Love Truth & Spirit Ministries

There are at least two types of ways you can walk in wisdom today. The first way is to walk in the wisdom that the world will try to impart on you and the other is to walk in the wisdom that is imparted to you by God, His wisdom! Are there moments in your life where you had information on a topic that you may have never come across in your life but yet, in your conversation, the information shared was spot on? If we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, God will impart that knowledge to us. I believe God gives us a discernment in all situations to guide us in every interaction we have with others. He exposes things to us about people, conversations and events that we may not otherwise have no prior knowledge of. Through the Holy Spirit, God provides to us a better understanding of the circumstance. Are you walking in the wisdom of the Lord? What does walking in wisdom of the Lord look like? Walking in the wisdom of the Lord has several components to it: 1. A strong healthy prayer life; 2. Being faithful to things unseen; 3. Acute listening skills, being able to hear the Holy Spirit; 4. Obedience in reading your word; and 5. A deep understanding of the Love God has for each one of us. 1. God through our prayers will impart wisdom and knowledge to us when we seek it. God does answer our prayer and gives us knowledge and wisdom beyond all understanding? 2. Walking by faith not by sight is critical to our growth in God. It gives God the opportunity to show His power to us through our faith. 3. Being able to clearly listen to the Holy Spirit and discern details in the circumstance and follow God's guidance allows us to make the right choices. Constantly evaluating what we are experiencing against the word of God. 4. Reading our word gives us the basis for our opinions and is a clear backdrop to our biblical understanding of the world. It helps us differentiate God's wisdom versus the world's wisdom so we don't fall into Satan's trap with no escape. 5. Knowing how much God loves us and the sacrifice He made for us encourages us to continue to walk with Him on a daily (almost minute by minute) basis. It allows us to feel loved unconditionally and then show that love to others in way we may never know or experience living in the world's wisdom. Walking in the wisdom of the Lord also requires seeing an opportunity and working through it. We should not isolate ourselves from the world but we should have wisdom on who we interface with. It steers clear of evil days by showing people the light. Walking in the wisdom of the Lord allows us to see Jesus as the Light. When we have Jesus in us then, we have the Light in us. Our walk with Jesus is dependent on our ability to believe He is the Son of God. That He is the light that will remove all darkness and that through His sacrifice on the cross and His blood, our sins have been forgiven. (1 John 1:7 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.) If you are walking in wisdom offered to you by the world, then you are missing out on the greatest opportunity to have a close personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. When we have developed our relationship with Jesus, He will share His wisdom with us when we seek it and only then, we are truly walking in the wisdom of the Lord! My prayer is that each and every one of us will seek the knowledge and wisdom that God has and is willing to impart to us. That we would seek Him and follow Him though every circumstance. That we will leave it all on the floor and lay our petitions at His feet so He may pick them up and read them to His Father and pray with us to His Father as we are praying. That we believe in the power of prayer and have faith as small as a mustard seed to be able to move mountains. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen! Amen!

When I was growing up I was taught that we have many choices to make in childhood and through our adult lives. For example which college to attend, what color shirt are you going to wear today, and what behavior is acceptable. The choices were countless with most of them being very basic while barring any life threatening choices we were able to navigate life pretty easily. Today seems to be much different. Today it seems there are those who want you to believe you have a choice in your gender that your sexual preference is not a choice that you can identify as innate objects or animals. That nothing matters in the world except for me, myself and I. When you couple the basic choices we have to make together with the new choices from those who follow Satan want you to make, life becomes more daunting and overwhelming. There is a reason why the drug industry grew beyond control! The cause and effects are quite clear to those who are following God and are paying attention. The world is full of all this non-sense that is being pushed which has adverse effects on the young children, teenagers, young adults and seniors in the world. It seems that Satan and his followers' tactics are to create chaos, confusion and despair then let it run out of control and then come up with drug solutions to cause everlasting behavioral changes in societies across the world. Just look at the pathetic protests that are going on in our country. Most of these protesters have no idea what they are protesting, they just want to be on the side of what they perceive to be justice. These protests tell the whole story of hatred, lies and deceit. These people are choosing to walk in darkness. Again, Satan has an agenda and he is executing it very well. Since the beginning of time, God has always given us a choice to walk in the light or walk in darkness. Fortunately, the one choice we can make is to walk in light. This choice does have everlasting effects on our lives and our souls today, tomorrow and for eternity. Choosing to walk in the light unlike what the current world views are, walking in darkness, will be the best choice you can/will ever make because you are choosing God! You are choosing to follow Him. You are allowing God to lead your life and to guide you, protect you and provide you're every need. You are separating yourself from the darkness of this world. In scripture we are told to separate from the world meaning walk in the light. Here Paul is not saying to stay out of the world, he is saying don't be like the world. The great commission requires us to go out to the world and evangelize (Matthew 28:19-20). We need to try to help those who are in darkness by sharing the love of Christ who is in us so they may see the world through a different lens. Time is short so we can no longer sit on the sidelines waiting for someone else to share God's love. If Jesus is the light and Satan is the dark, who is the grey (in the middle)? The answer is the church of Laodicea, this is the only time Jesus describes grey and look what He says about it (Revelation 2:16-17). Don't be the church of Laodicea where Jesus will spit you out. Remember the default choice is darkness But God, His agenda is greater, smarter, stronger more eloquent and sophisticated but simple to follow. Love thy neighbor as you love yourself, put no other Gods before our Triune God and you will be on the path to success. Live in the light for the rest of your days. It is never too late to receive Christ, to repent your sins and follow Jesus into the kingdom of Heaven. My prayer is that when given the opportunity to choose between light and darkness, we would choose the light. Through Jesus Christ our salvation is guaranteed and our home in heaven is secured. My prayer is that we would shine the light wherever we are and that it would be such an attraction to others that they would want to know what we know and want to have what we have. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen! Amen!

If you in the past or recently have decided to give your life to Christ, then you have signed on the dotted line, in other words you made a covenant with God to live a different life than what the world has defined as a good life. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been given the opportunity to live a new life if you choose. It is totally up to you, God gives you the choice. This new life with Jesus includes the promises, protections, countless blessings He has and most importantly spending eternity with the Lord. The choice you make now will have everlasting effects on your eternal health and well-being. So now that the clock on your new life is ticking, what are the expectations that God has? The first is to transform your life into the new person God has made you to be. What does this transformation look like? This transformation biblically is called sanctification and sanctification is a lifelong journey or process with the conclusion of your life finding everlasting peace in heaven. The Greek for sanctification (ἁγιασμός, hagiasmos) - to dedicate to the service of and to loyalty to deity—'to consecrate, consecration, to dedicate to God, dedication.' The expectations God has for each one of us does not vary from person to person. But the timing to meet these expectations does vary. It is all in the timing and you do not want to take a chance of missing out living a life with Christ because your timing is bad. God expects us to be sanctified through our walk with Him. It all starts with the love He has for us, and the expectation that His love will flow through us to others. This is a basic principle of being a Christian. Love the Lord, love each other and sacrifice through the strength of His love to give to others. The world sure makes it hard for us to love others. If you follow the world you are going to be filled with what the world loves. That includes the vices in the tool belt from Satan and his minions that he will use against us in every opportunity we give to him. These vices are the extreme opposite of what God has, and as followers of Christ, we should not participate in them. One of the most prevalent of vices is persecution. Persecution to those who want to share God's love. Persecution to those who believe our lives should be lived according to the bible, not just a portion of the bible but the whole word of truth. There is even persecution against those who do not agree with the world's message of a one world government, one economic system and one world leader (the antichrist).

What does it take to be a better servant to God? I believe what it takes is to have a true faith, a true belief in Jesus that He died for our sins and that through Him our sins are forgiven and our salvation becomes secure through our relationship we have established with Him. It also takes obedience and trusting in Him that He will never mislead us, He will never leave us nor forsake us. This message is timeless as all scripture is, meaning it applies to every generation from the beginning to the end. It is also age independent which all scripture is and that means it does not matter how young or old you are to start following these instructions to becoming a Christian. Our transformation begins when we submit our life to Christ and it ends the moment God calls us home. How often have you been hurt by someone's words? How often have you hurt someone by your words? Even though it may sound good or feel good when we speak them, we are accountable to God for everything we do and everything we say. Constant negative words grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Every time we sin (in this case speaking negatively) towards someone it is not pleasing to God. Conversely, when we repent, it pleases God. God wants us to exhort others, to lift them up, build them up through the words we use. At times the words we speak to others is a result of harboring resentment towards them and it prevents reconciliation. In contrast, God wants us to love each other and as the body of Christ, He wants us to respect and care for those who are incapable of caring for themselves. That does not mean take care of the lazy and the unwilling to work or contribute to the kingdom of God. Paul reminds us that we should be working to gain extra to help those in need, we should be working so we may help others. We should never forget where we came from and who brought us there (God). We should live differently when we are saved. When we help others, God will bless us individually and He will bless the body as long as we are sincere about it. If we subscribe to the fact that we are one body in Christ, then why would we want to hurt each other with actions or words? Kindness is a fundamental principle we ought to live by when we serve God. The truth is God's word and the truth sets us all free from the lies and deceit of the world. God wants us to speak the truth in love and to encourage each other, but there are also times where we must speak hard words out of necessity. For example, would you rather see someone spiral into hell because you refused to speak the truth? Or would you like to see someone whisked into heaven because you spoke the truth and through the Holy Spirit, the truth set them free? Another trait Paul addresses is anger. Especially the anger that simmers inside you. It is that anger that will tear down your body and mind. This anger is like a powder keg which can explode at any time. We should never sin in our anger. We are also reminded that righteous anger is good when it is sincere and truly from God Did you know that when you are constantly sinning you are provoking God? It is the equivalent to challenging God to discipline you for your sin. This makes God angry and unfortunately there is so much anger and hatred today in our world that Satan uses anger as a tool to pit us against each other. Bitterness, lawlessness, pride, and stealing are all characteristics in Satan's tool belt. And we have witnessed how he uses all of these tools against us. All we need do is to look at what is happening in Israel for the evidence of anger and hatred surrounding them. But the good news is that God is always there for us. We have the rock below our feet to stand on to give us stability in our lives. To allow us to grow, to make mistakes and God is always there to pick us up and put us on the right track even when are disobedient. My prayer is that we would follow the biblical principles set forth in the bible. That we would lean forward into God for all our needs and desires. That we understand that He loves us to the death of His only begotten Son Jesus the Christ. In the mighty Name of Jesus Amen! Amen!

When we give our life to Christ and we start to live the life He has given to us, do we think about the testimony we may have? Do we think it is important to share our testimony? Do we think through our testimony that someone will be encouraged or influenced to find what God has given to us, everlasting life? Sharing our testimony with others is one of the greatest tools outside of the Word of God we have to point to Jesus in all aspect of our lives. Did you know our testimony becomes clearer the closer we walk with God? Our perspective towards God matters to Him and believe it or not, has influence on others. Our testimony is the beginning of the transformation of our life and is the documented road map allowing people to see our journey of where we have been and where we are going. It is the recognition to the differences in the way we live according to the world's principles compared to living according to the biblical principles as defined in the bible. Paul warns the Ephesian church along with us that we do not walk in the world as the Gentiles walk. The world is dark, our perspective becomes dark and when we are walking according to the world's standards, we become alienated from God. This alienation comes very quickly and has detrimental effects on our minds, health and souls. What happens is that we become numb to the ugliness in the world so Paul warns that we should not be ignorant or blind, giving our self over to lewdness working all uncleanness with greediness. Satan will attempt to distort our walk with God through deceit and outright lying not only to ourselves but to others. Our mind gets cluttered with Satan's' lies and deceit. A bi-product of this thinking and behavior is that we lose our ability to feel for others and for ourselves because of the sin in our life. Our sin numbs us to God's reality. Greed drives many behaviors especially when it comes to sexual immorality. We are corrupted in our lusts no matter what age we are and that corruption will linger until we find Christ. Lust is deceitful, it will tell us that we are something, that we are special. The good news is this, when we hear God and follow what He is telling us, we will find peace? When we have been taught by Him and follow His teachings our outlook on life and the perception we have of God will change dramatically. If we know Christ, like He wants us to know Him, we will understand that we need to become a new creation in Him. Recognizing that in order to renew our mind we must first need to have a renewed spirit. When the Holy Spirit is in us, we can then start the process of renewing our mind. Staying out of the mix of the world is difficult, but God, it shall be achieved through prayer, faith, fasting, obedience, and staying in the word of God. My prayer for each one of us is that we would hear God, follow God and then share God. My prayer is that our testimonies would be used to influence others into a better understanding of how God is working in our life. How the Lord influences our life each day, how God will direct our path, will provide for our every need. I prayer that God moves mightily in us and through us showing the world His power, His grace, His mercy and most of all, His love that He has for each one of us. In the Mighty Name of Jesus Amen! Amen!

n our life was there ever a time where we felt like we are on an island and on our own? Was the circumstance in such a state that we felt no one could help us? That we are the only ones who could get through the mess. I am sure at some point in our lives we may have all felt like this. In today's message Paul is addressing the Ephesian church to remind them and us that being God's servant is not the equivalent of being on an island all alone with no support groups around. His message encompasses this 'as God calls, God gifts us to do His will and to do the work He has called us to do'. There are two components that are important in Paul's message to the church: 1. through the gifts that God gives to us, the church will be able to sustain itself; 2. through God's love and the love we have for others the church will grow. By choosing to exercise your gifts given to us by Jesus, the church is built, it will sustain itself and it will grow. When Jesus first descended from heaven as a deity this was God's gift to us. As part of God's plan Jesus had to die on the cross, be resurrected from the dead and then ascend back to the right hand of His Father sitting in heaven. If we believe one thing it should be this, God gifted us with the greatest gift imaginable, His Son Jesus Christ. The one who bore our sins and provided a path to our salvation and to the kingdom of heaven. Who else would have done this for you and me? Paul uses the term grace as freely here in context in the message to the church. Paul reminds the church that if you are one in Christ and are using the gifts that Jesus has given to you, God will dwell in that house. Through Jesus and His grace we are given gifts to be used within the church. If God is dwelling in the house then the church will grow. Growth of the church comes when we recognize the gifts that God has given to us and when we are obedient to use those gifts for God's purpose. We may not always see the full purpose of what God is doing but it is in our faith that we know whatever God is doing He is doing it for His glory. This is why faith in our Christian walk is critical. The word faith or a derivation of the word is used approximately 367 times in the bible from the book of Numbers to Revelation. Paul uses it in the book of Romans 40 times. Without faith we cannot believe what we cannot see. It is important to remember we walk by faith and not by sight. Paul gives us a subset of the gifts that God has in building His church. Gifts are explained throughout the bible. For example in In 1 Corinthians 12, Hebrews, Romans, Acts, 2 Timothy and Ezekiel. These gifts are given to us from God through Jesus and all are used to Glorify God. What Paul is defining to the Ephesians is some of the roles critical to church growth. He is not suggesting that these roles are any more or less important to the other gifts God gives to us as identified in other scripture. What Paul is telling us is this, God is not looking for stars, God is looking for those who want to do their best. To rely on God and Jesus to equip us with the right tools to execute our job. He has given a ministry to every believer and in all cases has gifted us through His grace. My prayer is that we would seek God and seek the gifts that He has given to us. That we would have the desire to use these gifts in a selfless way to glorify our Lord and Lord. That our lives would dramatically change as we serve the one who deserves our full attention. That we would recognize God does not make mistakes and through our service we glorify Him who sits on the throne in heaven and we would be blessed abundantly knowing we have a seat with Him in the kingdom of heaven for eternity. In the Mighty Name of Jesus Amen! Amen!

As we approach this Easter, I am reminded that we not only need to recognize the resurrection of Jesus but we need to acknowledge and believe His birth and then death on the cross. You see one proceeds the other. If you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, if you don't believe Jesus died on the cross, then how can you believe He rose from the dead? Jesus died for each one of us willingly. The question is who are you willing to die for? To be honest Jesus is asking us to die to ourselves and then we can become a new creation in Him. This is the most difficult of tasks, to die to one's self. Jesus is the perfect example of doing just that through His ministry and walk to the Hill of Skulls (Golgotha) to be nailed on the cross for the whole world to see. Today we are going to walk through a series of events from the prophecy of Jesus birth in Isaiah to His documented birth in Matthew, then to the seven sayings He made while on the cross showing His suffering, ridicule, faith, love, mercy and finally His death. The resurrection story is evidence that He did rise from the dead evidenced from eye witness accounts which includes finding an empty tomb. The bible shows us that Jesus did experience life, death and resurrection concluding in Revelation telling John that He was once dead and now He is alive. My prayer is that we see Jesus as the King of all. Through Him and in Him we will find Salvation. In Salvation and our relationship with Jesus we will find Heaven. My prayer is that the dead in sin would become alive in Christ. That the blind would see and the deaf would hear how much God loves us by sending His only begotten Son for our benefit. That people would see how much Jesus loves us because He faithfully and obediently went to the cross and paid our sin debt in full. I pray that you get off the fence and live the abundant life that God created for you. The life full of love, grace and mercy. To live fully for the true King in heaven. In the Mighty Name of the Lord Jesus Christ Amen! Amen!

God has a plan, a plan that includes Jesus ministering to the world. Paying our debts in full for His selfless act of being crucified on the cross plus much more. During Jesus' three year ministry He developed a message of Love, of grace, of mercy and hope for a life spent with God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit for eternity to all who will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus fulfilled God's plan through many Old Testament prophesies such as: He would be born of a virgin birth, born in Bethlehem, being hung on a tree, His clothes divided up etc. Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey was also prophesied by Zechariah hundreds of years prior to Jesus entry into the city. So the Pharisees knew very well of the Old Testament teachings and prophesies. It was their duty to know and to teach but yet they still rejected Jesus. Why? Several reasons being they thought the Messiah would come on a white horse and eliminate the Roman Empire while protecting and lifting the Israelites above all others. Because of this teaching, it drove the Pharisees to reject Jesus as the Messiah while undercutting His message from almost the beginning of His ministry. This leads us to Jesus' entry in Jerusalem and the reaction of the people. His disciples and others knew He was the Messiah and rejoiced with song, laying clothes and palm leafs before Him as He entered the city, while others including the Pharisees angrily rejected Him asking to quiet His disciples. I believe Jesus was threatening their circle of influence along with the power they had yielded over others and this anger and hatred drove them to the arrest, beating and crucifixion of Jesus. To paraphrase Jesus words to the Pharisees, the temple and city would be destroyed because they could not see the Messiah right in front of their own eyes and they could not capitalize on the opportunity He was giving to them (Luke 19:44). Have you ever had an opportunity that you were reluctant to react to? In other words a missed opportunity. There are many reasons why we miss opportunities like uncertainty, short sided thinking, risk adverse, paranoid, bad timing, lack of confidence, untrusting. Because we are once again living in the days of Noah, there are people out there that will prey on us and our vulnerabilities with evil intentions trying to yield power and influence to control us which cause us to be untrusting and isolated. This is Satan's tactics! If we don't have a close personal relationship with Jesus, our vulnerabilities dramatically increase because we are making our own decisions without first consulting the Lord in seeking solutions through prayer and waiting on the Lord for the best response. But we can overcome these tactics by putting God first in our life, including Him in our decision making process, praying and seeking His knowledge and wisdom while acknowledging that He is our only hope to survive in this messed up world. God gives everyone of us the opportunity to have a close personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. My prayer is that we don't act like the Pharisees and we all would receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That we would seek forgiveness and repent of our sins. That we would live the life that God has set before us to live more righteously every day until the Lord calls us home. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen! Amen!

As we begin chapter four in the book of Ephesians we will see how God wants His church to develop, to grow and to maintain a healthy relationship with Him. Paul describes for us what God's plan for our life is which includes fellowship in the church. Paul also talks about the importance when you are in fellowship with others how we are to become one in Christ, one with God so we may fully exercise and enjoy the gifts that God has given to each one of us. If you have been walking with God and attending the same church for a long time then you have probably been involved in many ministry meetings, events and prayer services. You try to participate in events and support the congregation in a way that is pleasing towards God. Not for selfish reasons but for selfless reasons. You try to represent God as He deserves to be represented with reverence and respect. Understanding that when are serving Him willfully, God will pour out His blessings to us and to others. What is pleasing to God? It is when we have a humble spirit about us. When we have love for each other. When others become more important than our own interests. When we see someone stumble and we are patient with them showing them the same grace that God pours out to us. When we involve God and display His peace in every circumstance. These and many more are the characteristics of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. This is the demeanor God expects from us and this is in His will for our lives. When we start to live and display these characteristics in the church, God can move freely within the body. This is why it is so important to have unity in the church. To become one body and exercise all the gifts within the church. There is one God, one Son and one Holy Spirit that should dwell in everyone's hearts minds and souls. When we start there, knowing that as servants of God we have become one with Him, our lives begin to change. This life changing mind set and behavior helps us to see through the characteristics of the world. It allows us to become more like Jesus. To live the life that God has designed for you and me. Satan tries and in some cases succeeds in separating us from Christ, from the church and from other believers. He will discourage us from reading the bible, from helping others, from growing our relationship with Jesus Christ and becoming closer to God. But, by becoming one in Christ and developing the understanding that we are one in Christ and we believe there is only one God, one head of the church (Jesus), one faith, one baptism we become stronger in fighting the temptations that we will face in our Christian walk. Our life does not end when we become Christians, it just begins. We begin to live life freely because we are no longer bound to the world's expectations. We are bonded as one to the biblical principles described to us in the word of God. We can live with the belief that (Romans 8:28 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose). It is when we become one as a body that God will be glorified because as servants to Him we will do His work in His will through His power and strength. Who can come against us when God is with us? That is the question we need to meditate on and believe that no one can! My prayer is that we would all become one in Christ. That our relationship will grow in Him. That becoming one in Him allows us to see others as Jesus sees us. That we would speak to others as Jesus speaks to us and that we would love others as Jesus loves us so we may live the abundant life that Jesus has for us to reverence the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen! Amen!

Have you ever been in a circumstance in your life where there appears to be no hope? Where you cannot see anything positive coming out of the circumstance. Whether the outcome directly or indirectly involves you. Indirectly meaning the outcome impacts someone you know like a family member, a close friend, a congregant, or a co-worker. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you are thinking about those times? What was your initial reaction? And did your reaction sound something like this? The person or persons are on their own? I cannot do anything for them. They made their bed and now they have to sleep in it. Only God can save them now. If you uttered these words to someone in the time of trial then you are not alone. Many people have similar reactions which may be construed as a normal reaction. When you are a true follower of Jesus Christ our biblical view is much different than the world view. Our biblical approach to trial is much different than the world's approach. To be fair, in some cases there is overlap and our reactions will be similar. But the latter is more frequent than the former due to the ratio of believer versus non-believer. If we have the Holy Spirit in us over time the Holy Spirit will speak to us and our demeanor will change. Our attitude will change toward the circumstance and all who are involved. Our immediate reaction becomes softened our biblical teachings come into play and our love for our neighbor and compassion for others takes over. The way we show our compassion and love is through the power of prayer. Through prayer our relationship with Christ gets stronger. Our relationship with those in the trials at times get stronger. There is no other act of kindness and love that you can show someone especially in times of despair than to openly pray for them. To stop what you are doing and pray for the circumstance, pray for protection, thank the Lord for His presence in that moment. There is something about prayer that effects our psyche. When we know someone is praying for us it makes us feel like the battle has already been won. There is no greater feeling we can have in that moment knowing the Creator of all is in our corner and has heard from His children on our behalf. To be able to rest in the peace of the Lord, to be comforted by His love through the power of prayer. Throughout the bible, prayer has been a source of our strength and a way to go to God to seek forgiveness, to ask for protection, to grow in the knowledge of God. Paul understood this and for this reason his teachings, the epistles and letters to the church would most often include prayer. Why, because he knows that bringing our petitions to the Lord and waiting on the Lord to answer our prayer gives hope. It gives us strength and the will to continue through the trial. It will also point us directly to Christ and teaches us in everything prayer and supplication. God hears the prayer of the believer and God will answer us. God brings us opportunities daily to be obedient and faithful. The way he does it is through others and their trials, through our trials and everyday life. The importance that God places on our obedience and faithfulness in prayer in demonstrated in Matthew 6:9-15 when Jesus taught us how to pray to the Father in heaven. The question becomes, Will you sustain your relationship with Christ in and through your trail or circumstance? My prayer is that we would bring to the Lord even the smallest of petitions and prayer needs showing Him that we totally rely on His intervention into our life and circumstance. That we would sustain our relationship with you in through our trials and circumstances. That we would seek forgiveness as we approach His throne of Grace to have a righteous mind and a righteous heart. And that the Lord lead while we follow and keep the Lord in our field of view knowing that when He is in front, we will always be reminded and see that the Lord is on the throne and is leading. In Jesus Mighty Name we pray this Amen! Amen!

One of the greatest gifts that God gives to us is His grace, mercy and His love which extends beyond all comprehension. He is a fair and just God with His righteousness greater than all. God is truly an equal opportunity God! He gives everyone the same chance to receive Him, to live a godly life and to live with Him for eternity in heaven.

We live in a world today where peace is hard to find. When Paul was writing his letter to the Ephesians I believe he was thinking the same thing. It is evidenced by proclaiming that Jesus is peace. In those days there was a proverbial wall built between the Jewish community and the Gentiles that was very difficult to climb over or walk through. We see this in how the temple in Jerusalem was built. There was a special designated place for the Gentiles to go and there were signs posted stating, if a Gentile goes beyond a certain point it could lead to their death. Paul was given the ministry to proclaim the gospel of Jesus to the Gentiles. He did it very well as evidenced by the 13 books He penned in our Holy Bible for all to read today. As God spoke into Paul, he was able to articulate the message of peace by first stating that we were once all sinners in the world. We were aliens to God for our disbelief and rejection of Christ.

In our walk with Christ, are there moments where you just want to talk with Him? Are there moments when you just want to spend some quiet time trying to listen to Him? If you have those moments, then you are in good company. Most of us who are walking with Christ desire to spend as much time as we can with Him. Why do you think that is? Is it because the Lord wants your attention and He wants you to be devoted to Him? Or do you think the desire comes from within, wanting to spend more time with Him? I believe both cases are true and if you seek Him, He will find you. But I also believe the Lord wants you to seek Him in ways that will drive you to the knowledge that God wants to impart to you. This is His will as we have learned from the bible. Through prayer, we open up that line of communication. We also provide in most cases the time required to speak to Him. The time required to listen to Him. When we pray most of our time should be spent listening and waiting on Him to speak into our hearts and our minds. I liken it to being in 'listen mode' versus 'transmit mode'.

Time is short, Jesus will come to get His church soon. It is important to share Him in these last days so everyone can have the opportunity to receive Him and live in heaven for eternity.

The foundation for our salvation is not complicated. It is in the belief and receiving of the Lord Jesus Christ that we have been given the opportunity to be set free from the bondage of sin. As believers we are bought out of bondage, out of slavery. Jesus paid the ultimate price so we may have a better life now and for eternity. The bible teaches us that God predestines us to be in Christ, for holiness, for adoption. When we receive Jesus Christ we are immediately adopted into the family of God for the praise of His glory. It is in that moment when we receive Christ that we are sealed in the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? It means we are forever in the family of God. Our salvation is secured when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit with God's promise that we will never lose our salvation (John 10:27-29 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.). We become heirs to God the Father and co-heirs with Christ. As heirs, we are to be formed in the image of the Son (sonship). In the Jewish world, the emphasis was on sonship.

Jude states that we should remember what we are told by the apostles and Jesus concerning the mockers and scoffers in the last days. How to persevere in the last days is to stay faithful in Holy Prayer. Pray in the Holy Spirit and stay in your word.

The New Testament records the miracles of Jesus. With these miracles we can easily conclude that Jesus is the true Son of God. Jesus healed the sick, fed the poor, exorcised demons and even the demons bow down to Him.

Jesus shows the world He is human and deity. Mark 14:32-42 shows us that when the time has come to be betrayed, Jesus went to His Father in prayer knowing that He must fulfill the will of His Father.

a Brief timeline of the life and Ministry of who Jesus is. Do you want to know Jesus?

What is the probability of Jesus fulfilling all the Old testament prophecies. Just 16 of them is 1x10^45 probability. Yet He fulfilled them and many more.

When we Sow in the Holy Spirit we will Reap the Kingdom of Heaven

As Christians we are taught that Israel is God's beloved people. When Paul was commissioned to share the gospel of Jesus with the gentiles, we also became God's beloved people. God's many promises in the bible help to build our faith, our obedience and our love for the Triune God. They also remind us that we should love others as Jesus loves the church or more pointedly, how Jesus loves us. With what we see in the world today, one can only conclude that the world is full of evil and Satan will do whatever he can to destroy God's children. Fortunately for us we have God's protection through His promises just as the land of Israel and the Israelite's have. This does not suggest that the church has replaced Israel, it means that God loves all who love Him and will protect all who follow His Son and provides a place for eternity in heaven with that choice. What is interesting about the prophetic word of God is this, most of the prophecies in the bible today has come to fruition. Over one fourth of the bible is prophetic in nature (~27%). In that, at least 50% of the written prophecies have been fulfilled. The amount of prophecy (fulfilled and not yet fulfilled) in the Bible makes it unique among religious books. There is absolutely no emphasis on predictive prophecy in other religions written or spoken. In the case of the prophet Zechariah, He was given a vision from God with respect to the second coming of Jesus. His prophetic word came sometime in the fifth century approximately 500 years before the birth of Jesus. Between the Old and New Testament prophecies it is clear to me that Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives in the place where He ascended to heaven. We as the church will meet Jesus in the sky. Again another promise from God that we will not be subjected to His final judgment but will see it from heaven. Because God protects His people and God will provide to us what Jesus describes as a mansion in heaven. God has mapped out our future, He has given us vision of what living in heaven will be. He has promised us peace in heaven, no tears, no pain, no sorrow, no EVIL. There will be peace on the earth! It is called the New Jerusalem and fortunately for those who receive and follow Jesus Christ our peace is with Him in Heaven. This earth will pass but heaven will never pass and unfortunately neither will hell. Your choice is now, chose where you will live for eternity. There is little time so choose now! My prayer is that we would read the prophetic scriptures and trust in the Lord that He has spoken through His prophets to give us hope for the future. That the people of Israel will find comfort in the Lord Jesus Christ. That the people who come against Israel would change their evil ways and find Jesus Christ in the midst of their false religions. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen! Amen!

As a Christian we have one thing we are certain of. It is this, that the words of Jesus are faithful and true! It is through the word of God that we are able to understand the Triune God. It is through His word that our relationship with Christ grows. His word tells us that He is coming quickly, that we should be watchful and that our reward awaits us in heaven. There is going to come a time where it may be too late for you if you do not receive Christ while you have air in your lungs. This is some of the message throughout the bible, 'Don't wait to give your life to Christ.' 'Be ready for the return of Christ.' 'Understand the mission from God and execute it to the best of your ability.' 'Separate yourself from the world.' In Daniels vision (Daniel 8:26) Daniel was told to close up the book. In (Revelation 10:4) the seven thunders told John to close the book. In the last chapter of the bible, John is told NOT to close the book. This is because this is the end. The Revelation is complete. We find that the gates of the New Jerusalem are open. That the true believers are welcome in. We also know that the sinners are left out. That there is no other opportunity for them. Once outside, you will forever be outside the walls of the New Jerusalem. There are seven blessings in the book of Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9 20:6; 22:7, 14) that allow us to understand where we will live for eternity. When we read, follow God's commands, embrace His word and give our life to Christ we are blessed. Conversely, if we ignore Gods commands, continue to live in the world for the world, we will be condemned to darkness. You can only separate yourself from the world and live for Christ if you have the desire to do it. Knowing of Jesus is much different than knowing Jesus personally. Being a Christian requires much more than talking about Jesus to your Christian friends or sitting in church for an hour a week. It takes getting in the word of God, living the biblical principles you have learned, sharing the gospel of Jesus and following the commandments that God has left us with. As we live righteously, God will bless us and our reward is the kingdom of heaven. My prayer is that we would recognize the times we are in. That time is short and that there would be a sense of urgency to give your life to Christ so you may live for eternity with Jesus. I pray that the Lord speak clearly into you and that you are filled with the Holy Spirit to discern the signs of the times. That you would adopt a boldness to speak the truth in love. That you would love as God loves with an everlasting, longsuffering, righteousness for the rest of your days. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen! Amen!

The Gospel of Jesus - The Rapture - Seven Letters to the Churches in the Apocalypse - It's Not the Building Revelation 1:9-11 As Christians we are taught through scripture that we (our bodies) are the temple where God resides. When God is our focus, our relationship with Jesus grows and Jesus becomes the center of our lives. Things like a fancy building, fancy chairs, awesome musicians, soft-ear compromising preaching are not important to us. What is important to us and to Jesus, is the relationship we have with Him and His Father. What we are hearing, learning and doing to grow in Christ and how we value the things God puts in our path. Whether we are serving the people in the community or taking care of the widows and the orphans. Everything else is secondary and viewed as a blessing from God. If you look at the first century church and in particular the seven churches in the book of Revelation Jesus reminds us of the church and the spiritual conditions inside the church. The letters are common in format and include a commendation, criticism, instruction and a promise. These letters are written and are intended to be read by every church starting with Ephesus and ending with Laodicea. John was exiled to the Island of Patmos because of his preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus. Where Satan used the Roman emperor Domitian to try to stifle the gospel of Jesus, God turned those ashes into beauty. God used John to write one of the most important books of the bible. Not only because it reveals who Jesus Christ is (Rev 1:1-3), but also gives a contrast to heaven and hell. It shows Jesus will be the one who executes God's final judgment in the world and defeats Satan, the anti-chirst, the false prophet and all those who take the mark of the beast, throwing them into the lake of fire. As we see today, not one of the seven churches are left standing and is a perfect illustration how the buildings do not matter to God. What is important to Jesus is our souls, what are we doing with our gifts and who we follow. We are the church and when we set the right priorities through reverencing the Triune God, His blessing will pour out to His people. This is why the letters are timeless and are as relevant today as they were when they were first introduced and read to the church. My prayer is that we would view our spiritual growth in Christ as the most important component in our lives. That Jesus would shine in each of us. Not to focus on things less important to God, but to focus on Him and His message of Salvation, Grace, Mercy, Sin and Love. That we understand the things in the world are temporary, but through Christ we will live for eternity in heaven. Amen! Amen!