shared with me that,,, Jesus die for me, and that I had to be born again, and receive the Holy "Spirit", and learn the ways of God, to be saved. I asked him about this "speaking in tongues" thing, and about Baptism. He told me that speaking in tongues was simply changing your language to speak on spiritual thing. He showed me where the Bible talks about it serving no purpose to speak unknown tongues. If people, including you, do not understand what you are talking about, what profit does it have. Good point. So what about this Baptism thing? He told me that it is a step of obedience and an outward sign of my Faith. That I was showing the world that I decided to accept the gift that is Christ's sacrifice through the water Baptism. He told me that God Baptizes with the Spirit. But that man could by no means do that. He invited me to attend his Church. I did.

Now this was the Church I knew. Sing songs. Sit, listen to the Teacher teach. It was indeed, through that church that I accepted Christ into my life, and was indeed Baptized in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now about this time, I hungered for knowledge. I wanted to grow in Faith. I wanted to learn all I could. I still listened to James, and heard of amazing things that God was doing, not just in my life, but the lives of many around me. Then I started seeing supernatural things happening all the time. Things that had no other explanation but God. Perhaps I will share some in time. However, there was one, that was a major shift in my journey.

One day, while working now as a Corporate Investigator, a young lady that worked for one of the businesses I was part of, came to me and said.. "Pete? I know you go to church. I understand that you know about this God stuff. My Sister, who is ten years old, has just been diagnosed with Cancer. Could you ask your church to pray for her. Please."

Of course. So I asked to meet with the Pastor. I asked him if he thought God gave man the power to heal. He said, to my absolute shock, "No." I asked him to explain. He told me that he believed that the signs and wonders of the Bible were that. In the Bible. They were only granted to the 12 to justify them and prove that they were truly sent by Jesus and that when Jesus was raised from the dead, the Miracles ceased. Still amazed, I asked if the church could at least pray for the little girl. Of course.

So that Sunday the Church did pray. The following week, the young woman came out of nowhere and wrapped both arms around me, sobbing. I thought the worse. I asked her how her Sister was. She said that they just came back from the Doctors who had to run extra tests, because they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Her Sister? Completely Cancer free. An answered prayer for healing, from church that doesn't believe in healing. THAT is God.

So my growth in faith began to take off. Many more things happened that showed me God is good. God is alive and well. Yes, God still gets involved. There really are true Miracles happening every day. I found myself having to move on from that church, do to the lack of believe from the Pastor, and found myself investigating Religion itself. I spent time in Catholicism, Judaism, Eastern Religions of various types. Then one day, I heard as clear as you would hear me talking to you now, "Stop trying to learn from the creature. Learn from the Creator." Also "If you want to know God. Ask him." From that day on, that is what I have done.

This is a new beginning for me. I allowed life to interfere, for far too long. It's time to get back to Faith. It's time to once again share the Truth. You want true hope and change in your life? "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33