What is the Word of God?

What is The Word of God?

“The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone,

But by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Matthew 4:4

We are living in a time when it is so very important for people to understand what the “Word of God” really means.  Everyone knows what the Bible is; it’s a book about Christians and what we should do and what we shouldn’t do.  For many that is the sole purpose of the Bible.  Some may read it and some may not. Let’s go beyond skimming the surface of it.

If we only pick a few verses out of the Bible, your understanding could be like this: “Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."” (Matt. 27:5 and Luke 10:37)  We certainly don’t want to make a teaching out of that.  It doesn’t make any sense and certainly doesn’t show the love of God.

 

The Bible tells us that we should meditate on the Word of God, so we can have understanding of what he is showing us.  In Joshua 1:8 it says, “Study this Book of Instruction (Bible) continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”  This is so simple and yet people ignore it. You need to read the Bible faithfully every day and then think about it.  That way you will understand what God wants you to know and live like it says.  If you live like God tells us to, you will succeed in all you do.  What is so hard about this?

However, there are many, not a few, but many who are teaching otherwise.  Quoting Pastor Rob Bell, “Ignoring the Bible will help the church stay up to date in the current times.”  He goes on to say that 2000 year old scriptures can’t help anyone and does not fit in our culture.  It reminds me of a verse in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.” People like Bell are preaching a different Gospel and are not true Christians or they would not denounce the Word of God. 

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”  The Word of God is God!  If you start at the beginning with Genesis, when God created everything it began with “God said”! Over and over again it is “God said”.  If God is who he said he is and he said he is the same now and forever, who can argue with that?  The Word of God has such power.

The Word of God is alive; it speaks to your heart and minds. There are times when you are looking for an answer, so you read the Bible and God will give you the very scriptures that answer your questions.  Even though I have read the same verse many times, this time those words pierce your heart and soul.  There may be times that God warns you about something in your future.

There is such a thing as discernment and it comes from God.  You may meet someone and right away you know that something is not right.  You may feel a darkness about them; it may even be a supposedly godly person, but if you have the Holy Spirit you will understand. How do you know about such a thing as discernment? God told you in his Word he was sending the Holy Spirit to teach you.

By discernment you will see people for who they are and not through what they are pretending they are. Read this in the book of Matthew 7:20, “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. When I became a real born-again believer God changed my life and gave me a whole new attitude. I wanted to listen to what God told me and do what he said to do in the Word. I am a serious believer and I love the Word of God.  The words of the Bible speak to my heart.  The Word came to me before I ever understood it.

As a child I sang all the time; in fact I was singing on stage by the time I was five years old.  However, my real desire was to play the piano and when I was twelve years old my parents bought me an old upright piano.  I finally began lessons and as soon as I learned notes, I tried to play something. We had an old Hymnal and I turned to page 333 (I still have it) and tried to plunk out the keys.  Its title was “Wonderful Words of Life”. I sang along with it and the words went like this:

Sing them over again to me, Wonderful Words of Life;

Let me more of their beauty see, Wonderful Words.

Words of life and beauty, Teach me faith and duty.

Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of Life

Even then, God was showing me to love the Word of God.  I eventually learned to play that song like it should be played.  It is still so meaningful to me after all those years.  I keep that songbook on a shelf right over my desk.The Bible is more than just a quick glance; it is so deep and its words are always fresh and true.  Drink it in and you will find a deep love of its words.  They are truly “Wonderful Words of Life!

 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 

Ready - Set - Go!

Ready-Set-Go!

             "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be  afraid,                                     

 nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

After watching the news and reading newspapers, I have come to the conclusion that we are standing on the threshold of an open door.  When you step over it, you will hear the words, “ready - set – go”, and you will be off and running toward an unknown goal. January and February were like a practice run, but now is time for the real race to begin.

The Bible tells us about the ‘race’ of life in Hebrews 12:1, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  It doesn’t tell us what we see and hear as we run.  It does give us encouragement by saying, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 3:14]   This is what we need to do; keep your eyes on the goal!

We watch as worse and worse things happen in our country and the division gets wider and wider.  Somehow, if this country doesn’t stand together, it will bring bloodshed.  Third world countries have lived like this most of their lives, but we are still a free country under the protection of an Almighty God.  As people turn from God, worse things will happen.

This is not prophesy, but is logic when looking at our country as a whole.  The Civil War was the worst thing that ever happened in this country where 3 million fought and 600,000 died in the four year war.  If that were to happen today, there would be more destruction and many, many more deaths because of the weapons we have.

My question is this, is dividing our country purposely worth the cost?   It cost our nation dearly over 200 years to achieve what it is.  Is being Liberal worth the things they are doing now, trying to abolish a conservative government?  They keep saying people are scared by the Republican government, but more people are scared of a Liberal government or they wouldn’t have voted for President Trump.

The truth is, a true born again Bible believing Christian with good conscience, could not vote for a Liberal President. They allow things that totally go against the Word of God.  You cannot keep God out of the picture or you will have nothing to rely on. However, a liberal government does believe in things like freedom of speech, progress and reform.  The problem is that they take it a step beyond by allowing ‘anything goes’ pattern because they believe in, “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” [2 Timothy 3:5] 

A good example of Liberals is found in 2 Timothy 4:3, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”  I’m sure you get the picture. 

The New Testament was written 2000 years ago, yet it tells us what was going to happen in our present time.   Not only does the Bible tell us what would happen, but going on it tells us the consequences of those who follow this pattern of life. In verse 7, it further explains how these people who pride themselves in their intelligence are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

We must make a stronger stand than ever before of our Christian belief in morals, faith in one God, and in the Truth which is the Word of God.  We must not allow the enemy of our souls to defeat us. God is on our side.  Be bold and be ready. Our goal is looking for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Always be Ready Set Go!

Cities Without Walls

Cities Without Walls

“A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.”

Proverbs 25:28

Walled cities have been in place for thousands of years; they are nothing new. They originally were built to protect cities from warring groups who tried to harm them and take over the city.  Without walls they would certainly be invaded.  There are many countries who have walled cities today. My daughter and son-in-law recently returned from Israel and told how many guarded walls were erected around various cities.

Some cities have large stone walls but most are no more than barbed wire stretched across a border.  The border between North and South Korea is about 211 miles and is being guarded by soldiers.  There is a border between Mexico and Guatemala to “keep out freeloaders”. Why is it such a big problem with us?

Our borders are basically open on both the north and the south.  In 2011 approx. 484,072 illegal immigrants came across our borders.  They included illegals from 75 countries. Despite the recent apprehension of the 13 Syrians at the border, The Washington Times reports that "some 25,000 illegal immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have been caught in the first seven weeks of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1 — an increase of 58 percent. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., says that at least ten fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have been apprehended while attempting to enter the southern U.S. border.

We do not know who these people are, or their reason for coming here without paperwork. No one can go into European or Asian countries with Visas and Passports.  Why should people expect to enter the US without the same Identification?

Spiritually speaking, most of us build walls around our hearts.  We don’t always have open access to our Lord.  We think we can hide things from God.  We can’t seem to get it through our heads that God sees everything and knows everything.  We cannot hide anything from God. The strange thing about it is that when we build walls, only God can tear them down, but we have to let it go. 

When we do something that we know to be wrong in the sight of God, it’s called sin.  When we sin, our walls go up.  When we try to hide sin from God, it begins to fester and grow until we have a huge problem. Our relationship with God starts to diminish.

When we let people like Isis terrorists into our country, they begin to grow and draw others in until danger is within our walls.  That means that our country is in grave danger because we didn’t weed them out before they got in.

This is the same as our walk with the Lord.  When we hide sin, it builds up until we can no longer see the road ahead.  God himself has given up walls; walls to keep us safe from the sin in our lives.  That is why we need walls across our borders. 

I am reminded of a time in our country when the only thing we had to save us was believing in God’s Faithfulness. It was the War of 1812 with the British.  A certain lawyer, Francis Scott Keys tried to negotiate with the British, but the bombing and killing continued.  We would not back down and as long as we could see that flag, we held on. Out of that, Keys wrote the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Many think it’s alright to desecrate our flag, but it’s the flag that reminds us of the reason we hold that flag so dear because so many died for it. God gave us this land and has protected it for over 200 years but if people continue trying to divide this blessed country, we may be on the edge of defeat.

I love this country so much and if it takes walls and borders to keep it safe, I’m all for it.  The Liberals think they know best, but Satan has blinded them to the truth.  They don’t even realize that abortion is ‘Murder”, and several other agendas are against the Word of God.  All they want is the demonic road they’ve been traveling on.  They don’t even realize there will come a day of reckoning!

‘Countries without Walls’ will soon bring destruction if we allow it.  Remember what Gods people stand for and be a part of it.  Forget all the protesting, in the end it means nothing.  These words are meant for those who stand for Christ.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
  All other ground is sinking sand.

Under New Management

Under New Management

“Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses.”   Deuteronomy 34:9

  

The last few weeks we have seen how history repeats it’s self from Moses time and this present day.  Moses went through many troubled times with his people turning away from God and then some kind of disaster would happen and they would turn back to God. Moses was the greatest leader that ever lived, but even he didn’t do everything right.  He did some things that displeased God and because of it, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. 

           

It became time to have a new leader and God appointed Joshua, Moses assistant.  Just as we do today, Joshua was sworn in by Moses laying on of hands and promising to do everything that God had given directions to do. No man is perfect and cannot please all the people all of the time.  So it was and so it is.  The problem is the people who live in a nation.  A divided nation never survives because one side demands something different from the other side.

I have lived through leaders from Franklin Delano Roosevelt and now Donald Trump.  I have never seen such division in this country before.  Some presidents were liked and some weren’t, but we still respected the position of presidency.  From that day to this we have lowered the standard of Morality, Christianity, Respect, Truthfulness, Decency and Honesty among other things. 

Today we live in a time where Hate is above Love; where Liars are above Honesty and where Self and Pleasure are above Giving and Caring.  I wondered how the human race could endure this way of life and then I read this in 2 Timothy 3 verse 3:2-4.  “But know this that in the last day’s perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”  We are living in Perilous Times right now.

I wonder no longer because I see it all around me and this is a far greater fear than terrorists or outside forces of evil.  The killing of law enforcement and the racial killings have only begun and religious killings are on the rise as those without conscience are only too ready to do it.  The more the hatred; the more deaths there will be.

I watched the drop of morality when President Kennedy was in the White House and he had one affair after another. The worse was when Clinton was president and his immorality opened the doors for young people who believed what he said about “oral sex was not fornication”.  It corrupted our young people in ways that are hard to believe. Again in Obamas reign, it seemed that lying was acceptable to most of the country and religion was a curse to mankind; only Islam had a place in the government.

Let’s face it, new management was and is the only thing our nation could do to survive.  I personally would not have chosen this man for a president, but to have picked another Clinton would have been the greatest catastrophe that ever happened to this country.   I must trust in God, that like Joshua, He has chosen the best one for a leader. 

God knows the beginning and the end and you can be certain that his plan is still working even if we can’t see it all the time.  Something had to change or we would have been eventually destroyed.  We have been the last Christian nation to survive and we are still standing.  What we need is a great revival in America and we must pray for that and for more people to stand up for Jesus and let their voices be heard.  So many in government end their speeches with “God Bless America”, He won’t bless our land unless we act like His children.  We know what to do if we read the Bible and pray.  Until that happens, don’t expect for God to help us.

Following Gods Plan

Following God’s Plan

 “They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly. They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far!” Numbers 16:1-3 (NLT)

When God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land, He didn’t change his mind.  He had decided long before, when Moses was adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace like a prince.  While there, he received the finest schooling and wisdom from all the leaders in the palace.  He learned what it was to be a leader. First he had to learn and then he had to be humbled by being sent into the wilderness to live. A great leader has to be strong, quick to make decisions and move on them.  It may take some time to become humble and they don’t always show it, but it happens.

God had shown the Israelites many miracles while they wandered the desert, but they were used to being under the bondage of the Egyptians and many decided they wanted to go back.  They liked some of the stuff they had back there because they were used to it. (I never would have made it in Egypt because I don’t eat onions and hate the taste and smell of garlic). They were afraid to go forward and see if there was something better ahead.

They were against Moses and decided to start a rebellion.  The means they used was to march in a protest.  They even suggested killing Moses.  Does any of this sound familiar? This was a bad choice!  You don’t want to make God angry, but they did it.  Things began to happen to them; the ground opened up and swallowed many, deadly snakes invaded their camps and 14,700 people died of the plague. 

I’m not saying God would do these things today, but when you come against the will of God, I would think twice.  I will say this: these last ten or twelve years, disasters like hurricanes, floods, mud slides and storms of all kinds have increased.  They try to lay it on global warming, but if you go back in history you’ll find many periods of times we went through periods of ice melt, extreme heat and extreme cold.  Talk about scaring people. It is only one group of people in our divided country that claims global warming.

I don’t understand protesting anyway, because it is not going to change things.  In many groups of protesters, some are paid to march and stir up people.  That’s why some of those who get violent and break windows and damage cars and such don’t do it in protest but to try and show their power when all they show is their lack of intellect.  No matter the reasoning behind doing this, there is also consequences.

Can you imagine a parent telling a child, “Let’s go out in the street and protest and yell awful things about people who aren’t even there. Remember, you won’t be punished for whatever you do and never forget, I’m the one who told you to do this.”

It’s really not too hard to imagine because I’ve watched protesters who take their children along and even give them signs to carry.  Oh, yes, these kids will remember and as they grow up they will do what their parents do. The biggest percentage of people protesting is because they don’t want their rights taken away; their right to kill their own babies.

The Ten Commandments tell us, “Do not kill”, but they want to be able to kill their unborn babies.  Our laws tell us we cannot commit murder, but we can kill our unborn baby.  Some new babies have defects, bad hearts, all kinds of ailments and they all do whatever they can to save a child and they should.  But now, if you don’t want a baby you just kill it to get rid of it and think it’s the right thing to do.  This is called women’s rights.  That’s only one of the problems.

It is hard to believe that there is such a thing as Black Power and White Power.  Why– we all live in this country and we should be called nothing but Americans?  Many of us come from various roots of our ancestors and we can’t change that.  It’s in your DNA and most of it comes from several different races. So, what is it you’re protesting?

You may not like our new president, but he’s the first one I remember that does what he said he would do, like it or not.  He’s far from perfect, but who is.  This country is a mess and messes take time to clean up.  Do all the protesting you want; he is our president.  Just like God put Moses in command of the Israelites and I’ve showed you what happened to those against him.  Let’s see what happens because God will be sure to show you.  Remember this, God is still in control and nothing happens that He doesn’t know.

Protests Gone Wrong

In Times of Trouble

In Times of Trouble

“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Psalm 34:17 (NKJV)

Some days it seems like we’ve got more troubles than we can possibly handle. So we pray for God’s help and then tell him what to do about it.  We forget how big God is and that he doesn’t need our help.  We think we are the only one with troubles.  Our troubles seem to be so big, but there are troubles way bigger than we know.

I’ve been thinking about all the troubles around us and in the world as a whole and it certainly is too much for a person to handle.  I was reminded of many years ago of a musical called, “Music Man”, one of my favorites.  There was a song in it that sticks with me still, “Trouble, oh we got trouble, Right here in River City! Trouble with a capital “T”.  We can reword the one line to read “Right here in the world!”  Oh yes, Trouble with a capital “T”.

We all have personal Troubles and what would we do without God to help us through them? Now let us look at the world around us.  Things are so unsettling right in our own country. In all my years I have never seen an election such as I saw this year.  Regardless of the battle, once a new president is elected, he is then our president.  The Democrats are the poorest losers I have ever seen.  They may not like the outcome, but what can they do about it now. There were many who did not like Obama when he was elected, but you did not see all the protests and marches which were to no avail.

Obviously, there will be changes that some don’t agree on, but they will happen anyway.  We have left God Almighty out of the equation for way too long.  You can ignore God, or not believe he exists, but he is still there.  He sees what is happening and if you read the Bible, you’ll know he knows each rebellious heart.  I guarantee he knows the whole world is in Trouble with a capital “T”.  You will also know and accept this truth in the Bible in the book of Daniel 2:20, where Daniel says, “He removes kings and raises up kings”. Although in America, we call them leaders or presidents, it means the same. 

Last week I compared our country to the Israelites in Exodus and again today. In Numbers 16, it tells how some of the Israelites complained about Moses, whom God raised up to be the leader. Finally, God said, enough is enough and Trouble came to those who complained.  The ground split open and swallowed many of them and then a plague came and 14,700 Israelites died from it.  If you believe the Word of God and know that God put President Trump in place as leader to the United States, then I would quit complaining right now.

Many didn’t like Obama, but God put him in place for a reason.  President Trump is in place for a very good reason whether you like it or not.  We need to trust God that he knows what he’s doing because our country is in Trouble with a capital T.

Some of these troubles are: Jobs, US made things, Security for our land, Stop killing our babies, Racial agreements, Stop our National Debt from rising, Moral Judges in the Supreme Court, For Christians to once again be respected.  I didn’t even touch so many things here, but I do have a question?  Why don’t the Christians march and protest for equality for both Black and White?  Christian lives matter, too.  If they did, you wouldn’t see those people breaking windows and wrecking cars, or shooting someone.

When you see Trouble with a capital T, it’s time to do something about it.  Stand your ground for what you believe and if you don’t understand this, think back to the time you asked Jesus into your heart and take off your blinders.  He is the same Jesus you once professed your love for.  You’re the same person who once professed you would never commit murder, but when you convinced yourself that the baby growing inside of you wasn’t really a person, you forgot that promise. God didn’t forget your promise!

I have to wonder how a Bible believing Christian could vote for any person who believes abortion is the right thing to do.  You should be thanking God that Hillary Clinton didn’t become president.  What this president does remains to be seen, but he doesn’t believe in murdering the unborn.  I believe he is who God wants at this time.

It reminds me of the story of Esther in the Old Testament.  A Jewish girl became the wife of the King of Persia, King Ahasuerus, although no one knew other than her uncle that she was Jewish.  A plot to kill all Jews in the kingdom was being planned.  When her uncle Mordecai heard about it, he went to Esther and told her that she alone could save the lives of all the Jews.  Her uncle said to her, “Who knows but you were brought to this kingdom for such a time as this.”  Esther listened and with Gods help saved all the Jews in Persia.

Who knows but what our new president was put in leadership for such a time as this.  Don’t be afraid of our future; it is in God’s hand.  We may have Troubles with a capital “T”, but God is on our side.

Day One in the Desert

Day One in the Desert

“So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur.

And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.”  Exodus 15:22

When Moses brought the Israelites out into the wilderness of a place called Shur, a part of the Arabian Desert. On day one they began to complain because they had no water to drink and God provided water.  A few days later when they wanted bread, they complained again,   “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full” Exodus 16:3

They weren’t happy because they had wanted change, but they didn’t want to wait for it.  They wanted to go back to the old ways which in the end would have destroyed them. Moses warned them. “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

Right now, our country has departed from the ‘old ways’ and has entered the desert; a way unknown to us.  However, now is the time to stand firm in our new leader.  He is different; we don’t know what he is going to do, but we need to give him a chance.  It isn’t all going to happen overnight.  We might feel like we’re wandering around in the desert for a while because it is different than what we are used to.  I only know that God will still provide for us and I believe it will be better than we had in the past.

The Bible tells us that God puts leaders in place and he takes them out.  I believe God’s hand is on this leader and we may have to go through some things before it all gets better.  The Israelites spent years and years battling against their leader and because they did it caused them all kinds of trouble. Not every leader is perfect and not everyone will agree with them. Just remember that it’s not the leader that saves us – it is God who saves us and brings us through. 

We all know it is time for a change, even if some don’t approve of the new leader.  Accept the fact that it won’t all run smooth because it never does, but look to the future and expect the best.

A divided country is a weak country and during troubles times, weakness is not what we need.  To make our nation strong again we need to stand side by side; casting prejudice off and petty differences aside.  We need to once again take pride in this country which has given and aided all mankind.  Get rid of the stigma of ‘politically correct.’ We began with ‘one nation under God’ and let us be called a “Godly Nation” once again.

If you choose to live a gay, lesbian, or transgender lifestyle, do it, but don’t expect Christians to bow down to your demands, or to your way of life.  We have as much right to live a Christian life as you do your choice of lifestyle. Christians need to begin to stand up and not be afraid of what they say.  Maybe we should begin doing protests and marches for the Christian to be treated fairly. 

Now it’s Day One and we will have the same challenges the Israelites had when everything changed for them.  It takes guts to face challenges – do you have the guts to do it?  Just remember that “With God, all things are possible!”