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“Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, Neither ^[a]wasting nor destruction within your borders;  But you shall call your walls Salvation, And your gates Praise.” – Isaiah 60:18

Heaven is coming and in Heaven there will be no more violence! 

Whether we look around the world or at the news, violence seems to be everywhere. Wars, Riots, Close or Far, violence is here, and so is fear and anger.  But God and Love are here too, and God will be with us every step of the way.  Until one day, when we come Home to Heaven, there will be only Love, Peace & Joy ?. 

So hang in there, the violence we see all around us will not last forever!  God is with us and He loves us.  We do not walk alone ?

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”   Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Trust is defined as a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” (Oxford Languages).

Many headlines screech about coming food shortages.  And these headlines may be true. But that is exactly when reading the Bible and remembering God’s Miracles can really help us.  Jesus did not bring us this far to let us down now!  He loves us ?

“In John 6:1-14 Jesus wanted the disciples to feed a large crowd. They said it would be impossible. But, a boy with them had five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus takes this gift, thanks God for it, and uses it to feed over 5,000 people, with leftovers to spare!” -kidscomer.net

God has not stopped performing miracles or answering prayers, but we worry still.  In some ways, it’s human nature.  And Trust takes practice.  Think about it, you trust your family or friends, because they have been there for you in the past.   Sometimes when you most needed it!

It’s the same with God.  So take a moment and write down the times that God has really been there for you.  The Bible verses that tell of the times God was there for His people.  And when the going gets tough, read these stories and remember. And Trust that God will be there for you now and get back up. God’s Grace will be sufficient ?

“Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,”-Psalm 105:3-5

A time is coming when we will need great faith.  Strong faith.  Faith that can move mountains.  Faith that will stand up to the enemy.  And it is coming soon.

There are two practical ways that we can prepare for the time that is coming.  One is to read the Bible and remember all that God has done already!  God is still the God of miracles and He still answers prayers.  Jesus loves us and will never leave us.  And the Holy Spirit lives within us and will protect our hearts if we let Him ?.

The second way is to remember all the times God has answered our own prayers or the prayers of others that we know!  If we haven’t already, we should write them down so that we don’t forget ?.  It may take a bit of time, but it will be time well spent.

Looking around, it’s hard not to believe that the time is already here.  So many have fallen awas from their faith in Jesus.  And the onslaught of some in the media, along with the peer pressure of those around us, has contributed to the loss of faith in many.  But it’s still our choice.

We can choose to surround ourselves with those who believe in Jesus and follow Him.  We can choose to create strong Christian communities.  Communities that truly help each other!  Or, sadly, we can choose to surround ourselves with those who don’t.

Reaching out to non-believers is still and always will be a priority.  But the bulk of our time now needs to be spent with fellow Believers.  We can’t share what we don’t have, and so we need to deepen and strengthen our own faith.  And if we do, we can then share it with others ?

And if you need help, God will help you! Just ask Him 🙂

I’ve seen much written about Justin Bieber not being a “good enough” Christian. I am not going to pretend to know whether he is or isn’t. But here is what I do know, it’s important to keep people on the path. Too encourage them on the journey, because it is so long and sometimes very difficult. We want everyone to keep on the journey Home.

I’ll let God decide if they should go to Heaven 🙂

God can turn anything around 🙂

“ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”-Jeremiah 29:13

“A little science estranges men from God, but much science leads them back to Him.”- Louis Pasteur

This is so true.  Think about it, we don’t treat breast cancer the way we did 100 years ago, because thanks to science, we have better treatments now

The pro-life movement has grown by leaps and bounds, in part, because science developed the ultrasound test and now we can actually see the baby!

We have lights in our houses because a scientist built a “high resistance, incandescent electric light.”.

Science never stops researching and never stops looking for solutions!

So to say Christians do not believe in science is just a lie!  However, there are many difference scientists to choose from. 

Some scientists say that the world was created millions of years ago.  Some scientists say that the world was, basically, created by accident.  And there is no God.  Some scientists say we do not need to research it further.  Which seems odd because scientists are always researching further.

Some scientists have researched it further and say the world had to be created by God. They say the world’s creation was no accident. They say the methods we use to measure how old the world is, are incorrect.  For example, some scientists say that the methods we use for carbon dating are not accurate beyond 50 years!

As for evolution.  We know that things evolve.  For example, many dogs have heavier coats in colder climates.  They adjust to the climate they are in.  In the winter, many dogs grow a heavier coat, which keeps them warmer.  What a wonderful Gift God has given!  There is no conflict between evolution and God, when evolution is used correctly.

God and science are not in conflict.  God gave us brains to use.  Many scientists have used their brains to create the solutions that we need.  For example, medical treatments, electricity, vaccines…But God did not give them those brains so they could try to disprove His existence.

As Christians, we know that God is Real and we love Him!  If the scientists who do not believe in God keep researching with an open mind, they will find this to be true as well.

Please Pray for them ?

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” –  Exodus 20:7

“Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” -Ezekiel 33:9

This sin is committed so often, it’s easy to become “used to it”.  But it is a Serious Sin.  Sadly, we hear God’s Name used in vain often.  By a person, in a song, in a movie…As Christians, we are obligated to confront Sin.  We may not do it perfectly, but we need to do it.  For our sake and the sake of the person using it!

There are many ways to confront the use of God’s Name in a swear word.  One is that we can simply give the person a “look”.  You know the kind I mean, lol.  They will often stop and apologize right then.  If that doesn’t work, we can simply say kindly, “there’s no need for that”.  And there is no need, after all there are plenty of other swear words.

If we hear it in a movie, we can simply edit Wikipedia that it is used in that movie!  Unfortunately, they will probably edit that comment out!  Another way is to forward that particular movie review on social media with a comment warning watchers that the movie uses God’s Name in vain.

Our Father created us and He loves us.  That we treat Him with Respect is the very least He deserves.  And let’s face it, He does so much for us, we can at least do this!

There is a song by Casting Crowns, “Love Moved First”.  Jesus loved us first!  Before we were even born!  Sometimes I feel my heart just bursting with Joy at His love for us.  And of course we love Him back, how could we not?  He has, and always will, love us.

And Jesus loves us unconditionally?  Who really does that?  Think about it.  Everyone that loves us here on earth, let’s face it, loves us somewhat conditionally.  We don’t have to be perfect, but there is a minimum, lol.  But not with Jesus, He loves us wherever we are ?

And who is with us always? Jesus goes before us, with us, always!

Thank you Jesus!

We all get tired sometimes.  Feel weaker than the mission that lies in front of us.  Not up to the task…

It’s just part of life here on earth.

But Psalm 84: 5-8 it tells us that God will grant us the strength we seek:

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.  O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.”-Psalm 84:5-8

“They go from strength to strength”.  Isn’t that what we all need in this life?  We all have tasks we must accomplish, strongholds we must tear down, missions we must accomplish.  But although sometimes we are ready and able to accomplish these, sometime we need Jesus’ help.  Because sometimes just looking at what lies ahead, leaves us tired.

But we can ask “Jesus to carry us today so we can rest”–Matt Hammitt. ?