Do We Get It Yet?

For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me— the very people I have created.I was enraged by their sinful greed; I punished them, and hid my face in anger, yet they kept on in their willful ways. I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the LORD. “And I will heal them.” But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:15-21 NIV

There is not one person on earth who has never sinned, never gotten everything right the first time. This is why Jesus came–to provide us a means of being cleansed and never totally forgotten, but forgiven, as we continue to get living right–the way He intends for us to live. He will keep us sheltered in His loving arms until we return to Him–living with Him, for all eternity.

However, the wicked–shall not dwell with The Lord forever for they continue in wickedness even when their sins are exposed and their evil intent revealed for all to see. They are blinded by their own desires to be great–when all they end up doing is making fools of themselves and greatness–will never be theirs. They seek fame and become infamous; they want notoriety and become notorious; they seek glory and are seen as gory. The end of the wicked and their eternity is already fixed in the lake of fire.

Though the wicked will act as though they are the wise, their true selves are soon seen and woe to those who believed anything they said. Their self-important wisdom is seen as foolishness and those who were gaslighted with all the falsehoods about great things–will end up in the muck and mire of all they detested.

The wickedness spilling over from Republicans will end up costing many their lives and this group–proclaims to be “pro-life.” How can anyone be “pro-life when they make laws giving coal mines permission to contaminate and poison water? They are de-regulating food safety mechanisms, ripping apart the safe-guards put in place to protect the environment, the poor air quality will have us wearing masks like the Chinese and because healthcare is not important to them, people will die a slow agonizing deaths–because the pro-lifers didn’t value their lives. What irony from a party who claims to love The Lord!  It would appear they love money and corporate greed far more than they love God and certainly they have demonstrated they have no love for those they can see, struggling on a daily basis. or perhaps–they don’t want to see them.

The good will have their day and the wicked–will certainly know the consequences of their actions–sooner than they expect. God is watching–He sees, He hears, and He knows our thoughts from afar. He knows who belongs to Him and who doesn’t. I’m willing to bet (though I don’t gamble) that over 80% of those who claim to love God and are supporting a Republican agenda, are lying to themselves and they are certainly making a mockery of how God’s love is manifested towards others by those who truly have received the love of God, and know how to love. Perhaps, they need to read the Gospel of John and all of his letters–again, and again, and again, until the love of God is revealed to them and in them.

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. I John 2:3-18 NIV

There is so much more in The Word and in John’s letters that reveal who we are by what we do, rather than what we say. God’s love towards us is unconditional and so should our love be for others.

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Soon And Very Soon!

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:3-8 KJV

When we understand the vision John had and know deep within our hearts that God always has our best interests at heart–we can find comfort in His Word, not fear.

We can be comforted in knowing that no matter how foolish men and women act life, there will come a time when all will stand before God and give an account of what we’ve done.

We can know–with assurance–that it won’t be long now–not based on our calendar days, but in God’s timing–before we begin our second life–living with Him for all eternity.

Looking at all the turmoil and violence in the world–with all the confusion about “everything” I can only cry unto the Lord, “Come quickly!”

We know that God is not the author of confusion and since He is not–Satan is.

We know that God does not promote hatred and fear and since He does not–Satan does.

More importantly, we know that when people ignore God or refuse to obey Him, He allows the enemy to wreck havoc in our lives–until we reach the place where we understand, we can do nothing without Him.

We are our own worst enemy when we refuse to obey Him in all things.

All of the foolishness over which people get angry and rebellious will soon pass away.

There is no politics in Heaven for the King of Kings is sovereign. There are no religious banners denoting which denoting different denominations hanging in Heaven for there is but One Lord!

There is no sickness and disease in Heaven and no reason for there to be pain.

There is no difference of opinion in Heaven for only the like-minded in Christ shall reside there.

There is no black or white or red or brown or any other barrier in Heaven that will separate humanity (in its glorified body) from enjoying The Lord!

Hallelujah! Soon and very soon!

Is Praying Ever Futile?

Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Jeremiah 7:16 KJV

“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. Jeremiah 7:16 NIV

Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. Jeremiah 11:14 KJV

“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress. Jeremiah 11:14 NIV

Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. Jeremiah 14:11 KJV

This is what the LORD says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”  But I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ” Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Jeremiah 14:11-14 NIV

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV

For those who think that the answers is to always pray for some people–think again. There are times when we’re told NOT TO PRAY for those who refuse to acknowledge and obey God. That’s what Jeremiah’s thankless job was as a prophet of God. God’s messengers–those He selects–do not always have a message of “pie in the sky” and because those in positions of influencing others–they like to think their message is the only right message. It would have been redundant for me to say everything Jeremiah said to a rebellious nation, but I would encourage every Believer and those who read this blog–to read, with understanding, all Jeremiah said and see with God’ Wisdom and insight how that message then-is relevant today.

Is it possible that we are faced with the possibility of captivity (naturally and spiritually) if we continue on this path of blatant disregard for God’s Word? Can we trust any religious leader (false prophets) who proclaim messages that do align with God’s Word?

Not every person who proclaims their belief in God is telling the truth. We know by what we see and hear them do. Therefore, The Word of Lord tells us how to discern–spiritually those who truly belong to Him. Do they say what God says or they are intertwining personal feelings and opinions into The Word to convince? When we allow our feelings (which are fickle) and opinions to distort the message of The Gospel, we betray God’s trust in us. What is the message of The Gospel? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (as a sacrifice for all) so whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (paraphrased)

“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” I John 3:10, 11

Therefore, if the message is not about LOVE FOR ALL PEOPLE, the message is not from God and the messenger is a liar.

Okay, let me clarify this for those who think this is simply a rant–it is not. If we are not saying what God says and promoting love and not hatred–we are on the path to certain captivity–opening the door to all sorts of depravity–and evil. When we see evil and won’t address it–we are condoning it. And for this reason–just like He did with Jeremiah, God is warning us–there’s no point in praying for people–either as an individual or a nation–who refuse to obey God. The better prayer is for us to be able to endure until the end.

We see the evidence, daily, at the political rallies that are simply stoking the fires of hatred and then it spills over onto the crowds and people feel empowered to hate others simply because they are different. This is not of God and we have been warned about the consequences in His Word. Now, we have a choice to make and our choice–will lead us into a place where God desires us to be–into captivity to get our attention–or to keep us on the path He has planned for us. It’s up to us. Do we listen to God or the false prophets? Will God listen to us or ignore us? When people tell us to pray that God will change a person’s heart, we miss the mark. God will not change a person’s heart who doesn’t want their heart to be changed.

I’m praying that God’s wisdom will be received into the hearts of all who know Him and overflow into the masses and we will know love as God defines love–not us.

The Person Who Prospers!

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither–whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

One of the insults hurled at any many televangelists is that they are “fleecing” people and misleading them with their prosperity messages. Well, I cannot speak for all of them, in fact I cannot speak for any of them, but I do know–the message of prosperity and how to accomplish it–is found in The Word and as long as they are preaching and teaching The Word, I find no fault with them.

When I listen to those who do find fault with anyone preaching about prosperity (and everything else in The Word), observation of those who are complaining are those who are barely surviving–in their personal life and in their church life. For it is envy that prompts their animosity towards others who dare to say anything about prosperity. And it is envy that clogs up their ears and blinds their eyes when they do not hear those they preach against–also teach obeying God’s Word, totally. They do not hear the message of repentance, love, and obedience for they have closed their minds to hearing the “whole matter” and judge those things they do not understand.

It is not a sin for God’s children to prosper and when we are obedient to His Word–it is a promise to us–that we should prosper in everything we do. What does it mean to prosper–when we obey? We end up having more than enough–for our needs and to help others.

Now we know that the wicked also prosper and we only have to look at the events occurring in the world to see how. The drug kings–both legal and illegal–prosper when they sell their wares. The illegal drugs keep people dependent and poor, committing criminal acts to support their habits. The legal pharmacies are just as bad when they overprice medicines needed and end up scamming insurance companies and leaving the elderly making choices between eating and taking their medicine. We see the wicked in high places of authority, making deals with the devil that ultimately create chaos and disaster for others. We see the wicked in families and churches who say one thing, but live a lie–scamming their families, neighbors and friends–trying to make themselves to be something when they are not. But God has a solution for the wicked and their wealth–it is laid up for the righteous–those who obey God no matter what.

But then the Word also says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:3 NKJV). So now, we see that prosperity “in all things” is God’s desire for us–in our finances, our health as long as our soul–our will to obey Him in all things–prospers.

When people complain about the prosperity of those who preach and teach the Gospel, I’m led to believe that they did not believe God from the beginning–of the Word. Throughout the bible, we find promises of prosperity (along with repentance and obedience). One of my favorites is Joshua 1:7,8 and then there is the entire list of things that are ours when we obey found in Deuteronomy 28 as well as the curses for disobedience. It’s all in there.

The bottom line is this–we should not be “best buds” with those who deliberately live in opposition to God’s Word or hang out with them unless it is an effort to be a witness to them about God’s goodness. And we most certainly should not take up their habits, but be strong and courageous in obeying God’s Word and stand back and see how He causes us to prosper in all we do that honors Him. That is the person who shall prosper in all things–when they are living The Word–for all to see.

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.

To Know Him Is To Know Them!

“Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” (John 8:19 NIV)

Knowing how to answer everyone who has a question about The Word with The Word is how we convince and what we say, will sometimes convict.

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is teaching in the temple courts and He is being questioned by the Pharisees–those religious folks who claim to know God, but only so they can feel superior to others. When Jesus told them that He and His Father were witnesses of who He was, they challenged Him based on the Law–human standards which is all religious people have. The question–where is your father was about His human father (not understanding who He was) and when Jesus responded, the way He did, I can only imagine how their jaws may have dropped. They didn’t get it.

But then again, there are those in the 21st Century who still don’t get it. We cannot have a rational conversation–based upon spiritual truths–about Jesus or God, without referencing the other. They are One in purpose–without God–there is no Jesus and without Jesus–there is no access to God. Why people don’t understand this is because they fail to understand the first fourteen verses in the first chapter of John and the first chapter of Genesis. God is a spirit and He came down to earth in the likeness of man, wrapped in flesh, born of a woman, who named Him–Jesus–out of obedience.

If anyone knows what God said and meant–it would be Jesus--who did not come to change the course of mankind by changing the law (which man could not keep), but to make sure mankind would have access to all God has planned–the abundant life–a result of obedience to His Word and fulfilled by the work on The Cross.

No matter how hard we try, we cannot escape The Cross and what it means. Nothing we mere humans say can change what God intended and when we attempt to manipulate His Word and His Love, we deceive ourselves if we think for a moment that He is not aware of how we’ve been deceived. No cross, no salvation; no salvation no hope for eternal life, no Jesus, no peace.

When we understand the spiritual, the natural will fall into place and we will have peace in the land. It’s all about being in a right relationship with Them–and living according to Their purposes and not our own. Trying to understand God with our natural, limited minds only leads to confusion. We need to communicate with Him on a spiritual realm, so our natural mind can accept who He is and how He wants us to live.

As so many people have said, “going to church doesn’t make a person a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes them a car.” To be a Christian means to follow, represent and emulate Christ. When we emulate Christ, we acknowledge The Father and try to please Him. If we please one, we please both. To Know Him, is to know Them!

Anointed Truth!

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.” (I John 2:20,21 NIV)

One of the reasons that I love John’s passages to us is because they are so personal. In the Gospel of John, he reveals to us the person of Christ and all of attributes. In his continued letters, he constantly reminds us that we are loved and because of His love towards us, we walk in His anointing and in Truth.

If we are filled with Holy Spirit–the Spirit of Jesus Christ–then we walk in Truth since He is Truth. When we allow Holy Spirit to guide us in all things, we speak only what He speaks and do only what He wants us to do.

Are we perfect people? Not hardly! We are people who love the Lord and want to please Him, so we are growing in grace and in the confidence of His Word in our ability to know when Holy Spirit speaks beyond what we understand and are open to the revelation!

This is why John tells us, we know the truth and there is no lie in truth. Now, this is where some people miss this. There is no lie in truth. A half-truth is a whole lie. There are no white lies, red lies, black lies are any other kind of lies that have any kind of relationship with Truth. Paul tells us to speak the truth, in love. Love the person to whom you’re telling the truth,, but tell the truth, confidently, not harshly.

One of the reasons the Body of Christ is in the shape it is in is because no one really wants to hear truth from the pulpit so preachers–sugarcoat truth–to maintain a congregation. I’d rather hear Truth, according to God’s Word (not man) and be convicted of wrong doing than to hear a sugar-coated message that makes allowances for sin. Yes, God forgives our sin, but repentance means we have turned away from doing those things that sever a relationship with God.

God is not mocked! He is not fooled by the preachings, dripping with syrupy meanings and rhyming rhythms that do nothing but entertain the flesh. The only person who is fooled by this is the one who does not know the Word.

I encourage every Believer to walk in the anointing of Truth and tell no lies–even if it means no other mortal walks with you, you are never alone!

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.

In The Book!

“All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.” (Revelation 3:5 NLT)

Is your name in the book of life?

There are a number of thoughts about how one gets their name in the book, but if we read The Word carefully, and comprehend what it means to be victorious–we’ll know.

In this vision from Jesus, we are told that if we repent–of all sin–turn away from it and turn to God–with our whole hearts, we will wear white (robes) signalling accomplishment in living right before The Lord–during the White Throne Judgment–where we’ll receive our crowns and be assigned our mansions (poetically speaking)! Once we have been “certified” victorious, Jesus will announce us before the Father and the angels, that we belong to Him.

As much as I read–secular books–and as much as I write, I don’t think anything I’ve read or written will be quite like this book. There’s a segment in The Book of Life that’s all about me–my name–written in the precious blood of The Lamb! How awesome is that!

For Believers–we have something to look forward to when Jesus returns; for non-believers–well, only Jesus can determine their fate, just as He has determined the fate of all who believe.

If there is anything in your life, right now, right this minute, that would hinder your name being written in The Book of Life–let it go and open your heart to Him who saves and redeems, clearing the path for having a right relationship with The Father so you, too can be assured of being announced because your name–is in the book!

Can We Hear?

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:29 NKJV)

This admonition is repeated seven times in this Revelation to John by Holy Spirit–and if we believe that seven is the symbolic representation of completion, it is a finished work–the Revelation–and we must hear in order to get ready for His return.

Why do we need to hear? Because in the revealed work–we are reminded of the seven types of churches–their character traits, their strengths and their weaknesses. Regardless of what denomination we proclaim to have an affiliation with, we all fit into one of these types that persist. God knows from the beginning to the end, what we will do and when we will hear and change, which is why is mercy and compassion is so important to us–He gives us room to repent and turn to Him, time after time, but there will come a day, when we will no longer have time to change, so we must make that change–now!

Throughout this book, we are reminded of all these things that the prophets (and all who God used) have said and as Solomon reminds us Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun.God has used people, those chosen by Him to remind mankind throughout our history to choose to do right–His right–and forsake all those things that do not honor Him.

Some of us–as in times past–have selective hearing. We have read The Word, we have heard The Word, and many know when Holy Spirit speaks, but yet we do not hear and obey. When we selectively choose which parts of the message we will hear, we put ourselves into position to miss God and eventually, we will enticed to believe that other spirit, rather than Holy Spirit because that other spirit–manipulates and deceives and tries to make things “sound” like God when they are not.

Engage in conversation with The Lord today and hear what Holy Spirit has to say about everything around us and when you hear–obey for “obedience is better than sacrifice.”

Going to church–a good thing when The Word is being taught–does not mean a person has a relationship with God. Memorizing scripture–though a good thing–does not mean we have a relationship with God. We need to know what He said, believe that He is and will be, and obey His commands to love. When we do this, we establish a right relationship with Him and then we can praise Him no matter what happens in our lives because we know–in the end, we win!