Jesus is the reason for the season

 Luke chapter 2  1:14

 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.

 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

It will not matter to you why Christmas Day is celebrated if you do not believe the origin of the story and its impact on the world….

This morning I was watching a rerun of a comedy sitcom done in the 80’s - this show actually celebrated Christmas with a positive attitude, a story that ended with a miracle, and the whole cast sang real Christmas songs, not about santa and rudolph the red nosed reindeer, but beautiful old Christmas carols about the baby Jesus and God’s goodwill to men everywhere; that is when I realized the truth about celebrating Christmas for christians.

For many people it is a time to be with family and friends, to have parties, and to give gifts to the ones that you care about and love. This is not a bad thing, in fact it is the most positive time of the year if done right, but too many people try to ignore that Jesus is the reason for the season. If you are not celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, then the holiday is nothing more than a reason to stimulate the economy.

What does God think about celebrating Christmas? While I was watching this episode, and as they began to sing the Christmas carols, I felt the Lord enter my room. I could feel the Holy Spirit in my heart, and I began to sing as well, and that is when I knew that God approves of the celebration of His Son Jesus as the baby in the manger born into this world to save us all from our sins. 

There are so many arguments in the world about the scriptures and cultural traditions. One denomination believes that  a certain date has to be celebrated, others have an issue about celebrating our Lord’s birth at all, and still others believe that it is all pagan rituals, but now I wonder, Has Anyone Ever Asked God If He Approves Of The Christmas Season?

I don't know, maybe someone was wise enough to seek His counsel in the last 2000 years. The truth is that anyone who has ever loved God and believed in His Son Jesus has already received His approval - when they sing psalms and carols to celebrate his birth, when they go to church services and celebrations, when they give of themselves to other people using their resources to bless those who are in need in Jesus Name. You will feel His approval if you choose to focus upon the reason for the season, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Lives For Jesus Christ Will Always Be For His Glory

 1 John 4:19

We love because he first loved us…

God does not need us to be perfect or to be great show performers in this life.

There are people who will tell you that everything they do shows that they are righteous because of their good moral lifestyle, but it is faith and surrender to Jesus Christ that pleases God. He considers you righteous if you have a relationship with His Son, Jesus.

God doesn't need great performers in His ministry. There are plenty of false teachers, preachers, and prophets who are great actors; they never heard the call from God to be in the ministry.  They chose to live a lifestyle that gives them pleasure, in a church or a platform with hundreds and thousands of admirers and fans.

God wants us to understand Him and His Word, and then share what we have learned with other people. We are to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of God. We should show that we are happy and content with what God has done in our lives, and that we are people who live peaceful lives filled with joy.

When the time comes, we will stand before the Lord and He will tell us how well we have done in living our lives for Jesus. God is looking for people who believe in Him, and for those who care enough to love His Son, Jesus. He wants our life experience to show our journey from ignorance to understanding, and from living in the dark to learning how to live in the light.

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The purpose for our lives is to come to the knowledge of the Glory of Jesus Christ. We must believe that He gave His life to save us from our sins, and then we must be willing to give our lives to Him, so that He can help us to live the lives we were destined to live in Him.

Our lives in Jesus should be filled with love, hope and purpose. We will not show to the world perfect lives, we will show that the perfect place for all of humanity is to love and to live in Jesus Christ.

This is why we are never given all the knowledge the Lord knows about our lives; God is seeking to teach us about Himself and about who we are in Christ. We will find ourselves going through many trials and tribulations, but we will also continue to stand in our faith.

The people around us wonder how we are able to keep on going, but the answer is always in our walk with Jesus Christ. No one else is capable of saving our souls from sin and no one else can give us the strength to survive; that is the providence of our God and our creator who loves us with all of His heart and soul.

Perfect knowledge will not make us into the people that God needs for this life's journey. It is our willingness to go through the process of sanctification that will transform our hearts and minds. God gives us just what we need to live, survive, and thrive, anything more would be counterproductive.

One day we will have access to everything, to the perfect knowledge of the Lord and His creation, but until then, we must be content to keep on working and to keep on learning for our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer…

Prayer of Salvation:

Dear God,

I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I admit that I am not right with You, and I want to be right with You. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. The Bible says if I confess with my mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved (Rom. 10:9). I believe with my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank You for saving me!
In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

There Is Victory In Unity

Philippians Chapter 1:28 - Chapter 2: 2-4

And I hope to know that you are not afraid of your opponents. Your courage will be a sign to them of their destruction. But it will be proof to you of your salvation that comes from God.

So I urge you to make my joy complete. Agree with each other. Have the same love. Be united in spirit and purpose. Do nothing from selfish ambition or from proud desire for personal honour. Be humble. Think more about each other than you do about yourselves. You should think about each other’s benefit and not just about your own.

Unity is a real demonstration of the power of the Lord, but it only comes when the people involved are willing to love each other and cooperate to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Disunity is a sign of an organization dedicated to darkness and rebellion. It will seem powerful and influential from the outside for a season, but greed, pride, and arrogance will blind it from the consequences of its actions, which eventually brings about a mighty crash of destruction.

We are at our weakest when we fight against each other. We need to care about each other and respect each other's opinions. The real church of Jesus Christ are the ones that show love and concern for each other, those who are willing to show support for each other and to pray for each other. We need unity in the body of Christ.  We become the best ambassadors for the Kingdom of God when we are more concerned about other people’s struggles above our own.

As followers of Christ, we need to focus upon the goodness of Jesus Christ. We know that we cannot survive without His love and His grace in our lives.  The enemy disguises his corruption, but the results of his efforts are seen for anyone willing to see the world for what it truly is - a place full of darkness, confusion and fear.  Peace can only be found in the arms of Jesus Christ…

Great Sufferings Brings Great Transformations

 Phiippians chapter 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The greatest compliment that someone could ever give you is that they knew you for a long time, and in all of that time, they always noticed that you were a kind and honest person. Too many people are focused upon becoming rich and powerful. Being rich and powerful in this world never lasts forever. It is your love for Jesus Christ and your faithfulness that impresses God.

When we suffer, Jesus suffers along with us, because He lives in our hearts. He guides our actions through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are free to live for Jesus, or to live for ourselves, but no one is free from the influence of the devil and his demons unless they are a believer in Jesus Christ.

God allows great sufferings in our lives so that it may produce great transformations. We are transformed when we allow the Holy Spirit to calm our fears and bring peace into what seems to be a hopeless situation. When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, He brings victory out of all of our messes.

When we come to Him first with all of our problems, He will guide us to the right solution. He will stay with us in the storm and will protect us until the storm is no more. We may cry or suffer for our righteous acts. Someone may try to hurt us or destroy our reputations. The illness may seem to get worse before it gets better, but the Prince of Peace will be there to give us joy and a measure of faith so that we will never give up.

The victory is certain when Jesus is involved in the solution. We will shout and praise His name when we receive what was promised to us in His word. No one will be able to take away what He has freely given, we just need to trust the process and allow Him to work it all out for our good and for His Glory - His love never ends...

 

The Cruelty Of Greed

 

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God has heard His people, and justice will be served!!

I just had a dream, where I was a part of some type of movie or tv drama. I was one of the actors, and we were all in a meeting about an  issue that the director wanted to address with all of us. Some of the actors were taking these issues seriously, but others were not taking their roles or their conduct seriously at all.

The subject came up about my performance. Just before this meeting, I had read a passage, my part in the drama. When I read the words, my part in this movie came to life. Everyone who was there to hear me said they were moved by my performance, and this was the reason I was chosen for the part.

The director in charge of the meeting mentioned that many in the room were not paying attention to what they were doing, but he chose to use me as an example of someone who was understanding the role and bringing something special to it. Many in the room agreed, and then the attention was upon me.

Then I spoke and said that while I was saying these words, the words were being brought to life by God. I was telling these people that what they were feeling was the power of the Holy Spirit. 

I wasn't able to go into more detail, but what I said made an impact on the people in the meeting. As soon as I finished speaking, there was a disturbance in the room, because there were creatures that were trying to get into the meeting, and they were not friendly.

People were watching at the doors to make sure that these creatures never made it inside into the meeting.

That is when i woke up and the Lord said this to me in my spirit:

Those people in Maui were done in by cruelty and that Justice from the Lord would be served!

He also said that a new level of my ministry will be activated this year, and that my words will become activated in real life, as I utter them on behalf of the Lord…

When God serves up Justice, let the inhabitants of the world be afraid. Our God is a sweet and loving God. He is gentle and patient with His little ones, the ones that are saved and who live in His Grace because of His Son Jesus Christ and His work upon the cross. He is always ready to accept our repentance in humility in front of His throne, so never be afraid to come into His presence when you need Him for guidance, but the world is about to understand what it means to be in the presence of a righteous God who has to bring real judgment upon the world for the sins and the evil actions of those who will never sing or offer praise in His presence…

God is showing up and showing out, because if He does not, then His workers in the field will not be able to do the work that will be necessary to bring about the end time harvest. He will not allow the evil in this world to stop Him or His Son Jesus - these are the days when people will wake up from their slumber and indifference because they will no longer feel isolated or protected from the evil in this world.

It is true that many people don’t really believe in God or the devil. They see the evil and injustice in the world, but they will not be fully prepared to deal with these issues when they come barrelling into the front door of their lives…

Now is the time when the real test will be given, and many people, including believers in Jesus Christ will not be able to pass it. Many will give into despair, but others will be willing to listen to the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time in their lives. What has happened in the past will be nothing compared to what we will begin to see happening in the world right now.

That is why God is calling out the people in His Kingdom who have been paying attention to His word, who have listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and have obeyed His path for their lives. These are the people who will accomplish His work in the world today.

Never live your life without understanding the consequences of your actions. Love the Lord with all of your heart. Bring into the storehouse of the Lord your gifts and treasures of love, praise and worship, and begin to bask in the Glory of His Grace and Mercy. The Lord God is a proud father who is watching over His little ones with happiness and joy in His heart…

Believe Upon The Lord Jesus Christ So That You May Be Saved To Endure The Troubled Times Ahead, And Then Be At Peace As Your Father Gives You Rest In HIs Arms And Makes You Whole…

Please Say This Prayer For Hope, Peace and Joy In Your Heart:

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. AMEN

Shrewd as snakes, but innocent as doves

 1 corinthians chapter 14:20

Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults

The way we think always affects our behavior, but we are not always aware of these consequences. We tend to believe that our good moral upbringing will help us to live good and peaceful lives, but our human nature does not want this. Pleasure is always the main motivation of our thoughts and actions.

It is this pursuit of pleasure that can destroy your life. The objects of your desire will never completely satisfy your soul, it is a deception from the devil. What you focus all your heart and mind upon becomes your idol and your god.

Sports, celebrities and entertainment, alcohol, drugs, casual sex and all types of sexual lifestyles, deceit and hatred, greed and pride, racism and political manipulations, these types of behaviors are satisfying to our human flesh. All of these things can become the main focus of our lives, these are some of the idols of mankind’s destruction.

God is not impressed with people who say that they are good and that their hearts are pure. He knows our thoughts, and our thoughts influence our actions. He is looking for the people who are not afraid to admit that they are not perfect and that they need God in their lives. You can fool many people with your words and actions, but the Lord knows your heart…

This is why the Lord urges His people to read His word and to pray and worship in His presence. The Holy Spirit lives within our hearts, and He guides us with His love and His gentleness of Spirit. It is the love of God that transforms our hearts and minds so that we desire to live according to His standards and not our own.

We will always have to deal with our human nature, but we need to rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our sinful desires. Yes, we may want to do something that we know is not right, but we have the power of the Lord Jesus in our hearts. We can say no, and focus upon the love of Jesus Christ. This is a daily surrender to God and His word, we cannot live the life that God has for us if we are not willing to let go of our own desires and give those desires to Him for safekeeping. He can replace these desires with love, peace, joy, and everlasting satisfaction…

So the word is, live innocently before God, but understand how the world works so that you may be able to function with a clear conscience. When you see something that seems right on the surface but makes you unsettled in your heart, ask the Lord for more guidance before you make your final decision. If someone asks you to do something that you know is wrong, just say no but do not condemn their actions. If you can, give them advice, but never criticize someone because they are blind to what is ruling their lives. Pray for them so that they may see the truth in the end.

Jesus Christ  is the only one who has the right to judge our thoughts and actions. He is the only who has ever lived a perfect and righteous life. We do not know everything that motivates someone else in their actions; we need to look at our own lives first to see what motivated our actions before we can understand what motivates anyone else.

If we can be honest with ourselves about our own doubts and weaknesses, then we can be honest about giving advice to other people. The Lord wants us to lead with love in our hearts and not from a place of negativity and criticism. 

Know Yourself First Before You Can Understand What Motivates Other People - Ask The Lord First What You Should Say Before You Give Advice To A Friend…

The Way That God Loves HIs People

 Psalm 31:1-3

v1   LORD, I am trusting in you
  Do not let me ever become ashamed.
  Make me free, because you always do what is right.

v2   Listen to me and send me help very soon.
  LORD, be a rock for me to hide behind.
  Make my house a fortress and keep me safe.

v3   You really are my rock and my fortress.
  Because of your name, lead me and be my guide.

Yes, the time has come to realize that there are dark workings in the world, and the darkness is trying desperately to destroy everyone before they can come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ

Not too long ago, I woke up from a dream hearing the Holy Spirit in my heart say that there would be a 9/11 like event happening in the near future. I did  not know what type of event it would be, only that it would be a memorable event and that it would change the lives of many who were a part of it.

I thought that perhaps it would be in the fall, because there are so many things happening around the world - wars and rumors of wars, poverty, famine, plagues, destructive storms and strange weather patterns all over the world. However,  I was not expecting an unnatural fire that would destroy a beautiful part of paradise…

God just confirmed to me that this is the incident that he had whispered to my heart not too long ago. I was surprised, not because it was a fire, but the way that the fire spread through the island of Maui. There was a message in this wave of destruction.

I have never known a fire to become this destructive all because of a storm that was whipping up hurricane-like winds from a long way off the shore of an island. It went through the town of Lahaina as if it was burning down a piece of paper. No one could have predicted that something like this would happen in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I hate to say it, but as we move closer to the end of this age, we will continue to see more amazing and shocking things, and as the people of God it is our responsibility to pray for every christian  to continue in their faith and to help other people in their distress. This is the time of repentance and renewal in Jesus Christ. The believers in Maui need our support so that they stay strong in their faith, and the non-believers need to know that there is a God in heaven who grieves with them and who wants to mend their broken hearts. If they are willing to  come to Him, He will answer their desperate prayers for deliverance and healing.

There is no other God in heaven and on  earth who can heal them of this pain. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who will deliver them from poverty, pain, and despair. We must pray that the Lord will get all of the glory out of this tragic event, and remember to prepare ourselves for what is coming in the future…