"until we see JESUS....face to face": February 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

We Are All Called

This is a song by The Akins. We all have a stage....everyday. It doesn't matter where you're at.
Even when you're just at home people call....stop by....come into your thoughts. Conversation and prayer....we are all called to that as well. Where's your stage today?

I Want My Stage To Be An Alter

Verse 1:
Another town another place
A different crowd a brand new stage
The spotlight´s on me I get to choose
To keep it there or point it to you

Chorus:
I want my stage to be an altar
So all the praise goes to the Father
If I get selfish and make this life all about me
Lord please I want my stage to be an altar

Verse 2:
Alarm goes off to start the day
Each child of God takes their stage
Might be at school or a job somewhere
This world could change if this was our prayer

Bridge:
Some perform to thousands
And some to just a few
But numbers aren't important
Just gotta do what we can do
Then one day when we see Jesus
And we touch His nail scarred hands
He´s gonna tell us how our little lives
Were such a big part of His plan

Chorus:
So I want my stage to be an altar
So all the praise goes to the Father
If I get selfish and make this life all about me
Lord please I want my stage to be an altar
I want my stage to be an altar
I want my stage to be an altar

Written by Nick Akin

Another town
Another place
A different crowd
A brand new stage

The spotlights on me
I get it's used
To keep it there
Pointed to you

I want my stage
To be an altar
So all the praise
Goes to the Father

If I get selfish
And make this life all about me
Lord please
I want my stage to be an altar

Alarm goes off
To start the day
Each child of God
Takes their stage

Might be at school
Or a job somewhere
This world could change
If this was our prayer.

I want my stage
To be an altar
So all the praise
Goes to the Father

If I get selfish
And make this life all about me
Lord please
I want my stage to be an altar

Some perform to thousands
And some to just a few
The numbers aren't important
Just gotta do what we can do

Then one day when we see Jesus
And we touch his nail scarred hands
He's gonna tell us how I lived life
Was such a big part of His plan

So I want my stage
To be an altar
So all the praise
Goes to the Father

If I get selfish
And make this life all about me
Lord please
I want my stage to be an altar
Read more at http://www.lyrics.com/i-want-my-stage-to-be-an-altar-lyrics-the-akins.html#dv6x8iecQ5lVgRgV.99

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Call

When you get tired from all the fight
Of everything that's just not right
When all that you just want to do
Is go to sleep and wake up new
Then there's just one thing left to do
That's call on Jesus to get you through

Sometimes you find your life's a mess
With pain and sickness you just can't rest
You tell them all you're good as new
But you know inside it's just not true
Then there's just one thing left to do
That's call on Jesus to get you through

When you call on Jesus you know He sees
All the things that brought you to your knees
But still you tell Him just what You need
For all your troubles you cry and plead
Then there's just one thing left to do
Believe that Jesus will get you through

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Always A Ray Of Hope

This morning I found a message from my brother that he had left me late last night after I had turned off my computer. Apparently, my Dad had been having chest pains since Thursday but didn't tell anyone until late Friday night when they were bad enough that he was concerned. They wanted me to pray. I did and then opened my Bible to read since it was to early to call home. Of all books, I turned to Lamentations....I don't believe I have ever read the whole book before. After reading some of it I know why....not very uplifting. So, I turned to the beginning and started reading from 1:1 to see how many verses I could find that were on a positive note. Finally....in the third chapter....verses 21-25....

²¹Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
²³Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
    to those who search for him.

Finally some positive words.  I already knew these verses were here and they are some of my favorites.  So, I read on to see if I had missed good verses here before.  Yes! I came to another bright spot in a gloomy book....

31 For no one is abandoned
    by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
    because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
33 For he does not enjoy hurting people
    or causing them sorrow.

Really, isn't that good?  We are reading of all the terrible things that have taken place.  Because the people had rebelled against God all would suffer.  The innocent children as well as those who were not.  The city has fallen....it's people have been killed and captured.  But Jeremiah saw hope.  He knew the Lord and he had hope because he remembered that through it all the Lord would always be there.  He is faithful and full of mercy....we just have to call on Him.  Even though at times we feel like He has abandoned us....He's still there.  I believe it saddens Him when we hurt.  And I read on....

55 But I called on your name, Lord,
    from deep within the pit.
56 You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!
    Hear my cry for help!”
57 Yes, you came when I called;
    you told me, “Do not fear.”

Jeremiah knew, because of past experience, that when you call on the Lord....He hears you.  

And so it is for us too.  It doesn't matter what is going on in our life. If we know the Lord He is with us always....through all the sorrow....the sadness....the sickness....the hurt....whatever it might be.   He never leaves us.  When we call on Him....He will be there to see us through every situation in our life....good or bad. You can still dare to hope.  And in verse 57 the Lord told him something very important...."Do not fear."

Those are good words we all need to remember.

"until we see JESUS....face to face"

Thursday, February 13, 2014

New Age Thoughts

Tonight I'm just going to share my thoughts a bit with you. In a home group I go to on Thursday nights we have just watched the Isaiah 9:10 Judgement DVD by Jonathan Cahn. He also wrote The Harbinger which is a fiction book that goes a long with this DVD. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend you do. You will clearly see that nothing....nothing....that happens, happens by chance. God really does have a plan. After watching this I know, more than ever, that the place I want to be is in the center of His plan for my life.

Another thing I have been doing is researching a little about the false prophets of today. One of the major things I have found is that they touch everyone....Christians and non-Christians alike. I have been surprised at how much mysticism has become a part of much of what we read today. The scary part is, we don't even realize how many of the popular authors of Christian books, and well known Pastors of many churches, are into different parts of the New Age movement. They quote well known mystics and they pray contemplative prayers. The problem with contemplative prayer is that it is a "centering prayer". You focus on one word and repeat it over and over until you have emptied your mind of everything else. It's what they do in many Eastern religions and many cults. You aren't going to find my God if you are doing the same things they do in New Age movements. For me....I don't think emptying my mind of everything is a good way to get closer to the Lord. I think that if you talk to Him....praise Him....worship Him....tell Him everything you want Him to know....have a conversation....He will hear you. Not only will He hear you, but He will be with you and He will answer your prayers.

I believe that time is short and we need to get as close to the Lord as we can. I don't want to take any chances of falling away in these last days. The Bible says that many will fall away.

1 Timothy 4:1-2

Warnings against False Teachers

4 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

I'm not claiming to know a lot about any of this. But, I believe that this is something that we should all be concerned with. Everyone of you that is a Bible believing Christian....child of the Living God....should find out more about this for yourself. You don't want to be led away by people that are teaching things that don't line up with the Word of God. If what they say, or write, doesn't match up with the Word of God....don't listen to them and don't read their written teachings. They can be very deceptive that's why we need to be very discerning....pray and ask the Lord for discernment....understanding.

Matthew 7:15

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves."

Research these things for yourself. Ask the Lord to guide you and to give you wisdom. Every book and every Pastor isn't bad....but some are. The main goal is that when Jesus comes back we all meet Him together in the air and live with Him for all eternity.

"until we see JESUS....face to face"

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

God Bless You

Today I read this on Facebook....

Worrying doesn't take away tomorrows troubles, it takes away todays peace.

That's a good, and true, statement. I don't consider myself a worrier but I do tend to think about things over....and over....and over....and over until....well....you get the drift.

Lately, I have been doing way too much thinking about situations that I can't seem to change. In fact, they just keep getting worse. So tonight I opened my Bible because I knew I needed to read something that might give me a better perspective on all the things that have been happening recently. The Psalms are always a good starting place for me.

Psalm 13:5-6 NLT

But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord
because He is good to me.

My study notes say this...

David felt the pressure of his problems as much as anyone. Instead of giving up or giving in, however, David held on to his faith.

What that says to me is don't let the things of life get to you.

People are going to say things about you, and people you thought were friends are going to choose to walk out of your life. If that's what they choose then you need to accept it and trust that the Lord has better things in store for them and you both. Let them go and pray God blesses them.

until we see JESUS....face to face

Thursday, February 6, 2014

False Teachings

All my life I have heard that we are living in the last days....that Jesus could come at any moment. I've always known that was a true statement. The difference for me now is....I really believe it! Last night I had a conversation about....new age....mysticism....contemplative prayer....the emergent church....and books and preachers that are leading people into these types of things. The scary part is that many of these things are disguised so well we don't even realize that much of what we read and hear is wrong. The people teaching and writing these things are being led by a spirit but it is not the Holy Spirit....it is a spirit of darkness....evil. They make it all sound so good that we can sometimes be led down the wrong path.

2 Corinthians 11:13-14

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

We need to be so careful because time is short and we want to make sure we are ready when Jesus comes back. We all know that satan is a liar and the master of deceit. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy us....to make us fail....to make us get on the wrong path and fall away.

John 8:44

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴⁴You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Last night while talking to a good friend, I was reminded that we need to pray for discernment and wisdom to know what is right so that we won't be deceived. So we won't be caught of guard and read or listen to someone that is doing the work of satan. We want to know the truth when we hear it and recognize the things of evil when we hear it. As my friend always says....We want to read, and listen to, only the things and people that are "spot on"....not those that just tickle our ears. At first I was thinking how confusing it is to know who is right and who is wrong because most of them do a good job of deceiving....of making wrong things sound right. Then after our conversation I was actually excited again because I know that God is with us. As long as we stay close to Him....ask Him for guidance.... we will be okay.

1 Peter 5:8

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁸Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Evil seems to be running rampant in our world today. Satan, and all of the demons, are running around grabbing on to everyone they can because they know....just like we do....that time is running short. We are literally in a war fighting against them.

Ephesians 6:12

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

I'll finish this by saying....

Be careful whom you listen to....whom you believe. There is a lot of false teachings and gods out there but there is only one true GOD! He is the God that made everything....the God that sent His Son to die for our sins so that we could live forever with Him. His Son....JESUS....is coming back again and it's going to be sooner than some of you think. Are you ready for Him to return? Are you ready if that trumpet blows today? Are you ready if tomorrow comes and you don't wake up? If you're not sure, do something about it. Pray and ask Jesus to forgive you. Tell Him your sorry for your sins and ask Him to come and live in your heart right now. He will do that. Jesus died for you so that you can live for Him.

"until we see JESUS....face to face"

Pages

Monday, February 24, 2014

We Are All Called

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Call

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Always A Ray Of Hope

Thursday, February 13, 2014

New Age Thoughts

1 Timothy 4:1-2

Warnings against False Teachers

Matthew 7:15

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

God Bless You

Thursday, February 6, 2014

False Teachings

2 Corinthians 11:13-14

John 8:44

1 Peter 5:8

Ephesians 6:12