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Hope In God’s Word :)

We all need hope sometimes, something to hold onto when the going gets tough. There’s a reason God said that we should hide His Word in our heart (Psalm 119:11). Just as there is a good reason that God said His Word would light our path (Psalm 115:105 KJV)

So here are some of God’s Words to hold onto ?

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”-Jeremiah 29:11 (God has a great plan for you)

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10 (Suffering is temporary)

“And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children, because she considered Him faithful who had made the Promise” -Hebrew 11:11 (Miracles still happen)

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 (God will help us)

“If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes”-Mark 9:23 (With God, All Things Are Possible)

“But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.” -Psalm 9:18 (With God, there is always Hope. He will provide for us)

^“16So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self^[a is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”-2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (No matter how much we are suffering, it’s temporary. Heaven is real and we are going home one day)

“But the eyes of the Lord are on him who fears Him; on those whose hope is in His unfailing love”-Psalm 33:18 (God is always watching after us, because He loves us)

“Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” – 1 Peter 5:7 (Stay in God’s Will and your anxieties will fade)

^“58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”- 1 Corintheans 15;58 (Don’t give up! Jesus is Coming)

So my friends, hold on to these verses in your heart. Jesus IS Coming Back, God DOES Keep His Promises, and Heaven IS Real ?

How To Change The World :)

A friend sent me this, just had to share 🙂

“It was the ninth week of SEAL training, which is referred to as Hell Week. It is six days of no sleep, constant physical and mental harassment and one special day at the Mud Flats. The Mud Flats is in an area between San Diego and Tijuana, where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slues – a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you. It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing cold mud, the howling wind and the on going pressure from the instructors to quit. As the sun begins to set that Wednesday evening, their training class was ordered into the mud. The mud consumed each person till there was nothing visible but their heads. The instructors told them they could leave the mud if only five of them would quit – just five – and all could get out of the bitter cold.

Looking around the mud flat, one individual noticed that it was apparent that some students were about to give up. It was still over eight hours until the sun came up – eight more hours of bone-chilling cold. The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear anything. And then, one voice began to echo through the night – one voice raised in song! The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiasm. One voice became two, and two became three, and before long everyone in the class was singing! They knew that if one person could rise above the misery then others could as well. The instructors threatened them with more time in the mud if they kept up the singing – but the singing persisted. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little tamer and the dawn NOT so far away!

If you learn anything in your moments granted on earth, it IS the Power of Hope! The power of one person – Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela, a young girl from Pakistan named Malala – and YES, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! When you are up to your neck in mud – tired and shivering from the cold of the world, attempting its best to try to make you quit – start singing Praises to your Heavenly Father – thanking Him to give you Hope, that no matter how tough it gets – He IS ALWAYS there to help your life have Joy and Peace. Know that He IS your Hope, your Comfort, your Light in the darkness – your Son come up! Be His Example – change the world! In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen. “

“Faith Without Works IS Dead” -The Last Days

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold.”-Matthew 24:12 KJV

First of all, what exactly is iniquity? Webster’s dictionary defines it as “gross injustice” or as a “wicked act (sin)”. One thing we can all agree upon is that iniquity has grown. And sadly, Matthew 24:12 is right, the love of many has grown cold.

To see that, one has only to turn on the news or go outside.

In Portland and Seattle they are killing people, beating them in a manner so cruel and wicked, it’s impossible to watch. The looting and rioting scares us all, and that makes many of us angry.

Then there’s the Homeless. How many times do we see people walk or drive by them as if they don’t exist? And yet, great is their suffering! Who cares how they got there, they are hurting human beings! When did we become a nation that really doesn’t seem to care about their plight?

And then there is abortion. The murder of a child. Let’s put aside for a moment all of those who truly regret that choice, because our Lord forgives them! And let’s focus on those who advocate for it. Those who take advantage of so many women who are in desperate situations. When did we as a nation stop caring not only about the babies, but the women involved?

And how often are people afraid to simply voice their own point of view? And people are afraid right now. They are afraid of being beaten or killed simply for voicing what they feel. When did that happen? When did we become a nation that allowed such evil?

And when did we become less kind? Kindness and generosity used to be the American way. And it can be again, but we have to choose it every single day!

And yet these are just a few examples, there are many more…

There can be no doubt that our natural love for one another in this country has grown cold. As a nation, we simply don’t “love our neighbor” the way we used to, the way God commands us too!

But we can change that. Today! Now!

Because there are still millions of Americans who love our Lord and do truly care about each other! But we need to ask God for the courage to act, for “Faith without works is dead”- James 2:14-26

God can and will help us to love more, just ask Him ?

Making Messes & Asking for Help!

A friend sent me this about creating messes and asking for help. Despite our best efforts, we all create “messes” sometimes 🙂

“Once upon a time, there was a child, who was 6 years old, who wanted his parent to take them to the store to “help” go shopping. The child knew that there was a good chance they would stop at the place next to the store and get their favorite drink – a “Slushee”. As expected, the parent asked the child if they would like to go to the place next to the store. The child replied, “Oh, Yes!!”. They both got something and of course the child requested a “Slushee”. They both sat down at a table and wouldn’t you know – the child accidentally spilled their drink. We are talking blue and red goop all over the floor, the table – everywhere! The child looked up at their parent and immediately apologized. Instead of getting angry, the parent said, “Hey, it happens. Let’s go get napkins and I can show you how to clean it up.” Then they calmly went to get napkins and then helped the child clean the entire mess. As they were throwing the napkins ways, the parent said to the child, “You’re going to be a human being for probably some time, and you have such a smart brain that it’s important you learn how to be more careful of what you’re doing. So next time, just be sure to pay more attention to your surroundings – so accidents like this don’t happen. Accidents like these can be prevented, but it’s still okay if they happen. As long as you take responsibility for your mistakes, the clean up is a breeze. I know big messes seem overwhelming and you might feel like you can’t do it by yourself – it’s okay to ask for help. There is no problem with asking for help when you need it.”
Truly, God’s Children on this earth are born into human nature, which sometimes creates a huge mess. Your Heavenly Father knows this and even helps to guide you around those surroundings, that creates these. He lovingly still gives you a choice – whether to follow His Direction or to create a big mess on your own – all over you and even sometimes all over those around you. He also gives you His Word to help you prevent such problems you may encounter. The best you can do IS really try to follow His Voice in His Will and Purpose for you. When you make mistakes, take responsibility for them – ask your Father to forgive you. Even when they seem overwhelming to you, that you just can’t cope with it all – ask for His Help. He may even send one of His to help you clean up your mess. He IS SO Good like that!
My thoughts and prayers are that you do your best not to make a mess of your life. If you do sometimes, that you not hesitate to ask for your Heavenly Father’s help to wipe away your mess with His Living Water. That especially when you are overwhelmed with the world, that you give yourself to Him and thank Him for helping you. It’s okay to ask for help. In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen”

If God Says No or Not Yet!

God always answers all prayers. But sometimes the answer is “No” or “Not yet”. God doesn’t say no or not yet because He doesn’t love us enough. God does love us enough 🙂

But we have to trust in God’s love too. We have to trust that God knows the whole story, where we only know part of it. We know yesterday and today, but God knows all of that-and tomorrow.

For example, sometimes taking someone to Heaven is the most Merciful thing to do, whether we like it or not. Sometimes a bit of “rain” has to fall for us to grow closer to God. It’s hard to build faith when it’s not used often enough. Tough times force us to use it. (Just like a muscle) 🙂

So if we have been praying with a certain end in mind and it’s not happening. If God seems to be saying, “No” or “Not yet”. Perhaps what we need to do is,

Pray “In Jesus Name, Let thy Will be done”. And find a way to trust in that ?

Matthew 24: More on the Last Days!

⁹“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,”- Matthew 24:9-10

Aren’t people already being put to death for following Christ in some countries? Do we not see many turning away from our faith? And are those who turned away from our faith not angry with those who still follow Christ?

We have seen this yesterday and today. And we will see more of it tomorrow.

And as we approach the Last Days, the persecution will intensify and spread.

So what can we do?

We can pray for those who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus. And we can reach out and give them our love-really give them our love. They need to know that we are here for them. And they need to be reminded that Jesus IS coming back! And that He IS taking them to Heaven forever!

And it WILL be worth it!

More From Matthew 24: The Last Days

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginnings of sorryow.” Matthew 24:7-8 KJV version.

As we can see from this warning from Jesus, war is not enough. It must be accompanied by other things such as “pestilences, famines and earthquakes in diverse places”

We’re not there yet. We may be heading there. We may even be heading there soon. While pestlence does refer to disease, it’s still only one part of the Bible verse. Is a famine coming, maybe. Some even say probably. But it’s not here yet.

So what should we do?

Prepare, Watch and Pray 🙂

The Blessing: Russia

Not A Moment Too Soon :)

A friend sent this to me. It was so good, I just had to pass it on 🙂

“Did you know that your personal example to others IS VERY important? That your single voice, actions, and fervent prayers make a HUGE difference for others? One does not need to spend a lot of energy to witness these facts in our past and present, with their ripples of impact in our future on this earth. The struggle between both good and evil have long been battled in history. Many moments occurred when good was attempted to be “canceled” by evil. God’s Word captured SO many over and over, recorded for ALL the opportunity to witness. Only through God’s Mercy and Grace was evil trampled over by good. Many were “turning points” and involved “Great Awakenings” of our Heavenly Father’s Holy Spirit, Stirring in the hearts of His Children in action. Without a doubt, Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, and Resurrection IS our greatest Turning Point in history! With the Power of the Holy Spirit being given them, His disciples became His Instruments, after His Resurrection, for the Great Commission. Jesus came and spoke to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:16-20)

Did His disciples face hardships in going out, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and fighting evil? ABSOLUTELY!! Evil attempted to “cancel” them out and stop their voices and actions from being heard and felt. Through God’s Strength and Courage they were given, they shared Him with others with even MORE compassion, caring, and enthusiasm! While many in these times feel like their voices are being suppressed and threatened by evil, are there not any better examples to follow than His disciples? NO! Did you think that being silent against evil works? NO! Can you imagine the world now, without the Gospel of Jesus Christ being spread throughout the earth? NOT GOOD! Truly, it will not become any easier to speak out and stand up against evil. The longer evil goes without resistance, the stronger evil will become. Upon accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, being sent His Holy Spirit, you have been made to be His disciple to observe and take action in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Growing in Him and He in you, you no longer have an excuse to be silent against evil. NOW IS THE TIME!, and not a moment too soon!!

My thoughts and prayers are that you be a Good Example of Jesus Christ. That you are NOT silent, even when evil attempts to “cancel” you out of the picture for good. That you receive His Courage and Strength to fight the Good Fight in the Whole Armor of God! That you fervently pray for God’s Mercy and Grace! That you will hear when He calls you Home to be with Him forever and ever, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen. Peace”

The End Times: When & How?

Christians have studied Matthew 24 for centuries in an attempt to figure out when exactly the “Last Days” will arrive. But if there is one thing that is clear, only God our Father knows…

But Jesus did give us some clues that we can look for :). And this next series will attempt to explore some of them.

So let’s talk about what is perhaps the most important comment. In Matthew 24 it seems to imply that “even the elect may be deceived”. Clearly, it is important that we not be deceived by the world or by the many false Messiahs…But how can we protect ourselves from that?

There are three ways! The first is to pray to the Holy Spirit that we will always see the truth-God’s Truth. The second is to read the Bible. When Christ comes again, He will not contradict what God has written :). And lastly, in verse 30 & 31 in Matthew Chapter 24, it says:

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Blessed are we that is very clear that we won’t miss Christ’s Return 🙂