“DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL!”

1 John 3:7-10                        (ESV)

“7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

8 WHOEVER MAKES A PRACTICE OF SINNING IS OF THE DEVIL, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the SON of GOD appeared was  to “DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL”.

9 NO ONE BORN OF GOD MAKES A PRACTICE OF SINNING, for GOD's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD.

10 By this it is evident who are the children of GOD, and who are the children of the devil: WHOEVER DOES NOT PRACTICE RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT OF GOD, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Believe it or not, I was once a child!  That is correct, I’ve not always been a 6’6” man.  While growing up I was taught a song that said “Be Careful little eyes what you see”, “for the FATHER up above is looking down on us, so be careful little eyes what you see”!  That little song rings loudly in today’s world as many want us to only listen to their rhetoric (words), while ignoring their deeds and actions. 

It is the obligation of we whose EYES have been OPENED to alert those who are SINNING that JUDGEMENT for their actions IS COMING!   When Scripture states “The reason the SON of GOD appeared was to “DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL””, it isn’t open for debate!  We will most likely OFFEND by telling them of their choices, but a pastor friend of mine would say that he would rather offend someone out of hell than to pat them on the back all the way to hell!  You cannot serve GOD and Mammon (Earthly goods; property; riches) (Matthew 6:24)!  Money, power, prestige, nor political power will make any difference on JUDGEMENT DAY!  

The Scribes, Sadducees and Pharisees were also known as the “elite” of the time when JESUS walked among us.  Although THEY CLAIMED TO BE righteous, in John 8 JESUS told them “you are of your father, the devil”!  Likewise, just because people attend church every now and then these days doesn’t indicate a life changing relationship with JESUS.  NO ONE BORN OF GOD MAKES A PRACTICE OF SINNING, according to GOD’S WORD!  Our opinion of someone doesn’t save them, nor does the good deeds performed by them earn them mercy at the JUDGEMENT SEAT.  

WHOEVER DOES NOT PRACTICE RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT OF GOD, but the devil!  NO ONE BORN OF GOD MAKES A PRACTICE OF SINNING, BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD.  JESUS came to “DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL”.  Those who are friends of “this world” will experience the same fate as the devil.  Of which team are you a member, and what are your actions saying regarding your allegiance?  The time for making that decision is nearing an end.  Will you suffer for JESUS, or will you stand with HIS enemy?   ETERNITY is LONG and SURE and JESUS will “DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL”!!!

“THE THIEF!”

 John 10:1-10                            (ESV)

“1 "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.

2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and HE CALLS HIS OWN SHEEP BY NAME and LEADS THEM OUT.

4 When he has brought out all his own, HE GOES BEFORE THEM, and THE SHEEP FOLLOW HIM, FOR THEY KNOW HIS VOICE.

5 A STRANGER THEY WILL NOT FOLLOW, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."

6 This figure of speech JESUS used with them, BUT THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND what HE was saying to them.

7 So JESUS again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All who came before ME are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by ME, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 “THE THIEF” comes ONLY to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Identifying “the enemy” is one of the most important things that we can do.  Knowing that “good people” are sometimes driven by the devil to perform acts that are NOT SPIRIT LED is something of which we have to be aware!  In Mark 8:33 JESUS tells Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of GOD, but on the things of man." Obviously, even THE CHOSEN are susceptible to getting OFF-TRACK and not following THE SPIRIT OF GOD???

“THE THIEF” JESUS was commenting about in John 10 was the ruling class Jews and the Pharisees, people who thought themselves to be more than what they were.  It is written in John 14:6 that JESUS IS THE TRUTH, and if we get direction from any other source, we are in jeopardy of being IN ERROR, believing a LIE!  Some social media sites are using “Fact checkers” in an attempt to identify TRUTH.  But they only are giving an opinion, their view of what is true, and a little LIE is still a LIE!  The ONLY TRUTH is JESUS CHRIST, and having our EYES OPENED to that TRUTH is where we need to stay!!!  

“”THE THIEF” comes ONLY to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY”!  JESUS “came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  It is imperative that we remain in THE WORD OF GOD to prevent ourselves from being blinded like Peter in the book of Mark.  “THE THIEF” is only interested in injecting a little bit of heresy into THE TRUTH!  Galatians 5:7-9 says “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion is NOT FROM HIM WHO CALLS YOU.  A LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENS THE WHOLE LUMP.” 

Sin is like a rapidly advancing cancer!  Often the patient doesn’t even know they are sick until they are near death!  This is the “modus operandi” of “THE THIEF”, he causes us to think we are “not that bad”, while all the time we are allowing the cancer to overtake us!  

Spending copious amounts of time in THE WORD OF GOD is the best way to make “THE THIEF” flee from you.  James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves therefore to GOD.  Resist the devil, and he will FLEE from you”!  Spending your “free time” in anything but THE WORD OF GOD is inviting “THE THIEF” to wreak havoc in your life!  The choice is ours.....JESUS, or “THE THIEF”???

“THE END OF THE MATTER!”

 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14                     (ESV)

“13 “THE END OF THE MATTER”; ALL HAS BEEN HEARD. Fear GOD and keep HIS commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For GOD will bring EVERY DEED INTO JUDGEMENT, with EVERY SECRET THING, whether GOOD or EVIL.”

Hearing a lot of people declaring almost fearfully about the future of our country demonstrates a lack of focus on Scripture.  Ecclesiastes is said to have been written by Solomon, son of King David.  1 Kings 4:30 says “so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of ALL THE PEOPLE of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt”.  Since he was the wisest person to live outside of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, one should listen to what he has to offer in the final words of this book.  

“THE END OF THE MATTER” means that after everything has been considered, all the facts are weighed, we must FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS!  This is the WHOLE DUTY OF MAN!  Not to figure out how to get revenge on our enemies, not to accumulate more wealth than our neighbor, not to do anything other than to FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS!  Solomon. In his vast wisdom, knew this and his actions displayed his wisdom.  It seems that people (me included sometimes) are displaying their LACK OF WISDOM these days, and their actions are displaying that as well!

GOD WILL BRING EVERY DEED TO JUDGEMENT, whether it is GOOD, or whether it is EVIL!  We may get away with our bad behavior for a time, but it WILL be judged, either through CALVARY, or at the JUDGEMENT SEAT!  “GOD IS NOT MAN, that HE should lie, or a son of man, that HE should change HIS mind. Has HE said, and will he not do it? Or has HE spoken, and will HE not fulfill it?”  (Numbers 23:19).  As mere humans, we cannot figure out when or how GOD is going to repay evil with judgement, but IT WILL SURELY HAPPEN!  

“THE END OF THE MATTER” is ALREADY been set, JUDGEMENT of sin WILL take place!  We can either cast all of our cares upon JESUS (1 Peter 5:7), or we can attempt to make it on our own!  JESUS is not a “fire insurance policy” in case there is a judgement, HE IS THE JUDGEMENT!  One day we will ALL experience “THE END OF THE MATTER” and the time for preparation will be expired! The time for slowing down and counting the cost is NOW!  How you handle “THE END OF THE MATTER” is determined by who/what you TRUST IN while you are on earth!!!

“IN MY HEART!”

 Psalms 119:9-11                      (ESV)

“9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to YOUR WORD. 

10 With my whole heart I seek YOU; let me not wander from YOUR commandments! 

11 I have stored up YOUR WORD “IN MY HEART”, that I might not sin against YOU.”

One of the first memory verses taught to me was Psalms 119:11.  The KJV version says “Thy word have I “hid” in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”  But in my opinion, having THY WORD “hid” in my doesn’t get the message across that having YOUR WORD “stored” in our heads?  When HIS WORD is hid, that might give the impression that we have no intention of anyone finding it!  When it is stored, it says that we are going to use it at a later time, FOR HIS GLORY!  When YOUR WORD is “stored” in our HEARTS, it will make its way out of us, ESPECIALLY when our “word recall” fails our minds!  

As most are aware, the Brain Hemorrhage of 2007 happened in the WORD RECALL portion of my brain, leaving me with the problem of finding the exact words that I am searching for occasionally.  A Speech Pathologist suggested that I begin writing a daily journal which led to me writing my personal devotional almost every morning.  Although it may take only a few minutes to read the four or five paragraphs, it sometimes takes me 60-90 minutes to write them by the time I get through searching for just the CORRECT words to use!

One thing that has become remarkably clear in my life is having HIS WORD “IN MY HEART” is much more beneficial than just having HIS WORD in my memory banks.  Scripture memorization is an important asset for any Believer, but having GOD ALMIGHTY transform your life with the precepts of HIS WORD cannot be rivaled.  HIS WORD is POWERFUL (Hebrews 4:12), but simply reading, and not applying it, will not attain the results that GOD alone can!  

Allowing time to germinate the seeds of HIS WORD in our lives and mature in my heart has been the greatest gift.  Planted seeds do not produce fruits overnight!  They MUST be allowed UNINTERRUPTED TIME in the ground to achieve the desired results. “That I might not sin against YOU” is the desired result, but the PEACE of fellowship with THE FATHER is immeasurable.  We need to have HIS WORD in our heads, but having HIS WORD “IN OUR HEARTS” is where it does the most to grow us, and GLORIFY HIM!  

“THE LIGHT!”

 John 1:1-5: 9-13                    (ESV)

“1 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 was not any thing made that was made.

4 In HIM was life, and the life was “THE LIGHT” of men.

5 “THE LIGHT” shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

9 THE true LIGHT, which gives LIGHT to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 HE was in the world, and the world was made through HIM, yet THE WORLD DID NOT KNOW HIM.

11 HE came to HIS own, and HIS OWN PEOPLE DID NOT RECEIVE HIM.

12 But to all who did receive HIM, who believed in HIS NAME, HE gave the right to become children of GOD,

13 who were born, NOT of blood NOR of the will of the flesh NOR of the will of man, BUT OF GOD.”

The word “Christmas” comes from the “Christ mass” or “Mass of Christ”. The “mas” part of “Christmas” is the same as the word Catholics still use for a church service - a mass.  The word “nativity” is a Latin word meaning “arisen by birth”, or the English version is “native”!  The  etymology of the word “Advent” (the time preceding Christmas is fairly straight forward—the English word stems from the Old French advent which is from the literary form auvent. The French, of course, stems from the Latin adventus for "arrival”, some say “important arrival”.  

I find it intriguing that when JESUS came to “this world”, the word used most widely to enunciate the event is “arisen by birth”?  One meaning for “Arisen” is “When an opportunity, problem, or situation arises, it begins to exist.”  But John 1:1 says “IN THE BEGINNING was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD.”  We celebrate today as HIS birthday, but HE always has been, and forever more will be!  

Later on in the book of John, JESUS is described as “THE LIGHT”!  “THE TRUE LIGHT, which gives LIGHT to everyone, was coming into the world.  HE was in the world, and the world was made through HIM, yet THE WORLD DID NOT KNOW HIM.”  JESUS is NOT “THE LIGHT” just because John wrote about HIM, JESUS IS “THE LIGHT” because HE and GOD ARE ONE (John 10:30)!   When “THE LIGHT” is REVEALED to a person on, they can SSW things that have previously gone undetected.  Don’t take it for granted that “anyone could have noticed that”!  JESUS told Peter in Matthew 16:17 "BLESSED are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but MY FATHER WHO is in heaven.”  A DIVINE REVELATION isn’t something to be under appreciated!  

“THE LIGHT” illuminates things that others have yet to SEE!  Let’s not forget that “THE LIGHT” is a GIFT, so that NO MAN may boast of it!  JESUS CHRIST is “THE LIGHT”!  When HE shines “THE LIGHT”, HIS LIGHT to and through us, all we can do is REFLECT “THE LIGHT”, FOR HIS GLORY!!!

“I CHOSE YOU!”

 John 15:15                   (ESV)

“15 No longer do I (JESUS) call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS, for all that I have heard from MY FATHER I have made known to you.

16 YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, but “I CHOSE YOU” and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask THE FATHER in MY NAME, HE may give it to you.”

Growing up I was taught to respect my elders, which to me meant that I almost feared those who were older.  The saying “Children should be seen and not heard” was used sparingly, but my understanding was that “you can’t learn anything with an open mouth”!  That didn’t prevent my mouth from occasionally working overtime.  Spewing whatever came through my mind usually had NO FILTER, which caused many embarrassing problems!  Why others endured such is a mystery to me, but I am grateful that GRACE abounded!

In the same thought line, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES tells me in John 15:15-16 that “I CHOSE YOU” to reflect MY LOVE, MERCY and GRACE to a world that is unable to SEE!  “This world” thinks that humans attain success simply because some are smarter than others?  Romans 9:14-18 says GOD will have mercy on whom HE chooses, and HE also hardened Pharaoh’s heart causing the Egyptian army to die at the Red Sea!  

Why do I qualify for “I CHOSE YOU”?  Titus 3:5 says “HE saved us, NOT BECAUSE OF WORKS DONE BY US in righteousness, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS OWN MERCY, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the HOLY SPIRIT,”!  When we SEE that the very breath we breathe is a GIFT from GOD, maybe we are beginning to have our EYES OPENED to SEE TRUTH?  The ONLY reason why we can do anything is because “I CHOSE YOU “!!!

Who has GOD BLESSED more, children of billionaires who have unimaginable worldly possessions, or the orphan in the most uncivilized portion of the world?  GOD can CHANGE a beggar into royalty.  HE can cause the billionaire to die with cancer.  To know that “I CHOSE YOU” is worth more than anything this world can offer!  Whatever GOD has planned for me, just knowing that “I CHOSE YOU” makes this TEMPORARY (2 Corinthians 4:17) affliction seem small compared to the eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison!  I need to have on the forefront of my mind that “I CHOSE YOU”!!!

“SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD!”

 Exodus 14:4                  (ESV)

“And I WILL HARDEN PHARAOH’S HEART, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I AM THE LORD." And they did so. 

Exodus 14:8

“And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.”

Exodus 14:10:14

“10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and THEY FEARED GREATLY. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD.

11 They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?

12 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."

13 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.

14 THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU, AND YOU HAVE ONLY TO BE SILENT."”

Exodus 14:16-31

“15 The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

17 And I WILL HARDEN THE HEARTS OF THE EGYPTIANS so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.

18 And THE EGYPTIANS SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

19 Then THE ANGEL OF GOD who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,

20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces AND THREW THE THE EGYPTIAN FORCES INTO A PANIC,

25 CLOGGING THEIR CHARIOT WHEELS SO THAT THEY DROVE HEAVILY. And the Egyptians said, "LET US FLEE from before Israel, FOR THE LORD FIGHTS FOR THEM against the Egyptians."

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen."

27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.

28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, NOT ONE OF THEM REMAINED.

29 But THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WALKED THROUGH ON DRY GROUND through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

31 ISRAEL SAW THE GREAT POWER that the LORD used against the Egyptians, SO THE PEOPLE FEARED THE LORD, and they Believed in the LORD and in HIS servant Moses.”

The entire chapter of Exodus 14 is worthy of being shared together as one needs to understand how intricately GOD is involved with not only GROWING OUR FAITH, but getting GLORY FOR HIS NAME!  I will only share some of the verses in a space conservation effort today.  To begin with, in Exodus 14:2 GOD tells Moses to “tell the people of Israel to TURN BACK and ENCAMP”!  We now know the Israelites were escaping from the confines of Egyptian captivity.  Soon their FAITH would be put to the test, and rather distinctly!  UNDERSTANDING that GOD is working ALL THINGS FOR HIS GLORY (Romans 8:28) is a lot easier on the other side of the FAITH growing event, but GROWING PAINS are real!!!

The Israelites were set free from captivity after the Passover, when the death angel killed the firstborn in every house that didn’t have blood on the doorpost of the house.   Even Pharaoh was included in this JUDGEMENT.  In the preceding chapters of Exodus, GOD had “hardened” Pharaoh’s heart numerous times to accomplish HIS purpose.   Pharaoh wasn’t a Believer, at least until the walls of the Red Sea came crashing down on him!  Why did GOD not have mercy on Pharaoh?  

Looking at a map of the Exodus journey, the Israelites literally had to make a U-turn to get where GOD was leading them.....TO WAIT BY TURNING BACK and CAMPING!  Why would you TURN AROUND and CAMP when your enemy is coming after you?  Moses and the Israelites were told that GOD WOULD GET GLORY over the Egyptians, but their FAITH had to experience that GOD would do what HE said HE would do!  The Israelites were crying and complaining when they saw the dust clouds moving closer as their enemy moved in.  But Moses told them FEAR NOT, STAND FIRM, and “SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD”, which HE will work for you today!  Soon the Egyptians would saying “LET US FLEE from before Israel, FOR THE LORD FIGHTS FOR THEM against the Egyptians."  The ones who WERE being feared were now FEARFUL themselves!  

GOD never changes, but the FAITH of HIS children did, and the FEAR of HIS WRATH by those who experienced HIS JUDGEMENT did!   “ISRAEL SAW THE GREAT POWER that the LORD used against the Egyptians, SO THE PEOPLE FEARED THE LORD, and they Believed in the LORD and in HIS servant Moses.”  The Egyptians saw also!  Being delivered by ALMIGHTY GOD is a lot more PROMISING than being JUDGED by HIM!  

When we KNOW that we are one of GOD’S CHOSEN, HIS PROMISE is to NEVER LEAVE US (Hebrews 13:6)!  However Hebrews 11:6 says “...without FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE to please HIM, for whoever would draw near to GOD must believe that HE exists and that HE REWARDS THOSE WHO SEEK HIM”!  We don’t have to UNDERSTAND how something is giving HIM GLORY, but we MUST accept that HE IS BEING GLORIFIED!  GOD told the Israelites that HE would get Glory over Pharaoh and his hosts.....and HE did!  They had to EXPERIENCE the FEAR of the Egyptians believing that they were victorious, but then they also witnessed THE JUDGEMENT of GOD on their enemy at the Red Sea!  “SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD” is great when you are CHOSEN!  If you have yet to be CHOSEN, it might be that GOD is waiting for you???  HE will not wait forever though?!?!?

“WITH THE HELP OF OUR GOD!”

Nehemiah 6:15-16 (ESV)
“15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in FIFTY-TWO DAYS.
16 And WHEN ALL OUR ENEMIES HEARD OF IT, ALL THE NATIONS AROUND US WERE AFRAID and fell greatly in their own esteem, FOR THEY PERCEIVED THAT THIS WORK HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED “WITH THE HELP OF OUR GOD!””

Nehemiah was used by GOD to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Everyone around the task said it was a task that was far beyond the skills and abilities of Nehemiah and the ones assisting him.  

When there is something that SEEMS unattainable, too hard to be accomplished, that is when GOD gains GLORY! In FIFTY-TWO DAYS the wall was finished! WHEN ALL THE ENEMIES HEARD OF IT and fell greatly in their own esteem. How could Nehemiah and his helpers have done something in FIFTY-TWO DAYS that everyone knew should have taken SO MUCH longer???

“WITH THE HELP OF OUR GOD” there is NOTHING, NOTHING that is impossible! JESUS says in Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with GOD “all things” are possible." It has been said that ALL means ALL! Since GOD “spoke” these worlds into existence, performing what we SEE as miracles is an every day occurrence for HIM. Isaiah 42:5 says that GOD gives breath to the people of the earth! Let’s not attempt to place limitations derived from our earthly minds on a GOD WHO has NONE! We need to accept that ANYTHING is possible “WITH THE HELP OF OUR GOD”!!!

“THE TRUTH!”

 John 14:1-7                                  (ESV)

“1 "LET NOT YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. Believe in GOD; believe also in ME.

2 In my FATHER’S house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to MYSELF, that where I am you may be also.

4 And you know the way to where I am going."

5 Thomas said to HIM, "LORD, we do not know where YOU are going. How can we know the way?"

6 JESUS said to him, "I AM THE WAY, and “THE TRUTH”, and THE LIFE. No one comes to the FATHER except through ME.

7 If you had known ME, you would have known my FATHER also. From now on you do know HIM and have seen HIM." 

With all of the confusion and turmoil going on in “this world” seemingly about everything one can imagine, Believers ESPECIALLY need to REFLECT LET NOT YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED!  The HOLY SPIRIT lives within our bodies, so we are CHOSEN by GOD to Glorify HIS NAME, and that we will!  

Coming to the realization that we are NOT CAPABLE OUR PLANNING OUR OWN lives can be an extremely humbling revelation.  Jeremiah 10:23 says “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that IT IS NOT IN MAN who walks to direct his steps.”  ALMIGHTY GOD promises throughout Scripture that HE will NEVER LEAVE US, but that is only after we have YIELDED to being CHOSEN by HIM.  We are not CHOSEN to be “above others”, as our LORD HUMBLED HIMSELF (Philippians 2:5-8), overcoming death, hell and the grave.  Rather we are CHOSEN to reflect HIS LOVE to “this world” as HE is still working to draw the helpless to HIMSELF.  

JESUS says in John 14:6 “I AM THE WAY, and “THE TRUTH”, and THE LIFE. No one comes to the FATHER except through ME”!  “THE TRUTH” is the answer to every question of life, to every unsolved issue!  Colossians 1:15-20 describes that EVERYTHING was CREATED through JESUS, and for JESUS!  Sometimes I get so caught up in the cares of “this world” that I lose sight of “THE TRUTH”!  Mankind doesn’t have answers to the intricacies of life.  Those ONLY come through a relationship with JESUS!

FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause me to live an example of Glorifying JESUS in my every breath, with ALL OF MY BEING, as I journey through “ this wilderness”!  When turmoil and strife begin to invade my heart and mind, remind me that “THE TRUTH” is the ONLY reason why I am still here in “this world”!  Believing in anything other than “THE TRUTH” is accepting a lie (John 8:44)!  And that, my friend, is “THE TRUTH”!!!

“YOU ALSO MUST BE READY!”

 Matthew 24:54-51                              (ESV)

“44 Therefore “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”, for the SON of MAN is coming AT AN HOUR YOU DO NOT EXPECT.

45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?

46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,'

49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,

50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he DOES NOT EXPECT him and at an hour he DOES NOT KNOW

51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Times of uncertainty are growing as darkness is continuing to increase.  NO ONE is able to exactly predict when JESUS CHRIST will return to rapture we who are CHOSEN by THE FATHER!  Matthew 24:36 is blatantly clear that “But concerning that day and hour NO ONE KNOWS, not even the angels of heaven, nor the SON, but the FATHER ONLY!”  Since even JESUS the CHRIST is unaware of day and hour, wouldn’t it be prudent for we who are HIS Servants to be alerting others that “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”?  

Our CREATOR gave us HIS WORD to guide us, kind of like a roadmap assisting us through “this world”.  FAITH IS REQUIRED, not preferred, to please the FATHER (Hebrews 11:6), and this FAITH is not always doing what we think is best, but DOING what HIS WORD instructs us to do!  GOD IN THE FLESH prayed to the FATHER before going to the cross, “MY FATHER, if it be possible, let this cup pass from ME; nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU will."  We tend to get our own ideas of what HE desires to accomplish in our lives, but we MUST come to the place where we are willing to say “nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU will”!  

Would I be willing to surrender my life for HIS GLORY?  Sure, it is HIS anyway!  But what about my wife, my children, or my grandchildren?!?  They ALL belong to HIM anyway, so why do we think that we are “in control”???  

FATHER IN HEAVEN, continue opening my EYES to SEE that YOU are in control.  YOU were in control of the rough seas (Matthew 8:23-27) and YOU haven’t surrendered any power!  Cause me to recognize that I am just a CREATION of YOURS and that “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY” for YOUR PLAN for my life!!!

“LOVE!”

 1 Corinthians 13:4-13                                          (ESV)

“4 “LOVE” is patient and kind; “LOVE” does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

5 or rude. IT DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS OWN WAY; it is not irritable or resentful;

6 IT (LOVE) DOES NOT REJOICE AT WRONGDOING, BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH.

7 “LOVE” BEARS ALL THINGS, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 “LOVE” never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and “LOVE” abide, these three; but the greatest of these is “LOVE”.”

One of the most offensive things for me to hear is that a Believer has to accept a sinful lifestyle because we are CHRISTIANS, and GOD IS LOVE!  HE is the ONE WHO CREATED people the way they are and HE wouldn’t have made them this way if HE didn’t want them being this way?!?  Well, GOD didn’t create us to be full grown adults either!  GOD allows some of us to mature and grow up.  Some of us aren’t afforded that experience.  I recently heard about a child less than one year old that is battling cancer!  The prognosis is not good for this human.  We need to REALIZE how BLESSED we are to be where we are, but understand that we are left here to GLORIFY GOD.

When a child “rebels”, laughing at the act might actually be cute?  I’ve often laughed at a little child who hasn’t yet learned the difference between right and wrong.  But we REJOICE AT WRONGDOING, we are basically condoning behavior that is not profitable for the guilty party.  How much we “LOVE” this person might dictate how quickly corrective measures for their conduct are implemented?  Sometimes the “LOVE” (or correction) may be a bit heavy handed, but GOD is able to use even that for HIS GLORY!  

We have been BLESSED with three beautiful grandchildren so far, and we are the type of grandparents that enjoy doing what we can to ingratiate our BLESSINGS with what they want.  But we wouldn’t think of letting them drive a vehicle until they are mature enough to navigate traffic.  That would be highly irresponsible.  We “LOVE” them so much that we have to say NO to their wants at times FOR THEIR OWN BETTERMENT!  

“LOVE” is a delicate thing in that it BEARS ALL THINGS, but it also offers  guidance and correction when it is required.  Sometimes we need to let others observe the pains of their choices before offering them the guidance and correction, even though their rewards will cause pain.  “LOVE” BEARS ALL THINGS isn’t always just difficult for the one who is going through the lessons, it is hard for the ones having to BEAR ALL THINGS!  But allowing GOD’S PERFECT SON to go through the agony of the cross was more painful than anything we will ever know!  But “GOD so “LOVED” the world, that HE gave HIS only SON, that whoever believes in HIM should not perish but have eternal life”!!!  Now THAT IS “LOVE”!!!

“THE LORD PASSED BY!”

 1 Kings 19:8-12                                         (KJV)

“8 And he (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of GOD. 

9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and HE said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD GOD of hosts: for the children of Israel have FORSAKEN THY covenant, THROWN DOWN THINE altars, and SLAIN THY prophets with the sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

11 And HE said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, “THE LORD PASSED BY”, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire A STILL SMALL VOICE.

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came A VOICE unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD GOD of hosts: because the children of Israel have FORSAKEN THY covenant, THROWN down THINE altars, and SLAIN THY prophets with the sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

For this humble servant, hearing from THE LORD in A STILL SMALL VOICE has to be one of the most cherished spiritual blessings that one can experience.  But for Elijah, who had been abandoned by all Israel, knowing that ALMIGHTY GOD was precisely WHERE HE needed to be, WHEN HE needed to be there, was medicine that his soul needed to SEE!

The COMFORT that THE LORD can give, even in the midst of chaos, is beyond description.  Even though “THE LORD PASSED BY”, and a GREAT and STRONG WIND rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake A FIRE; but the LORD was not in the FIRE: and after the fire A STILL SMALL VOICE.”  GOD was present in the storms Elijah survived, but HE made HIMSELF known to Elijah NOT IN A STRONG WIND, and NOT IN AN EARTHQUAKE, and NOT IN THE FIRE, but in a STILL SMALL VOICE!  

“THE LORD PASSED BY” but Elijah couldn’t SEE HIM during the calamities he was witnessing.  Elijah had to endure the storms of life and then the STILL SMALL VOICE was manifested to him by GOD.  ALMIGHTY GOD was there all along, but Elijah felt as though he was EVEN I ONLY standing for TRUTH!  

How many times do I feel like I am in a battle ALL ALONE, or EVEN I ONLY is fighting this fight?  From time to time I have to have “THE LORD PASSED BY” outside of the catastrophes of life and speak to me in a STILL SMALL VOICE to calm my SPIRIT letting me KNOW that HE IS IN CONTROL, even through the calamities of life!   GOD is ALWAYS with me (Matthew 28:20), sometimes I just have to get away from “this world” and listen for HIS STILL SMALL VOICE as “THE LORD PASSED BY”!!!

“A BROKEN SPIRIT!”

 Psalms 51:16-17                            (ESV)

“16 For you will NOT delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will NOT be pleased with a burnt offering. 

17 The sacrifices of GOD are “A BROKEN SPIRIT”; A BROKEN and contrite heart, O GOD, YOU will not despise.”

It seems that mankind has an innate desire to solve our own problems, to figure everything out ON OUR OWN!  However when one comes “to the end of their rope” and their EYES are OPENED to understand that we can do NOTHING outside of the Grace and Mercy of JESUS CHRIST, only then can we be used by HIM for HIS GLORY!  GOD has a way of guiding us through the wilderness of selfish desires and personal gain to get us to where we can understand what we need to accomplish to Glorify HIS NAME.  It might be any number of experiences, but getting us to have “A BROKEN SPIRIT” is part of HIS PLAN, and HIS PLAN is where HE is exalted!

Elevating myself is not what I should be trying to do.  James 4:10 says “Humble yourselves before THE LORD, and HE will exalt you.”  When JESUS exalts us, the devil is put to shame as CHRIST is magnified.   But being exalted, according Philippians 2:8-9, meant OUR CREATOR “submitted” HIMSELF to becoming obedient even to the cross and HE “trusted GOD” with the exaltation!  JESUS, GOD IN THE FLESH, suffered  and died, but HE had to die to OVERCOME death, hell and the grave!

1 Corinthians 2:9 states “But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM!”  James 1:12 says “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test HE WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE, which GOD HAS PROMISED to those who love HIM”.  Allowing ALMIGHTY GOD to exalt us is FAR better than any dreams that our minds can fathom.  But “sacrifices of GOD are “A BROKEN SPIRIT”.  We have to be broken by HIM to be exalted to Glorify HIM!  Don’t fret when GOD orchestrates “A BROKEN SPIRIT” within your life, “A BROKEN and contrite heart, O GOD, YOU will not despise.”

“SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARR WELL?”

 1 Samuel 17:12-18                                     (ESV)

“12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.

13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul,

15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.

18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL”, and BRING SOME TOKEN FROM THEM."”

Most everyone knows the account of David, the shepherd boy, killing Goliath, a mountain of a man.  Goliath was reportedly over nine and one half feet tall, something that struck fear into the Israelites tasked with defending their own territory (1 Samuel 17:1).  In 1 Samuel 17:21 it is written “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were DISMAYED and GREATLY AFRAID.”  Their FAITH wasn’t evident because their FEAR prevented it from being displayed!

Obviously we know how a young lad with NO BATTLE EXPERIENCE went and not only defeated Goliath, but severed his head and carried it to the reigning King Saul, whose EYES should have SEEN that YAHWEH was able to protect like no other.  Whether Goliath, or the Egyptian army, or anything else, when ALMIGHTY GOD is on your side the size and strength of the enemy makes no difference!

David wasn’t sent to the battlefront to confront the enemy.  He was sent by his father to “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL”.  But GOD had other plans for a young shepherd boy with no history of warfare.  While it is true he had slain a lion and a bear, but he had witnessed the protection of ALMIGHTY GOD and he KNEW that he would be delivered from his enemy.  His own brother rebuked him and said WHY (1 Samuel 17:28), but David remembered his deliverance and told him that the same GOD WHO delivered him from the lion and bear was still on the throne, and HE would be with him!  

When we are faced with an enemy in our lives, do we run with fear, or do we REMEMBER that our GOD is fighting our battles for us (Exodus 14:14), we just need to be SILENT?  We mustn’t run around declaring the majestic powers of our enemy, but like David, proclaim that ALMIGHTY GOD is on our side!  There is NO challenge that is TOO BIG for ALMIGHTY GOD!  HE owns the cattle of a thousand hills, and as a dear friend of mine used to say, AND THE HILLS!  “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL” was what David was assigned by his earthly father, but his HEAVENLY FATHER had other plans!  Don’t limit GOD to your understanding.  HE HAS A PLAN!  We just have to BELIEVE!!!

“WHO GIVES BREATH!”

 Isaiah 42:5-8                                           (ESV)

“5 Thus says GOD, the LORD, WHO created the heavens and stretched them out, WHO spread out the earth and what comes from it, “WHO GIVES BREATH” to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 

6 "I AM the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 

7 to open the EYES that are BLIND, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 

8 I AM the LORD; that is MY name; MY GLORY I give to no other, nor MY PRAISE to carved idols.”

This story was on a social media site recently.  When I saw it I thought of how we humans seem to forget that EVERYTHING IS HELD TOGETHER BY JESUS (Colossians 1:15-17)!  HE literally allows us to BREATH every BREATH we breathe!  There is NOTHING that is beyond the scope of HIS MIGHT!  NEVER be convinced that anything is too hard for YAHWEH to be Glorified!!!  As long as HE “WHO GIVES BREATH” is on HIS THRONE, we who Believe have HOPE!!!

“YOU ALSO MUST BE READY!”

 Matthew 24:42-44                             (ESV)

“42 Therefore, STAY AWAKE, for you do not know on what day your LORD is coming.

43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

44 Therefore “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”, for the SON of MAN is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  

It can be so easy to allow the troubles and ills of “this world” to keep us in the grips of despair.  It seems that “the news” and “social media” are consumed by spreading negativity in abundance.  JESUS says in John 10:10-11 “THE THIEF COMES ONLY comes ONLY to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY. I came that they may have LIFE and have it ABUNDANTLY.

I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  In CHRIST, we are PROMISED to have LIFE ABUNDANTLY!

But ABUNDANTLY doesn’t mean that we are free from problems.  John 16:33 says “I have said these things to you, that in ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."  We are NOT PROMISED to be free of problems, but IN CHRIST WE MAY HAVE PEACE!  

Sure, easy-believism tells us that we should live our best life now, but JESUS PROMISES in Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice and be glad, FOR YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Our warning while here on earth is “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”, because “the SON of MAN is coming at an hour you do not expect.”   Don’t allow the gloom and doom of “this world” instill fear and doubt in your life, for JESUS offers LIFE without the tools of the devil!  Steal and kill and destroy may play well here on earth, but we are NOT of “this world” (John 15:19) IN CHRIST!

The great deceiver will attempt to color his schemes as catastrophic and with finality!  But his end has already been determined.  Colossians 2:15 states “HE disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them IN HIM.”  The reason that we IN CHRIST can CELEBRATE is because of what HE has done for us, not because how worthy we are!  We need to remember that HE has already completed HIS WORK against 

“the enemy”, but “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY” for the lies of “the enemy”!!!