Keep Your Eyes On Him

     "To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set His affection on your forefathers and loved them, and HE CHOSE YOU, their descendants, above all the nations as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked or stubborn any longer. for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." Deuteronomy 10:14-17      I read those verses and am just blown away, that the mighty God who created everything I see chose me...and you to be blameless and holy in His sight through His one and only Son, Christ Jesus! With Christmas just days away, many people are rushing around buying gifts, baking or making travel plans. It can be easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle and forget why we celebrate Christmas. One word, one precious name-and that name is Jesus-the name above all n...

     "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5:8-9      It is imperative that we know our enemy and his schemes. He is a master deceiver and he masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) When satan works, he does not show  you how sin will ruin your life-instead he makes it look beautiful and cons you into thinking, "I can get away with this" or "no one will know" or "what is it really going to hurt just this once?" I am quite sure the person who took their first drink never thought, "hey, I think I will become an alcoholic and ruin my life." satan is way too clever and too subtle for that. Friend, our struggle is not against flesh and blood (or against other people), but against the rulers, against t...

     "Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24 These are verses that I find myself praying quite often...along with "create in me a pure heart, O God." Psalm 51:10 My desire is to be, like David, a man (or woman) after God's own heart. I know that on my own, I am wretched-there is nothing good in me except for Jesus! It is all because of Him that you and me can be free to live. Proverbs tells us that "so a man's heart reflects the man." 27:19 Whatever is in your heart will come out of your mouth and into your life. God created us for Him-for His glory. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.(Ephesians 2:10) You and me are still here on this earth for a reason. God could have called us home the moment we were saved, but He did not. The life we live is no l...

     " You are good and what You do is good, teach me Your decrees. " Psalm 119:68 God is always good. It is not based on your circumstances or how you may feel-He is good all the time. He may allow things in your life that you don't understand; things that are painful and hard, but He has a greater purpose in mind. He  may be sifting out the impurities in us. He may be humbling us. He may be showing us that we are not in control-He is. Everything He does is for our good and His glory. Romans 8:28-30 tells us "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, he also justified; those He justified, He also glorified."   Notice He did not say in the good things or some things, but in ALL things H...

     "for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again." Proverbs 24:16 This verse is specifically speaking to God's own. As a Christian, you will still sin, but you are not to stay in the sin, nor dwell on it. 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The moment you confess your sin-agree with God that it is sin and bring it into the light, God forgives you. We must not only confess the sin, however, we must also repent or turn from it. In other words, stop committing the sin. "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:9-10 When this scripture talks about h...

     "But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law , has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ TO ALL who believe. There is no difference, for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely  by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. " Romans 3:21-24 The moment you choose to follow Christ and surrender your life and will to His, you are made righteous. This is not based on anything that you do, it is simply based on God and His gift of grace to you through His Son, Christ Jesus.      Think about that for a  moment.....God's grace is not based on ANYTHING that you do. No amount of good works will get you into heaven, you cannot "earn" your way into heaven, no amount of giving will get you there nor can you get to heaven by going to church or leading a Bible study. God's grace is unmerited favor....He gives...

     "I cry to You O Lord, I say, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Psalm 142:5 God is our portion right now-the land of the living-our lifetime. "Refuge" means protection or shelter as from danger or hardship. Whatever you are facing today, no matter how difficult it may be, God will be there to protect you and keep you. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble . Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:1-7 This Psalm is written for you and for me......

     "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me anymore but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live." John 14:16-19 Jesus has promised the precious Holy Spirit to all who believe and put their life upon the name of Jesus. His wonderful Spirit will be with us until the day of His return. The moment you put your trust in Jesus and surrender your heart and life to Him, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you.      The Holy Spirit is our helper and our guide. He "convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment, in regard to sin, because men do not believe in Me, in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where y...

     "But now, this is what the Lord says-He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel.Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord  your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you. " Isaiah 43:1-4 Through Christ, God has redeemed us and summoned us (or requested to appear or sent for). The next few verses are a metaphor of the trials and difficulties we go through in life...there is a promise for us in these verses that we will not be overtaken, no matter how hard the situation may be, God is right here. He promises to carry us through because we are precious and hono...

     "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1      In this verse, the writer of the book of Hebrews is speaking to each of us about besetting sins. The word "besetting" means "attacking from all sides or to trouble persistently." What is that one sin that you can name right now, that if you took your eyes off Jesus, you could very easily fall right back into? We all struggle with something. Not one of us have yet arrived. I don't know what that sin is for you...it could be deception, spending money on your own selfish desires, pornography, lust, greed, alcohol, drugs, sex, food, or stealing. We must never think "I would never do that again," because as soon as you think you won't stumble, you may end up doing the very thing you said you would not do. ...

     "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9-10 God chose you, my friend, to share in His royal kingdom. He called you out of sin and bondage, and into His glorious light! Through Christ, you have been set free! This earth that we live in, is only temporary...it is not our home. Our home awaits us in heaven. If we could only grasp this, and hold on to this truth...Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you may also be where I am. You know way to the place where I am going. " John 14:2-4 Jesus is preparing a beautiful place for you and for me...Paul called this place "paradise" when He was taken to the thi...

     "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22      The Lord clearly tells us that our obedience to Him is key and He delights in our obedience to Him. God also tells us in Jeremiah, "Obey Me, and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you." 7:23 As followers of Christ, we have God's precious Holy Spirit living within us to guide and direct us. It is important that we know when God speaks to us. The Lord speaks in different ways at different times.God does speak and He wants to speak to you! It is important for us to get alone in His presence and listen. We must tune out everything else around us. It may be a still small voice that you hear deep within your soul. It may be that God is speaking through others or through a song. Each time y...

     This morning as I was pumping gas, I was approached by a very nice woman who came over me and began talking about God. I thought, how awesome this is, what boldness this woman has...but then she handed me a pamphlet about Jehovah's Witnesses. My heart dropped. The scripture immediately came to mind, "You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:31 This woman had been led astray by false doctrine. Any religion that deviates from the word of God in any way is a cult or man-made religion.Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is the Almighty God therefore, they do not worship Him.They also do not believe in the Holy Trinity consisting of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. In Colossians 1:15-18 reads, " He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or princi...

     I was thinking back on my life, and today I felt led to share my testimony. I am going to be completely transparent with you because I want you to know that God saves sinners and changes lives for our good and for His glory! I was raised in church and have been in and out of church the majority of my life. I heard all of the stories about Jesus. I listened to Christian songs. I even read my Bible from time to time, but I was still the same as the rest of the world. By that I mean, I did everything the rest of the world did-I was no different. I went through most of my growing up years trying to fill the void with so many destructive things .... the void that only my Jesus could fill.       Somewhere along the way, I developed an eating disorder that stayed with me for years to come. I was trapped and in bondage and on my own, did not see any way out. I was in the pit. The pit of despair, the pit of trying to do things on my own and the pit of gra...

     God loves you! His word tells us that He is love. 1 John 4:16 He does not love like we do, which often times is based on conditions or what someone can do for us. We make love about us. 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." John 3:16 Who is "the world?" That is EVERYONE....everyone who has ever been born or will be born. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8      The God of all the universe, Maker of heaven and earth, cared enough about you and me to become the perfect sacrifice for us. He chose to willingly come to earth and lay down His life so that you and I could be restored to Him and ha...

     "Let us  not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 Paul writes this empowered by the Holy Spirit because God knew at times, we would feel like giving up. We have a promise from God that if we keep pressing on and not give up, we WILL reap a harvest at the proper time.      This proper time is God's time, not ours-He will work things out according to His plan. God wants to grow us in Him...this may be painful at times and the waiting is hard for us because we live in a world of instant gratification. We want things now, we don't want to wait. It is so important for us to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will. " Romans 12:2 You may be asking the question, what does it mean to renew my mind? It means to take the focus off of yourself and focus on Christ and all that He is. ...

     "But He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. " Job 23:10 Job was a blameless and upright man who feared God and departed from evil, yet, he endured so many horrific trials. He lost his children, all of his possessions, his health, and even his wife told him to curse God and die. When satan approached God after roaming the earth, it was God who brought Job to satan's attention. God asked him, "Have you considered my servant Job?" Job 2:3 God told satan that he could do anything to Job except take his life. "Very well, then, he is in your hands, but you must spare his life." (2:6) One important thing to take away from this conversation is that satan can ONLY do what God allows him to do period. God knew Job, and He knew that Job would remain faithful no matter what circumstances were brought before him. Job had no idea of the conversation between satan and God, he only knew that many bad things were happening. In t...

     I don't know about you, but I am not satisfied with what I know about my Lord. My heart's desire is to know Him more and more the longer I live. Oh, yes, I am completely satisfied in Him, for nothing can satisfy like my Jesus, but I want to continue to grow in Him until the day He takes me home. I believe that God places this desire in us...there is a yearning to know more about our Creator and have Him make us more like His Son.This is a process and as followers of Christ, we should be in a continual growth state. "And this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11      In Revelation we read, "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and hav...

     "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21 It is imperative that we believe that God's word is Truth and that it is God-given, God-breathed and God-protected. His word is without error! It isn't just that some of the Bible is true, or the scriptures we like to hand-pick out of the Bible, but the entire Bible is true. "The word of the Lord is flawless." 2 Samuel 22:31 "Every word of God is flawless." Proverbs 30:5      God's word is powerful! God spoke and the world came to be. Jesus, who is God in the flesh spoke the word to satan after fasting in the desert for forty days and forty nights and satan had to flee. James tells us this in chapter 4 verse 7, "resist the devil and he will flee." It does not say he might flee...

     "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." John 10:10      We have an enemy of our soul. This enemy is satan. He wants nothing more than to rob you of your joy and to ruin your testimony in Christ. This battle began thousands of years ago when he wanted to raise his throne higher than our Lord's. He wanted to make himself like the Most High God. "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." Isaiah 14: 12-15 Read those verses again and notice all of the "I will...

     Lately, I have been burdened by things that I hear people say who profess to know Christ. I cannot stress how important it is to know God's word. Not just hear it in a message on Sunday mornings, but know His word so well, that if the Bible was taken away, you would have scripture hidden in your heart and would not fall away from the truth. We are in the last days. Every thing has happened in the Bible as God said it would. The only book in the Bible that is left is the last book of Revelation. We need to be mindful of this and be ready, for we do not know when Christ will appear and gather His own. He is coming back just as God said He would. God is truth; He is not a man that He could lie. Be aware that there will be people who claim that Jesus is not the Christ. "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2:23 John goes on to tell us "see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. if it...

     Early in the mornings, my dog and I go walking. Usually it is about 5:30am or so when we go. Yes, that is early, but it is about the only time I have to exercise. I have come to really enjoy my early morning walks because it is then, I start my day off with the Lord. Before the sun comes up, I look up and see the stars shining so brightly. I thought to myself one morning as I looked up at those stars...as Christ followers, that is how you and I are to shine in a dark world . We are to be a light in the darkness, reflecting the light of Jesus.      Many things can weigh us down and cause our light to dim. Financial strain, problems in our marriage or family, feelings of inadequacy, and sin. As we go through these seasons of difficulty, it is easy for us to take our eyes off of Jesus and focus on the problem. Unfortunately, when we do that, the problem is then magnified and God becomes small. satan would like nothing more than to destroy our testimony a...

     "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4      It is amazing to me, the people God will allow you to meet at just the right time. Tonight, I was standing in a long line at Forsyth Tech waiting to get my books for the classes I am going to take for the semester. I met a woman while in line and we connected right away. We shared our "story" and realized how very much we had in common. God has a way of doing that. It wasn't by chance that we met. I now have a new sister in Christ! As we go through our struggles in life, we must remember that God always has a purpose in our pain. First, as we seek His face in our sufferings, He showers us with His compassion and peace. Next, we will grow in Him and our faith will most definitely be s...