Will God Heal our Land? Markers & Signs

I was talking with a friend who's very concerned about the condition of our country,-the spiritual condition of our Land, and having questions as to weather God will heal it. Spiritually, we are grieving as we see a steep decline in godly principles occurring day-by-day across our Land.

The Light always shines

Photo credit: blondieb38 from morguefile.com
 
The Bible states if we pray, repent and turn from our evil ways, He will hear us and heal our Land. Check our this blog entry I found on the recipe for God to heal our land.

Christians are to live by faith and trust in the Lord. We earnestly desire God to grant our prayer requests, but we also know God's plan is for us to spread the gospel and not to love the things of this world.

 We're torn. We want our children and grandchildren to live in a country governed by morals and standards our forefathers were wise to see came from the Bible. America is spinning downward into a Land of people who care less and less about living according to what's pleasing to God and more about what's pleasing to the flesh and sinful lifestyles according to the Holy Word of God.

Christians are witnessing the rampantly continual moral decay from sea to shining sea spreading and from the top downwards in conjunction with other signs indicating we're in the last days.

Video-Signs, Distress & Unrest. Prophesy unfolding before our eyes.  Believers-stay faithful! Proclaim to the spiritually lost and dying of the Light of the world!



A listing of signs that point to end times/last days!

Affirmative action- read the Bible to know His Word to feed your spirit and soul with wisdom and truth, and diligently seek the Lord to follow Him and not be lead astray. And pray without ceasing.

We don't need to fear anything of the future. Continue to do what the Bible says in preparation of what's to come.


Question- If we pray, repent, turn from sin, and seek the Lord, will God heal our land?

I don't claim to know all the answers, but I do believe Christians are to continue to pray, continue to spread the gospel and continue to trust in the Lord.  We must leave 'healing our Land' in his hands, in his timing, in his will.            (Land includes the entire Earth, not just one country)


May all Christians be filled with the fullness of God in these last days and many more be added to the Kingdom daily.

Until next time,

Being lead to be strong with endurance and led by the Holy Spirit along that narrow path with the Light of the SON as my guide.

Inevitable

I caught myself worrying.What I was worrying about is inevitably going to transpire as it's been foretold long ago. So.... there's no reason to worry about what's inevitably going to happen.

A glimpse into the future is told in the Bible

Photo credit: nesquivel from morguefile.com
 
Actually, it's good news! Knowing there's no way to change what is meant to happen, now we can sit back and witness history unfold. It's like knowing what the crystal ball is going to reveal. It's like being able to look into the future and know what tomorrow and the next day and the next are leading up to. Pretty cool to already know what's coming before it gets here. Now, the days have a sort of different tone to them when I see the headlines in the news. It's inevitable for recent and not so recent happenings to transpired and take shape as they have around the world. Specifically, to the Nation of Israel, things have seemingly taking a 'turn for the worse'. It's incredible that it was foretold that one generation after Israel became a Nation in 1945,  things would begin to happen. A generation is between 40 to 70 years.  

God is teaching the world a lesson through the Hebrew people. But the world keeps failing to learn the lesson. Are we dumb or what?  Inevitable, the definition of this word means- it is going to happen and nothing can prevent it from coming to pass. No amount of worry, or humanly effort, or pleading with God, nor could all the scientists with access to all the money in the world make one  alteration of any sort to what inevitably is going to happen. It's God's plan and nothing can alter His perfect plan.

 Never has God failed His people. Once He makes a promise, it's a promise. Over and over throughout history He saved them time again and again from their enemies until they refused to believe the prophets and repent of their sins. But the Nation of Israel is still divinely under God's protection while surrounded by their enemies on three sides in the Middle East. You can't ignore that fact. God can take a boy and defeat a giant. God can take a handful of men and defeat an army. God can make a donkey tell a man how stupid he is. God can make the enemy confused and turn on themselves. God can do whatever, whenever to whoever, with the sun, the moon, the wind, the sea, creatures, and animals in that group because He controls it all. He is GOD Almighty!

when you know the future you can see the writing in the sky

Photo credit: phestus from morguefile.com

 
Events are unfolding as they are supposed to unfold right on schedule.  The leaders of the Nations of the world are all playing their role in this thing called, 'the inevitable'. How do they know their part to play, and when to play their character role? That's the beauty of how God's creative design for how He's designed 'this inevitable' to play out. This has been in the works from the beginning, way before our time.  It's too monumental for mere mortals to comprehend. This is His purposed plan for all things to occur as He's designed it from the beginning.

When something is beyond your control, really, the only thing to do is proceed onward with your life while maintaining and continuing to do what you know is 'right' and 'just'.
Also, to the best of your ability, do what will ensure you'll be on the 'up side' at the conclusion of this inevitable play-out by remaining faithful, diligent, and of service to Our Lord. Never lose heart.
And how and why might you go about that? Easy, seek God and His Kingdom and his righteousness. For He will never leave you nor forsake you no matter what. His love is without limits or bounds and He loves you with a love that is beyond the stars. He sent His Son, Jesus for this reason. Take a hold of His Son, and feel the peace and love which is what God made for you to desire. Un-harden your heart for a minute to let him in. God is always extending his welcome to you, and is patiently waiting for you to accept his Love. For once, cast-off that demon wanting you to reject your Savior. For once, open the Word of God and ask to be shown the Truth and to make your heart receptive to receive the Truth of the Gospel, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This will be the most important things you can ever do. It's easy but it's a big step, and the Holy Spirit will be beside you to hold, protect and love you. Jesus came for and died for You!  Then, being a spiritual newborn babe, get under the guidance of a mature Christian to help guide you along in your walk, relationship, and continued learning for wisdom and knowledge in you life as a child of the true and living God. Let His Word be your sustenance and model to live by.

Future happenings will keep presenting themselves and may appear dark and disheartening even to some believers. But to most, they'll most likely be 'blind and oblivious' to the inevitable changes and happenings around them. But you can be 'in-the-know' and not of that crowd.

Just knowing the Lord is in control makes experiencing and witnessing changes I see around me less of a stress and a whole lot easier to take in, but most of all, to not worry and put my faith and trust in the One who owns the future, as the inevitable plot thickens and gets closer and closer to a crescendo!

It's going to get topsy-turvy in a lot of ways, but worry not for one second with our Heavenly Father in full control of every single leaf that falls, every single hair on your head, every single occurrence which happens in every nook, mountain, plain, town and city on his Earth. Nothing, not one iota for one second escapes the control of God Almighty!


Video- Israel is at the center of attention in the world right now, 



  

Video- peace treaties and prophesies about Israel




If God be for me, then there is not one thing to worry about. Jesus died, but lives today! Jesus came so we can have life, and abundant life. The inevitable is all good for those who know what's in store and what must occur. The world is the Lord's and all glory, honor and praise rightfully belongs only to him. Inevitably, all shall know Jesus IS Lord.

P.S. Man has no idea how far Almighty extends. We can only imagine that what God can touch, see, know, influence, affect, and control goes and goes and goes, on and on and on without any limits in any direction whatsoever. God is Great! God is Good! God is Sovereign! God is Divine! God is Holy! God is Spirit! God is creator! God is Love! God is Wisdom! God is Almighty! God always was and always will be THE GREAT I AM!

BONUS- Read '2 answers' of 'thing's showing we're in the Last Days. (the status of man's hearts, Nature, world governments, countries, currency, etc) 
                An outline of things that will occur- all inevitably happen as stated in the Bible.
                What are we to do while we live and see these things happen?

              A summary of the main end-time events

       

Marching along that narrow path leading me Home. There's room for you.

Prayers answered- Mahala's recovery is a miracle!

Last month I was compelled to write about a brave young lady named Malala.  She already had been for years standing firm and strong for the rights of females to be free to pursue an education.

score one for a brave soul fighting for fairness for all

Photo credit: xenia from morguefile.com
 
She is strong alright, and blessed in more ways than one.

Last month she has was targeted to be stopped and killed, but today she is recovering with the ideal  medical attention she's been receiving, but, I think more so for all the prayers from around the world that have been sent up to heaven in her behalf.

Images of Malaha

I really believe her remarkable recovery is nothing but a miracle!  She was shot in the head, but she continues to improve and her recovery is very optimistic! And it looks she's suffered no nerve damage- that is a miracle!
Thank you, God!

Now I pray,  'Dear Lord God, thank you for having a ear to hear and answer the millions of prayers for the healing of Malala. Please continue to seep her in your protective and healing arms. Bless her and her family and all who stand with her in her mission on Earth. May you see that she remains strong of body and mind for a long time. In Jesus's name, AMEN.

Here's some recent news of just a few days ago on what's happening with her.

Why should females be denied reading?

Photo credit: xandert from morguefile.com


Here's the link to my earlier entry about Malala.

Predictions and prophecy foretelling

Predictions and foretelling by Old Testament prophets centuries before something comes true has
got to make you think they knew something, or perhaps they we getting 'inside info'. Prophets of the Old Testament has to have their messages and predictions absolutely right-on point or they'd be called a liar and stoned to death or thrown to the lions.   Real prophets heard from God.

God's hand is visible in all creation

Photo credit: carmemlucia from morguefile.com
 
So, when multiple prophets got a word from God and foretold of something and it came to be just as they foretold it would, the odds and probability become mathematically astronomical in light of the number of prophesies made about the coming the Messiah by many of the Old Testament prophets. The prophets were spread out over time, so they could not gather to conspire or fabricate their predictions. And even if they did, there's no way all that was prophesized could humanly happen and come about by one man. But wait! There's something at work here that is far beyond human reasoning.  The prophets each heard from God and recorded their prophesies in the Bible. We can read them and also read the New Testament, written by entirely different men, telling of the life of Jesus, many through eye-witnesses, so it wasn't made up. It's a fact that Jesus lived and a secular historian named Thallus wrote about him.

Click here for videos of odd and probability calculating. 

for those difficult calculations

Photo credit: ronnieb from morguefile.com

 
The odds and probability a dozen or 40 or a hundred of the prophecies written about Jesus ever happening as told and recorded by different men over centuries is more than astronomical.  There were eye-witnesses to many prophesies. The fact of just a dozen predictions coming true in one man is overwhelming-- Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God are one in the same.  The odds are out of this world, but none-the-less. Jesus fulfilled them.

Visit these sites which go in detail of the probability/odds, and the many prophesies in the Old Testament and in the New Testament where they come true.

improbable odds for man-not for God

Photo credit: cohdra from morguefile.com
 
Jesus beat the odds and thereby leaves no question to his position and divinity. He is who he says he is. Period. 

One reason for the Bible being 'penned' by many men is to show us something.
If one man wrote something and it came true, we might think that was just a lucky guess.
But when many men wrote many things centuries in advance, and it comes true, theres' no way these men conspired or spoke to each other or worked out any circumstances to make all their predictions to come to pass. They wrote them down and there was no changing them later. So when all they
wrote was fulfilled, then it had to be a God thing.



Here's a link to different sites all describing the odds of Jesus fulfilling all the prophets foretold of the Messiah, yet to come. They prophesied on his name, how he'd be born, where, and about his
life, how he'd be sold for the number of silver coins, how he'd die, everything long before Jesus was born to Mary. Jesus fulfilled them all, every single prophesy.
The odds are absolutely astronomical, even for a mathematician. This can't be argued, only taken as
only being made possible by God.

the prophets recorded by hand messages they got from God

Photo credit: kconnors from morguefile.com
 
The prophets wrote what was told to them by God. And at the right time, God sent His Son.
This is our sign. Jesus is "The One" the world has been waiting for. He was announced in the
Old Testament and because all that was said about him, has been fulfilled, it can be none other than Jesus, the Son of God, who came to free us from our sins. He conquered the enemy,  who is the devil, and has made a way for us to all be free and have life everlasting. He is our Savior, our Lord and
our Messiah. He came to be the sacrificial Lamb for the world and by his blood being sacrificed, all can have their sins forgiven and be redeemed unto God.

The Old Testament tells that their must be a shedding of blood from a blemish less animal to make
restitution for sins. That was done with animal sacrifices until the Messiah. But the people thought their Savior would come to rescue them from bondage from Egypt and the Romans. Jesus came to rescue Man from spiritual death.  On Earth is temporary, The spirit is eternal. When you accept Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you're stepping into the realm of God and acting on faith. God is Spirit. Trusting Him takes an act of faith to believe in something you can't see. But without faith, you can't please God.

The odds tell that it's impossible for a person to come on the scene and be born just as predicted in the place and time just as predicted, to the parents just as predicted, and so on and so on. But that person is no ordinary person. That person walked on Earth as a man in order to fulfill the requirements so our sins could be forgiven. That person died for you. That person is now in heaven until God sends him back for those who've accepted the Truth about the Savior and Messiah.

Jesus is the only one who can keep you our of Hell.  Satan wants you 'in,' but Jesus wants you 'out'.

No matter how unbelievable and not possible the odds are for fulfilling every prophesy made years in advance, even with all the zeroes-----Jesus still beat the astronomical odds and fulfilled every last
dot and crossed every last 't' of what was to be of his coming.

It's a God thang. Only God could pull off something what was foretold a long time ago and make it all come to pass just as it was written. And I thank God that he did.

For Jesus just fulfilling only 8 prophesies, the calculated odds looks like this ----
1: 100,000,000,000,000,000

The probability of one person fulfilling 48 prophesies is 10 to the 157 power. But Jesus fulfilled more than that.

HERE IS A LIST OF 351 PROPHECIES JESUS AS FULFILLED WITH OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES SO YOU CAN LOOK THEM UP YOURSELF AND BE TOTALLY AMAZED AS WELL. 

 7 prophecies that must be fulfilled before Jesus returns.



Additional info:

The odds or probability that one person could fulfill over 350 predictions/prophecies told centuries in advance is astronomical.  But Jesus did! This should shut the mouths and settle any doubt of anyone thinking Jesus is not the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of Man. Jesus was sent from heaven to save us from the power which Satan has over us because of sin. Jesus came to die in our place as the satisfactory once-and-for-all sacrifice, settling our sin debt neither of us can pay. Because of Jesus, we can be redeemed and have right standing before God. Jesus came to save that part of which will never die, your spirit. Accepting Jesus into your heart, by faith, is your second birth, making you saved and being adopted into God’s family.

All that was foretold of the Messiah to the prophets was from God. No person could beat these astronomical odds and fulfill them all, except God himself, in fleshly form, in the person of Jesus.
 
This proves God’s Holy Word, from cover to cover to be true and can be trusted. God is all knowing, His Spirit can inspire men to write that which they knew nothing about, and nothing is out of His reach or control. His Word endures and endures. Awesome!


No man, no other book, no other religion has this kind of proof that can stand up to these odds.

Jesus fulfilling over 350 prophecies-- mathematically, the odds are 1 in 10^157..


this number..(I think I might have left a couple ‘0’s’ off, but you get the point). 157 zeros looks something like this-----

1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000


Comments?


Until next time, stay strong, confident, faithful and sure-footed on that narrow path.

Prayers for brave activist, Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai, at just 14 years old, is a very brave young lady, and might be the one person to
ignite the world to support woman's rights, not only in Pakistan and other Mid-Eastern countries, but the world-over for education equality of all Muslim women in the 21st century women and not be left uneducated under the burka. Many applaud her courage and conviction. This says a lot of her father as well.

All children deserve an education

Photo credit: kconnors from morguefile.com

Malala even has a facebook page with the heading- '1in10 of the World's Children do not go to Primary school.'
 
Here is a short video of a commenter speaking of Malala's bravery and courage. 

Women are people too, and have rights to better themselves to be educated and use their brains rather than being confined and subjected to being used for their bodies only. Women are capable of becoming much more and this young lady, just barely in her teens has spoken. But there are those who do not want women to use their brains and strive to become better because they want them to remain 'down' and subject to their place- being uneducated wives, mothers, and housekeepers.

Men and women alike should be given the opportunity to strive to reach their full potential and that calls for being educated, if that's their desire. Women, the world over, are strong and intelligent and deserve to be all they can be.  Malala says the Qu'an does not read it's against women getting an education. 

Click here for a video interview of this education activist.

 Pakistan has been plagued with assassinations of men and women who speak out for peace
Benazir Bhutto, was a mother and was serving as Prime Minister of Pakistan when she was
killed.
Another who dared to speak out in contrast to the Taliban got targeted, like Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian.

Info on the Taliban's treatment of women and, "Who are the Taliban?, a BBC News article.

Instead of going to school and getting an education,  this is what many young girls are introduced to and permitted in their countries.  Childhood is bypassed altogether- young girls are thrust into being wives to older men and mothers when they are still children themselves.

Peace- what we're all passionate for with one another

Photo credit: nazka2002 from morguefile.com
 
But Malala, since she was 11, using the pen name, Gul Makai, which has a significant meaning, has written about what was happening to her and other girls around her being denied a right to an education because they are female.   Here she is called a 'champion for peace'.
Two other girls were also injured last week when Malala was targeted and attacked to be silenced because she continued to voice that she and other young girls wanted to keep attending school. 

Here is a link to her writing, in her Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl, using her pen name back in 2009.

She is receiving medical care in the UK,  but lets say prayers for her full and complete recovery.

Malala Yousafzai has much more education to seek, and much more to offer the world. No matter what religion or gender, everyone deserves an education. Malala is an amazingly brave and courageous young woman, now admired more than ever the world over. We need more like her. Pray for her recovery and her work to continue.

Choosing teams

Have you ever made a choice to play on a certain team, thinking you'd win, only to find that
team would be the losing team?
What spiritual team do you want to be on?
Well, right now you can choose the team you want to be on, and know for sure the team that's gonna win. It's your choice to be on the winning team, or, your choice to be on the losing team.

Side with the winner or loser- your choice

Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com
 
Who likes being on a losing team? Especially then the losing team has to pay a deep penalty.
Now, I've heard people say it would be 'more fun' to be on the losing team.  I can only think their
opinion of fun is a bit 'off'.  If being in darkness, having no love, hope, friendship or companionship is 'fun', they are in for the surprise they're gonna wish they could get out of.  Hell is not going to be fun for one second. There will be no water, no sunshine, no gentle breeze, no flowers, no sweet aromas, no rest, and no way out. Nothing of the comforts and pleasures as we presently know of. You spirit will suffer and be tormented. And, there will be no loving God.  Hell is a holding 'place' and a taste of what's later to come in which the sentence for your sin's penalty will never be paroled or a reduction of your life sentence.  And, your fellow inmates will be evil spirits who loathe you. There will be no loved ones you can cuddle with, no music that will sound pleasant to your ears, just nothing but pure hell as you can never imagine. There will be no fun being in torment and punishment.

Here are a few key facts and passages you need to know so you can choose the team you want to be on.

This explains what sort of things gets a person sent to hell.
 
The biggest Deception
The leader of the losing team, the devil, is doing everything to get you to not choose the winning team. He wants you to think his team is the 'more fun' team to be on. Right now, he wants you to  think about you, you having 'fun', you getting the things you want right now. As long as he has you thinking of you so you can be happy and content, he's got your mind controlled and away from
about the ultimate consequences of being on his losing team.

The choice is entirely yours - face victory or consequences

Photo credit: manicmorff from morguefile.com
 
If you're not for God, then by default you're for the devil.
If you do not accept Jesus into your life and heart, as your Lord and Savior, (he's already paid in full the penalty for your sins, but you have to acknowledge you're helpless in that department and you need him), you will have to pay the price yourself, which will be spiritual death in hell and then the Lake of Fire.   Sin cannot enter heaven. 


The Victor over Hell and Death
Jesus died so you do not have to go to hell.  Jesus came to save sinners. Join his team.

Choose Jesus. Choose the winning team. It's the better choice for life now and forever.

We can celebrate victory already in our Lord, Jesus

Photo credit: gracey from morguefile.com
 
 It's all about your spiritual life.  God created man in his likeness- and that's the spirit part which 
will never die.  Winning team gets to be with God forever. Losing team gets to suffer forever.

All praise and thanks to our Lord, Jesus for all he's done so we can celebrate our spiritual victory.

Those with Christ will have a wonderful time in heaven, while in hell, there will be misery, disappoint, torment, and fire. Fun will be non-existent there. If that was in your plans you're gonna
be very let down from being deceived again.


Until next time, walking in the Light of The Truth along that narrow path. There's room for all.

When a preacher carries a gun

I heard someone make the statement that it doesn't seem right for a preacher to carry a gun. I think that person might have been questioning how can a 'man of God' also have a job that calls for him
to carry of a firearm with the possibility of shooting someone?  In other words, how could a
preacher voluntarily accept a job requiring him to carry a gun with the potential of killing someone?


Photo credit: mconnors from morguefile.com
 
Let me attempt to answer that question.

Carrying a firearm legally is meant for protection or for hunting. Law enforcement police, detectives, security guards, military, and elite groups trained for special missions to combat terrorist attacks and the such, use weapons to stop or halt criminal acts and prevent the loss of lives of innocent bystanders, hostages and themselves.  It's necessary to carry weapons in order to have a chance to overpower whom they need to 'battle' with, and who most likely are packing fire power.  Men and women in uniform willingly step into a potentially dangerous line of work to protect lives, and the property of others. We should be thankful to those willing to work in positions that come with some degree of personal danger.

So, how can a man be a preacher, who preaches the Word of God on Sunday, also carry a firearm
Monday through Friday?

A church pulpit

Photo credit: ratatosk from morguefile.com
 
Simple. A man can wear multiple hats or uniforms. Wearing a robe in the pulpit is one in which he answered the high calling to spread the gospel of 'good news'.  This man's heart is concerned about the souls of people destined to hell and the Lake of Fire where there will absolutely be no hope of escaping.  He is busy spreading the Gospel of Truth so people can hear the Word of God to know
and understand their spirit needs a Savior.

People are spiritually dead and unless restitution is made for the penalty of their sins, spiritually,
they are going to die in their sins.

Preachers give the good news of the gospel so people can know there is a way to be in good graces with God. The only way approved by God calls upon by faith to invite his Son into your heart to be your Savior and Lord, because his blood shed fully satisfied and paid your sin penalty. With Jesus
you are saved from spiritual death. You'll never taste death if you are 'in Christ'.  Hence the term, 'absent from the body, present with the Lord.'  Your fleshly body will perish, but the real you, your spirit, will never die or be away from the Lord. On the other hand, if you die and your sins have not been paid for or forgiven, you face judgement for your sins. Heaven if the home of a Holy, soverign God. Sin can not reside or inhabit heaven. You will be found guilty of sin by the righteous King,
 and the penalty for your sin is spiritual death- the worst kind of death, because you won't die once as we know death to be, but your spirit will sort of die over and over forever and ever.

It's a death penalty with no ending of spiritual life without God, without hope, without love, without anything good.

And to pour coals upon the fire, the Lake of Fire is a place reserved for fallen angels. They will be there also paying their penalty for turning against and being disobedient to God. And, I don't think they'll be pleasant neighbors to be around- but the neighbors you'd wish they'd go to hell, but
they are and you're with them. So no hope of ever, ever being rid of them. You're stuck.


Photo credit: melodi2 from morguefile.com
 
So, how can a preacher volunteer to take a job in which he could possibly be called upon to
kill someone?

His two positions, one in a church pulpit and one carrying a weapon, seem to contradict each
other. One position is leading people to make a decision to be spared spiritual death, and the
other position is a job in which he has potential to kill.

A person's job that requires carrying a firearm is not so that person can look for an opportunity
to shoot someone.  The position is one of protection, mainly to protect lives and property.
 Only in a last resort situation would weapons be utilized.  Any man should want to  protect
 his family and home from harm by any means necessary and fight with what would have a
favorable outcome for his family and himself.  This goes for preachers of the Gospel as well.
A man of God is still a man of God as long as he's saved and not willfully disobeying the Word
of God by his lifestyle.

A man can qualify to work as a doctor, a paramedic, or a grave digger.  He works to help people,
to be productive, and earn a living to provide for his family. No matter the job, he still has a family
to protect and provide for.


Photo credit: gojo23 from morguefile.com
 
In the Bible, David, was chosen, anointed and was the successor of King Saul. David was a fighter and killed thousands. They made a song about it. God still used David. From the line of David came our Savior.

Samson was given super strength by God, and he judged Isreal for twenty years. Samson killed 
thousands of Philistines who were  idol worshipers.

Men continually wore their swords and carried their spears as they worked rebuilding the wall 
around Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 4:13-23)

There is a time for killing and a time to stop killing. There is a spiritual battle raging, as well as physical battle. The most critical battles are the ones happening in the spirit world.

So, for a man to spread the gospel is one thing, and still quite alright to carry a weapon.
Christian's carry spiritual weapons every day to fight against the spiritual evil of the devil. So for a Christian man to carry a weapon that shoots bullets, isn't contradictory after all. It's all a job, what-
ever that job might be, he does it for the glory of God and provide for his family.

Ecclesiastes 3 is very good for this topic concerning the work God gives a man.
Here in Matthew 7 is what the Bible says about judging another person.

Who knows what might happen tomorrow. One day you might have to call upon someone with to help protect you and your family. If that person coming to your rescue and carrying a weapon also
happens to be a preacher, I don't think you'd mind that at all. He'd be there to save you, your family, and property from harm, and later he can lead you to the Lord, so your spirit can also be saved.
That would put him in a special category of deserving thanks now and later/



Photo credit: melodi2 from morguefile.com

 
My personal conclusions are : What occupation a man chooses is between him and God.
That person alone must answer to God. God places people in many different positions and occupations in order to fulfill his work. Every Christian has their own race, talents, and ministry
to serve and work for the Kingdom. Not all work is done in the pulpit. And weapons are not evil
if used in a wise and safe manner.

Preachers work to spread the gospel of God from the Word of the Bible with the ultimate goal of leading people to make their personal decision to accept Jesus. Jesus does the saving, securing
spirit to heaven, blotting out all marks of sin against you, not the preacher.

 So, with that said, if you've accepted Jesus as your Savior, having spared you from what you
deserve because of your sins, which are against God, you really don't have a thing to worry about.
If you accidently get shot and die, you're on your way to heaven in an instant.

So, is your spirit in right standing with God? Any moment could be your last. Make your choice
before it's too late. Get Jesus.   If you're ready, read through some of my past entries how to easily
seal the deal and know you're securely in God's family, and are free from spiritual death. Now,
that's something to rejoice in the Lord about.

Your flesh is temporary. Your spirit is eternal.  God is Spirit. God created Man in His likeness, to
live forever and fellowship with. But love does not force anyone against their will. If you choose
to accept God's grace and mercy for life, you are blessed. If you choose not to accept his loving
offering of salvation, then.... you're choosing eternal damnation upon yourself.

Comments?



Until next time, the path is narrow, but the rewards of following it are endlessly magnificent.



   

It started back in Sunday School

I had one very special Sunday school teacher I shall never forget. I can't pinpoint what exactly it was, but I never wanted her Sunday school class to end.  I was happy right where I was. I don't remember her name, or even her face, but I do remember it was in her class I first learned the names of the books of the Bible. She made it fun and interesting to learn them. It would be many, many years later when I would come across another Sunday school class where I again learned so many exciting things in the Bible. Just like a child again, I never wanted that class to end.

Memorizing the names and placement of the books of the Bible has come in handy when I listen to any Bible teacher or preacher. When they reference to a certain scripture in the Bible I could flip to that book and scripture pretty quickly. I've never needed page labels to locate Leviticus or 1Timothy or Micah.

The Bible is God's written Word

Photo credit: gracey from morguefile.com
 
As I grew slowly in knowledge of what the Bible was about as a whole, it all started to come together and make sense. My Bible knowledge came over a period of almost twenty years, so I might be called a slow learner, but I'm eager and ready for the Holy Spirit to reveal to me so much more.

To me, it has been thrilling learning more in depth of the importance about the stories of Noah and the Ark; Abraham and Sarah; Joseph; Moses and the parting of the Red Sea and the Ten Commandments;  Samson and Delilah;  Jonah and the Whale; David; Solomon; Esther; Ruth; John the Baptist; Jesus walking on water,  feeding thousands of people with just 5 loaves of bread and 5 fish; Jesus being born in a manger with animals and shepherds around; Jesus nailed to a cross, are just to name a few. These stories and people tell of how God worked in the lives of people to fulfill his purpose no matter the mistakes they made. And that's true even today.  And the one who made no mistake and whom God was well pleased, whom was and is his Son, Jesus, the Christ.

A lamb

Photo credit: woble from morguefile.com


From memorizing the books of the Bible to learning more of what's written within the books, I've become more enlightened and knowledgeable of the significance of these stories and God's Word for us and His wonderful plan of salvation for man.


 Here are the 18+ major highlights I've learned since being a student of the Lord.

*The Bible is no ordinary book. It has been sustained through the ages and penned by different men over centuries by the tempting of the Holy Spirit.  All the books together tell of a continuation of stories of God's people, leading up to the birth of the long awaited Messiah, (every book in the old testament tells of something about the Messiah), then, the miraculous birth of Jesus, then his life
and ministry, and after Jesus ascended into the heavens, the Bible tells the story of the spread of
 'the church' throughout the world.

*God chose many men to pen the books of the Bible over many centuries. There couldn't possibly
be one person to witness and write all that the Bible tells.  To make a testimony more believable,
the more people to collaborate a story, the more a testimony or story is believable. The scriptures were guided by the Holy Spirit working through the authors who wrote the books. We have a
written account from more than one man, written and recorded over centuries of time of the stories God wants us to know of his people, his faithfulness, his love and his statutes.

Mt. Sinai at sunset

Photo credit: jimmunnelly from morguefile.com
 
*The Old Testament gives history of the beginning and how man became full of pride and drifted away from God. God placed the Hebrew tribe of Levi as those to carry out the taking of offerings to be sacrificed that God demanded to purge sin- the shedding of blood for forgiveness. This was of a blemish-less animal for the time being. This was necessary, but only until the Messiah was to come
to free God's people.  God's law was impossible to live up to- for no man or woman could ever be perfect or be sinless. Some interpreted it too strictly and forgot that God did not want that, He
wants man to depend upon Him, not try to be perfect. Man can't be perfect due the sin nature
passed down to all humans from the first man and woman's disobedience. Adam and Eve were deceived and chose to disobey God when they chose to do something that was prideful, selfish,
and in direct disobedience to God's word to them.

How sin entered into the world

Photo credit: chelle from morguefile.com
 
*The Old Testament books tell of prophets and stories of people who were faithful and of those
who were unfaithful, selfish and greedy and did not listen to the prophets. Within each book, the stories and each subsequent generation from Adam leading up Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob and
down through the line of David and so forth. God wanted his people to trust Him, rely upon him
and worship him. God remained faithful, but the Hebrew people wined a lot and forgot the
wondrous things God did and his promises and instead wanted to go back into bondage and even worship man-made images and idols.  Every time the Jewish people cried to God for help, God
saved them. God never failed them. They failed God.
But a few always remained faithful and God blessed them richly.

a replica of the Ark of the Covenant

Photo credit: Grafixar from morguefile.com
 
*God takes ordinary people who are faithful and willing, and uses them to do extraordinary things.

*Man, unknowledgable to the things of the Spirit, would rather listen to the evil one, just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden. But still, the devil couldn't keep 'The One' who was to come and bruise
 his head from being born, or be killed, nor could he get Jesus to succumb to temptation and sin, or from being the one whom God was well-pleased.

*Satan used to be a beautiful angel. But when Lucifer desired to be worshiped and be like god himself, God expelled him from the heavens and now Satan, the evil angel, the adversary, is
destined to the Lake of Fire. He reigns as the master of lies and deception, and makes it his job to deceive those who are not keen to his tricks to get them to turn from God, as he has.  He knows
your weaknesses and uses his powers to make you fall for his lies to lead you away from the truth
of God's Word. He wants to destroy your future and take you from all God has for you because he's
a sore loser. Before Jesus, because of sin, man's destiny was spiritual death . Jesus foiled Satan's
plan because Jesus now holds the keys to life and death, so, Jesus alone is the One whom belongs
all praise, honor and glory. Satan wants that and will try to get it by deception, lying and setting up his own makeshift kingdom to make himself a god. That's what he wants. But there is only one
God, and it is not Satan, aka, Lucifer. Jesus has won spiritual victory for us.

*The New Testament is about the coming of the Lord, the Messiah and his life and death and the church.  John the Baptist was a 'voice' telling of Jesus' forthcoming-he was a messenger who said, 'he's coming, he's coming'. Then when Jesus arrived, John the Baptist said, 'here he is'.

*Jesus was born supernaturally of the Holy Spirit to virgin woman, named Mary. Joseph married Mary and was Jesus' earthly father and he did what was told of him by angels to keep Jesus
protected from those wanting to kill him.

The Son of God, our Messiah was born in a manger

Photo credit: nagygl from morguefile.com
 
*Jesus, at an early age, amazed the elders with his wisdom of Godly knowledge. Then he began
his amazing ministry which Paul and some of Jesus's disciples recorded for us to read.

The Middle East

Photo credit: duboix from morguefile.com

 
*The good news of the gospel spread by word of mouth of miraculous healings and miracles
Jesus performed, and later by his disciples, and by Saul, a devout Jew, who used to kill
Christians, but became a believer after his encounter with the Lord, and renamed Paul.

*In spite of all that was foretold of how the coming Messiah was going to come, etc. Jesus met
every prophesy, yet people doubted and they still doubt. These things about Jesus sounds unlikely
to have happened, but there are recorded eye-witnesses other than the authors of the Bible.  The
Jews wanted their Messiah to be a warrior or someone to free them from the Romans.  But the Messiah conquered more than that.  But the Jews and much of the world today have yet to
believe that. The Messiah came to save man from spiritual death. He was the perfect sacrificial
Lamb through which Man might be redeemed back into good graces with God. No more animal sacrifices. Jesus bridged the gap between God and Man separated by sin. Jesus was the Lamb of
 God- being part-human, part-God, the perfect sacrifice God accepted. Any person can accept
God's free gift by faith and be firmly assured their sins would be forgiven.

A Roman coin

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com
 
*God, the Word, the Holy Spirit, are all Spirit. God sent a part of himself to us to be our ransom
 so our 'dead spirits' could become 'alive' and have spiritual life forever. That spring of living
waters and everlasting life is found in and though Jesus, and Jesus alone.

*The Bible is full of jewels of wisdom and knowledge. You can read the words and it not make
any sense. That's because it's a holy book and not until your spirit is made 'alive', all you will see
 are printed words on paper. Once you ask Jesus into your heart and accept him as your Lord and Savior, your spirit becomes 'alive' and you will begin to see the Bible come alive and the stories
 begin to have rich meaning and wisdom. Each time you ask God to open your spiritual eyes a bit more, he reveals a bit more in his Word. Only God can do that, and only Jesus can stand in for
you, paying the price owed for your sins.

Flag of Israel

Photo credit: kevinrosseel from morguefile.com
 
*Bible stories tell of the grand story of God's unconditional love to us all. God does not force
anyone or make anyone do anything. The choice is yours to make- either you choose to be with
Him or against Him.  So you're either for God, or for the fallen angel called Satan, who is the
god of this world.  God could force you to make your choice, but that's not of his loving character.  God knows to be made to do something your heart isn't into is not loving. God wants you to freely choose to come and love him, not force you to.

*The Bible is for spiritual growth and knowledge and to know the mind of God through the life
of Jesus. No other book can do that. People can reference the Bible, but the Bible is a
one-of-a-kind special living book, a holy book. But to those whose spirit has not been awakened
by the Holy Spirit, mysteries and the wonders of the Bible are scrambled, and the Bible to them is nothing more than some old book on the shelf.

Scrambled

Photo credit: anon from morguefile.com
 
*I've learned that God is a good God. I've learned faith has to be tested in order to grow. I've
learned that with Jesus, I have nothing to fear, for He is faithful. I've learned that the Holy Spirit
is my counselor and I need to spend time in the Word and be quiet to hear his gentle voice.

*And, lastly, I've learned that God is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscience, and Holy. He is Spirit.
He always has been, and always will be. He is not 'the man' upstairs. And, God loves you and I
so much that he sent his Son to die for us so we can have spiritual life for all times.
                                                                  -----------

I know there so much more the Holy Spirit wants to teach me. I'm grateful to all my Sunday
school teachers, and all with the gift of teaching and are using their gifting to teach about the
many wonders found in the Bible.

I would like to hear from you of what you've taken specially to heart from the Bible, God's Holy Word.

Until next time,
I'm keeping on that straight and narrow path, with the Son as my guide.

Heaven or Paradise- spiritual or sensual?

I've been reading on some key differences between the Christian and the Muslim religions.
The both claim to have God, either called God, the Heavenly Father, or Allah, and
they both claim to offer Heaven or Paradise to it's believers upon death.

A depiction of angels in heaven

  Photo credit: guilanenachez from morguefile


But, I've come across major differences in how to reach Paradise and heaven, the goal for getting there, what you will do there, and the question of will there be any sex?

(The answer is at the bottom if you must see it right now)


Allah promises the reward of Paradise for men complete with virgins for his sexual delight. Lots of voluptuous, untouched, beautiful, virgins with appetizing vaginas and non-sagging breasts for his pleasure and permanent, eternal erection.  So, the Muslim man has to do good things and he will be heavily rewarded so he may have his sexual desires fulfilled by enticing virgins. Now, for any healthy, red'blooded man, having strength to sexually pleasure virgins might very well thought to be 'Paradise'.  However, if the goal for getting to Paradise, is for his sensual pleasure, that sounds pretty selfish and one-sided. Virgins are there. Is Paradise another place for the females to have to work? Is their Paradise having to use their bodies to pleasure a man? Is there any time females can have a Paradise of their own and not have to be about sexually pleasuring a man?

In Paradise and Heaven- yes or no?

Photo credit: mantasmagorical from morguefile.com

 
 Muhammad the messenger, had strong sexual urges and I've read he married and had sex with a very young girl. This teaching gives the impression that sex appears to be something men can't imagine ever being without and if they see more than a few inches of a woman's skin, they might have lustful thoughts. So the woman has to dress in a manner to not give the man any temptation. She is to dress modesty covering herself from head to toe so men can't view her and become sexually tempted.

The Prophet Muhammad taught sin can be forgiven by doing good and sin is just an act not an inherent nature.  I also read this teaching says even though a believer can do 'bad', they can also do 'good', and that would wipe out their sin. This raises some questions. For instance, who determines how much 'good' is enough to erase sin? What is the definition of 'good' and who can claim to wear the title of 'good'? How much prayer is enough to wipe out a person's sin? How will a person know they've prayed enough? And for a person to do bad, there has to be an inherent nature within them in order to do 'bad' or think 'bad' thoughts. So if there's any speck of 'bad', how can that person remove the nature that is within himself?  He/she may not do 'bad' all the time, but it's still within himself/herself even though they don't necessarily do 'bad' things all the time.

God demands perfection. Even thought Muslims know of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only beloved son to God. The rest of the story is God stepped in and provided a substitute for Abraham. This was an example showing that substitute later would be, Jesus, God's only Son, who was obedient and was sacrificed to have his blood shed to pay for the sin of mankind. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because he was part of the godhead, part of the 'us' who created all things. He humbled himself to be born of a woman by the Holy Spirit.  So, God, spiritually stepped down from heaven in human form to become The Sacrifice himself for us. That is of the Spirit, but also of the flesh so Man's spirit could live and not die and his sins be forgiven. No other way would have sufficed. If God provided of Himself to pay for our sins, then no imperfect man can do "good' if he is himself imperfect.  When Adam and Even sinned, a sinful nature was passed on to every person born of human parents. What is a sin nature? A good explanation can be found here, and 'the misconceptions of sin nature' paragraph is especially good.

Photo credit: lebewesen from morguefile.com


In the Bible, heaven, is promised to those who repent and who's sins have been forgiven through accepting by faith of His Son, Jesus, the Messiah- whose shed blood was the once and for all sacrifice paying the penalty of sin for that person's soul. Through His Son, your 'spirit man' can live forever in a glorified body in heaven, or be out of the presence (spiritual death) of the Lord, in hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire.  Sin can't enter the home of the Holy Father, whom is Holy Spirit, and heaven is eternal. and the spirit of man is eternal. Being good can't pay the price to get into heaven. There's nothing that man, a sinful person can do- no amount of good works or living good or being a martyr will rid him of his sinful nature, so man can't be a perfect sacrifice to pay for his sin, thus he is incapable of saving himself.

 In heaven, even with glorified bodies, we will be recognizable. Glorified bodies will not have fleshly desires. God designed sex to be for a husband and his wife for the purpose of procreation. In heaven, there will not be a need for marriage, therefore no need for sex. The church IS the bride and Jesus whom we're eagerly waiting to be with. Marriage on Earth is for raising families. Christians will be the family of God.
The goal in heaven is to worship the Son and rule with him.

I especially like this site to read questions that are answered using Greek word translation that really help with the meaning of scripture.

So, there are many major philosophical differences.


                          MORE COMPARISONS ----

1. The Bible is printed 200 million copies every year.
    The biggest Quran publisher has printed 240 million books since 1984.
                                                                    ***
2.Mohammad self appointed himself as a prophet, he got his first revelation from God at age 40 and he died from and illness that was feverish.

Jesus, meaning 'The Anointed One' is more than a prophet. A prophet is a messenger with a word from God. Jesus is the Word, made flesh and came and dwelt among us. He is our Great High Priest, which is much more than a messenger.
                                                                 
In the Bible, the Messiah, or the 'anointed one' is Jesus, even Islamic believe Jesus is the promised Prophet and Messiah and would return to Earth to defeat the anti-christ.
                                                                   ***
3.Mohammad was born of two earthly parents and died by the effects of being poisoned.
 Jesus was born as prophesied in the line of David of a virgin and the power of the Holy Spirit. His  birth was announced by angels and always was with no beginning or end.
Jesus was before Abraham, meaning he always was with the Father. He died on the Cross, spent time in Paradise to get the keys of death from Hades and was resurrected on the third day. His tomb is empty because he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for the saints. His name is more majestic than the angels.
                                                                   ***

4.Mohammad had many women and children enslaved and he died years after being poisoned.
Mohammad also fought in many physical battles. He did no healing or sacrificing of himself to save anyone.
 Mohammad claims to have had contact with Gabriel, an angel.

Jesus was about His Father's business at an early age, and did not seek possessions, wives, concubines or have anyone killed or enslaved. He purpose on Earth was solely to spread the love of God, and be the final sacrifice so our spirits can enter heaven and thus escape the due penalty of death our sins demand, thus saving us from hell and the Lake of Fire.

Jesus only did what was pleasing to the Father. He is the Light of the World and came to free people from their sins.
Jesus has direct contact with the Father. Angels worship him.
Jesus is God's firstborn ( Hebrews 1: 6)

Jesus came to free us from the penalty of sin

Photo credit: bosela from morguefile.com


Jesus is the immortal King of Kings, Lord of Lords of the everlasting Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is spiritual, as God is Spirit. The enemy is spirit. The battle is spiritual. Jesus has victory for us in this arena. Just have to wait for the right moment when Jesus returns and all the children of God  will then see The Kingdom at hand with Jesus ruling on high. The spiritual victory has already been won.

Check out this site- three sections breaking down- The Son is God, Jesus is God, and Jesus is Jehovah.

CONCLUSION- Things of a sensual, sexual nature have nothing to do with heaven or paradise. 

God is Spirit (VIDEO)


 -There is no intent on disrespecting anyone's belief or religion. This blog entry is only my brief understanding of the subject and is not intended to suggest that I know all there is to know about any religion-

Still on my journey along the narrow path set before me.

Please leave your comments.

Trial marriage anyone?

 Trial marriage? What is this world coming to?  In Mexico, trial marriage may soon be available- making try-out-a-spouse legal to test if a 2-year trial run spouse works for ya.  I wonder if there's an exchange of vows at a trial marriage ceremony, and if so, maybe the vows go something like this-  'I promise to give you two trial test-years of my life as your beloved, and at the conclusion of our two year trial marriage contract, you or I can decide if two year marriage made us both happy and is worth going forth, or we can agree to end our trial marriage peacefully with no hard feelings, beloveds no more. With that said and both agreeing to,  let's give it a trial run, so help us God." Then, the couple is declared trial husband and trial wife. May they live happily for the duration of their contract.

After the two years are up, there's no need for a divorce. Just part and go separate ways. Pack you things and off you go, the trial marriage is over, no divorce papers to sign. Doing it this way, the divorce rate will decrease because it's eliminated. Just walk away free and clear to decide upon a trial  marriage with someone else  or until you find someone and your both decide it's the right trial spouse and you want to make it a permanent spouse and marriage rather then a trial one. 

Marriage has been reduced to sampling different pairs of shoes until you find just the right fit.


Photo credit: sullivan from morguefile.com
 
Marriage is by definition a union, a joining together.  God created marriage to blend and connect two people together into one. ONE. You wouldn't want to sever your own arm or head or heart because it's joined with the other parts making you one complete body.  Marriage is supposed to be like you're super-glued together with the intention of never becoming unstuck from your spouse  What kills most marriages is jumping into a marital relationship without giving much thought or importance to what's required and involved  to maintain an exciting, thrilling, alive and happy marriage.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Marriage requires daily effort on each party,  and that's the problem.  Many do not fully realize what is going to be required in a marriage before saying their vows.  Then, when it's discovered that give and take, communication, understanding and forgiveness is to be provided,  they aren't ready to give that,  so the marriage suffers.  Trial marriages brings the holy sanctity of marriage down to the level of short-term flings, which never do last.

A marriage was initially meant for the bonding and joining a man and female together to become one in the sight of God, to reproduce themselves and raise and nurture their children in the knowledge of God, to continue generation after generation.  Marriage is not to be taken lightly and marriage is much more than a legal means to bed with someone.  I understand there's a high percentage of divorces in Mexico, but children born of the union, now confused, have to become accustomed to their parents, once together, now separated.  It really is a shame that grown people do not realize innocent children born in a marriage are the one's suffering the most from their parents divorcing.  Couples should keep this in mind, being firmly committed with  a rock solid marriage first before deciding to bring children into the mix.  Marriage is supposed to be a commitment in which you never give up to make it a permanent union.

So, is trial marriage the answer? I see this as a legal way to change sleeping partners every two years and skip having to pay a divorce attorney.

For Sheena

On June 21st, I got news that Ira, my Pastor's oldest son, was dead. At first I thought my hearing was bad, but no, it was true.  Ira Anthony Walton, named after his father, at 33 years of age, was with the Lord.

The very moment Ira took his last breath, angels escorted him, his spirit, into the presence of the Lord. Ira is free from his earthly body, and now amongst the angels in heavenly places.


Photo credit: agathabrown from morguefile.com

A numb feeling came all over me.  I believe every person had that same feeling sweep over them when they first heard of the tragic news.  Ira was and will always be well loved.  Ira was a one-of-a- kind, real special young man,  and I think I speak for many in saying anyone could sense there was something extraordinary about Ira within a few minutes of meeting him. He had 'what we're all seeking in our own lives' going on, and inner happiness that couldn't help but ooze out, and his happiness with life shined brightly for all to see.

I've thought of his family, already missing his presence. His Father and Mother and brother and oh, his twin sister.  They all must be devastated.  But most of all, I thought of Ira's wife, Sheena.  She was the one he'd given his love and his heart to.  She caught his eye. and he married her 10 years ago.  Sheena has it going on, too. The both of them were no doubt one very, special couple. They were young, and very much in love, and very happy together- it was obvious without a doubt.


Photo credit: Saffrodite from morguefile.com
 
Sheena, I see you being strong for your four children. But I also know you miss your husband very much. I know this was all unexpected. You and Ira had so much planned for your dear family's future and it was coming true.  But, Ira, being realistic and wise, made sure his family would be cared for, just in case. His love for you and four little ones is very evident, even now.



Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com
 
I know you're probably not wanting any thanks for being strong in public and looking like all is fine. I can only imagine, how much your heart grieves in the night when you reach out and the other side of the bed is empty. I can only imagine how deep your grieving might be. My heart grieves with you. And if I'm correct, your grieving is shared by many others whom Ira touched.  Your husband was one special man, but to you, a special friend, confidant, provider, protector, husband, companion, lover, and father of your children.

Sheena, you and Ira were about important business of raising your children and serving God together. That was very obvious that you were a strong, together team, and something you can always hold dear and special within your heart. Your children are some of the best-mannered and respectful children I have every met. That's why I've enjoy bringing  little gifts and would like to spend time with them this Summer in the kitchen creating some eatables. Your children are a joy to be around.  They are a direct reflection upon how you and their father spent quality time teaching them manners. Be very, very proud of that.  And most important, your children have a firm foundation in their relationship with the Lord, again a direct reflection upon their parents. It is so wonderful that all your family is saved, and I'm certain little Isaac will follow the same path.  And, I'm certain within your heart, knowing Ira is 'Home', and you will see him again, gives you a sense of pleasure.Your family is now even more special as Ira is in heaven overlooking you all and no doubt himself filled with such amazement exploring heaven in the Lord's presence.



Photo credit: trooney from morguefile.com
 
Ira, will live on in our hearts. He is missed, but for a short while. We all look forward to meeting again on the other side. His work and yours will continue on in your children and in you. He made an impact upon my life as well, in giving me an example of what a devoted, young, Christian family looks like.  Thank you. And may God continue blessing your family abundantly.

 With my sincerest respect and admiration,  Katrina

Evangelist Billy Graham's big events

I've been thinking about Mr. Billy Graham. Checking on his date of birth, he's in his nineties.  I remember back in the late 60s and early 70s watching his televised crusades with my grandmother. It was special televised programming and at first I didn't know why it was such a big event. But now I do. Those crusades are no more, but those crusades were a ministry through which  Mr. Billy Graham was instrumental in spreading the gospel to thousands upon thousands of people.

Those crusades attracted thousands of people in the cities which they were held, and when Mr. Graham gave the invitation, I watched and remember thinking that some people had to walk down many flights of stairs then out onto the center of the field to gather around the stage Mr. Graham was speaking from. He waited. And I watched with my grandmother, while we shelled peas as the people made their way to accept the invitation. Then Reverend Billy Graham prayed the sinner's prayer and the people repeated after him what he had prayed.

The prayer, if prayed sincerely from the heart, was asking Jesus to be Lord and Savior and believing upon him as the Son of God who died in the sinner's place having paid the dept owed for sin. When this prayer was said, sinners are adopted into God's family by faith.  Their 'dead in trespasses' souls were made alive- born again, instantly. The prayer doesn't save anyone, it's Jesus that did and still does. It's a God and grace thing, but it takes knowing we humans are sinners and we have to exercise faith in God to believe in his divine plan that saves us from spiritual death. As I grew older I understood the significance of those crusades and I will always be grateful that I get to view them with my Grandma Lillie Bell when I was a youngster.

Here are some early photos of Billy Graham, intent on spreading the gospel far and wide.

His speeches are priceless, timeless, and very easy to understand. View Billy Graham in the video below. He gives such good examples and mixes humor with truth when he speaks.




Do you want to be pardoned from you sins?
There's no other way but by Jesus. It's only left that you want it and accept what's already been provided for you. It's a decision you make deep down in your heart. Like those many people at Billy Graham crusades, who walked to the center of the field and stood or kneeled and gave their heart's to the Lord.

If you missed his crusades, that's alright, you can receive the Lord into your heart and be saved just the same. In your room or quietly where ever you are right now, what matters is that you realize you owe a debt that must be paid to God for your sins. You can't pay the debt yourself because it requires the shedding of blood, the death, of a pure sacrifice to pay the penalty. Jesus was that sacrificial lamb for you, in your place so you (your soul)could live in heaven when your fleshly body dies.  

It will be a big event in your life, and one monumental event to your soul, when you invite Jesus into your heart. God bless you and God bless Mr. Billy Graham for his ministry leading thousands of souls to the Lord so they could be made spiritually alive by accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Another classic video of Billy Graham speaking about excuses  for not making your commitment to Christ.




May TODAY be the day you make your commitment to know Christ in your heart. RIGHT NOW is the time to settle it. Now!