THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER

Is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence? We humans seem to think so. In another handful of hours we will witness the remarkable annual transition from one year to another. Remarkable? Really?

2020 was and continues to be a highly eventful year. Not just for Americans here in the land of the free. The events that unfolded, and the almost lemming like global reaction points to biblical prophesy of the end times and the formation of a One World Government. Observers have long been watching the germination of this seed planted many years ago.

For our tiny ministry 2020 started out in wonderful fashion as we were blessed to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in three assisted living facilities. The best part is that our Lord opened the door so that all were being preached on the Lord's Day, Sunday. These communities of precious souls often found that it was next to impossible to arrange for transportation to and from a local church for Sunday Services. The answer was simple and straight forward. Lets bring the church to these communities of heroes of humanity. God is good!

In March, news arrived of a terrible virus that had escaped from China and its spread was astounding, and global! Just before Easter, all of our ALF's {Assisted Living Facilities} locked the doors preventing entry even to the immediate family. The PHYSICAL well being of those inside was of paramount import. What about their SPIRITUAL well being?? The physical is temporary, the Spiritual is FOREVER!

Prayers work. God is ever so Merciful and LOVING. It was His will to open the doors to a solution that would penetrate even the most robust wall or barrier. RADIO. Not only did our Lord open that door, He also directed us to sources and supplies and arranged for us the most simple manner to accomplish a full church service all from the contents of a suitcase.

By Easter, we had all the tools we needed and the first test was at a Baptist Church in Jay, Florida as Pastor Brian broadcast a first full sermon to the ears of passionate believers gathered in automobiles in the church parking lot. This was the spark that we needed to continue serving those communities of senior citizens in the comfort of their own homes and in their own secured communities every Sunday since. We did not have to enter the buildings. we could punch right through with a good signal and the Gospel message delivered.

God was not done. He opened yet another door adding our FOURTH facility where the Lord's Day Sunday message is delivered to the ears of yet another community of followers of our precious Lord Jesus. Thank-You Father, Thank-You Jesus, Thank-You Holy Spirit, AMEN

Those of you who have not yet received the gift of Grace by calling on the name of Jesus [the only door to the Kingdom of God] might want to blow the dust off of your Bible, if you own one, and begin a study of 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, verses 13 thru 17. This is a good place to start. The Gospel according to John, Romans Chapter 10, The book of Ephesians, Daniel, Revelation, all great eye opening measurements of where we all are presently as it relates to God's mighty plan falling into place. It is important to remember, all of that which is heading our way is not chaos. It is God's perfect plan finally falling into place!!

Ask Jesus to come into you. Save you. Cleanse you. Ask Him to show you the way. When that day arrives, waste no time finding a church of Godly, Bible Preaching souls that will introduce you to a wondrous and beautiful new life in Christ!

The New Year is almost here. What do you think? Do you suppose that the grass will indeed be greener in 2021? If you have the Holy Spirit inside you FAITH will do all the rest. Let God be your constant focus.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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HE LEADS AS WE FOLLOW

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." [Deu 31:8]

Among many commitments throughout our Bibles is this, this promise, this TRUTH that our Lord God is a God of His word. Countless times He delivered. Countless times our faith failed us. To our minds that which the Lord set out for us was reckoned to be to hard, to dangerous, to costly to our selves. Man has short attention spans, not unlike sheep.

Remember when Moses attended to God on the mountain as the TEN COMMANDMENTS were inscribed by the Lord himself. When Moses returned the Israelite's had made and were worshiping a Golden Calf and were committing the most gross sins before the idol. Remember too that God almost ended everyone and He would have if Moses had not prayed that He not do so!

Then [Moses] said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.--I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. --The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. -- When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. [Exo 33:15, Jer 10:23 , Psa 37:23-24]

Describing this trait of man who has a natural default in his sin laden body to revert into himself, Asaph wrote in Psa 73:23-24;  Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.  With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.

It is through child-like FAITH that we find that Holy ordained committal which we need to follow Jesus....no matter the price!

In the Winter of Saint Paul's earthly life he left us this beautiful gem to be our Lode Star that guides the needle of our spiritual compass;   "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Rom 8:38-39]

As He leads......will you follow?

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THE LORD IS NEAR

 

Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. [Php 4:5]

It does not take a rocket scientist or a Phd in Bible studies to realize that things are getting ugly all around the world. If we thought for a moment that all the negative changes are here in the U.S., we would be horribly wrong. Right before our eyes we are witnessing the universal separation, the division, if you will, of the SHEEP and the GOATS. The Lord's will is plainly seen.

There are many "so-called" experts in the study of Eschatology (study of the last things and times) who have bushel baskets loaded with predictions and bonafides as to the when and where the taking away will occur and the Great Tribulation to follow. Be assured beloved, they don't know!! The only one who does know is the FATHER. He is not talking. He has, however, given us enough information in scripture that we can with assurance identify that we are indeed in the SEASON of the end times right now! Of this, there is little doubt. The sound of the SHOFAR, the TRUMPET can come at any time. Are you ready?

The Apostle Paul writes:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words. [1Th 4:13-18]

We have to be sober and alert. Our walk with the Lord must be consistent, constant, and sincere. Those who "Thump the Bible" on Sunday mornings and then hit the Bars and gambling halls the other 6 days are in for a terrible surprise when HE comes!

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. - Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,- abstain from every form of evil.  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. [Rev 22:20-2Pe 3:14-1Th 5:22-24]

Today, right now is NOT the time to be complacent. Those who snooze will loose. If you do not have a direct, personal and full time love affair with Jesus our Savior, you really need to get RIGHT....right now! When we least expect Him to come, He will be here.

...be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. [Jas 5:8]

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HIS LEADERSHIP NEVER VARIES

 

He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city. [Psa 107:7]

Can you even imagine? One day, there you are just minding your own business, shepherding a large flock of sheep, and Almighty GOD introduces you to HIS new assignment through a burning bush! Your life and job description is changed in an instant. Welcome to the new life of a man named Moses.

"He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.  (11)  "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.  (12)  "The LORD alone guided him, And there was no foreign god with him. [Deu 32:10-12] The Creator not only anointed Moses for the mission, He also filled Moses with all that he would need to fully accomplish the will of the Master.

Oh yes, there were others whom God selected to be the Mighty Tool fitting nicely in the hands of our Sovereign. "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb;  (4)  Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you. [Isa 46:3-4]

Then there was David. A young shepherd of the sheep who happened to be very good with a sling and a stone! King David he would be anointed, leading and authoring many, many soul nourishing missives. The 23rd Psalm being one of his greatest; He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.  (4)  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. [Psa 23:3-4]

"And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."[Isa 58:11] - Isaiah, Oh my, what a prophet. Mighty, unwavering, filled with the Spirit of the Lord!! Following the lead of He who created and actively oversees the smallest to the largest even unto today!

For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.-- "Behold God .... Who is a teacher like Him? [Psa 48:14--Job 36:22]

WHO INDEED?

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PRAY FOR PATIENCE AND SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

The power of prayer is an awesome thing to behold. I know that many readers have experienced this miracle first hand and can attest to veracity of my statement. God truly listens to His own. Our Bible records this prayer power throughout it's historical writings, and even the most jaded critic must confess that there is a power so awesome, so huge, so wondrous that only GOD is capable of that which is documented in Scripture.

2020 certainly has been a year of challenges. Much of which may accompany us into 2021. Have you prayed more frequently this year? Many have, others not so much. It is a difficult thing when the key to witnessing Prayer Answered is another word that begins with the letter "P". PATIENCE. Yes, Patience coupled with FAITH has a very good track record among prayer-warriors.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,  to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. -Eph 3:14-21.

All the chaos and bitterness flowing out of this tainted election season is seen by our maker. Our Savior's middle name is RIGHTEOUSNESS, his other name is TRUTH. This prayer uttered in humble manner before the Lord produces results. Pray that the Lord's will be done. That the record be set straight and those who resort to deceit, dishonesty and false scales would be lighted brightly and brought to justice. Join me and thousands of others in praying the prayer above. Be patient and witness the power of our God, Amen and AMEN.

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THE TRUE AMERICAN PROCLAMATION FOR THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789

Thanksgiving Proclamation

New York, 3 October 1789

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

President George Washington

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BEING THANKFUL

Later this week-- on Thursday-- many will gather as one to give thanks to God for the blessings over this past year and perhaps throughout our lives. Since this is the year 2020, we have a bushel basket full of distractions to contend with.

The blessings might be a bit harder to ferret out in amongst the China-Virus, the lock-downs, and the pre and post election shenanigans. We are heading toward the end of the year with a sizable number of unknowns that may need attention.

For followers of Jesus, we know that worldly machinations are in the divine sphere of our Creator. As such, there is a quiet confidence that everything is unfolding according to the will of the Lord our God. Still, we, with humble adoration offer our pleadings in prayer just in case He needs our suggestions. He loves to hear our voices! Trust and Obey----that is the way!

What are you thankful for this year? This decade? This century?

First and foremost I am thankful that I have a direct, personal, beautiful relationship with Almighty God, Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In that same thankful declaration is the receiving of salvation and the indwelling Spirit of the Lord at the same time and in the same place with my bride of 30 years, Linda. Nothing compares to that Moment in time!

Over these past years, the realization and confirmation of His measureless power and righteousness displayed in Truth through Holy Scripture overwhelms the simple capacity of the human mind. To be sharing this awesome realization with my best friend and wife is truly a most awesome gift. Praise You Jesus!

Thanksgivings that I lift up includes being granted the holy honor to be witness to the movement of the hand of God as He answers prayers and delivers true miracles each and every day. The human condition expects God's miracles to measure up to the Hollywood's Spectacular Thunder and lightning as testimony. The reality is that He can do as your mind might conjure, but daily, His miracles are quiet, unassuming and the gentle results of His will. If we are paying attention, He freely shares these miracles with us!

Two such miracles are given us each day. Sunrise and Sunset. The artistry of the hand of God is unmatched as the sun slowly rises from it's slumber; opening the new day with a promise and glory unmatched as He paints the sky with a moving, ever changing pastel explosion of colors that no human being can duplicate. The daily event heralds a new chapter, a fresh start, another opportunity to bring glory to His majesty in awesome adoration of His creation.

At sunset, our Lord gives us the perfect back drop that begs meditation and rest as the silvers and golds blend with the ever deep blues welcoming the arrival of the star decked canopy of heaven. Both of these august events, these Godly gifts, have never been duplicated since the beginning of time. Always different, never the same, never repeated. THAT my Beloved, is an incredible miracle and a wondrous gift to His creation.

I could go on and on. In my brief 70 plus years on this third rock from the sun, the list of all that which I am thankful for could fill several volumes of bound books. Your list would be likewise volume heavy. My gaze is now on eternity. My journey on this earth is entering the winter months. My faith drives me on, one step at a time, ever moving forward to that day when I will cross the finish line and fall to my knees, trembling with Joy in the presence of He who created me!

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Almighty God, fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit of Your divine love during this thanksgiving period. Let us cast aside the impediments and the distractions as we join our hearts worshiping You and the gifts You have given us, Amen and AMEN!

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