This post will run through the Nov 2 elections

As Christians, we identify with certain basic truths. We agree that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for our sins so that we may be forgiven. We believe that after Jesus was crucified He was raised up 3 days later conquering death and making a way for us to have eternal life. We are a conservative collection of people based on faith and the truth that is God’s holy word. As you prepare for yet another round of elections this November, please realize that you have the chance to help shape the world we live in more than ever before. We have the opportunity to send a message to the world that we are still a Christian nation and that we will stand for what we believe in. I urge you to take the time to see where the candidates stand on issues that we in the faith deem important. We are facing issues regarding same sex marriage, immigration challenges, and most important, abortion. All of these issues could see major votes in the next 2 years and we need to do all we can to make sure that the people we have in office are thinking and voting with an eye towards Christ. We are on this earth but a short time in the grand plan of things so it is up to us to do as best we can while we are here. We are charged with the Great Commission: go forth and make disciples. However, we also need to make sure that the country we live in reflects Christian beliefs to the world as well. America is still the beacon that the world looks towards for guidance and security. This November we have the chance to make sure that the shining light the world sees is based in the light of Christ. Please, do not take the elections lightly. Talk to your loved ones, get into the Word, and pray for guidance. The future is what we make it, all is in our hands. God is not done with our country, He has a plan! Take heart, do not get discouraged, and know that all we accomplish will be for the glory of God! God bless you all!

Letter to the church for the upcoming elections

As Christians, we identify with certain basic truths. We agree that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for our sins so that we may be forgiven. We believe that after Jesus was crucified He was raised up 3 days later conquering death and making a way for us to have eternal life. We are a conservative collection of people based on faith and the truth that is God’s holy word. As you prepare for yet another round of elections this November, please realize that you have the chance to help shape the world we live in more than ever before. We have the opportunity to send a message to the world that we are still a Christian nation and that we will stand for what we believe in. I urge you to take the time to see where the candidates stand on issues that we in the faith deem important. We are facing issues regarding same sex marriage, immigration challenges, and most important, abortion. All of these issues could see major votes in the next 2 years and we need to do all we can to make sure that the people we have in office are thinking and voting with an eye towards Christ. We are on this earth but a short time in the grand plan of things so it is up to us to do as best we can while we are here. We are charged with the Great Commission: go forth and make disciples. However, we also need to make sure that the country we live in reflects Christian beliefs to the world as well. America is still the beacon that the world looks towards for guidance and security. This November we have the chance to make sure that the shining light the world sees is based in the light of Christ. Please, do not take the elections lightly. Talk to your loved ones, get into the Word, and pray for guidance. The future is what we make it, all is in our hands. God is not done with our country, He has a plan! Take heart, do not get discouraged, and know that all we accomplish will be for the glory of God! God bless you all!

Reason for hope

Well its Monday again and I am getting ready to start the grind once again. As I was getting myself together this morning though I realized I did not feel the same dread as I usually do when Monday gets here. I have been very frustrated with work here recently and I just made a decision this weekend. Instead of fussing and fighting over stuff I can not change, I will just trust God to handle stuff for for me and to grant me the wisdom to pick and choose my battles better. I know I have no control over the future. I can not will situations to go a certain way like I would like. What I can do is remember that God always provides and always meets my needs. I know that trusting in Him has never let me down and that He will put me where He needs me. I might not like what is going on around me at work right now but thats OK. He would not put this on me if not teach me patience or humility or something along those lines. So today that angst I feel for Mondays has been replaced with hope. I know all will work out as intended and that all will be good. You can know that same hope and peace too. All you have to do is lay your cares on the Lord and ask Him for help. Then trust that he will lead you as he needs you. The rest will take care of itself.

Why do we go to church?

I use to never go to church on Sunday. I could give a million reasons as to why I did not have to go or why I shouldn't go. It was always "I have had a busy week" or "I have a big week ahead of me" or "I never get to sleep in". But all I was doing was making excuses and allowing the devil to talk me out of what I knew I should be doing. Instead of focusing on why I should not go to church, I should have been looking at why I should be going. We go because the church is one body. We go because we want to hear God's word. We go because we want to worship our God together and sing His praises. Most important though is that we go to support and encourage one another. The church is an extension of your family. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Church is the one place that you can always go to share your burdens and your joys. If you do not have a church home, please find one. If you have one and have not been attending or have not been active, get active. Doing nothing just lets the devil win and keeps you from the rest of your family. Its up to you to decide.

John 5:24 - Cross over from death to life

John 5:24 - I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. How comforting is it to know that through the sacrifice of Jesus, that we have a way to defeat death? Through our faith in Jesus we are saved. More than that but we are dead to sin and we are alive in faith and in Christ. Once we accept Him into our lives we are a new creation. The old one is gone. Will we still sin, yes, we have a sinful nature. The thing is that now we know we have a way out that is promised to always be there for us as long as we are willing to humble ourselves and ask to be forgiven. Read His words and let them sink into your heart. Know His love and let it fill your heart. Believe in Him and have eternal life. Cross over from death and into life. The door is always open. All you have to do is be willing to believe.

Psalm 40:8 - I desire to do your will

Psalm 40:8 - I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. I wake up most every morning and get ready to go and do something that I really do not want to do, go to work. My job is easy enough and they pay me good but working for the phone company is not the desire of my heart to say the least. I always wanted to be a coach or a sports broadcaster or something like that. That did not happen for me though so I get up and go to work at my job every day. Just like me having to go to work, and doing something I would rather not do, sometimes we look at doing God's will the same way. We feel that it is too restricting or that it just gets in the way of what we want to do. We have to understand that He paid everything for us. That He gave his only son to die for our sins and that through Him we have everlasting life. All that was asked of us in return was to share the good news and obey Gods will as given to us in the bible. Are you always going to follow His will, no. We are human and we are not perfect. You will fail from time to time. This passage is not asking you to be perfect. Simply to have Gods word in your heart and have a deep and sincere desire to do His will. If your heart is filled with the word and the Holy Spirit and your mind is focused on serving God and doing His will, I have a feeling the rest will take care of itself.

Is spending time with God part of your daily routine?

Every day I have the same routine for the most part. My wife even jokes with me saying she always knows where I am at or what I am doing when we are apart based on what time of the day it is. I do not think I am that predictable but I will admit that I have a normal pattern to each of my days. I find it comforting to know what I can expect from my day and keeping to a routine means I am never rushing or out of sorts so to speak. Do not get me wrong, I am not a stiff shirt, meaning I am not flexible nor am I a boring person that hates anything new. I love to do stuff I have never done. Its just that in my personal, everyday life, I like my routine. We all have a routine of some sort. No matter how much you have going on in your life everyone tries to get on a plan to handle it and prioritize what they have going on. The question is, does everyone make quality time with God part of that daily routine? Do you put Him on your list of things to do? If so, where is he at? What we fail to keep in mind is that He makes everything else possible. You think, "I am just too busy", or "I just do not have time for that". We should always have time for God, after all, He always has time for us. He can make order out of chaos. He can be the calm that you need to deal with the daily storm you have to face. He can be the source of strength that you need to make it through your day. He can be any number of things. He is God after all, nothing is impossible to Him. Make spending time with God every day a priority in your life. I promise you that it is well worth the investment of your time and energy.

Is the bible an infomercial???

Have you ever heard something that sounded too good to be true? My favorite example of this is infomercials. I love these commercials they put on late night showing knives that can cut through cans, spray on hair, and my favorite, the sham-wow commercial. We actually purchased a few of the "sham-wow" type products at the state fair one year. To this day I have never been able to duplicate even one of the things they did on TV that convinced me to buy one in the first place. Many people consider the bible to be the same type of too good to be true story today. They view it as fiction or just a story handed down from generations that got exaggerated over time. They do not believe that one person could have died on a cross for us all or that the promises and details presented in the bible are real. The thing is, we have 2000 plus years of facts and testimony to prove that it is all real. That the bible is not just the Christians infomercial. The bible is truth. Its content has been validated by outside sources and we can see historical records to back up what the bible says. Knowing that, we know that the story is true. That it is not too good to be true, it is just simply true.

hate the sin, love the sinner

Have you ever heard the saying "hate the sin, love the sinner"? I am finding myself in that position more and more these days as my understanding of God's word grows. Things that I saw no issues with before are really jumping out at me now.Most of the ones that I see the sins in are my friends, but I am also finding a lot more sin in my own life. The thing is though, in my life I know I am saved and that I have forgiveness if I am sincere and repent from my sin. I do not know that the the ones around me have that same comfort however. I can take the word to them, I can try to live a life that sets an example for them, but in the end, they are the ones that will have to choose to accept Christ. I know I can not make them choose to drink the living waters He gives, I can only take them to the source. If they still make the choice to live in darkness, that does not mean my friendship ends with them. I do not just cut them out of my life. I have to learn to hate the sin and not the sinner. Jesus did this on His time here. He taught all and loved all. He sat with the tax collectors and the thieves. He spoke to the sinners and the saved. When asked why He did this he basically told folks that the saved did not need Him as much as the unsaved did. If we apply the same idea to our lives and our circle of friends, then the unsaved among us needs us more than ever. Do not give up on them. If you continue to be that positive influence and continue to expose them to the truth, The Holy Spirit can come in and make changes you never dreamed possible. Hate the sin, not the sinner, easier said than done sometimes. Just remember, you are a sinner too.

Luke 16:13 - No servant can serve two masters.

Luke 16:13 - No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. It is Saturday and I find myself at work, again. As I sit here I find I have to remind myself from time to time why I come to work. I come to get a check so that I can pay my bills and have a good life away from here. Its not a bad job by any means, I have been blessed to have a good job, so I am not complaining. Its just that I know that in a perfect world, I would not be here on my Saturday while my family got to sleep in. I am sure that there are a lot of folks out there in the same boat I am in though. Just make sure that in your live, you serve God and not money as our verse tells us today. It is easy to serve money isn’t it? Money is something that we see as holding power and value. We know that the more we have, the more stuff we can buy or the more freedom we feel we have. Money makes us secure so we spend all our time chasing it and doing whatever we can to get more of it. Why do we not take the same approach to God? God is the ultimate power. In him we have more value than we can ever comprehend. When we get to heaven all our needs, our worries, our burdens will go away and we will be surrounded in love and peace like we have never known before. Imagine your connection with the maker if you spent even half the time you spent chasing the dollar on chasing God. I promise you, you will find it much more satisfying than having to work on a Saturday!

2 Samuel 7:22 - How great you are, O Sovereign LORD!

2 Samuel 7:22 - How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. What a great passage! This reminds us that we serve a great God. I am amazed that folks can hear the word, see His works, live in His world and still not see it. When you are exposed to the word and the Holy Spirit you have to respond. You can hear it and invite Him into your life or you can ignore Him. Either way you have to respond. Knowing this, why would you willingly choose to do anything else other than follow God? There is no one or no thing like our God. You can never find a suitable replacement for Him. There is not a generic Walmart brand God that you can turn to for the same salvation. We can not worship an idol and receive grace. We can not pray to a tree and expect it to hear us. And we can not put our faith into something else and expect to go to heaven. There is only the one true God and He is sovereign over all. We owe everything to Him. He is worthy of all our praise. He is a great God! How lucky are we that He loves us enough to call us His own?

Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel

Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Last night in our youth group we talked about things that we like that we might be ashamed to admit. My "guilty pleasure" so to speak is cartoons. Some of them I do not like but others, like "The Penguins" are right considered must see TV. That is something I know i would take grief over so as a rule I do not go around telling everyone I am a fan. The only problem is, too often we treat our salvation the same way. Our salvation is not a guilty pleasure, nor is it anything to be ashamed of. Knowing this, why are we so hesitant to share it with others? When it comes to accepted social norms we are told politics and religion are topics off limits. I say we do not need to concern ourselves with social norms and do what we are called to do in the bible. Salvation is free and available to all. If you expose people to the word of God then you are bringing them the greatest gift in the world. Granted, you can not save them, no man can, but God and His Holy Spirit can. You just need to be willing to take the word and the good news to the people. Do not be ashamed of your faith. Do not be ashamed of the gospel. Do not hesitate to share what you have received to others. Salvation is free, all that is required of you in return is faith in that salvation and a willing heart to share that salvation with others.

Mark 8:29 - Who do you say Jesus is?

Mark 8:29 - "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." Who do you say Jesus is? I asked my kids at Sunday school the other day and got some answers. I was told He was a teacher. Another told me He was a preacher. One child said He was a healer. I even had one kid try to convince me He was a super hero (they are 7 and 8 yr olds after all). What these children were doing though was telling me what He did while He was here, not who He is. We get caught up in our idea or our interpretation of who Christ is and lose sight of what He really is. We get this idea that He was just a man or that he was a prophet or something along those lines. I have heard people say that they believe in God but not Jesus. Some folks even put the virgin Mary on the same level as Jesus. This is messed up thinking friends. Mary was the daughter of a man and a woman, Jesus, our savior, is the son of God. He is the lamb that was given to this world for sacrifice. He is the one that conquered death. He is the one that secured my future is forever with Him on high. He is the Christ. The challenge to you today is to not look at what God does in your life but to really take the time to understand who He is. Get to know Him on a deeper level than you know Him today. You might find that you did not know Him as good as you thought!

Luke 6:49 - Do not build your life on a bad foundation.

Luke 6:49 - But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. When I was a kid we used to go to the beach on vacations. One of the things that we would always try to do is build a sand castle. We would fill our buckets up with sand time and time again and try to get the shape to hold. Sometimes they came out ok, but most of the time the sand just fell away and the castle ended up looking like nothing more than a big pile of sand. We see the same things in our own lives when it comes to our faith. We can go to church every Sunday, we can go to bible study, read books, etc but if we do not put His teachings into play, we are not accomplishing anything. We are just moving the sand in our lives around to fit the image that we have in our heads. That’s not lasting. That is simply convincing yourself that you are accomplishing something when you are not. Next thing you know adversity comes by and knocks you over and you are devastated. You question your faith and get mad at God. I know this for a fact because it happened to me. Once I realized that I had been moving the sand around in my life I could take the steps to correct it. I put my life on the rock that is our God. I rebuilt my life on that foundation. I know storms will still come and I know that I will face my share of issues in life. The difference is now I know I can handle it. I know my “house” will not crumble. I have built my life on the rock and I know I am secure. Can you say the same thing? Do not build your life on a bad foundation. This world will let you down if you put your faith and trust in it. If what you know to be good is what you are using as your foundation, you are in trouble. The only lasting and true foundation is God. What you know to be true can change. Things that you think to be solid can soften with time. God never changes, never goes soft. Build your house, your life on the Lord. You will not be disappointed.

John 15:18 - Its ok to be hated

John 15:18 - If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. It is Monday.....again....and we find ourselves back in the grind that is the work week. When I come into work I am hit with the fact that I am surrounded by non-christians. I can hear it in their voice, see it in their actions, and tell by their behavior. I do what I can to help reinforce positive messages and to bring focus to living a Christ like life but often I am brushed off or made fun of as a "bible nut". That does not keep me from trying though. The reason why I continue to press on is because the message that I have to give them is too important to give up on. I might drive them to hate me after a while but that will not keep me from giving the the good news that was passed to me and now lives in my heart. I understand that it is OK to be hated. I mean if Jesus could be the most hated man of His time I figure I have some great company. We have to know that people do not like change. That they are afraid to confront the sin in their lives, and that they do not want their faults pulled out and put on display. If we want to reach them we need to know this up front and change our tactics. We are soldiers in a way, make no mistake. The war for souls is a constant one and we as followers of Christ need to do our part. Take the word to the people. Be the example for others to follow. Understand you will be hated. But know in your heart that you are doing what you were called to do. The world may never accept you, but since you were already accepted by the creator and know you have life eternal secured for you, what have you go to lose?

No post today

And on the 7th day God rested. I am taking a page from His book. New post will be out Monday. Hvae a great weekend and God bless!

Deuteronomy 13:4 - It is the LORD your God you must follow

Deuteronomy 13:4 - It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. I went to a high school football game last night as part of a service project with our youth group. We went out, tossed the football around some, played some Christian music, handed out pizza, and just talked with the kids. All in all, it was a good time and allowed our kids a chance to share their faith. Once the game started, the same kids that we were hanging out with could be seen and heard in the stands acting in a way that showed the world around them that they were not following God. It was a great teaching moment for the kids that we had brought with us. We have to be aware that folks can talk a good game, meaning that folks will tell us what ever it is they think that we want to hear. When confronted with Christian views and beliefs, non-believers usually act in one of a few ways. One way they react is they turn on the “care” light and try to convince you that they are really into Christ and His teachings. Then just like the kids we saw the other day, revert back to same patterns of behavior once that moment is passed and they think you are no longer looking. Some will be defensive and will use anger to avoid discussing the issue. Others will just walk away and avoid the topic and discussion all together. Either way, they are not following the Lord. Christians can be the same way though. As Christians we understand that we are held to a higher standard and that we are obligated to keep each other in line. If someone comes to you out of love to discuss something they see going on with you, do not be defensive but listen and understand that they are coming to you as family. We have a loving and awesome God. Follow Him, serve Him, and obey Him. That is all that He asks of us. For all the things that He does for us every day, I do not think that is too much to ask for in return, do you?

we are outsiders to the world.

I was talking the other day to a very special person in my life. They were a bit upset and felt that they were a 3rd wheel and not really accepted all the time. They felt isolated to an extent. This got me thinking that others probably feel the same way. What we have to understand is, we are outsiders to the world. The world will hate us and it will try to pull us down. That is because we were set apart once we accepted God into our lives. We feel different because we are different. We are the children of a living God, not the product of a misguided world. We are blessed in a world that is stressed. We are special because He deemed us so. Its ok to feel different or like an outsider at times as long as you are an outsider to the darkness around you. You are never alone. We live in the light with other believers. They are our family. We are all a part of the whole and we are the body of the church. I understand the felling that my friend had, I have been there myself. But we are loved, we have a huge family, and have all the comfort we will ever need in our Lord. So next time you are feeling like an outsider, keep in mind, its not always a bad thing!

John 16:12 - I have more to say, more than you can handle now

John 16:12 - I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. My wife likes to tell me about her day when I get home. She will tell me every detail of a situation, what a person looked like, who they reminded her of, what they were wearing, the circumstances on how they came to speak, what others around her were doing and so forth. By the time all is said and done, I have no idea what it is I had just listened to. As for recall, forget about it! She just gave me more info in a short period of time than I was able to handle. Jesus knew that we all have this flaw. What we see here is Jesus telling his followers that He knows there is more to tell them but that they can't take it right now. That is why we were given the Holy Spirit. To be that voice in our ear, to be the reminder and teacher that we need in our lives now that Jesus sits with the Father. The point is, He is not done with us. He is still teaching us through the Spirit just as if He were still walking with us today. The problem that we have is that we just do not listen like we should. What we have to do is understand that He still is trying to teach us and try our best to listen and pay attention. He can not just give it to us all at once and expect us to handle it, He knows that. So do your part, listen when He is talking to you.

Isaiah 26:4 - Trust in the Lord forever, He is our Rock eternal

Isaiah 26:4 - Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. When you think of a rock, what comes to mind? A hard object, driveways, jewelery or something along those lines probably. Think bigger and we think of stuff like a boulder or a mountain. Think even bigger, then stretch that beyond what you can comprehend and you have just scratched the surface of what type of rock our Lord is. He is our rock eternal. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our constant in a temporary life while on this earth and our Sheppard through our eternal life with Him once He calls us home. This rock does not fail nor will it be washed away in the storms we have in our lives. This rock will not be chipped away at by the pressures of the world around it. This rock will never erode over time due to the winds and elements. We know our rock will always be there for us just as it is today. Our rock is never changing. Our rock is our anchor. Our rock is our hope. Our rock is our security. Our rock is eternal! How awesome a thought is that? To know that you have that available at all times? If you are a believer, you know what I am talking about. If you are not a believer, you can be. It is not too late. Jesus stands at your door and is knocking, all you have to do is open the door. You too can have that security in your life. You too can have the eternal rock that is the Lord your God. All you have to do is ask Him into your heart and let Him change your world.

What makes someone a good Christian?

What makes someone a good Christian? Is it their good deeds? Are they a good Christian if the tithe 10% of their pay to the church? Are they doing their duty as good Christians by serving on committees and teaching Sunday School? The answer my friends is no. Those are signs of people living a good Christian live but it does not automatically make them a good Christian. We get caught up in trying to maintain appearances too often as Christians. We go to a service to make sure folks saw us there or so that we do not feel bad when someone says"missed you at church last week". We try to do and say the right things so that everyone will think what good people we are, what good Christians we are. But that is not what determines a good Christian in the eyes of the Lord. We are given all we need to be good Christians in God's holy word, the bible. Knowing that, I can tell you that you will never be good enough by that standard. No one can be. We are called to hear the word of God and obey it. Thats what makes us a good Christian. Not our deeds, not our gifts to the church, not our attendance at services, but our willingness to live by His word and live our lives for Him at all times. We can never be good enough to buy our way into heaven. If we could then that means Jesus would have been sent to earth to suffer and die for no reason. Bible says that the only way to the father is through the son. We can only gain salvation through Jesus's blood. He died so that we may live. We do not have to convince God we are worthy as a result of this gift. He has already deemed us worthy! All we have to do is accept that gift and try to live a Christ like life on our end. Love the Lord our God with all your heart. Live for Him every day. Thats what makes a good Christian. Nothing else comes close to fitting the bill.

Romans 1:8-17-Your Christian obligation to share the Gospel with all people.

Romans 1:8-17-Your Christian obligation to share the Gospel with all people. When you became a Christian, you made a decision to follow God. More than that, you took on the responsibility to take His word out into the world; to share the good news. We have no problems identifying ourselves as Christians, however we lack taking the word out to others. Romans 1:8-17 says that Paul is obligated to share the message with all. It’s not just for the well off or the smartest and brightest, but everyone. Knowing that, Paul made it his reason in life to go and share the word with everyone. We have a hard time sharing the same good news with family members, much less strangers. Why is that? Are we ashamed to share the word of God? Are we worried that we might be ridiculed or exposed in someway? You have nothing to fear. Your past is your past. Once you accept Christ He makes you a new creation. Your old life is over. Just as you trust God with your life, trust Him that He will give you the words and wisdom to share His message. Don’t be afraid to step out and share your faith. We do not have to worry about being accepted by the outside world for The One that created the world has already accepted us and calls us His own. Share your faith with those around you. Bring them the light that you have in your life. Take the message to all, just as Paul did.

Revelations 3:20 - He is knocking, will you let Him in?

Revelations 3:20 - Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. When you hear a knock at the door, what is your normal reaction? I tend to get up, open the door and see who it is. Others will get up and look through a peep hole or window to see if it is someone they want to talk with. Others still will ignore the knock and hope that is goes away. We do the same with God. Some folks will hear the knock of the Lord and will respond right away. They go to the door, let Him in and have Him work in their lives. The ones that go to the peep hole know who is at the door but for some reason are hesitant to let Him in. They wait and procrastinate and as a result, their lives are left unfulfilled. As soon as they are willing to open the door though, they realize what it was they were missing. They can no longer remember why they did not open the door sooner. The last group is the group we need to reach. They hear the knock but ignore it and hope it goes away. That’s the great thing about God, He never goes away. Neither should we. If we know that we have those out there that are lost and will not answer the door, we need to knock harder. We need to beat on the door so hard that they can’t ignore what we have to tell them. The message we have to give is too important not to break out all the stops. He is always at our door, always knocking. He is waiting for us to open our doors to Him so that He can be with us and us with Him. Do not make Him wait any longer. Open the doors and let Him in. If you know someone that will not, maybe they will let you in and you can introduce Him to them.

Philippians 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always.

Philippians 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! This is a simple verse but it is also a powerful one. It is not always easy to rejoice in the Lord is it? When you are getting beat down by this world, it can be hard to find a reason to rejoice. When you lose a loved one, it can be hard to find a reason to rejoice. When you are suffering, it can be hard to rejoice. But we are called to rejoice at all times in the Lord. When it comes right down to it, why shouldn’t we? It does not matter what the world throws at us, in Him, we can take it all on. It does not matter if we lose a loved one. In the end we know that we will be with them again in heaven with our maker. When we are suffering, we rejoice because we know that He will pull us through and comfort us. We always have a reason to rejoice. Do not let this world get you down. Family issues, money issues, love issues, physical issues, they are all temporary. The only everlasting thing in our lives is God. Once our days here are done, we will reign with Him forever as promised in His word. So rejoice, you have a living savior that is watching over you in all things. Knowing that, how could you ever be down?

John 16:7-8 - The Holy Spirit is my anitivirus program

John 16:7-8 - But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. Wednesday night my youth group looked at this passage of scripture. I was trying to use an analogy that everyone understood to help explain the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Since we live in a computer age, I gave them an example based off a computer. Look at your computer. You spend time and money to get software on it to protect your PC from viruses that can infect it. This software works 24/7 to detect and remove any harmful things that might try to get to your system. We do not understand how it does, what it does, we are just glad that it works. The Holy Spirit is the same way. The Holy Spirit is our antivirus software so to speak and we are the computer. Satan is the virus that is always trying to work its way in and destroy us. The Holy Spirit is constantly working to protect us. It is constantly working to strengthen our defenses. It is always “plugged in” even when we are not. It is not for us to understand how it works. We just have to accept the fact that it does and do our best not to override what it is trying to do in our lives. The Holy Spirit is for our good. Our passage today tells us as much. He gives us that conscious that keeps us in line with what God wants from us. He keeps us out of the devils hands. He is the perfect antivirus for the world we live in today.