Happiness In Trials

Romans 5:3-5Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

3 And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. 4 And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us.

Romans 5:3-5King James Version (KJV)

 3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Matthew 5:10-11Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

10 Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution for doing what is right.
   God’s kingdom belongs to them.  11 “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you.

Matthew 5:10-11King James Version (KJV)

 10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

This has got to be one of the hardest things to bring yourself to do. It defies the natural tendencies of human, it goes against the grain of human nature. I am learning how to apply these verses to my life though and I have found it renders a more optimistic approach to trials. It's not easy though and I fail a lot! How do you handle your trials? What works best for you?

Happy Leap Year

I've always wondered should a being be born on Leap Day how does he celebrate his birthday?

 If a couple marries on Leap Year how do they tally the years?

Does the fact that the birthday  or the anniversary of the marriage actually has the date happen every 4 years, take away from the birth or the marriage at all when it comes to the mark of another year?

Hmmm... just thinking out loud.What would you say to this? Do you have any questions or comments to add to "thinking out loud" ideas?

So with the holiday coming every 4 years, how do you plan to make "the most of Leap Day, February 29th?"

How about a movie?

 

In the movie Leap Year, a woman (Amy Adams) heads to Ireland in order to force her boyfriend (Adam Scott) to accept her wedding proposal by scheduling it on leap day, the only time when he couldn't refuse due to the country's tradition in this Spyglass Entertainment romantic comedy. Shopgirl's Anand Tucker directs from a script by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. Matthew Goode co-stars as a handsome innkeeper who throws a wrench into the woman's plans.

 I added this vintage photo of a postcard from 1908. The idea of Leap Year is unique. I hope you have a blessed one! 

Praise The Lord My Friends!!

I am pleased to share this letter with you from Satan, but I want
you to understand what is being said in this letter. This letter
is written from the devil's perspective when, we, the saints of
God are not being real, nor living a HOLY and SANCTIFIED Lifestyle.
Holiness is not just what you wear, but how you think, what's in your
heart, the company you keep, the places that you go and abide,
the words that come out of your mouth and your whole manner of
conversation and the way that you live. Holiness is a way of life.

When Jesus is just a part of your life you make Him equal or less
to the other things in your life like, your job, your family, your car,
your business, your entertainment, your family and even yourself.
God said, in the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt have no other gods
before me." The scripture also states that HE is a jealous God, and
beside Him there is no other.

When Jesus is the center of your life, everything in your life revolves
around JESUS. You will WANT to be at church. David said in Psalms, "I was glad when they said
unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." IF JESUS IS THEN CENTER OF
YOUR LIFE YOU DON'T MAKE A MOVE WITHOUT HIS COUNCIL NOR DO YOU DO ANYTHING,
AND I MEAN ANYTHING, THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.

So this letter that I am about to share with you is told from the devil's
perspective only.  LISTEN carefully and understand the words that Satan
is saying to the hypocrite

A LETTER TO YOU FROM SATAN

I saw you yesterday as you began your daily chores.
You awoke without kneeling to pray. As a matter of
fact, you didn't even bless your food, or pray before
going to bed last night. You are so unthankful, I LIKE THAT
ABOUT YOU!! I cannot tell you how glad I am that
you have not changed your way of living. FOOL, you are
mine.  Remember, you and I have been going steady for
years, and I STILL DON'T love you yet, and never will,
but you're too blind to believe that. As a matter of
fact, I HATE YOU!!!, because I hate JESUS!! I'm ONLY USING
YOU to get even with JESUS for defeating me on the cross.
Jesus kicked me out of heaven and I'm going to use you as long
as possible to pay Him back.  You see, FOOL, JESUS LOVES YOU
and HE has great plans and blessings in store for you, but, like a
silly fool, you have yielded your life to me and I promise to make
your life a living Hell. That way we'll be together twice. This will
really HURT JESUS. Thanks to your weak self I'm really showing
JESUS who's boss in your life, you know, with all the good times we
have and are having together. We have been watching porno's together
cursing people out, telling dirty jokes, stealing, lying, being hypocritical,
fornicating, overeating, gossiping, being judgmental, backstabbing people,
disrespecting adults and the ministers in leadership. We have no respect
for the church and we have very nasty attitudes, oh and don't forget we've been doing gang related activities, smoking weed and hanging with the homies and not going to church cause we got too many other things to do. We even cheated on your spouse together and dabbled in homosexuality, remember?  SURELY, you don't want
to give up all that stuff, right? GOOD, so we can all burn in HELL together.
I'm going to love your company while we are in torment together forever.
I got some HOT plans for us. This is just a letter of appreciation from me to you.
"THANKS" for letting me use you most of your foolish life.. You are so gullible, I
laugh at you, all the time. When you are tempted to sin, you give in HA HA HA,
you make me sick.  Sin is beginning to take its toll on your life. You look 20 years
older, and now I need fresh meat and new blood. So go ahead and teach some
children how to sin. All you have to do is smoke, get drunk or drink while under-aged, cheat, gamble, gossip, have sex outside of marriage and be as selfish as possible and maybe even a little gang activity or weed smokin. Oh yea, I almost forgot. I really want to thank you for promotin my explicit music. You really help me promote sex, drugs, violence, and anger for no reason. It has caused the death rate of young people to quadruple, so hell is getting filled up a lot faster thanks to you.  Do all of this in the presence of children and they will do it too.  They do what you do too. Kids are like that.. Well, FOOL, I have to let you go for now.  I'll be back in a couple of seconds to tempt you again.  If you were smart, you would run somewhere, confess you sins, repent and be baptized in JESUS Name for the remission of sins and get the HOLY GHOST and then hide the WORD of God in your heart, put on the whole armor of GOD so that you can be able to withstand all of the tricks that I'm gonna get you with FOOL. If I were you, I would LIVE for JESUS with what little bit of life that you have left.  It's not my nature to warn anyone, but to be your age and still sinning, has become a little bit ridiculous, don't you think? People are coming down here in groves, cause there are more people now acting like fake Christians now than there has ever been in history. I have more fools like you who continue to sit in churches and live like me. I like it when you sit in church and feel comfortable living like a fool, hey keep it up and I'll be assured of being with you throughout eternity. Guess what,  I'm tricking more fools, like you now than I ever have before, FOOL!!

Don't get me wrong, I still hate your guts.  IT'S JUST THAT YOU WOULD MAKE A BETTER FOOL FOR CHRIST!!    P.S. - If you really love me, you won't share this letter with anyone.

Let's stand up and take a stand for JESUS and let Satan and the world know that we are the champions of the world for JESUS Christ. Let's go back to the altar, back to fasting, back to prayer and back to the Holiness that we learned as children and let's really make Satan out of the liar that he really is.  Repent of your sins anytime the need arises, we all make mistakes, and start today, to live a holy and separated (sanctified) life once again for JESUS. Rededicate yourself. If you're holding onto Christ and living the life, and really going through with it, keep holding on cause your redemption draws neigh. Jesus Is Still the Answer (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Covered

Me (in a tizzy) : God, can I ask you something?

GOD: Sure.

Me: Promise you won't get mad?

GOD: I promise.

Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?

GOD: What do you mean?

Me: Well I woke up late,

GOD: Yes

Me: My car took forever to start,

GOD: Okay....

Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait

GOD: Hmmmm..

Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call

GOD: All right

Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?

GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.

Me (humbled): Oh...

GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road

Me (ashamed): ............

GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work

Me (embarrassed): Oh.....

GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered

Me (softly): I see God

GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.

Me: I'm sorry God.

GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good and the bad

Me: I WILL trust you God

GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan

Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.

GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children.

Scriptural References: II Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 3:5, Hebrews 2:13

Yearning

I ponder this venom that runs in my veins, tempting my lips to murmur those words I despise... IM BORED...I tend to get so tired of life's consistencies, the very same thing happening day in and day out. Some would suggest I am behaving ungratefully or that I'm discontent ...nope, not that at all.

I have an amazing family, a stable job and a brood of loving friends... I think the very fact that we are created to YEARN for God and to realize all of this... (The good and bad.. Is only temporary), is what makes us tire of the ordinary. Total satisfaction would distract and perhaps, redirect us from where our focus should always be and that is upward and on Jesus.

My Statement of Faith

Section 1: The Bible
I believe the Bible, comprised of the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God (Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). In faith I hold the Bible to be inerrant in the original writings, God-breathed, and the complete and final authority for faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17). While still using the individual writing styles of the human authors, the Holy Spirit perfectly guided them to ensure they wrote precisely what He wanted written, without error or omission (2 Peter 1:21).

Section 2: God
I believe in one God, who is Creator of all (Deuteronomy 6:4; Colossians 1:16), who has revealed Himself in three distinct Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14), yet who is one in being, essence, and glory (John 10:30). God is eternal (Psalm 90:2), infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), and sovereign (Psalm 93:1). God is omniscient (Psalm 139:1-6), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-13), omnipotent (Revelation 19:6), and unchanging (Malachi 3:6). God is holy (Isaiah 6:3), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and righteous (Exodus 9:27). God is love (1 John 4:8), gracious (Ephesians 2:8), merciful (1 Peter 1:3), and good (Romans 8:28).

Section 3: Jesus Christ
I believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God incarnate, God in human form, the expressed image of the Father, who, without ceasing to be God, became man in order that He might demonstrate who God is and provide the means of salvation for humanity (Matthew 1:21; John 1:18; Colossians 1:15).

I believe that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary; that He is truly fully God and truly fully man; that He lived a perfect, sinless life; that all His teachings are true (Isaiah 14; Matthew 1:23). I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for all humanity (1 John 2:2) as a substitutionary sacrifice (Isaiah 53:5-6). I hold that His death is sufficient to provide salvation for all who receive Him as Savior (John 1:12; Acts 16:31); that my justification is grounded in the shedding of His blood (Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:17); and that it is attested by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; 1 Peter 1:3).

I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven in His glorified body (Acts 1:9-10) and is now seated at the right hand of God as our High Priest and Advocate (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).

Section 4: The Holy Spirit
I believe in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). He regenerates sinners (Titus 3:5) and indwells believers (Romans 8:9). He is the agent by whom Christ baptizes all believers into His body (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). He is the seal by whom the Father guarantees the salvation of believers unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14). He is the Divine Teacher who illumines believers’ hearts and minds as they study the Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).

I believe that the Holy Spirit is ultimately sovereign in the distribution of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11). I believe that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, while by no means outside of the Spirit’s ability to empower, no longer function to the same degree they did in the early development of the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:20; 4:7-12).

Section 5: Angels and Demons
I believe in the reality and personality of angels. I believe that God created the angels to be His servants and messengers (Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 148:2; Hebrews 1:14).

I believe in the existence and personality of Satan and demons. Satan is a fallen angel who led a group of angels in rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-15). He is the great enemy of God and man, and the demons are his servants in evil. He and his demons will be eternally punished in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

Section 6: Humanity
I believe that humanity came into existence by direct creation of God and that humanity is uniquely made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27).I believe that all humanity, because of Adam's fall, has inherited a sinful nature, that all human beings choose to sin (Romans 3:23), and that all sin is exceedingly offensive to God (Romans 6:23). Humanity is utterly unable to remedy this fallen state (Ephesians 2:1-5,12).

Section 7: Salvation
I believe that salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christ’s death fully accomplished justification through faith and redemption from sin. Christ died in our place (Romans 5:8-9) and bore our sins in His own body (1 Peter 2:24).

I believe salvation is received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Good works and obedience are results of salvation, not requirements for salvation. Due to the greatness, sufficiency, and perfection of Christ’s sacrifice, all those who have truly received Christ as Savior are eternally secure in salvation, kept by God’s power, secured and sealed in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24). Just as salvation cannot be earned by good works, neither does it need good works to be maintained or sustained. Good works and changed lives are the inevitable results of salvation (James 2).

Section 8: The Church
I believe that the Church, the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all believers of this present age (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27). We believe in the ordinances of believer’s water baptism by immersion as a testimony to Christ and identification with Him, and the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of Christ’s death and shed blood (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Through the church, believers are to be taught to obey the Lord and to testify concerning their faith in Christ as Savior and to honor Him by holy living. I believe in the Great Commission as the primary mission of the Church. It is the obligation of all believers to witness, by word and life, to the truths of God’s Word. The gospel of the grace of God is to be preached to all the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20).

Section 9: Things to Come
I believe in the blessed hope (Titus 2:13), the personal and imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to rapture His saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). I believe in the visible and bodily return of Christ to the earth with His saints to establish His promised millennial kingdom (Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6). I believe in the physical resurrection of all men—the saints to everlasting joy and bliss on the New Earth, and the wicked to eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).

I believe that the souls of believers are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they await their resurrection when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). I believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until their resurrection when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne judgment and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15).

Roman's Road to Salvation

The Romans Road to salvation is a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the Book of Romans. It is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided salvation, how we can receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation.

The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent. Romans 3:10-18 gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives. The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, Romans 6:23, teaches us about the consequences of sin - "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up where Romans 6:23 left off, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:8 declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus' resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins.

The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation. Romans 5:1 has this wonderful message, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8:1 teaches us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."