" THE GREAT I AM "

John 18:4-6

   The Easter season is one of my favorite holidays!! We are on our way of getting out of winter and people are so much looking forward to spring! For me it is a time when I reflect on my walk with the Lord. Now, I am not going into all the "stuff" that goes into the season of Lent. What I am going to share with you is one of the most powerful stories that happened in the Bible that made a huge impact to me in my own personal walk. OK, there a lot of them but this one is awesome when you take the time to sit down and study it. 

   In the above scripture reference, Jesus is in the Garden and He is faced with Judas and a huge arm of soldiers and temple guards. I know I shared this before a few years ago about how many soldiers went looking for Jesus that night.  Now, in movies and shows, drama skits and other productions sometimes show a few or a dozen or so but once you study the background of the time that it was in, you see that there were a lot more than that!! 

   Remember earlier in scripture how it was written that the officials tried to get Jesus but they couldn't because it was not "the time."? See Luke 4:30; John 7:30; John 8:59; and John 10:39.  Think about this for a minute.  Jesus had a powerful and productive ministry that grew very quickly and word had gotten out about what He was doing. The officials were getting very concerned that if they didn't get a handle on this, that He was going to cause an uprising that would make the relationship between them and the Romans very bad. And their own power over the people would become weak and uncertain. 

   So, a "small" army of soldiers and temple guards were sent. Now, here is where numbers begin to expand from the common thought. As we have said, a few times the authorities tried to take Jesus but failed. Well, now they had their "man" on the inside and they were going to make sure that He wasn't going to get away this time! 

   Going through the scriptures and the Greek language it showed that over 600+ soldiers were sent along with the Temple guards. The soldiers were bad dudes to begin with but the Temple Guards were the ones that could do anything they wanted in order to keep the order! They were all well trained. 

   They were sent out at night so they had lanterns and torches. They were going to search all night if they had to. Their mission was not to come back without Jesus. And they weren't going to let Him slip away! 

   Do you see the seriousness in this? They had an army of soldiers to hunt down Jesus and any of His men were not going to get in their way!

   So they find Him and surround Him so of no escape. Now, here is Jesus, standing before them with a few disciples, with all these soldiers decked out with the baddest weapons they had at the time, and He asked them who they were looking for!!! They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." 

   Now this is where it gets good!!  Jesus answered them, " I AM"!!  When He said that, the soldiers went backward and fell down!!  If you look at the actual Greek, "went backward" means staggering and stumbling backward. 

   "Fell" in the Greek means to fall so hard, it appeared to be dead or fell like a corpse.

   "To the ground" in the Greek means falling abruptly and hitting the ground hard!

   Our Lord said these two words and it knocked over 600+troops and dropped them like bricks to the ground!!  A small fraction of power was behind those words!!  That is the same power that rose Jesus from the grave a short time later!!  That's the same power that we have when the Holy Spirit comes upon us!!  We just don't allow Him to manifest Himself in us!! 

   There is so much more to share in this but I want you to get before the Lord and give up all the sin and the bondage's that might be in your life and allow His Spirit to take up residency in you. We all have sin and we all sin each day one way or another. No one is perfect!! But we have a choice to make and wouldn't it be better to live with Him than without Him??

   So, during these last few days of this Easter season, think about all that Jesus did on the cross and the victory we have in Him for defeating death and allowing us to share in the inheritance of eternal life.

   It is a daily struggle but Jesus is always there with us. We just have to recognize Him!

God Bless

Paul 

   

When we don't know what to do!

7 POINTS TO PRAY

Ps.25:4-5

  This morning's study time consisted of studying scripture and praying it into my life. I have always been big on praying scripture. People have said to me that they don't know how to pray and I tell them that the The Bible is a prayer book! Just take Psalms and Proverbs and those two can fill your day!!

  So, my scripture this morning was Ps. 25:4-5.  I started to read it and I saw where each section between the commas seem to fit my day today.

I will write down my notes here for you all to check out. Here goes!

1.  "Show me Your ways"--God's ways; the foundation of His Word.

2.  "O Lord"--a statement of commitment of God in our life.

3.  "Teach me Your paths"--Hebrew meaning; refers to the moral principles which the Lord prescribes for His followers. (verses 8-10)

4.  "Guide me in Your truth"--referring to God's commandments--they are trustworthy and accurate expression of His divine will.

5.  "Teach me"--are we teachable? Do we allow ourselves to the Godly teachings and do we learn anything from them?

6.  "for You are my God and my Savior"--acknowledgement of who Christ is in our lives.

7.  "and my hope is in you all day long"--where is our hope? We need to keep Jesus in front of us all day long. His Word, prayer, worship, etc.

  David sensed his need for divine guidance and instruction. How many times do we ask ourselves what to do in any given situation that might come across our path daily? 

  David wanted to walk in The Lord's righteous ways but he needed help in discerning them.

  How do we apply that in our life today? There are so many things going on in and around today.

  We need to stop for a moment and seek God's will in our lives. The last part of verse 5 is: all day long. That's hard to do! 

  So, take these two verses and pray them into your life. Read them. Memorize them. Allow God to minister to you. 

  You never know what He will say!!

God Bless!!

Paul 

 NOW THAT THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER....

        So, the decorations are put away, we are wearing the clothes we got as gifts, the new tech toys are being used (and maybe returned!) and now we can get back to work and get our lives back in order!! 

        Or so it seems. We look out our window here in the Adirondacks and we see the snow, the frosted over windows, people bundled up, and many of us are already counting down the days till spring.

        Sometimes we get so discouraged about this time of year. A lot of it has to do with the build up to the holidays but it is a "downer" for many people. Now if you enjoy the cold and snow with outdoor activities, that's great! But this weather will sometimes dictate our emotions and attitudes in our everyday life. Do we allow it? I will sometimes let it!

        But lets think about what this time is right now. In the church today, we are entering the time of Epiphany. Now I have talked about this in the past but I will share what I know about this. First, epiphany means: a moment of piercing awareness, the sudden jolt of understanding, revelation,etc.

It begins on January 6th, after the Twelve Days of Christmas. It is the season of celebrating the revelation of the Savior to the world! Now there are some customs that some religions and beliefs do that I don't really partake in because this is about Jesus coming into the world; not religious rituals (not that all are bad). 

         This season has some events and themes that we should really look into and study. Here are a few:

= The visit of the Magi

=The baptism of Jesus

=The wedding feast at Cana

=The ministry of Jesus

=The calling of the disciples

=The teachings of Christ

=The miracles of Christ

=The Transfiguration

           And that is just some of what is in the Word that we need to go over and really seek the Lord during this time leading into Lent.

           In Matt.5:14-16, we are called to be a light to the world. We have to read the Word daily to be able to be ready for the divine appointments that will come across our path everyday. Think about how that light in the sky guided the Magi to Jesus. Do you want to be a light to others? 

           The Magi symbolizes the kings of the world will bow down to worship the true King of Kings! Even as a small baby, people were drawn to Jesus!!            

           So, during this time, we need to be studying the Word, praying, worshiping, the true King of all heavens and the earth!

           I need to study His life, hear His voice, and obey His Word!!

           It will make this "weather" a lot better to get through!!!

God Bless!!

Paul

         

SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR NEW YEARS

EPH. 4:24

                   It has been sometime since I last put together a blog. I have written a few articles on various topics but I will try to be more frequent in getting a new one out.

                   So here we are at the end of 2016!!   What a year!!  A lot has happened both good and bad but that all depends on who you talk to. One thing is for sure, our world is changing quickly all around us.

                    That brings me to today's thought. With the coming new year, we all make those "resolutions" that most of them won't last the full month of January and then we can't remember what they were in February!! So, I was praying one day and I thought that I really need to get back to a simpler pattern in my life.  OK, the list is long but I really don't want to mess with those "goals" that everyone else is making so I looked at my desk and I saw this scripture , Eph.4:24.  This section of the chapter is call, "Living a New Life".  It talks about taking the old self which is the natural human life and all of the natural world around us and putting on "the new man", the one that God created for each of us. 

                     In the Greek, putting on the new man is described as wrapping oneself with a coat. Think about when you get a new jacket and you put it on and it feels and looks good! It smells good and fits really well.  That's what we need to do.  We need to take on the "new coat" that God has given each of us. I don't care who you are or what you have done. God can change anyone. We just have to want it bad enough. 

                      How do we find what God wants for us?  We have His Word. We can pray. Those two things with the Holy Spirit can open the flood gates of Heaven and we begin to pursue the things of Christ rather then the things of the flesh!! We need to depend more on Him and not on our natural, dying self.  It begins with making a commitment to pray and read His Word everyday. To listen to His voice. To obey Him.  

                       That is the new resolution I need to make this coming year!!!  Sure, I could stand to loose a few pounds, be a better husband and father, be a better employee, etc.  But what I really need to do is to get back to basics and get closer to God.  That is the number one thing that needs to be at the top of my list.  My relationship with the Father is the most important thing on this earth for me.

                       The other things on my list, well, maybe they will work out to; with God's help! 

                       So, have a blessed and happy new year and lets get our "War Rooms" filled with the most important part first.......ourselves!!!

God Bless! 

Paul

REALIGNING OUR PRAYER

MATT. 6:8

       It's been a few months since I wrote my last blog. Busy summer months and enjoying this beautiful weather, I love summer! This morning when I got up I was drawn to this scripture about prayer. Yes, I know I have a few posts already about prayer but this one is a little different. 

       How do we pray? Is it a technique we use or it is the "5 Steps for Effective Prayer" book we just read or heard? These are good but it is really getting back to basics. We are a people that sometimes like to complicate things!!

       Here are some of my notes I took this morning.

--People assume prayer has more to do with technique than with internal attitudes and realities.

--True heart to heart communication with God, whether private or public, is rewarded and will have a profound effect on our spiritual growth.

**THE POINT OF PRAYER IS NOT TO GET ANSWERS FROM GOD, BUT TO HAVE PERFECT AND COMPLETE ONENESS WITH HIM.**

**WE ARE NOT HERE TO PROVE THAT GOD ANSWERS PRAYER, BUT TO BE LIVING TROPHIES OF GOD'S GRACE.**

--Prayer helps us to nurture our relationship with God.

**MANY TIMES, PRAYER CHANGES US INSTEAD OF OUR SITUATIONS.**

--Prayer can reinforce our confidence in God.

--Prayer can realign our confidence in God.

--God wants to give us an abundant life so we can pass it on to others.

--He blesses us so we can live accordingly to His plan.

**THE QUESTION IS: ARE WE LIVING IN GOD'S PLAN FOR US?**

--The answer can be found in the relationship we have with Him.

**HAVE WE SUBSTITUTED GOD'S WILL WITH OUR WILL??**

--It is so easy to get caught up in all the "stuff" going on right now. The media has a powerful influence on how we view things. This includes social media!!

**WE NEED TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE OF KNOWING THAT GOD IS WITH US AND THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, WE ARE LIVING IN HIS WILL FOR US!!**

**THIS COMES FROM A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER THROUGH PRAYER.**

    

    Ponder on these and see how your prayer life is forming. It makes me to take a second look at how I pray and where my heart really is.

God Bless!!

Paul

RESURRECTION FAITH

WHAT IS IT??

        Over the past few weeks, I have been going through the Old Testament and one of the questions in my studies is what is resurrection faith? Now at first I thought; "what does this have to do with the Old Testament??"! Because it must mean believing that Jesus rose from the dead! Well, yes it does but there is more of a meaning there that I discovered. Let's look at a good example.

         In Gen.17:15-17, God told Abraham that He would bless Sarah with a son. Now, the problem was Abraham was a 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old!! Scripture says that Abraham laughed at this but he also believed what the Lord had said when you read further.

         In the Hebrew translation, Sarah's womb was considered dead due to her age. But God was going to do something that was in the natural, impossible!

         To have resurrection faith means to believe that God can bring life out of what is dead!

God can create anything out of nothing! (Heb.11:1-3)  We are to believe that He can move in our life and others!! 

          Here is another example with Abraham. Look at Gen 22:6.  We all know the story that Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his own son Isaac.  Now this is the same son that the Lord promised them that they would have when they were old!!! What do you think of that!!! God promised them a son and now He wants Abraham to sacrifice him!!!  What would you be thinking right about now??  But he still obeyed because he believed in what God can do! Look what Abraham said in verse 5b; "... The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we'll come back to you."  You see it??  He said; "we'll".  Translated plural for him and Isaac to be returning!! Abraham believed that even with the sacrifice of Isaac, that God would bring him back to life!! 

            How do we look at the "storms" in our life everyday?  It is hard to have the faith we need to get through the stuff we walk in but God is there for us every step of the way when we make Him the focus in it!  

            He is the creator God that we call Father!!  Stay focused on Him......He will get you through it!!!

God Bless!!!

Paul

DOUBTING THOMAS

JOHN 20:24-29

Many of you have been following us about my wife's health battles she has been going through and we are so grateful to you all for the prayers and support. It isn't over and we might have some rough days ahead. But what I want to talk about is something that everyone sometimes walks through (whether they admit it or not!).

It is doubt!! And the perfect example of that is in John 20:24-29; doubting Thomas! Let's look at what happened to Thomas. Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to His followers in a locked room. Thomas was not there (for what ever reason). So when he showed up, everyone was so excited and was sharing with him that Jesus had appeared to them all! Now Thomas reacted differently than what you would expect. Was he upset that he wasn't there when Jesus appeared? Or was he maybe was so overwhelmed with what happened to Jesus that he was heart broken and he was walking in so much sorrow that he didn't really feel the excitement the others were feeling. Of course we don't know for sure but try to put yourself in his place. He walked with Jesus. He saw all the things He did and listened to the words He spoke. And then seeing Jesus being taken away, beaten, put on a one sided trial, and then put to death on a cross; he probably was devastated!!

I know I would be!! More than once the thought of why we are going through so much has crossed our minds. It is easy to be the "strong Christian" when you aren't going through what another person is going through but when you walk through something in your own life, there is sometimes doubt!

Lets get back to Thomas. He stuck around with the other followers as they were celebrating Jesus defeating death. Of course they had to remain out of sight from the general public due to the authorities were looking for Jesus's followers. He was there for eight days before Jesus appear to him and the others. Eight days!!! What must have been going through his mind? Still, he stayed there. Maybe because he was hoping to see Jesus! He had said earlier that unless he seen and touch the wounds that Jesus had, he would never believe!!

And then along came Jesus!! Right through the locked door!! (thats for another time!) And Jesus knew exactly what Thomas had said earlier!! He knows our heart. He knows what we cry out for. And then Thomas makes a statement that was unheard of for a Jewish man to make! "My Lord and My God"!!! No one had said that before!!! 

We are human and we will go through tough times and we will doubt, but the Lord is always there for us! Even though we might question where He is or why we are going through what ever, we need to seek Him and take comfort in Him.

Remember, Thomas stuck around and didn't just take off! Don't give up!! God is BIGGER than what you are going through!!!

God Bless!!

Paul

WHOM DID GOD BURY?

WHOM DID GOD BURY?

DEUT. 34

    Another one of those titles that can get your interest! I have always loved reading about Moses and how he had a great relationship with God. Think about all the times he spent with Him and all the problems Moses had. And with that relationship he had with God, he knew that he wasn't going to see the promise land even though he was leading the people there. I could picture him telling the people all the time how the promise land will be better than what they could even imagine but he himself wouldn't get to step foot on it!! I think I would get discouraged after a while!! 

     And now they get to the end of their journey and God takes Moses up to Mount Nebo and allows him a view of the land. Many would think that would make Moses mad but he and the Lord were so close that I think Moses was full of joy for knowing that he had obeyed God and led the people to it. Then in verse 5, Moses died on that same mountain. WOW!!! His "job" was over! I would love to know if there was a conversation about this! The Bible doesn't say but in verse 7 it says that Moses was in good shape and his eyes were good. So, it sounds like he was still healthy but his time was up!! He had done what he was called to do. In verse 6, God buried Moses secretly. Now there are many views about this but the scripture does say that He buried him. God cared so much about Moses! What an example of the close relationship God had with him!

       There is so much more on this that I can't really share here because it is in a message form but what I really would like to show here is that Moses had a full life that had huge responsibilities but he kept his relationship with God strong. He wasn't perfect but he strived for that daily communication with the One who was always there for him.

        No matter how many times I read the Word, God always shows me something different that I can learn from. 

        Enjoy your time with Him!

God Bless!

Paul

GOD'S PLUMB LINE

GOD'S PLUMB LINE

AMOS 7:7-8

      I started to study the book of Amos the other month. I felt the need to look at some of the books of the Bible that I knew that were there but I never really got into them before. A friend of mine, Dr.Russ Frase, was in the area to train a group of us for teaching his two year Bible curriculum and on Sunday he spoke out of the book of Amos. I thought that might be a good one to start with!! (no big spiritual revelation there!!)

      So I started to get a back ground of the author, place, culture, etc so that I could understand more about it. It is a fascinating book!! 

      But one thing stood out. It was in chapter 7. God had shown Amos a plum line. OK. I know what one is and I have used one a few times but I thought this is going to be good!

      A plum line is what is used to determine if something is straight vertically. Contractors use it a lot and we "weekend warriors" try to look like we know what we are doing when we use it!.

      God was showing me that for us to stay true to Him, we have to have that "vertical alignment" with Him. That connection with Him. One of the tools He has given us is His Word!! Yes......here I go again talking about the Bible and how we should read it but it is true! His Word has everything in it for us to lead a life set apart for Him. How many times do we pick it up in a day? Or a week? Hopefully not just on Sunday but do we really sit down and read and meditate on it? And we do need the Holy Spirit to guide us through it because that is how we can hear the instruction He has for us. It is a blue print to how we should live. 

       We sometimes vary off our pathway in life and we need something to keep us vertically aligned with the Creator of all things. 

        We get busy doing the "Christian things" that take up a lot of time and I am not saying that is bad but we can't let that or any other stuff take our time away with Him.

        So, this holiday season, try to take time everyday to get your Bible out and sit down and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you through the Word of God. It sure is a lot easier trying to get through the day with Him than without Him!!

God Bless!! 

Paul

WHEN JESUS GOT UP FROM HIS THRONE

    I have to admit, that's a pretty good title!!! I have been studying two topics that seem to have a lot in common. Purity and compromise. Those are two that would take a lot of time and we still wouldn't be able to go through a tenth of it!!!

    So, let's look at this title. When did Jesus get up from the throne? I didn't even think about this until I started to read a study on Revelations and the Greek language.

    In Acts 7:54-56, the high priests and some of the other big shots had Stephen before them with charges (which were drummed up against him). Now, you have to read what Stephen said and how he addressed them! He had walked with great power by the Holy Spirit before and he was well schooled in addressing his belief in Jesus. They were intently listening to Stephen and he presented his case but he pretty much told them that they were hypocrites and that didn't set well with them. They dragged him out and began to stone him. This is where I started to see something that I had missed before. In verse 55, "...Stephen, filled by the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw God's glory, and he said, (56)"Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man STANDING at the right hand of God!".

    In Daniel, he sees Jesus seated at the Right Hand of the Father. (7:9). In the New Testament, Jesus was seated in : Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 10:12; 12:2. 

Seated means in many cultures : rest and completion. Jesus' work of redemption is finished and He now rests after accomplishing His Divine assignment. 

    But here we read how Stephen sees Jesus standing up at the right hand of God!! What made Him stand up?? Now, you might be saying, "what does it matter". Well, I believe that Jesus stood up to take notice and honor the first martyr that died in His Name!! It is almost like when a General stands in honor for a soldier. Why else would He be standing when most of the scriptures say that He was sitting?

    In the first three chapters of Revelation, Jesus is seen standing among the Lamp Stands. Something He saw and felt moved Him to stand up and move among the seven churches.

So think about this, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father but He gets up when Stephen is being stoned and when John is having his vision. 

    So where am I going with this? Jesus was moved to stand when Stephen was being killed. He stands up when He sees His churches going off in different directions.  He is concerned about what goes on in our lives every single minute of the day. We have access to the unlimited power of the Holy Spirit at anytime. We have to be bold in our faith during these days and we can't allow the world to influence us to compromise the Gospel in any way!

    I need to ask for the discernment from the Holy Spirit to help me through each day so I don't fall prey to my own selfish desires. 

    That's why the Word is the Word of God and we need to know it and live it!!

God Bless!!

Paul

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE EARLY CHURCH

ACTS 2:42-47

         We just got done with Pentecost Sunday! Now we enter into the time referred to "Ordinary Time" or "Everyday Time". All of the big holidays and celebrations are done with and now is the time for us to absorb and assimilate the life of Jesus into our own lives. This time is where the early church began to grow and take shape. In the above scriptures, we read how the apostles and other followers of Christ were meeting together, praying together, and having meals together. Many were new believers who had witnessed the infilling power of the Holy Spirit in the apostles and the signs and wonders that were happening at that time. I would think that one of the disciples stood up and said, "hey, we need to start teaching these new believers so they can experience all that God has for them!" Or maybe something like that. What a problem to have! So many new believers! And they were hungry for the teachings the disciples had! They devoted themselves to the teachings, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Lets look at a few things here.

          The word "devoted". In Greek, it means to be strong towards something, full attention, commitment, steadfastness. To give all or a large part of one's time or resources to a person, activity, or cause. 

Wow!! They were totally sold out on what the disciples had to say and do! They must have been like sponges and soak up all they said! They must have had time spent during the week to listen to the teachings as well as getting together for a formal meeting time. 

I think about how much time I spend on fellowship with my other believers. Now you might say that these were new believers and myself I have a few years on them but many times, I feel like I need to be like a new believer. To have that spark, to be excited about listening to someone else's experience when they witnessed or prayed for someone.
            Many times, we "modern day Christians" get to "sophisticated" that we are dull to these situations that are occurring all around us. We lost our excitement and drive due to the daily lifestyle we lead. 

             Let's look at another word. Fellowship in the Greek means, participation, communion, sharing, close association involving mutual relationship. They wanted to be a part of the disciples everyday lives. To learn as much as they could by the lifestyle they were leading. Think about the people in your own life that are reflecting the love of Christ to others. 

             Next word. Breaking of bread. OK, more than one word! This meant that not only were they having meals together but you could say that they were having communion also at times. I love the conversations you can have with others over a meal. You can really get to know them well! 

And now, one of my favorites....Prayer!! They were coming together as one unit or assembly to pray. Prayer is not an exercise, it is a lifestyle of a believer! It is an expression of dependence on God to move through the prayer. They were humble enough to know that they can't do things on their own and they needed the Holy Spirits help. 

              I see that I need to be like a "New Believer" everyday! To be totally sold out to the Lord! Saying is not good enough........it has to be followed up by action! To pick up the Bible everyday, to pray and worship, to speak to other believers, to encourage, to proclaim to people around us how God has blessed us. To look forward to Sunday mornings! The worship and praise together! The ministering of the Word, the fellowship, etc. We all need it!! 

              The early church was all about the basics; the Word, praise and worship, praying for one another, fellowship and breaking of bread together, encouraging one another, sharing the Gospel to the lost, being the shining light in the darkness! 

Man complicates.........God simplifies!!!!

God Bless!!!

Paul

WHAT DAY IS IT??!!

ASCENSION DAY!!!

HAPPY ASCENSION DAY!!!  What??? You mean today is something special??  Yup!!! We have forgotten how much was dependant upon Jesus returning to the Father. Back in November I wrote about the importance of Jesus returning to the Father so that the Holy Spirit could come upon us. Well, today is the day that Jesus ascended into Heaven! How important is that??!! 

Here are a few meaningful points of this day!

1.  It signaled the end of Jesus' earthly ministry. The period of human limitations was at an end.

2.  It signaled success in His earthly work.

3.  It marked His return to His heavenly glory.

4.  It symbolized His exaltation by the Father.

5.  It allowed Him to prepare a place for us.

6.  It indicated the beginning of His new work as High Priest and Mediator of the New Covenant.

7.  It set the pattern for His return. He will return just as He left, bodily and visible in the clouds.

8.  The power of the Holy Spirit was going to be set forth to the believers. 

Now this is a good list to start with!!! To many times in the past, our joy sometimes ends on Easter night. We forget what happened after He rose from the grave. For forty days, He appeared to many people with many signs and wonders! And then He went to the Father so that we could be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do His Will!!! Now that is pretty awesome!!

The apostles wanted to know about when He was returning to establish His Kingdom and He told them that it was not for them to know. They had work to do! So do we!! To tell everyone about Him!!

So this is worth celebrating isn't it!!??

God Bless!

Paul

OUTER vs INNER---Who's going to win??

INNER CORE EXERCISES

2 COR. 4:16

         OK, this is not about physical exercises but about what we do with our spiritual inner person. In 2 Cor. 4 talks about the outward deterioration and inward renewal. As our bodies get older, they start to get warn out by the everyday going on in life. I feel like I want to go do something like running or playing some basketball but due to the physical limitations that my body now has, it wouldn't be wise to do so!! It's not like I let my body go downhill, it is that over the years, it has shown some wear and tear. 

         In verse 16, Paul is saying how his sufferings, while not fatal, were destroying his body. Some of which were caused by the beatings, being shipwrecked, etc but also because as our bodies get older, they start to decay, loose muscle tone, etc. We get arthritis, broken bones, sprains, torn tissue, and a lot of other things that occurs from living in this world. Our lifestyle has a lot to do with it but also, things can  just happen that we can't control. 

         But the one thing we can control is how we "exercise" the inner person. Our spiritual, inner most being inside of us. Even with all that Paul had been through and how he was feeling, he would not let it discourage him. His outer body was getting old and weak but his inner man was being strengthened everyday by walking in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. 

         We can exercise, watch what we eat, take all those "stay young" supplements, and participate in the

"diet of the week" plan but our bodies are still temporary!! We need to take care of them but we need to keep our focus on Jesus!! To exercise our "inner core" by reading and meditating on His Word, praying, worship, etc. To grow daily in Him and not let how we feel determine if we spend time with Him. 

         Everyone will have bad days but we need to stay strong and keep pressing on into Him. 

I need to keep my Spiritual Inner Core strong everyday! Then, when that day comes, we will blessed above all that we can imagine!!

Be blessed and go "exercise"!!

Paul

COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

2 Cor.13:14

I was reading an article about when Jesus walked the earth and how He had such a bonding with the Holy Spirit. Communion in the Greek means: partnership, fellowship, a sharing together. Jesus and the Holy Spirit were always working together. Read some of these scriptures.

1. Luke 1:35--conceived by the Holy Spirit.

2. Matt. 3:16--empowered by the Holy Spirit.

3. Matt. 4:1--led by the Holy Spirit.

4. Acts 10:38--healed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

5. Matt.12:28--cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit.

6. Rom.8:11--resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit.

7. Eph. 1:19-20--seated at the right hand of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

8. John 5:30--His total dependence on the Holy Spirit.

I see a pattern here. Jesus had such a HUGE fellowship or communion with the Holy Spirit!! The more time we spend with the Holy Spirit, the more sensitive we become in Him. The more we rely on His guidance and strength, the more we want to spend time with Him. 

Kathy and I are taking this time in the Lent season to press into a stronger commitment in making sure we are devoting ourselves everyday to the reading of the Word, prayer, meditation of His Word, worship, and being more open to the Holy Spirit. It is hard at times to make the time but we know that the investment will be great!!

The Lent season is a perfect opportunity to share our testimonies as we get closer to Easter. 

I will leave you with a quote from someone: "Communion with the Holy Spirit is the launching pad for a life of supernatural power and consistency."

I know I need that everyday in my life!!

God Bless!!

Paul

HEARING FROM GOD

Exo.20:19-20

        When someone mentions to me about being able to hear from God, I always think of the scripture about Moses with the Ten Commandments and how the people of Israel were fearful of talking with God so they wanted Moses to be their mediator with Him. 

         They had just inexperienced some of God's power (as if they already hadn't!!) and they now were standing in fear of what the Lord might do to them! Well, they must have realize that they were wrong to start messing around when Moses had gone up Mount Sinai.

Fear is an emotion that can be either healthy or unhealthy. When we fear something that could lead up to danger, than it is a helpful guide. But when fear is constant or overwhelming it can be unhealthy. 

         The fear of God can be defined as "thoughtful reverence for God". The fear of God should result in an increase of faith and motivate us to act accordingly to God's plan in our lives. 

Fear can keep us from hearing from God and obeying Him. Sometimes, we are afraid of what He might have to say to us so that will keep us from coming to Him in our quiet times. 

What happens when one of God's servants come to us with a word from Him? How do we respond? Sometimes, it is easier to brush off what they had said with the remark of; "Well, I don't know if God is really speaking to them" or " I sure that God would tell me first". Kind a hard for God to tell you if you aren't giving Him the time to speak to you. (Of course I am saying this out of my own experience!)

         God so much wants to speak to each of us! And through so many ways! But we tend to put up "walls" and "excuses" that really shows how much we don't want to hear from Him! Our actions will speak louder than words is what sometimes shows for both ways. 

I am so happy that God sent the Holy Spirit to us to reveal Himself through His creation, His Word, music, etc. Sometimes, it is not what we want to hear but if we put our trust in Him, it will work out. 

         Hearing from God!! Yup!!! I need to do more of it!!!

God Bless!!!

Paul

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!

Ps.93:1

         This morning I woke up with an old song going through my head. Do you remember "How Great Is Our God" ?  I thought with all the stuff going on all over the world, this must be what I should start my day with! So, I started to listen to it and I had to grab my guitar and play along. I started to read the words more closely and within the very beginning of the song, is the first line:" The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty". I could see a picture of our God standing there in a magnificent robe that has all the colors you can imagine with jewels that are shining forth with all the brilliance of His Glory!!
         One of the references of the song is Ps.93:1;The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty, the Lord is robed, he wears strengtharound his waist. ²  Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
Majesty, in the Hebrew means: glory, power, honored.  In the Greek: greatness, magnificence. 
Think about some of the movies we have seen that shows a king with a great looking robe. Well, our God has a robe that is so great looking that it shines with His greatness, His power, and His authority!!! 
         We need to praise Him with all of our hearts everyday! I can get so caught up in all the evil that is surrounding us that I forget who is still on the throne. 
          Listen to that song and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into a place of praise and worship to Him!
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!!!

God Bless!

Paul

How Joseph's life was turned around!

 Matt.1:18-25

          Did you every think about how Joseph must have felt before his dream-encounter with the angel?

Joseph was doing what the Old Testament men and women of God did who obeyed God even when it went against all human common sense. 

God knew what He was doing because he was a righteous man of God. When he found out about Mary being with a child, Joseph had a huge decision to make. He could expose Mary publicly as unfaithful because they were "engaged" to be married and the law was very strict for both of them. This would mean she would maybe even be stoned for this!! He could have a private separation or divorce which would be a written certificate in the presence of two witnesses. And the third choice would have been to go ahead and marry her but that would be going against the Mosaic law.(Lev,20:10)

Remember, he was a righteous and honorable man. So he choose to quietly end the engagement so that she would not face public humiliation and that he would be free to continue in his life. 

He had reasoned it out. He had decided what was right for the both of them.

Here they and their families had planned for a wedding and then she got pregnant and everything probably seemed crazy to him! What an emotional time for both of them it must have been. But all that changed one night in a dream!!!

Read what the angel said to him. It was more than just a dream.....it was an angelic encounter that changed his complete line of thinking!!! How could just a dream change his outlook on what he should do? It went against the way he was brought up! I tend to think that during the dream, he felt the commission of something so important. He was to go against all human common sense and make a decision that would change the course of all humanity!

And here is the thing that really stands out to me.....he awoke and did what the angel had said! BIG TURN AROUND!!!! There was a huge transformation!!! A dream did that!!! That happened to have an angel involved!!!  

There is a lot more that I have found going on here that would be hard to share in just one blog but I believe the Lord is saying: Wake up and do what I have told you to do!!!

Joseph's decision was a huge turning point here. Some may say that God would have found a different way. But if that was the case, why would He have sent an angel to him??? 

The "stage" was being set for the greatest gift to all humanity--- the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!! And the obedience to God from one young man help turn the future of all mankind!!!

Has God been telling you something?? Has He been tugging on your heart in areas that don't make much "sense" to you?? 

This coming year I believe is going to be so important to all of us! It is about time for the believers in the Lord (that means me too) to press into His Word, wear out those knees in prayer, worship Him and Him alone, to help those in need, to take care of each other, etc.

It would be a lot better place around here. And it starts with us as individuals. Joseph had a life changing turn around. I am so glad he did!!!

Merry Christmas and God Bless!!!

Paul

Caught up in the moment!

ATTENTION!!!

I was reading Acts 1 when I came across verses 9-11 about the Ascension. I know this is the Christmas season and how could this relate to it but this is interesting to look at. Jesus had already told them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them (v8) and after this, a cloud surrounded Him and carried Him up into the heavens. WOW!!!  What a sight that must have been!!! All eyes were on Jesus as He went up into the sky!!! Think about it. These guys had been through so much with Jesus. All the ups and downs, the cross, being raised from the dead, His appearance behind locked and closed doors, etc. Now He was leaving them and they had their eyes fixed on the moment!! How long did they stare?? Who knows!! Some versions list it as: gazing intently, straining their eyes, concentrating, etc. All their attention was on what had just happened and they were still looking for anything to keep them in the moment. 

But suddenly two angles appear and got them back into the "present". 

How many times do I find myself caught up in something that is "All God" and I want to stay in that moment even when things are going by me?? How about the times that aren't "Godly" and I find myself still in it? 

Just like those followers that day, Jesus told them that they had a lot to do ahead of them. It's nice to "re-live" those great moments that we all have but we still have to "snap out of it" and live in what is going on NOW!!! 

So is this time of the year. We all get caught up in the "natural" that we forget or loose sight of the opportunities that are all around us to share God's Love! 

As much as it would be neat to have a visit from and "angel", I would rather pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying to me and act upon it!

God Bless!

Paul

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT??

I was reading a book this week and the author asked that question. He was looking at John 16:7 which says:" "Nevertheless I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you." HCSB version. 

This is Jesus telling His disciples that it is better for them if He went to His Father in heaven. If He didn't, the Holy Spirit would not come to them. 

Think about it. The disciples must have been so confused as to what Jesus was saying. They had spent so much time with Jesus, seen so many miracles, heard so many teachings and now they would be better off without Him!?!

Seems like it doesn't make sense! But we know that the Holy Spirit would be sent down to all who accept Him.

The disciples mind set was that they knew of how the presence of God was with so many of the prophets of old and that to have Jesus leave would be a devastating to them!

Up to that time, the presence of God was displayed with smoke or fire. This was so foreign to them. You could say that the Old Testament was "God with us". Like Jesus was with them in the flesh. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given out in the full and powerful sense that was promised for the new covenant age.

I always wondered that when I went to Heaven, I wanted to ask the prophets of old what it was like to see the presence of God in the form of smoke or fire. But with Jesus being with the Father, we now have the Holy Spirit in us! In Romans 8:11, that's the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead! Now that's pretty awesome!! Maybe the prophets will be asking us about what was it like to have the Spirit inside of us!!!

So it went from "God with us" to "God in us"!  How many times I have forgotten about the Holy Spirit in the things going on in my life. Do we really know what we have?? 

This study I am doing has brought back to me the importance of the Holy Spirit in my life. 

How about you?

Blessings,

Paul

I couldn't sleep so God took me to Ecclesiastes----WOW!!!

OK....the title might throw you off but I couldn't sleep this morning (day off---go figure!) so I got tired ( no pun) of rolling around in bed and decided to get up and get some good early study time in! And here I am in Ecclesiastes!!! I haven't been in this book for quite some time!! ( and for those who won't admit it, I did have to look it up to where it was!).
So I am reading in the first chapter and I got to verses 12 -18 and I started to pray about my priorities. I can get burden down by the ever changing "topics" of the day. The "emergencies" of daily life. The worries and troubles that we all walk through. Some of them are "big deals". Some are conformed to our present state of mind and/or spirit to be elevated to a higher emergency level in our daily walk.
Right then God was speaking to me about being so consumed by all of this stuff! I don't really take the time to spend with Him more during these busy days that I should. I don't look at it as a priority. I am spending to much time dealing with all of this stuff that I don't take a "spiritual time out" to gather my thoughts and emotions and fix my eyes on the One true Comforter.
I spoke about this in a past blog on how we should take the time everyday to recharge our spiritual batteries. I look at this busy holiday season that we all have and this is a real good time to "exercise our spiritual bodies" and make it a priority in these busy days! We have to say "No" when we become "overcome" by these things that come flooding into our lives.
Seeking wisdom and understanding in the Kingdom of God is a lot better than trying to get through this stuff on our own!
It is so amazing what God will speak to us when we make the time to spend with Him.
Now, what is God saying to you about your day??!!

(I got to get back to reading Eccl.!!! I don't think this is over yet!!)

God Bless!!

Paul