Keep Your Eyes On Him

      "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, " I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. " Matthew 18:21-22      When someone has wronged you, you have feelings of hurt, anger, sadness and disappointment. Our human reaction would be to get even or to hold on to the offense. If we do this, we are only hurting ourselves. It is like poison to our systems and if we continue to stay angry we actually give the devil a foothold into our lives. God tells us this very thing in Ephesians 4:26-27. "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."       If we live long enough on this earth, we are going to deal with people and situations that are unfair and are just plain difficult. The world will tell you to get revenge on the person or persons who hurt you. We ...

      "For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 117:2     "O, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting." 1 Chronicles 16:34      Have you ever found yourself asking God why? Why would You allow this to happen? If you have lived on this earth long enough, chances are, you have asked these questions. We live in a fallen world where sin and lawlessness abound. You do not have to look far to see this. It is on our televisions, at the movie theaters, the internet and throughout the world. There are horrific tragedies that occur daily. Tragedies in the world and tragedies within our own family. We often times do not understand and cannot make sense of the horrific events that happen. We may never know the answer to our 'why?'       Understand my friend that God always has a plan and a purpose. He is a God of order. He i...

     "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2      When God saves you, He places His Spirit in you. With His Spirit also come love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) However, you and I must make a conscious effort to renew our minds. This is something that God will not do for us, we must choose to do it. You may be asking the question, 'What does it mean to renew my mind?' For starters, we must get into God's word and I don't mean just read it every once in awhile or read it when you "feel" like it. You need to read and meditate on His word so that it changes your thinking. As you continue in God's word, you will be transformed.       This transformation is a process and it is also a battle. We ...

     "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love  one another." John 13:34                  "God is  love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16      What does it mean to be a Christ follower? What does this look like? When God saves you through the blood of His precious Son Jesus, He places His Spirit within you. God lives on the inside of you. When this happens, you begin to change. God gives you His desires so that you want to please Him. He changes your way of thinking.  You no longer do the things you once did. Things that once held you captive; this could have been wrong thinking, alcoholism, sex, drugs, all sorts of addictions,  lying, cheating, lust, pride, selfishness bitterness or hatred...I could go on and on. Through Jesus,...

      "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If any one would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it." Matthew 16:24-25      In this passage, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, but He is also speaking to you and me today. Jesus tells us to "deny" ourselves. By this He means for us to submit to Him and His authority and not give in to our fleshly desires. We are to seek His will above all else. He tells us to "take up our cross and follow Him." Here, He is telling us just as He took up the cross of all our sin and shame over two-thousand years ago and submitted to the will of the Father, we are to do the same. We are to follow Him. Jesus is the way,  the  truth and  the life. (John 14:6) There are not many ways to heaven; there is only one  way and that way is Jesus Christ! False religions teach that there are m...

      "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not  against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:11-12 Friend, whether you realize it or not, you are in a battle; a battle for your soul. satan does not want you to be aware of his tactics. He knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12) and will try anything to steal your joy and damage your testimony. God tells us in His word that, "the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy ." John 10:10 Regarding satan, Jesus also says, "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding on to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44      I want to point out several things to you on the way satan operates. First ...

     "Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth, by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You. " Jeremiah 32:17     Our God is Mighty in power and in strength. He spoke, and this world we live in came to be. He spoke, and created man. He spoke and made night and day. He spoke and all of the animals were created. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 "Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." Genesis 1:26 Oh, dear friend, let those verses sink into your heart and mind, until you realize that there is nothing too hard for our God!       God stands ready and waiting for you to call on Him and to make your requests known to Him, and not only to make them known, but to believe  that He will give you what your heart desires. He promises that if you abide in Him and His word abides in you, then you can ask whatever  you wish and it will be ...

     "And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc: no weapon formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me. Declares the Lord." Isaiah 54:16-17      We have an enemy of our souls who wants nothing more to destroy us and our testimony. He is a liar and the father of lies. But God has promised us that no weapon formed against us will prevail! I know there are days when it seems everything is coming against you. How do you think Daniel must have felt when he was thrown into the lion's den? He could have let his circumstances cloud his view of God, but instead, He chose to believe that God could and would deliver him from the mouths of the lions. Think about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego for a moment. They were told by King Nebuchadnezzar that if they did not worship the image he made, they would be thrown into the fiery f...