Is The God You Serve An Idol?

“For great is The Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but The Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are His sanctuary.” (Psalm 96:4-6 NIV).

When I read this again, I was reminded of all those naysayers–the ones who choose not to believe The God of heaven, who protest loudly and always insist that He is just a god like the others.

Let’s examine the other gods for a moment–the gods made by hands–symbolizing all manner of things that mere mortal at one time, could not explain. The gods that man created by carving images in wood, out of wood and in stone and out of stone–the gods who could not have been created by the hands of man, if God had not created the substance from which they were (and are) made. There images of sun gods, moon gods, rain gods, fertility gods, seed gods, water gods, death gods, heroic gods, jealousy gods, strength gods, intellectual gods, all kinds of gods and yet not one of them has ever created anything from nothing.

When man could not understand the function of a volcano, they threw in virgins to appease a god who they thought was angry with them. People sacrificed children upon burning altars to appease gods they didn’t understand, but thought they had some power–never realizing that true power–only comes from the God of Heaven as Elijah demonstrated with the prophets of Baal.

Even the god of this world–was created by the God of heaven–and the only power he has over anything is the evil that lurks in the hearts of men–those thoughts that people have and will not control–when the enemy speaks to their hearts, he influences what they do. This is the reason for all the senseless violence in the world today–the god of this world and his ability to influence the evil that already resides in man.

And to perpetuate the nonsense–we have people creating images that represent evil–worshipping those images that have no power to do anything but lie dormant–unless the hands of a mortal moves them.

Are we worshipping idols, yet today? Are we creating or using images made by the hands of man and giving the images more authority in our lives than the Living God?

Do we not understand that the God we serve–cannot be manipulated, moved, carted or sent anywhere for any reason because He is omnipresent–everywhere at the same time whether people believe Him or not?

Do we not understand that the God we serve–does not need us–we need Him? He created us–we did not create Him as some attempt to persuade. He is not a figment of our imaginations and His Word–though written by men, inspired by Him, is just as true today as it was hundreds of years ago.

The God of Heaven is yet speaking to people who are willing to hear and obey, but the problem is that many do not hear Him when He speaks because they have not read His Word–to even know His voice. If we don’t know what He has said, we won’t know what He is saying–because He never changes.

So now, think about it! True worship of God is done in the Spirit and those without the Spirit of God guiding them cannot worship God in the beauty of holiness. We don’t need images, or symbols, or anything else man-made to worship God or to communicate with Him. After all, when did any of those things–create who He is?  Is the God You Serve an Idol or the Living God who desires nothing more from us, than the praise of our lips–giving adoration and obeying His Word?

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Encourage One Another With These Words!

“According to the Lord’s Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:15-18 NIV)

On a subject that not many care to discuss, but should–death. There is one reality that all must face–we are born to die, unless the Lord returns before that event occurs. However, though there is a physical death, we can look forward to rising upon His return so that we will be with Him forever.

On a secular scale–most people simply see death as a natural occurrence–and it is. But for those of us who are living a Spirit-filled life, we know that physical death is simply part of the transition to getting into heaven.

For those who are truly Believers, death should never frighten us; especially if we have lived our lives to please God. While there are those around us who are dying daily, from sickness and disease, and we’re praying–we should be mindful that when a person dies who has suffered pain and anguish, death is also a form of healing for when they are gone–their suffering ends. 

And while we miss loved ones who go before us–if they knew the Lord, we can be thankful that they, too shall reign with Him when He makes His glorious return.

For this reason–so all will rise at the sound of the trumpet and command–Believers should be a witness of God’s mercy and grace, telling all they can the Good News about the work on the Cross. When we become saved–our job is just beginning–for the Lord would have all men to be saved and once we have accepted the sacrifice Jesus made for us and are living for Him, we should want everyone we know to know the Savior who loves us. And we should keep telling the good news until we reach the stage of our own transition.

Therefore, death as a conformity of life–should not be feared, nor should we spend time grieving over much for those who have made the transition, but we should rejoice in the knowledge that one day–they shall rise and reign with us, all with The Lord. Though our hearts may hurt for a time, our spirits should soar and heal the hurt–remembering all the good things and continuing to spread the Gospel until we are finished with earthly works.

While we yet have time to do so–and we must make the most of every hour we have–we need to share the love of God and encourage all to Believe in our Risen Savior so we won’t have to be sad when they depart this earthly realm. We encourage others to get into The Word of God, develop a relationship with Him, and know that when we’re gone–they will seek The Lord for comfort and be assured of our rising from the dead upon His return–before all who are left alive–whose hearts belong to Jesus.

Therefore, when we experience consoling someone who has lost a loved one or even if we lose a loved one, encourage all with these words–their end is not The End–if they know The Lord.

Blessed Because He Chose Us!

“Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;to you our vows will be fulfilled. You who answer prayer, to you all people will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.” (Psalm 65:1-4 NIV)

In the midst of trials and tribulations,

He looked upon us with compassion

Poured out grace and mercy abundantly,

Waiting for us to see our ways would not allow us in

To the place He had prepared for us for all eternity,

But loved us enough to die for us, while we were yet in sin,

Forgiving us over and over again, loving us in spite of us,

Choosing us to participate in His goodness and victory,

Choosing us to live with Him past our natural deaths,

Blessing us while we live, naturally, so we can be witnesses

Of His continual grace and mercy, promoting the Gospel

Of love and salvation to all who will hear and accept;

Praising Him for victory over sinfulness–daring to break free,

Choosing to live life as He ordained it–obediently.

Blessed are we, by He who chose us before we were ever born,

Blessed are we, by He who sacrificed Himself so we might live,

Blessed are we, by He who made victory possible over all things,

Blessed are we, by He who inspired praise as our hearts sing,

Songs of worship, adoration and praise for all He has done,

Encouraging our boldness, reflecting over victories won,

Over addictions and predilections to go our way, down the broad road,

Where everyone, doomed to the same fate walked and dared not stray,

Afraid of what others would think, if they chose another path, much narrower,

Where there would be no crowd, no hoops and hollering heard, just a few,

Faithful, delivered and set free to focus on God’s goodness and He path he chose,

For all He loves, but few love Him enough to see, just how wonderful this path could be,

Loving Him enough to live for Him, doing what’s right at all times, knowing He never slumbers,

Is not hard of hearing and certainly never forgets our pleas to Him in the quiet of the night,

Or in the middle of a raging storm, either physically or spiritually, He is yet on His throne,

Mighty in majesty, caring for His own, like no other can and certainly, He loves those He chose,

To live and reign with Him, forevermore.

And when we arrive–at the gate of His choice, will we be ready to lift our voice,

In praise of Him who loves and dies for those He loves so we can be judged, righteously?

Though the journey to heaven gets marred by obstacles thrown in our way,

Just look to Him, He chose us and He’ll never let us stray if our focus is stayed upon Him.

Speak up–aloud so all may hear, we have no fear of man or what they may do, Our God,

In Heaven, will respond to prayers that are earnestly heaven-sent–with solutions,

To all problems as He guides us through His Word, once we read it we’ll know, Yes, He heard.

And Now we know–His rights can’t be wrong; and His wrongs can’t be right;

We must learn to live, according to what He says, since we’re always in His sight,

And remember, we are blessed because He chose us!

Why Jesus Said, “I’m Praying For All Who Will Believe!”

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17: 20,21 NIV)

In order to really get the gist of this prayer, we have to understand just how much God loves us.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1,2) The explanation of who Jesus is.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). How we know just how much God loves us.

He came down from heaven, in the likeness of sinful flesh, born of a woman who had known no man–but by the incorruptible seed–the spirit of the living God, who knew know sin and was not subject to sin as man was. He knew that man would not keep His Law regarding the atonement of sin, so He made it for all who believe–that they would have eternal life.

And now, while Jesus is in the Garden praying, once more, He demonstrates His love for all who will believe as He prayed for us.

In the sixteenth chapter of John, Jesus warned His disciples that in “this world” you will have trouble, but that He had overcome the world. And right after telling them that, He looked toward Heaven and prayed.

Though many think the model prayer He gave His disciples was His prayer, it is not. The model prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 is the “model or guide” to prayer: acknowledging who God is and what He represents in our lives, acknowledging our dependence on Him, repentance of sin, and seeking forgiveness, and securing His direction for our lives. We know that He did not intend for people to simply “repeat” the model as a prayer because the model does not do what He later tells us to do in John 14, to ask “in His name.”

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be gloried in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14: 13,14 NIV

Notice, that He does not say that in the model prayer because He never intended for people to just repeat those words. And many people wonder why they do not see prayers answered; it is because they have not believed in the power of asking in His name, aligned with The Word.

But back to His Prayer–the one He prayed. He acknowledged who His Father is and acknowledged the purpose for His journey to earth. He acknowledges His obedience in doing all that was required of Him while here, and then He asks the Father to protect those who have believed Him and those who will believe in Him because of the message they would teach.

John 17:15-19

v. 15 MY PRAYER is not that you take them out of the world that you protect them from the evil one.

v.16 They are not OF THE WORLD, even as I am not of it.

v.17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is Truth.

v.18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

v.19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

And we know from our focus scripture that we who believe today, were included in that prayer, asked of the Father, over 2000 years ago. Now, that’s love! He thought about us before we were ever born–before our parents and grandparents and their grandparents–were ever born. He wanted for us–what those with Him would have–access to eternal life through belief in Him and the work on the cross. He wanted us to be one–in purpose and intent–as He and the Father were one–in purpose and intent–the share the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ–repentance of sin and salvation through Him.

If there is no repentance–turning away of sin–there can be no salvation, no access to heaven.

Though there are many groups who have REWRITTEN God’s Word to support their own agendas–to continue in sin or to control others, God’s Word is revealed in us with the experience we have with Him, when He reveals Himself to us through that experience, cementing our relationship with Him for all times. 

For those who think “changing His Word” will benefit them, they are in for a rude awakening. When God says that judgment will begin at the household of faith, He meant it. Those of who proclaim to Believe God and yet will not live according to His Word, will stand to be judged first and the consequence–the lake of fire–is already prepared; along with His pronouncement, “Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” (Luke 13:7) Notice that He does not say, “I don’t know you” in the present tense as we stand before Him; He uses the past tense–never knew you. In other words, nothing you have ever done was done to glorify me. These are not the words I plan to hear from Him.

Although I don’t always understand why God speaks to my heart and has me share what He’s given me, I won’t worry about it. I know that I don’t have to understand the whys of what He does, but just obey and I will see the blessing of obedience in my life. Living a life based upon The Word has its challenges, but the rewards are so great, that I choose to continue to live my life according to His Word and encourage others to do the same.

It was through this passage of Scripture–that I finally understood just how much I was loved and I pray, in Jesus’ name,  you will understand it, too and choose to live in obedience to His Word.

Why Jesus Said, “Whoever Lives By Belief In Me Will Never Die!”

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25,26 NIV)

Within John’s record of the life of Jesus, Jesus says, “believes” fourteen times and in the rest of the New Covenant, it is mentioned eleven other times. Of course in the King James Version, the word believeth is used (meaning the same thing) and occurs in both Old and New for a total of forty-five times. Since I’m expounding on what Jesus said and why, let’s take a closer look at why belief is so important.

Whatever a person believes–has immoveable faith in–good or bad, that is usually indicative of how a person lives. If they believe in a horoscope–they live their life according to the horoscope. If they believe Oprah Winfrey is wiser than God, they live their life according to Oprah. If they believe than one political party is superior to another, they live their life supporting that party and criticizing the other. If people believe they’ll become rich by gambling, they gamble on a regular basis (and the lottery is gambling). If they believe that God’s Word can ever be changed to pacify fleshly dictates, they live their lives doing whatever they want because they do not understand–God’s Word never changes and neither will His judgment. 

But let’s get back to what’s taking place in Jesus’ life when He said what He said. He had been that Lazarus was sick and instead of going to him immediately, Jesus delayed his departure. He told his disciples that Lazarus was sleep and they thought he was just asleep because of sickness. Jesus then told them, he was dead.

John 11:15-24

v. 15 And for your sake I am glad I was not there, so you may believe. But let us go to him.

v. 16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

v.17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

v. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,

v 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

v. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

v. 21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.

v. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

v. 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

v. 24 Martha answered, ” I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

And after Jesus asked her the question about what she believed, she said, she believed. I can imagine the heartache Martha felt over losing her brother and some have said (their interpretations of her statement) that she was accusing Jesus of waiting too long to come to them. She didn’t understand the magnitude of what was about to happen, but she believed that Jesus would take care of it and He did.

Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead and buried so that all who observed Him would witness the miracle and share it with others. He simply looked unto His Father and then commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb and he did. Faith–can move mountains, cause the dead to rise and the sick to recover–if we will only believe–have immoveable faith in Him.

Lazarus rose from the dead to live again, but we don’t know how long he lived until he succumbed to natural, then. What we do know is that all are appointed a time to die, naturally, but those who believe Jesus is the resurrection and when He returns, the dead shall rise and the rest of us caught up with Him, shall live for all eternity in heaven.

We simply have to believe–having faith in Him–and not man’s suppositions about death and dying, sickness and disease, sin and holiness. If we believed and lived our beliefs in Him, the world would be in a much better place. Do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do we believe that His blood, shed on the cross at Calvary, was shed for us–that we might have access to heaven, through Him? Do we believe that we have the power–through Holy Spirit–to live without sin in our lives? If the answer is yes, we believe, then why aren’t we living what we say we believe? Our active obedience to God demonstrates our love for Him and our belief–our immoveable faith in Him. Lord, help us!

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

Is It Time, Yet?

“At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:1 NIV)

Through the prophet, Jeremiah, The Lord speaks and tells him to share with the people that there will come a time when He will be the God of all the families of Israel and they we will be His people. Now, at the time this was spoken, the children of Israel were in captivity, trying to survive. God tells them all who survive will find favor in the wilderness and He will build them up again into a great nation–when they realize who He is and obey (to keep this context, one must read all of Jeremiah). They could not see it then pretty much the same way people don’t understand what God is saying now.

Before the appearance of Christ–the prophets spoke to the literal children of Israel. Now, that we who believe have been adopted into the family, the prophets yet speak–to the literal nation of Israel as well as spiritual Israel–those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

And yet, we have not reached a place in history where all the families of Israel (natural and spiritual) have chosen to obey God, so can we say–the time is now? With all of the dissidence and chaos in the Middle East, Asia, and seemingly all of the earth, I don’t think we have reached that time yet. Of course, I’ve drawn this conclusion based upon the current events that are constantly indicating a lack of reverence for the ways of God in how we treat people.

For as long as people are influenced by the enemy more than they are influenced by Holy Spirit, we have not reached the time, the prophet reveals. When people choose to kill spouses and children rather than just leaving–it’s not time. When children are abused and killed by parents–it’s not time. When living in opposition to everything God says in His Word is promoted from the highest authorities (wickedness in high places)–it’s not time. Just as those in Israel are being persecuted and killed for their faith because they do not want to harm others, and being brought into captivity, so are those who are influenced by the enemy–that grandmaster of hate–Satan–who influences others to obey the lusts of their flesh more than the Word of God.

But there is hope for those who refuse to cave to the political agenda to undermine The Word of God. We must hold fast to His Word, obey His Word, and watch as His Will is revealed in all the earth. For those of us who are willing to obey, promote the Gospel, and love as God loves–we will see this time come to past–when all will recognize that our God is God! We will receive our just rewards for obedience and allegiance to Him rather than Satan and all of his cohorts. We will spend eternity in heaven while all the rest will spend eternity with their master in the lake of fire. We will be victorious over the influences of the enemy and we will watch him–as he sees his own demise exposed for all the world to see.

Is it time, yet? Not yet, but soon and very soon, we will see our Risen Savior coming in all His glory to take us to be with Him.

The First Death Is Just The Beginning!

“Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Unless Jesus returns before we take our final breath, we will die (or fall asleep) and our end will only be for the earthly measurement of time. The heavenly measurement of time begins when He returns and all the dead in Him (those who died believing Him to be their Savior) shall rise at the sound at the trumpet and they shall be judged first.

It is not the first death that we need to concern ourselves while we live. It is the second death–the assignment of eternal resting place–in heaven reigning with Jesus or in the lake of fire, being tormenting continually for eternity.

While I know there are those who do not believe in heaven or hell, according to God’s Truth they do exist and in the end, we’ll all discover their existence. But while we wait for the end to come, we must know that our final resting place for eternity is determined by what we do while we have breath to live. Notice what John says, about who ends up in the lake of fire.

“The cowardly–those who are always fearful because they do not know that love casts out fear. The fearful do not know love for it they did, they would not fear. The unbelieving–those who refuse to accept God’s existence so they can do whatever their flesh dictates. The vile–those who do every imaginable evil thing they can without concern about how their actions impact others. The murderers–those who have no respect for life and consistently are responsible for the deaths of others. The sexually immoral–those who use sex as a tool for pleasure with anybody and everybody without discrimination or adherence to God’s plan for sex. Those who practice magic--misusing gifts of discernment and abilities given by God for monetary gain or fame. The idolators--those who worship things made by the hands of man or people–holding the things and people in higher esteem than God. The liars–those who twist and malign truth (especially God’s Truth) for their own personal agendas in order to influence others into doing what is pleasing in their own sight–totally ignoring God’s plan for man.” All these–when they have chosen to do these things–will end up in the lake of fire, unless they choose to live as God desires before the first death.

No person–can send another to hell and God won’t either. The eternal resting place in which we end up is determined by what we do when we are alive, having the ability to choose and choose wrongly. Every person–believer and unbeliever–chooses their final destination and they have no one to blame but themselves.

No matter how our end comes the first time–illness, accident, war, acts of violence or old age, our greatest concern should be the second death.

Kept By His Word!

“The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:5-8 NIV)

Thank You, Lord for watching over us

Waking us each morning, protecting us each night.

Walking with us, guiding our steps,

Keeping us from faltering along the way,

Creating a clear path, according to Your plan.

Thank You, Lord for keeping us shaded by Your hand,

Making sure no harm is done by moon or sun,

Healing diseased bodies, broken spirits,

Comforting saddened hearts, quickening weakened minds,

Providing us with wisdom to know when to move,

Knowing when to stand still and wait.

Igniting creativity, stirring up the gifts given,

Desiring to please You in all we do.

Thank You, for the angels You have assigned

Giving them rule to assume the roles

Needed to keep us from dangers seen and unseen.

Thank You, Lord for loving us enough

Sacrificing Self, Dying for our sins,

Rising from the Grave, Interceding for us.

Thank You, Lord for providing all we need,

On this planet to do Your Will and for

Arranging a place for our eternity, with You,

Forevermore, greeting us at Heaven’s Gate.

Too Many To Count!

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9 NIV)

Contrary to the belief of some, those who believe that only 144,000 will make it into heaven, we see in this verse–based upon John’s vision–a great multitude–too many to count–from every nation, tribe, people, and language–standing before the throne of God and the Lamb. How awesome is that? The “remnant” is so many we can’t be counted!

What’s more important to understand about this particular verse is--those standing before the throne of God–were not there because of their religious affiliation to any specific denomination. They were not there because of their race, ethnic origin, geographic location, or economic status or educational background. No–they made it to the place of their desire because of their obedience to God and acceptance of His Son and the work on the cross. How simple is that?

So basically what this means is there should be no division between people earth on earth because there will be no segregation of those standing before God in heaven. All Believers–followers of Jesus Christ–should be able to come together in fellowship and not see anything other than the glory of God surrounding us. If we ever get the “in-fighting” stopped, thinking that one religious group is superior to another, then we’ll be able to do what God has asked us to do, and when we stand before Him, we won’t notice anything about anyone else other than–they made it!

What are we waiting for? His Hand to reach down and pull us together or spank us for disobedience? If we believe The Word of God, have an intimate Relationship with Him, then we should be able to do what He told us to do–go into all the world, preaching the Gospel and accepting all into the fold. If we can’t accept all into the fold of Believers, then there really is no need for us to go into all the world because in the world–there are all types of people!

There are people of mixed ethnicity, different shades of black, red, brown, white; there are different cultures with different traditions and different celebrations and different ideas and thoughts, but if all the differences are set aside to believe in the Creator God, God the Son, and Holy Spirit—what then is the problem?

Since we create biases based upon racial differences, we need to stop thinking about ethnicity and think the human race. That is the only race that concerns God and it should be the only race of people concerning us. If we cannot treat all human beings well, we will never see the end result in heaven, but even so–there will be so many of us there--too many to count–and it is not His desire that any should be left out of that number.

On That Highway!

“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.” (Isaiah 35:8 NIV)

When we picture or think about the word, “highway” we have a different perception of highway than Isaiah did when he was speaking to the Children of Israel–encouraging them to live for The Lord in obedience to Him.

Artists have written songs about the highway to heaven and what is going to be found there–probably based upon this scripture–if the entire chapter is read.

“No more crying, no more hunger, no more blind, no more deaf, no more lame, there will be peace–since no more wars will be possible.”

Highways–as we see them now–are links or connections to faraway places or at least a short-cut to get across the city (our freeways). What we see on those highways are speeding vehicles on infinite slabs of concrete with bridges overhead and cities underneath them and occasionally emergency vehicles summoned to handle an accident which leaves debris and becomes hazardous for other drivers. Sometimes–our highways are the paths to destruction and they are certainly a cesspool of inconsiderate drivers who think they own the freeway.

However, going back to those times of old, Isaiah painted a vivid picture of a highway--not connecting us to another place here on earth, but the path to heaven and all we could expect there. In addition to telling us what would not be there and what would, he tells us that the wicked fools won’t be there, nor will those who are not saved–the unclean.

How do we know for sure? The only way we get into heaven is through the blood of Jesus Christ. “What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus!” We are cleansed through the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross at Calvary! He died so we might live a sin-free life and left us here so we could encourage others to seek Him, accept Him, and be cleansed and made whole! What love He has for us!

Now, we have a decision to make and we must make it quickly. Time is winding down for the enemy to maintain a hold on people for he will surely be banished to the lake of fire and he is determined to take as many people as he can with him. We–who know how he operates, must be as diligent as he is to encourage others to connect with Jesus Christ so they will be spared and can walk on that highway, reserved for those who have been cleansed.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we come to You and thank You for loving us enough to prepare a place for us for all eternity. We thank You for giving us the boldness, courage and determination needed to encourage others to want to walk The Way of Holiness rather than the way of sin. We thank You for allowing us chance after chance to get living right with You and we give You all the praise and glory for it for You are the only One worthy of our praise! Amen!