" 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