GOOD WORKS OR LOOKS DON’T SAVE PEOPLE

Who are they preaching about? What are they preaching about? If you have to wonder what or who someone is talking about when you go to church then you better get out because you are in the wrong place. To be saved you better let someone introduce you to Christ Jesus and not tell you how to get rich, because it is very important to know how to live forever than to know how to get wealth and prosperity that you will never enjoy. That’s why the scripture says what profit is there if you gain the world and lose your soul (Matthew 16:26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”; Luke 9:25 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”).

A Christian is a follower of Christ who believes in Christ, trusts Christ, and preaches about Christ because He commissioned us to go out and preach and do the things Jesus did as we see in Mark 16:15-18. Therefore, if a group or organization is not telling you about Jesus, what He did, and where He is at this moment, then something is wrong. People need to know that Jesus is the only way to God, the only access to God and good works or good looks will not save you or guarantee you a spot or place in eternity with God.

When you are full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, then your light will shine in the dark so that people will come out of the darkness and into His marvelous light; that’s how much people will be added to the Church (as we see in Acts 12:24) instead of people being subtracted because someone is preaching the wrong message. Trust me you will be held accountable.

Acts 12:24 “But the word of God grew and multiplied.”

A church community will grow if its leader, like Jesus, and His apostles take time to fast and pray so that God can reveal His plans for the direction of His children. It’s only when we seek the Lord by putting aside everything of the world as Romans 12:1-2 says, not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our mind and when we do as Proverbs 3:6 which directs us to acknowledge God, then breakthrough will happen as we see with Jesus. He was more powerful after praying and fasting, where He was in God’s presence. When you come out of God’s presence you bring power out and demons have to tremble and flee because when you draw near to God, He will draw near to you.

Draw near God today; Read His word the Bible, pray, start reading a daily devotional, become part of a church community and get involved in learning about Christ and the life you can live with God.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I loose the Holy Spirit and the heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.

GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION

Sometimes we find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, but as a Christian we sometimes find ourselves among some people who we don’t want to be with, yet we are trying to lead them to Jesus so that their soul will be saved. No, it does not mean that we are like them, because we are the salt and light of the world and we want to implement change in lifestyle and behavior so we must be different in behavior and in mannerism.

Jesus puts it best in Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17 and Luke 5:32, that He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. He said this because people did not like the fact that He associated Himself with sinners. What those people failed to realize is that even though He associated with them, He was not one of them, nor did He become one of them. His primary goal was to save their souls and He said in Matthew 9:12, people who are well and healthy don’t need a physician. Therefore a doctor would be broke – without any money –  if all the people he associated with were healthy and had no need for his service. Which means why hang around righteous folks who don’t need to be saved, who don’t need healing, deliverance and total liberation.
Yes, you can say the Bible says in Psalm 1, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, to associate is not taking advice, but you associate to give advice or shed light in the dark. It’s when we don’t speak of God’s righteousness, that we are in trouble and God’s wrath is kindled as we see in Job 42:7. (Which is where Job’s friends aroused God’s wrath because they did not speak of Him what was right.)

“And so it was after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as my servant Job has.'” Job 42:7

The first thing we must know when we are amongst unbelievers is that we are God’s temple as 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 tells us. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” However, 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 tells us that we can’t team up or bond with unbelievers because good and bad had nothing in common; righteousness and lawlessness can’t team up because there will be conflict of interest. We can’t be with Christ and the devil at the same time, because we can’t have two masters. There is no agreement between the temple of God and idols. So God’s final answer is for us to come out from among those who can’t stand Him; He wants us to be separate and touch not the unclean things.

Choose who you want to live for this day. There really is no in-between for those who say, “I’m not living for God or the devil…” Stop attempting to straddle the fence. If your choice is Jesus then go to the top of this blog post, to the salvation page and read what may be your first or second prayer to the Lord. Read the Bible and a devotional book to help guide you in reading the Bible. May God be your guide in living for Him, in Jesus name, Amen.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I loose the Holy Spirit and the heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.

A YEAR FILLED WITH GOD’S PROMISES

God’s Presence – “I will never leave thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have, For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God’s Protection – “I am thy shield” (Genesis 15:1).

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

God’s Power – “I will strengthen thee” (Isaiah 41:10).

God’s Provision – “I will help thee” (Isaiah 41:10).

“Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God’s Leading – “And when He putteth forth His own sheep He goeth before them” (John 10:4)

“And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

God’s Purposes – “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil” (Jeremiah 29:11)

God’s Rest – “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

God’s Cleansing – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

God’s Goodness – “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

God’s Faithfulness – “The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake” (1 Samuel 12:22).

God’s Guidance – “The meek will He guide” (Psalm 25:9).

“The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.”

God’s Wise plan – “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28)

“And we know that all things work for good to them that love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED SINCE YOU MET JESUS?

Has your life and lifestyle changed since you had an encounter with Jesus, like Saul who became Paul or Zacchaeus the tax collector?  Or are you doing the same old things repeatedly and perpetrating a fraud under the Christian banner? Most people claim that they are Christians and they love God, yet their actions and lifestyle says something different. However, whatever a man sows that shall he also reap, because you can’t mock God. You are either for Him or against Him. If you are for God then your actions and lifestyle will reflect it.

1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”

James 4:4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

1 John 2:15-16 and James 4:4 lets us know that anyone who loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them because all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, eyes and the pride of life. So who are you fooling? No one but yourself and Judgment Day will tell.

It does not matter to Jesus how tall or short you are, how rich or poor you are, or what color or race you are. He came to seek all who are lost, burdened and heavy laden. Like Zacchaeus, all who seek Him will find Him. All who are curious will find Him. All who are willing to invite Jesus into their lives will no doubt be transformed into a new creature; old habits and lifestyles will be abolished.

Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus changed him drastically and immediately. It says in verse six of Luke 19 that he received Jesus joyfully. Because he was not happy with his lifestyle; a prominent job and riches, he had it all, yet was not happy, but when he heard that Jesus was coming, he sought to see Him and went to an extreme measure to see Him. When I think of the extreme Zacchaeus went through to see Jesus, I pray that the people of today’s society would do the same instead of going out of their way to see someone famous, like an entertainer, movie star, singer, sports figure, politician or even a clergy person who are famous. Why not go out of your way to meet Jesus who can save you and give you eternal life, joy, peace and more than a two-minute thrill with an entertainer.

Zacchaeus’ transformation was evident, he confessed his sins of extortion and promised to restore everything he took from poor folks with interest and even a promise to give half of his wealth to the poor. The beauty of this story is that God through Jesus gave him something that was more than he already had, better than he already had and something he never had that money couldn’t buy.

Zacchaeus realized that the best gifts in life are free and that it was more blessed to give than to receive. Jesus gave him something and he in turn learned the principle of giving, so he was willing to do the same by giving what he had to give to bring joy to someone else.

We might not have wealth to give, but we can offer salvation because it’s worth more than money. We can give encouragement or assist in ways that will help someone. As Christians let’s show the world what a privilege and pleasure it is to be a child of the King of kings and God of the universe.

  • Instead of always looking to receive, why not try to be a giver. It is more blessed to give than to receive.

“Help me Lord to be honest and true in all that I say and do; give me the courage and whatever I need to do what is right, to bring to the world a glimpse of your light.” -Prayer from ODB

If you have never said a prayer to receive the salvation of the Lord you can do so now by going to the Salvation page above. On that page you will see a prayer asking Jesus to enter into your heart; you can pray that prayer or pray one personally to God.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I loose the Holy Spirit and the heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.

DELIVERANCE

If you have never been physically incarcerated or experienced a lack of freedom then you will never understand what freedom is. However, if you have a vivid imagination then you will see that it’s something you would not wish on your enemy because God said to love your enemies and do good for them. But all of us have been spiritually, physically, emotionally and otherwise imprisoned because we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity; which means sin has captivated our minds, thus making us prisoners of the enemy of God.

But God refuses to let the enemy have his way with us, so He sent His only begotten Son to deliver us and liberate us from ever being imprisoned again. John 3:16 tells us that God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever chooses to believe on Him will not perish but have everlasting life. He sent Him not to condemn us but to deliver us (John 3:17). It’s so sad when people choose to remain and live in sin instead of being delivered. They have allowed the enemy to blind their eyes and as Bob Marley said in his song, “they think they are in heaven but they are living in hell,” because they fail to realize that the wealth of this world will perish with them.

Instead of trying to accumulate things on earth we should be giving thanks to our heavenly Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light. God has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of His Son and His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins as we see in Colossians 1:12-14. According to John 14:6 we see that Jesus is the only way out of the bondage of sin. Romans 8:1 tells us there is no more condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. So who or what are you walking after? Who or what are you searching for to be delivered?

As Colossians 1:19-22 points out what John 14:6 says, that it pleased God, our Heavenly Father that through Jesus, His Son we can be reconciled to Him. We were alienated from God because of sin, but Jesus delivered and reconciled us in the body of His flesh through death in order to present us holy, blameless and above reproach in His sight. That’s why we have to do as Romans 12:1-2 tells us in order to maintain our status. Then after we go through the process of being forgiven, delivered and set free, He seals us with His Holy Spirit.

(Read Ephesians 2:1-6)

These are the reasons why receiving Christ Jesus is so important and so necessary. Go to the top of this blog and read the salvation page for more information.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I loose the Holy Spirit and the heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.

CONVICTION TO CHANGE

Most folks, after they have been convicted their whole lifestyle changes. For example, being convicted and going to prison in society takes away your freedom. However, when the Holy Spirit convicts you it gives you freedom and liberates you. What a difference or contrast between the world’s way and God’s way. In John 4:29 after the woman at the well had an encounter with Jesus, she was convicted to change; which liberated her so much so that she couldn’t contain herself. She felt so free she wanted others to experience the joy and freedom she felt, so she invited others to come see a man who knows all things.

If most people would see God’s omnipresence and omniscience would they continue to do wrong? If the veil of darkness is lifted and they choose to remain in darkness then there is nothing anyone can do because the fact is you can’t hide anything from God. He knows your past, present and future, and He knew you from before you were born as Jeremiah 1:5 shows us. As believers we all should be excited, willing and able to introduce others to Jesus who saves us from the curse of death.

Once you taste and see that the Lord is good as Psalm 34:8 tells us then we will never go back to our old lifestyle and as 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15 tells us old things will pass away and no longer interest us; everything is new and of God. Once we taste and see how good God is we will follow Romans 12:1-2 and present our bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable unto God. Once you taste and see as Psalm 119:103 says, His words will be so sweet to your taste buds that you will have a desire for more and continue wanting more. Jesus told His disciples in John 4:32 that He had food to eat of which they did not know because they didn’t understand that once you taste and see that God is good (and you do His will) you won’t hunger for physical food because you are filled up with spiritual food that is far better because it is fulfilling and lasting.

Your testimony could save someone as John 4:39 shows us. Tell someone how God is good to you because you are alive. Encourage them to not only believe in Jesus, but to confess Him as Lord and Savior. Refer to the Salvation page for more information on leading someone to Christ.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I ask the Lord to loose the Holy Spirit and the Heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.

GOALS

Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. It’s so amazing that before we have an encounter with Jesus our goals in life was to get an education, get a job, get rich, get married, have children and the works, but when we have a real encounter with Jesus, who owns the world and us, as Solomon realized it’s all vanity that does not satisfy, Paul in Philippians 3:7-9 said that those things that seemed profitable to him he considered it a loss.

As a true believer in Christ we know that Jesus has gone to prepare a better place for us. Our goals and focus should shift from lust to trust, from want to not just living for now, but to live forever – eternally. Just as how we prepare for life on this earth, we should prepare for eternal life by making the necessary choices to ensure that our names are written in the lambs book of life as Luke 10:20 tells us we should not rejoice about earthly accomplishments, but that our names are written in heaven. Is your name written in heaven?

Luke 9:25 asks, “What advantage or profit is it to a man if he gains the world and lose his soul.” Then Hebrews 2:3 wants to know, how shall we escape God’s wrath if we neglect so great a salvation? In Deuteronomy 30:15 He set before us two choices to choose from life or death, good or evil, and He advises us to choose life. What did you choose?

So as Paul tells us in Philippians 3:10 our goal should be to know Jesus Christ, His experiences and the life power that He posses and gives to us in Luke 10:19. Paul encourages us to forget the past and look forward towards better things in Christ with Christ. So our goal is to press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ not earthly riches or desires which profit nothing.

John 14:6 tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one goes to God except through Him. He is the perfect example of how to live for God and how to please God successfully. He demonstrated to us how to use and exercise our God-given rights while on this earth. So why are we as Christians so weak and earthly minded. Why are we anxious for anything when all Jesus did was communicate with our heavenly Father through prayer and practice Philippians 4:6 by letting God know His request.

Are you following Jesus’ examples or your own? Or someone else’s?

If you don’t know God or His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth then go to the top of this blog, click on to the salvation page, then follow the instructions, it will be the greatest thing you ever do.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I ask the Lord to loose the Holy Spirit and the Heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.

FEAR FACTOR

Whenever the enemy brings fear to us we must always remember 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” Then we must apply the power or activate the power Jesus gave us in Luke 10:19 to tread upon serpents, scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt us. David said in Psalm 56:3-4, whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You – referring to God. In the Bible there are so many scriptures that assures us that God is our refuge, strength, help and everything. So why do we allow the enemy to plant doubt and fear in our mind.

Yes, it’s normal for the person who does not believe in God nor His Son Jesus. But as a born again Christian you better apply the Word like Jesus did in Luke 4 and let the enemy know that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we shall fear no evil because God is with us as Psalm 23:4 says; His rod and staff comforts us, which are His implanted Holy Spirit when you accept and believe in Jesus’ death, resurrection and His Word in the Bible which has documented all of His promises. Fear should never be a factor in the life of a child of God because Jesus made us more than conquerors as Romans 8:37 points out to us. It’s only when we trust God, that fear will never have dominion over us.

It’s when we look at the size of fear and not our God, who is bigger, that fear paralyzes us. When we start to think of how we are going to handle the problem we fail to give it to God  who cares for us and  is able to handle the problem as Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7 tells us. Instead, we do the same thing He tells us not to do in Proverbs 3:5-6 and that is  lean on our own understanding instead of just trusting Him.

So as children of God when trouble, fear, heartache, pain or anything else that’s not of God comes your way instead of wishing you had wings like a dove to fly away as Psalm 55:6 says, let us renew our minds and follow and say what Psalm 55:11 suggests, “In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid of what can man do to me?” The only person we should fear is God, who is able to destroy you completely (Luke 12:4-5; Matthew 10:28-31).

Luke 12:4-5 and Matthew 10:28-31 tells us that God knows everything, even when a sparrow falls; and we are more valuable than the sparrow. So why are we even fearful, because Psalm 91 tells us, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High God shall abide under the shadow of the almighty and say that He is our refuge and fortress.

Accept the Lord today. Choose to believe that Jesus is alive! Believe that Jesus died for our sins and that God has raised Him from the dead. Go to the Salvation page for further instructions.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I ask the Lord to loose the Holy Spirit and the Heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.

GREED

There is a borderline between greed and contentment and many people are on the borderline. They allow covetousness, which originates from the lust of the eyes, flesh and the pride of life, to cause them to never be satisfied or contented. People who always want more than the average are not ambitious but greedy, because if your basic needs are met which is food, shelter and clothing, then anything else is luxury. If you already have a car that is in good condition and working, a house to live in that is warm and comfortable, and you never lack a meal why are you trying to get bigger and better if you can’t afford it.

Most Christians fall in the greedy category which makes them borderline Christians which Revelation 3:16 describes them as lukewarm, and warns them that they will be spit out. 1 Timothy 6:6 tells them that Godliness with contentment is great gain. Greedy folks have more to lose. But Christians should be content because the God we serve will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19), which means there is no reason to be greedy because we are connected to the source and supplier.

Another thing is that people fail to realize that when you die, you can’t take anything with you as 1 Timothy 6:7 point out to us. So what’s the use of working and fighting to accumulate all these earthly goods that will go to someone who may not even appreciate your efforts. Our love, greed, cravings, and desires for money to get things has led many people away from God as 1 Timothy 6:7-10 informs us.

1 Timothy 6:6-19 tells us how to be and not to be when it comes to money and wealth. It was not meant to be hoarded or worshiped, but to help us and others survive. The love of God will allow you to give generously to others who are less fortunate and lack. If you can see a fellow human being lacking but you don’t help them the love of God is not in you. This is what 1 Timothy 6:17 tells us — to be rich in good works, ready to give and share with the less fortunate.

Lord, Help me to be generous in my giving.

We are imperfect people trying to be perfect in an imperfect world that is full of sin. Our only chance of perfection is through Jesus Christ. Won’t you receive Him today? Visit the salvation page at the top of this blog to learn more.

All glory, honor, praise and thanks go to God for using me to deliver this message. I pray that He will give all who read this message the spiritual gifts necessary to comprehend and act upon His word. I exercise my power and authority in the name of Jesus to bind every tactic of the enemy that will try to stop, hinder, or prevent this word from reaching its intended people. I ask the Lord to loose the Holy Spirit and the Heavenly angels to secure this word so that it reaches its intended people, according to Matthew 16:19 and Luke 10:19 in the omnipotent name of Jesus, Amen.