Category: Prayer

SAVED by MERCY ~ SAVED by GRACE

NOT by Our OWN Righteousness!

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Scriptures taken from the KJV (King James Version of the Bible).

Believing is putting your trust in God and having confidence that he will fulfill his promises…GOD DOES NOT LIE!

Numbers 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Hebrews 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Jesus is Yeshua (Yeshua means SALVATION in the HEBREW language) JESUS is the WORD! He is God!

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by 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.

John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

According to Scriptures, even some of the disciples/followers of Jesus had difficulty recognizing that Jesus is our Messiah

John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

His disciple Thomas had difficulty believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He had risen from the dead…

John 20:27-29 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Believers are born again (regenerated) when they believe. For a Christian to lose his salvation, he would have to be unborn again -unregenerated. That would mean that he would have to “NO LONGER BELIEVE”…once you “TRULY” believe, you will never stop believing…because the HOLY SPIRIT will not leave you. The Bible gives no evidence that the new birth can be taken away…when you “TRULY” believe, you trust in Yeshua and are filled with HOPE which becomes the path that the Christian walks. That hope lies in knowing that God does NOT lie!

However, the Bible does talk about quenching the Holy Spirit which I will talk about in a future blog. Quenching is not the same as being in unbelief…

John 3:15-16 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I can find no place in the Scriptures of the Bible that says: In order for you to be saved that you have to walk the isle, join a church, pay tithes, fill out a card or cry and sob in sorrow for others to witness or do your due diligence (works). It says over and over again…BELIEVE! There are over 150 Scriptures in the Bible that address “Belief”. Even Abraham, thousands of years before Jesus, found favor with God because he believed…yet he lied about Sarah several times and took a concubine because he was impatient for the promise of God to materialize, but through all of that God loved Abraham and to this day is still keeping His promise to him.

Paul asks two very fundamental questions:

Romans 8:33-34 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

To put it to you as simply as possible…Who will bring any charge against those whom are believers?

Matthew 7:1-4 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

It says in the Scriptures:

It is God who justifies.

Who is he that condemns? We are not called to condemn, but we are called to share the Gospel with our fellow man…ALL who are made in the image of God…nowhere in the Scriptures does is tell us to make the decision whether or not the person we shared the Gospel with accepted “the TRUTH”. We plant the seed…God will make it grow according to “HIS WILL”. Just because we can’t physically see the change in someone, doesn’t mean that Heavenly Father isn’t working on them…maybe He doesn’t need or want to use them in His ministry on this earth…HE JUSTIFIES THEM because HE LOVES THEM!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Paul makes one of the most incredible claims in all Scripture and the diligent hard working Christian sometimes refuses to accept Paul’s claim…but if you don’t believe this claim by Paul…that must mean that you nullify everything else that Paul teaches about GRACE and SALVATION! It’s not up to us to “Cherry Pick” out of the Scriptures what we want to apply to our lives and to the lives of others. The “WORD” speaks plainly.

Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. another Translation “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

What an AMAZING promise! Surely, you may think that there must be an error in the text made by whomever transcribed it! You’re maybe thinking that Paul must have said, “God justifies the one who tries to do his best (WORKS). God justifies the nice person who always meant well (the GOOD PERSON), who loved his family (even unbelievers love their family), devoted his time and money to help the needy (there’s many a non-Christian who donates his money and time to charities)(WORKS), went to church (there may be a lot of unsaved people sitting in the pews; people who know who Jesus Yeshua is but doesn’t believe in and trust HIM), a person who reads his Bible and prays every day.” About now, you’re saying to yourself… Paul could not have meant, “God justifies the ungodly, could he? That’s unthinkable!” But the FACT IS: THAT is EXACTLY WHAT it SAYS! We are ALL ungodly because we are ALL SINNERS!

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord...

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

The Bible is clear about the penalty of sin, but scriptures on salvation reveal that we have received a powerful and life altering gift through the death and resurrection of Jesus Yeshua. All we need to do is accept the gift and salvation and eternal life are ours.

Christ Jesus, who died for the sins of the world—and more than that, who was raised to life—who now sits at the right hand of God is also interceding for us.” Jesus Yeshua is our HIGH PRIEST in Heaven. We are only asked to “BELIEVE” that He is the Son of God and that He died for our sins and rose from the dead to sit at the right hand of God!

John 5:23- 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

So ask yourself these questions? Do You Believe that Jesus – Yeshua is the SON of GOD and the He died and rose from the dead to save you from your sins? Then who will bring a charge against you? No one will, because Christ is your advocate. Who will condemn you? No one will, because Christ, the One who died for us, is the One who condemns. We have both Grace and Mercy and through our advocate who is also our judge and especially awesome: HE IS OUR SAVIOR.

When Jesus the Messiah- Yeshua HaMashiach was dying on the cross at Calvary, there were 2 thieves on crosses next to him…one of the thieves mocked Jesus and the other thief BELIEVED!

Luke 23:42-43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Jesus – Yeshua did it ALL! His last words are “IT IS FINISHED”! He made it so easy: JUST BELIEVE WHO HE IS. There’s NOTHING left for you to do… If you are blessed in the sense that the Holy Spirit uses you for “HIS GLORY”…just remember this…GOD doesn’t need you to fulfill his plan for mankind.

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

National Day of Prayer! PRAY for the UNBORN

A Person is a Person ~ No Matter How Small!

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

This coming Thursday is a National Day of Prayer and I am praying today and everyday that the American people will send their prayers to Heavenly Father to stop our country from the sin of abortion! To stop the taking of the most innocent lives on this planet!

It was a heartbreaking day when the decision in favor of Roe vs Wade was made. Back in 1973, I don’t believe that as a whole, the American people had any idea of what this meant in regard to our standing as a nation in the eyes of God!

Look at the times we are living in! People are afraid to die, yet they selfishly have chosen to be a society that allow the death of a child in the womb. During this time of concern that the people of the our country have been experiencing because of Covid-19, we hear their cries of frustration as they have been afraid to go outside or to work and sick of the quarantine. People have been Afraid of the numbers of the deaths as they mount up. Afraid, afraid, afraid!!! It completely confounds me that people are so outraged and afraid…

I’d come to believe that as a society we’d become numb to death, even embracing it. Between TV, Movies and Video games, we are entertained by death! More often than not, there are times that it seems as if this country has little or no respect for life and especially little or no concern for the the UNBORN!

Other than the life of His perfect Son in place of our sinful lives, I believe that truly the most precious gift that Heavenly Father has ever bestowed upon man is our children.

I’m sickened that the killing of innocent life has been transformed into politics instead of the morality that leads us to Godliness. As a nation, our compasses no longer point to truth…to the Word of God. Many who claim they are Christians and say they don’t believe in abortion, continue to support the rights of women to choose the death sentence for their child. Because of their support the politics of the country shoves abortion upon those of us who are pro-life.

God makes it perfectly clear that He hates the shedding of innocent blood, so I’m speaking up! We all should speak up, because if we don’t, we are allowing others to be led astray…away from God when he’s beckoning us to him. Do you want to shepherd people to God or away from God? What does it say about you and your walk with Him? Are you’re unwilling to rebuke wrong when you see it…bring it to the world’s attention? Rebuking is not the same as judging…God is the judge, but we are required to show our fellowman the right path to Him.

So, all that being said, I ask you…where’s the outrage and alarm when we talk about the number of babies who die every day from abortion? Just in the USA, there are 71+ abortions per hour! How many have given a second thought to the millions of innocent lives that we’ve taken by the abortion industry? Just in the USA, there are 61.8 million since 1973? These figures don’t take into account the number of chemical abortions!

Talk about a PANDEMIC! WE – here in the USA have been experiencing the abortion pandemic for nearly 50 years! There are those who say that abortion has been around forever and I realize that’s the case, but it’s only been this last 50 years that it’s become not only okay, but the thing to do in our country…any excuse is accepted as the right of the woman to choose death for the child in her womb. More and more people say that it’s not their problem…I’m here to say that in my opinion, it’s most likely the shedding of innocent blood that will end this world!

Don’t you know that abortion is the leading cause of death around the world? This article I’m writing isn’t about statistics, but if you don’t know them you should, then you need to wake up to how devastating these numbers are: More than 42 million abortions took place globally in 2019 according to the tracking service Worldometers, once again finding abortion to be the single largest cause of death across the planet for the year (figures provided by WHO).

As Christians, we have to stand up against this Pandemic, this holocaust against the unborn! We have to make our voices heard!

Psalms 94:16 Who stands up for me against the wicked? Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?

If we don’t stand up, I believe that we are going to experience the Wrath of GOD unlike anything that this planet has ever experienced…how much longer do you think he’s going to put up with the shedding of innocent blood?

I recognize that to a degree, I am repeating myself, but I can’t scream loud enough! Abortion is a despicable and reprehensible act against the most helpless of our world and it’s spread unlike any disease has ever spread in the history of the world! If abortion is an abomination to me…what must it be to God? I do wonder how long it will be before Heavenly Father pours out His wrath upon us? How long before He says He can no longer stand our heathen, pagan ways! How long before He destroys us ALL!

We deserve every ounce of wrath that He has stored up in His bowls. Especially, here in America, where over the last 50 years, we’ve slowly but surely degraded to the point of hideousness! In a land where His gifts have been plentiful…unlike any other land on this planet. But His gifts haven’t been enough! Everything about us is disgusting: our entertainment, the way we dress, the way we talk, the way we squander the gifts that have been given us…our government, our wars, our self righteous attitude toward the rest of the world. Talk about inciting a fall from Grace… I believe that as a nation – WE ARE THERE!!!

When you’re thinking that you don’t have to worry because you believe in God…perhaps you have a misunderstanding about what belief in God means. Maybe people think they believe, but in truth, they do not. There’s a huge difference between believing in God and serving and obeying God.

James 2:19-20 (KJV) 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Important Guidelines for Life Part 4

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Mind Your Behavior: To put it simply…behavior is how we conduct ourselves around others as well as when were alone and believe no one is watching!

However…God our Heavenly Father sees all and knows our motives – whether good or bad! When we have asked Jesus Messiah- Yeshua Ha Mashiach into our lives, through our faith and trust we can change our behavior to please God. Mark 9:23  Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”

The Bible…the Word is full of instruction as to how we are supposed to behave toward one another and toward God and how we will behave when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. The Bible often speaks of our lives producing fruit. Sometimes, we make it more difficult than it needs to be…some think that fruit and works are the same, but from my study, I believe that works are the natural outcome of the fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT that propels our lives after we have repented, believed and asked Jesus into our lives.

Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Love:God loves us relentlessly or He wouldn’t have allowed His SON to sacrifice His life to cover our sins. God loves us so much that He’s given us the gift of mercy which none of us deserve! He’s given us the gift of Eternal life when we believe and trust in His Son Jesus!

John 15:12-13 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

Joy: When the Holy Spirit enters into you, you will experience everlasting Joy! We will rejoice in Scripture, we will rejoice that we are alive! We will rejoice in the Love that the Father has shown us.

Sometimes, we foolishly connect our joy to the things of this world such as new car, new house, new, new, new… When we do this, we’re treading upon the true gift of Joy which is to be found in Jesus, our Savior!

Psalm 16:11 You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant JOY; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.

Peace: I’m not referring to peace such as a treaty to avoid war. When we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and that’s when for the first time, we become “WHOLE” or “COMPLETE”; this state naturally brings PEACE into our being.

Jesus told the disciples in advance of the gift of the Holy Spirit that they would receive after He would go to the Father:

John 14:27  “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.

Patience: God has been patient with man since Noah disembarked from the Ark. Another of His gifts that we truly don’t deserve. To think that His patience humbled Himself to actually serve and die for us! Yet as humans, we have very little patience for our fellowman; we become easily angered and intolerant of one another.

Patience is maybe one of the most difficult for us to allow the Holy Spirit’s work in us…because we are human, we allow the flesh to dictate to us when we should be listening to the Spirit.

1 Timothy 1:16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

So the next time that you’re feeling impatient with someone, stop, take a deep breath and think about your life and how Jesus has saved you by His extraordinary patience!

Kindness: We don’t have to look any farther than Jesus – Yeshua to see the embodiment of kindness! He was selfless because He came to serve mankind. He was compassionate and when Lazarus died, he cried tears for the pain the family and friends were experiencing. He was merciful when they were about to stone the prostitute when he told them that he without sin should cast the first stone.

Ephesians 4:31-32 All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Goodness: Goodness is Godliness and as Jesus told us only God is Good!

Luke 18:19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God.

Jesus wouldn’t allow himself to be called good!

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

So when something good occurs in your life or of someone close to you…remember the following Scripture:

Faith: The Biblical definition is belief, firm persuasion, assurance, firm conviction, faithfulness. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and the assurance that the Lord is working, even though we cannot see it. Faith knows that no matter what the situation, in our lives or someone else’s that the Lord is working in it.

We have all had times in our lives when our faith wavered…the loss of a job, the discordance of family, the death of a loved one…these amongst many others are can be faith shaking. Unfortunately, there are some who never recover their faith. No matter what happens in our lives, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus! Don’t lose our focus because when we do, Satan, the roaring lion is poised for attack. So no matter what happens…hang on to your faith and you will be rewarded.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses.

Gentleness: The easiest way to describe gentleness is to tell you “what it isn’t”. Gentleness is NOT obstinate, hateful, harsh, unfriendly, unpleasant, thoughtless or insensitive!

Matthew 5:5 The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 11:29-30 All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Self Control: The first step to self control is your full surrender to God, our Heavenly Father! The secular world looks at self control as something that we can accomplish by physical and mental self-mastery. However, unless we have God, we are flesh driven and of the world: perpetuated by money/greed, lust, food, alcohol, drugs, shopping, sports…on and on it goes. Sadly, these are all “heart” issues. Until you give your heart fully and unconditionally to God, you will suffer from these worldly ailments. But if you have faith and trust in Jesus and study the Scriptures the temptation to follow your flesh and live in the world will fade.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

When God brought judgement upon the world during the time of Noah, He was sorry that He’d made man… Then about 2000 years ago, He sent His Son to Save us from our wickedness which is sin and death with is the wages of sin!

John 3:16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Climate Change?

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

I’m Not Talking about the Weather!

The climate change I’m talking about is the prevailing trend of public opinion or of another aspect of public life. I’m talking about the fact that because of Covid, the prevailing trend has been to use it as an excuse to wield an iron fist when it comes to church gatherings of any kind…even funerals! Now that there’s been a change in the climate of politics, especially in the USA, it’s okay to say on the news that Christians are a threat! No one blinks, except we followers of Jesus – Yeshua gasp! We must realize that we can no longer be “fair weather Christians”! We have to stand up to the storm that’s will soon be raging around us.

It hasn’t been that many years ago that the USA and Canada were considered to be Christian nations, we were in tune with doing our best to live according to the Word of God. Now everything we learned as right and wrong is being impugned by those who don’t want to admit or acknowledge that someday they will have to answer to a higher calling. Morality is dying in our nation – and the world – as we become swept away by a tsunami of sinful behaviors; and as we accept them in the church, we contribute to the decline. When we stand against these behaviors, we as Christians are labeled as a force of evil. God will judge the world, and those who refuse to hear and accept His truth will be forced to face His wrath.

So, we must face it! As Christians, we are facing a society that considers us a threat! So now we’re in the same classification as a weather pattern such as a hurricane or a tornado…a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger. The big difference here is that there’s not much we can do to stop the threat of a hurricane or a tornado, but there’s much that can be done by society and governments to stop the threat of a Christian.

There are many countries in the world, that “the powers that be” go so far as to imprison pastors, make it illegal to own a Bible or to gather together to worship our Heavenly Father. I just read a book named “Tortured for Christ” written by Rev. Richard Wurmbrand. His commitment to Christ and the Gospel as well as the Salvation of his fellow man is beyond anything that we in the “so called” free world can imagine. Jesus – Yeshua warns us:

Matthew 24:9 “Then they will hand you over to persecution and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of My name.

Now…back to “fair weather Christians”…it can also be referred to as lukewarm as Yeshua speaks to the church in Laodicea :

Revelation 3:14-19 To the angel of Messiah’s community in Laodicea write: “Thus says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Originator of God’s creation: 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. Oh, that you were either cold or hot! 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spew you out of My mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I am rich, I have made myself wealthy, and I need nothing.’ But you do not know that you are miserable and pitiable and poor and blind and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may dress yourself and so the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed, and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore, be zealous and repent.

There are so many churches in free countries today who don’t or won’t heed the warnings to the 7 churches in Revelation. I’ve heard it said that they don’t apply to today. I believe that there’s not one jot or tittle written in the Bible that doesn’t apply to yesterday and today and forever! Paul tells us that it’s all there for our learning. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit affirms it.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.

Now that we’ve talked about “fair weather Christians”, we need to address the current trend toward being a “foul weather Christian”. Do you live your life in the world until a storm brews and blows you to your knees? Now you turn to God when only yesterday, you turned to the wiles of the world! You turn to God because you lose your job or your retirement portfolio loses money. You turn to God because you or someone you love becomes sick. You turn to God when life isn’t going according to YOUR plan! Now I’m not saying that it’s not good to turn to God at these times, what I’m saying is how long will your faith and trust last? Til the storm subsides? Then back to your old ways…back to living in the world! Paul gives us a lot of instruction about our relationship with the world:

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Now back to the weather… have you looked yourself straight in the eye and told yourself that you’re prepared for the attack that is coming? Have you put on the full Armor of God so you can stand against the storm?

https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/06/01/spiritual-warfare/

Are You Walking in the “LIGHT”?

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Scripture from KJV – the King James Version Bible.

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

***There’s only once source of light and that is Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach who came to this earth as the “living WORD” as the “LIFE”!

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

***When Jesus – Yeshua gave His life on the cross for us, He was covered in our filthy, hideous sin so much so that the world became totally dark for about 3 hours. In this world, even a self proclaimed Christian sometimes tend to be selfish, lustful, angry, prideful, self-seeking, lazy, or any other combination of sinfulness every day of your life. Now that I’ve said this, if you you see these traits dominating you life, I have to ask you: how do you plan to give these up? With will power? Spiritual resolve? Sheer force? I’m here to tell you that there’s only one way to give it up and that’s to believe in Jesus – Yeshua and when you truly believe, He will send the Holy Spirit to guide you…you CAN NOT do it without the “POWER of GOD”!

Armor of God: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/06/01/spiritual-warfare/

Prayer: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/03/01/power-of-prayer/

People who claim to “be good” in their own eyes, when pressed, have to admit that they sometimes, lie, cheat, steal and lust…etc… So on this basis alone, how can anyone claim to be good? There’s only ONE GOOD and that’s GOD!

1 John 1: 3-10

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

***Until Jesus the Messiah – Yeshua Hamaschiach came to this earth and died for our sins, mankind had been unable to walk with God since our fall from Grace in the Garden of Eden. Because of this, before Jesus came to save us, there was no hope for peace or salvation for mankind.

4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

***Because God so loved the world that He gave His own Begotten son for us, we can now have the choice to experience total Joy in and through Christ!

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

***When we ask Jesus into our lives, believe that he is the son of God and repent from our sins, He becomes our light. The darkness referred to is sin and Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God who was SINLESS! Therefore His sacrifice on the cross washed clean all those who follow Him.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

***When we walk with Jesus in His Light, we know and recognize the truth, we understand that He is the Truth, the Way and the Life and only through Him will we have a relationship with our Father in Heaven.

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

***The longer and the more that we walk in His light, we will develop His attributes: Love, Forgiveness, Kindness, Patience and the other fruits of His Spirit, therefore making us more in the image of Christ with each passing moment.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

***Confessing our sins to God and asking forgiveness, shows our Father in Heaven that we don’t want a rift with Him, that we realize and acknowledge our transgression and that with all of our heart, we’re going to do our best to never repeat that sin again. Sin causes division with God because He can’t stand sin and although He is a GOD of LOVE, He’s also Holy and a God of Righteousness. Once you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, you are saved and the only thing that can destroy your Salvation is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but we can cause a division in our relationship with Heavenly Father.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

***Think of when you did things that upset your parents on this earth…until you made up for it in some fashion, there was an uncomfortable uneasiness when you were in their presence. Admitting to God that we sinned is being totally honest with Him and removing the shame that we should and would feel in His presence.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

***Jesus is the WORD and Jesus is the Light of the World and His light will expose any sin (darkness) that’s in us. When our conscience is pricked, we know that we sinned…at that very moment, we need to ask forgiveness, don’t put it off, for tomorrow isn’t promised!

Your strength is in the Lord – you can’t do it without HIM! Focus on growing closer to Him through HIS WORD…study the Scriptures daily and know that you need to lay down your plans for your life and open your heart and mind to HIS plans for your life. Recognize that He is truly the “LIFE” and the “LIGHT”!

What is GOD’S WILL for you?

Like Paul… are you willing to be a prisoner of the LORD?

Scriptures from HCSB – Holman Christian Standard Bible

What is God’s will for you?  Are you ready to accept His authority and fully cooperate with Heavenly Father?  Do you allow the Spirit of God to lead you and make you lie down in green pastures?  Do you walk through this world as an ambassador of Christ? Did you know that in order to follow the will of God and to walk His path, we must strive to be “worthy of God“?

As Paul said:

Ephesians 4:1-2 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to “walk worthy of the calling you have received”, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love,

Are you ready to answer the calling of the Lord to share HIS GOSPEL?

Do you only seek the Lord’s will according to your own will?

Do you walk in the freedom of your own self-will? The secular definition of freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. 

Jesus tells us in John 8:32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Like a magnet, are you drawn to things that your “heart and conscious” tell you aren’t good for you or those around you?  Do you recognize these warnings are the Holy Spirit attempting to guide you away from harm bodily and spiritually?  You truly believe this one time won’t matter when you knowingly choose a path that leads you away from Salvation? After this one time, you’ll do better tomorrow?

WOE! WOE! WOE!

Hebrews 10: 26  For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.

Has Christ become Victorious in your life?

Have you allowed the crucifixion of the old man in YOU? Do you realize that true freedom is only achieved when Christ lives in You? According to what Paul tells us:

Ephesians 2:1-5 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, 5 made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Hebrews 10:29-31 How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay,] and again, The Lord will judge His people. 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God! 

Our daily struggle is with the powers of this world! Satan, Lucifer, that Devil of old – the prince of darkness has been leading this world towards hell from the beginning in the Garden of Eden when he seduced Eve in Genesis 3:4 convincing her that “she surely would not die”. Then Adam being seduced by Eve followed suit and disobeyed God. The first lie on earth brought us sin and more sin and today we can see the rotten fruit of it’s results. Since then, because of his pride and jealousy, Satan has wreaked destruction of mankind in every aspect of our existence; from the lies about evolution and millions/billions of years, the desire for corrupted entertainment (music, movies, etc), to wanton desires such as new cars, new clothes, new house, new husbands or wives -NEW! NEW! NEW! There are prosperity preachers today who preach wealth instead of Salvation! Sexual immorality thrives in an environment of “you have the freedom to do whatever feels good”! Murder of the helpless is accepted by the majority without even a blink! If you go on to YouTube, there’s false teachers and prophets aplenty! The USA probably has more Bibles per capita than any other country in the world and most of them are gathering dust.

For you to overcome, YOU must be willing to be restrained by Christ’s Spirit, start by reading your BIBLE and putting on the full armor of God and then PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

Please read: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/06/01/spiritual-warfare/

Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach revealed His Father to the world through His ministry on this earth.  Most assuredly, He revealed to us the Father’s LOVE for His Creation: Mankind. His willingness to allow His Son to sacrifice himself on the cross to save us from our sins it the ultimate gift of GRACE!

1 John 4:7-12 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.

Romans 12:10-16 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Hebrews 13:1-3 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.

Ephesians 3:1-4 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, 3 diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—

Isn’t it awesome that Paul loved Jesus – Yeshua and his fellowman enough to suffer imprisonment and physical pain to share the Gospel. As children of God and brothers and sisters In Christ…sharing the Gospel isn’t a suggestion, it’s a command:

Matthew 28:19-20 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

It’s believed that Paul was a prisoner in Rome when he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. Although, he was a prisoner of the Roman government, he considered himself a prisoner of the Lord because he was following the “will of God” to preach the Gospel of the Christ to the world.

***My next blog will expand upon Paul’s ministry.

He Maketh Me to Lie Down in Green Pastures

Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” prayer and the 23rd Psalm were the first prayers that I learned when I was a child. The child’s prayer of “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep”, taught to me by my mom, I learned before I can remember…probably when I was around 2 or 3 years old and Psalm 23 I learned when I was around 11-13 years old. I’ll be honest…I didn’t really have a clue what either of these prayers meant when I was that age, but I do remember that they both evoked a feeling of peace. I also remember that I knew Jesus was my Good Shepherd as I’d learned that at Sunday School.

My focus today in my blog is verse 2 of Psalm 23: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

When I was a girl, I could hardly wait until the snow melted and summer came to the farm. I liked to climb to the top of the mountain above our farm and lay in the tall grass and gaze at the blue sky…the tops of the trees swayed back and forth in the wind, but where I was lying in the grass, there wasn’t even a breeze. As the clouds drifted overhead, I felt a feeling of calmness sweep over me…sometimes, I would doze off and wake up feeling safe and warm. I never really associated that time with “lying down in a green pasture” but when I look back on it, I recognize the peace it created in what was an otherwise tumultuous existence.

This trek to the top of the mountain was my escape from a dad who was an alcoholic, and a mom who enabled him. I lived in a house full of constant battles between them, between my brothers and myself (have you ever seen the movie War of the Roses?). Now I didn’t share this with you to make you feel sorry for me! Although it was a dysfunctional family, I loved my parents, who are now both deceased, and I love both of my brothers. The purpose of my sharing this with you is to share with you an example of how God will find a way to bring you the peace of a green pasture if you want and allow Him to do this for you. He already gave us His Son who is the Shepherd that cares for us beyond anything we can imagine; afterall, He died for us! What greater love is there than that? Anything we ask in Jesus’s name Heavenly Father will grant according to His Will for us…

To a certain extent, I believe that’s what this covid-19 quarantine has done for me and I hope for you too. It’s allowed me to slow down, think about my relationship with Jesus and my desire to know and grow closer to my Father in Heaven. To allow the Holy Spirit to lead me beside the still waters. Once again, I’m going to say…don’t get me wrong…I realize that for many this quarantine has been a drain on them emotionally, financially and spiritually; what I am saying is that HE’s there, just waiting for you and me to give Him our burdens.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

When we turn to Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach (Hebrew Translation), he lifts the burden in our hearts and replaces it with Love, Peace and Joy. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 the Bible talks to us about how we are supposed to Love with patience, kindness, never self-seeking (don’t put ourselves first) and not be easily angered and always Rejoicing in Love by protecting and trusting and persevering.

Maybe, just maybe, Heavenly Father has given us this time of hiddenness from the world so we can re-calibrate, rethink and reassess our life. Most of us have to admit that no matter how often we talked about it or said we were ready to do it, we weren’t willing to step away from the world on our own; so maybe he has taken this bad situation and turned it to good. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing right now? Instead of feeling stressed, worried, afraid, we should be Rejoicing in Love and it says in 1 Peter 4:8, that Love covers a multitude of sins. Colossians 3:15 says that we should let the Peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all Joy and Peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. If you don’t have Jesus in your heart and would like to feel this Love, Peace and Joy please read my blog: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/category/the-plan-of-salvation/

When we were children, we sang songs like JOY, JOY, JOY down in our hearts! I don’t know about you, but I felt that song with ever fiber of my body and actually, I still feel it today! Jesus LOVES Me is still at the top of my list of favorite songs. I remember singing those songs while playing and doing chores; when I found Jesus at a very young age (6 years old) he became my rock, I leaned on Him…it became natural to turn to Him because I could feel Him holding me when times were bad. Do you ever find yourselves singing songs about your Love for Jesus today? If you ever had any, did your JOY dissolve with your childhood? Instead of spending all of your time reading the internet and facebook articles on how bad it is…start counting your blessings today and each and everyday make the list longer than the day before. Even if your blessing is having a spoon to eat your soup with…or a towel to dry with after the nice hot shower…to be able to read and study your Bible anytime you wish to…about having a Pastor that is willing to give a Sermon via the internet, so you can be fed with the Word of God. So we need to quit looking at our quarantine as “HOW BAD IT IS” and start looking at it as “Lying down in green pastures and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us”.

In the USA, it may be bad for some, but wake-up people – that’s the case for many even when there isn’t covid-19 to deal with (homelessness, loneliness, child abuse, alcoholism, social security check that doesn’t even start to cover necessities of life) on and on I could write.

The majority of us, however, we are doing okay. We may have to think about things and do things a little differently, but we’re a long way from facing major sacrifices. Thankfully, most of us don’t yet know anyone who’s died of this hideous virus, much less know anyone in the hospital fighting for their lives and let’s all pray that because of our quarantine and social distancing we will never see the results touch our lives. And yes, my head isn’t in the sand…I recognize that there are some areas of the country hit mighty hard by this and God only knows why…we can’t begin to guess or second guess the reasons behind the virus. Right now, a lot of us are focused on conspiracy theories and hate rhetoric and missing out on an opportunity that may never come again in our lifetime. A time to “Lay down in a green pastures” and commune with God.

***I’ve been receiving a magazine “The Voice of the Martyrs” from this website for many years and reading it will open your eyes to how good we have it in our country. https://www.persecution.com/

My Prayer Song

I was inspired to write this song in celebration of the Birth of Christ.

I play it on my guitar, so if anyone is interested in the melody, just message me… I led the congregation in singing it at the church that I attend and they found the melody fairly easy to follow. Blessings In Christ

My Prayer

C                            Em

Heavenly Father hear our prayer

F                         Em

Create in us a heart that cares

F                                     G7                        C        G7

A heart that serves, a heart that truly loves.

C                            Em

In this world we are so blessed

          F                               Em

Thru love and grace we pass your test

      F                                    G7                       C        G7

You sent the earth Your love from up above.

C                                G

Our trust in You, it will endure

Am                                 Em

Because Your love is kind and pure

F                                    G                           C  G7

You fought our fight and Your Glory won

        C                                     G

You showed us you’re the God of Love

Am                                 Em

We’re the ones your thinking of

F                                          G                        C  G7

You sent to earth Your Light, your only Son

C                                           Em

Your Promise kept our hopes alive,

F                                       Em

We knew your son when He arrived,

F                               G7                                 C       G7

Our lips sing your praise, our hearts do sigh

C                                Em

The star it came to light the skies

          F                         Em

Our Savior came, to light our lives

      F                               G7                      C    G7

 “Believe in Him” will be our lifelong cry 

C                              G

Today we have the Hope of Life

Am                                    Em

We know there is an end of strife

F                                          G                                C  G7

The Prince of Peace will heal a world that’s torn

        C                                     G

The Angles sang their song of Joy

Am                                 Em

As Mary held her baby boy

F                                          G                  C  G7

The King of Kings, the Son of God is born

Power of Prayer

I’m going to share with you “the most powerful tool” in your arsenal: PRAYER. 

I’m talking about earnest, subservient supplication in the name of Jesus (Yeshua – Hebrew translation).  By no means, am I dishonoring the blessing prayer before a meal or the safety prayer when we get in our car and all the other moments that we seek Heavenly Father’s love and protection.  However, what I am talking about is the “down” on your knees (I know… not everyone can get down on their knees) displaying honest humbleness before the Lord as we rejoice in His presence and take the time to listen for His answer to our prayer.  We should spend time in prayer every day; it takes putting aside the world to feel at one with or be in touch with and get to know our Father in Heaven!

Find someplace to pray where you won’t be interrupted so you can truly focus on your time spent with God!  If you’ve seen the movie “War Room”, you will have an idea of what I’m referring to… Matt 6:6 (HCSB) Jesus said, “But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

  1. Prepare yourself for prayer, like David said in Psalm 66:18, God will NOT listen if we’re cherishing our sins.  When we read our Bible daily, we learn what God abhors: lying, thieving, adultery etc.  Once we have Christ’s blood covering us as a result of our enduring faith, we are saved, but that doesn’t mean that God likes our sin any more than he did before we found faith in Jesus.  Romans 8:1-8 (HCSB) Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, 2because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
  2. Don’t forget that Satan will do everything in his arsenal to keep us from praying: the phone will ring, the kids will need something, unexpected company, worries about our jobs, not enough time, random thoughts that flutter around in our minds to distract us from our attempt to spend time with God!  Satan knows how powerful we are when we’re in prayer and that God listens to our every prayer.  Personal thought…I’m quite certain that every prayer we’ve ever spoken has been heard and remembered by God.
  3. Always pray “that HIS will be done” and then submit to it!  When we can’t put into words what we need to say, the spirit will speak for us.  Luke 12:12 (HCSB) For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.
  4. Realize that God can and will say NO!  Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me–nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:42 (HCSB) God said NO to Jesus so He willingly went to the cross and suffered for our sins.  God said NO to David when he lay prostrate in prayer for the life of his child with Bathsheba.  God said NO to Elijah when he asked God to strike him dead.  God said NO to the people who built the Golden Calf and didn’t allow them to go to the Promise Land. God said NO to Moses for striking the rock twice instead of speaking to it, so Moses was allowed to see the Promised Land, but he didn’t enter in.  God said NO to Paul when he asked Him to remove the thorn in his flesh.  Our Father’s will not ours will be done; He has a plan and He knows what’s best for each and every one of us!