Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive us as a people and, as a nation, for where we have sinned against You. Forgive us for the abominations, the immorality, the filthiness in all our media, and the corruption in our government. Forgive us for allowing other 'gods' to be worshipped in our country, that our forefathers never knew. Forgive us for allowing Your Name, Your Son's Name, and Your Holy Word, to be removed from so many things, all because they are 'offensive' to those that don't believe.
Forgive us for what we have allowed our children to become. We have turned them into little adults, but without the conscience, or mental reasoning it takes, to be an adult. We have allowed them watch whatever they want, listen to whatever they want, read whatever they want, all so we don't damage their little self-esteem.
Father, please continue to pour Your mercy out upon us. We need Your mercy Father. It's the only reason we are still a thriving nation. We thank You for Your new mercies, every morning Father. You are far better to us than we deserve.
You are so faithful, when we are not. You are kind, and gracious, when we are not. You are so forgiving, when we are not. Why You still love us as much as You do, is a mystery to me. Thank You for being God, and that there is no other. You are the one, and only, true, living God. Creator of all the universe, and all that is in it.
Thank You that You are still in complete control of all things. Thank You for every breath that You give us. For the food that we eat, the clothes we wear, and the shelter that You give us.
Father, please open our eyes to the truth. Help us to see that we need to repent of our sins, and turn from our wicked ways, and turn to You, before it is eternally too late.
Thank You Father, for hearing, and answering our prayers. We praise Your Holy Name. We love you. We pray this in Your only begotten Son's Name, Jesus. The name that is above every name. Amen.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
On That Day
I was reading in Luke chapter 17 this morning, and I noticed something rather interesting, at least it was for me. I have read and re-read this chapter several times, trying to figure out some of the things Jesus was talking about. Starting in verse 22, Jesus is beginning to talk to the disciples about the end of days, when Jesus would come back. I always find this topic very compelling. I think everyone should, because it concerns all of us.
In verse 24, He says, "For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day." Everyone will see Him when He comes back. In verses 26-27, He says, "And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all." Noah had warned the people over and over again, trying to get them to understand that this devastating event was going to happen soon, but no one would believe. They thought he was drunk, or crazy. They went about their everyday lives, eating and drinking, getting married. It was said that every evil thing a man could think of, was being done . They believed they had all the time in the world.. Noah knew better. He had heard God, and believed. Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
In verses 28-30, Jesus says, "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." If you'll remember, Sodom and Gomorrah was overrun by homosexuals and perverts of every kind. This verse says, as in the days of Noah, so it was in the days of Lot. They were going about their everyday business, taking care of their lusts, and all their stuff. In verse 31, Jesus says, "In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back." He says that when He comes back, you won't have time to worry about all your stuff. None of it will matter anymore.
The next verse says it all, I believe. Verse 32 says, "Remember Lot's wife." Period. Lot's wife was told to leave Sodom behind, and not look back. She missed her stuff, and her life back in Sodom, and turned around for one last look. It was the last thing she would ever do. She was turned into a pillar of salt. Why does Jesus mention her right here? I believe part of the reason is, you have to make a choice between your way, or His way. There are dire consequences if you make the wrong choice. Lot's wife made the wrong choice, and paid for it with her life. In the same way, if you don't choose Him, you will spiritually pay for it with your eternal life. Jesus says in the next verse, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve (or, save) it."
Lastly, in the two descriptions of what the day of the Son of man will be like, the people are doing all sorts of everyday, mundane things. But, two things they are not doing, are, watching and praying. They are taking care of all their physical and fleshly needs, but they are ignoring their spiritual needs. We are told to always watch and pray. We don't know when this 'day of the Son of man' will take place, so we should ALWAYS be watching FOR Him, and praying TO Him. And, as in Noah's case, we need to be telling others to get ready for that day. They will think we're crazy. They'll roll their eyes, and maybe even laugh, but we still need to tell them. We have found grace in the eyes of the LORD, so let us show grace, and mercy, to those in need. There is a lost and dying world that needs to hear that there is a God in Heaven that loves them.
Revelation 22:12-14 says, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
In verse 24, He says, "For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day." Everyone will see Him when He comes back. In verses 26-27, He says, "And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all." Noah had warned the people over and over again, trying to get them to understand that this devastating event was going to happen soon, but no one would believe. They thought he was drunk, or crazy. They went about their everyday lives, eating and drinking, getting married. It was said that every evil thing a man could think of, was being done . They believed they had all the time in the world.. Noah knew better. He had heard God, and believed. Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
In verses 28-30, Jesus says, "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." If you'll remember, Sodom and Gomorrah was overrun by homosexuals and perverts of every kind. This verse says, as in the days of Noah, so it was in the days of Lot. They were going about their everyday business, taking care of their lusts, and all their stuff. In verse 31, Jesus says, "In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back." He says that when He comes back, you won't have time to worry about all your stuff. None of it will matter anymore.
The next verse says it all, I believe. Verse 32 says, "Remember Lot's wife." Period. Lot's wife was told to leave Sodom behind, and not look back. She missed her stuff, and her life back in Sodom, and turned around for one last look. It was the last thing she would ever do. She was turned into a pillar of salt. Why does Jesus mention her right here? I believe part of the reason is, you have to make a choice between your way, or His way. There are dire consequences if you make the wrong choice. Lot's wife made the wrong choice, and paid for it with her life. In the same way, if you don't choose Him, you will spiritually pay for it with your eternal life. Jesus says in the next verse, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve (or, save) it."
Lastly, in the two descriptions of what the day of the Son of man will be like, the people are doing all sorts of everyday, mundane things. But, two things they are not doing, are, watching and praying. They are taking care of all their physical and fleshly needs, but they are ignoring their spiritual needs. We are told to always watch and pray. We don't know when this 'day of the Son of man' will take place, so we should ALWAYS be watching FOR Him, and praying TO Him. And, as in Noah's case, we need to be telling others to get ready for that day. They will think we're crazy. They'll roll their eyes, and maybe even laugh, but we still need to tell them. We have found grace in the eyes of the LORD, so let us show grace, and mercy, to those in need. There is a lost and dying world that needs to hear that there is a God in Heaven that loves them.
Revelation 22:12-14 says, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Friday, August 6, 2010
The World Today
When you hear the word 'propaganda', what do you think? Do you think of Nazi Germany, or the U.S.S.R.? I think of Hitler, and how he used everything he could use, to fool the people of Germany into believing that everything he was doing, was for their own good. I'm reading a book called 'Small Wonders', about how the Volkswagen came to be. Ferdinand Porsche came up with the idea for a small, dependable car, that the everyday, German citizen could afford to buy, and afford to repair drive. Hitler, a car buff, heard about it, and wanted to build it to use for propaganda efforts. He told the Germans citizens that he cared about them, and wanted them to have good things, like the other countries have. He also was using Porsche, and other car designers, to build fast race cars, so Germany could become known in the racing circles. Both efforts eventually worked.
The whole point of this, though, is as I read this book, and saw how Hitler operated, I noticed a scary similarity to how our own government is operating today. They jumped in and started telling the banks, and car companies, and Wall Street, how they were, and were not, going to do things from now on. They come on TV and tell us things are turning around, and how THEIR WAY was the RIGHT WAY. Propaganda is alive and well on our TV's and the internet, as we speak. As if TELLING us things are okay, MAKES everything okay. I wasn't born yesterday, and I have been a very patriotic citizen of these United States all my life. Something has got to be done to slow down the rate of deterioration in our country, and it has got to be done NOW.
Let me tell you, honestly, I LOVE Muslims, Mexicans, etc., but we have got to stop allowing ANYONE, from ANYWHERE, to just waltz into our country, and start demanding we stop what we're doing, and take care of them. We have gotten so 'tolerant', (I get sick when I hear this word), that we, our government anyway, actually stop and say, "ok, what can we do to make you happy?". We have become the cash cow for anybody that hates their country, and wants to go take advantage of the new, tolerant, happy, smiley, kumbayah, take-whatever-you-need, America. I would say, United States, but our states aren't very UNITED these days. Look at Arizona, California, and the few states that have allowed homosexuals to 'legally marry' each other. Ugh!.
But, anyway, I digress. Before this new government took over, we argued about what we have always argued about in this country. Republican or Democrat. Left or Right. Rich or Poor. Now, we've gone outside the box. We are no longer concerned about taking care of our own, we want to make sure EVERYBODY likes us. We don't want to be seen as exclusive, but ALL inclusive. And even though every other house, on every block, in every county, in EVERY state, is empty, because of foreclosure, we are being told that this is the 'Summer of Recovery'. We are doing GREAT! HAH! Tell that to the family that can't afford to drive their Japanese car down to their local Saudi Arabian gas station, run by some guy from India, (who, by the way, is probably not having to pay taxes, like you and I have to). Again, and seriously, I mean it, I am so NOT racist, or bigoted, in ANY WAY. This is not about color, or nationalities, or languages, or anything like that. It is about RIGHTS!. Whatever happened to our RIGHTS as American citizens?
I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm WAY off base with this. But I hope not. I would like to think that there are about 300 million others in this country, that want it to be like it used to be, before we got so smart, and likable. I want the America that I grew up in. When we used to fly our flags on our front porch. When we watched out for each other, and cared about each other. Now, there's so much fear, so much distrust, we only look out for NUMBER ONE.
If you are not already, PLEASE START praying for this once great country of ours. We have turned so far away from where we started. We used to be a God-fearing people. We used to be United. We used to care what happened to each other. The Bible says that in the last days, the love of many will grow cold. Guess what. It's already started. I believe we are in the LAST of the last days. Jesus said that the returning of the Son of Man would be at a time when we would be like in the days of Noah, and the days of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the days of Noah, any evil thing that a man could think of, was being done. Sodom and Gomorrah was overrun with homosexuality, and all sorts of perversions. Sound familiar? Watch TV. Read a newspaper. It's here.
We are told to WATCH and PRAY, for the appearing of the Son of Man would come like lightning in the sky. QUICKLY and very suddenly. Are you ready? By looking at the condition of the world we live in, I doubt very many people are ready. If you are not saved, ask God to forgive you of your sins, and turn away, or repent, from you wicked lifestyle. Believe that Jesus IS who He says he is, THE Son of God. Be ready.
The whole point of this, though, is as I read this book, and saw how Hitler operated, I noticed a scary similarity to how our own government is operating today. They jumped in and started telling the banks, and car companies, and Wall Street, how they were, and were not, going to do things from now on. They come on TV and tell us things are turning around, and how THEIR WAY was the RIGHT WAY. Propaganda is alive and well on our TV's and the internet, as we speak. As if TELLING us things are okay, MAKES everything okay. I wasn't born yesterday, and I have been a very patriotic citizen of these United States all my life. Something has got to be done to slow down the rate of deterioration in our country, and it has got to be done NOW.
Let me tell you, honestly, I LOVE Muslims, Mexicans, etc., but we have got to stop allowing ANYONE, from ANYWHERE, to just waltz into our country, and start demanding we stop what we're doing, and take care of them. We have gotten so 'tolerant', (I get sick when I hear this word), that we, our government anyway, actually stop and say, "ok, what can we do to make you happy?". We have become the cash cow for anybody that hates their country, and wants to go take advantage of the new, tolerant, happy, smiley, kumbayah, take-whatever-you-need, America. I would say, United States, but our states aren't very UNITED these days. Look at Arizona, California, and the few states that have allowed homosexuals to 'legally marry' each other. Ugh!.
But, anyway, I digress. Before this new government took over, we argued about what we have always argued about in this country. Republican or Democrat. Left or Right. Rich or Poor. Now, we've gone outside the box. We are no longer concerned about taking care of our own, we want to make sure EVERYBODY likes us. We don't want to be seen as exclusive, but ALL inclusive. And even though every other house, on every block, in every county, in EVERY state, is empty, because of foreclosure, we are being told that this is the 'Summer of Recovery'. We are doing GREAT! HAH! Tell that to the family that can't afford to drive their Japanese car down to their local Saudi Arabian gas station, run by some guy from India, (who, by the way, is probably not having to pay taxes, like you and I have to). Again, and seriously, I mean it, I am so NOT racist, or bigoted, in ANY WAY. This is not about color, or nationalities, or languages, or anything like that. It is about RIGHTS!. Whatever happened to our RIGHTS as American citizens?
I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm WAY off base with this. But I hope not. I would like to think that there are about 300 million others in this country, that want it to be like it used to be, before we got so smart, and likable. I want the America that I grew up in. When we used to fly our flags on our front porch. When we watched out for each other, and cared about each other. Now, there's so much fear, so much distrust, we only look out for NUMBER ONE.
If you are not already, PLEASE START praying for this once great country of ours. We have turned so far away from where we started. We used to be a God-fearing people. We used to be United. We used to care what happened to each other. The Bible says that in the last days, the love of many will grow cold. Guess what. It's already started. I believe we are in the LAST of the last days. Jesus said that the returning of the Son of Man would be at a time when we would be like in the days of Noah, and the days of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the days of Noah, any evil thing that a man could think of, was being done. Sodom and Gomorrah was overrun with homosexuality, and all sorts of perversions. Sound familiar? Watch TV. Read a newspaper. It's here.
We are told to WATCH and PRAY, for the appearing of the Son of Man would come like lightning in the sky. QUICKLY and very suddenly. Are you ready? By looking at the condition of the world we live in, I doubt very many people are ready. If you are not saved, ask God to forgive you of your sins, and turn away, or repent, from you wicked lifestyle. Believe that Jesus IS who He says he is, THE Son of God. Be ready.
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