Keep Your Eyes On Him

     "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...

     "He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5 God knows why we do the things we do. He knows whether we are doing something for His glory or for our own selfish gain. The motives of our heart are important. Why do we do the things we do? Is it because we want to be recognized or because we want to bring glory and praise to our Father? The word motive is defined as: "an emotion, desire, need or similar impulse that causes one to act in a particular way." Every good and perfect gift comes from God and He is the One who gives power to make wealth. Are we giving Him credit for this or are we taking all the credit? You may be successful in your business, you may hold a position of power in your church, school or organization. You need to be careful to remember it is God who has placed you where you are.      "All a man's ways seem in...

     I don't know about you, but it wasn't until I was in my late twenties when I heard the term "sanctified." At the time, I thought, what in the world does that mean? You see, I grew up in a Lutheran church. Now before I say this, I want you to know that, it does not matter what religion you are, as long as the word of God is preached and the belief within the church is that Jesus is The Truth, The Way and The Life. Apart, from Him,  we cannot be reconciled to a Holy God. This is not "me" saying this, it is God's word-it is what He says. In the book of John, Jesus tells us,  "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6      I never heard that preached in the church I grew up in. I first heard about Jesus at a Christian camp I went to when I was about twelve years old. It was then, that I knew deep within, I wanted to know more about Jesus. Little did I know, the Holy Spirit was drawing me ba...