The Good Shepherd Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You!

So many things have been happening in my life these days. The Lord has been using me to speak life to those who may be struggling with various trials and tribulations.

Again and again, I hear the same stories-not only from brothers & sisters in The Church, but from people at my job as well. The un-saved don't know any better, but we who are saved know what we must do-we need to go to The Rock!

So many become "lost" while inn the midst of a trial. The trial may involve marriage issues, the death of a loved one, work issues, faith issues, some sort of bondage, or other things. Time and time again, I see brothers and sisters in The Lord stumble because they tried to solve things in their own strength, or because they feel that "God has deserted me". Sometimes, they even follow "another way" to get what their flesh craves.

The Lord has put two scriptures on my heart to share with you all. One is John 10:1-5 which states: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. (NKJ)

The other is Deuteronomy 31:8 which says: "And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” (NKJ)

There are so many pressures in this world. There is the pressure to conform, the pressure to perform. Sometimes in our walk, you may feel as if you are not "part of the crowd". You may feel left out. On the fringe? Sometimes when we try to "solve" these life issues ourselves, we do things in our own flesh. There is no other description for what we sometimes do in a trial-we think that we can solve things. Sometimes we even dismiss God's voice when He is speaking to us. We may want to hear A voice-ANY voice that will tell us what our flesh wants to hear. I see this happening time after time, especially in The Church. People hear of a brother or sister in a trial, and offer help, offer to pray. We often hear "Thank you, but I can do this on my own" or "I've got it under control", or "So-and-so told me I am doing this the right way".

My question to you is : Who is your shepherd? If we look closer at the verses from John and goto verses 11-13, Jesus says: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep." (NKJ)

Jesus gave His life for us on the Cross. Our sins are forgiven. We have eternal life. He expects that we follow Him. We need to follow Him and serve Him with a pure heart. Nobody else died on The Cross for us. Allah didn't. Buddha didn't. Gandhi didn't. Ophra didn't. No actor died on The Cross for you. No rock musician died on The Cross for you. You certainly didn't either……. There is NOBODY else that is worthy of our worship, our praise and our service. Nobody cares for us like our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Unlike the "other sheep", Our Lord promises never to leave us. We may stumble. We may even fall, but He is ALWAYS there to pick us up. At one of his crusades, Billy Graham once said: "It's not about falling, it's about getting back up". God will always be there to help you up again! Can I get an AMEN????

You may be going through a trial. It may have been (or may still be) the most intense trial you have ever experienced. You need to keep your eyes on Jesus-the Author and Finisher of our faith. Even thinking that God has deserted you is wrong. His Word states He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Thinking that you will solve your own trails takes away from the sovereignty of God.

We need to do some things when we are praying for God to take us (or someone else) through a trial. We need FIRST-to search our own hearts, and see if there is any sin that may be holding us back from seeing the deliverance of God. We must confess it to The Lord and ask for forgiveness. Second, we need to ask God to search us and reveal-through His Holy Spirit-any un-confessed sin. We must ask God to take the burden of those sins from us. We must then pray for God, through His Holy Spirit to give us peace, to give us wisdom, and to take us THROUGH the trial. Our flesh wants us OUT of the trial, but if God took us out of every trial, we would NOT see God glorified in anything!

I pray that if you are going through a trial, that you are keeping your eyes on Jesus. I always go to God's Word when I need encouragement. Although my brothers and sisters in The Lord do encourage me, there is NOTHING like the Word of God! I pray that you dive headfirst into God's Word. I pray that He speaks to your heart. I pray that He encourages you. I pray that He gives you peace like a river! I feel a song coming on!!!

Matthew 6:33 says: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (KJV)

Live it! Learn from it!

Jesus loves you and so do I!!!

Pray for Marriages!

Beginning yesterday, and (Lord willing) ending tomorrow at dinner time, I will be fasting & praying for marriages.

Last week, my brother in The Lord received a Word from God about praying & fasting for marriages & families. In our Church, there has been a STRONG offensive against marriages, families, and children. I thank God that my brother listened to The Lord, and obeyed His voice without question!

We need to take a stand against Satan, and tell him that HE CANNOT HAVE OUR MARRIAGES, HE CANNOT HAVE OUR FAMILIES, HE CANNOT HAVE OUR CHILDREN, and HE CANNOT HAVE US!!!! Praise The Name of Jesus!

If The Lord so leads you, please try to fast & pray for these issues. If you cannot fast, at least pray for these things, and contact other brothers & sisters to do so as well.

We need to take a stand. We need to do it now.

The marriage has been the foundation of the family since the beginning of time. It is the foundation of the relationship between a man and a woman, as well as the foundation of the relationship between our families & God.

Pray for restoration. Pray the God would restore what the locusts have eaten.

Pray that he would open the eyes of the unbeliever in an unequally yoked marriage. Pray that he would open the eyes of the believers in a marriage that may be in distress.

Pray that forgiveness would prevail. Pray that the Name of Jesus would be glorified in marriages that are restored, and that Jesus would be sought first & foremost in marriages that need restoration.

Let's pray NOW:
Lord Jesus-we need your intervention in marriages. We need your help first-in our own marriages, and then in the marriages of people we know that are in distress. Help us to love our spouses as You loved the church. Help us to ask for forgiveness, and to extend forgiveness when necessary (and to do so freely). Lord-we lift up people we know who may be going through a trial in their marriages. Help us to pray for them, help us to seek them out, and help us to understand what we may be able to do to help them. Lord, use us to help restore what the enemy has tried to break up.

We pray this in Jesus' Name. AMEN!

If you, or someone you know needs prayer, please ask by posting a prayer request on this BLOG.

Faith

Faith

What is faith?

If we go to Webster's Dictionary, faith is described as:
faith \"fÀth\ n, pl faiths \"fÀths, "fÀthz\ [ME feith, fr. OF feid, foi, fr. L fides] 1 : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty 2 : belief and trust in God 3 : complete trust
(c)2000 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
(There is a 4th part of the definition, but since it talks about "religious" beliefs, let's skip it)

Faith is the basis for our belief in God and eternal salvation through His Son, Jesus.

Faith is the cornerstone of our walk with Jesus-the thing that keeps us going through brightest day, or darkest night. Faith is an integral part of our salvation, for we are saved by grace through FAITH : For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Eph 2:8-9

We live by faith: For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:17, Hab 2:4

We have access to The Throne of God through faith: Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice on the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:2

We are healed by faith: Matthew 9:2, 9:22, 9:29, 15:28, Mark 5:34, 10:52, Luke 8:48. (AND MANY OTHER SCRIPTURES!)

We can do great & mighty things by faith: And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you. Matthew 17:20

We can by used by God by stepping out in FAITH: And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make an ark of cyprus timbers. You shall make rooms in the ark. And you shall pitch it inside and outside with pitch. And this is the way you shall make it. The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it shall be fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window in the ark, and you shall finish it above to a cubit. And you shall set the door of the ark in the side of it. You shall make it with lower, second and third stories. And behold! I, even I, am bringing a flood of waters upon the earth in order to destroy all flesh (in which is the breath of life) from under the heavens. Everything which is in the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you. And you shall come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. And you shall bring into the ark two of every kind, of every living thing of all flesh, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Two of every kind shall come to you to keep them alive; of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind. And take for yourself all food that is eaten, and you shall gather for yourself. And it shall be for food, for you and for them. Noah did so, according to all that God commanded him, so he did. Genesis 6:13-22

Think about Noah. He listened to God. He didn't know what rain was-it hadn't rained before. He didn't know what an ark was. He took a long time to build something that had never been built before, and took ridicule from all the people who lived near him. He had to build a HUGE thing gather all the materials, make his own tools, and use plans that weren't printed on blueprints. No Home Depots around for convenience! He preached for HUNDREDS of years. NOBODY listened, yet he had the faith to listen to God, bring his family & the animals into the ark, and was then SAVED!

Let's talk about Abraham, one of the greatest fathers of the faith.
Among MANY other things Abraham did in faith, the one we will highlight is the walk up Mt. Moriah with Isaac.

And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me. And He said, Take now your son, your only one, Isaac, whom you love. And go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will name to you. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. And he split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, You stay here with the ass. And I and the boy will go on to this way and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife. And they both went together. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they both went together. And they came to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. And he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the Angel of Jehovah called to him from the heavens and said, Abraham! Abraham! And he said, Here am I. And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a ram behind him was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Will See; so that it is said until this day, In the mount of Jehovah it will be seen. And the Angel of Jehovah called to Abraham out of the heavens the second time, and said, I have sworn by Myself, says Jehovah; because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one; that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies. And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. Genesis 22:1-18

Abraham had the FAITH to go up that mountain with his one & only son, Isaac. He even told his servants that he AND the boy would be back. The writer of Hebrews even says that Abraham had faith to believe that even if he killed Isaac, the God would & could raise him up from the dead. (Hebrews 11:17-19)



Faith in The Living God has saved MANY from eternal destruction & damnation.
Faithful servants such as Enoch, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Daniel, Isaiah, Mary, Elizabeth, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, and MANY others who gave their all, AND their lives for God should be examples for all believers.

We should, however ALWAYS look to Jesus, who is the author & finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Here's something to think about. How firm is your faith? Is it built on a solid foundation? Or-Is it built on Christ, the solid Rock?

Is your faith built on empty promises, or is it built on the promises of our Savior, Jesus Christ?

Is your faith built on the promises of things in this world, this life-or is it built on the promises of things yet to come?

Is your faith built on Christ Jesus, or some other person, organization or entity?

Remember: Seeing is not believing, believing is seeing.
Faith is believing-plain & simple.

Can I get an AMEN?

The Blood

What significance does Blood have in The Bible?

Let's start at the beginning-
Genesis 3:21-the 1st shedding of blood when God banished Adam & Eve out of the Garden of Eden, he clothed them in animal (lamb?) skins. God performed the 1st sacrifice.
-"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. "

Genesis 4:4-the 1st instance of a man performing a sacrifice in which blood was shed.
-"And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering."

Genesis 9:4-6 The Blood was deemed SACRED.
-"Genesis 9:4 - But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. Genesis 9:5 - And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Genesis 9:6 - Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Noah sacrificed animals to God when the ark landed.
The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob) sacrificed to The Lord regularly.
Moses was given instructions to build a tabernacle, where blood & sacrifice was the center of the ritual for remission of sin. This started a LOOONNNNGGG cycle of praying to God for the forgiveness of sins.

So-why all this talk about blood?
RELAX-I'm not some devil-worshipper, or weirdo-I'm a born-again, washed-in-the-Blood believer!

The Blood protects. It Saves. It Cleanses

What does it protect us from? It protects us from getting what we deserve.

What does it save us from? It saves us from a lifetime of SIN. It saves us from our flesh. It saves us from an eternity in Hell.

How does it cleanse us?
Without the shedding of blood, there is NO remission of sin( Hebrews 9:22). God sent His one & only Son, Jesus down to the earth to shed His blood on the Cross & die for MY sins (and for YOUR sins) (John 3:16).
Since the Jewish Temple ritual of sin offerings ceased, and God really wasn't accepting them anyway, God needed a way to have one FINAL sacrifice for all time. Jesus was the perfect, spotless Lamb of God. By His stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Hallelujah!

Please comment on ALL of my posts. I will update with other posts as The Lord enables & empowers me (DUNAMIS!).

I take NO credit for anything said on this BLOG-I give GOD ALL the glory!!

PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!!