Tag: LORD
God Answers Pray
James: 5:16: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. 
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
There was once a Church in a small town that had a problem, a saloon open upped across the street. Church members were very angry about this and tried to get the Owner to close it or move somewhere else.
They appealed to the city official, who because of taxes refused to do anything about it.
So the Pastor called on the Church to Pray that God would shut down the Saloon, They meet at the Church everyday in special prayer meetings asking God to intervene in there behalf and help them to shut down the Saloon.
Sure enough about a month later during a very bad storm lightning struck the Saloon and burned it down to the ground.
The Church was delighted until they got served with a legal suit.
The owner of the Saloon was suing the Church, Claiming that their Prayers had resulted in Lightning striking his saloon, and so he held the Church as responsible and was suing them for damages
The Church Lawyers claimed that the Church and there prayers were in no way responsible for the saloon keeper’s damage.
The judge decided in favor of the Church!
But the judge said.
It is very confusing to find that the saloon keeper arguing in favor of the power of prayer and the Church arguing against it.
Do we really believe in the Power of Prayer?
Let us Prayer!
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Have you every prayed for something and it came true, How do you know it was not just a coincident that it happened
I have seen many of prayers answered in my life that there is no possible explanation for; Except God answered pray
What is Prayer and why is it important in a Christian life.
Prayer is the act of addressing God for the purpose of worship or petition. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting guidance or assistance, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one’s thoughts and emotions.
The words used in prayer may take the form of intercession, a hymn, words of gratitude, or a spontaneous utterance in the person’s praying words. Praying can be done in public, as a group, or in private.
What does Jesus tell us to do when we pray?
Mt:21:22: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
What ever we ask in prayer believe and you shall receive
Believe is another word for Faith and the Bible tells us what Faith is
Heb:11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
James tells us when we are praying we are to ask in Faith believing that we will receive what we have prayed for.
Jms:1:6: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Many times we pray but don’t really believe God will answer our prayer, Why because it may take too long or our prayer don’t get answered right away we think God does not hear us.
Some prayers are not answered right away and other prayers are answered in different ways that we are not aware of
Jms:5:15: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Question: is God a respecter of person
The answer is no, God treats everyone the same; we are all equal in Gods eyes. What God does respect is a person Faith in Him.
God has used Men and Women of Faith through history to foster his plan for mankind’s salvation
Jesus tells us what Faith can do.
Lk:17:6: And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
This is why; Jesus said when you pray Believe
Story: of the King who was Sick Hezekiah
2 Kings 20:
1: In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2: Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
3: I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4: And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
5: Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
6: And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
God hears our Prayers always
Story: Zacharias
There was a man by the name of Zacharias who prayer asking God to give them a child, but for years his Wife remained barren. He is now in his late 70 and so is his wife.
It was his duty to go into the Most Holy place of the sanctuary and minister before the Ark of the Covenant.
There he sees and Angle, and the Angle tells him something wonderful, his prayers have been heard and that his wife was going to have a Baby
But he questions this is not possible because I am now too old and my wife is passed the age of life
That is unheard of, Old women having children They do when God answers pray.
He must have prayed for many years, until his wife was well passed the years of child bearing, but God heard his prays, and in God’s time he answered this old mans pray.
Lk:1:13: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Here is a lesion for all of us We must learner to wait on God’s timing.
If we would learn to wait on Gods timing we would find life so much easyer.
God does not promise that when you become a Christian you will not have problems. What he tells us to do is to pray and he will give you the strength to overcome your hardship, your difficulty, your danger, your misfortune, and your hard times.
Zech:2:8: For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Jesus prayed for each of us, that our faith in him in times of trouble would not fail, for He tells us in John
Jn:14:1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
What did we say belief was, Belief and Faith are the same.
So if you have Faith in what you are praying for then you need to start getting ready to receive your request.
Acts:12:5: Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
What happened to Peter, an angle came by night and loose his chains and walked him right out of prison.
Why because the Church was praying for him.
You know you might say, Good Stories Tim, I like them all,
But does God do anything for His people today like he did for those in the Bible..
First thing; There is a big different between the Church of the 1st and 2nd century and that of today
People then were willing to Die for what they believe, rather then enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season.
Today it is hard just getting Christians to come to Church if they are not mad at the Pastor or someone else in the Church.
Sometime God does not answer us because we don’t really believe that he will bottom line
I really can’t speak for anyone else but this I can tell you; and that is what God has done for me
Story: Me and the Truck
I was on call for work one night many years ago and had to drive a fuel truck into some plants to fill up the air compressors that were keeping the plants running. While driving the truck I notices that the light were not very bright, but did not think too much about it till the engine died coming off a bridge and all I could do was to cost all the way down. As I came off the bridge I pulled over and then tried to restart the engine, but all I could hear was clicking under the hood. Oh no I said the battery is dead, that is why the lights were getting dim on me. I tried everything but no luck is was 1:30am and I called all the emergency contact numbers for my company and no one answered.
Oh no I said I just started this job a few months ago and knew I needed to get fuel in the Air compressors or they would soon start shutting down. I called my Wife who was at home sick and told her what had happened and how I could not get anyone at the office on the phone, I also knew she could not help me being as sick as she was. I was just a new Christian believer at the time and all I could do was to think why don’t you just pray about it. Yes right like that is really going to start the engine, I got out the truck again and did everything I know but nothing worked. I was stranded all alone and in a very bad part of town. Again my thought went to just pray, ok what do I have to lose, so I did I prayed. Not long after praying I got a feeling to try and start the engine, I flagged it off because just a few minutes before I already tired that. But again the feeling came try the engine. OK I will try it, and as soon as I turn the key the engine started, I could not believe it. I put the light switch on and the light were brighter then I ever seen. So I made my run that night and filled all the equipment and drove back to the shop parked the truck. Wow I could not believe it then I thought to my self maybe it was just a bad connection after all. But when I went to try and start the truck again it was dead and I mean completely dead. The next day I came in to work and one of the mechanics was working on the truck and so I ask him what was he doing. He said do you know who drove the truck last night I said yes it was me. He looked and said boy you are a lucky guy I said why, he told me the alternator was out and the battery was totally dead. I knew then for sure it had to be an angle help me that night, all because I prayed in my time of need.
I believe we all sometimes ask God for things we don’t need or for something that is not good for us.
God in his Mercy understands and sometimes said no, it is the same thing that any good parent would do for Children you love.
One time my son Patrick came home with a big fish tank full of Tarantula (Spider) and he said Look Mom Dad can I keep them in my room.
Do I need to tell you what our answer was NO
God is the same way; sometime things are not going to be good for us so he just said NO
I was in Love with a girl once when I was 16 and remember praying asking God to help me to marry her.
I event went as far as telling her we could get married and no one will ever know.
Then one day God let me see something in her I never seen before, and right then I realized why he said no. Then I prayed and said God thanks you for not answering that prayer of mine.
So the next time I prayer about getting married I ask God to provide me a Women to be my Wife.
About a year later, guess who came into my Life. She has been so much more then I could have ever asked or even hoped for, why because she was Gods choice for me. This year we will be married for 39 years, God is so very good
Phil:4:6: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Eph:6:18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Col:4:2: Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Only God could have lead her into my life and on Gods time not mine.
2Tm:1:3: I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
1Pt:3:12: For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Have you ever wonders where your prayers are kept.
The Bible tells us that God has a special place where are kept the prayers of all his People.
Rv:5:8: And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rv:8:3: And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rv:8:4: And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
There is nothing that is impossible for God to do; God hears the prayers of his children, He longs to talk to each and everyone one of us.
Sometimes we are too busy, sometimes we just don’t have time to give to God because we have so many things going on in our life.
Have you every wondered where do all these things come from, these time takers. They are all a vice from satan to do one thing, keep you away from God.
One of the best time taker satan every invested in was Music
Here he enter the ear and mind of many people, but that was not enough he wanted more so he invested in a tube we call TV
Now he has the ear, mind, imagination of the people all at the same time and he has them doing nothing.
The Prayers of a Father:
A minister concluded his sermon one Sabbath by saying, “If there’s someone here who wants help in getting to know God, and you would like me to pray for you, please raise your hand.” A young man stood up and said, “Please pray for me, sir. The burden of my sin is too heavy to bear.”
After the service the minister talked with the man and led him to faith in Jesus. The young man had been wandering around the country for 8 years without contacting his parents, so he decided to write to them and tell them about the change in his life.
Several days later, a reply came from his mother: “My dear son, you must have accepted Jesus Christ at the same hour your father went to sleep in Jesus. He had been sick for a long time, and that day he was very restless. He tossed from side to side on his bed, crying out, ‘Lord, please save my poor, wandering boy.’ I’m sure that one of the reasons you became a Christian was Dad’s unceasing intercession.”
A praying father will “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” in behalf of his children, persistently trusting his wise heavenly Father to do what is best (Matthew 7:7-11). Let’s thank God today for faithful parents who never stop praying for their children.
Parents never stop praying for your Children, It is never too late to pray for them and never to early to start praying for them
Jesus said in Jer:1:5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
God bless and remember God knows what you need He is just waiting for you to ask, then He will provide it at the right time in your life; not too early and never too late.
Elder Tim McNab
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
MATT 7:13-14
13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods.
They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, ‘Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems.
I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.’
Then the second tree said, ‘Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.
Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.’
Finally the third tree said, ‘I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the Hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching.
I will be the greatest tree of all times and people will always remember me..’
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said,
‘This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, ‘and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree the woodsman said, ‘This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.’ The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true.
One of the Woodsmen said, ‘I don’t need anything special from my tree, I’ll take this one,’ and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree.
The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said ‘Peace’ and the Storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. The tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
When things don’t seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him,
Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
We don’t always know what God’s plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways.
But His ways are always best ways.
Let us Pray!
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ISAISH ; 54:17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
LOOK AT YOUR SELF : AND ASK WHAT WOULD I DO IF GOD CALL ME??
WHAT IF HE SAID I HAVE A MISSION FOR YOU..
DON’T WEREY ABOUT A THING JUST TRUST ME…?
AND GO WERE I SEND YOU AND SAY WHAT I TELL YOU….
WOULD IT CHANGE YOU…? ARE WOULD YOU LIKE JONAH JUST TRY AND RUN AWAY.. MAYBE YOU BE LIKE MOSES AND TRY TO ARGUE WITH GOD AND SAY LORD I am NOT THE MAN YOU NEED SEND SOMEONE ELCE…
ARE THERE STILL THOSE WHO DARE TO BE DIFFERENT??????
ARE HAS THE SUBTLE, HYPNOTIC BEAT OF THE DRUM MADE EVERY MAN AN UNWITTING SLAVE.
LIKE IT OR NOT, WE ARE STRANGELY SENSITVE TO THE MYSTERIOUS POWE OF CONFORMITY,
WE STAND IN AWE OF IT . FASCINATED AND FRIGHTENED BY IT SURGING AND UNSHACKLED CONTROL OF THE MINDS OF MEN…
WE FEAR NOTHING SO MUCH AS TO STAND ALONE,
REJECTED BY POPULAR OPINION…
WHY THIS STRANGE URGE TO CONFORM???
WE MARCH AROUND LIKE ROBOTS, LOST IN THE GROUP, TERRIFIED AT THE THOUGHT OF BEING DIFFERENT…
WHERE IS THE CREATIVE NONCONFORMITY THAT MADE THE HEROES AND MARTYRS OF THE PAST?
WHERE IS THE EXCITEMENT OF TAKING A STAND?
WE SEEM TO BE HYPNOTIZED WITH THE CHILDHOOD GAME OF FOLLOW THE LEADER AND SIMON SAYS…
WERE ARE THE MEN WHO DID NOT FEAR TO STAN UP AND BE COUNTED FOR THE LORD.
MEN LIKE MOSES WHO HAD A MISSION FROM GOD? WHO STOUD BEFORE PHARAOH KING OF EGYPT AND SAID..
THUS SAY THE LORD THE GREAT I AM, LET MY PEOPLE GO..
STORY: MOSES (WHO WAS THIS MOSES) LORD NOT ME SEND SOMEONE ELCE I CAN NOT TALK…
MOSES: WAS JUST A MAN LIKE ENY OTHER.. BUT HE WAS WILLING TO LET GOD USE HIM
WERE ARE THE MEN LIKE MOSES TO DAY…
STORY: ABRAHEM CALL OUT FROM HIS KIM FOKE TO A LAND GOD WOULD GIVE HIM.
IF GOD CALLED WOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME AND YOUR FAMILY AND GO SOME PLACE ELSE .
MAYBE GOD WILL CALL YOU TO PREACH HIS WORD IN ANOTHER CITY OR STATE OR COUNTRY..
ABRAHEM WAS GIVING A PROMASS OF A SON. THAT HIS SEED WOULD BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA.
AND NOT UNTILL HE WAS WELL OVER 100 AND HIS WIFE IN HER 90 DID HE HAVE THE PROMASS SON
GOD TOLD ABRAHEM TO GO TO A PLACE THAT HE WILL SHOW HIM AND THERE TO SACKREFICE HIS SON…
FINISH STORY::: ABRAHAM HE DID NOT QUESTION GOD
HE DID WHAT GOD TOLD HIM TO DO.
STORY: THE SON WAS WILLING HE WAS A STRONG YOUNG MAN
BUT THIS YOUNG MAN LEARNRD FROM HIS EARTHLY FATHER ABOUT HIS HEAVENLY FATHER AND IN OBEDIENCE WAS WILLING TO GIVE HIS LIFE.
AS HE LAY THERE AND ABRAHEM READY TO TAKE HIS LIFE THE ANGLE STOP HIM
JESUS WAS WILLING TO GIVE HIS LIFE… BUT NO ONE WOULD STOP THE HAND OF GILTY MAN FROM KILLING HIM
WERE ARE THE MEN LIKE ABRAHEM
WAS IT NOT THE PROPHET ELIJAH WHO TOLD THE PEOPLE FROM THE TOP OF MOUNT CARMEL
CHOOS YE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE GOD OR MAN
DID THE PROPLE REALY FORGET WHO GOD WAS ..
MAYBE SERVING THE LORD GOD WAS NOT THE FAD AT THAT TIME.
THEY WERE SO DECEIVED BY POPULAR OPEION THAT THEY COULD NOT TELL RIGHT FROM WRONG DAY FROM NIGHT
TRUE FROM FALSE
HOW COULD THIS BE.? NOT GODS PEOPLE…
THE MAJORITY, IT SEEMS HAS SELDOME BEEN RIGHT.
THE MAJORITY, EXCEPT FOR EIGHT PEOPLE REJECTED TRUTH IN THE DAYS OF NOAH
STORY: NOAH NOAH STOOD ALONE WITH A MESSAGE FROM GOD
Animal listen to the Voice of God more then those who were created in the Image of God.
HE PREACH OF GODS LOVE AND A SOON COMING DISTRUCTION.
GOD WAS GOING TO DISTROY THE EARTH WITH A FLOOD
GEN, 6:6 GOD REPENTED AND WAS GRIEVED IN HIS HEART THAT HE MADE MAN.. THE EVEL WAS SO GREAT IN THE EARTH.
A FLOOD::::: PUBLIC OPINION SAID IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN..
IT DID NOT STOP NOAH…. NOT FOR THE NEXT 120 YEAR
HE PREACH FAITHFULY THE MESSISH GOD GAVE HIM
MANY PEOPLE WANTED TO GO IN THE ARK
MANY BELIEVE WHAT NOAH WAS PREACHING.
BUT BECAUSE “PUBLIC OPINION” YOU SEE..
1. NO ONE WENT FIRST
2. I DON’T WON’T ANY ONE TO LAUHTH AT ME.
3. IT HAS NEVER RAIN BEFORE.
4. THE LEADER DON’T BELIVE HIM
5. DAD SAID HE IS A CRAZY OLD MAN
6. NO ONE BUILD A BOAT WERE THERE IS NO WATER
7. HE FORGOT TO PUT A RUDDER ON HIS BOAT
8. IT WILL NEVER FLOAT.
TRUTH IN ELIJAH DAYS WAS SO UNPOPULAR THAT HE COMPLAINED TO GOD THAT HE ALONE WAS LEFT.
AND THE SEVEN THOUSAND LOYAL HEARTS OF WHOM HE WAS REMINDED WERE A PITIFULLY SMALL MINORITY.
THERE WAS LITTLE DIFFERENT IN THE DAYS OF MARTIN LUTHER..
IT TOOK COURAGE FOR MARTIN LUTHER TO STAND ALONE BEFOR THE COUNCIL THAT CALLED HIM TO ACCOUNT, AND DEMANDED THAT HE RECANT
BUT HIS WORDS RANG CLEAR AND STRONG..
AND FEARLESS INTO THE EARS OF HIS ENEMIES;
I CAN NOT, AND I WILL NOT, HERE I STAND, I CAN DO NO OTHER….
THE BIBLE HAS MANY STORY ABOUT MEN AND WOMAN WHO STOUD UP AGENTS THE POPERLAR OPINION
FROM ENOCH TO ESTHER THE 12 APOSTLES AND CHRISTION CHURCH OF THE FIRST 3 CENTURE.
ALL STOUD FOR THE LORD, MANY PAID THE PRICE WITH THEIR LIFE FOR WHAT THERE BELIVE.
WE CANNOT EXPECT RIGHT & TRUTH TO COME TO US CHRISTENED AND BLESSED BY PUBLIC OPINION..
JESUS SAID;
ENTER YE IN AT THE STRAIT GATE: FOR WIDE IS THE GATE, AND BROAD IS THE WAY, THAT LEADETH TO DESTRUCTION, AND MANY THERE BE WHICH GO IN.
BECAUSE STRAIT IS THE GATE, AND NARROW IS THE WAY, WHICH LEADETH UNTO LIFE AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT… MATT 7:13-14
RIGHT CANNOT BE DETERMINED BY STATISICS. TRUTH CAN NEVER BE MEASURED BY THE NUMBER WHO ARE WILLING TO FOLLOW OR BELIVED IT….
A WAY MAY BE POPULAR… BUT IT MAY ALSO BE WRONG….
THERE IS A WAY WHICH SEEMETH RIGHT UNTO A MAN,
BUT THE END THEREOF ARE THE WAYS OF DEATH.. PROVERBS 14;12
WHAT IS IT THAT WE FEAR?
BECAUSE WE BELIVE THAT GOD WILL NOT WORK WITH US THE SAME WAY HE HAS WITH OTHER IN THE BIBLE…
PREHAP WE FEAR WE DON’T HAVE THE FAITH OR WE ARE NOT STRONG ENHUFF TO CARRY OUT THE WORK..
WE FEAR WHAT PEOPLE MAY SAY OR MAY LAFT AT US.
IN EVERY AGE THERE HAS ALWAYS BEN A PEOPLE, WHO DISPITE POPULAR OPINION HAS REMAIN TRUE TO THE LAWS OF GOD….
STORY:::: PROFESSOF AND THE STUDENT THE CHARK TEST
HOW MANY OF YOU BELIVED THAT THERE IS A GOD RASE YOUR HAND.. ABOUT ½ WELL WE ARE GIONG TO TEST TO SEE IF IT SO FINISH STORY::
HOW MANY OF US WOULD STAN UP FOR JESUS AT THE COST OF OUR LIFE. IT IS A HARD QUESTION, BUT SOME DAY YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER IT.
IN THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY SISTER WHITE WRITES
THE SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE AND CONFORMILY WAS RESTRAINED FOR A TIME BY THE FIERCE PERSECUTIONS, WHICH THE CHURCH ENDURED UNDER PAGANISM.
BUT AS PERSCUTION CEASED, AND CHRISTIANITY ENTERED THE COURTS AND PALACES OF KINGS.
SHE LAID ASIDE THE HUMBLE SIMPLICITY OF CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES, FOR THE POMP AND PRIDE OF PAGAN PRIESTS AND RULERS.
AND IN PLACE OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF GOD SHE SUBSTITUTED HUMAN THEORIES AND TRADITRONS…
IN EVERY AGE THERE WERE WITNESSES FOR GOD. MEN WHO CHERISHED FAITH IN CHRIST AS THE ONLY MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN.
WHO HELD THE BIBLE AS THE ONLY RULE OF LIFE…?
IS THIRE ENY REASION TO FEAR TO DAY WHAT MEN MY SAY OR DO
WE ARE THE GENORATION THAT WILL SOON SEE ALL THE PROPHCY FORFILL
THE BIBLE SAID, “AS IT WAS IT THE DAYS OF NOAH SO SHALL IT BE IN THE END”
THE WORLD DID NOT BELIVIED WHAT NOAH TOLD THEM
SO IT WILL NOT BELIVIED WHAT WE WILL SAY
THE FACT IS GOD TOLD NOAH TO PREACH, AND HE DID FOR 120 YEAR
WARNE THE PEOPLE OF WHAT IS TO COME..
GOD HAS TOLD US TO PREACH TO THIS END TIME PEOPLE WARNE THEM OF WHAT IS SOON COMING, SO THAT THIRE BLOOD MAY NOT BE ON OUR HEADS.
We may Plan for our Future in many different ways, but when you don’t see it going the way you would like it, don’t be discourage.
God may have another plan in mind for you much better then you could imagine
he just needs people who are willing to be used and are willing to be different.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
Baby Dedication
Giving back to God!
Scripture I Sam. 1:28
Question: Have you ever given your children back to God?
Some of you might be thinking, “I’d like to give them back—but I didn’t think God would take them back.
• The truth is, there are Lots of parents who have had a few moments or days when they would have liked to package up that kid and take them back….
Take them back to God’s customer service counter and demand a refund!”
I thought they had a ‘no return’ policy on kids without a receipt!”
• Well, , I’m not suggesting you return your kids to God and try to get your money back,
When I ask you if you have ever given your children back to God.
• What I am asking is, have you ever really recognized God gave them to us…
Recognized your children are a precious gift from the Lord…
They belong ultimately and always to God first—not to you?
Releasing ownership of your children to Him—
We need to understand that God is responsible for the way in which they were designed
God already knows the plan and purpose for their future!
I’m hoping we will Realize God has left it up to us to show them His way?
Let us Prayer
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God has been asking us to put many things on His altar recently.
today, He is asking every one of us who are parents to “BRING OUR CHILDREN AND PUT THEM ON THE ALTAR!”
There are many BIBLICAL examples Lets Look @ some of parents in the Bible who brought their children to God and gave them back to Him:
Of course, you remember Joseph and Mary brought there infant (baby)Jesus to the temple following his circumcision at 8 days. they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (Lk. 2:22).
But we are going to look @ another example of a parent surrendering his child to.. God …the Life I want us to read about today is that of Abraham offering his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah.
Let’s see what the Scrpiture would have to say to us today about “Giving Your Children Back To God.”
in TEXT GENESIS 22vs1-13
…Suddenly proposes the greatest test that could come to a human being… offering up a child..
Man that had to be hard and painful for Abraham…
After all:• Abraham loved Isaac. V.2 God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, and sacrifice him …”
.I don’t know if I would do that
In the supreme test of a long, eventful life Abraham obeyed without raising a single question, without objection without seeking human counsel
• Oh yes, just try to put yourself in Abraham’s place.
• Isaac had been a MIRACLE baby. He was born when Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 years of age.
I’m sue It was very painful for Abraham to strap his dear son on an altar and a stack of wood,… raise a knife to slash open that boy’s chest and throat,… cremate the body and sit by as he smelled the stench of the burning flesh of his boy—and then watch that boy literally disintegrate into a pile of ashes!
…no he didn’t do it…. but ….he was going to
In GENESIS 22vs 5 he said to his young men that went with them, that we will come back… Its was Only by Faith was it possible NOT to expect to return alone
..,.He believed that even if God would have to raise Isaac from the dead(heb11:19)
Gods promised him for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Gen.21
• Whew! I don’t know if I would do that…even if God asked!
But in a very real sense, I know I MUST DO THAT every day with my children
Do you know—the best thing Abraham ever did for Isaac was to tie him to that altar and to surrender him back to God?
1) Had Abraham refused to give Isaac back to God, he would have forfeited all God’s promises and plans for Isaac.
Isaac would have lived and died in darkness, a nobody.
2) Because Abraham obeyed and gave Isaac back to God,
Isaac received the fullness of God’s best plan and promise for his life:
• Isaac became a wealthy man.
• Isaac became the forefather of God’s own Son, the Lord J.C.
• Isaac’s life is still having an impact on and blessing millions of people worldwide through his offspring—Jesus Christ.
And so, you and I need to learn from Abraham today. If we refuse and fail to give our children back to God—we may very well be forfeiting God’s best plan and purpose for their lives. And when we entrust our children back to God—we secure for them the covenant of God’s best purpose and plan for their lives.
Lets take a look @ FOUR ELEMENTS OF GIVING YOUR CHILD BACK TO GOD:
• What does it mean?
1) Giving your child to God is a CONFIRMATION of your love for God.
• The first thing you are saying when you give that child back to the Lord is simply this…that you love God even more than you love that child. (Your child is a most prized possession…but don’t allow them to take the place of God!) [I love you,(child), so much, that I want the very best for you. If that means giving you to God, correcting you, giving you limitations (holding the line), changing my life for your benefit…I’ll do whatever it takes!]
• This is exactly what Abraham proved by his willingness to offer Isaac. He was demonstrating that his love and fear of God were supreme in his life above all else.
Matthew 10:37-38
• Abraham loved God above the most prized treasure of his life…his only son Isaac.
Not only a Confirmation…also a CLARIFICATION
2) Giving your children to God is a CLARIFICATION of ownership.
–When you give your child back to God, you are openly declaring that:
• This child is a gift from God.
• This child does not really belong to you.
• This child belongs to God.
(You have the privilege to love and train this child.
But this child is not yours—but God’s!)
• Was this not what had to be on Abraham’s mind when he lay Isaac on the altar? Was he not saying, “Lord, this young man belongs to you—not me?” He was saying, “You do with him as you please. He’s yours!”
• Hey listen! These little children do not really belong to us—they belong to God! They are a precious gift from God, on loan to us.
Ps. 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” (KJV).
Note: We’d better be careful how we treat and care for God’s property!
Not only Confirmation and Clarification…also a COMMITMENT
3) Giving Your Children To God Is A COMMITMENT to Raise Your Children God’s Way!
Eph. 6:4 says we are to bring our children up “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
• LISTEN…To give your child to God is not just a CEREMONY…It is a COMMITMENT. It is a commitment that you are going to:
Be a Godly parent. (Parent dedication…requires getting right w/ God)
It is a commitment that you are going to:• Pray for this child & Teach this child of Christ. (they will need to be saved)
It is a commitment that you are going to:• Keep this child in church.
It is a commitment that you are going to:• Love this child. (even if loving them means disciplining them & letting God discipline you!)
It is a commitment that you are going to:• Train this child.
It is a commitment that you are going to:• Stay married for this child. (there are other reasons for this too, but that is a great one!)
It is a commitment that you are going to:• Make your home a holy place.
It is a commitment that you are going to:• Put away worldliness
and Live a righteous life.
• I think some people see baby dedication as a magical ceremony. Let me tell you if you are not making a sincere commitment to raise this child God’s way! this little ceremony means nothing….
: I like what Joshua told the children of Israel as they settled into their new home, the Promised Land.
Joshua 24:14-15
14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served…and serve ye the LORD.
15 , choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord
“I want my family to turn out right, and so, as a parent, I’m going to begin to lead them right!”
• Man, that’s the kind of commitment God is looking for in parents today!
Not only a Confirmation, Clarification, Commitment…also a CLAIMING
4) Giving Your Children To God is a CLAIMING of God’s plan and promises for that child’s life.
• Isaac inherited God’s blessings, protection and promises because his dad, Abraham, gave him back to God.
(read) Genesis 22:15-18
• Your children are blessed by your obedience to God AND cursed by your disobedience to God.
What I mean by that is they have a free will, but you stack the odds in their favor or against them by the way YOU live!
• As you obey God with your life, and as you give that child back to God, you are allowing that child to receive God’s very best for his/her life.
Read Proverd22vs6
…So, this is what it means to give your children back to God:
1) It is a CONFIRMATION of your supreme love for Christ.
2) It is a CLARIFICATION of ownership (God owns that child).
3) It is a COMMITMENT to raise that child under the Lordship of J. C.
4) It is a CLAIMING of God’s best plan and promises for that child’s life.
• This is exactly what transpired when Abraham took Isaac up Mt. Moriah and laid him on the altar to give him to God.
1) Abraham was CONFIRMING his love and fear of Jehovah.
2) Abraham was CLARIFYING that Isaac really belonged to God.
3) Abraham was COMMITTING to be a Godly parent.
4) Abraham was CLAIMING God’s plan and promises for Isaac.
1 more very short example of a parent in the Bible who brought their children to God and gave them back to Him…
the classic example of Hannah bringing her son Samuel to God…
I Sam. 1 26,she prayed to the lord for some thing lets see what she prayed for our scripture of today vs 27…now lets continue to see what happens next, what will she do with the child ,28…She Gave him back to the Lord…
Closing Song
Lord help us entrust our children back to God —we need to secure for them the covenant of your goal, best purpose & plan for their lives. Help us not forfeit that in their lives… Its only through Christ can God make them & us the way he wants you to be…
Truth about Lot’s Wife
Luke:17: 32: Remember Lot’s wife.
What was it about Lot’s Wife that Jesus would tell us to remember?
The world sometimes seams up-side down, so before we begin we need to ask Gods Blessing on what is the true meaning of what He said about Remember Lot’s wife
First we need to understand the story about Lot and his family so let’s go to the book of Genesis and start with Chapter 13:
7: And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8: And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9: Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Abram was Lots uncle and together God had blessed them to the point that everything they had was too large for them to dwell together. So Abram said to Lot choose where you want to live, how wonderful was Lot’s uncle to give him first choice of all the land before them.
10: And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11: Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12: Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Here we are told that Lot decided that he would dwell close to the big City of Sodom, but what did God say about Sodom.
13: But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Lot seen and knew about how wicked that city was but he believed that he could gain advantage by living there and maybe convert some of the people as well.
Sometime it’s not good to live in or near a big city, why because little by little Satan will use the things of pleasure to lure you or your family away from God and away from the truth.
Now understand that it is not Gods will that any should die but there are times when God must put a check on sin or it would destroy the world before its time. The City of Sodom was known for its wickedness and the time of probation for that City was drawing to and end. They were giving time to repent of all the Evil that was done in that great City, but there passion for sin was great.
Genesis: 18
16: And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17: And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
20: And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21: I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22: And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
We are told that these men were Angles that were with Jesus; they went on there way to Sodom while the Lord and Abraham stayed behind.
Genesis: 19
1: And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2: And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
God will never force His way into your home, he comes in only when He is invited into your home. Lot did not know at first these men were angles, he like many good men in his time, it was customary to watch by the gate for strangers coming into the city and invite them in to his home. Lot also knew the wickedness in the city at night and did not want these strangers to meet any harm, so he invited them into the safety of his home.
12: And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
The angles reveal to Lot there mission and give him warning to get out of the city because it will soon be destroyed. God will again in the last days give his people warning to get out of the Cities to a place of safety that He will provide for all who put there faith in him.
14: And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Lot returned sorrowfully to his home and told the story of his failure. Then the angels bade him arise and take his wife and the two daughters who were yet in his house and leave the city. But Lot delayed.
Though daily distressed at beholding deeds of violence, he had no true conception of the debasing and abominable iniquity practiced in that vile city. He did not realize the terrible necessity for God’s judgments to put a check on sin. Some of his children clung to Sodom, and his wife refused to depart without them.
Lot like all true Christians did not loose his faith or belief in God even surrounded with all the evil and sin, he kept his eyes on God; but he did became unalarmed by all the vice in the city. By beholding we become changed, this is why we must guard the avenues of our minds, we must be carful of the things we watch and do as they will change us. Lot had hopped to turn others in Sodom to the one and true God, but in fact he ended up loosing his own family to the pleasure of Sin. We need to be carful of what we let our Children do and see as it will someday make a difference in there life, if they will or will not obey God and live or serve Satan and die.
17: And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Is it importance to listen when God is giving instructions, when he tells you to do or not to do something in a cretin way. We might not understand the reason why God said to do something, but we need to make sure we do precisely to the T on how God said to do it. Remember Adam & Eve it was just a piece of fruit that’s all, but it was a piece of Fruit that God said don’t eat it for in the day you eat of it you will die. When God tells you to do something, do it according to His very word, when God says to remember something make sure you never forget it, it could save your life.
24: Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25: And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
The thought of leaving those whom he held dearest on earth seemed more than he could bear. It was hard to forsake his luxurious home and all the wealth acquired by the labors of his whole life, to go forth a destitute wanderer. Stupefied with sorrow, he lingered, loath to depart. But if it was not for the angels of God, they would all have perished in the ruin of Sodom. The heavenly messengers took him and his wife and daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.
26: But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
So here is the reason Jesus said remember Lot’s wife. She was instructed like Lot and his two daughters not to look back. God did everything He could to save her; all she needed to do was to obey His command. But the question is why did she looked back, did she for get something. In fact she did she left her heart there in Sodom, even thro her body was safe and on the outside of Sodom, her heart was on the things she left behind.
While her body was upon the plain, her heart clung to Sodom, and she perished with it. She rebelled against God because His judgments involved her possessions and her children in the ruin. Although so greatly favored in being called out from the wicked city, she felt that she was severely dealt with, because the wealth that it had taken years to accumulate must be left to destruction. Instead of thankfully accepting deliverance, she presumptuously looked back to desire the life of those who had rejected the divine warning. Her sin showed her to be unworthy of eternal life, for the preservation of which she felt so little gratitude. We should beware of treating lightly on God’s gracious provisions for our salvation
How sad when the children of the Father loose there hold on faith because of the trinkets of this world. When they would rather choose the pleasures of Sin for a season rather then eternal life with the God who loves them enough to die for them. Lot did all that a Father could do for his family, he was a man of faith, a man of purity, a man of prayers; but to his children and Wife he was only a foolish old man. To the world God people will look like foolish people because they will be different, they would choose the things of heaven over the pleasures of Sin in this world. They would choose to server God rather then Satan, they will be the ones doing what God said to do, John:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
We must learn that there is nothing in this life more important then to serve the God who created us. Adam lost his grip on faith when Eve sinned and he chose to Sin with her rather then to be separated from her. He could not see Gods divine plan for mankind with out Eve, so rather then wait for God he too decided to join Eve in her act of rebellion and disobeying Gods divine instructions.
Now let’s look at the words of Jesus in the book of Luke
Luke:17:
28: Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29: But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
God is telling us that this world is becoming a city of sin just like Sodom and soon his judgment will fall on all who have choosing to disobey His Laws His Commandments. It is not His will that any should be lost because He paid the price for all by His death on the cross. To be lost in Sin is a personal choice, it is a choice you make to turn your back on the truth and be lost in this world of Sin. Just because you go to Church does not give you a free ticket into heaven, remember Lot’s Wife. She was safe outside but her heart was still there in Sodom.
Let’s look again at the story Jesus was telling in the book of Matthew
Story about 10 Virgins Matthew 25:
1: Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2: And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3: They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Now let’s understand the setting of the story, this illustration is about Gods Church. Why I say that is because it is about Woman who are Virgins. A woman in the Bible represents as a Church, and a Virgin Woman would be GodsChurch.
6: And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
The Bride Groom represents Jesus coming back for His people
7: Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8: And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9: But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
What does oil represent in the Bible, Gods Holy Spirit that is correct.
10: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
So here we find only half of God Church were keeping His laws and commandments and so they had more of the oil that only God can supply, His Holy Spirit. The other half of the so called Christians had some oil but when the time came they ran short on the oil that would keep there light burning. That light my friend is Jesus as long as we are looking at Jesus and keeping His word that light will guide us safely to Him. John:17: 7: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Psalme:119: 105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
All who will have the Oil of the Holy Spirit will have enough that there light will keep burning and keep them on the right path to Jesus. But we must learn now that we need to Obey Gods and do what he told us to do. It is very important to follow Gods word and do as He told us to do and not the world. Isaiah:8:20: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. The only truth there is, is in God word, don’t let someone fool you and say it is OK to forget what God say to remember.
11: Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12: But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Friend the story here in not about people who do not know Jesus, the story is about God Church. The problem again is those who believe and do what God said to do; and those who believe and do what the world said to do.
There is a danger and Jesus is giving us a warren that we will become like Lots wife. When the time comes and the message to leave our homes and things of this world, will you be lost or saved. Will you be one of the Christians who keep the commandments of God, or the traditions of your Church, there is a big different.
Do not let the things of this world keep you from eternal life with Jesus, when he said to remember Lot’s wife He was telling us to take care and listen to the Holy Spirit. Read everyday in Gods word; asking for God’s Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. Obey His commandments not your Church doctrines. The Church doctrines will lead you to disobey; but Gods Word will supply you with enough oil to get you through the night and into the Wedding feast. Obey and don’t look back at the cities when God is telling you to get out.
Exodus 20: 8-11 Again God says to remember, but many of the Churches today say it is OK to forget.
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Right in the middle of Gods Ten Commandments we find the word REMEMBER. And who is telling us to remember God is, and what is He saying to remember, His Law His commandments. When God said to remember he was telling us to look back at the past to find out what He said to remember.
Genesis: 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Right there in the very beginning of creation, God did something wonderful, He blessed the last day of creation and made it holy. Then He tells us to Remember what He God did in the beginning, so you would have no drought of where you came from.
Look at how the Bible describes the Church at the end of time, he calls it Laodiceans and says it is in a Luke Warm stage Revelations: 3:
14: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16: So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
With God there is no in-between, you are either all for God or you will be all against God. There will be no one sitting on the fence with one leg in both sides.
Matther:6:
24: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The Truth is that many Christians today are no different then Lot’s Wife. They have a form of Godliness on the outside but want the goods of this world on the inside. They are not cold but they are not hot either; they are kind of right there in the middle, (Luke Warm). That my friend is a dangerous place to be in the present of the almighty God of all creation
In the end time there will be only two choices to make; those who keep God Commandments, and those who do not keep God commandments. What side will you be on?
Revelation 14:
12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Who is Satan persecution, There will only be two choices.
Revelation:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
God is telling us by His prophet John that Satan will be angry with the small group (remnant ) of true Christians who refused to disobey God. Then Satan will make war with Gods true Christians and persecute them through the others so called Christians who have compromised with the world and trample down the truth of Gods Word.
But I tell you a truth my friend, don’t be afraid, just have faith because God will be with His true people. He will lead them through time of trouble just like He did for the children of Israel. For 40 years God provide everything they needed in the wilderness and God will again provide for His end time people who have left Sodom for the safety of His provisions.
Don’t take lightly what God is telling you to do, and don’t think because some Church tradition or big religious leader is saying it is OK to do contrary to what God said is OK.
Out of all of Lot’s family only He and two of his children were saved, everyone one else was lost.
Remember also Noah, God gave him a massage to preach to the world of the soon coming destruction, but no one believed him. It did not stop Noah because he believed Gods word and when the time came to make a choice to enter into Gods provision of safety only 8 people were saved Genesis:7: 16: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
God shut him in and probation for this world ended. God will again shut His true believers in and away from the destruction that is coming upon this world. Because they will be the ones who made the choice to do according to His commands and to keep His word as a light unto the path that will lead to salvation.
Luke: 21:
25: And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26: Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27: And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28: And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
My friend what side will you be on, I pray that you will choose to keep Gods Law and His commandments all ten of them and not the 9 that the Churches of this world are saying it is OK to keep.
Revelation:14:7: Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Right there in the last book of the New Testament it is telling us to Worship the God who back in Genesis Created this world, the same God who in the 4th commandment made the made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. What should you be doing, what God said to do, or what your Church is saying to do. Remember Lot’s Wife and obey the command of a God who loves you so much He came to die in your place in order to give you eternal life with His in a paradise kingdom that He is preparing for all who by faith believe in Him.
Matthew: 7:
13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Read and understand what Jesus was saying, He is giving us a warning. The path that will lead you to Him is narrow and only a few only the remnant will find it.
The path that leads to Jesus is not the one that the large Churches are teaching. Remember Revelation 12: 17: The dragon went to make war with the remnant of her seed. The few that will find the straight path will be the ones keeping Gods Commandments, God’s Law, and God’s testimonies. We must learn that in order for anyone to be saved we must do what God is telling us to do and not the Church or the Church traditions. We will all stand before Jesus one day and be judge for what we know is the Truth. How will you fair on that day if you are doing something other then what Jesus has told you do.
You see we live in a World today where people say oh I am OK I am a good person I don’t hurt any one or do anything wrong. But is that enough my friend to get you in to Heave when the time comes or will you refused to leave your Sodom home.
We do things at home and watch things on TV or at the Movies, but I ask if Jesus came to live with you today would you watch them in His presents; or take Him to see that Movie. Would you say those things to your neighbor or take that thing that is not yours if Jesus was standing right there next to you.
My friend the Bible said in Proverbs:14:12: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. We think we are OK living the way we do but we would not live that way if Jesus was standing there with us or living in our Homes. And in this scripture it is telling us that these little things may someday be the difference between us wanting to leave or holding us back in this world of Sin.
God is a God of love a God of mercy a God of justice, but you can’t disobey what He is telling you to do in order to be saved and expect to be saved. If you do; wend the time comes to leave this Sodom world you too will look back at all the treasure and things you had to leave behind and find yourself a pillar of salt outside of the Kingdom of Jesus.
We must learn to put our faith in God and God alone. You can’t go by what your Church is teaching or by what your pastor may be preaching. You must study the word of God for yourself day by day and let His Holy Spirit guide you into all Truth. As you read and pray little by little the Holy Spirit will open your understanding of Gods word. As we get closer to the time of the end there will be many deceivers in the all Churches. This is why you must know the word of God for yourself and what is says.
Yes I know what you are thinking, I can’t read that well or I can’t remember what the Bible says. That is no excuses, just believe and let God lead. Maybe you will not remember now but when the time comes God will bring back everything you have been learning to safely guide you out of Sodom. Daily Bible studies are very importance even if it is just 5min a day, devote that time and be alone with God, just obey His voice and do the things He said to do.
Look at the Bible from cover to cover and read, it is all about a God looking for a people that love Him and want to show it by doing what He God say to do. Salvation my friend is just that simple obey and live disobey and die, the same test that Adam & Eve was giving is giving to each and everyone of us today.
1Kings:18:21:How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him
I pray that today you will choose to follow God and His truth.
God Bless you my friend and may we meet someday in God kingdom
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth Ministries
Truth of Obeying God
Scripture: Matthew: 7:21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
To Obey and Live or Not to Obey and Die which will it be?
There was once a Church in a small town that had a problem, a saloon open upped across the street. Church members were very angry about this and tried to get the Owner to close it or move somewhere else.
They appealed to the city official, who because of taxes reused to do anything about it.
So the Pastor called on the Church to Pray that God would shout down the Saloon, They meet at the Church everyday in special prayer meetings asking God to intervene in there behalf and help them to shut down the Saloon.
Sure enough about a month later during a very bad storm lightning struck the Saloon and burned it down to the ground.
The Church was delighted until they got served with a legal suit.
The owner of the Saloon was suing the Church, Claiming that their Prayers had resulted in Lightning striking his saloon, and so he held the Church responsible and was suing them for damages
The Church Lawyers claimed that the Church and there prayers were in no way responsible for the saloon keeper’s damage.
The judge decided in favor of the Church!
But the judge said; it is very confusing to find that the saloon keeper arguing in favor of the power of prayer and the Church arguing against it
Let us Pray!
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God is a God of love so why not serve Him instead of serving the World (Satan)
People think that God is a God of revenge, a God that will get you if you don’t do what he says; nothing is further from the Truth. God is a God of Love and all he asks is that we simply obey what he tells us. Why because He knows it will keep us happy and in good health.
Don’t you as good parents tell your children things not to do because you know it will not be in there best interest. When a child reaches to touch a hot stove, don’t you stop him because you know it will hurt them. God is no different, He knows what is not good for us and what will hurt and maybe kill us; so He tells us what to do and not to do. For all who wants eternal life must learn to listen to what God said and no one else, for He is our creator.
If you buy a brand new car right off the showroom floor what is the very first thing you do. That’s right look for the owner’s manual because it will tell you how to take care of the new car, when to change the oil and what type of fuel to use in it. You don’t want to put Diesel in a Gas engine or Gas in a Diesel engine do you. The One that made the car knows what is best to keep it running in perfect condition. God is the same He knows what is best for us and that is why He gave us His laws to live by.
Did you ever hear the quote “It was an act of God” why does God always get the blame when something bad happens?
I have a friend who Son died of Cancer and he blamed God for it. God did not ordain that Sin should come into this world. Sin was mans act of not obeying and trusting God Word, not obeying His Laws, His Commandments.
Obedience is all that God has asked from the beginning and still requires from His true people today.
Adam & Eve failed the very first test of obedience
Everything was Good
Genesis: 2:
15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Here is God giving instruction to His Creation, telling them what is best for them and how to stay happy and live forever. God has created our first parents and has giving them everything that they needed. He created a beautiful paradise home, and decked it with all kinds of delicious tasting food. He made the climate just right not to cold and not to hot; there was no sickness, no pain, no suffering, and no Death.
The only condition was one simple test of obeying what God said not to do. Why because God knew what was best for His creation and God wanted Man to server Him out of love. So God gave Man the freedom of choice, and put one tree in the mist of the garden as a test of Man Obedience and love for his creator.
This one tree and only one tree was off limits to Adam & Eve, there were hundreds of others trees with many many different kinds of Fruit. But this one tree was to be man test of loyalty and love to his creator.
One day while busy with the day’s activity Eve found herself by the forbidden tree. And as she looked at it there was a serpent in it, and the serpent questioned her about what God said.
Genesis: 3:
4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Now Satan comes into the picture, his main goal if to put doubt into the mind of Eve as to what God said and the reason He said what He did.
Simply put it was a test of obedience, who do you believe is telling the Truth. God said if you eat it you will die, and Satan said if you eat it you will not surely die.
This is the first and biggest lie ever told and it is the same lie we hear being told to many of God people by men who clam to be Gods representative. But just who are they truly representing God who said you will die or Satan who said you will not surely die.
The Bible says when you die you do not go on living in some spirit world; when you die you go to sleep until Jesus comes. Who do you believe Gods word or Satan?
Let’s look at what happens when you obey what God says. The Bible says that Noah and only Noah found grace in the eyes of his God.
Genesis: 6:
7: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
11: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
God had giving His Law to our first parents who passed it down to there children by example. There were to believe what God said and follow His direction, but as the Bible says “for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth”. No one was trusting God or believing what God said. That sounds a lot like our world today, everyone wants it there way and then they expect when they die to go to Heaven.
Only Noah and his family found grace in the eyes of God, why because they were obedience to the Laws of God. Noah found grace in the eyes of God because Noah believed in what God said and Noah lived by what God said word by word. So when God looked down upon this sinful world He saw Noah a faithful man and so Noah found grace in the eyes of his creator. Because he was Obedience to Gods Law and lived his life in doing what God said to do. His standards were in doing Gods will, man standards are in doing what the world said to do.
The Children of Israel wondered for 40 years in the wilderness, why because they refused to listen to what God was telling them to do and doing it exactly as God told them to do it.
Numbers: 14:
35: I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36: And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
Men who saw the goodness of the land that God had promise, but instead of looking at the land they were looking and the problems that stood in the way. God said go, but Man said stay. They did not believe God could deliver them. Even those He parted the Red Sea for them to cross on dry land and did many of miracles right in front of them, they did not believe.
30: Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
God will take care of those who put there trust and faith in Him and are obedient to His will.
Again those who were supposed to be the people of God were complaining about God and Gods servant Moses. So God withdrew his protection from them
Numbers: 21:
5: And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
Here again we find Gods people disobeying and speaking against God.
Did they not know who it was watching over them day and night, to protect them and keep them safe?
6: And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
God withdrew His protecting and now they could see what was all around. And when they realized it they went back to Moses and said we have sinned
8: And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9: And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Look at what God told them to do, look upon the brass serpent and live. Did the brass serpent have any power to heal, no, it was only an object that God said to do if you wanted to live.
There is nothing impossible for God to do, for 40 years God provided food and everything needed for over a Million people in the wildness. God will once again at the time of the end provide food and everything needed for His people who by Faith will trust and believe in Him.
Here again we find, when we do what God said to do, and do it the way God said to do it we shall live. Why because we are obeying the word of God.
All God is looking for is a people who will obey His word, no matter how simple it might be. You have a choice; do what God said and live or not do what God said and die.
Elijah Choose ye this day who you will serve, God or Man
We find again the people of God who clamed they knew Him were not obedient to His Laws and Commandments. They believe there idols of wood, stones and gold over the word of the one true God.
1 Kings: 18:
21: And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
The World today is no different then it was back in History. We today want it our way we want a little of God and a little of the good thing of the world. But God say you can’t sit on a fence you can’t serve God and Man, there is a wide gap between them that will only lead to disobedience and destruction of the soul.
Satan wants only one thing and that is to keep as many people as he can out of Haven. Why because he knows it hurts God to see His creating reject Him and he knows it hurts God not to have someone that He gave His spirit to die and not have eternal life with Him.
When mankind sinned God did not leave us to just die He made provision even before He created this World that if man sinned He would make a way to bring him back into communion with his Creator.
All through the Old Testament we are told of how God will send His Son to come and live in this world of sin to help man learn how to live in Obedience to Gods law. To show mankind that God is not a God of hate but a God of love.
He came to reconciled man back to his creator back to the God who at any cost would save man from his falling state. Even if God had to die in order to give man life. How by believing in His Son Jesus John 3: 16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God knew the only way for man to have life again was by faith in Him providing a way to be brought back in to a relationship with Him. And so God gave His Son, His only Son to be man savior. God would take our sins upon Himself and die the death we deserve in order for us to have eternal life with Him.
Jesus said; and if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me. All he asks is if we love Him to show the World, by doing what He asks us to do “Keep my Commandments”.
The 7th day is the Sabbath
If you Love me, keep my Commandments
Jesus told us to do only one little thing to show the world that we are not of the world and that we have choosing to be Gods people, Gods true propel. He said John: 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The only hope that there is in our world is as it was in the beginning. To obey God; it is not some hard thing to do; a simple test of who you obey, God or Satan.
As Elijah said Choose ye this day who you will serve God or Satan.
Choose God and keep His commandments or disobey and choose the World and die.
Sinners can not live forever they will someday die an eternal death, why because God knows that to give someone eternal life in heaven would be nothing more then Hell to them
Revelation:20:
14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Death, Hell, and Satan will all one day be destroyed according to Gods word. God is a God of mercy a God of compassion a God of love; he will not let people who sinned for only a short 100 years burn forever in Hell as told by some Churches. God said that one day Death and Hell will all be destroyed, it will come to an end.
After God has made an end to Sin it will never happen again.
Nahum:1:9: What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
This is why wend mankind sinned through disobedience to His Law He did not destroy us right there and then. He let us live in order to show the many other worlds that He has created what sin will do. It will destroy; it will make misery, sickness, hate, envy, destruction, and finely Death. This is why we live in a world of sin and why God has aloud it to continue
God had allowed this world to become a testing ground after it had sinned, He could had just wiped it out right then and started over, but He did not. Instead he made a way that man could be saved and not have to die, by believing in Him and obeying His Laws, his Ten commandments Law that He God wrote on stone with His own finger.
Exodus:31:18: And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
People please understand, God is not a God of hate and vengeance as Satan would have you believe. He is a God of love, He is the creator of all things, He made us to be happy and to live forever in a paradise world. To never see or have sickness, pain and to never see death, those were the results of our disobedience to our Creator God.
All this mess we live in is of our own making, but God loved us still and gave us one simple test to show that we love Him John14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Don’t believe what the world says about God and don’t believe when some big Religious Leader or Church Pastor tells you it is OK to forget what God told you to do and remember.
In God simple Ten Commandments Law is all the attribute of Gods love to His Creation. God know the only way for man to be happy and live in harmony with one another is to be Obedience to what He has told us to do. In His Ten Commandments Law the first 4 commandments tell us how man should Worship his Creator God, and the last six tell how we should love one another and be happy.
Mark:12:
30: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
33: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Serving God is not easy in a world of Sin and to people who don’t believe and know God. Look at Gods own Son, He was marked, beaten, spit on, made fun of, laughed at, condemned, and crucified all because He loves each and everyone of us. That is true love, a love that the world can’t understand, why would a Creator God come and Die for His Creation. All because of His Love for you and me.
May God bless you and open your understanding of His great and endless love. Remember what Jesus said in John: 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The Truth of Obeying God is in doing what He has told us to do and not what the big Religious Leaders or Churches are saying to do. It is simple just like the test back in Eden If ye love me God said then show it to the world by keeping My Commandments.
All Gods wants now is the same thing He wanted back then in the beginning. A people who will love Him and are willing to obey His word; Salvation my friend is just that simple
33: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
In the End times there will be just two categories of people. Those who believe in God and Keep His Commandments and those who believe in God and don’t keep His Commandments.
Revelation:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Satan is mad but not at the world, he is mad at the people which keep the commandments of God. They are the remnant the few true believers that Obey Gods word.
Revelation:14:12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation:22:14: Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Every Eye will see Jesus coming
My Friend I hope and pray that you are one of them that will stand in the last days for Jesus by obeying His word and what he tells you to do and not the world. Satan is a liar and the father of it, all he wants is to keep you out of heaven and he made all kinds of deception just to do that very thing. But God has warned us about him just like He did to our first parents. Don’t believe the serpent in the tree, turn away and do as God has told you. If you love me keep my commandments.
Salvation is Free but not cheep; it cost the life of Gods only Son Jesus.
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods truth Ministries
PRISON
Why do bad things happen to Good people
Prison is not a Sermon, it is about people who are trapped within there bodies. It is my hope and desire that when you finish reading prison you will come away with a better understanding of how life is for people who are not the world’s standard of normal.
A man I know Story:
I know a Guy who is in Prison and has been there for a quite a few years. A very nice guy on the inside but was doing things he should not have been doing and was court tried and convicted. This happens sometime when we are younger and following the wrong people or the wrong group. We tend to do what they are doing to show off or just to show we are one of them. This mans life will never be the same, but he does have a choice of being able to change it. To amend for what he has done and to learn a lesson from it, then let it make a different in his future.
While he was in Prison I thought about him and his life being in there. He was always in a small jail cell with bars, locked in with no means of escape, day in and day out for many years, him and four walls all around him. Some days he was aloud to go out side in to the open yard just to get away from his small cell. But in reality outside was nothing more then just a bigger cell will a high fence and razor edge barbwire on top. Even though he was on the outside he was still locked with in with no way of escape
There were other times when trouble happened; why because that is the way it is when you are locked within something. He would find himself put into solitary confinement, nothing more then just another cell but a whole lot smaller. Here was where he could think about everything that happened and why his life was in the mess it was in, it was a place of deep depression a place he did not want to come back too.
After a while he would be let out and was able to go back too his Cell. Even though it was still in prison it was better then the solitary confinement and it was a place where he has learned to be comfortable. His cell room in prison has become his place of safety and security a place where no one could hurt him. After a long time he had finish his time in prison and was let go early on good behavior.
I thought long about this and realized that there are many different type of prison. The story above is just one and it is true, but there are many others types of prisons that people live in everyday. People who are sick also live in prison, just why we don’t know, it is just the way life deal with us.
You see we too have our cells that we live in; it too has four walls all around us and we are locked in a sick body and can’t get out. We are held against our will because no one wants to be sick, we are trapped but with in our bodies. Sometimes we cry out but only to be misunderstood by people on the outside, they look in and see us but can’t understand what we are going through on the inside.
You see to someone who is sick our cell can be a place of loneliness, pain and suffering and place where there is no hope, only despair. Some days we are let out but only to a bigger cell outside, just like in a Prison there is still a high fence with razor edge barbwire on top keeping us locked in with no way of escape.
There are also times when we are locked away in to solitary confinement; this is so hard for people on the outside to understand. They can’t see through the doors of our life to know what we are thinking what we are feeling what we are seeing and why we are in despair. Depression can become very lonely, very deep, very dark and the longer you are there the deeper you sink. It is a place where no light comes in a place where all hope has vanish, a place of torment of mind, and no one understands it not even medical doctors as they see it only as a medical condition.
My Friend’s Story:
There was a young man and his wife I was giving Bible studies to, there had two beautiful children and one on the way, a very Lovely family. The man in the prime of his life was told he had MS and little by little it was taking away his ability to be what the world called normal. Both of them were very interested in learning about God and so they ask me to help them, being an Elder in the church I am honored to help people know the God I serve.
One night when I went over to there home I could tell that something was very wrong. Because of the man disability he ask his employer if it would be possible for them to build a ramp so he could get his wheelchair up to the office building easier. The next mouth he was let go from the place of work, they said it was nothing to do with his sickness they were cutting back; strange he was the only person let go.
His thoughts were “how was he now going to be able to take care of his family who is going to hire him with MS and in a wheelchair”. We had prayer, sometimes when things are going bad you need to let God in and take control. We continued having Bible studies but he was becoming more and more depressed at times and did not know what to do.
The man Mother and Father had gotten devoice when he was just a little kid and his mother always used him as a tool against his Father. But after he grew up he found that his father loved him very much, they had a very good relationship. He called his dad and told him all that happened and that he just did not know what to do.
His father could tell how depressed he was becoming and told his Son sometime you need to just get away. He told him to come out and spend a few weeks with him, don’t worry about your problems they will all be there when you get back. So the man decided he would do just that, his Dad was going to buy the ticket so why not just get away.
When his mother found out that he was going to spend sometime with his father she blew-up on him and told him all kinds of hurtful things. Never did she realize all she was doing was pushing him further and further into a deep deep depression.
When a person is in Prison with in his body people all around must be very carful how they speak and what they say. One little word can be the difference between a soul in despair and desperation that leads to death.
The man went into his bed room all by himself and sat on the floor, the words of his mother kept playing over and over in his mind. The walls of his prison life was closing in on him and in his deep depressed mind Satan was telling him to just get it over with. He took down his gun and was pointing it at himself asking what good is it for me to live. In his mind he did not want to die he did not want to kill himself, but in a deep depressed state the mind does not think right. Over and over all he could hear in his mind was his mother telling him how no good and selfish he was just like his Father.
His Wife heard the sound and knew what he did, she call 911 and went into the room he was still alive and crying he said I did not mean to do it I pulled the trigger by accident. They both prayed and she told him just ask God for forgiveness and so he did, he was taking to the local hospital where he died 3 hours later.
Oh how killing can words be to someone locked away in there body, locked away from the world, locked away because of there sickness and diseased body. Oh how hard it is for someone who has a good body to understand what we go through in our everyday life of suffering and pain. I know that someday I will see this man again in heaven and in a body never again to feel the curse of sin. Some may said no he committed suicide he will not be in heaven, judge no man for only God can hear the faintest cry coming from a soul in anguish asking God for His mercy and forgiveness. God knows where we are and who we are, even the thief who died on the cross next to him Jesus forgave in the last mins of life.
My Story:
I have been fighting Cancer and the side affects of the treatment a little over 12 years now. They say if the Cancer don’t kill you the treatment will, this is so very true as I am dying not from the Cancer I had but from it’s cure.
I find that no one truly understands what people go through who have been told they have some type of illness, all the pain, the stress, the depression, the feeling on loneness. Most people will come up to you and most of the time say the wrong thing, they don’t mean anything wrong they just don’t know what to say. Most of the time it is better to just say nothing and give us a big hug, it says more then words could every say.
I like most people don’t know why I got Cancer, bad things happen to good people, I did not eat meat, I was a vegetarian and took very good care of my body, if I seen a doctor it was just for an annual check-up. I remember the first time I got sick, I got Dysentery while working in Africa then I got Malaria on top of it because my immune system was so weak. My health went down hill from then on. Two years later I came down with NPC a Cancer of the of the nasal passageway the uppermost region of the pharynx (“throat”), behind the nose
I did the Radiation treatment for it, it almost killed me, but I got better, then 17 months later I was told I have a recurrent of the same Cancer. My Caretaker Wife and I was devastated by the news, I was still a young man and still in pretty good health. We did the treatment again this time with Radiation and Chemo, it was like taking a second trip to Hell and all I could say is why me Lord, why me.
One early morning I was laying in bed, my Wife was still sleeping. In my mind I was talking to God about all of this and just could not figure out the reason why. My Wife and I were the only two people in the house as our children had grew-up and moved out. It was then that I heard a Voice say “I Love You” it was like no other voice I ever heard. I was not afraid but my body was shaking uncontrollable all over. I recognized the Voice and said Lord why, why if you love me are you letting this happen again, the voice said again “Remember I Love You” and then He was gone.
I laid there for almost an hour before my body finally stopped shaking; I got up and decided to read my Bible. When I opened my Bible it opened to the book of Isaiah 38: 1 talking about King Hezekiah who was sick, I read it and prayed thanking the God I served. We finished Radiation and Chemo only to hear a few months later that my NPC Cancer came back a 3rd time, but this time my Caretaker and I decided no more treatments I was too weak and my body too sick and rundown. I asked her to let me go home to Honduras to see all my family one last time before I die this was back in 2006. While there my older brother took me to a place on the main land where they did herbal treatment for people with cancer, I was against it but said OK why not, God blessed it and I am still alive 10 years later.
A few years ago I went swimming while in Honduras and got water in my left ear, the ear I have 1/3 of the ear drum missing. I started having a lot of pain and could not figure out why. When I got back to the US I went to see my Cancer doctor, he did a MRI and told me I have a large tumor in the back of my head and needed to get back on Chemo right away or I will die. My Caretaker Wife said no we are going to get a second opinion and so we went to MD Anderson. They did another MRI with a PET scan and said I have a lot of problems but no Cancer. I ask them why then am I hurting so bad by the left side of my ear and head, they said possible side affects from all the treatment I had.
I lived in terrible pain for the next 6 months, my life was going down hill and no one knew why, I was trapped once again in this sick Prison body and dyeing slowly oh how I prayed to get out and be free and healthy again. I seen doctor after doctor and ran all kinds of test but nothing came back. I started having problems with my eyes and then started having episodes of blindness on and off; I prayed oh lord please don’t let me go blind.
Then my Caretaker Wife who is my God sent companion said, let try the Chiropractor maybe he can help a little with the pain. I brought a copy of the MRI we did when I first came back from Honduras the one the doctor said showed I had cancer again. I knew he would not adjust me with out seeing if I have a spinal problem from all the treatment and where the Cancer was in my body. We were talking about all my problems when the Chiropractor said what are your doctors doing about this Mastoid Infection you have. We both looked at each other and said what Mastoid Infection, he then showed us the MRI and where it said bad Mastoid Infection. We could not believe what we were reading. I have an infection on the left side of my head, I am in pain on the left side of my head, and none of my doctors who all looked at the MRI said anything about a Mastoid Infection. Did they miss this or something?
We went back to MD Anderson as I was no longer using the Local Cancer doctor who told me I had Cancer. And the ENT at MD Anderson said no I don’t have a Mastoid Infection, I said the MRI said I do and I had it for almost 7 months now and it is getting worse. All he did was to look at me and say you don’t have a Mastoid Infection, we did not know what to do after that. We prayed and I found another ENT while there in Houston, we made an appointment with him, I told him nothing about my having NPC Cancer. When he scoped me he said man you are infected really bad, I might have to do surgery to cleaned some of this out. He then asked about all the scar tissue in my nasal passageway. I then told him I had a cancer there about 6 years ago but all my PET scans show I am clean now.
He put me on some very strong Antibiotic for two weeks and said come back in three weeks we will look at it and see if Surgery will be needed. After two weeks most of the pain was gone, I was able to get off of all the hard pain pills. When we went back to see him he was very up-set and saying you have Cancer I need to know where the cancer is I need to see all your PET Scans I need to know the location of the Cancer. I said hold on doc, I told you I no longer have Cancer; you told me I have a Bad Infection in may nasal area. No, No, No he said I need to know about your Cancer. I looked at him as asked did you by chance get my MDA chart, why are you going on like this I have an infection. With that we left his office, my Wife and I could not believe what we just went through, why the switch from infection to Cancer. All of this was just putting me into depression as I could not find one doctor I could trust, it would set me back and sometimes all I could do was to cry. Why Lord, why if you love me why can’t I find a doctor who cares.
I had to trick a few other doctors into giving me some more Antibiotics, by then I started feeling good again, almost back to my old self. I felt like for the first time I was getting released from this Prison I been living in the passed 9 months. Wow it felt so good, my strength started to come back my health started to improve I started to gain weight, I could walk with out the need of someone to hold me up, I was free at last. All because a Chiropractor could see what my Medical Doctors could not see. Finally after searching so long and living in pain God lead me to an ENT who really cares and has been a answer to all my prayer.
I was doing great for about a year but then started having some side effects from the Mastoid Infection I had; I had hopped that they would go away but they did not. More and more the tissue on the left side of my face was giving me problem at the same time I also started having problem with my intestine not working. It was like I violated parole and found myself now back in Prison, the same 4 walls, the same depression, the same pain, the same not feeling good, it was all there waiting for me.
A few months later my bowel stopped working, I would back-up with the worse constipation you could imagine. I went to every type of doctor I could; just trying to find an answer, I tried all there medicines and nothing worked, the only help I got was in doing enemas and colonic butt washing. I was getting deeper and deeper in depression as nothing seams to help me. I was trapped in this Prison body of mine again with no way out locked in solitary confinement and praying to God pleading for Him to help me.
There was times when Satan would put thoughts in my mind of just killing my-self and getting out of this pain and suffering I was in, just get it over with no one really cares about you, your are old, sick, and in the way. He would try and pull me down as deep as he could in this prison cell, as I would fall to the floor he would kick me and just hold me there. All I could do was to pray, my God my God please help me I know you are there.
My mind was going back and forward, why me Lord what did I do, but even in my deepest depression somehow I could feel I was alone, but not fully alone, this is hard to explain, you have to live it to understand it. I would cry out because I new it was God He was right there with me and my mind remembered the words He said. I love you, remember I love you; these words now kept playing over and over in my mind. Then I would remember reading about Job in the Bible and the trials he went through. He was a righteous man, he took care of all the poor in his town, and he gave of his wealth to others that were in need. Yet God let Satan afflict him, why, because God knew Job, he too questions God at times, but he never lost his faith in all his trials.
Job 1: 20: Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21: And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22: In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Some how as all this would play in my mind I would find myself coming out of my deep depression and just sitting there with words on my lips, thanking God and remembering that He loves me too. I still have some very hard times; I am still having problems with extremely bad constipation and having to use enemas every time I use the bathroom. I lost my ability to swallow and so now I live on a Peg tube, it is very difficult living in a world where thing smell so good but you can’t taste it or even put it into your mouth. I am now lousing my voice and not able to speak much. I love to preach more then anything but Satan has took that ability away from me, so now I write my sermons out and post them on the web.
God has turned Satan evil into a blessing as there are more people now reading my sermons then ever before. Luke 7:23: And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
I found I may still live in this prison that seams more like a dungeon at times, but I also found that I am never never alone in here. Matthew :28:20: I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world, Amen. When I read in Fox book of Martyrs now I better understand how many of these people who were put into dungeon and tortured for what they believed could go to the burning flames singing and praising God. He was right there beside them holding there hand. When I am down and depressed now I reach up and hold on tight to Gods hand, I still live in this world and I am still tormented by Satan everyday in this prison body. Yet God gives me the strength I need one day at a time and when I need it the most, He never failed me yet and He never will.
Many people live in prison because of many different things in life; we can’t judge them by what we see on the outside. They are people who are hurting, people who need to be told you are not alone; but too many times we are busy with our own problems to help them. They just slip away and no one sees, they go on with there hurting day in and day out, they look normal but they are in prison on the inside, hiding in there own little world. If left in this condition Satan will take full control of them.
I have found that the rich more then any other group live in this prison. Why is this so hard to believe, they have all the money in the world all the toys that money can buy, but they live in despair unhappy on the inside. That is because the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6: 10: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. With out God in there life they too fall hopeless under the vice of Satan. Money can buy you anything in this world you want, but it can’t buy you eternal life in the next, only Jesus can do that.
I understand a lot more about Gods love for his creation then I ever did before in my live. We all failed his first little simple test of who you believe, God or Satan. Obedience to his Law was a blessing, it was designed to keep mankind happy and healthy, God never wanted man to be sick or unhealthy, that was the cause of disobedience and sins. He seeks now to bring us back to Him and is preparing a place for all who will believe and put there trust in Him. John:14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. All He asks is that we be obedient to his Laws as a sign of our love back to Him. John:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments. This is why He let’s us go through the fire of suffering and pain; it is to refining us, to wash out all the impurity and stain of sin. So that one day we can again live a life with no Prison walls, no depression, no sickness, and no SIN.
Mt:21:21: Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Only by faith in God and in His Word can we be saved, someday all that we have gone through will seam so petite a thing in comparison to what Jesus did to save us.
Romans: 8: 35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is nothing that can separate you from Gods love, except your choice to not let Him in. Satan will do everything he can to block out the love of God in your life. He will cause sickness, illness, depression, even death to a love one, all to get you to blame God and separate you from His love. Just remember what Paul was telling you in Roman, nothing can separate you, only your choice not to believe.
Life is sometimes like a prison cell we get locked in with no way out, but even in this prison Jesus will shine his light of love on us through a window or crack in the wall if we are willing. This prison is only temporary when you compare it to eternity with Jesus, and I know someday I will meet all of you there in Heaven. We are like a flower we start off in a dirty patch of ground on this dusty old Earth, but in the end we will bloom with the beauty of Gods love for eternity.
I know who I have believed in, and I know and believe His promise that He will one day came back to take us home to live with Him, its a sure thing. I know that whether I am alive or Sleeping in the dust of the Earth, that I will hear His voice coming and saying well-done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy lord Mt: 25: 21.
I still worry a lot about what will happen to me and my Wife when I can no longer work. Will I have to give up my home how would I be able to pay for it, what about other things I need, how will I be able to pay for them. I don’t know the answer to all this but this I do know God will make a way for me He always did and He always will.
Miracles; do you believe in miracles: A pray of faith can do a miracle all by itself. Our bodies were designed to heal themselves but because of sin we lost the one key ingredient “the Tree of Life”. But even with that missing the power of people praying together for the common good of one can still make a miracles come through when God blesses it, don’t give up, never give up, Jesus is right there with you just believe.
Who ever you are that may be reading this, you may be going through some very tuff times in your life. Maybe everything is just fine in your life but you just don’t feel normal and don’t know why, it is like there is something missing. Put all your cares in the Arms of Jesus, I know it is not easy, but the more you get to know Him the easier it will be come.
Oh my friend I pray that you will Remember this Hebrews: 11: 1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We have not seen it yet but it is true, because Gods word does not fail.
It is by His grace that I have been able to continue living, preaching, and writing, about His love and what He did for me. Not that I am any better then anyone else, I am just a simple fishermen following in the foot prints of my savior. I too like everyone else am waiting because I know soon; very soon He will come back for all who have believed and put there Faith in Him. My pains and suffering will someday all be in the past that is the faith that keeps me doing His will.
I pray asking Gods blessing on all who will read this and hope it helps you in dealing with someone who is going through illness in there life.
Sunday Feb 17, 2013: a good friend of mine lost his battle with Cancer. He was a good Christian man with a beautiful Caregiver Wife and Chidden who he left behind. He is sleeping now in no more pain or suffering, resting from all his labor. I look forward to meeting him again when we hear the call of our Masters Voice saying well done my good and faithful servants; enter into the joy of the Lord.
Friend I hope you will join us there on that morning, my friend Larry and I will be wearing our new bodies with no scars of this old world.
We will be the ones singing O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, And all my love is due Him, He plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood.
May the God of our faithful Fathers who through faith believed in His grace and love be with you until we meet in God kingdom. Friend if you too are living in your own prison don’t give up, just believe. When you are down in pain and hurting beyond belief just remember He is there beside you holding on. This life is short in comparison to what Jesus has planned for all who believe, just give it a try. I know how hard it is because I too been to hell on my knees a few times and surrounded by Satan and his evil angles. But while in pain, in suffering, in despair and depression my hand was holding tight to my King, my Lord, my Savior, my Friend and my Brother Jesus.
Up-date:
God is so good so very good to those who live by faith. This week for the first time in two years my bowels have come back to normal; only by a miracle could this have been possible. God is still in the business of doing miracle when we believe and have Faith in Him.
Up-date 10-22-2013
God is still in business
Yesterday I did a swallowing test again but this time it did show a little improvement. While I still can swallow or eat like a normal person I am able to sip and swallow very small amounts of water. What the test showed is that the back of the tongue is no longer moving to close off the air way into the lungs. While this is not a good thing it has also become a blessing, in the past the back of the tongue would only move half way and would allow food and water to drain off into the lungs; better known as “Aspiration”. Now with the tongue being stuck and not moving at all the doctor was amazed because when swallowing water it has found a new root around the stuck part of the tongue down the throat by-passing the air way into the lungs. They are sending all the finding from the test to my ENT and suggesting that I be giving the OK to start swallowing very small amount of water again, Wow miracles do still happen. Paul said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
God bless you all as each of you go through your trials in life. Remember this life is only a step in stone to a better one with my Lord my savoir and my friend Jesus. Don’t give up hope put your faith in Jesus He is right there with you alway.
If you are going through some tough times in your life dealing with some disease contact me at this web-stie I want to pray with you.
Up-date September 5, 2015
Hi everyone
It is hard to believe that I am still alive in 2015 and all I can say is God has been very good to me. I was in Honduras for a few months to visit my brother and get some time alone with God. There is nothing better for your health then to live in a tropical garden that does not use any type of poison on any of the fruit trees. I lived on Mangos, Papaya, Pineapples and Star Fruit, the entire time I was there, just walk outside pick it off the tree and put it into my blender so I can put it down my PEG tube. I really enjoyed it and I am looking to go back again soon.
I am still having problems from all the radiation 10 years ago, my breath smells very bad and there is nothing I can do about it. Also been having a lot of bleeding back in the nasopharynx area, the tissue is so damaged from radiation that it will not heal, so it bleeds all the time. The other problem is not being able to swallow so at night when I am sleeping some of it goes into my Lungs and gives me pneumonia. But by faith I keep moving on and doing all I can as God give me another day.
Please keep my friends in your prayers; I have a friend named Debby who is fighting for her life. She has a little different type of cancer then I had but cancer is bad no matter where you have it.
Thank you
In God’s workshop
Elder Tim McNab
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Up-date December 9, 2015
God has been very good to me this year, I was able to see our 7th grandchild come into the world and to be a part of her life, that is truly a blessing.
I am still having problems bleeding from the dead scar tissue in the sinus where I had all the radiation and nothing I do seams to help it. I am also still having pain in the sinus and on the left side of the face and ear, but God gives me the strength I need each day. I have also notice that my attitude is effected by the weather. On days that are warm and sunny, I feel very good, and on days that are cold and raining I feel bad; Glad I have a computer for the Rainey days. I had to retire this year after 25 years with same company, work was a big help to me as it was a place I could go and concentrate on something else besides all of my problems. We sometime don’t understand how blessed we are to have work every day, it helps our body stay in shape, one reason why God gave us the Sabbath one day out of seven so we can rest.
Thank you all for your support and prayers.
Elder Tim
Cancer Survivor only by His grace.
Restoring Gods Truth Ministries
Truth about God!
We live in a world that is up side down, everything that was once right is now wrong and everything that was wrong is now right. We live in a world that you have to watch what you say because you need to be politically correct or you might offend someone. A would where people want to do as they please, watch what they want, eat what they feel like go where they please and in the end go to heaven. Never do they for once give thought about God until something bad happens in there life then they all want to blame God for it.
What is wrong with out world today where did we go off track, what happened to a Country that was founded on the very principal of God truth to believe that there is no God? How did we get from blessed to this moral decay; did you even wonder where did we go wrong.
Maybe just maybe we can find the Truth about all this in the Word of God in the book call the Bible
The Bible says in the beginning God! If the Bible said nothing else that would be enough, in the beginning God created, let’s read Genesis 1.
Genesis 1:
1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Please understand the Bible is a small book, if it contained every detail of every act of God there would not be a library big enough to contain the material written about God. So we have only to go by what we do have.
The Bible says that the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. The Earth was probably here many, many millions of years before God started His wonderful work of creation upon it. As we view out into our solar systems today we can see many of worlds in the very form of being made. God created this process Billions of year’s before God ever decided to create man. When He was ready to create this world He just took one of the planets and moved it to where He wanted it and started His wonderful act of creation.
Once God was finished creating everything else it was time for His crowning act of creation. Genesis 1
26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Here we have the answer to man age old question, where did we come from, and how did we get here. God created us and created us in His very image and in His likeness that is why Man is different from all the other living created things. We were created by God to look like Him so we could communicate to God and show our love to God for what He has done for us.
We were made perfect direct from His hands of God.
Gen:2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Here we are told that God breathed into mans nostrils and he man became a living soul. We are a living soul of flesh and blood.
Gen:1:31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Gen 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
God finished His wonderful work of creating our World, and in it He put everything we needed to stay healthy and happy. There was no sickness, no pain, no suffering, no dieses, and no death, for all good came direct from the hand of our creator.
Gen 2:
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Here God blessed and sanctified or made holy a day, only one day, the day that came at the end of the other six days He blessed the Seventh day.
So what happened where did God go wrong, everything He did was perfect, how did we go from perfect to bad.
God gave to man the freedom of choice the same that God gives to all His living created beings, the freedom to choose to Obey and love Him God or not to Obey Him. So God put in the mist of the garden one tree, only one tree and told our first parent that everything He created was there to keep them happy and live forever. The only thing he asked is that they not eat of this one tree, why because it was there test, one simple test of obeying His commandments, and showing there love for Him. If they passed they would live forever but if they failed, well we know the rest of this story.
Gen:2:17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Our first parents were warned about Lucifer the falling angle, they were told to be carful and not to depart from each other, but stay together. One day Eve busy in the day’s activity found herself alone and by the forbidden tree, and when she looked there was a serpent in it, how sneaky that Satan would take the form of a snake to disguise himself from what he really was.
Gen 3:
4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
How crafty the old serpent, he told them just the opposed of what God said. God said you Will Surely Die the day you eat of this tree, and serpent said you Will not Surely Die, what; not surely die. Here our first parents sinned because they disbelieved what God told them and the curse of death came upon all that would live after them.
Ezek:18:4: Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Man does not have a living soul man is a living soul; remember man became a living soul. And God said that all souls are His they belong to Him because they came from Him, it was the breath of God in the dust of the Earth that made us into living souls. And God said that if we sin we shall die, we shall not continue to live in this world or in the spirit world, we Shall DIE, that is God’s word not Satan or mans word.
So what is death, it is creation is reverse, when we Die we do not go on living in some other spirit world in Heaven or Hell or some where in between as it is said by many of the Great World Religions today. They are telling the same lie that Satan told to our first parents back in the beginning. Our first parents believed it and so do they, that is why we are in this mess in the first place, no one believes what God said.
Eccl:12:7: Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
So the dust that God created man from returns to the ground from where it was taking, and the spirit or breath of God goes back to God who gave it. No where does it say we go on living, take a look with me to the book of First Corinthians.
First Corinthians: 15
51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Here Paul is telling us that he is going to show us a mystery, what is that mystery it is about Death. He says we shall not all SLEEP, or die, and we who have believed will be changed.
52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53: For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
What! This is not what the Big Religious Leaders and Churches are teaching, they are teaching when you die you go some place else, you keep living. But that is not what Paul is saying here. At the last Trumpet and the DEAD who had put there faith in the hands of Jesus will be raised from the dust of the Earth and will put on immortality. Right now man is Mortal that means that Man can Die, when Man puts on immortality that will mean that Man will no longer Die. Are you starting to see how Satan works, the same lie he told Eve is being is being taught by the Great World Religions today. Wow what a great Lie people still believe it today 6000 year later.
54: So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
All God ever wanted was a people who believed in Him and what He said, a people who would keep His commandments and not mans. God does and will always have true believers, but they are not the majority they are the few the very few.
Look at what Paul has to say about this in the book of First Thessalonians 4:
13: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Paul like Jesus called death a sleep, we sleep and we no nothing; until we who put our faith in God hear His voice coming for us who by Faith believed in Him.
14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Here Paul is telling us, all that sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him. Remember the breath or Spirit went back to God at death, so He brings the spirit or breathe of that person with Him to united back with the dust of the earth, so that Man can become a Living Soul again. But this time when he unites us back with Dust & Spirit we will be changed. No longer will we be Mortal when we change we will then become immortal accordance to the Scriptures.
15: For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
Here again Paul is saying we that are alive shall not go into heaven before the ones who are asleep
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18: Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
We must learn to walk by Faith in Gods word not by what we see or what the world tells us. There are many of so called good men preaching the word of God, but are they really preaching the word of God or that of Satan. Are they preaching what God said or what they were taught to say by man that God said.
Look at Isaiah 8:
20: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
If they are not preaching what is in the Bible and what God said in His word they are not preaching the truth, they are preaching the same lies that Satan told to our first parents.
Everything in our world is up side down all because people want it there way and not Gods way. They all want the best part of what God has to give but they want it at there convenes.
We cannot go by the world’s standards of God truth, or by people who tell us they are his representative. Look at them and see if they are following what the Bible says and preaching what the Bible tells. If so then they are preaching Gods word if not then they are faults teachers and representatives of Satan and his lies.
Look also at the day God blessed and made Holy.
Remember our walk with God is about a walk Faith, believing in what God said and not man. If we are to faithfully serve God then we need to be doing what God said to do, correct.
Look back again at Gen 2:
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Now look at Exodus: 20
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
What day is God saying to remember and why is this the only commandment that is telling us to remember something that God did. Why because back in creation God did something and He wants to make sure we do accordance to His word. Let’s take a look at the rest of the commandments.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
God has giving man six day with in to do all his labor, and God knew that man needed a day of rest.
10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Here again we hear God saying the seventh day, we are told to remember the seventh day, why because back in the beginning God blessed it and made it holy.
11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
God wants us to be happy even in this world of sin; God wants us to remember Him and what He did at creation for all Mankind. It was not His desire that sin should come into this world, that was mans choice.
Now go back with me to Genesis there is something very importance we must look at.
Look at Genesis 3:
14: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
God here is giving us a promise but of who is He talking about, who is her seed that it is said of; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Thy seed “Satan” and her seed “Jesus”; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
As it was written God would send His Son Jesus, it would be Jesus to bruise the head of Satan and to take back the World that Satan stole away from our first parents by deception.
I was raised in the Catholic Church, I went to a CatholicSchool, I was a alter boy and had the desire to become a Catholic Priest. But one day God lead me in a different direction.
One day I had my Mother come stay with me for a few weeks just before she died, she did not like the fact that I left the Catholic Church and that I did not become a priest but she excepted it for what it was, I was still her Son. One day while we were talking about God. She told me that my problem was that I never learned to Love the Church like she did; and I said yes I know I learned to Love Jesus more then the Church or anything else in this world. She was silent for a while and I said to myself oh no what did I do now. Then she said to me, you know I think you are right, I said what, what do you mean I am right. She said the Sabbath I believe the Sabbath is Gods true day of rest.
Wow that really blew me away to hear my Mother say that, if ever there was a good Christian Woman she was it.
Turn with me one more time to the book of Revelation 14:
6: And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
What is the Everlasting Gospel? The word Gospel means the Good News. So here is an angle saying that he has the everlasting Good news to tell to everyone on the Earth. And what is that he is proclaiming that is the everlasting Good News, look at Verse 7
7: Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
The angle is saying Fear God and Give glory to Him, because the hour of Gods Judgment is come. Then the angle is saying something very importance, the angle is saying Worship Him who made the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. When was this all done, let’s go one more time to the book of Genesis 1: 1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. God is the creator of all things, He was the one who made the heavens, the earth, the fountains water. The Angle that has the everlasting Gospel is pointing us back to the God of creation.
Now just one more thing Go to the Book of Exodus 20: and read the 4th commandment and notes verse 11
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Verse 11 of Exodus sounds exactly like Revelation14: 7 Worship the creator God and then do what Remember, Remember what God told us to do. Worship Him on the day that He said to Remember and worship Him on, the Sabbath the seventh day of the week.
What did Jesus say to do in John 14::15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
It was Jesus who gave to Moses the Ten Commandments and it was Jesus telling us if we love him to keep His commandments, why to show that we love Him. This is the Truth about God, this is the everlasting Gospel, the good news that the angle is telling the world
We don’t keep His Commandment to be saved we keep Him Commandments because we are saved, because we Love Him who died and took our place to give us eternal life.
Don’t be fooled by the deceptions of Satan and his false teaching and false day of worship, like he told Eve you will not surely die.
The Truth about God is that He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever and He gave us His truth to go by. All he asks is one thing, one simple little thing, that we Obey Him and do what He told us to do and believe what he has told us.
The truth about Satan is that he will deceive you no matter what it takes, because he hates Jesus. Satan knows that the only way he can hurt Jesus is by keeping you out of God kingdom. And he will do what ever its take to separate you and Jesus, no lie is too big a lie, no deception is too big a deception that he will not do just to hurt Jesus.
John 3:
16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Satan does not want you saved, so stop believing in man made salvation and come to know the Truth about God.
1John:4: 4: Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
May the God of out Fathers who have believed and put there faith and there lived into God hands be upon you in Jesus name Amen
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth Ministries
Strengthening Your Faith
What is Faith?
We all know the Bible answer to that can be found in Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
What gives you Faith?
What gives you faith when everything is going wrong?
What gives you faith when problems are touching you personally?
How do we Strengthening our Faith in God in times like these?
I don’t know about you but it is hard for me to just have Faith in something I can’t see.
That is why we have a Bible, because God is the same yesterday, today and forever, He does not change
The Bible is a Book full of people with Faith. Why so that we can know how God has worked in the past, so it can give us Hope and Strengthen our Faith in Him now and in the Future.
Let us Pray!
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I would like to share with you what gives me Faith.
What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “The Prophet Elisha and his servant”
Tell a short Story about Elisha…..
2 Kings 6:
16: And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17: And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Sometime we get discourage when we don’t see things going like we think they should. If I can’t see it with my eyes I don’t believe it
- Sometime we are discourage when other Christian judge us by there standard of Christianity. Remember satin also goes to Church
- Many of time we are surrounded by the enemy and satin brings sickness into our life, don’t let it get you down, let it be a tool to draw you closer to Jesus.
- What about other problems in this world. Read the story of Job
- Don’t give up Faith, but pray and ask God to open your eyes so that you might see; Angle standing next to you to protect you and take care of you.
Fall on your knees and pray, don’t let Satan block your hold on Jesus
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Moses crossing the Red Sea”
God gave a Man a Missionto lead his People and that man was “Moses”
We meet him by the Red Seawith his Church group of complaining Christians “You have brought us here that Pharaoh may kill us. Remember the Story; the army was right behind them.
Exodus 14:
21: And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
I have heard many of people try and explain what happen and how the water naturally dried up for the Children of Israel to cross over
But then there is this one little scripture that said
22: And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
It is proof that God can not only Walk on Water but he can also make it stand Vertical if he so needs
There was a young Man reading his Bible and he was at the part where Moses was crossing the Red Sea and he was so excited about how God would deliver his people.
Then a Man came up to him and asks what he was so excited about. So he told him, and he said O that, yes but you see there was a strong Earthquake that day and the water just ran out some. And so there was still about 6 inches of water left so that was no real miracle.
As the man was walking away, the young man started jumping up with even more excitement, when the Man asks what was it, he said “God just drowned the entire Egyptian Army in 6 inches of Water.
If I had learned anything in Life; I have learned that if God said it, Believe it!
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “A boy named David”
Israel was at war: Both armies’ were camp on a hill with a Valley between them. David found himself bring supplies to his Brothers, when he saw what
1 Samuel 17:
23: And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24: And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
We are no different; we run and forget about God who is fighting on our side, when we see how big the Mountain is that satin laid before us.
26: And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
- How big are the problems you face everyday in Life. We all look at the little things in life that make us afraid. Because our problems look so gigantic.
- None of us fight the same battles, because we are all different, what’s a problem to you is child play to me; and what’s a problem for me is silly to you.
- We allow satin to put a magnifying glass in front of our eyes to make us fear the things we have no control of.
- We need to learn the lesson of True Faith in God
- The Bigger the problem the bigger the Miracle, What is too big for God
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: A young man by the name of “Stephen”
He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was brought in for what he believed
Act 7
55: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56: And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57: Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, (People will do the same today)
58: And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
59: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60: And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- People today still don’t want to hear the Truth. They will do all they can to keep from hearing and not believe the Truth. Why does it always seem easier to believe a Lie then to believe the Truth,
Matthew:7:13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
- There is a time coming when again they will want to stone and Kill you for telling God’s Truth. So don’t be afraid when it come; Jesus told us it would happen, be Faithful, because you will not be alone.
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Sharack, Meshack and Abednego.”
It is very importance when you are in a leadership position to be true to what you believe. Because you may be called in to account for it someday
Daniel 3
12: There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of theprovinceofBabylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13: Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
The King told them look I understand about this thing you have of worshiping your God, but right now you don’t need to worry about your God you need to worry about Me. Because I am fixing to do you a lot of boodle harm if you don’t do what I say
Look at what they said to the King
17: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19: Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
- When the going gets hot will you be there for Jesus.
- The hold world will be falling down on there knees paying honor to someone other then Jesus, Will you follow.
- The Bible said you can’t serve God and man
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Daniel and the Lion Den”
He too was in a leadership position, but his pure heart made him stand out among all the other. So they tricked the king
Daniel 6
18: Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
21: Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22: My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
- When the going gets tuff will you be able to stand for Jesus all by your self.
- That’s right no Mama and Daddy there, No Brother or Sisters There, No Husband or Wife There, No boy friend or Girl friend there to help you make it.
- Just you all alone. Most people fail because they have never put Jesus First
- Do you have the Faith in Jesus that will secure you a place in Heaven?
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: Noah
He had the faith that can build when everyone else was in doubt
Geneses 6
7: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
I am happy for us today that there was a Man like Noah
Again the Earth is filled with Violence; and again it will be destroyed.
The Ark Represented Jesus, all who would go in could be Saved. It is no different to all who come to Jesus he will again save them, but they must make a choice
- It may not be easy to go and do what God is telling you to do.
- But if you put the little Faith you have in God you will be like Noah. “How” Everyday he drove a nail into the Ark every time he put a board on the side his Faith Grew and Grew until he could see the plan God had in mind for him
It happens only by Faith When you are obedience to Gods word he will save you
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: Elijah “Choose ye this day who you will service”
Did the people forget who there God was, who brought them through the Red Sea, Who provided for them for 40 years in the wilderness, who defender them from other invading tribes.
1 Kings 18
21: And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Yes they did forget, and so do we, when we put other things first in our Life before Jesus.
One of the Most Dangerous things that we as Christians can do is to put Religion before God, it happens when we believe more in the rules then the rule maker, this is what happened to the Jewish nation. They put Gods Laws before God himself.
Jesus said I am the truth the light and the way, no man comes unto the Father but by Me.
Remember that It is by Faith that we server him; and because we Love him that we keep his Commandment. We don’t keep His commandments to be saved.
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: Creator who became his Creation
“ Why; to Save Them from there Sin”
John 3:16
16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
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Now my Question is; What are you doing for Jesus?
What’s your Christian Experience like lately, are you kind of Plateau, or maybe on a down ward trend.
If you leave here today and get nothing else out of this Sermon except what I am going to tell you right now you will have understood what other before you have giving for Jesus.
Today; there is a knock on your Door, you open it up and there are 6 Police Officers and 4 Army Men come to take you in for a hearing.
You say, what have I done, (Know one say’s a word more to you except that they have a warrant for your arrest).
You are hand cuffed and lead out of your home, you look back and see your kids crying, the neighbors are all out watching you being lead away because of the commotion in the neighborhood.
You are brought in and told to wait, you look and see a group of people some you recognizer as former Church members other you have no idea who they are.
You ask a guard standing near-by, where are my Children, and my Family; he only looks at you and said “TRADER” and turns and looks the other way.
Now you are brought in before this council, and they ask you question about your family, your place of work, and finally about you Church.
You are accused of crimes against the State; you have broken Civil Laws, and can no longer be trusted worthy with your Freedom. You have been told and warred about your failure to keep the secular day of worship and about you’re spreading lies about Jesus coming back to this earth.
You have been tried and convicted for your crimes,
Do you have anything to say for your self before sentence is passed on to you?
The Judge picks-up his gravel and say “you are hear by sentence to Death”
HOW WILL YOU STAND?
There will only be two Choices “Faithful or Faithless”
How is your walk with Jesus today, it is not enough to just say that you love him.
You must have a daily living relationship with Jesus if you will be able to stand for him when the time comes. Remember you will not be alone Jesus will be there just like with Stevenson, giving you the Strength you need.
But we must learn to live by Faith now so that when the times comes we will not fail but like the Men and Women of the past stand strong in Faith for Jesus.
Don’t trust to yourself, Peter denied Jesus three times before he learned one of the most importance lesson and that is just two little worlds Have Faith………
Strengthen your faith in Jesus everyday; read about the life of others who had Faith. When the time comes and the clock is ready to strike midnight right before the hammer falls. Jesus will be there.
He is never late my friend; he is always right on time!
God Bless you all amen
What are your priorities?
At a Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk away.
6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed.. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, priorities.
Let us Pray! ——————————————————
What are your Priorities in life?
Do you really truth God; Do you trust him with your Money and with your time
There is a story that Luke tell about a Rich man..
LUKE 12:16 The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. It brought forth plentifully. I don’t know what the crop was. It could have been wheat or figs or kiwis or even Okra.
His problem was that his barns were too small. If you have a very good crop and a very small barn what do you do?
What follows is what his mind told him to do.
Verse 18: I will TEAR DOWN my barns and build bigger ones. There will I store all my grain and my goods. End of problem. Right? Wrong!
He forgot just one thing…. the uncertainty of life.
– He was considered a fool NOT because he was rich and successful.
– He was considered a fool Not because he was cautious & a careful planner
– He was called a Fool because he considered himself the OWNER of the goods which his farms produced.
He had the right Idea but the wrong priorities
In Verse 19–he talked to his SOUL(!); “Soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, & be merry.
He should have talked with God. Instead he consulted with himself. That night his many years shriveled into a few hours.
At that point Jesus asked a question– When you die, who will take possession of your things?
Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
Have you ever gone to an Estate Sale or an auction of someone’s estate who you knew? You see the ownership of the things they valued being transferred to someone else.
There is no such thing as a FUNERAL HEARSE WITH A U-HAUL TRAILER BEHIND IT.
Ownership implies control. At the best we can only control our possessions for a time.
See if you think this statement is true: WE ONLY OWN THOSE THINGS OTHERS ARE WILLING TO ADMIT THAT WE OWN.
Who own your House or you Car, do you own them or the bank, they only allow you to live in the house or drive the car, Stop paying on them for a few months and see who really owns them
On this earth we have conditional ownership.
Only Jesus Christ has true ownership.
Christian stewardship is really a Relationship with Jesus.
If our farmer in this parable had recognized that he was just a steward and that God really owned the farm he would not have talked with himself.
His conversation might have been like this: “Lord, your FARM produced so bountifully this year under your blessing that your barn is too small to hold your harvest. Shall I tear it down and build a bigger one?
Jesus might have replied: Leave the barn alone, it is big enough. ……So what are we going to do with all your surplus?
No problem. Just give it to My children who are in need. In fact, the Lord may have said something like this: I invite you to Enjoy what I enjoy,—
Do you know what God Enjoys? “Giving” THE PRIVILEGE OF GIVING.
Giving is a divine privilege. Giving from a heart that is in love with Jesus will produce more joy to the giver than to the receiver.
I was in Galveston Texas one time, as I came upon a poor man who looked like he was wearing all the clothing he possessed. As he sat there on the floor his hand was outstretched. I put some money in his hand and went on. He said God Bless You Mister! I thought about that man. It is not a divine privilege to sit there against that cold wall and beg. The divine privilege is to be the one who is able to place the money in his hand.
As humans we were given two divine privileges that God has:
1)– To give, this is a divine privilege!
2)– To forgive. Only God can forgive us. But we can forgive each other.
But giving is not only in Money, most importance it is in TIME
One problem that we have is that we try to equate material things with security. The more we have the better or the safer we are.
So we get more and more until at some point we depend upon a god we can see rather that a God we can’t see. If an accumulation of material things brings happiness why are so many rich folks so unhappy?
A man wrote about the late JACKIE GLEASON. There were two Jackie Gleasons he said:
The LIFE-IS-A-LARK Gleason who charmed his audiences by saying: HOW SWEET IT IS!, and the private man trying to drown his problems in alcohol.
Like Solomon, Gleason could have anything he wanted, and both could have said: all is vanity. They both had vast amounts of money.
But the problem was that they did not have dominion over their possessions, their possessions dominated them.
Their goods had become their gods. If you remove one of the two “o”‘s from goods you have gods.
If we truly understand stewardship we will recognize that God gives us the FREEDOM OF DEPENDENCE!
We like to think that freedom is INDEPENDENCE. But that is not God’s plan at all.
God Planned that we should have the freedom of DEPENDENCE.
In their ideal state, ADAM AND EVE had no housing problems, no clothing problems, no problems with weather, health, payments etc.
It would be a strange person who wouldn’t settle for such a situation today.
Then one day along came an ugly old snake in the leaves he said,
Look, God knows that the day you eat of the fruit you will be as gods, you’ll be INDEPENDENT. You will not need Him. What happened?
Everything went berserk.
They were evicted from their home, they had clothing problems, the weather changed, they needed band aids to deal with the thorns,
Eve knew pain as she gave birth, they needed health insurance, they needed death benefits, they had big problems.
They were better off when God owned it all and they were the managers.
If today you place everything you own on the alter and give the ownership to God you are better off.
Look at it this way IF A PERSON DOESN’T OWN ANYTHING, HE IS NEVER SUBJECT TO LOSS
Job thought that way. That is why he could say “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job recognized Who owned everything he managed, therefore, God could trust him with 2X as much as he had before.
One day a church treasurer resigned. Finally the church asked the local grain elevator manager to take over. He agreed under two conditions:
That no treasurer’s report would be given for the first year. That no Questions be asked about finances during that whole 12 months.
The members were surprised but because he was known for his honesty they agreed. At the end of the year he gave the first treasurers report red:
*The church indebtness of $228,000 had been paid.
*The minister’s salary had been increased by 8%
*The Cooperative Program gifts had been paid 200%
*There were no outstanding bills.
*There was a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked: “How did you do it?” Where did all the money come from?
He quietly answered: “Most of you bring your grain to my elevator.
Throughout the year I simply withheld 10% on your behalf and gave it to the church in your name. I have your receipts here.
And none of you even missed it. Do you see what we could do for the Lord if we were all willing to return an honest Tithe to God, Who really owes it anyway?”
We Humans have been given possessions as a test to determine whether we can MANAGE eternal things.
If we can’t manage a few dollars down here, what would we do with a whole galaxy?
So this test here is given so there will be no possibility that a selfish person will get into heaven.
We have the divine privilege of giving. Job could say in JOB 29:15-16 “I was father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not, I searched out”
We should look for projects to give to, and not have to wait for appeals to be made. We should consider every NEED as an OPPORTUNITY.
In our parable today about the rich farmer who tore down his barns and built larger ones, the final outcome was not long in coming. LUKE 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
The final verse says in verse 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Don’t get me wrong it’s OK to store up things for ourselves but at the same time we need to be RICH TOWARD GOD.
We make a living through what we get,
We make a life through what we GIVE!!
You can take it with you!
By giving to the needs of God and His work right here we are depositing PEARLS into that vault in heaven.
In my 401K the company gives .35 to every dollar I put in, that is good free money, You would be a fool not to invest.
God said for every dollar you give I will match it 100 times
You will see that your deposits have gained interest and there is quite an accumulation there. Why because you were unselfish here.
May God richly Bless you in your giving back to him what is already His.
Last Day Counterfeits
Prov. 14:12 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
If you were the devil and could counterfeit anything you wanted, what would it be? Certainly it would be some thing of great worth.
Have you ever seen a counterfeit pile of dirt or a counterfeit toothpick? We only copy valuable things. Money is often copied.
“Satan is constantly seeking to counterfeit the work of Christ.”
Matthew 13:24,25 – “Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.‘”
Satan especially likes to plant his tares among the wheat.
The arch counterfeiter is the devil. So, as you might expect, the biggest forgery today is in religion. Churches (most of them unknowingly) have become involved in teaching forged illusions of Bible truth. With so many clones out there, truth seekers become confused and many simply seek out the best counterfeit. Never be satisfied with anything less than the genuine article.
Swindler Satan’s simulations reach fervent pitch in the last days. In Luke 21:8 Jesus said: “Watch out that you are not deceived.”
I Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow ddeceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
God’s truth has splintered into more than 250 different beliefs. This forgery of truth has been masterminded by the devil.
This replica of truth is not new. Christ warned about it in His day: Mark 7:7 – “In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the Commandments of men.”
Let us look at a few of the many delusions the devil has devised and that most of the world accepts:
Everything was Good
(1)–Creation/Evolution Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” I believe that in the beginning God Created the heavens and the earth. The chance that higher life forms might have emerged through the evolutionary processes is comparable to the chance that a tornado sweeping through a landfill might accidently assemble a space shuttle all gassed up and ready to fly from the junk in the dump.
If we can’t believe in the first sentence in the Bible, then we must reject every other page as fraudulent.
Another hoax emanating from the time of Genesis comes from the Garden of Eden. It was there that the original “Snake in the Grass” announced a great counterfeit that is still believed by most of the Christian world today.
(2) – There is no Death. Genesis 3:4 – “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman…” Almost every church today believes this deception. Most of the religions of the world have purchased the devil’s lie- hook, line, and sinker. In saying “There is no death” he was introducing the delusion that there is life apart from God, Who is the source and maintainer of all life. God said man is mortal, the devil said he is immortal and that evil or good, man will never die. Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The wage of sin is NOT eternal life. Even if that life is in the fire of hell. Think about it, if you are alive in the fire of hell forever then you would have to have eternal life. Not much of a life!…. but it does last an eternity. Is that what the Bible says? NO! The wage of SIN is not life in hell or anywhere else. The wage of sin is death. Eternal Death. Just the opposite of the gift of God which is eternal life. Praise God for Eternal life! (Note that even Jesus said in John 3:16: “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.”)
So, this counterfeit, that there is no death, opens the door for yet another fabrication!
(3) – I call it– Fake Fire. You see, if a sinner dies, and somehow does not die, then he must be alive somewhere. Where is that? Hell! And so the belief that there is no death means that life is indestructible. After “death” the person continues to live on somewhere. The unsaved sinner can’t die. So people believe that when the sinner is cast into hell fire, he must live there forever.
He can’t die. And do you know that 95% of all Christian Churches, yet to this day, still believe it?! They have accepted the counterfeit. Why do I call this “fake fire”? Because -if- the fire of hell can’t do its job in a million years or more then it is lukewarm fire!
How does the Bible describe hell fire? II Peter 3:10-12 – “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief… The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
Next delusion: When Adam and Eve were created from the hand of God, their first full day was spent in worship on the holy Sabbath Day. This brings us to the next counterfeit:
The 7th day is the Sabbath
(4) – Sunday is the Sabbath. A gigantic perversion of Bible truth in religion today, involves the question of which day is the true day of worship. Sunday observance has its roots back in the days immediately after the flood (Genesis 10 and Nimrod) In that time, Sun worship was conducted on the day of the sun, that we call “Sun-day.” As sun-worship began to increase, God decided to give to his people a written copy of His law. In the heart of it is His Sabbath commandment.
Exodus 20:8-11 The longest commandment is the only one with the word REMEMBER! If there was not a counterfeit in the making, why do you suppose God would say that? And so today there are many Christians accepting this counterfeit as the genuine article.
But fortunately today there is a movement in the world to get back to the real thing. The Seventh-day Adventist church is basically a call for a return to the truth as it is in the Bible.
Sunday keeping is a counterfeit of God’s Bible Sabbath. God says: Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy!
The counterfeiting continues. The devil needed a logical event on which to base a reason for first-day observance. And so today we have good Christians keeping Sunday because of the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week. This is not a Bible reason for Sunday worship. We certainly believe in the resurrection of Christ. But this is not a reason to switch from keeping Sabbath.
Now because one lie leads to another, the need arose for a counterfeit Baptism.
(5) – Is Sprinkling Baptism: Baptism under the water is God’s true symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Sunday is not the symbol to honor His resurrection. The new life of the new Christian is! And so if you take Sunday keeping as the symbol of the resurrection, you must introduce a counterfeit baptism that does no require this three fold symbolism. Hence: sprinkling! And so the large majority of Christians today accept this counterfeit baptism and don’t know why.
Ephesians 4:5 speaks of one baptism. Matthew 3:16 tells of Jesus baptism; going down into the water, being buried in it, and coming up out of the water renewed.
(6) – False Christs Matthew 24:24 – “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible.”
How many Redeemers do we have? One! Who is that? Jesus Christ. Any other is a false Christ. However, it seems that the Papacy is about to establish an additional redeemer. The over 400 apparitions of the “Virgin Mary” in the last 100 years are shaking the Roman Catholic Church to its core. During just the last four years Pope John Paul II has received over four Million signed petitions to name Mary as CO-REDEMPTRIX with Jesus Christ.
The Pope is considering naming Mary also as the “Mediatrix of All Graces and Advocate for the People of God.” This means that all prayers must flow through her as the ONLY channel of grace from Jesus Christ.
This would in essence elevate Mary to a place in a new “Holy Quartet” of the Godhead!
[for more information see Waymarks, a pamphlet published by the Southern Union Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, Volume 2, # 4, October 1997 issue.]
In John Paul II’s own words, “the new Eve beside the New Adam [Christ] in the Redemption.” Thus Mary would be the daughter of the Father, the mother of the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
see Freedom Alert a periodical published by the Council on Religious Freedom, Vol. 13, Issue 4, 1997, E-mail address: page 8.
So you can see there are apocalyptic counterfeits currently in the making. If and when Mary is made a God, it means the World is racing inexorably towards a prophetic date with destiny! You have heard of these little books: God’s Little Instruction Book and etc. Now there is a Mary’s Little Instruction Book.
(7) False Church: God has a true church. She is described as a woman who is in deadly combat with a devil like dragon. Revelation 12:17 – “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring–those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
Lutherans and Calvinists are adopting common communions. [AP, 8-18-97]. A public announcement was made in Chattanooga, TN on Sunday May 4, 1997 by an archbishop of the Episcopal Church stating that Protestantism has all but died and that will leave only the Roman Catholic Church to represent Christianity. “God’s church is catholic,” he said. see Chattanooga Free Press, May 10, 1997 p. B1.
Ralph Reed, the director of the Christian Coalition in 1996 said: There is a growing strength of evangelicals and their Roman Catholic allies. “Dark distrust about popery has been swept into the ash heap of history. John F Kennedy’s election in 1960 buried the Catholic bogeyman forever. No longer burdened by the past, Roman Catholics, evangelicals, Greek Orthodox and many mainline denominations are forging a new alliance… See Freedom Report April, 1996, Clifford Goldstein, Editor.
“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of Doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees, sustain their institutions, then protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” – EG White, Great Controversy p. 445
(8) A COPIED COMING Prophecy warns that in the last days Satan would attempt to impersonate Christ’s second coming. II Thess. 2:3-4 That day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed as God showing himself to be God. II Thess. 2:8-12 That wicked shall be destroyed by the brightness of His coming. Even him (Satan) whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. With all deceit (many counterfeits).
Luke 21:8 – “many shall come in My name.” II Cor. 11:14 (KJV) – “Satan, himself, is transformed into an angel of light.”
“in the last days he will appear in such a manner as to make men believe him to be Christ come the second time. He will bear the APPEARANCE OF CHRIST IN EVERY PARTICULAR…” – EG White, Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p.698
Back in the 1970’s a rare discovery was made. It was called a pathological phenomenon. Scientists in China discovered a lady actually growing horns out of the top of her head. The written account said that she looked “like the Devil.”
For years the devil has sought to teach a false-hood here. We picture him as a red skinned imp with a tail and horns, and a pitchfork in his hand. This is a false picture. A trick. He has thrown this dust in the eyes of most in the world so that when he comes as an angel of light no one will recognize him and his coming will be accepted as the coming of Christ, Himself. What a counterfeit!
Speaking of Christs second coming: I Thess. 4:16-17 states the correct manner of His coming in the clouds of glory, and in the air.
Every Eye will see Jesus coming
Rev. 1:7 – Every Eye will see Jesus come!
Very soon, Satan will appear as the true Christ “He will be clothed as an angel of light…The apostate churches unite in the exaltation of Satan…” – EG White, Testimonies for Ministers, p.62 “Disguised as an angel of light, Satan will walk the earth as a wonder-worker. In beautiful language he will present lofty things. Good words will be spoken by him, and good deeds performed. Christ will be personified, but on one point there will be a marked distinction, Satan will turn the people from the LAW OF GOD. – EG White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 471-472.
“He will declare that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week and that he is the lord of the first day.” – EG White, Maranatha p. 205
“Satan, surrounded by evil angels, and claiming to be God, will work miracles of all kinds to deceive. God’s people will not find their safety in working miracles, for Satan will COUNTERFEIT the miracles that will be wrought.” – EG White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 16.
Matt. 24:24 (KJV) “..shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, in so much, that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” – Revelation 16:14 (KJV) says “for they are the spirits of DEVILS, working miracles…”
“Before the end of time he (Satan) will work still greater wonders. So far as his power extends, he will perform ACTUAL miracles.” – EG White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol 5, p.698
(9) – Hoax Healings – these miracles are another great counterfeit of Satan.
Revelation 13:13 – “And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.”
Revelation 16:14 – “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs…”
EG White – 2SM51 – “He is to work miracles; and this wonderful, miracle-working power is to sweep in the whole world.”
EG White Testimonies t the Church, Vol 1 – “The sick will be healed before us. Miracles will be performed in our sight. Are we prepared for this?”
Have you ever thought about why it is that we seem to be seeing less and less true miracles of physical healing from God? Could it be that these things will fade in importance in the last days, because Satan is counterfeiting so many of them. The devil knows his time is short and these miracles and the imitation of Christ’s Second Coming are his trump cards. As we hear more and more about these false healings and false Christ, we should wake up to the fact that the real genuine article is almost here. How often the fake just precedes the real event.
EG White Great Controversy, p. 625 – “Satan is not permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ’s advent.” …. “only those who have been diligent students of the scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive.”
(10)-His counterfeit of the Bible– There are so many books out there claiming to contain the truth. The Koran, the book of Mormon, the new age writings, … the list could go on and on.
But there is only one Bible and It is hard to know which Bible is the Real Bible.
I stood at a Bible Book store and saw a
• Bible for Men with nuts, bolts, gears on the front cover.
• I saw a Bible for Women.
• A Bible For Mothers.
• A bible for Fathers.
• A bible for Students.
• A bible for Teenagers.
• A bible for Boys.
• A bible for Girls.
• A bible for Parents.
• A bible for New Converts.
• A bible for hillbillies.
• A bible for African Americans.
• A bible for Catholics.
I wanted a copy of God’s real word for me!
(11) –His emulation of the church-fellowship…
“The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit that there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His people. It’s an imitation dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is a permissive, accepting fellowship. It is a place where you can tell secrets and they usually don’t want to tell others. The bar flourishes not because many people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and to be known, and loved, and many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers and are led into the devil’s trap and barred from eternal life.”
(12) –His backward millennium with its deadly second chance after seven years of tribulation AFTER the second coming. Revelation 20 does not indicate there will be a second chance after the rapture. Jesus will come at the beginning of the 1000 years. All the righteous will be taken to heaven and all the wicked will be left behind dead and unburied.
(13) — TANGLED TONGUES:
There is a movement today in religion that says unless you speak in tongues you are not saved. Yet Jesus never spoke in tongues or David or John or hundreds of other Saints. Most of what is claimed as Bible examples of speaking in tongues is actually the gift of another LANGUAGE.
Listen to Acts 2:2-6 (Living Bible) – “Suddenly there was a sound like
the roaring of mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the
house where they were meeting. What looked like flames or tongues of fire
appeared and settled on their heads. And everyone present was filled with
the Holy Spirit and began SPEAKING in languages they didn’t know for the Holy
Spirit gave them this ability.
And when they heard the roaring in the sky above the house, CROWDS CAME
RUNNING to see what it was all about and were stunned to hear their OWN
LANGUAGES being spoken by the disciples.”
That is how the Holy Spirit came to them. The same could and must happen to each of us today. The time is here. The Spirit is even now being poured out. Are you receiving it yet? If we are not filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be filled with another spirit.
I would like to share with you something that I will never forget. It happened when I was about 11 years old. A young lady about 26 years old had been suffering from cancer for eight months. She was paralyzed and wasn’t able to walk. One Saturday night she asked her husband to take her to the Holy Ghost Pentecostal church. He did and carried her in through the door. The group there were with the spirit that night and excitement was high. Immediately that paralyzed lady began to preach and pray. She started talking in an unknown tongue. “I couldn’t understand her,” her husband said.
But in a few minutes she stopped, and then, as if a hand had raised her to her feet, she stood up and began to walk around. (Remember she had been paralyzed.) They were all praising the Lord about that time. Suddenly she darted from the church with her husband trailing behind her; but he couldn’t catch her. She kept running until she reached the highway, where upon she immediately jumped in front of a passing car. She was killed. (Newspaper- Houston Press, Nov. 17, 1952)
Here was a woman who went to a Holy Ghost meeting. She started speaking in tongues. She apparently seemed to be healed and then was lifted out of her seat and ran out and flung herself in front of a speeding car.
Could that be the Spirit of God? I can’t believe it. The spirit of the DEVIL leads to self destruction as in the case of the swine that ran into the sea. If the Holy spirit takes charge of our lives, then he will lead us to life in Christ. If the Evil spirit takes charge, he will lead us to the road of destruction. Let us make sure that we have the Holy Spirit in control of our lives. The Devil is now trying to counterfeit every truth of God. “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14.
Our only safety is to be led by the Holy Spirit. I want to be a son of God. Don’t you?
The best way to detect a counterfeit twenty dollar bill is to KNOW THE GENUINE. To avoid being taken in by all the falsehoods and videos and cassette tapes and mimeographed sheets that come in the mail, what must you do? Must you wade through all that stuff? NO! You concentrate on knowing Jesus Christ. He is the truth. Study your Bible. Focus on Jesus. And someday when the counterfeit is placed in your hands, you will instantly know it is a fake. I saw a counterfeit bill one day and it only took a glance and I knew it was bad.
Sometimes I wish Jesus would keep the counterfeits of His truth out of circulation like the Bank tries to do with the bad money. You can’t go to the Bank and get any counterfeit money. So do your spiritual banking with Jesus! Invest in the truth. The truth is Jesus.
Jesus said: “I am the way the Truth and the Life.”
Stick with Jesus and you will not be deceived.
Sermon from McDonald Road SDA Church
D5 Creation
