“If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”              — Mary Pickford, Canadian actress

If you have a strong, unwavering faith in the Lord, He will guide you, even in the least productive times in your life.  You are still God’s child, in times of success as well as in times of failure.  He continues to love you (and me) even through our difficult phases.  God does not hold your transgressions against you, as the world does.

Romans 8;1-3 NIV Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man.

He promises to give you new life, even when you have failed in your endeavors.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

But what must you do? You must trust God with this promise. You may not know what the future holds for you, but this is where your faith must kick into gear.

Having faith in God will keep you on the right path even in the midst of failure.

“There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.”          — Elbert Hubbard, American writer

*** Questions listed were taken from A Faithful Failure by John Stanks.

The Impact of Christian Blogging

With the explosion of blogging across  internet today people blog for different reasons, as the trend continues to grow we are seeing more and more Christian blogs and people who classify themselves as Christian bloggers.  Why would one become a Christian blogger or focus just on Christian blogging?

Christian blogging or reading a Christian blog can affect the life of those who write it and those who read it as well. Someone who begins a Christian blog does so with a purpose. That purpose being to spread the word of the Lord. This will impact their life far beyond just words on a page. God will speak through them and guide them not only in the development in their blog but with everything they do in their daily existence. Writing a Christian blog is more than just writing a blog geared towards the values of God, it’s a heartfelt ministry.

Christians are called by the Lord to begin this ministry as per His will. Being so chosen by God to spread His word will change and impact everything they now do in their daily existence. They will now have a closer relationship and they will lead their life according to His purpose, things will never be quite the same.

As you can see beginning a Christian blog is truly an act of love and devotion, but what impact does it have to those who choose to read it? Because of the fact that the Christian blog is a blog full of words spoken from God, it has the distinct possibility to speak to those who read it as well. The only prerequisite is that the reader must have an open heart. The Lord is capable of effecting the lives who those who seek Him, even through something as simple as a blog.

The Lord can show them that to follow His word and His teachings will change their lives in more ways that they can possibly imagine. All this can be achieved through an online weblog, more than possible if you have faith and believe in the Lord’s blessings.

A  believer who pens a Christian blog and those who are open enough to read it can truly have their lives impacted and changed through the Lord’s strength and love. Not just a simple journal but a journal that can bring both the reader and the writer closer to the one who loves us the most.

Easter is coming.

For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever you’re doing and take this opportunity to consider the following:

THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.

At the time, crucifixion was the “worst” death.  Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified.  Yet it was even  more dreadful for Jesus, unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.  Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.

The nails were driven into His wrist..  Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There’s a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder.  The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the  wrist that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breath.

Both of His feet were nailed together.  Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross.  Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain so He was forced to  alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breath.  Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage.  Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering?  A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds.

From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side.  But do we realize His wounds were actually made in his body.  A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped
and an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.

But before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and beaten.  The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body.  The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face.  The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp.  Most men would not have survived this torture.

He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds.   The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood.  Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood;

He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of  thorns on His head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His chest.

All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own  cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where His hands were nailed).

Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you can have free access to God.  So that your sins could be “washed” away.   All of them, with no exception!  Don’t ignore this situation.

JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!

For you, who now read this.   Do not believe that He only died for others (those who go to church or for pastors, bishops, etc).  He died for you!

It is easy to pass jokes or foolish photos  by e-mail or a link but when it comes to God, sometimes you feel ashamed to forward to others because you are worried of what they may think about you.  Accept  the reality, the truth that

JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.

God  has plans for you.  Share with your friends this link and what Jesus experienced  to save us.

John 1:1-3 & 14 ……. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him (the WORD) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made .The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Genesis 1:1-3 ……. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, (the WORD) ”Let there be light,” and there was light.

Isaiah 45:18-19 ……. For this is what the LORD says — he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty,  but formed it to be inhabited — he says: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.  I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness;  I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ’Seek me in vain.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth;  I declare what is right.

Psalm 19:1-2 ……. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;  night after night they display knowledge.

Hebrews 1:1-3 ……. In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days (the present) he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (GOD).

Romans 10:12-13 ……. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Colossians 1:15-23 ……. He (Jesus-the WORD) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (preeminent) For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Titus 1-3 ……. Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, (our hope is living in Heaven with GOD forever that God has promised) and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, that leads to godliness (believing God’s revealed  truth in his Word – the Biblr) —

Philippians 2:5-11 ……. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, (he didn’t have to grasp to be God because he is God) but made himself nothing,  taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—  even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (the name above every name is LORD)

2 Corinthians 1:20 ……. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.  AMEN!!!

For more “Wisdom” go to nuggetsofwisdom.us

“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.’ Solomon answered, ‘Give Your servant a discerning heart to govern Your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours.’ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.”- I Kings 3:5,9-10

You may recall in last Sunday’s message I shared about the keys to a SUCCESSFUL LIFE. One of the examples I drew from was the life of King Solomon (David’s son). In the above story God asked Solomon one question, a question that I think many of us would desire God to ask of us, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” When Solomon answers the question, Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! (that was Solomon answering the question correctly J), God ensures Solomon even more than he requested and that he would be unequaled among men.

This story of Solomon’s encounter came alive to me one night last week as I was getting the boys ready for sleep. I was reading them the story of King Solomon. I paused for a moment and asked each of the boys what they would want if God asked them the one question He asked of Solomon. One of the boys immediately stated that he would ask for 10,500 of his favorite toys! I then turned to Ian and asked him what his request would be. He paused for a moment, then looked up to me, and with his larger-than-life heart said, “I would want all the people in the world to know God.” This is the type of thing that makes a father proud, a moment when I am sitting in the stands of life shouting out, “That’s my boy!”

But even greater than the joy I felt at that moment was the immeasurable pleasure that God must have felt as one of His kids was getting a Ding! Ding! Ding! from the throne-room of heaven. Ian’s answer was not shocking, as he has always demonstrated a sweet spirit and sensitivity to the Lord, but it was quite special, 100% right, and an important reminder to me that my answers to God (like Ian’s was) should focus on two things very near and dear to God (Matthew 22:37-38):

1)Seeking the Heart of God - Our aim should be that our words, thoughts, actions, and life are pleasing to the Lord. We are not to get so caught up in ourselves, that we fail to catch the bigger thing that our life is to be about and that God wants us to do (no matter how fun 10,500 of our favorite things would be).

2)Helping People – In the light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, a tragedy that has rocked a nation, leaving destruction and death in its wake, we are seeing scores of people being sent to serve and money/supplies being gathered to support the relief efforts. In the midst of disaster we are seeing the best come out of people as they are giving everything of themselves to those who need real help and a real touch. We must be reminded that every day right where we live there are people who need to be rescued from the rubble of life.

Ding! Ding! Ding!…what’s that sound you ask? Why, I believe it is God signaling His approval to us individually and as a church family as we take Ian’s cue and lead, by seeking to serve Him and seeing people come to know Him.

Aliens, SETI, and search for extraterrestrial life: Is there life on other planets, and what should we say to them?

Lots of people talk about aliens from other planets. Popular movies from E.T. down to Avatar, numerous TV shows, and of course, the major program called SETI - where there is an active search for extra-terrestrial life – make life on other planets seem normal.

But, there is one question few people ask. That’s a surprise, because if there was life on other planets, it’s an important one.

That question is, “If they exist, how do we greet them, so we’re sure they’re friendly?”

Think about it. “War of the Worlds” was just the beginning of a slew of scary stories that made us think they’d vaporize us. Then, “Star Trek” and others came along. Suddenly, aliens were generally friendly, or really wacky, like Robin Williams’ Mork. They were all so similar to humans that you could barely tell the difference.

There is no guarantee that intelligent life exists on other planets. The Bible says creation began here, and strongly indicates that Earth is the only place with intelligent life, as we’ll see later. However, if someone sees things which seem to be otherworldly beings, the Bible tells us exactly how to greet any, so we know if they are friend or foe.

In First John 4:1-3 – along with 2 John 7 – we see why a certain question from the Bible is important. 1 John 4:1 instructs us to test every spirit.

Yes, there is a spiritual realm. The physical realm is not all there is. There are at least four dimensions – the fourth is time – not three, as we all think about. There are possibly others, according to string theory.

So, there is a lot more out there than we know, including spirits. Those who experience strange, supernatural things generally view them as scary, and have dabbled in occultic stuff beforehand. These are not aliens from other worlds. They are demons. These people did not test things to see if they were of God. They got caught up in evil instead.

We wouldn’t know if any “aliens” were friend or foe. So, we still must test them. That includes spirits that look nice outside, but inside they want to trick us into following them into something horrible. Remember ABC’s recent remake of “V”? We should never assume any creature will want to help us, or even just hang out and act crazy like Mork.

This question that one can ask will allow us to know for sure if they can be trusted. It must be answered “yes.” Such a question is important, because there are evil forces.

The Bible warns that God has an enemy, the devil. The devil can masquerade as an angel of light. He hates humans. Why? We are God’s creation, formed in God’s image.

God created everything in the beginning, and gave angels freedom. However, in his pride, the devil – an angel named Lucifer – tried to overthrow God, and become like the Most High. Instead, the devil was defeated by God’s perfect love, goodness, etc.. Now, the devil works with fallen angels which followed him to deceive God’s creatures. That deception is what led to the fall of Adam and Eve, which is when sin came into our formerly perfect world. It’s also what leads to those spooky sightings, if those sightings are of evil spirits and not some experiment.

God is a God of love, though, as well as one of justice. He wants us to believe and follow Him willingly. He gives us free choice. He doesn’t want us to be mindless robots. Still, He wants us to be in His perfect Heaven someday. We can’t get there ourselves, because we are imperfect. We say, think, and do things that displease God; that’s what sin is. We can’t earn our way there, because we can never be perfect. Only perfection can be in Heaven, because it is a place with no pain, no suffering, no tears, no decay, no death. We, as imperfect people, can’t see, hear, or even imagine the wonders that await us. But, we will always have that sin on us unless something is done for us.

God not only made the way, he gave Himself for us. See, God couldn’t just say “Sin is forgiven” from up in Heaven. He had to come to this world, be born as a baby, and live a perfect life, before He died on the cross as the perfect, sinless substitute for our sins. He took the punishment for each of us, the punishment we deserved. He had to be human in order to die for us humans, to take human punishment. And yet, He was also God the Son, so after he died, He then rose from the dead.

Jesus Christ is the second person of the Godhead. Just as H2O – water – comes in three forms, solid, liquid, and gas, so, too, does God shows Himself in three ways. It’s all God, just as water, ice, and water vapor is all H2O – 2 parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. God the Father sent God the Son to die for us, but at the same time, God the Son came willingly. He lives in every believer through God the Holy Spirit, and intercedes on our behalf before God the Father in Heaven.

Even the devils – the fallen angels – understand this, though. That’s why in Matthew 8:29, and elsewhere, they cry out that Jesus is the Son of God. This means that he is God. It’s just like James and John were nicknamed the “sons of thunder” because of the way they acted, or Barnabas, the “son of consolation.” The devils feared God, and trembled. However, there is one important difference between those evil spirits and good spirits.

Evil spirits deny that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come in the flesh. That is the spirit of antichrist, as the Bible says. It poses great danger.

See, they deny that Christ’s salvation cleanses from sin. They try to lead people down another path, a path that seems good to people. But, it’s a path that ends in destruction.

That’s why we must test the spirits, to see if they are of God. And, why we are warned so emphatically about the spirits that deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. They must *never* be followed, because they lead man away from our perfect, loving, yet holy and just God. Just like those aliens in “V” looked good, yet were evil inside.

So, what is the question which must be asked?

It is this: “Is Jesus Christ God in the flesh?”

What does this have to do with aliens? See, claims of life on other planets would change all of society. However, we’d have to be sure the “aliens” were not lying spirits instead, since we wouldn’t know what their inside was. But, there’s another reason.

God forewarned that “strong delusion” would come on those who refused to receive His free gift of salvation. (2 Thess. 2:8-12) That strong delusion could, possibly, be devils disguised as aliens. They could also be the Nephilim of Geneses 6:1-4, about which there is much debate, but which some believe to be part demon, and part human.

We don’t know what that delusion will be. However, we know two things for certain:

1. Every spirit must be tested, to see whether it is of God. There are evil spirits out there, just as the aliens in “V” appeared good, but were in fact evil.

2. Today is the day of salvation. Whether or not that delusion involves aliens, there is already evil in the world. However, the greatest evil is being restrained. That delusion will come full force on those who remain after the restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7) as believers are caught up in the Rapture. In other words, Jesus’ return is imminent. He could come at any time.

If you’ve never received Him as your personal Savior, you must before the delusion.

Is there intelligent life on other planets?

Almost certainly not. Here’s why: 1. Creation began on Earth, no other planets are mentioned; 2. Jesus died once for all. He didn’t die on Earth, and other places; 3. God never changes, he is always faithful and true; he wouldn’t have one plan of salvation for one planet, another for another – even in the Old Testament, salvation was always by faith; 3. Jesus’ talk of others “not of this flock” refers to Gentiles, as His followers then were all Jews; 4. God wiped all flesh from the Earth during the Flood, save for those in the Ark, because of the gross evil – in His mercy, He gave them one last time to repent as the waters rose. There is no sign people built spaceships before then.

Even if there were, though, that brings us back to the question that must be asked, to see if they’re friend or foe. Here’s why they would have to say “yes”:
1. God had a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve until the Fall of Man. If creatures never fell from grace, they’d have a relationship like angels who remained loyal to God. He’d tell what He had done for humankind. Since Jesus died once for all, and Jesus is God, they would know. They would clearly say “Yes, Jesus Christ is God, and He came in flesh as mankind’s Savior, for all who receive Him.” They’d testify that the Bible was true. We’d know they were friendly. And, they’d never claim to be “aliens,” just “God’s messengers,” just as His angels do;
2. If people built ships to travel the stars before the Flood, and God didn’t destroy them, they wouldn’t be aliens. They’d be people. They’d see common history from the start of Genesis. Some would put faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, that He was God in flesh. The Word of God is swift, and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, and can easily pierce the hearts of His creation – us. (Hebrews 4:12)
There is another problem with the second: Out Of Place Artifacts (OOPARTS) show pre-Flood and early post-Flood people were advanced. But, even 10 Edisons and Einsteins living centuries likely couldn’t create all that would be needed for interplanetary travel. So, that pretty much eliminates the second option.

God can’t lie. It’s impossible. When He says something exists, there it is. He tells the story of Creation, the Fall, Redemption and through it all, His great love for His creation.

He loves every creature that He created. He hates sin, and destroyed all flesh on the Earth because sin so grossly infected all but Noah and 7 others; giving one last chance to repent. Then, when the fullness of time was come, He came into this world to die once for all of His fallen creatures. He would not leave His fallen creatures without salvation.

The Bible is our authority for everything. Any supposed alien not matching it is a fallen spirit disguised as aliens; and, others wouldn’t really be aliens, but like angels or human.

In all cases, there is a very clear test, to see if they are friend or foe. They must be asked if Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and able to say “yes.”

Jesus Christ alone should be followed, as He alone is perfect love and goodness. Only He provides salvation, as He is God in flesh; only He was the perfect, sinless sacrifice for our sin. The Bible has an answer for everything. One key passage is James 1:5, the promise that God will give wisdom to anyone who asks; He will give cheerfully, and never complain about it. Go to Him with all your questions, and all your problems, because He can help you like noone else.

Jesus is, after all, God, Who came in the flesh; He is well acquainted with our infirmities, yet was without sin, so He could take our punishment when He died on the cross, and then rose triumphantly from the dead. The Bible clearly shows (in Revelation 19) how He’ll come after the Battle of Armageddon, and rule and reign on this Earth.

When discussing the health care debate, and the legislation that recently passed, my great uncle wondered what the perfect plan looked like. I noted, and he agreed after some thought, that the perfect plan can never be created by imperfect man.

Think about it. We may create things that are perfect for certain situations. A working refrigerator is the perfect thing to store foods you will consume within a short period of time, for instance – milk, juice, meat, and so on. It has many flaws outside its function, though – it can’t keep ice cream, it can’t hold foods for years on end, it has limited space, and it certainly can’t cook! In fact, it does the opposite, cooling instead of warming. The refrigerator, then, is a device made for a certain purpose. It works very well for that purpose, but imperfect man couldn’t create something that worked for everything – keeping refrigerated and frozen foods at the same temperature, for years on end, and cooking them when required.

Other things are the same way. Let’s say that a plan involves someone seeing something. Obviously, a blind person needs some special way to do it. And, there is understanding, too; not everyone will be able to comprehend whatever it is.

Why can’t people create the perfect plan? For one, people are not all-knowing, so they can’t plan for every situation. Even when they do know all the possible situations (like the refrigerator), they can’t create one thing that will do everything. However, there is another, more fundamental problem. People are imperfect.

Think about climbing a mountain. You are trying to help someone else climb. If they are behind you, you can pull them up to your ledge. But, you can’t pull them to a ledge higher than you. Even if you push, you can only push them so far.

In the same way, perfection is a loftier goal than imperfection. If one is perfect, one makes no mistakes. However, someone who always makes mistakes can’t show someone how to make no mistakes. Think about the refrigerator example. Someone might try to make a refrigerator, and they can never figure out how to get the cooling system to work. It’s always causing food to spoil. Until that person is able to figure out how to make the cooling system work, they’ll never be able to teach someone else how to make it work. (Yes, they could give clues that show the second person how, much as a batting coach who was a poor major league hitter can still be a good coach. However, that is relying on the skills of the second person. Charlie Lau could help mold George Brett into a Hall of Fame hitter. But, he couldn’t have turned Buddy Biancalana into one. Brett had the skill, Lau could only help him hone it.)

It’s impossible, then, for mankind to create the perfect health care plan. It is impossible for people to create the perfect anything. Nor can people become perfect – there will always be mistakes. However, thankfully, we don’t need to wallow around in imperfect. There is something perfect in which we can trust.

Jesus is called The Great Physician for a reason. He is the God of all comfort, and he can heal anytime. He allowed us to go through difficult things at times, because that is part of ife, and it helps us to be able to comfort others. As well as helping us to draw closer to Him. (There are also times when it can save a life. My grandfather would have died in a World War Two training flight if he hadn’t caught pleurisy two weeks earlier. Instead he lived almost 55 more years.) He’ll help us through anything, if we only trust Him. He just gives us freedome to choose Him or not

Ultimately, He holds us all in His hands. Every hair on our head is numbered. Just as He sees each sparrow that falls to the earth, He sees each person who is sick, each cough, each sniffle. He cares about everyone, and what they are going through.

He has given us modern medicine to allow us to live wonderful lives, lives which, Lord willing, can be filled with good health into our 80s and 90s. But, the body eventually breaks down. That’s part of living in this world that has had every nook and cranny infected by the sin that man chose to bring into the world. And, some bodies break down much faster than others. Some people develop, or are even born with, things that challenge them every day of their lives. Ultimately, it’s God who knows what is best for us, and what our medical future will be.

That being said, since God has allowed us to create modern medicine, we should use this gift to benefit others. We can’t use it to create the perfect health care solution. Only God could crete something that was infinite, unending. His would be a system of knowing the past, present, and future for everyone, down to the finest detail. It would involve knowing what worked best for each person, as an individual, rather than a community as a whole. It would involve providing everyone with the access to life, because God is a lover, giver, and sustainer of life.

We can’t do that, because we have a finite (limited) system, which will always be run by imperfect humans. These people don’t know the future with 100% certainty, they don’t know the first time what is wrong (if anything) with each person, and they can’t predict who will get sick and who won’t, or why they will be sick. It can’t cure everyone.

We can’t create a perfect plan. However, we can be part of a perfect plan by doing the following:

1. Have a relationship with Him. It’s impossible to be part of His plan if you are not on it. The way to be on it is to simply receive His forgiveness for your sins, believing that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died on the cross, taking your punishment for your sins, and rose from the dead.

2. Fully rely on God. He inhabits the prayers of His people. That means praying for good health, or for recovery, can help. Studies have shown prayer does give positive benefits. But, even if He doesn’t mean for you to have that, trust Him completely, knowing that He has your best interest at heart – even if it doesn’t seem like it all the time. (Like the example above of the illness that saved a life.)

3. Trust the Lord to guide us to the right place in secular matters. He allows freedom of choice so we won’t be mindless robots, but He also places secular authority over us to allow for organization. He then lets us choose within the rules. However, as noted above, different people have different needs. He lets us decide what is best for us – that’s what freedom is all about. And, when a country’s people have that right, He lets them make changes when things go wrong, in an orderly manner – such as elections, for isntance. However, He lovingly shows us that He has the best plans for our lives. And, He will open doors and point us in the right direction, if we just ask.

4. Use the voice God has allowed us to benefit others. Some are able to do a lot. Others are handicapped by finances, health, or something else, and only able to do a little. If all you are able to do is pray, write, or something else, God will still honor that you gave of yourself, your time, and your energy. Some of the most powerful people in history have been unknown prayer warriors.

5. Make use of the resources God gives. Modern medicine is just one of the things God has given us. Yes, there are rare times when He will heal someone miraculously. Most times, however, He wants us to praise Him for the medical advances we have. At the same time, we shouldn’t waste the things we have. So many people waste their health by smoking, drinking heavily, and other things. God will still forgive, of course, but you won’t be able to do what you could have if you waste it. With money, too, instead of spending on luxuries, give to missions and support a good, Bible-believing church.

6. At the same time, we must follow the advice of Hebrews 13:5: “Be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’” Don’t complain about what you don’t have, just focus on the fact that God, who sees every single cell, who has control over every atom and molecule, has promised that He will always be there for you, no matter what.

Whether you are upset about the outcome of this health care debate, remember that God is waiting for His people to call on Him for help, and to be used by Him to do whatever is needed. Remember that He will never give advice that goes against His Word. So, when on His plan, remember to follow His instruction booklet, the Bible. But, also know that once you are part of His family, He’ll never kick you out. He will always accept wayward people who return to Him, and those who remain wayward, He’ll still call home to Him when it’s time. Because, He is a perfectly loving, caring God who loves to show mercy and compassion on everyone. People just need to turn to Him for freedom from sin.

Importunity is a new word to my vocabulary. I learned that this word means wearisome persistence or of persistent demand. The word itself sounds like two words combined and I will probably remember it this way. It sounds like the word important and word opportunity combined. To me and through God the word importunity means an important opportunity. That is what we have right now in prayer for our nation. We have an important opportunity to pray for our nation and seek God on behalf of our country. We have an important opportunity and responsibility through prayer to see our land healed, to see the sins of our land forgiven and have the mercy, loving-kindness, peace, joy, revival and complete salvation and restoration of God in America.

However, before we can see these blessed results and favorable consequences, we must apply the true meaning of importunity to our prayers and our need for God and His presence in our country. You see before we can be blessed as a nation our prayers must go up to God with wearisome persistence. We must continually pray for God’s healing in our nation. I have heard this verse many times. I have seen it on t-shirts and such. But up until now, with God’s revelation, I have never understood it the way I do now.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
It is all here. God’s people, the church and body of Jesus Christ must humble themselves and pray with the importunity of prayer in their hearts. We must pray with wearisome persistence and unrelenting urgency. We must seek God with all our hearts in harmony with one another, in perfect unison, and in combined strength of faith. We must crave and need God’s presence in America in the same manner, with wearisome persistence, and with all our hearts and souls, together as one giant cry unto the Father in heaven. We must turn from our wicked ways and stop putting other gods before Him. Then and only then will God hear from heaven and forgive America and heal America.
Our country, the United States of America was founded as one Nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Our money is printed and stamped “In God We Trust.” Today, America is a nation of many people of from many different nations, beliefs, races, religions and creeds that all call America their home land. We all sin and we all fall short of the glory of God. In our land there are many sins, too numerous to list. Common things and seemingly simple and harmless things have taken precedence in the American way of life. One such example is the use of technology and the use of cellular phones. In reality these are examples of things that we have become dependent on, and in need of here in the USA. It may seem harmless but any time anything takes prevalence over God- it is idolatry. There are many other critical issues of concern and sin. The main issue of importance, dire need and in great demand right now is a great turning away from sin and a true repentance of sin. If one person prays this prayer of repentance and turns away from sin it is great for that person because they when they search for God with all their heart and soul they will find Him and they will be saved. But if a group of a hundred or a thousand or a million pray in repentance and turn away from sin to God, it is beautiful beyond words. We must come together in the importunity of prayer! Please take a few moments to pray this prayer along with me and pass this prayer on to as many as you will.

Dear Heavenly Father,
We acknowledge that our nation has turned away from you. In our greed and independence we have become financially, spiritually, physically and morally bankrupt. In our need to be self-sufficient and powerful and famous as individuals and as a nation, we have failed miserably and come to the end of all our own resources. In our desire to be free and powerful we have become enslaved and weakened in our sins against you. Our nation is falling apart. We have tried to replace you and put other gods of money, material possessions, and ease of life style above you and the precious sacrifice provided for us at the cross. In doing so, we have fallen away from you and the all sufficient grace that comes only from you. Now with humble, weary, and persistent hearts and souls we turn to you for forgiveness of all our sins. Forgive us for putting other gods before you and for turning to other things and other ways of life instead of turning to you. Right now we, as individuals and as the brothers and sisters and family in Christ Jesus, and as believers all join together, united in one accord and with one voice. As one voice we turn away from everything that would stand between us and you. As one people serving as one nation under God, we pray LORD that you will hear our prayer. We need your presence now more than ever. Please come and make your wonderful holy presence known to America in new and profound ways. We pray, seek, crave and require of necessity your face. As we submit ourselves to you, we pray that you will hear our nation, heal our nation, and make us your nation. We pray for a great restoration in America and a huge revival in America and all across the globe. As one nation and one voice we cry out for deliverance and we claim all of the indisputable promises found in the word of God. In these times of darkness, O LORD you are our only light. You LORD are the only hope of our nation. We pledge allegiance to you LORD God. We pray this prayer in the wonderful matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

May your life be blessed and a blessing in Christ Jesus.

Find Comfort in GOD

Isaiah 49:13 ……. Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Isaiah 51:11 ……. The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion (Heaven) with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 61:1-2a ……. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

Luke 4:14-21 ……. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: (Isaiah 61:1-2a) The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,  to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, ”Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Jesus was reading about himself in Isaiah)

Romans 3:21-24 ……. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

John 6:28-29 ……. Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, ”The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 17:24-26 ……. ”Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have f or me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 14:1-3 ……. ”Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (because Jesus is God, the WORD) In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (Jesus is in Heaven)

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ……. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

James 1:2-8, 12 ……. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faithIf any of you lacks wisdom, (of the revealed Word of God) he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:12 ……. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life (Eternal Life) that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 1:3-9 ……. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

AMEN!!!

For more “Wisdom” go to nuggetsofwisdom.us

When you are feeling lost and alone, come to Jesus.
When it feels like none cares and everyone has turned their back towards you come to Jesus.

Jesus is there waiting to bring a smile to your face to make feel at home in his arms and safe.

When you feel quick to anger and quick to react, come to Jesus.

Jesus will never leave your side or stop loving you!
He wants to be closer to you to help you in times of trouble.

Jesus wants to hear about the goods time and bad,the happy and sad.

All Jesus is asking is will you come to me?

Lord Jesus I pray that whom ever is reading this will come to know more each and everyday.

I pray this in your name  Amen!

I used to live near to two different gas stations. The closer of the two stations generally always had the best prices per gallon. The other station was only a block down and the gas prices were only slighter higher. Naturally, I would often choose the closest location due to location and price value. I did, that is, until the day I noticed something strange and distressing. One day, with my gas tank on E, I pulled in and purchased enough to give me at least a half of a tank full. After I pumped the gas, I hopped back into the truck and prepared to drive away. Only I noticed that the gas gauge was still on E. I looked back at the gas pump. I had definitely pumped the gasoline and I had pumped about 10 gallons worth. So why did my gas tank still read empty? I went in and felt very embarrassed as I explained this to the attendant. The attendant only shrugged his shoulders and printed out a receipt of the sale. “You pumped it, and paid for it”, he stated indignantly.

I didn’t know what to believe. Obviously, I had pumped it and I had paid for it but my truck was simply not acknowledging these facts at all. The gas tank in my truck still registered empty. My husband, who was with me, said not to worry that maybe the gas gauge was stuck or that maybe, after I had driven for few minutes the gas was register in the tank. I had never had this happen before and it made no sense to me. I pumped the gas, so unless they had found away to cheat people at the pump, it should register in my tank! As high as gas prices were at the time, and still are for that matter, it was extremely concerning. I wasn’t sure what to do, but it was easy to see that I would not feel right about everything until that gasoline registered properly in my truck. I wouldn’t be sure how far I could drive in my vehicle if the gas gauge remained unaffected.

I decided to drive to the other gas station and put just a little bit more gasoline in the tank just to see what would happen. I only added about a gallon or two. To my surprise that little bit of fuel was all that was needed. The needle on the gas gauge raised up to over half full. So what had happened? Why had this fuel not only registered but caused the other fuel to finally register as well? There must be a difference in the type of fuel, I thought. Then, as I am always inclined to, I asked God if there was some other, more vital lesson in this for me. God used this situation to teach me a very important lesson.

It doesn’t matter what you spend your time doing or eating or drinking. If you do not get the right fuel, you may be full to overflowing with food, drink, and other substances however your spiritual fuel gauge will remain untouched and unaffected. Just the way my truck would not register the gas until I added a different fuel to the tank, our bodies can not register fullness and happiness and joy until we first fuel up with the type of fuel needed to fill the emptiness within ourselves.
A million pizzas, burgers, hot-fudge ice creams, sodas, books and magazines, beers, cigarettes, drugs, and other things can not and will not raise the needle of our spiritual fuel gauge. How can we be certain how far we can go in life and what great works we can really do in God, if we still go around feeling empty inside. The answer is we simply can not. How can we sate the emptiness and feel full of life, motivation, and a great passion to go about doing God’s will in our lives and for others. We must learn how to fill up correctly, and in such a way that the terrible emptiness disappears and frees us to do God’s will and find fulfillment in our lives.

If no food or drink or other substance will help me to feel full of vigor and purpose for life, what will? What type of fuel do I need? These are the questions that I asked myself. God’s answer amazed me. If we want to feel full of life and vibrancy, and if we desire to shine for God, we need more of God’s fuel! The fuel that God designed for us, and provided for us is His holy, powerful, and precious WORD. Without the WORD of God we can thrive and find the inner fullness we need to survive in this life. It was so simple and yet, I had repeatedly overlooked it.
John 6:35 (Amplified Bible)
35Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time).
Matthew 4:4 (Amplified Bible)
4But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Luke 1:37 (Amplified Bible)
37For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.
John 7:38 (Amplified Bible)
38He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.

True fulfillment comes from God and the His WORD which is Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life and the Living Water. The things of this world are not enough to satisfy us and sustain us. We must accept Christ as our Savior, read the bible and partake of the Bread of Life freely, and frequently. We must partake in the Living Water of God. Once we discover how to live according to God’s will and by His commandments, things change in our lives. We will become completely satisfied and truly filled. We will never be hungry or thirsty any more or at any time. That is a great promise.
We don’t have to go around full with a great emptiness. There is true fulfillment and immeasurable energy in Christ Jesus. It is a great fullness and meaningful purpose that will register in your smile, sparkle in your eyes, shine forth from your heart and overflow from your innermost being. It is a deep and glowing beauty that others will see in you and wonder of. If you feel empty inside after filling up on worldly things please accept the wonderful fulfillment and immeasurable energy of Jesus Christ today and share the unequalled beauty of it with others.

May your life be blessed and a blessing in Christ Jesus.

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.               — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Have you ever had someone irk your nerves? Is there someone in your life that completely unravels your resolve with a single word or deed? Maybe it is someone you don’t even know very well or even at all? Out of no where, someone zaps you with unmerited meanness, un-thoughtfulness, disrespect, hatefulness and down right evil behavior! Our first instinct may be to get them back. It seems so natural to just zap them the way they zapped you. It is easy to reason that someone needs to give them a dose of their own, awful medicine, and that they should definitely be taught a lesson. It is even easier to think that you should be the one to put them in their place. After all should you just let someone walk all over you and not take a stand? I think we have all been there before. It is a part of the natural and physical nature (of our flesh) to desire setting others straight when they try to do us harm or deal with us deceitfully. It is in our physical nature to want to repay others with the same terrible treatment they gave us. Often times, we envision that we deserve to be treated better. After all, should we not be treated with same kindness and respect that we freely give others? It just seems like zapping them back will make you feel better. But does it really make us feel better to that? What does God desire of us during moments like that? What is the right thing do when someone hurts us, makes us mad, or upsets us royally? Should we revenge and repay like with like-you know-an eye for eye? Or, should we just ignore it all together when someone does us wrong?

Neither one of these responses are the correct way to deal with a situation like this.   It is definitely God’s will for you help Him teach others (that have done you wrong) a lesson. The only thing is it may not be the same lesson you imagined or desired to teach them. What God desires of us is more original and requires a spiritual response not a physical or fleshly response.   The response that God desires of us is even more difficult and humbling than ignoring insults and harmful deeds.  God is clear in how He requires us to respond.  God does not want us to ignore or to return evil for evil or insult for insult.  God wants us to do something grand.  God wants for us to give blessing in return for evil and insult.

1 Peter (Amplified Bible Version)

⁸Finally, all [of you] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).

⁹Never return evil for evil or insult for insult (scolding, tongue-lashing, berating), but on the contrary blessing [praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection, and truly pitying and loving them]. For know that to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God--that you may obtain a blessing as heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection].

¹⁰For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good--whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile (treachery, deceit).

¹¹Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), and His ears are attentive to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who practice evil [to oppose them, to frustrate, and defeat them].

This describes what God’s will is concerning the matter of treatment of others.  The Golden Rule does not teach us to do unto others as they have done to you.  No, it teaches us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  Whenever others do not keep this rule it is up to us to teach them this lesson of blessing and love and kindness, instead of showing them the same treatment they have shown toward us.  As believers in Christ we are called to demonstrate this principal to others.  If we hope to inherit blessing from God, we must be willing to share blessings with others whether we feel they are deserving of blessings or not.

What would it have been like if Jesus had responded to the wrongful treatment He was given with that same hateful and evil doing?  What if Jesus just stopped, called upon God, and said,” Father, I will not do this.  These people are undeserving of such an ultimate sacrifice.  I curse them with the very fate and sentence they have awarded me-death?”  Instead, even after being whipped, beaten, spit upon, and crowned with thorns, He blessed us.  He cried out to the Father, “Father forgive them, they don’t realize what they are doing.” (Paraphrased)

^{Luke 23:34 (Amplified Bible)}

³⁴And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided His garments and distributed them by casting lots for them.

Jesus suffered for good.  He suffered for our sins and He gave up all He had, even His very life, even though we are sinful and undeserving.  Jesus loved us even though He already knew that many would never accept Him and love Him in return.  That is true unconditional love, and it is the true and right response we should have for others.

So remember, no matter how badly someone treats us, it is up to us to treat them right and know that God is with us.  Our reward for suffering for good and our blessing comes from God and through Jesus.  If we have to suffer for good or suffer in Jesus’ name, we are still and all the more blessed.  Not one of us deserves any blessings and a good life based upon our own actions, on account of all our sins.  We are blessed through Jesus and due to the price He paid.  He freely and lovingly gave His life and His blood was shed at the cross so that we could truly live and have a life full of goodness.   He gave us everlasting life through Him, in exchange for our sin.

I challenge you, as my challenge myself also; please think of God’s love.   This is my prayer for everyone, including myself.    The next time someone steps on you and I to get a promotion, let’s not step on them and knock them back down, let’s encourage them and uplift by promoting Jesus. Let us consider what Jesus did for us when someone cuts us off while driving on the highway and give them free clearance (not a scowl or angry gesture).   When people curse us, steals from us, belittles us, or betrays us, let’s bless them, share with them, uplift them, and be faithful to them in Jesus’ matchless name.   Even if someone beats us up and takes our lives, I hope that we can shine for God and be an example of Jesus even in our last breaths, and that our last words and deeds will be gentle and life giving actions of love and forgiveness.

May your life be blessed and a blessing in Christ Jesus.

LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS

Psalm 117 ……. Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. 

Psalm 36:5 ……. Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 89:1-8 ……. I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ’I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’ “ Selah The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD ? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.  O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?  You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

Psalm 100 ……. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;  give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

1 John 4:15-17 ……. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

Titus 3:3-8 ……. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Lamentations 3:21-23 ……. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

1 John 4:9-11 ……. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 5:2-4 ……. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith

1 John 3:23-24 ……. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Revelation 1:6 ……. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!   AMEN!!!

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All throughout the bible, from the beginning, of creation, and in creation itself, we are told of many great miracles.  Man made from the dust and clay and given life by the breath of God.  There were miracles in the burning bush, parting of the Red Sea, and Manna from heaven.  There were great miraculous healings of the blind, sick, lame, demon possessed.  Women of old age conceived and birthed healthy children.  These are just a few examples of the many miracles in the bible.

I also find wonder and awe in how God heard Joshua and caused the sun to stand still once in the sky. (Joshua 10:13)(NIV version) says: So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar.  The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.  Joshua 10:12-14  How incredible! How wonderful are the miracles of God! But do these types of miracles still happen? Do miracles so great still occur in this day and age?

Many people claim that miracles like that just do not happen anymore.  People are beginning to lose hope for miracles.  Some people believe miracles are simply a thing of that past. So what do you believe?  Do you believe in modern day miracles? I think it is up to us to look closer, take a longer, deeper look around us.  If we do, we will find that miracles do still happen.  God still rescues His people.  God still supplies us with surprise and wonder.  God still moves in mysterious ways to bring us joy and show us that He is still there, and very much a part of us.  For example, the women that are medically unable to conceive or unable to carry a child that pray and cry out to God and our given the gift of a beautiful, precious, child.  The doctors can’t explain it any other way.  When the impossible happens-it is more than just a medical mystery it is a demonstration of God’s awesome power.  Gods hand is at work there.

Another example: I heard a story of a soldier that was at war and needed to get across the battlefield to the other side.  In reality, with all that gun fire and the bombs exploding, it would impossible to do that.  So this soldier closed his eyes and prayed that somehow and someway God would help get to safety on the other side of that hill.  When he opened his eyes he was no longer in the same spot where he had knelt and prayed. God had done exactly what he had prayed for.  God had somehow, someway, got him to safety on the other side of that hill.  That was a miracle, indeed!

I personally have seen and experienced many miracles in my family, church, and in my own life.  It is amazing to see the work of God unfold in the lives of people all around us.  Recently while watching the coverage of the earthquake in Chile, and the following tsunami, I witnessed one such miracle.  It was not only the power of God but also by the mercy and grace of God that the tsunami passed over Hawaii with no real damage and no lives taken by terrible waves.  In fact, the waves that were expected to be devastating were described as small.  To many people it was a question of science and reason, but to my surprise, while discussing the current conditions of Hawaii shores, one man from Hawaii described it as a miracle that no one was hurt and that the tsunami basically passed right by Hawaii without causing any real damages.  He then gave thanks to God right there on the air.  With all the coverage that I seen and heard this stood out in my memory and forever will.  Glory to God for His miraculous mercy and saving grace!

In my own life I have seen a great miracle that I want to give God glory for.  In April two years ago, while at work, the people in our office learned of a tornado that had touched down in a near by neighborhood.  The electricity went out and the only light was that of gloom coming in from the windows in the front of the building.  We all gathered up near the front of the office in a hallway where we could see what was going on outside.  Trees were bent over as the winds came through and the sky was nearly black.  It was frightening.  It all came up so fast.  Then a strange noise growled threateningly at us and a change in the atmospheric pressure occurred causing our ears to pop.  I began to pray aloud.  The doctor I worked for said, “its okay, we will be alright,” but still I prayed aloud, “LORD, please help us and keep us safe.”  Then just as quickly as it happened upon us, the winds died down, the pressure lifted, and our ears popped again.  The tornado had passed by our office.  I went with another doctor to the back door and we watched as the dark swirling mass of rubble and the evidence of its destructive nature went by low in the sky.  It had hit another office near ours and then proceeded on a path that hit another office further down on our street.  It continued on down on a path that went through an elementary school and then several neighborhoods, other medical buildings, a strip mall and the local hospital. It was later classified as an F-3 tornado.

Many of the other people that experienced this considered us merely lucky or fortunate, but there were others like me that knew, without a doubt, it was a miracle of God that not one person was killed or terribly injured from the tornado.  I knew that the tornado had passed by my work and my home and my sister’s home because God had heard my prayer and all the prayers of others, and he had done a great miracle in keeping us safe that day!

Do you need a miracle?  Are you face a terrible situation or circumstances and see no way out except by way of a miracle?  Maybe there are people reading this that are facing life threatening illness and disease and are need of healing?  There are many in need of financial miracles and the miracle of having a safe home to live in.  There are people here in the United States that fall asleep and wake up hungry every day.  Perhaps you think that the miracle you need is too great or too small.  The truth is there is nothing too great or too small for God.  The miracles of God are not reserved for only for a select few or for specific people, they are meant to be for everyone.  Anyone can experience a life changing and totally transforming miracle of God.

Would you like to learn how?  The foundation of all miracles is found in accepting and believing in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the greatest miracle of all and He was sent by the Father for all people.  According to Hebrews 13:8 (New King James Version)  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  This means that all the miracles of the past are possible today and in the future to all those who accept and believe in Jesus Christ.

Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart and Confessed that He is your personal savior?   The beginning of all miracles begins with this act of faith.   Asking Jesus to come into your heart and wash away your sins is that foundation of miracles I speak of.  When Jesus was on the cross He took all of our sins and the consequences of sin upon Himself, in our place.  When we have faith in Jesus and place our trust in Him, we discover freedom from sin and we are given the gift of everlasting life through Jesus. 

Isaiah 53:5 (New King James Version)  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

It is through our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit of God that the awe and wonder of all miracles is made possible.  Job 5:9 (New International Version)  He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.  If you have not yet done so, on faith please accept Jesus today.  As you put your faith and trust in Him, believe that through Him all things are possible!

1 Corinthians 9:22 (New International Version)  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  Matthew 19:26 (Amplified Bible)  But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.  Notice this scripture does not say that some things are possible.  It says that with God, all things are possible!   

Know that God loves you.  John 3:16 (New International Version)  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  All you need to do is ask and believe and claim the promises of God, in Jesus’ wonderful name, and you too shall see the miracles and wonders of God in your own life.

May your life be blessed and a blessing in Christ Jesus.