Sodom and Revelation (No, Jude IS NOT the Last Book)

The account of the destroying of Sodom and Gomorrah has always been seen as a mini-Revelation, and it sort of is. I believe the end times were even compared to the destroying of Sodom and Gomorrah somewhere in the book of Jude.

“Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot, ‘Do you have any other relatives here in the city?’ they asked. ‘Get them out of this place- your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.”

[Gen. 19:12:13(NLT)]

Have you ever attached a paper clip to a magnet, and then attached another paper clip to the first one? You’ll notice that the second paper clip sticks even though it is not touching the magnet? It is because the molecules in the first paper clip, when coming into contact with the magnet, become arranged so that it too is magnetic. The second paper clip can now move with the magnet without touching it.

This reminds me of Jesus. God is the magnet, and Jesus is that first paper clip. Jesus knows we cannot be as close to God as he is, and we will never be quite like him. So we, the second paper clip in this illustration, cannot touch the magnet. We cannot connect with God by ourselves. But by connecting ourselves with Jesus, WE CAN CONNECT with God.

In this passage, Lot was told to take on the “first paper clip” role. He was told to “Get them out of this place”. In Genesis, “this place” is Sodom. In Revelation and beyond, “This Place” is the entire world. Christians, have you noticed yet that everything in “this place” has an expiration date, including your body? Did it ever occur to you that everything in this earth, including you is either dying or fading away, if it has not done so already? The truth is, everything not connected to Jesus will die. But fortunately, the price of salvation is free. All you have to do is GET CONNECTED.

“So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters fiancés, ‘ Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it!’ but the young men thought he was only joking.”

I’ve seen a few shows on television that tried to discredit the book of Revelation. Saying that John was either crazy or drunk, and was having one heck of a trip instead of a vision from God. Revelation is scary. You’d have to be crazy not to think so! Revelation is a book that many preachers like to stay mum about because it is SO BOLD, and can easily scare (and/or offend) the audience speechless. But WE CANNOT DENY THIS! God had told us what to prepare for. If the weatherman tells you to prepare for rain, should you not get that old raincoat or umbrella from out of the closet? So when Christ told us to prepare for him because hell is going to be a REAL SCORCHER, should we not try our best to get right with God?

Listen to the first five words of this next piece of scripture.

“At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. ‘Hurry’, they said to Lot.

‘Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!” [Gen. 19:15 (NLT)]

“At dawn the next morning”

You see, Christians, we are right now the previous night. They say the night is darkest just before the dawn. The world seems to be getting darker now than in the last few decades. We’ll never know when this “dawn” will be, until it is here. So what can we do? Attach our selves to Jesus; make him hat “fist paper clip” in our lives. Jesus is the only one we can attach ourselves to that comes by an Authority great enough that can PREVENT DEATH.

My intention with this was not to scare you into believing in God, or even to scare you into repentance. But to assert that Jesus is THE ONLY PATH to eternal life, and that anything else we attach ourselves to in order to get by is DYING WITH US, and someday it will be no more. Fashions die. Nobody likes the sound of death. So run for you lives, Christians, run to Jesus.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

The Holy Q&A

“Should I hide my plan from Abraham?’ the Lord said. ‘For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.” [Gen. 18:17-19 (NLT)]

At this time, the Lord was planning on destroying the city of Sodom. He sent men (or angles?) to see how wicked the city was. In this passage, you’ll notice that God actually QUESTIONS whether or not he should tell Abraham of this plan. This news would certainly upset Abraham, seeing as his nephew, Lot, was living in or around Sodom at that time. So why does God end up telling him? Well if you ask me, God wanted Abraham to know something. (Well, Duh.) Something other than just his plan, something about him.

“Abraham approached him and said, ‘Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city-will you sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all earth do what is right?’

And the Lord replied, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.” [Gen. 18:23-26 (NLT)]

Abraham keeps apologizing for questioning God, then he keeps asking more “what if” questions with smaller numbers of supposed righteous people every time. Until… “Finally, Abraham said, ‘Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?’

And the Lord replied, ‘Then I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

[Gen. 18:32 (NLT)]

God said earlier in this piece of scripture that Abraham was the one whom he chose to bless, and use his descendants for his plan; he said that Abraham would be the one to “direct”, or teach his sons about God and his righteousness. So it only makes sense that God would use the destroying of Sodom as an example for how God will not punish the righteous with the wicked.

If you ask me, Christians, I think God wants us to know EVERYTHING about him, even if he doesn’t want us to know it just now. He wants us to feel him out, to see what he’s like, and to seek him. I think God didn’t just go ahead and destroy Sodom without telling Abraham because he didn’t want Abraham to be confused about him. So he ALLOWS THE QUESTIONING.

Christians, how many times do we say we are “lost” when God does something we do not agree with? How many times do we say we are “lost” when we want something from God that he just won’t give us? The truth is, we shouldn’t be lost. God had already given us the answer that he did not give Abraham. Don’t believe me? Where was Abraham’s Bible? Where was his preacher?

Christians, did you ever think of how EASY God has made living for him, I’m not saying it isn’t hard at times. But think about it. Not only has God made it easy with his infinite mercy and forgiveness, but also over thousands of years he had people WRITE DOWN the events, happenings, and teachings of God, just so it could be put into a book to be used by us at our disposal.

The bible, I can guarantee covers EVERY question we may have; God has made this even easier. God has called people to be TEACHERS OF THE GOSPEL in case you may find it hard to find the answers for yourself. So when in doubt, ASK A PREACHER!

And in the end, Christians, it all comes down to us. If you are to truly live in Christ, do not seek the answers you WANT to find. Instead seek the answers HE'S GIVEN YOU, even if it’s not what you would have to hear.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

No Laughing Matter

“Then one of them said, I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!’

Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, ‘How could a worn out woman like me enjoy such a pleasure, especially when my master-my husband-is so old?” [Gen 18:10-12 (NLT)]

Now isn’t this just the metaphor? So many of us Christians (or perhaps non-believers) have been in a situation like Sarah. Where the people of God (often referred to as “bible thumpers”) come up to us and tell us we can change. They put a picture in our head of us without any sorrow or sickness. They tell us we can be free from all of our troubles. They tell us we can dance, sing, and be merry. All we have to do is (and this is the downer for most people) LIVE FOR GOD.

Usually, after their speeches, what do we do? Like Sarah, we laugh, we shake our heads, and say one of two things; “No, I’m too old”, or, “No, I’m too far gone.”

We are a society of excuses, especially when it comes to why we won’t change our sinful ways. If they’re to old, the excuse is, “I’m too old to change.” If they’re younger it’s, “I can’t change right now, maybe I’ll change WHEN I’M OLDER.”

So why the excuses? Why not just change? Wouldn’t we all like to live how Mister or Misses Bible Thumper said we could? We all want to be free, but WE’RE SCARED. We are too afraid to find out WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH to succeed, that we just tell everyone, including ourselves, that we cannot change, or that we DON’T WANT TO change.

Take a minute right now, or as long as you need. Think about your life. Think about something in your life, something that hurts. Whether it’s an addiction, a bad habit, a sinful longing, a wrong decision, a number of wrong decisions, your lifestyle, or a sorrow. Be honest with yourself; think of the REAL REASON why it’s still with you. Now think of how life would feel without it.

“ Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” [Gen. 18:13-14 (NLT)]

Christians, the reality is, WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO CHANGE ON OUR OWN. But God is more than strong enough to CHANGE US. We just have to give those “things that hurt” in our lives to him. It’s scary, but IT DOES WORK! Sarah laughed when she thought about having a son in her old age. But I’m sure a year later, when she held that baby boy in her arms for the first time, it was enough to make her shed a tear.

Christians, God has not changed what he wants for us. God has it SET IN STONE what he wants us to do. His will is permanent. It will not change. But God has not SET YOU IN STONE. No matter how it feels, you are not STUCK as you are. I know you’ve heard this before, but YOU CAN BE CHANGED, just ask God for it.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Did Somebody Say Impossible?

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘ I am El-Shaddai, ‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.’

At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, ‘This is my covenant with you: I will make you father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. You descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!

[Gen. 17:1-6 (NLT)]

Have you ever looked in one of those books that tell you the meanings of names? A few years ago, I did. As it turned out, my name had two meanings, "outgoing" and “sweet”. My family and I found this to be hysterical. For back then I was the most timid person you could come across, with a stone cold heart. Of course, I did not know my God back then. I’m sure if I ever were to run into any of my old school teachers, they would think it was only a coincidence that the outgoing, accepting person I am today would have the same name as the shy loner kid that once sat in the back of their classroom.

While I’m not sure what the name “Abram” means, I know that Abraham (according to the New Living Translation bible) means “exalted father”. Which is craziness considering Abraham was about 40-50 years too old to father a child, and his wife was also well past her prime. And people just don’t have babies when they’re almost one hundred years of age. And yet, Abram fathered Isaac, who fathered Jacob, who fathered the nation of Israel. This is one of the many miracles that happen in the bible. Also, this is one of the MANY, MANY miracles that happen through God.

So how does and old man become a father? How do people not get burned in fire? What can make the sun stay in the sky longer than it usually does? How can the mute talk? How can the lame walk? How can the dead rise? How can a VIRGIN GIVE BITRTH? Who can move a mountain?

“ Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘ Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God, everything is possible.” [Mat. 19:26 (NLT)]

Christians, when we find God, and let our souls come into contact with the Holy Spirit, WE CHANGE. Finding God is not just finding the pathway to heaven. It is also finding that through him we can have PEACE ON EARTH.

ONLY GOD has the power to take our flawed, broken lives, and change them into one’s worth loving to live.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Hagar's Faith

In Genesis sixteen, Sarah (at that time Sarai) told Abraham (at that time Abram) that she could not get pregnant. So Sarah suggested that he try to have a child through Hagar, a servant in their household. So Abraham followed through with this plan, and Hagar became pregnant. Upon learning of her pregnancy, Hagar began to treat Sarah contemptuously. Later, Sarah returned her cruelty and caused Hagar to run away…

“ The angel of the Lord said to her, ‘ Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.’ Then he added, ‘I will give you more descendants than you can count.’

And the angel also said, ‘ You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” [Gen. 16:9-12 (NLT)]

Notice the promise the Lord made to Hagar. Back then; it was a blessing to have many descendants, but a curse to have a bad family name, and the Lord promised her that her child will bring her both of these. So he gave her a blessing, but also a curse. Could it seem rather worthless? That her would make her a mother just so she can grieve over a wild son? Hagar could have thought this way about God’s promise to her, but instead this happened…

“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’ She also said, ‘Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” [Gen. 16:13 (NLT)]

Sometimes, I like to sit on a chair in the porch in my backyard, and just stare into space. I look at the grass, the trees, the sky, and the little animals. I think, “How awesome is the One who made all this?” Then I realize, I am only seeing an extraordinarily SMALL FRACTION of God’s creation. Even if I could see all of the world at once, what is that compared to the universe? Or the mystery that lies in the heavens?

Was this what Hagar was getting at? How what seems like sour deed done unto her was a good deed done for mankind? After all, through Isaac, the world was blessed. And Ishmael was said to father some nations himself. But I think what Hagar realized was, IT WAS NOT ABOUT HER. That the Lords lukewarm blessing on her was STILL out of love even though it was not as great as she could have hoped. And that even though she couldn’t see his work taking place, she knew he was still working towards something. And that she could not judge whom God was by the situation at hand. Just like I could not name all of God’s creation by the view from my back porch.

Christians, so many of us judge whom God is just by the material, just by what he gives us. So many of us lose our faith in God when the chips are down. How can we ever expect to UNDERSTAND HIM when our perception of God is circumstantial? We have to look around, Christians. We have to see God’s love in MORE than just the material blessings. See his love in your talents, your health, your family, and most importantly your KNOWLEDGE OF HIM AND HIS PROMISE. And never let you faith be swayed by the misfortunes at hand, for ALL OF THAT IS ONLY TEMPORARY.

And when you feel like you have nothing. Just remember, you have God. And by having God YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW how much you have.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

God Vision

“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you and your reward will be great.” [Gen. 15:1 (NLT)]

Isn’t it wonderful how God provides us with unfailing love and protection? How he comes right down to us and tells us not to fear. This is a perfect illustration of why he is such a loving God! But he shows something even greater here, for God isn’t just saying this to Abraham (at that time Abram), God is COMFORTING Abraham, for he knows that he is worried.

“But Abraham didn’t say he was worried.” Not yet. But that’s the beauty of it! God is ALREADY telling Abraham it will be ok, even before Abraham states the problem.

“ But Abraham replied, ‘ O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.” [Gen 15:2 (NLT)]

So there is the problem! You see, just because God understood doesn’t mean Abraham did, Abraham didn’t see how God could bless him with “descendants as numerous as the dust on the earth”, but Abraham didn’t have God’s eyes.

“ Then the Lord said to him, ‘No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.’ Then the Lord took Abraham outside and said to him, ‘Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” [Gen. 15:4-5 (NLT)]

This can change the way we think of God. God first CAME TO Abraham, then he COMFORTED Abraham, and when Abraham told the Lord of his problems, the Lord did not insult or rebuke him for saying what he already knew. Instead God REASSURED HIM that he would follow through. God had a great plan for Abraham, and God still took the time to reassure him in his doubt.

Christians, GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING about you. He knows your worries, your fears, your desires, everything! And when you have no hope that life will turn out good for you, REMEMBER GOD IS YOUR HOPE. He is NEVER too busy to hear the cry of the broken, the hopeless, the righteous, the evil. NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, God is just an arms length away.

He sees you, and he’s waiting.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Gifts from the Wicked.

“The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘ Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself the goods you have recovered.’

Abram replied to the king of Sodom ‘ I solemnly swear to the Lord God Most High, creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say ‘ I am the one who made Abram rich.” [Gen. 15:21-23 (NLT)]

When Abraham (at that time Abram) used his 318 men to redeem Lot and all his possessions, he had also captured some of the king of Sodom’s people and possessions.

Notice the deal the king made with Abraham, he could keep all the goods. There was nothing wrong with these goods. Yet Abraham denied these goods as though they were mere trash. Why did he do this? I mean a gift is a gift, right? How could it hurt?

Suppose a man was to become a drug dealer, and make a million dollars off selling drugs, and then he finds God. Suppose he realizes his sin and stops dealing the drugs, but keeps all the money. By no longer sinning, but still living off the profit, which he earned by sinning, is this man still living in sin? The answer is YES. For LIVING OFF SIN is still LIVING IN SIN.

This is why Abraham rejected the king’s gifts. Abraham realized that the king was a wicked man, who earned his riches by wicked ways. If Abraham were to accept ANYTHING from that man, he too, would be involved in the king’s wickedness

Christians, if we strive to prosper in sin, by way of business or bribery, then we too are living in it. When we have a tangible reminder of the sin from our past or present, then it holds us in bondage. We cannot be free of sin until we are free of EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT. Be it money, friends, material items ect. It must go! For you cannot be truly free if you let yourself be established in what is wrong.

Christians, we cannot strive to prosper in sin, for it COUNTS AGAINST US in heaven. Instead we must store up riches there.

Remember, the blessings from God are eternal. Gifts from the wicked ALWAYS turn sour in the end.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

As We Forgive Our Debtors

“ The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. They also captured Lot- Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom- and carried off everything he owned.

But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan.”

[Gen 14:11-14 (NLT)]

In the beginning of Genesis fourteen, it talks about a war of kings. While it doesn’t really mention the reasons for the war or the alliances between kings (assuming there are any), it does say there was a battle fought in the valley of the Dead Sea. The armies of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah (who were on the same side) fled. Leaving their land open for plundering, this was how Lot was captured.

Now Abraham (at that time Abram) had already given so much to Lot before then. He let Lot have the fertile land of the Jordan valley without any protest. When it was Abraham whom the Lord called in the first place. That land could have been his! And he still WITHOUT HESITATION tries to bail out his nephew?

“Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with all his possessions and all the women and other captives.”

[Gen. 14:16 (NLT)]

Not only did Abraham hold no resentment toward his nephew, he also REDEEMED him and his possessions when he was captured. Who else does this sound like?

“ When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified- one on his right and one on his left.

Jesus said ‘ Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’ And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.” [Luke 23:33-34 (NLT)]

Even though we mocked him, even though we denied him, even though we KILLED HIM, Jesus has always been a REDEEMER for mankind. For he knew, even at the cross, why he came here. He knew that the day had come when HE WOULD PAY THE PRICE for both the living and the unborn.

Christians, Jesus died so that NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, the blood that he willingly let be spilled from him could be the same blood to wash away our sins. All we have to do is ask.

We all have people like the Roman officers; people who have mocked us, stolen from us, lied to us, taken advantage of us, HURT US. But we are the body of Christ. And that same blood that forgives so freely should be the same blood in which we live by. And even though you may feel you should HATE those who hurt you, you should LOVE THEM as Abraham loved Lot, like a close relative. You should love them the way JESUS LOVES YOU!

If we are to truly live in Christ, we cannot hate others. But instead we have to LOVE, FORGIVE, AND HELP HEAL.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

The Last Place Prize

“Finally, Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us and our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I will go to the left.”

[Gen. 13:8-9 (NLT)]

At this time, Abraham (at that time Abram) and Lot were traveling the land together. When they got to Negev, they found that the land could not hold both of them and all their riches, there was not enough room. So to solve this conflict, Abraham made the proposal above.

What a truly awesome thing for Abraham to do! He just let Lot pick whatever land he wanted without trying to persuade him to take the lesser land.

The next time you go to a church dinner, take notice of the people in the very front and very back of the buffet line. You may notice that both of them are eager to be there. The one in front, to get the first pick of the food. And the one in back, who let’s everyone go before him/her, usually saying “Please go ahead of me sir/ma’am; I am in no hurry.”

Both people are rewarded in this situation. The person in front gets just the reward he/she sought after. While the person in back who lets everyone go before him/her not only gets more respect from other people, but God also sees his/her good deed, and HE REMEMBERS IT.

Which reward do you think is greater? Taking the first pick, which only lasts as long as you can make it. Or taking the last pick, which lasts much longer.

“But many who are the greatest now will be the least important then, and those who seem the least important now will be the greatest then.” [Mat. 19:30 (NLT)]

Christians, if you always PUT YOURSELF BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE, you are only LOWERING yourself in the eyes of God. But if you remember to put OTHERS BEFORE YOURSELF, then God will reward you for it, and he gives the best gifts.

So be flexible, let others go before you. Be patient when you feel someone’s wasting your time. Follow the Golden Rule and go the extra mile. FOR SOON IT WILL BE YOUR TURN TO SHINE!

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all

Remember Who He IS. Remember Who You Are.

“As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai ‘Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘this is his wife, let’s kill him; so we can have her.’ So please tell the you are my sister then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” [Gen. 12:10-14 (NLT)]

This was back when Abraham and Sarah (at that time Abram and Sarai) were forced down into Egypt because of the severe famines in Canaan. After Abraham and Sarah arrived as “brother and sister”, the Pharaoh took Sarah to be his wife and gave Abram many gifts.

But on that same night, God cursed Pharaoh and his kingdom, he learned the truth about Abraham and Sarah, and they were both put out of Egypt.

Abraham lied about his relationship with Sarah for two reasons. One, to make sure his life was safe. Did he really have to lie? God had already told Abraham “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt...” [Gen. 12:3 (NLT)]

Safety is also a reason we lie about, or DENY, our relationship with God. Now if Abraham had just remembered what God had promised him, he would have no reason to fear. Nowhere in God’s promise to Abraham did it say, “Assuming you don’t get killed by Pharaoh.”

You are assured safety too, Christians, from at least several places in scripture! One of them (and I like this one) would be, “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid of their threats.” [1 Pet. 3:14 (NLT)]

The other reason Abraham lied about his relationship with Sarah was “They will treat me well because of their interest in you.” So Abraham expected to make friends did he?

People pleasing is another reason we DENY our relationship with God.

I DESPISE the very idea of SERVING PEOPLE BEFORE GOD. Much to my chagrin, I AM ALSO GUILTLY OF IT. We all want people to like us. We all want to be “cool”. BEING POPULAR IS NOT A SIN. But when we ENSLAVE OURSELVES to it, put it BEFORE GOD, then it becomes one. You should never live a lie, for any reason, because YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT.

Remember that being “cool” in itself has no reward other than that. If you are cool and in Christ, God bless you! But if you are cool and have to LIVE IN SIN to stay that way, IT’S NOT WORTH IT.

God is your safety. He is your provider. Never be afraid to say it.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

If You Don't Try, You Don't Win.

“The Lord had said to Abram ‘Leave your native country, you relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on the earth will be blessed through you. ‘So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.”

[Gen. 12:1-4 (NLT)]

What an example! Could you imagine living in a place for seventy-five years, and just pick up and leave when the Lord calls you to? Think you could do it? Although we all would like to think we could, most of us would have to second-guess leaving our homes.

In my elementary school gym classes, it seemed like every other day we played dodgeball. Back in those days, I had very little athletic ability, and even less faith in my athletic ability. So my game strategy was to stand out of the way and hope my team would win.

But often enough we didn’t win. All the good players would be gone, and I would be that last one standing. It would be my turn to take action, but I never did. I had so little faith in myself that I DIDN’T EVEN TRY. Surely enough, I would be taken out.

Christians, even though it’s hard to understand, THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME. This world is more a playing field than anything else. Only WE ARE OUR OWN TEAM. We cannot take nor be a “plus one” into the kingdom of heaven. If you have so little FAITH in yourself or in God that you will not TRY to follow him, do not expect any reward. Just like the man who hid his talents, you cannot stand out of the way and hope for the best.

Luckily, we have a lifeline. God is always on our side. We can always ask God what to do, and we can always be willing to do it. And God will always call upon those who are willing.

Nothing here last forever, so do not try to belong in this earth. Instead work for God, and work with God. You won’t be sorry you did. I’m sure Abraham wasn’t!

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all

Father Knows Best (Put Thy Will Before My Will)

“Then they said ‘Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches to the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.’

But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower they were building,’ Look!’ he said, ‘ the people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing the set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” [Gen. 11:4-7 (NLT)]

Some of us may recognize this as the story of “the Tower of Babel.” Which, at that time, there was only one language.

This was another story that confused me for a long time. God wants us to succeed right? So why did he stop the people from accomplishing their goal? Especially when they could have been famous! All I can say is I’m glad I no longer think this way.

How many celebrities are there that have fame and abundant earthly riches, but they are in GRAVE danger of HAVING NOTHING in the next world? More than a few, right?

I was flipping through the channels one afternoon, when I caught a glimpse of the “Dr. Phil” show. In the hot seat was a man whose life was being ruined by major debt from constant try-and-fail attempts at get-rich-quick schemes. The man said he was very religious, and that he always prayed for his next attempt at business to be successful.

“ You’ve tried over thirty times and never succeeded.” said Dr. Phil. “Don’t you think he’s trying to tell you something?”

Christians, how many times when we ask “Thy will be done” do we really mean “MY will be done”? Have you ever felt that God REALLY wasn’t rewarding you for following him faithfully… or was it just not in the way you wanted him to?

“ In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.” [Gen. 11:8 (NLT)]

Christians, God’s TRULY WONDERFUL plan for the world didn’t involve a tower. Maybe God’s TRULY WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOU doesn’t always involve what you think it should either.

“ Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

[Prov. 3:5-6 (NLT)]

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Lessons From Grandfather, Part 2

“When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah,” Go into the boat with all of your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.”[Gen. 7:1 (NLT)]

In my last writing, I spoke of how Noah was saved because he was righteous. But now what I’m telling you is not only was he saved for his righteousness, but his righteousness SAVED THE WORLD.

Because Noah walked with God, he was saved. But as the body of Christ, being saved is only HALF of what God intends to do with us.

In the book of Genesis, chapter nine, verses one through seven. The Lord gives Noah and family his covenant. But not yet to his promises, what they must do on their part, the laws they must live by.

A covenant in bible terms basically means, “The conditional promises made to humanity by God, as revealed in Scripture.” (Dictionary.com). Conditional meaning God will bless us if we do what he tells us to.

Though the laws have been changed around since the crucifixion of Jesus, this part of the covenant made after the flood is still in place today. “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and you descendants.” Remember what the definition of covenant was? When God gave his covenant to his DECENDANTS as well. God bestowed another task on Noah and his family; they would have to TEACH the next generations about it.

We must teach as well, Christians. For Jesus him self said, “…Go into the world and preach the good news.” [Mark 16:15 (NLT)] After a while, Christians it’s not enough to be saved. God did not intend for us to just be good students, but to be TEACHERS as well.

“But I’m no preacher!” you don’t have to be. You don’t have to be a preacher, a Sunday school teacher, a writer; you don’t have to even work in a church to teach people about Christ. But everyone NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE can teach their children, and can teach others by SETTING AN EXAMPLE. They can lead by how they follow. In simple terms, they can live right and give the glory to God. Give them a visual of how a follower of Christ would live.

Let’s take another lesson from our grandfather. Do not just be someone in this world who is saved. Be someone to help SAVE THE WORLD

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Works Cited: Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Lessons From Grandfather

“How do I know God is listening? How do I know he cares? How do I know he sees my good deeds? How do I know he loves me? Why should I follow him when it seems no one else does?”

Can you hear yourself asking these questions? Can you hear someone you know? Most of us can say yes.

In today’s political climate and popular culture, it seems as though not only is God no longer priority number one, but he isn’t a priority at all. There is so much PRESSURE to live the “cool” way instead of live the RIGHT way. How can we be helped? We can take a lesson from our grandfather.

“The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on earth. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, ‘I will wipe the human race I have crafted from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy everything- all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of they sky. I am sorry I ever made them.’ But Noah found favor with the Lord.” [Gen. 6:5-8 (NLT)]

What if Noah gave in to peer pressure? We probably wouldn’t be here right now, would we? And yet Noah was the ONLY righteous man on THE WHOLE PLANET. Tell me that isn’t peer pressure! And yet he could walk with God BEFORE there was a mosaic law, BEFORE there was a cross and resurrection. He was THE ONLY ONE, and yet he was rewarded.

“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breaths. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you…” [Gen. 6:17-18 (NLT)]

Christians, God HAS ALWAYS loved his people. Even when it was only ONE person. God still loves us today. God WILL NOT close up heaven from lack of interest. Just GRAB ON to him and he won’t let you go.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Hard Truths

“…When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift- the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry and he looked dejected.” [Gen. 4:2-5 (NLT)]

If you ask me, the hardest truths about following god are right here in the story of Cain and Abel. In here we find two ugly facts that tend to scare just about every Christian that wants to serve.

The first truth is that there are two types of believers, the Cains and the Abels. Much like the Pharisees and the Disciples.

Some serve like Abel. They are good shepherds and give their best to the Lord. They serve they way the Lord God intended. With all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind and with all their strength.

Unfortunately, some also serve like Cain did. They claim to follow God but they just use him for personal gain and give very little in return. In other words, they serve the opposite of how God intended. They GLORIFY THEMSELVES more than they GLORIFY GOD.

“How do I know which one I am? I don’t want to serve like Cain, but I don’t know if I serve like Abel.” This is the situation for many of us. God’s answer…

“You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue and be its master.” [Gen. 4:7 (NLT)]

If you HEED THIS WARNING, and if you are willing to DO WHAT IS RIGHT by God no matter what the inconvenience; then you are serving the right way. The hard truth is, that will be too high a price for some, and with their own SELFISH PRIDE they will cut themselves off from God’s blessing.

“One day Cain suggested to his brother ‘Let’s go out into the fields.’ And while they were in the fields Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.” [Gen. 4:8 (NLT)]

This is what I’d consider the HARDEST TRUTH about being a Christian. Not only are there people who simply WILL NOT find the path of righteousness in their lives, but there are people who will try to stop the one’s who desire to do so.

Christians, we need to come to terms with the risks. By standing up for our faith we could lose our popularity, friends, jobs, family members, and in extreme cases our LIVES.

I know this is scary. But we cannot let this fear STOP US! Satan may have a pretty good grip on this world but do not let him have a grip on YOUR HEART. We need to serve BOLDLY. Do not hold your tongue to appease the persecutors, but shout his praises for the sake of THOSE WHO CAN BE SAVED! And never judge who goes in which category, as surely as Paul was converted, so can other sinners convert to The Way.

It all comes down to what Jesus said in the Beatitudes. “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” [Mat. 5:11-12(NLT)]

It’s self-explanatory, Christians. We know there is a heaven. So let’s BOLDLY do ALL WE CAN to see people get there.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Gardern Gone?

“Then the Lord God said ‘Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever! So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed the mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden and he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” [Gen. 3:22-24(NLT)]

In this passage God has punished Adam and Eve for their sin. As well as exposing them to pain and making them mortal, he ultimately removed them from the Garden of Eden.

When I was not a Christian, I would often use this passage to explain why “God doesn’t love us” I mean it’s so contradicting to say God loves us and wants us to live forever when he put us out of paradise and locked away the tree! If he loved us so much then why didn’t he just forgive- as he likes to do so much- and let ‘em stay? To be frank, I was seeing through the eyes of an ungrateful child.

It says in proverbs, “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.” [Prov. 13:24(NLT)] Nine times out of ten whenever a mother or a father let’s their child get away with wrong doing, the child will do it again. God is our father, and we are his children. God gave us freewill for a reason. So if Adam and Eve got off Scott Free, who’s to say they wouldn’t eat more of the bad fruit?

“But wait! Is there still a contradiction here? I’m not Adam and I’m not Eve. So why did I have to be CUT OFF from the tree of life?”

God never contradicts himself. , Just because man no longer resides in Paradise does not mean we are condemned here in this world consumed by evil. He has not cut us off. For God has said “What if they REACH OUT, and take fruit from the tree of life? Then they will live forever!”

Christians, we all at some point in our lives feel that god might have left us...that he has cut us off. Rest assured he has not and he never will. Ever since we’ve known about evil, God has been rooting for us to OVERCOME IT! That’s why he sent Abraham, that’s why he sent Moses, That’s why he sent his son JESUS!

Even in your darkest hour, God is near. All you have to do is bow your head, close you eyes and REACH OUT.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Wear Pants? Read This!

“You should never betray anyone’s trust, because when you betray someone’s trust, you can never get it back completely to what it was.” These words came from the pastor of my church. They were and still are one of his favorite proverbs to use in Sunday school. For a long time I didn’t understand when he said this was also how we should look at sin. God forgives right? So we stumble… so we walk away…“have fun for a little bit”… we can still pick it up later and get back to where we were right? To anyone who thinks this way, I invite you to GET NAKED.

Fat chance! There is no way you would do that where you are right now. Even if you did you would be so embarrassed you would hide yourself as soon as someone saw you.

And yet it says in Genesis; “Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.” [Gen. 2:25 (NLT)]. Notice how most of us wear clothing. Never in this lifetime will Christians or otherwise go back to being shameless about nudity, nor will we look God strait in the face.

Ever notice how some of the weakest Christians have been in the church their whole lives? Adam and Eve were created believing in God, I mean they even met him! But humans are so curious by nature. That forbidden fruit looked so delicious to Eve that for a moment she put her desires ahead of God’s commands and ate the fruit God sternly warned her against. I’m sure the fruit was indeed delicious, but instantly she knew what she had done (funny how sometimes regret sets in instantly!). And so she could never stand before God the same way again.

You’re not any different, Christians. You, like Eve, cannot “temporarily” follow a path of your own desires and then be the same when coming back to his way, if you come back at all! In doing so all you will gain is guilt! I’m not saying God doesn’t forgive, but you don’t forget either.

Notice how Eve didn’t sin alone. Practically no one does. Luckily, Adam got right back on the boat with Eve, and they both recognized their sin. But who’s to say that will happen to you! The guilt of influencing others to sin is far greater than sinning by yourself. Just like the joy in bringing others to righteousness is far more than just living right.

God forgives you for your sins, but the guilt alone is often the punishment in itself, among other things. Stay strong in the Lord; always walk forward, and never walk away.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

The Set Up

Many Non Christians would agree that the bible goes against any form of science still credible today, and they’re right. There is no phenomenon in which a body of water such as the red sea can be separated within the hour, and then put back in place. Nor is there a phenomenon in which fire can just come down from the sky and burn everything including water. And there is no man today that could claim to have been beaten, killed, embalmed, and after three days roll a huge boulder away and appear before his men looking fine.

Many of us believe in these miracles as God’s work, which is true. But non-believers think them to be farce and furthermore some even dedicate themselves to “proving” them untrue and telling us what “really happened”. What about these people? Do you avoid them? Do you think of them as fools? Wretched sinners? One of the hell bound?

No matter how smart any one is, they cannot make full sense of a book reading from the middle to the end. And anyone who walks into a movie thirty minutes after it started with surely ask himself or the guy next to him, “What’s going on?”

The “Set Up” of a movie is commonly referred to as the introduction, or scene/chapter 1. In the Set Up the stage is set and the main characters are introduced. It is the Set Up that gives the plot it’s purpose, and the story it’s meaning. Without the Set Up the story is weightless, and may seem a farce.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, the darkness Covered deep waters. And the spirit of got covered these waters.” [Gen. 1:1-2 (NLT)]. These are the first two verses of the bible. The first verse tells us about heaven and earth, and God made them, giving us the belief that THERE IS A GOD. The second verse tells us about a dark and empty earth. And yet how god was down there instead of up on his throne. This gives us the belief that GOD CARES TO DO MORE THAN JUST BE GLORIOUS. When you combine these two meanings, you can say that THERE IS A GOD AND HE CARES.

But the non-believers tend to ignore the Set Up. Instead they skip right to the miracles and the commands. And like the guy who arrives late to the movie theater, they’re likely to ask, “What’s going on? Who is God?”

Try reading a book from middle to end sometime. You’ll notice that when you reach the end not only are you confused, but also you’ll feel like there is no message. What’s the point of getting to point B if you don’t know where point A was to begin with?

Christians, do not let them miss out on the Set Up of God’s word. Answer them when they ask what’s going on. Encourage them to go back to the beginning, not debate with them about the middle.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,-