What is Jesus Doing?

John 6:1-2--After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is [the sea] of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

One of the first points I want to make today is, this great multitude just hung around where Jesus hung around. They walked with Him where ever He went. They had seen great things and wanted to see more great things. I believe every Christian longs to see the power of God unleashed and poured out abundantly. In the place where God has put me to work for Him, I don't see a whole lot of His outpouring. Where you are walking with God right now, you might not be either. BUT, that does not mean He is not working in a miraculous way. Hearing testimonies of His saving and healing power encourage us. I started this blog to be an encouragement. I am looking for links to put in the side bar that will lead to encouraging sites and testimonies so we can see more of His power. I don't know about you, but I want to see Jesus lifted higher than ever before.
John 6:5-6--When Jesus then lifted up [his] eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Hey, guys. Jesus ALWAYS has a plan that He is working on for our lives. No matter what it looks like to us, He ALWAYS knows what He is about to do. Notice that Jesus directly asked Philip a question. But, Jesus already had it planned out in His heart. Why did He ask Philip the question? Because, He had some work to do INSIDE Philip. Has God asked you to do something that He hasn't asked anyone else to do? Has God brought you along a path that has you asking, "Why me God? What did I ever do to You to deserve this kind of treatment? Why are You picking on me like this?" Or, how many of US have asked through our tears, "I thought You loved me. Is this the way You treat people you love?" If you have a testimony of how God brought you through a time like this, write it to me in the comment box and I will share it with the other readers.
Remember this, out of all His disciples that were standing around Him at that moment, and out of the thousands of people that were coming towards Him, He took some personal time with a disciple that He loved. Out of everybody that was there, out of all the needs that surrounded Him, Jesus still took time out to teach ONE person something that he needed to know.
And, you are just as special to Jesus as Philip was that day. Now notice that Philip did not ASKED to be taught. Jesus knew that Philip needed an EXTRA word of encouragement to bring the knowledge of His love and providence to a new level in Philip's heart. When God picks us out, when it looks like He is PICKING on us, He is really just picking us out to bring us into a new awareness of His love. Out of all of the thousands around us, He is taking some special time to do some one-on-one with us. Let's throw our hurts and questions away and fix our eyes on Him. Listen to Him instead of complain. Let's see what one-on-one message He has to teach us today.

Pass this on to someone who needs it. I just did!

Book Review

The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster

You may have heard people arguing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you have, you have probably heard some very interesting and intelligent statements. And, then again, you might have heard some really dumb ones. Charles Foster is a barrister, the British version of an American lawyer. From the way he has written this book, I would say that he must be an excellent barrister.

In the very beginning of the book, he tells you that he will give the arguments concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ from both sides. He calls them X and Y. Being the brilliant barrister that he is, he amasses every conceivable fact possible for both the prosecution as well as the defense. Being a former pastor, I thought that I had heard every argument. How wrong I was!

In each chapter, the prosecution against the resurrection would go first. He was so good at presenting facts and arguments, that I was not quite sure how good his defense was. However, when it came time for the defense to offer a rebuttal, he was equal to the task if not greater.

I like chapters seven and eight the best. Chapters one through six were evenly argued. But, in seven and eight, the defense absolutely destroyed the prosecution and laid out the believer’s case for the resurrection in no uncertain terms. Even this former pastor learned several things. This book will be on the front of my bookshelf. I will refer to those chapters again and again.

Booksneeze has supplied me with a copy of this book in return for my review.

AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND--The START Treaty

Oh, yeah.  This is a good one.  The United States is entering into a treaty with a country that is known for it's strong-arm tactics, it's ability to change it's mind to fit it's own ends and for their human rights violations.  That's just like our police departments making a peace treaty with the local Mafia.  Really!?  Like they're going to keep their promises.  You know....cross their hearts and swear to.........whoever or whatever they serve and give each other a pinky shake just to make sure that we know they will keep their word.  Hey, how about this.  One of our own politicians said that even with the reduction of nuclear warheads from 2,200 to 1,550, we would still have enough warheads to blow somebody to kingdom come.  Oh, now that's a comfort isn't it.  But, wait a minute.  If we have 1,550 and they have 1,550......hm-m-m-m ya reckon they could blow us to kingdom come?  Uh-oh, I just had a thought.  (I know, that's an amazing stretch of the imagination.)  Does this country have ties to a couple of other countries who are developing nuclear power?  Ooops.  We don't have a treaty with them yet, do we?  Let's suppose we sign one with these other two somewhere down the road.  After all, we are an equal opportunity.....yada, yada, yada.  So, if we have a 1,550 treaty with three different countries that would like to have our wealth then we would have 1,550 to use against them and there would be 4,650 pointed at us.  Has there been a recall on America's brains, yet?
The recall doesn't need to be on their brains, ladies and gentlemen.  There needs to be a recall on their hearts. America has AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND.  In God's Word, the book of 1 Kings, there is an instance of the kingdom of Judah making a treaty with a nation that did not serve God.  They did it in order to be safe from the kingdom of Israel.  What happened to living for God and prayer?  Leviticus 26:7-8, And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  And, I've got a better one than that.  Paul, the greatest soul-winner besides Jesus Christ, wrote to the Ephesians in chapter six, verse twelve--For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  I've got a real shocker for you, saints.  It is not ONLY the sinner that has AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND, it is those who call themselves by His name, 2 Chron 7:14.  (Hey!  Blow the dust off your Bible and look that one up for yourself.  It'll do you good no matter how long it takes you to find 2 Chronicles.  Hint:  It's in the Old Testament.)  Let me give you a news flash, Mr and Ms Christian, it doesn't matter who is in office.....IT ONLY MATTERS WHO IS ON THEIR KNEES OBEYING THE WORD OF GOD.  Two years ago, I set myself to pray and seek the face of God for our Congress.  It didn't take me but a couple of weeks before I sensed in my spirit that I had finally joined thousands of God-fearing, on fire people who knew the real value of 2 Chron 7:14 as well as James 5:16.  Prayer changed a congress!!!!!  Exodus 23 and 33 promise an angel will fight for God's people who are moved by God's purpose.  The treaty that needs to be made is the one between prayer warriors and the God that answers 2 Chron 7:14.  Congress and treaties have never shown themselves faithful and have never had the power to bring peace and protection.  But, Jehovah Tsaba, the Lord of hosts, stands ready, willing and able to enforce His Word through the power of the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  I say, let's chase our enemies through the power of prayer and living a Godly life.  God's people should be so vibrant and forceful in their prayer lives, that the moment we wake up and begin calling on His name, the devil goes into spasms and starts throwing up in anticipation of what he knows that the child of God is going to start praying.
Pass this on and send me your comments.

AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND--Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Now, you may think that this bill was about Christians.  The way most Christians live, they don't want anyone to ask them whether they are a Christian and they sure enough don't want to tell anyone that they serve the Lord.   And, by the way they live their lives, whether on the job, the market place, or the home you still couldn't tell if they were Christians or not.  The real shame about 'closet' Christians is that people who are hurting way down inside are the same way.  They try to hide it because some will tend to think they are weak.  The 'hurting' are the ones that need to be able to see the real Jesus coming out from our hearts.  Everyone of us who claim the name of Jesus need to pray every morning---God, be real in me today and bring me into contact with someone that I can show the real Jesus to.

The Congress voted to repeal the "Don't ask, don't tell" law.  Folks this is not an issue for our Congress to decide or not.  This is an "Issue of a God kind." Psalm 139:13-16 tells us that God knows who and what we are from the very moment of conception.  (Look out abortion folks, the Word of God stands against you, too.)  The book of Genesis talks about God making humans as 'male and female.'  He didn't make them 'male with a few hang-ups,' or 'females with an attitude.'  The issue is not with our government or with any part of society.  It is an issue between an individual and an Almighty God that that individual will have to resolve either on this side or on the other side of eternity.

Does God hate and abhor those with issues with Him?  Absolutely not.  And, Mr. or Ms. Christian if you look down upon others with disdain, you have issues with an Almighty God, too.  God loves that person(s) so much that He sent His Son to die in their place.  You need to display His agape love to them. 

In summary, I say that it is the Christians that should repeal their own personal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law and come out of their closet.  What do you say?

Mary, Did You Know

This past Sunday, my Pastor used the words of the song, "Mary, Did You Know?" to illustrate some things in his sermon.  She knew that He was the Son of God and that He would come into this world to do great things.  However, the angel never spelled out the things that He would do.  There are no scriptures in the Old Testament that told her that He would:  walk on water, heal the sick, calm storms, cast out demons, raise the dead, or in general, bring the great deliverance that He brought to the entire world.  What she did know, was that He was God's anointed child and God had a special purpose for Him.  That was first and foremost in her mind as she raised and taught her God-given Son.
Psalm 139:13--For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. Vs 16--Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them. The very moment any child is conceived, and as their DNA is being formed, God writes a complete description of him in His book.  AND THEN, He begins forming a plan for his life.  Just like He did for you, and just like He did for your children.  God has a plan for us, even when we blow it and go some other way.  He is constantly trying to get us to follow a path that He knows is best suited for us.  We all remember the scripture that reminds us that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours--Is 55:9.  The best example is Moses.  After he killed an Egyptian and ran away from his people, God met him on the backside of a desert and told him (in essence), "You're still my man and I still have a plan."
Now, let's get down to business.  If Psalm 139 is true, and I believe it is with all my heart, then every person on the face of this earth has a God-plan for their lives.  That includes your children, your step-children and the people you are angry at.  God's heart is to bring them into His perfect plan of blessing.  God has a job for them to do that He is trying to groom them for.  We, therefore, as parents and guardians, should seek to be vessels of God to help Him form His perfect will for their lives. 
The all-important question is, "Parent, do YOU know?"  How do you know what God's plan is for that child He has placed in your keeping.  Mary had no idea that Jesus would go on to do the mighty works that He was God-ordained to do.  We need to consider our actions.  Have I turned this child in the direction that God wants him to go?  Or, have I yelled, beat and abused His handiwork in such a manner that this child might not ever respond to God's prompting?  The next time your anger or jealousy prompts you to action, remember one more scripture--Mt 25:40--Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.  Let us be careful to mold and not to mar.  Let me ask it one more time, "Parent, do you know?"
Pass this on, please.

Keep Your Sanity

Matt 22:37-Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This was the answer Jesus gave to someone who asked Him what was the greatest commandment.  Indeed, if we could get this one down pat, all of the other commandments would be a snap.  Most of us have no problem loving God with our heart or soul (emotions).  But, we all tend to have the problem of loving Him with our mind.  Because of the frantic pace of life, our minds get filled with all sorts of junk.  After all, we have to think about how to start today---how to get the kids ready for school---how are we going to pay the bills---what are we going to say to you know who because they said you know what and did this, that and the other thing.  It's the last one that I really get hung up on.  I realize you probably don't have that problem, but it sure has bothered me a lot.  We all tend to let--he said, she said, he did, she did--monopolize our thoughts until we  virtually reach the point of exasperation.  Can I get an "AMEN?"

Paul said in 2 Cor. 10:5--Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.  If you will think about all that Paul went through, you would wonder, why he didn't lose all of his marbles.  Religious people were trying to mess him up all of the time.  He kept his sanity because he learned how to grab a hold of his thought processes and think only thoughts about his love relationship with Jesus Christ.  Psalm 19:14--Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.  King David, the greatest warrior king and the Apostle Paul, the greatest soul winner both learned how to control their thoughts in a negatively infested world.

Our thought process can either keep us on track or derail us.  Way back when you were dating the one you are married to (way, way, way, way back for some of you), all you could think about was how sweet and wonderful he or she was.  People and life were doing the same thing to you then that they are doing to you now.  The difference is, when people and life did those same things, you changed the channel in your mind.  You found it much, much easier to cope with things when you thought about your lover and the abundance of joy that overflowed in your life when the two of you were together. 

Now, the problem with that is, that after we get married, we no longer take the time to make those "special" moments that used to fill our minds.  Just like our relationship with Jesus.  Right after we got saved, we floated on cloud nine for a while.  Then we came back to earth.  Both with our marriage and with our love relationship with Jesus, we need to stop this busy life and make some "special love times" with our lovers.   Those thoughts will, again, fill our daily routine and help us keep our sanity in an insane world.

Happy loving folks, and pass this on to others whose sanity might be slipping away.

Give the More Earnest Heed

Heb 1:1-God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets,  2-Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.
Heb 2:1-Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Before God created the heavens and the earth, it was all without form and void (see Genesis 1).  Then, God said something.  Stuff that wasn't there all of a sudden was.  Things that might have been floating around in the great never-never land all of a sudden changed their courses and merged with other things to become whatever it was that God said.  In other words, things that were not  there gave the more earnest heed to whatever God said.  Things that were already there gave the more earnest heed to whatever God said.  At the age of 91, Sarah's womb gave the more earnest heed to what God said and she brought Isaac into the world.  Moses gave the more earnest heed to what God said and held his rod over the Red Sea and it parted just like God said it would.  Water changed into wine, the dead came out of their graves and demons ran in fear because they had no choice but to give the more earnest heed to what God said.

However, it is you and I who have a choice.  We can either listen to what the Word of God says, or pay attention to what we see.  Too often, we choose to pay attention to the worry and problems that surround us on every side.  We pay more attention to the news on TV than we do the Bible.  Abraham and Sarah received strength to bring forth Isaac into the world because they gave the more earnest heed to what God said than to what they saw or felt in their own bodies.  They believed that faithfully for 25 years  before they got it but they got it.  The nation of Israel was saved from extincttion because Moses gave the more earnest heed and did the silliest thing anyone could ever imagine.  He held his rod over the Red Sea.  He did what God said and God did what He said.  The waters parted and they escaped the enemy. 

Here's something you might not have ever realised about that scripture.  God, himself, gives the more earnest heed  to His Word when His children choose to believe it instead of what they feel or see.  He didn't care how old Sarah got.  His Word was going to accomplish what pleased Him (Isa 55:11).  He didn't care how big, bad and mean the Egyptians were.  He didn't care how deep and treacherous the Red Sea was.  He had promised Abraham that He would bring his children out after 400 years of bondage.  I could give many more examples.  But the bottom line is when we give the more earnest heed to what God said, He will give the more earnest heed to what He said.  Circumstances and time don't matter to God.  What's happening right now, who believes it and who won't, doesn't bother Him one bit.  When the child that He loves gives the more earnest heed to what He says,  He does whatever He has to do to bring His Word to pass.

Let this word bring you great peace and joy.  Then, pass it on.