God's Mercies Are Tender and New Every Morning!

 "The Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him" Lamentations 3:22-24  "David answered Gad, "I have great anxiety. Please, let me fall into the Lord's hands because His mercies are very great, but don't let me fall into human hands."2nd Chronicles 21:13
"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.' Romans 12:1
"Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end." Lamentations 3:22

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort." 2nd Corinthians 1:3   

The Gates of Hell Can't March!

      
                                                        The Gates of Hell Can Not Prevail Against Us!

 

  Unfortunately most of the mainstream media today is secular and liberal, often antagonistic toward Jesus and His followers and delighting in the cynical and base.

I believe there is a strong majority of Americans who, even if they do not follow Christ, are sympathetic to His followers and see wisdom and value in His teachings. They understand our history as a Christian nation.

We serve a risen Savior and His word has not changed. To effectively engage our culture and impact it for Christ we must be grounded in God’s word and centered in His will through Jesus. Then our writing, speaking, relationships etc, will reflect God's perspective and help our society make sense of contemporary issues.

Darwinism, for example, should never have been allowed to rock the Church the way it did. The fact that a weak theory put forth by a mortal being caused Christians to doubt God and His word speaks of a Church not grounded in the Word, not convinced of Jesus’s claims and not willing to step out of its comfort zone to draw a line in the sand.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples who He was. Peter answered that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then Jesus answered, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Gates don’t advance. They may swing but they can’t march! If the gates of Hell can’t overcome the Church, Jesus must have intended for us to advance against them, against Hell and all that generates from it and the devil. Spending time every day in His word and listening to Him will give us the courage to storm the gates of Hell and turn our nation around! 

The National Day of Prayer

   
                                              THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER!

May 2, 2013 is this year's date for the National Day of Prayer. It is always the first Thursday in May. I pray God will bless us and empower His Church to come together on this day to intercede for our nation but also to search our hearts and evaluate our own walk with God.

It is easy to plan and organize a simple prayer event for your church, community, neighborhood, family etc. Visit the National Day of Prayer website for ideas and to register your event!

Here it is:  http://nationaldayofprayer.org/

"Dear Lord, search me and bring to the surface the dross that hinders my walk with You. Show me where I need to humble myself, repent of my sins, ask you to forgive me and turn back to You. Please God, give me the strength, the wisdom, the energy, the ability to live completely surrendered to You trusting absolutely that You have my back, that You want the best for me and are fully able and willing to empower me to live wide open, no holds barred and completely free in Christ Jesus. Help me to always remember and claim and rest in the truth that You dwell within all who have surrendered their lives to Christ. Give Your church a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit in the United States and all around the world. Sweep across the face of this nation, over our mountains and into our valleys and through our pastures and into our homes, churches, business, governments, courtrooms, colleges and universities, military and law enforcement installations, schools, playgrounds and streets dear God. Take this nation back in Your name!! Penetrate the alleys, the hotel rooms, the bedrooms and the deepest places in our souls and minds and hearts and purge the filth, the blasphemy, the vulgarity, the injustice, the crime, the hatred, the angst, the misery, the worry and the fear. Cleanse us Lord and make us white as snow. Heal this nation oh Balm of Gilead. Correct the mindset that has positioned itself against You. Destroy the lies of the enemy that have people confused about what gender they are or why You created them. Destroy the lies of evolution which have convinced generations of young people that they are no more important or valuable than animals. Tear down the bastions of abortion, pornography and child abuse like the walls of Jericho. Flow through the veins and the marrow of the drug abuser and the alcoholic and those addicted to gambling, food, sex, pornography and anything else that hinders our walks with You and replace these with Your power, Your love and Your peace and joy. May we rise on the wings of the wind as You lift us to soar like eagles above all of these temporary troubles with our eyes fixed upon Jesus Christ and our hope in You. We ask all these things in the name of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. He is risen! God willing, America too will rise again! Amen."

Fear Not-For I Am with You!

  The Bible speaks to fear 365 times. That is one verse per day!  Here are just a few verses that God has given us to assure us of His love, protection and guidance until He brings us home!!

 "The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can human beings do to me?" Psalm 118:6 

(TNIV)

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2

   

"Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands." Jeremiah 42:11

"So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can human beings do to me?" Hebrews 13:6

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

"One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent." Acts 18:9

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown." The Revelation  2:10

"Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God." Deuteronomy 1:17

"Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."Deuteronomy 1:21

"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you." Deuteronomy 3:22

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged." 1 Chronicles 22:13

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:24

"Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength." Daniel 10:19

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified." Matthew 28:5

The Reason for the Hope That Lies Within

WHO IS JESUS?

     Three out of four young adults will walk away from the Christian faith upon leaving home. Why is this happening? Are they only attending church by force without truly engaging their hearts and minds? Are they not personally meeting Jesus Christ at church? Are we not effectively equipping them for the onslaught of the world’s questions and doubts? There is such a wealth of evidence for Holy Scripture. Do our young people not know God’s word? Do they not trust it?

     “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said…?’ [1]The devil’s job is to deceive people who are lost and to discourage Christians. Why do we cooperate with him? Why do we engage in discussions of faith and doctrine from the vantage point of his lies instead of God’s truth? This is a huge tactical error. We Christians waste too much energy dancing around our “opponents” refuting ludicrous fallacies. As long as the devil can keep us occupied with deflecting his premises and rebutting his latest assertions, he effectively shifts our momentum and focus away from God’s truth. Wait, didn’t he also shift Eve’s focus?  

     God charges us to be ready to give an answer for our faith in gentleness. [2] Be ready He said. Be prepared. This is crucial. Our young people cower before the “intellectuals” because we have not prepared them well. They have not hidden God’s word in their hearts with conviction. [3] Did Jesus ever lose a point with the Pharisees or the Sadducees? No. He didn’t and neither should we.

     This is why I find the ministry Crossexamined so refreshing.  Frank Turek has put together a wonderful team of informed and effective communicators. In a respectful but bold and unapologetic manner, the believers at Crossexamined explain the reasons for the hope that lies within. This website provides intellectual and scientific proof for God’s word. Here too, genuine seekers can find Jesus. There’s a wealth of resources available including links to interviews with leading apologists.                    

     The battle for truth is the Lord’s. Crossexamined provides factual, well-reasoned apologetics so we can engage lost seekers on the front lines and win them to Christ. We Christians have got to boldly charge the gates of Hell to capture the souls, minds and hearts of our children. We must make the enemy yield the ground he has stolen with his slithering question- “Has God indeed said….?”

     The experts at Crossexamined flip some of the most common objections people raise back on them while proving the integrity of God’s word. They deliver more than enough evidence for its validity and relevance. Turek and others reason convincingly that it takes much more faith to be an atheist.

    This website gives people the opportunity to meet Christ. Once a person encounters Jesus, He will take it from there by asking them, “Who do you say that I am?” [4]

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[1] Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" NKJ

[2] 1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” NKJ

[3] Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!” NKJ

[4] Luke 9:20 ‘He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." NKJ

Pray for a Holy Spirit Revival for America

  The first Thursday in May is the National Day of Prayer. I don't think it is too soon to begin thinking, planning and of course, praying for this critical day. Our country is at a crossroads. We must decide as Christians to put Jesus first. It doesn't mean we'll be perfect. It doesn't mean we won't get busy and "forget". It means we decide that by the grace of God and the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will live for Christ and Him crucified. It means we won't cheat on our taxes or our spouses or business partners. It means we will not put shopping or sports or camping or anything before worshiping the Lord with our brothers and sisters in Christ every Sunday. It means we will spend time absorbing, learning, studying and living out God's Holy Word. The alternative is a dry, lifeless relationship with the Lord that holds no excitement and no vitality. Is that what we want? Is that what Jesus died for? 

"The highways of history are strewn with the wreckage of the nations that forgot God." Anonymous

        
       This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!   Psalm 118:24