Nothing Escapes Him

Psalms 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.

I have to admit that when I hear a born again follower of Jesus use words like "chance, coincidence, or luck", I cringe. Why, you ask? Well, because we have a God who is sovereign, and is in control of all things. There is nothing that our Lord does not know, even before any of it happens. Before any one of us came to be, the Lord already knew us, and had a plan for our lives. Our God is not somewhere far off, watching us live life, without caring about what happens to us on a daily basis. Quite the opposite is true. Jesus is with us, every day, up close and personal. The Lord knows every little detail of yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's life events and circumstances. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and also promised that He would work all things together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). The bottom line is that in Christ we never walk alone. In good times, tough times, sad times, times of mourning, and times of celebration, Jesus walks with us. So, is there really any such things as chance, coincidence, or luck? No, no, no...our God is always in control, even when things appear to be out of control. His sovereignty, His Kingdom, rule over all. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is ever out of His control, down to every heartbeat and every breath we take.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Unshakeable Joy

1 Peter 1:6-9 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

How is your joy today? Strange question you say? Well, I guess what I am asking is, "What brings you joy, and what determines whether or not you have joy?" Is our joy dependent upon our circumstances, or is it rooted in Jesus? Our joy is either going to crumble and disappear, or stand strong and be unshakeable. Please understand that I am not talking about being happy. Happiness is usually rooted in what is going on in our lives from moment to moment. I am talking about true joy; a joy that is evident, even when it seems that our life is falling apart around us. The strength of our joy is going to measure in accordance to where our hope lies. In this chapter, the Apostle Peter reminds us that we have an inheritance waiting for us when we finally leave this place to be with Jesus. That my dear brothers and sisters is true hope. Too many of us "hope" that our circumstances will work out in our favor. That is not what biblical hope is all about. Biblical hope tells us that we have a Living Hope in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3). Real hope is the belief, and expectation, that something is going to happen, without a shadow of a doubt. In other words, by faith we believe Jesus is who He says He is, and will one day return to get us. If we are not alive to see that day, then by faith we believe that when we are absent from this body, we will be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). The bottom line is that if our hope is in Jesus and all His promises, then regardless of our circumstances, our joy will not be shaken. We will enjoy the peace and joy that comes from putting our faith in our one and only Living Hope; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

His Strength and Our Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

How many of us enjoy loss, pain, or suffering? I am sure some of you are probably asking, "What kind of silly question is that?" I know none of us enjoy suffering or experiencing pain. However, it is often through trials, loss, and pain that we gain the most spiritually. It is during the most difficult times in life, and our walk with Jesus, that we learn some of the greatest spiritual lessons. I still remember the time, many years ago, that I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I was at the height of ministry, traveling, singing and preaching in a number of different churches. Yet, at that moment that I was given the news, there was a peace that obviously came from the Lord as He reminded me that He already knew that there were lesions on my brain, long before the doctor told me. I often struggled with short term memory loss, feeling light-headed, fatigued, numbness on the left side of my face, and trouble speaking. Amazingly, whenever I had to get up to sing and preach, there was no hint whatsoever that I was struggling. The Lord carried me through that time, and not once did I struggle with speaking a word, singing a song, or recalling a verse of Scripture when I was behind the pulpit. As many prayed for me, as I prayed, and made some adjustments in my eating habit, the miraculous happened. At my last appointment, more that 11 years ago, the doctor informed me that he had never seen anything like what he saw in my MRI. He thought that the medication he prescribed, which I informed him I never took, had caused the lesions in my brain to heal. Needless to say, I was more than happy to tell him that the healing did not come from the medication, but as an answer to prayer to my God. As I left that last appointment, a great sadness came over me. Why, you ask? Well, because those weeks and months that I struggled with the symptoms of MS were the most intimate days I had with my Lord. I had to rely on Him like never before, as I had promised that even if He did not heal me, I would continue to sing and preach for as long as it was physically possible. Now that I was healed, I was afraid that of my own doing my level of intimacy with Jesus would decrease. It was during one of the most challenging and uncertain times of my life in ministry that I learned the most about my Lord. He showed just how amazing His grace was, and is, and how perfect His strength was in my weakness. As strange as it might sound to some, I remember that time of suffering with great fondness, and have not experienced another time of intimacy like that one. So, I say as the Apostle Paul said, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Shhhhh...

Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Can we all agree that there is nothing we do that God is not already aware of? He knows what we are going to do, think, or say, even before we have the idea or thought ourselves. If that is so, which it is, why do we feel the need so often to send out the marching band, banging the drums, and blowing the trumpets, with a giant banner, telling everyone what deed we just did for someone? We reap from whatever we sow, but it is God who gives us what we reap. As born again Christians, we represent Jesus in all that we do. That means that when we have an opportunity to do good to others, we represent the Lord in doing so, and we should always be ready to do good, especially for a fellow brother or sister in Christ. It is by the way we love one another that the world will know that we are His (John 13:34-35). Here is the rub however... Far too often, we do good to others, but feel compelled to announce it so that everyone will tell us what a great Christian we are. I'm not saying that we cannot share testimony whenever God moves us to share. I am talking about sharing our good deeds under the pretense to give God glory. The Bible tells us that we were created unto good works (Ephesians 2:10), and that when men see our good works, they will glorify our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). Nonetheless, Jesus was very clear, in Matthew 6:1-3, that when we do a charitable deed, we are to do it for the Lord to know, and no one else. The reality of what we do is that if God wants someone to know we did a good deed, He will make sure it is known. Just as easily as we can announce it, the Lord can move the person who we did the deed for to share that testimony with others. When it is all said and done, every single good and charitable deed we do will be examined, and judged, by the Lord when we stand before Him at the Bema Seat Judgment (1 Corinthians 3:13). At that time He will reward us for our deeds. If all we seek is man's praise, and pat on the back, then we have all the reward we will ever get (Matthew 6:2). So, the bottom line is this... When we do good deeds for others... Shhhh...

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Thank Him Every Day

Psalms 100:4-5 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Thanksgiving...the one holiday this time of the year that is often glossed over in society. We have bought into the world's attitude about starting to celebrate Christmas in October. It really is no surprise that the devil would not want us to have a season to stop, reflect, and be thankful for all that God has done for us. Sadly, Thanksgiving has become like many other holidays, where the focus has been turned to what we are going to eat. It most certainly is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, but it should be, for us who know Jesus, a time of reflecting, and being thankful for the goodness of God. For us who know the Lord, and have a personal relationship with Him, every day should be Thanksgiving. Every day should be a day that we give praise and thanks to the God who died for us, gave us eternal life in Jesus, and who has been, is, and will continue to be faithful and good to us, regardless of our circumstances. I would suggest that we continue to thank God every day, but next year, as we begin to decorate for the harvest season, rather than focus our attention on how soon we can put up Christmas decorations, let us start a countdown to Thanksgiving by intentionally finding one or two things each day to thank God for, until Thanksgiving Day. I guarantee that it will bring us to a new level of intimacy with the One who deserves all the praise, glory, and thanks, for all the undeserved blessing we have in Him.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

He Is Not Deaf

1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

James 4:2-3 tells us, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." We often wrestle with those moments when we feel like God is not hearing or answering our prayers. We allow the devils to convince us that God is ignoring us, and does not care about what we are going through. We begin to feed into the lie that God does not love us. What we fail to consider is that we may be praying, but not praying in accordance to God's will. The fact of the matter is that God is not deaf; He does hear our prayers. Far too often we pray and expect God to answer, but we never stop to consider that there may be unresolved sin in our lives that we have not repented of and confessed. The other issue that creates a prayer block is the fact that we do not stop and ask ourselves if we are praying selfishly. Are we prayer for things that go contrary to God's Word? Are we praying for things that glorify us, and not the Lord? Our greatest stumbling block is that we spend little to no time in Scripture, and only show up before the Throne when we want something. How often do we complain about those people who show up, or call, only when they need something? The rest of the time we do not know if they are dead or alive. How often are we this way with God? Well, the simple fix is that we need to spend more time in God's Word and praying in accordance to the Scriptures. When we pray, we need to reflect on our own motivation, and ask God to show us what is on our hearts when we are coming before Him. We have a God who ALWAYS hears our prayers, and ALWAYS answers. We may not always like the answer we get. However, God is just, fair, and always answers in a way that is best for us, and brings Him the most glory, in accordance to His will, and His plan for our lives.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Keep Looking Up

1 Samuel 30:16-19 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.

As I read these verses, I could not help but think of the return of the Son of David, our Lord and Savior, returning to take possession of what is rightly His. His return to takes us away, His church, His Bride, will be like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 16:15). While the world is busy eating, drinking, being merry, and saying, "Peace and security," their destruction will be sudden and catastrophic (1 Thessalonians 5:3). The Amalekites were so busy celebrating their temporary victory, that David's appearance caught them completely off guard. Christians, are we being lulled to sleep by the things of the world? Have we become complacent in our Christianity, and become like the world, living as if Jesus is not going to return any day now? Have we looked around and observed all that is happening, and realized that the Lord's return can happen at any moment, any second? What are we doing, how are we living, in light of that? Are we living lives that honor Jesus? Are we telling others, with urgency, about Jesus coming back to get His church, so that they are not left behind? What are we relying on to recognize the sign of the times, the news, social media, or the ultimate authority...God's Word? My brothers and sisters, we need to wake up and stop being distracted, and lulled to sleep, by the world. Jesus' return is certain! He will first come back for us, and later return to fulfill His promises to Israel. The exciting news is this, not only will Jesus come back to get us, but like David brought his men with him to this battle and victory, we too will return with Jesus and witness His ultimate victory over evil and the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom! Exciting times ahead! Keep looking up...it can happen any moment now!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

What If, What If, What If

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Fear...the one weapon that the devils use to stop us in our tracks as we walk with God. Sadly, we often allow ourselves to be sucked into the devils' favorite game of "what if". "What if I fail?" "What if this happens, or that happens?" "What if God...?" "What if, what if, what if?!" "What if" is the hired killer the enemy uses to kill our service, kill our courage, and kill our faith, which affects our personal walk and intimacy with Jesus. May I remind all of us that in dying, Jesus defeated death, took away its sting, and took from the devil the one thing he held over our heads, fear...the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). The enemy, knowing he can no longer threaten us with death, because in Jesus we have life eternal, now instills fear using two simple words, "what if". What is Jesus desiring to do in our life right now that we are hesitating to trust God for, because we have allowed ourselves to be pulled into a mind game of "what if"? In Christ Jesus we have been given a spirit of power that enables us to do that which was impossible without Him, with boldness and courage. We have been given a spirit of love that reminds us that God's love is unchanging, and has enabled us to love God, and others, in a way that was impossible without Him. We have been given a spirit of a sound mind which gives us the ability to have self control, be sober minded, and enjoy the peace that comes with knowing that the Spirit of God indwells us, seals us, and is always with us. It is time to shed the fear that we are allowing to have a control over us, that Jesus took from the devil on that morning when the tomb was found empty. Rather than let "what if" paralyze us, why not let it be what motivates us? "What if I miss a blessing by not doing what I know God is calling me to do?" "What if this person actually accepts Jesus, if I open my mouth and say something to him/her right now?" "What if Jesus comes back today? What will I have to show for this wonderful gift I have been given in Him?" "What if I pass up the opportunity to hear, 'Well done good and faithful servant'"? "What if I just ignore the devils and their foolish attempts to stop me, when I know without a shadow of a doubt that my God is unstoppable?!"

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

His Love Will Never Fail

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

I read an interesting quote by CS Lewis this morning, "The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us." Stop and think about that for a moment. Read it again if you have to. God loved us and died for us while we were yet sinners and His enemies (Romans 5:8). Today's verses teach us that God chose Israel, not because they were anything special, but simply because He loved them. We did not choose God, but He chose us (John 15:16). We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people (1Peter 2:9-10). Like Israel, there was nothing special about us, other than the fact that God loved us and chose us. What that means is that God's love for us was not, and is not, measured by how good we are, but by God's goodness, mercy, and grace. In other words, He loved us, and loves us, in spite of our imperfections. He already knew that we were loud mouths, stiff-necked, contentious, obnoxious, selfish, greedy, angry, liars, and whatever else we want to add to this list (if we are honest about who we are). Yet, none of that deterred God, or became a determining factor in His love for us. Why do I say all this? I say it to remind us that when the enemy comes to whisper the lie in our ears that Jesus no longer loves us because we did "this or that", that we remember that God loves us because He loves us, and nothing or no one can change that or separate us from His love (Romans 8:37-39). Before I close, however, I want to remind us of this one thing; God loves us, but God is also holy, just, and will not hesitate to chasten us when we sin. He does it BECAUSE He loves us. So, when we stumble, know that God's love for us is unchanging. Repent, confess, get right with the Lord, and continue walking in His love, because it will never ever fail us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

A New Thing

Isaiah 43:18-19 "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert."

In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul tells us that he did this one thing; "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Pressing forward, moving ahead...what keeps us from living the life God wants us to live for His glory? What keeps us from serving God in the way that He desires to use us? More often than not, the one thing that stunts our spiritual growth, and hinders our walk with God is that we keep looking back and refusing to let go. When we find ourselves in those seasons where God is quiet, we immediately revert back to rehearsing in our minds all our mistakes, bad choices, and our past sinful behaviors. Even in the seasons when God is trying to move us forward, we play tug-of-war with God, holding on to the past, to relationships we should let go of, habits that we keep holding dear to us, and seasons in life that have already come to an end. I read an illustration this morning that shed some light on letting go. Every year, in certain parts of the country we experience the beautiful colors of the Fall season. The bright colors that artistically paint the landscape leave us in awe, but in the back of our minds, we know that it is also the indication that one season has already passed, and this one is about to end. We then enter a season where there is cold weather, bare trees, and a dreariness that for many of us makes us yearn for the season where we begin to see the budding of new life. Amazingly, we see God bring about that new season with new life, every year. The Christian life is no different. God tells us that there is a season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Yet, we often get stuck in the dreary, depressing, and unproductive season, because we refuse to let go of things that hinder our relationship with Jesus, or the past that He already forgave. Letting go, and starting a new chapter or season can be an intimidating, and scary thing. Maybe God is trying to move us to a new way of serving, or a new location where we can serve a new circle of influence. Whatever the reason, know that God is still in control. We need to let go of the things we continue to hold on to, and give God control. When we insist on holding on, we stand the chance of forfeiting blessings that God is desiring to give us, if we would just let go. So...it is time to take inventory of our lives, walk with Jesus, and make the decision to let go, so that God can be God, and do the new thing He wants to do in our lives.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Gratitude and Contentment

Psalms 107:8-9 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

The level of contentment in our life is measured by how grateful we are. How thankful are we for all that God does for us? If we stop and think about it, the simple fact that we have called upon Him, and He has forgiven us and given us eternal life is far more than we deserve. Are we grateful for our salvation? Do we thank Him often for that? Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that if we only have Him, we have all we need. Yet, as we proclaim the wonderful news of the Gospel, far too many of us Christians walk around as if we were baptized in pickle juice! We claim to have victory in Jesus, to have peace and joy, but somehow have failed to tell our face and attitude about it. How much time do we spend giving thanks to God? Does our time of whining about what we do not have or what we desire (that He has chosen not to give us yet) overshadow all the undeserved goodness He has already showered us with? May I suggest that we take a day or two, when we pray, to leave our laundry list of requests in our pockets, and instead just sit quietly with Him, giving Him thanks for all He has already done, and continues to do for us? I guarantee, if we make it a practice to give thanks regularly, we will find that we will be less miserable. We will come to realize how much He has already done for us; how much we have that we really do not deserve, and how blessed we are. Let us be thankful for another day of life, for family, friends, health, and so many more things that we most likely take for granted. If we have none of that, remember, we have Jesus, we have life eternal, we have the hope of His return, we have Heaven and its rewards. We have a God and Savior who loves us and takes care of every need. If we have all that, then honestly speaking, we already have more than we deserve. Let us begin, right now, to give thanks, be grateful, be satisfied, and practice being content with whatever the Lord chooses for our life. It will make us smile more, and make our faith and message more believable to those to whom we proclaim it.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

The Greatest Teacher

Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

As I was having my personal devotional time this morning, I was asked to reflect on those who were godly influences in my life. As I thought about it, I had to admit that I never really had that kind of influence in my life. My mom, did the best she could, but with no real father figures around to be an example, or any other real living examples of what it meant to be a godly man, I grew up with a bit of a disadvantage. It was not until my adult years that I came to know Jesus. My walk with Him has been a tough one, mostly because of personal decisions. However, by the grace of God, I have had one of the Greatest Teachers anyone could ask for, the Holy Spirit. In Christ, I have been able to walk through, and learn some tough lessons, in the school of hard knocks, about what it means to live a life that honors God. Although I still have a long way to go, I share this today to hopefully be an encouragement to those who might be struggling with their faith, and their walk with Jesus. God has been my ultimate Teacher, who has been loving, merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and better to me than I deserve. With that said, it has also taken a commitment on my part to be in His Word continually, pray every day, and make a real effort to be a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer. We have a God who does not give up on us. Instead, He beckons us to come to Him and let Him lead us in the paths of life He desires for us to walk on, as we serve Him and fellowship with Him. If we have Jesus, we most definitely have the Greatest Teacher anyone could every ask for. We simply have to allow Him to be God in our life, and let Him lead.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

He Has Never Lost

2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.'"

Ever hear the saying, "You win some, you lose some"? Does not life feel that way at times? For some of us, it might even feel like, "Am I ever going to win one?" As the king was preparing to go to battle against the Moabites, God reminded him and his army that it was not his battle. The battle belonged to the Lord. In other words, "Do not fear, this is not your fight. It is mine, and I never lose." Although our battles today manifest themselves in the physical world, our enemies are spiritual (Ephesians 6). Our enemies are invisible to the physical eye, and they are always at work. God has given us spiritual armor to stand in these battles of life. However, the truth of the matter is that the fight does not belong to us, it belongs to God. As we pray, read, study, memorize God's Word, and apply it to our daily lives, the Holy Spirit works in us, reminding us that the battle is God's. As we go out and share the Gospel with others, we need to remember that we are safely sealed in Christ, and regardless of what happens on the battlefield, we know our destination...Heaven. Even as we face illnesses and diseases that can take our physical lives, the bottom line is that no disease, even cancer, if we know Jesus, has the victory. For when we close our eyes in physical death, in Christ, going home to be with Him is victory. That victory is only possible because of what Jesus did on Calvary by laying down His life for us. The fact that He took His life up again on the third day is what gives us the ultimate victory. So, the next time we find ourselves in the midst of one of life's battles, we need to remember that the battle is really the Lord's, and He has never lost a fight to anyone or anything.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Where Was God?

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

How often have we heard someone say, or even we have said, in recounting a tragedy or trial, "Where was God?" How often do we pray as we are suffering, and feel like our prayers are going nowhere? It seems as if our pleas and supplications are falling on deaf ears. Where is God?! Maybe we have sinned and now as we deal with the consequences, we feel as if God has turned His back and wants nothing to do with us; even though we have repented and confessed it to Him. Has He finally said enough is enough and just left me? Where is God?! When the angel of the Lord explained to Joseph that the Baby the would be born to Mary would be called Immanuel, he was not only telling Joseph the Baby's Name, he was also telling him, the One who is coming will always be with us. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we were sealed and are kept by the Holy Spirit. We have a promise in both the Old Testament and New Testament that says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5-6) That is a promise that is not, and will not, ever be broken. Regardless of what we go through in this lifetime, the one thing we can count on is that God is always with us. It does not matter whether we feel His presence, God is here. Not only is God here, He is wherever we are because He is omnipresent (in all places, everywhere). Our God sees our pain, keeps our tears, and walks with us through life's toughest moments, even if He chooses to walk silently. By faith, we know He is here, and by faith, we know that in the end, He works all things together for good for those of us who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Frontline Victories

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

In war, the last place any of us would want to be is the frontline. For some of us, that is what life feels like; like we are continually on the frontline, fending off the enemy's attacks. Oftentimes, when God warns us of coming trials, or we find ourselves in the center of tribulations, the first thing most of us default to is fear. We then go through the process of trying to find the peace that is available to us in Christ Jesus. May I ask a question for all of us to consider? If God promises, and we know, that in Christ we already have the victory, why is fear our first response to trials and tribulations? Think about this...in a physical battle, there is never any certainty who will win. However, in the spiritual world this is not so. In the spiritual realm, Jesus is always the Victor. That means that regardless of what we are called to endure, in the end, regardless of the outcome, in Christ we are the victors! Consider this one verse, John 16:33. It tells us, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Note that Jesus promised that there will tribulation. However, notice what He did. He first spoke of His peace, and immediately spoke of being of good cheer, meaning good courage, and finished off with victory. The great news in all this frontline activity is that tribulation is sandwiched in between peace, that is God's peace, courage, and ultimate victory. So, the next time we find ourselves fighting on the frontline, let us enter the battle having the peace of God that passes all understanding guarding our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7), being courageous, knowing that in Christ we will be victorious!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Bitter or Better

Psalms 56:8-9 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.

Let us stop and look around for just a moment. Do we see the evil around us? Do we see the pain and misery that surrounds us? Do we see the disappointment, distress, and depression in the lives of so many, even maybe our own life? If we focus intently enough, those of us who know Jesus, we will see the demonic activity that is prevalent in the world today. Now imagine that we receive news of a loved one that has passed away in death. We are expected to mourn, yet carry on with life. Imagine that now we are being falsely accused of some wicked crime we did not commit, and as a result are beaten almost to death. Those whom we expected to come to our defense are suddenly nowhere to be found? What do we do? How do we respond to such suffering? Who do we turn to? Is there not one person who will come and see us through it all? Will these experiences make us bitter or better? Well, I will say this first, that there is One who will not only be with us, He already is. He is the One who already experienced the pain of losing a cousin who was beheaded. Yet, He continued on the mission He was sent to accomplish. He saw the wickedness of the world and had confrontations with demons. He was falsely accused, beaten, His closest friends betrayed Him, and when it was all said and done, He gave His life for each and every one of us. His Name is Jesus, and on the third day after He gave His life, He took it back up, defeating death and the grave. In Him we already have the victory we need to be better when trials, tribulations, and sufferings come. If at the end of our sufferings we are bitter, then it was a choice we made. We have a God who walks us through each and every trial we will ever experience, and the best part is that He can relate to every single pain we experience. He too shed tears while He was here on earth, and He cherishes and keeps our tears. Let us always find comfort in the One who watches over us and walks with us. Let us be better, and not bitter, when God allows us to walk through the more difficult times of life. We have a Living Hope who has saved us so that we can be assured that in the next life will be free of all suffering, pain, and tears, because we will finally be with Him where He is, just as He promised (John 14).

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Don't Take the Bait

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Temptation...the human mousetrap. Stop and think about that for a moment. A mousetrap offers the mouse the bait, and promises that if the mouse takes the bait, it will give it food, pleasure, and satisfaction. As it lures the mouse, the unsuspecting victim reaches for the bait that looks good, smells good, but the bait is only a façade that covers what really lies in underneath...death. Temptation is no different. Satan offers the temptation, trying to convince us that the bait he is offering will bring enlightenment, satisfaction, fulfillment, and greater happiness. However, the facade he paints for us is only a mirage in a desert valley filled with death. His ultimate goal is to kill our reputation as a follower of Jesus. He wants to sift us as wheat to make us useless for the cause of Christ. His desire is to steal our identity in Christ, as he knows he cannot have our soul. Satan's offerings are not for our benefit, but for our destruction, and for the ruin of our relationship with the Lord, our families, and our friends. He knows what bait to put before us that will excite our flesh, and convince us that the shortcut he offers is far better than waiting on the Lord, and living out His plan, "that is just taking way too long to be revealed". Matthew 4 gives the account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Jesus stood His ground, using the Word of God to push away the bait that Satan offered over and over. I love what this chapter tells us when Satan finally fled. In verse 11 it reads, "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." That my dear brothers and sisters was the greater reward, and the ultimate in satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment. Jesus came for a purpose, and He stayed focus on that purpose. We have been separated unto God, in Christ, for a purpose. We need to stay focused and on course. So when Satan shows up and tries to bait our flesh, trying to convince us that what he offers will be better for us than the blessings God has in store for us... DON'T TAKE THE BAIT!!!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Settling for Ordinary

John 15:13-14 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

What a Friend we have in Jesus... A Friend who proved His friendship and love for us, on the cross. What have we done to prove our friendship and love for Him? Are we taking up our cross daily and denying self (Matthew 16:24-26)? Are we laying down on the altar and offering up our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2)? Are we proving our love by obeying His commandments (to love God with our entire being, and love our neighbor as ourselves; Luke 10:27 & John 14:15)? What is lacking in our friendship with the One who should always have the place in our life of being our Best Friend? Oftentimes, what lacks in our relationship and friendship with Jesus is faith (Hebrews 11:6). We are too busy trying to direct the Lord in how we think our relationship should be, and thereby think that we can also convince the Lord that our plan for our life is somehow better than the plan He already has. You see, the plan we have takes less faith. It keeps us in our comfort zone and allows us to choose when we should sacrifice something, or not sacrifice anything at all. Sadly, all we end up accomplishing, at best, is wasted years, missed opportunities, and missed blessings. A true friendship with Jesus will bring us to a place where we live an abundant life (John 10:10). I am not talking about prosperity or "name it claim it". I am talking about a life of real intimacy that gives us the strength to move mountains by faith. I am talking about an intimacy that give us the courage, in Christ, to face whatever giants God allows to challenge us, knowing He is with us and will give us the ultimate victory. I am talking about a life lived by faith that will take us to where we could never take ourselves by doing things our own way. It is time to put aside the superficial relationship with Jesus that we use to make others think that we have this deep, intimate, relationship with God. It is time that we seriously seek true friendship with the One who calls us friends, and trade our ordinary, everyday, existence for a supernaturally intimate friendship with the One who already proved His friendship and love for us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Boast of Heaven

1 Peter 1:17-19 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

I am one who enjoys hearing about other cultures and its traditions. Many of us take pride in our heritage, and some even proudly display the flags of our countries of origin. As born again believers, do we take more pride in where we are from here on earth, or are we more careful to demonstrate to this world that Heaven is our home? The reality is that this earth is heading for a meltdown, a real "big bang", according to 2 Peter 3:10. A day is coming when the Lord will destroy this earth and heaven, and create a new heaven and a new earth. Sadly, we have a tendency to hold on tightly to that which is earthly, and give little thought to the heavenly. Because we put such importance on the earthly, we measure our worth by the things of this world; what we own, our status in society, what job we have, how much we get paid, how big our house is, or how new and fancy is the car we own (I should say "that the bank owns"). Nonetheless, we need to remind ourselves each and every day that regardless of where we were born physically, because we are born again, our home is not this earth. Our home is Heaven, and we were bought with a very precious price...the Blood of Jesus. Our importance is not measured by what the world deems important. Our worth is measured by who we are in Jesus, and the fact that we are precious to our God. So the next time we want to boast about where we are from and how important we are, let us boast about Jesus and what HE did to make Heaven our home.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Yes, He Wants to Talk

Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

It truly is amazing, even mind boggling, that the God of the universe still wants to talk to us. When we think of who we are, not who we want others to think we are, but the people we really are, it is unbelievable that we have a holy, righteous, just, and perfect God who desires to speak to us. He does not just want a passing word from us, or a quick acknowledgement as we go about our busy days. He actually wants to fellowship with us. How much real effort do we put into spending time in fellowship with Him? Sadly, it is not just busy schedules that keep us from spending real time with our God and Savior. Oftentimes the root of our lack of fellowship with God has to do with the lies we believe, when the devils whisper them in our ears, about who God is and who we are in Christ. We allow guilt, and feelings of unworthiness, over things God has already forgiven, to keep us from drawing near to Him. We sometimes see God as being smaller than our trials and circumstances, and seek our own solutions; thereby leaving God out of the equation. There is much that God desires to talk to us about in respect to His plan for our lives. He wants us to know about the things to come, that He has already revealed in His Word, so that we do not live each day in fear, as we are bombarded with all kinds of negativity from the world, the news, and social media. So, if you ever wonder if God still wants to talk to us...yes, He does. He wants to talk to us, guide us, and reveal to us, from His Word, the many things we have yet to truly understand. We need to stop listening to the devils, the world, and all its various information platforms, and pick up the one source that will allow us to hear God speak to us and show us the great and mighty things He has done, is doing, and will do. It is time to shut off the world and its noise, and just spend time quietly listening and having fellowship with God.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

More Important Than A Building

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

In my years as a born again follower of Christ, the one thing that I have observed is that we, sadly, take better care of a church building than we do the temple of the Holy Spirit...our bodies. As much as it is comfortable to have a nice building to meet in, I truly believe that the enemy has caused us to think that somehow having a nice church building is what is going to build God's church. Yet, I see in other countries, that God's church (the people) is growing, without the ability for them to meet in an "actual" church building. I cannot help but think that the monies we throw away maintaining a structure, that has now taken on more importance than the actual temple of the Holy Spirit, can actually be used to support missions and other activities that God can use to reach the lost. With that said, I certainly praise God that He has used a number of local churches at their meeting places to win the lost and encourage believer, and in rare cases these days, use the building to feed and provide shelter. However, I have to step back and even ask myself, do I take care of, and put as much importance and priority in, my body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit? We take care of the church building because we have dubbed it "God's House"; yet, we are careless with the Holy Spirit's temple when it comes to keeping it from being stained with our sinful behaviors and attitudes. Just like we are careful with the church building because it belongs to God, we must be even more careful with the temple that Jesus purchased with His own Blood, for our redemption. So, the next time we are tempted to use the Holy Spirit's temple for something other than glorifying God, we may want to step back and prayerfully reconsider what we are about to do or partake in.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Piercing the Dark

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I find it amazing that this one letter to the Church at Philippi is what we read today as a Book of joy and encouragement, when the Apostle Paul actually wrote the letter while imprisoned. The Apostle was in chains, in a dark place, and yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit gave us one of the most encouraging portions of Scripture. We know from what Jesus said in the Book of Acts, chapter 9, and the Apostle's own testimony (2 Corinthians 11:16-33), that he suffered many trials for the cause of Christ. Yet, even in the darkest of times, he teaches us how to use the light of Christ to pierce the dark. We, as born again followers of Jesus, are called to shine the light of Christ in this dark world. It begins by rejoicing always, giving thanks and praise to God, regardless of our circumstances (Hebrews 13:15-16). As the light of our praise begins to pierce the dark, we turn it up and make it shine brighter by not worrying. Instead, we bring our concerns to the Lord in prayer, and trusting by faith that He has all under control. His promise is that He will give us the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. As we continue our walk of faith, we look for opportunities to be a blessing to others, even in the midst of our own sufferings, because we know we have, and trust, the God who is able, and will, supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. With such promises, and such confidence in the God who is over all, we can not only pierce the darkness that the enemy wants us to lose ourselves in, but in Christ we can obliterate it.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Where Do We Go?

1 Samuel 1:15-16 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my Lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord . “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

As I read of Hannah's anguish, and heartfelt pleas to the Lord, I could not help but think of Job. His suffering came as a result of being a righteous man whom God held up before Satan. Hannah suffered persecution as a result of God closing her womb. However, God had a plan for Hannah's life, and the child who she would later bear, who would be the Prophet Samuel. In the midst of Hannah's anguish, she gives us the perfect example of where we should go in our times of despair. Far too often we try to solve our own problems, seeking resolutions that make sense to us. Yet, the end result is that we usually make things worse. When we find ourselves in a trial that seems like it will never end, or never go away, we sink further and further into despair; when all along we have a God who promises that we can cast our cares upon Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Whatever we face in our walk with the Lord, we must remember that God is always aware of what is happening, because He is the one that allows or does not allow circumstances to be what they in our lives. Our faithful God, while allowing trials, is also the ever faithful God who sees us through, walks with us, and longs that we turn to Him and trust Him for the outcome. He promised that He will work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). God is not blind, is not ignorant, and did not become powerless overnight. He is Almighty, He is just, and all He does is not only for our good, but also for His glory. So, when we find ourselves in the depth of despair, we need to get on our knees, bring our pleas to Him, and rest assured that He hears us, has a plan, and a solution, long before the trial ever comes our way.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Is Jesus First?

Revelation 2:4-5 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Can any of us take a step back, consider how we are living, and honestly say that Jesus is still our First Love? Is He the first Person we spend time with in the morning? Is He the first Person we think of when we make our daily decisions? Is He the first Person we think of when we are dealing with others, or responding to those who challenge us or offend us? Where exactly does Jesus rank in our lives? Far too often, we let life rearrange our priorities, beginning with our relationship with Jesus. Our wants and desires can easily cause us to put Jesus second. The material things, status, and relationships we go after, quickly take first place in our lives. As the things we want seem to become less attainable in accordance to our timetable, we begin to pray less because nothing seems to be happening. We begin spending less time reading and studying God's Word, because now we have to get busy doing the things that will give us the riches that will allow us to get what we want, as we convince ourselves that we really deserve them. Before we know it, Jesus does not even rank second or third in our lives. In the end, we end up overworked, stressed, depressed, discouraged, and broken. Some have even ended their own lives. Before we get to that place, we must decide right now, today, that we will stop pursuing the empty promises this world makes. We must make every effort to make Jesus the First Love of our lives once again. We must make it our life's goal to pursue Jesus with all that is us. Let us begin with repentence and confession. Let us begin each day with prayer and His Word. Let us live each day seeking to apply His Word to our lives. Let us love God with all that we are, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Let Jesus be first in our lives once again, and forevermore.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Stand Still and Watch

Exodus 14:9-10 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord .

Imagine the desperation the Israelites must have felt the moment they saw Pharaoh's army, and realized they had no possible escape route. Amazingly, the Lord was visibly present with them in the Cloud and Pillar of Fire that was leading them, yet they panicked. Moses' response to their desperate complaints was to be still and see the Lord's deliverance. The Cloud that led them changed position so that it stood between Israel and Pharaoh's army, giving light to God's people and bringing darkness to their enemies. Israel had full protection and safety from those who threatened them. God then did the impossible, parted the sea so that they could escape on dry land, and destroyed Pharaoh's army when they pursued God's people. How often have we felt like the Israelites, being caught between the trials, tribulations, and challenges that threaten us, with what seemed to be no possible way of escape or resolution? How do we respond to such circumstances? Do we immediately panic and lose all hope, or do we do what Romans 12:12 reminds us to do? "Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;" In other words, do as Moses told Israel to do, "Be still and watch God deliver us." The same God who parted the Red Sea for Israel is the same God who can make a way for us, no matter how impossible the situation might appear to be. We have a God who is continually standing between us and our enemies. He is our Light in the dark times of life. Jesus is our Protector and Provider, and our greatest Shelter from all of life's challenges.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

It's Okay to Ask

Job 3:25-26 For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.”

Life can certainly bring us to the place where we begin to ask, "Why?" Those moments when painfully tragic events happen. Loss of loved ones. Loss of all we have, or loss of health. Job lost his children, his servants were murdered, his wealth was gone, he was now dealing with health issues. To add to his misery, he had a wife who was less than supportive. In all he suffered, he did not shake his fist at God, or curse God, as his wife suggested. However, Job did ask, "Why?" He questioned why he was even born if he was going to suffer such misery and pain. The truth is that any one of us can find ourselves asking the same questions that Job asked, especially when it seems that God is silently standing by. It is in those moments when God is silent, that He wants to hear from us. It is during those moments of temporary silence, that God wants us to bask in His presence. Even if we cannot muster the words, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26). As we grieve, our Lord grieves with us, even as Jesus wept, as He stood at Lazarus tomb knowing He was about to raise him from the dead (John 11:35). When we cannot comprehend why we are suffering a tragedy/tragedies, we have One who not only knows why, but is with us, wanting to comfort us, if we will turn to Him. In His time He will help have a better understanding of why He allows what He allows. But if He chooses to keep the reason to Himself for a time, know that He will always do what is right and just, no matter how painful a situation might seem to us. We have a God who will sometimes allow pain into our lives, but will use that pain to help us grow in Him. In the midst of all of it, He wants to, and can, comfort us, and wants us to know that He really does not mind if we ask Him, "Why?"

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).