It only takes one.  I do not disciple to millions, but to the one man or woman standing in front of me.  I cannot know how their experiences have effected their openness to the Gospel if I come prepared with some pre-constructed argument for the existence of God and the need for repentance and belief.  We have all been uniquely designed to serve some specific God initiated purpose.  To approach a uniquely designed person with a standardized monologue, aimed at soliciting some specific response ignores their preciousness while also dismissing the Holy Spirit from entering the conversation.  The Holy Spirit knows each of God’s children and is significantly more qualified in providing the right words, smile or Bible phrase perfectly targeting the unique requirements of each heart.  I would frankly rather trust the Holy Spirit than I would my own self.  I am a sinner, He has none.  I am worldly, He is Divine Spirit.  I have a reasonable grasp of scripture and a frail understanding of love.  He is the Spirit of Love and wrote scripture to prepare man for eternity with God.

People are such a blessing.  Their troubles astound me, in their pain they are precious.  They struggle so to be good or worthy or just plain important.  This world will give them fleeting glimpses of significance, but God provides them with purpose, place and reason.  The Lord keeps echoing John 3:16 in my head.  Reminding me that it is all about His great Love for “this world”.  We must remember that even those people that we find intolerable are loved by God.  May I be forgiven for ever pronouncing my own judgment, or hating, disparaging, ignoring or maligning one that God says is worthy of His love.  Let us be ever vigilante and mindful to remember the Lord’s admonishment of Peter about calling anything unholy that God has proclaimed Holy.

I am not the most brilliant man, but I am reasonably smart.  That simple fact does not make it easier for me to disciple but actually presents difficulties and barriers.  My intelligence provides obstacles to my surrender and reliance upon the Holy Spirit as guide.  Thanks be to God that He has sanctified me to the point where I now truly appreciate the assistance that the Holy Spirit provides in my ministry.  Many times He says things to people in a way that to which I am incapable, using me as the delivery system for His Holy Waters of Prayer and Words of encouragement.  Watching His Grace in motion and seeing the delight, joy and wonder on the faces and hearts of men and women provides me ample impetus to get out of His way.  I love hearing what He has to say to the beloved.  Thank you Lord for considering me useful in any fashion.  Praise You in Your Infinite Glory and Grace. Christ Jesus soon comes as the Lion of Judah to do battle and pronounce righteous judgment upon mankind.  Amen.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”  John 14

The road ahead is going to be harder than any this world has traveled.  That is difficult to imagine both for those who have suffered greatly in this life and equally unimaginable for those who have had an easy passage.  We all, believers and skeptic will face the same tragedy brought on by God’s dwindling patience, as the waters of His wrath begin to spill over the confines of His dam of mercy.  What then will be an unbeliever’s comfort?  Will they be left with nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth as the Bible foretells?  What peace soothes the heart of each believer, indwelt by Spirit, armed with the knowledge of destination and eternity?

God fulfills “every” promise.  Jesus is God.  Therefore the promise of His preparation and return to gather His children is the solid foundation upon which each believer’s Spiritual edifice resides.  He has gone, in order to construct a place for us, where we shall “live” together.  Does that strike you as strange or does that give you the hope it was intended to sponsor?  And finally, do you know the “way” to which the Lord refers?  Can you clearly see the path to where He has gone?  If these things are not clear please reach out to the Holy Spirit as guide and to pastors, teachers, elders and fellow believers for clarification.  It is essential that you see the path and if you don’t you will not be prepared for the Lord’s return.  I so desperately pray that you are prepared and that the Lord finds you and me “ready” when He arrives to gather us.  Let me know how I may help bring some sense to your questions.

Father we welcome your return and know that we may face extreme difficulty before that great and glorious day.  Give us the hope to keep our eyes heavenward and let us not falter in our faith because of the pressures about to face this world.  Armor us against the weapons of this world so that we may stand in the face of storm and tragedy knowing that you will pave the way forward.  Bless Your Holy Name King Jesus.  The Christ of God.

Do you see the battle lines taking shape as men and machines are moved into position?  Do you hear stories of the ideological positioning along supposed political lines that have nothing to do with opinion but have everything to do with either serving God or resisting Him?  When right became fuzzy we waited, now right has become wrong and we stand frustrated, what will we do when wrong becomes right?

I fail you Father in prayer through consistent return to the same old vomitous sins and by taking my eyes off of You and placing them on anything in this world.  You bid me show peace and Your strength in the midst of chaos to a world that knows not of peace.  The fact that I mimic citizens of this world by freaking out or losing my character under pressure clearly indicates a lack of residing in Your Spirit, hidden in the Christ of God protected from the worlds transmogrification.  Why do I still lend any part of my life to the enemy’s benefit when I have been purchased by Jesus upon that rugged tree we call “the cross”?  What perceived benefit other than self service or disobedience can I use to rationalize or explain away this abhorrent behavior.  I belong to You God and to none other.  Please teach me to resist any temptations that may pull me away from that natural allegiance.

Where is my devotion?  Where is my faith in action through prayer, knowing that this is my only control of the universe?  Why do I aid and abed the enemy by not using my greatest weaponry against Him, standing palsied in fear or capitulation instead of on my knees in victory?  What breeds this disobedience?  What manner of self-reliance or false confidence stops me from taking the necessary steps to furtherance of your will?  I know that You warn us against making pledges because You remember all that we have said.  Father that urge to make a commitment to You wells in my heart.  Show me how to dedicate my life fully to Your purposes.  Teach me to keep my eyes and heart upon You.

Father I pray for my Brothers and Sisters that they first have the eyes to see and the ears to hear the unfurling of Your Prophecy.  So that they may make readiness for what must quickly and surely come to pass.  Father teach them to fill their lamps with the oil and anointing of Your Holy Spirit so that they may be collected or passed over by the spirits and messengers of Your Judgment who will shortly show themselves to this world.  Give them a heart for discipleship so that all may have the opportunity to personally know Your Love and Grace.

In Jesus’ precious name I pray to You Father.  Amen.

We live in the land of “by of and for the people”.  Is this consistent with God’s perspective and law?  Partially, certainly, mostly or none at all?  You see although we try and establish that there is no wiggle room in theology, there is always a slant or perspective delivered by the well of human experiences that potentially colors the dissemination of truth.  I will deliver God’s law in a way that hopefully exactly adheres to the Truth His intention.  I will represent the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that hopefully closely coincides with His Self revelation in the Gospel.  However, we have all experienced and know that we cannot but help interject our own perspective and experience in our delivery and passion.

Suffice it to say, although I may ideologically disagree with how this ruler or that government is performing, the reality is that nothing happens outside of God’s Will and Prophecy.  The current political, environmental and sociological circumstances are exactly how He predicted that they would be and although we are to blame He will eventually Right all these wrongs.  And what is amazing to me is that He somehow considered me when He spoke this into being, to comprehend even momentarily that He had a part for me to play in the unfurling of His Plan just takes my breath away.  But let us be at peace in that all this is coming to pass must occur in order for God’s Plan to unfold.  This should be fertilizer for our faith in that what He said would happen “is” happening.

Now is the time for Christians to answer Spirit’s call upon their hearts.  Whatever He is leading you to do now is the time to take action.  There will be no time for decision shortly. The curtain has risen and all actors are upon the stage regardless of preparedness level.  If you are walking in the Spirit, when the time to deliver your line or act your part arrives, you will be provided the assets, words and strength to act on His behalf.  If not then you will either freeze, remain idle or run.  This is the moment for which we were spoken into being for His Good Will.  His righteousness has already prevailed, victory may be elusive and unclear but it is “assured”.  Take peace in the faith that God remains on His throne and in control of all that is and will shortly come to pass.

Praise You Father for Your Sovereign Grace and Authority.  Lord Jesus we work while we wait.  We love You.

I love you Lord.  How does one show You gratefulness?  Duty, obedience, loving, supporting and caring for others or is it a commitment?  How does one act when given something for which repayment in like kind may never be proffered?  What kind of humility and allegiance does such gift create?  How does one accept overwhelming grace?  Does the sacrifice of this lifetime even begin to recognize the benevolence of eternity?

We cannot repay, nor are we expected to, but we are meant to understand the enormity of this blessing.  The contemplation and realization of our inability to balance such generosity prepares and transforms each recipient’s heart.  Rendering us likely of doing God’s bidding.  Paving the way toward sacrificial existence.  Leaving us full of life and thanks and hope for all mankind.  Having been plucked from the fires on the steps of inferno we are seared by the memory of that rescue.  Forever knowing that our savior did not just risk everything but gave everything, suffered everything, making himself a ransom for our release.

My life is easy, not just comparatively but realistically.  There is no grand price I have paid for the abundance I now observe.  This country’s freedom has been a shield for which I offered little and any return on investment has far outweighed any small sacrifice.  My emotional pains small, my life relatively consistent, my belly full and my pocket never totally empty for long.  I have taken my blessings for granted too many times to measure.  Believing myself entitled or worse yet not thinking at all about my gifting.  How does this happen, that some may live in relative ease, not comprehending their wealth while others seemingly by chance struggle each day for clean water, air or shelter?  This is God’s choosing and will some day be put in right balance according to His righteousness.  Those who have suffered will wear many crowns in the hereafter, eternally displaying the benefits of their shortage in this life.  While many like me will be content to simply sit at the feet of Jesus a position for which I have done nothing but believe.

Father, give me a willing heart.  Never let me forget my position of blessing even for a nano second.  Give me the opportunity to do the right thing for Your Kingdom.  This gift has been freely given and all I ask is the opportunity to tell “You thank” you in a way that brings Glory to the magnitude of what You did and continue to do for me.  Praise You God, Father in Heaven, Spirit indwelling, Christ the King.  Amen.

Unfolding prophecy is the guidepost of our century.  God has waited, dispensing grace and mercy through His saints and angels to a world that rarely considers His beneficence.  The sweetness of sustained providence has fattened those basked in its wonder lulling many to lullaby, humming contentedly ignoring the sharpened edge of prescribed judgment.  As a humanity we catapult along the thoroughfare collectively ignoring the warnings of upcoming tolls and outed bridges.  We dabble in mysticism, consort with wickedness and toy with unrepentant sin, seemingly oblivious to predictive wisdom and Bible declaration.  These things will shortly and perhaps swiftly come to pass.  The harvest comes.  The earth is ripe for gleaning as both sin and righteousness have reach the seasonal tipping point.

All eyes should be firmly set upon Israel and specifically Jerusalem, as the events predicted by God’s prophets will originate in the homeland designated for His people.  All the supporting cast have been mustered and stand ready and oddly willing to launch the events ending in Judgment.  Do we not see the bud, uncurling and know that the pages of Biblical prophecy act as individual leaves to God’s unfolding masterpiece?  Do you see how Russia, Persia (Iran), Muslim nations and even those countries of Northern Africa have gathered for the slaughter?  Who can deny the current disarray of both Israel’s historic enemies Egypt and Syria representing the lure of world and violence?  These places have been purposely stirred and thrown into chaos, war and poverty by God’s almighty Will to disarm them in their attempts to forcibly capture Jerusalem.  They cannot bring to bare their desires for the necessity of dealing with their own internal maelstrom.  This is God’s merciful plan to save them for the good pleasure of conversion to worship.

When two armies enter the field and prepare siege engines and supplies for extended assault, war is shortly over the horizon.  When black clouds hover over the landscape, sending shards of lightning careening to the ground in passionate outburst, storm is certain.  When the leaves begin the twirl earthward in dramatic colors of orange, crimson and gold preparations for winter’s arrival must already be in full bloom.  The harvest time is coming and yet we stand idle at home as the fields remain untended.  The apostasy, also predicted thousands of years prior has taken its toll on the faithful.  Our churches are infiltrated by imposters, bidding us to dilute the waters of life with impurity.  We have fallen prey to ignorance and ill attendance to prophecy and are just as guilty as the fallen or unbelieving.  Few recognize and respond to God’s heraldic predictions.

Get ready, be ready and keep your eyes skyward for the Coming of Our Great God is near.  He has patiently provided mercy awaiting our response to His calling.  This time He will come to dispense justice for our actions, inactions and wickedness.  All will see the Glory of Our Coming Lord and wish that they had headed His Prophecy, but that moment will be a late revelation.  We apparently are destined to suffer the passion of His Wrath.  Oh precious Lord let me reach those who will listen to Your Story of Glory and things that will certainly come to pass.  Let them hear Your Words and run from the judgment to come, run directly into your arms the only place of safety, mercy and strength.  Forgive my shortcomings, but hold me accountable to the work You have set before me.  I want to do Your will and lay the ground work for Kingdom Come.  Have mercy on all of us in this coming hour of need and triumph.  Let us remain true to the faith.  Praise God in the name of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of mankind.

Do you know Jesus?  Are you quick to answer that question?  What prompts rapid response, is it a desire to belong or maybe an unwillingness to exclude yourself from those “sure that they are going to heaven”?  Do you mistakenly believe you are going to wake up in the presence of God because of something you’ve done in this lifetime?  Reflecting on your life, at what point do you believe that you became eligible for eternity?  Was there a collection of sacrificial events or a grand total of some philanthropic gifting which you believe purchased the price of a ticket on the journey to the hereafter?  The fact that you resort to making a list of reasons or rationalize your qualifications, unfortunately makes it transparent that you are heading to an eternity separate from the Lord.  “Man that is harsh”, you say, “how can you be sure of who is going and who isn’t”?  Because I do not possess omniscience I cannot tell you who will be there, but I am “REQUIRED” to tell you the truth about the steps to salvation and none of them include anything that you have done to earn heaven.

Get a bible and look at John 3:16 (arguably the most quoted passage in the Bible) and then take some time to see exactly what it says about eternity or eternal life.  Better yet take a look at John 3:16-19 to see that it gives specific guidelines of what salvation is as well as what brings voluntary damnation upon those unwilling to comply.   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 

So I have to ask again my original question, Do you know Jesus?  Do you believe in the WORK THAT HE DID, to redeem you to God?  Do you see where this disqualifies any rationalization or argument for salvation outside of belief in Jesus?  Have you repented of your sin and asked forgiveness of Jesus for the grace bestowed upon you by His work upon the cross?  If you believe in the work of Jesus Christ have you surrendered to Him out of willingness to leave behind your sinful past, so that He may sanctify, purify and utilize You for the Good of His Kingdom?  “Wow, man you really want a lot from me don’t you”?  You must understand, I am trying to save you from a false dedication to the Christian belief.  Don’t profess you are a Christian until you know what that means.  I mean, you wouldn’t call yourself a Democrat unless you knew what that meant, right?  The Lord wants us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  What does that mean to you?  That we should take it for granted that because we said a simple prayer on one vulnerable day of our lives that this somehow freed you from the obligations of coming to God in humility, trying to understand the gift you were given?  Don’t take this thing lightly, if you are not 100% sure that you are saved, don’t you think it would make sense to seek that surety?

And those of you who have hijacked the Word of God to provide you fame, fortune or standing in the World’s Eyes as you dispense wisdom to the hungry masses.  For shame.  The Word of God is complete, perfect, final and more than adequate to say what must be said to provide the living water to a thirsty world.  In fact, the Lord chose us when He could have as easily made the trees, rocks and wind speak the Gospel.  His Word was not meant to be used to gain any person glory, but to bring that Glory to HIS NAME ALONE.  Those of you who have been given the talent, education, speaking or writing gifts to reach a greater segment of the population, you have a greater challenge to make sure that your own motivations are kept in check when delivering HIS MESSAGE.  It makes me shutter when I think of myself looking in those eyes of fire answering for my actions taken on His behalf.  It is just like the reverent fear you should have when riding a motorcycle, it is often said, “if you aren’t a bit afraid, then you shouldn’t ride”.  Even more so with dispensation of God’s Grace through preaching, teaching and encouragement.

Father, You are the Righteous One.  My works are like filthy rags when done in and of my own authority and accord.  Please let me do those tasks for which You alone have designed and empowered me.  Let me turn away from personal benefit that comes in compensation for delivering the Gospel.  Let me totally understand and discern the difference between an unmuzzled oxen put to plow and a servant who has become manipulative and been led astray by greed or lack of wisdom.  Let me approach you in advance of any work I do for the Kingdom so that I am sure of my motivations and that those intentions serve You alone.  Praise Your Holy Name King Jesus.

Lord I beseech You on behalf of my Brothers and Sisters who practice the Catholic faith.  Father, they must be worried, confused and feeling defensive over the recent assertions by the Pope that clear statements in Your Word are actually open for personal modification.  Lord I ask that You settle their hearts upon Your immutable Word and give them peace in making a decision to follow the Bible instead of this flagrant false doctrine.  Their hearts must be divided, wounded and grieving.  Father I pray that they quickly heal and turn their hearts toward You and Your inerrant Word as the only Truth.  Father I pray that the Pope repents of calling You, Jesus a liar.  The Pope’s words cannot stand if the Catholic Faith is to remain true to Jesus.

Father silence this false teacher so that others are not led astray.  Lord I see the majesty of Your plan but it saddens me to see this as the beginning of the great apostasy.  Just as when evolution provided an alternate, albeit false, explanation for creation, this false teaching will lead unbelievers and the wicked in droves to the “all inclusive”, totally tolerant Catholic Misinformation society.  They have joined the likes of Oprah in declaring the lukewarm doctrine that there are many roads leading to God.  Emphatically, Categorically False.

This points clearly to prophecy and verifies again Your Word as truth as You told of these things before they have come to pass.  I look to the Heaven’s Lord for Your Return must now be near.  Father allow us to take peace in the fact that we have been shown the revelation of what must surely come to pass.  I know that Your Love for true believers will transcend this wickedness perpetrated by Catholic Leadership.  May they find a home within a body of true Bible believing Christians so that they may be welcomed in Spirit and Truth.

Lord this world teeters.  Sin has grown to enormous proportion.  It gets tougher each day to see the good in this world.  We perpetrate violence, adultery and malfeasance daily.  The corruption in our ruling bodies a cancer which has been too long for surgery.  We have been praying for a leader to show us the way out of this contortion we have created.  The only earthly leader we will get is named wickedness, delusion and malignancy.  The stage is nearly set for his emergence and subsequent torment of mankind.  How long will you allow this to go on Father.  Release us from this world which has outlasted its usefulness.  Silence the mockers and please take Your Rightful Throne, Lord.

We will wait Father, for as we wait we can be assured that You still have work yet for us to do.  Lead us to those tasks and fill us with Your Spirit to do what must be done for Your Glory.  I know that You will cut Your Wrath short or none of us would make it to the finish.  Thank You for Your Mercy Grace and Truth.  Jesus, the ONLY Door to God, The Good Shepherd, The Alpha, The Omega, The First, The Last, The Redeemer of Mankind and Ruler of All.  Amen and Amen.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/13/egypt-military-helicopters-hit-sinai-militants/?intcmp=obinsite  Egypt is forced to attack Muslim Extremists in the Sinai Peninsula, just outside of Israel’s Border.  Why won’t our leaders discuss this in their strategic planning briefings to the public?  A man cannot make the right decisions for his family, church, business and community without first knowing the entire truth.  What does this portend and how does the Bible address this topic?  Seek and you shall find, Isaiah 17-19, Psalm 83, Ezekiel, many of the major/minor prophets told of these events thousands of years before they are happening.

When it is quiet, in the moment after a leader has listened to the opinions and inputs of all his leadership team, what happens next determines if wisdom is present.  Leaders who depend upon their own understanding to discern the correct way forward have already evicted wisdom from the conversation.  The smartest, wisest, most noble man in the world will always come up short with regard to determining the best path forward unless that leader first consults God seeking the proper wisdom to proceed.  You ask me who am I to put leaders to this kind of inquisition and testing?  I say to you that this questioning of my motivations demonstrates your lack of knowledge about God’s Word.

Each time that David, a man after God’s own heart got into trouble immediately followed a decision that he made without first consulting the Lord.  Look for yourself what happened to each man or woman that either chose a path in conflict with God’s directive or chose  not to consult Him.  There is no success, no freedom, no wealth, no acquittal, no release, no achievement outside of God’s Will.  Even unbelievers owe their good fortune to the Lord.  Since there is no bounty, escape or reward outside of God’s Authority, why then would I make any decision outside of consult with the Lord.  To do otherwise is placing myself in the position of authority above God.  Sure God wants us to make good decisions, but He also provides the construct under which those decisions are approached and determined.  Proverbs 2 is a recipe to wisdom and decision making and reflects the absolute commitment to consulting God before making any decision.  The man who asks God before making a move is the man who will certainly be in God’s Will at judgment day.

Look, I am no specialist in the right way to go.  I always direct men and women to the Word after we have had a conversation, because HE not me is the authority and giver of wisdom.  I may say something that makes sense or turns out to produce some manner of success or bounty in a person’s life, but I assure you that it came from the Lord through me.  There is nothing inside of me that is genuine and true but Jesus.  No idea, no wisdom, no authority, no intelligence, no prophecy and no love that I did not first receive from the Lord.  He is the center of the universe, not me.  I recommend consulting with God before any decisions are determined.  You will never go wrong if your guide is the Lord God.  Don’t calculate, consult.

Frustration is another form of paralysis.  Do not allow the enemy to suck you in with wiles designed to take up your time and energy or turn your good works to apathetic side-line-ism.  There are many of you who are reluctant to take up the cross daily because you have met with push back by those you believe would join you in your pursuit of victory.  Any thing worth doing is going to take the Power of Christ through the Holy Spirit in its achievement.

How clever God’s enemy.  First he whispers that we can get the job done when we cannot.  Then when we embark on the fools errand, he whispers that we are insufficient to the task or that we are labeled failures for even trying.  Then when we cannot get others to join us in our commitment to achieve great things, he whispers that we should chastise them for their lack of faith and action.  Then when we are isolated in our frustration, the enemy whispers that we should blame God for the fact that we are ineffectual.  Do you see this process as it plays out in the lives of believers everywhere?

If the works that God had designed for us to do before the beginning of time were resolvable under our own strength, power, treasure, talent and authority then we would not need to be ambassadors of Christ, we could simply ambassadors of our own good will.  Don’t allow the enemy and the flesh to convince you that you can succeed in overcoming the powers and principalities under your own abilities.  It has never been me who defeated the enemy, but Christ.  The enemy enjoys getting me into mano a mano battles that reduce me to dependence upon my own power to defeat him.

This is an effective illusion designed to send us off on a tangent path instead of relying on the Holy Spirit as our source of all wealth, whether material or spiritual.  It is easy to get frustrated at my own inabilities.  God will never let us down in that fashion.  We will overcome through our love for Christ, our testimony and the willingness to give Him the glory that He deserves by acknowledging that He has already overcome the world, AND EVERYTHING in it.

It is not under my authority, skills, will, treasure, time and blessings that anything miraculous will occur in this lifetime.  Anything that I have achieved brings the glory to me and allows unbelievers to continue disbelief by claiming that it was me that conquered this or that challenge.  God deserves all the Glory for achievements done for His Kingdom.  Therefore those achievements should reflect His power and authority.  It should be absolutely transparent and obvious that the LORD was present and that without His intervention what was achieved would never have come about.

So, don’t get lured onto the path of self-righteous frustration with your Brothers and Sisters for not joining you in your quest.  Follow God’s prompting and remember that if He has designed works for you to achieve that He will provide the words, power, authority and bodies necessary to overcoming any/all obstacles set before you.  Have the faith that if it is God’s plan that Brothers and Sisters join us in a particular campaign that it is predetermined.  We have but to set out on the journey and the others will come alongside, brought there by His prompting.  His Glory, His Power, your participation in faith.

Remember that Love overcomes.  Try using it and you will find it exponentially outperforms criticism as a tool to rouse the apathetic.  I love you my Brothers and Sisters and let me assure you that you are worthy of love, and that you are more than sufficient to any task for which the Lord designed you.

God be praised for everything that I may accidentally or intentionally achieve in this life.  Lord please never let me take one step onto a path that leads me to frustration, defeat, despair or apathy.  To You be the Glory, honor and blessings.  Jesus my King.  Thank you.