Proverbs 30:7-9

Proverbs 30:7-9

Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. 

Sit back and let GOD be GOD!

Exodus 13:13-14

And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he WILL work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.  The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."

Yesterday a friend and I were discussing how GOD must smile whenever we pray.  Do you ever find yourself telling GOD what you need to solve your problems, or when you need the problem fixed, or how you need the problem addressed?  GOD knew what our so-called "Problems" were going to be before the creation of the world.  

The children of Israel were facing certain doom in Exodus 14!  Pharaoh and the Egyptians were breathing down their necks!  Moses told them all they needed to do was sit back and let GOD be GOD!  As a pastor friend of mine has often said "We try to be more than what GOD intended for us to be"!  GOD can handle it.  

GOD's blueprint for my life is far better than anything I could dream up.   Help me LORD to trust in YOU and on YOU!!

MY sheep hear MY voice!

I get ridiculed from time to time for relating seemingly everything to the brain hemorrhage I had in July 2007.   When something "life changing" occurs in your life, it is a BIG deal and HAS to be shared.  

Yesterday, my wife and I were reminiscing, and I remembered being in Rehab five years ago.  I remember trusting her for EVERYTHING  in my life. She would go home at night and I would wait until she got back to do anything.  It was as if she WAS my life!  I could hear her voice in the hall and a sense of relief would come over me because the one I trusted was there for me.  

The joy and peace that Jesus brings is just like that.  HE brings a calmness over me when I hear HIS voice that is INDESCRIBABLE!  

In John 10:1-6 Jesus speaks a parable that explains what I felt.  He says  "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his VOICE, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his VOICE.  A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."

This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did NOT UNDERSTAND  what he was saying to them.

Even when the CREATOR of the universe was speaking to the Pharisees, the could not understand HIM.  They were not HIS sheep!  They heard HIM talking, but they didn't hear what HE was saying!! 

I still rely on my wife for a lot of things.  She is still my best friend!  But the voice that I listen for now is a different voice!  

The only HOPE for America!!!

I keep seeing people talking about the hope for America lies either in re-electing one guy or replacing him with another man. Some say conservative ideals are our only chance. Others say more liberal ideals are where we need to strive.

History has proven that even in a nation as young as ours (236 years old), when we remove our eyes from a Holy GOD, we WILL falter. From the Revolutionary War until we fought in World War II, history shows we were humble enough to know we NEEDED help from a higher being to defeat our enemies. Since then, we have started to look at "OUR" might and strength and not give credit where it is due, to a Holy and Righteous GOD! When the United States of America started believing all of the hype about how big we were and not focusing on how big OUR GOD is, we begin to not have the success we once had!

Think about it for a few minutes! We are only as great as HE allows us to be! I realize that some argue there is no GOD, and that is fine. The BIBLE says there will be many of those. There are those who claim that the USA is too powerful to need any help.  But in Korea and Vietnam, we lost over 80,000 men!

Conversely, Israel won the Six Day War over more than 10 Arab nations (almost 25,000 Arabs killed or missing) and there were less than 1,000 Israeli casualties.

Until we (2 Chronicles 7:14) get back to realizing where our strength and might comes from, we will suffer the consequences! Carman Licciardello, better known as Carman, says it better than I can in this song! GOD help us all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQpzQ2RDtyU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

"Choose you this day whom you will serve"

Folks, I feel the time has come to choose sides.  Either we are going to be on GOD's side, or we are not!  If we are not on GOD's side, then we are on the side of evil and destruction.  The BIBLE is the Word of GOD (Elohim) and no other god (Allah, Buddah, Hare Krishna, Self, etc...) or religion is HIS equal.  JESUS declares in the BIBLE that you must "choose".  According to our Creator, "No one can serve two Masters" (Matt 6:24).  Until our nation returns to worshipping Jesus Christ, we will continue to struggle.  Our first President is reported to have said "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.".     IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Revisionists can make their points if they like, but unless they "revise" history, they ignore the fact that the United States of America is only here because of a Holy and Righteous GOD!   In World War I or WWII, any number of battles COULD (and possibly should) have gone another direction and we would be speaking German or Japanese right now. 

GOD is our ONLY hope!  Either we can BEG HIM to be merciful or continue to thumb our noses at HIM and suffer the consequences!  I pray it is not too late!  

"FEAR NOT"

Exodus 14:12-14

Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."  And Moses said to the people, "FEAR NOT, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you TODAY.  For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall NEVER see again.  The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."

Sometimes I have to be reminded that GOD does not want me to "FEAR", but to totally trust in HIM for everything!  My health, providence, safety, everything that I am HE is in CONTROL of!  GOD, I trust in YOU when the Egyptians in my life chase after me and have me on the edge of the Sea!  

A Potter and HIS Clay!

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 

This verse is SO indicative of me and my life.   When a potter is making something from clay,  he has to remove "flaws" and "ill-shaped designs" until the completed work is to his liking.   The potter is the one who determines what is the correct shape for each vessel.  Some may be bigger than others.  Some may hold less than others.  But when a vessel is completed, it can be used JUST as the potter had invisioned.  

 A friend of mine says "We try to be MORE than GOD intended for us to be!".   Lord, I pray that I will be content with what YOU desire for me!

CHICK-FIL-A

It seems there are few words that can set off a debate right now like “Chick-Fil-A” and “Gay and Lesbian”.    The CEO of Chick-Fil-A caused an uproar when he proclaimed the following:

Some have opposed the company’s support of the traditional family. “Well, guilty as charged,” said Cathy when asked about the company’s position.

“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

“We operate as a family business … our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that,” Cathy emphasized.

“We intend to stay the course,” he said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

Later he said:

“I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about”

And even later:

“We don’t claim to be a Christian business,” Cathy told the Biblical Recorder in a recent visit to North Carolina. He attended a business leadership conference many years ago where he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say, “There is no such thing as a Christian business.”
“That got my attention,” Cathy said. Roach went on to say, “Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me.”

“In that spirit … [Christianity] is about a personal relationship. Companies are not lost or saved, but certainly individuals are,” Cathy added.

“But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us.”

I fail to see what the uproar is about?  He never condemns or ridicules the lifestyle of anyone.  He only states what he personally believes and what he personally believes America is facing if we continue on the current course.  Could it be that when someone speaks TRUTH, it offends them like the Scribes and Pharisees were offended when JESUS spoke?  The scribes and Pharisees eventually had JESUS put to death to silence HIM.  I am sure the LBGT movement (and all the liberal media supporting them) would love to put Chick-Fil-A to death for the stand of their CEO.  

I believe the Chick-Fil-A CEO is mostly correct in his interpretation of scripture.  NO ONE has to agree with me or support my position.  I am not trying to change anyone’s mind.  Scripture is what it is!  A recent FACEBOOK post said it best “I am who I am, your approval is not needed”.  You can live with your decisions and Mr. Cathey and I will live with ours!

In the book of Joshua 24:15 scripture states “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served  in the region beyond the RIVER, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

Maybe Joshua was saying something like this to the Israelites…..You can do things the way it’s always been done, or do in the manner as the one who is in charge, BUT my family and I are going to do things under the direction the LORD!  Thank you Mr. Cathey, not for standing by your principles, but for standing on HIS word!!!

I KNOW THAT!!!

When I was younger I didn't realize how much I DIDN'T know.  As I age, it is becoming evident to me not only how much I DON'T know, but how much I don't even know how to think?  It is amazing to me that the more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn!!!