HURRYING

Acts 20:16 (NKJV) 16  For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost. 
   We often hurry for appointments, doctors, meetings and events, how we need to reevaluate our priorities, the hurry for God and the need to be in His presence is the essential thing in life. Paul was sent by the Holy Spirit into His ministry, he was quite busy reaching people with the Gospel, however His mind set was that of God first and every other thing second, ministry is not a business but a mission in which the world eagerly waits for the Truth to be revealed.
    Are you in a hurry for God today, is your mind set on things above, do you have plans right now as to where and how you will worship this weekend? Put God first and you too will be in a hurry to meet with Him, to hear His voice, and to know His Presence. You will find He is more important than life itself, decide for Him and God will bless you in all your ways.
Heavenly Father let us have the mind of Paul, determined to seek You, bent on finding ourselves in your Presence. Help Lord that we might seek You early and consider You all the day long. Amen

MORAL DECLINE

2 Chronicles 28:19 (NKJV) ¹⁹ For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD.

     A young lady in prison wept over her sins, when asked who she was angry with, she replied, "My mother," asked why she continued, "When I was growing up my mother would use me to hide what she stole from stores, as I was able to understand what she wanted I too took what was not mine, she taught me to steal from others!" God is holding us accountable for every action, every detail is observed, we either walk in integrity or walk in deceit, we either belong to the King of Righteousness or we do not.

    Are you struggling today with Truth, could it be because you have not been honest with others, yourself and God, have you felt the guilt and sting of deceit? There is a solution to the problem, ask God to forgive you, repent, (turn from the sin) and begin to put Him first, you will find God's Forgiveness and His Love overwhelming. 

Be careful that you do not cause others to be "brought low" because of your sins, the price is too large to pay!

Heavenly Father we need You in every detail of our loves help us to seek you before we stray that we may walk in your Light and not ours. May all we do, first be cleared through the Truth of your Word. Amen

THE COURTS

Psalm 84:2 (NKJV) 2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 
   I watched a little fellow who was being handed to his mother in a grocery store, he began to flail and cry out, "I want my daddy," as his father moved away he looked over his shoulder and smiled, he had the little boys eye and he followed his every move until he was out of sight. There was a connection between that little boy and his dad that nit their souls together, they enjoyed each moment of fellowship.
   Friend, their is a connection between you and the Creator the moment you trust Him with every thing in your life, Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 5:5 (NKJV) The God of our Salvation has made a way for us to know Him with such passion, that we long to be with Him, our hearts and our flesh desire His Presence above every other thing.
   Do you long for God, are you passionately seeking Him, you will desire above all else to be in His Presence?
Heavenly Father in You is the comfort we long for, in your Presence is the shelter we need. Help us to seek You early and to rest in you late, may all our thoughts be in You. Amen

WHOSE NAME

Psalm 83:18 (NKJV) 18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth. 
    Since the very beginning men have sought to rule over men, Abel the son of Adam learned God is the only reason we exist, and He alone deserves our complete devotion. Cain observed men are weak and any god does not deserve our respect or worship, so he killed the picture of righteousness in his day, his own brother Abel.
   God has put up with sin and the foolishness of men for a long time, unjust living and self serving men have ruled the day, however this will not continue. The stage is set, the actors are chosen, the script is in hand and the events of prophecy are unfolding before our very eyes. God's hand is in the arena and men are simply doing what sin dictates, if you have been part to living life your way and have discovered it is not working, God is speaking to you. He wants you to know there is a Way out and His Son is the only Way. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 God has proclaimed, "That they may know, whose name alone is the Lord," friend He is Jesus.
Heavenly Father in You alone we are kept by your Great Name, (Jesus,) help us to day to walk according to your will that all may see, You are Lord. Amen

AHAZIAH

2 Chronicles 20:37 (NKJV) ... "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works...
   Many are asking why the world has come to this difficult time, 2 Timothy 3:1; James 5:3; and 2 Peter 3:3 proclaim the last days are just like these. Perilous, corrosive and scoffing in the face of God, why because we have allied ourselves with the wrong influences. Friend God will not be mocked, He will not be taken advantage of, there is a price for our indulgence, the Lord rules in Righteousness and Holiness, He does not accept anything less.
   We must not make friends with the world James 4:4, the price is too high, be careful, friendship with the world will destroy what God is doing in your life.
Heavenly Father help us to live above the things in this world, help us Lord to look to You and no other. May we intentionally seek your will and forget what the world has to offer. Amen

SEARCHING

Proverbs 20:27 (NKJV) 27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart. 
    We looked at the author Mark, he wrote the words of The Lord, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off," Mark 9:43, our Savior emphasizes, the necessity to be clean and pure at any cost. God examines the heart and man the outward appearance, One desires fellowship, the other accolades, The One requires Righteousness, the other acceptance, we are in need of a Savior.
    Our Creator has made man a spirit that lives eternally, and God will not allow that spirit to contaminate His Eternity, God in His amazing Grace has provided a way for fallen man to once again find his place in Gods Presence, however, there is only One Way (Jesus) and there will never be another.
    Have you allowed the Lamp of the Lord to shine on the dark places in your life, He will illuminate and remove darkness, so that your heart will be clean, wont you trust Jesus today?
Heavenly Father we look at the things that distract and realize they are not yours. What ever is pure and Holy belongs to You, any other thing is not worthy of our attention. Help us today to look to You and forget the things that distract, Lord we need You for every breath, for every thought, for every move we make today. Amen

JUSTIFIED

Acts 13:39 (NKJV) 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. 
    The life of the believer is captured by the Creator when he first trusts Jesus with all his heart, every last spot of uncleanness is revealed, and in the Pure Light of forgiveness all sins are washed away through the Blood of The Christ. Confusion has been the friend of many about salvation because, the believer is often stopped short of salvation by the revelation of sin, it has enticed multitudes to go back from Jesus and live the former life. Matt. 19:20
    Believing is key, 'That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and BELIEVE in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, Romans 10:9 (NKJV), however to believe, means your way of thinking is exchanged for His Presence and the New Way of Living is in Jesus, 
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Argue if you will with the Holy Spirit, but the evidence of a new life is the abandoned old life is gone.
     "Everyone who believes is justified," do you really believe?
Heavenly Father let us see clearly our relationship to You, help us to know that the Life of Jesus in us deserves the respect of real worship and fellowship with real believers. May we continually look up and not out for You alone are God. Amen

A SAVIOR

Acts 13:23 (NKJV) 23 From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior Jesus
     For $35. dollars a man purchased an old motorcycle stored in a shed, the previous owner said, "It's just junk the motor is seized it won't run." The proud owner took it home began to tinker with it and called for parts, there was a long delay on the line after the parts store verified the serial number, a different voice came on line and inquired have you looked under the seat on the bike, "Not yet," the owner replied. Taking a screw driver and lifting the old seat he found, THE KING, written on the seat, the man picked up the phone, and the voice on the other end said, I am prepared to offer you $300,000. right now, that is Elvis Preselys motorcycle.
   Not everyone makes the discovery of a life time, unless you have discovered the KING OF KINGS, He is borne of legends, a heritage of Kings, He alone is the Door to Eternity. In this life we put value on that which is important to us, what is Eternity worth to you, "According to the promise, God raised up Jesus," He is PRICELESS?
Heavenly Father we are in need of your Salvation, thank you for sending Jesus, that we might inherit Eternity through Him. We give praise and honor to You for the Gift of Life, help us to share with those around us this precious gift. Amen

O GOD

Psalm 79:1 (ESV) 1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. 
    One recently said, "Where is the voice of the church today, I remember when every thing went through the church, the Bible was the voice of the people?" Once a nation came together to worship, without the pressure of the worldly, now tolerant of any belief, that nation has melted into the ways of the ungodly. Once the people respected the Voice of the Creator and entered the church to worship His Presence, once the people fell down and gave God the praise He deserves, once there was the sound of singing of praise to our God, once there was a land that worshipped Jesus Christ the King of Kings....
Heavenly Father, we are in need of your Presence in this land today, Lord we have lost our way. The moral compass of your Presence has been bent by our hands and it will not read TRUE. Help, O God we need You today, to restore and bandage, to heal and raise up those who will follow You. Amen

TO HEAR

Acts 10:33 (NKJV) 33 So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."
    When our oldest son was just beginning to discover his surroundings, I told Him, not to touch the hot fireplace we heated the house with, because it would burn him, he quickly responded, "I don't want to hear that anymore." Many people have the same mind set as adults, they are unresponsive and tired of hearing what the word of God says to them about their lives, their actions show their real heart attitude.
   In this story Cornelius is fasting and praying, expecting from God blessings, however he has never met Jesus, God provides a way through the teaching of one of the Apostles of Christ, Peter, for Cornelius to hear and obey. Everyone in the house heard and received the One who saves us from our sins, with the presence of the Holy Spirit they were counted as partakers of the gift of Eternal Life. You too may have eternal life with Christ in Heaven if you desire with all your heart to trust Him and "hear all things commanded you by God."
Heavenly Father in Yo alone we live, in you alone we receive blessings, let us be thankful for all You do. May every moment we continue in this life be a living example of your grace. Amen

IF YOU BELIEVE

Acts 8:37 (NKJV) 37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
    Believing is much more than just knowing or acknowledging God, this type of believing must come from the heart, not just a blip on our emotional meter but the absolute surrender of all our past, present and future, emotions, ideas and understanding. A man in charge of great financial responsibility to a kingdom, seeks knowledge of God and more precisely, he desires to understand prophecy of the coming Messiah. God charges Phillip with this task and the man of great authority welcomes the spiritual insight, understanding clearly the weight of Gods Word, He confesses Jesus is the Son of God.
     The dawning of this Truth of God amazes me every time one sees, hears and understands Jesus is God, has come in the flesh to forgive sins and willingly receives us to Himself. The transformation is wonderful indeed to witness, Jesus entering the heart of one lost and now found, the Truth exploding in the new believer, who once was dead and has just received Life Eternal. "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God," do you?
Heavenly Father help us to rejoice in the lost finding You, help us Lord to boldly proclaim You are God and Life Eternal is in no other. May all our doings oh God please you, let us consider You before we undertake anything. Amen

DEVOUT MEN

Acts 8:2 (NKJV) 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 
   Recently a celebration erupted in a prison, clapping and shouting the inmates were excited about a pastor that had come to share Gods Word. Isn't it interesting that God will open the hearts of the confined, yet the (free to choose) have little desire to hear?
   Those who murdered Stephen hated the sound of redemption coming from his heart, they despised the Gift of Salvation, they rejected Gods Mercy, men who should rejoice over freedom from the slavery of sin, desired its deadly grasp.
   Then there are those who recognize Gods Gift and lament over the death of a saint, may God raise up more who are willing to lay down their lives for the Kingdom!
Heavenly Father we look to You, our Hope is  in You, our Help is in You, may the God of all creation hear the sound of rejoicing, in the camps of the Righteous. Amen

BLASPHEMY

John 10:33 (NKJV) 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
    A caller yesterday challenged my belief in, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, I sensed the caller had an agenda, he was well versed in scripture and armed for a challenge. His question was "Is Jesus God," my answer, "Yes." Without another word from me he began to berate and ridicule my answer, even saying, I did not have the Truth and was deceived.
   Not only is Jesus God, He is the Creator God, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." John 1:1-3 (NKJV) Man has long been influenced by spirits that deceive and hinder, "Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV) Not only John the apostle and all his fellow apostles, but every prophet in the Old Testament, testifies that Jesus is God.
    Friend do not let the spirit in this world deceive you , Jesus said, "I and My Father are one." John 10:30 (NKJV) He is the One true God and life is in Him, through Him and of Him, Salvation in Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven, without Him there is no hope!
Heavenly Father help those who challenge You to see, help oh God those who refuse your deity to understand, help God the unbelieving heart to recognize, YOU ARE GOD. Amen