Faithful wounds

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful!
Proverb 27:6

Jesus never gave relief to people who were under conviction. When Zaccheus, in remorse for his sin, shared his generous plans for restitution, Jesus did not say, "Now Zaccheus, the importants thing is that you feel sorry for what you did." Jesus brought no comfort to him as he dealt with his sin (Luke 19: 1-10). Neither did Jesus excuse disbelief. We never find Jesus saying, "Well, that's All right. I know I'm asking you to believe a lot, and that's not easy." On the contrary, Jesus was quick to chastise His disciple when they failed to believe Him. Jesus loved His friends too much to condone or comfort them in their sin.
   It is possible to be too gentle with your friends. When a friend is under deep conviction by the Holy Spirit, do you try to give comfort? Don't ever try to ease the discomfort of someone whom the Holy Spirit is making uncomfortable! Be careful not to communicate to your friends that you find their lack of faith acceptable. You are acting in true friendship if you condone disobedience or even if you look the others way. Kisses are far more pleasant than wounds, yet they can be even more devastating if they lull your friend into being comfortable with sin.
   In our attempt to appease our friends, and our reluctance to share a word from God, we can actually cause great harm. If we see our a friends in danger and do not warn them, God will hold us accountable for our silence (Ezek. 33:6). Are you a friend of such integrity that you would risk wounding your friends in order to deter them from their sin?

WHY DO YOU DOUBTS?

The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" And Jesus answered, " Why are you afraid? You have so little faith! " Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm.
Matthew 5:25-26

It is by faith that God's mighty power is released into the life of a Christian (Heb. 11:33-35). The fact that you have doubts indicates that you do not know God as you should. If your prayer life is infiltrated with doubts, you have denied yourself the greatest single avenue of power that God has made available to you. Without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11:6). God never comforts you in your doubts. Jesus consistently rebuked those who would not believe Him. He had revealed enough of Himself for His disciple to gave believed Him in their time of need.
    God wants to build your understanding of Him until your faith is sufficient to trust and obey Him in each situation (Mark 9:23-25). The moment you turn to Him with a genuine commitment to rid yourself of doubts, God will much your doubts with revelation of Himself that can convince you of His faithfulness. When Thomas doubted, Jesus revealed Himself to him in such a way that every doubts vanished (John 29:27). You can only resolve your lack of faith in God"s presence. He must reveal Himself in such a way that any doubts you might have is removed. Jesus did this with His disciple. He involved them in a consistent, growing relationship with Himself. Jesus took them through teaching, to small miracles, to large miracles, and to the resurrection. Jesus knew that the redemption of the world rested on His disciple's believing Him. What does God want us to do in the lives of those around you that waits upon your trust in Him and removal of your doubts.

"Every Maps there is a clue"

and you will hear a voice say, "This is the way; turn around and walk here."
Isaiah 30:21

For me, the best part of s trip is always getting there. When I was little, I would clamor to sit in the front seat of the car. I lived sitting next to my dad so I could spread out the map on my lap and help him navigate. The line on the map would turn from thick red to thin black when the road got narrow. Today we have this goggle map. I do this open the apps and enjoy seeing it. Move and car stop it stop.
    That's why I enjoy my walk with Jesus. His word is just like a map. Pick a verse, any verse and you're on your way. God orders your step. He points to the narrow road rather than the broad one. He says, "I am the way" and you certainly can't get lost when you tailgate the Lord. And if you're a little unsure of your directions, Isaiah 30:21 reads just like a road sign.
Look at the road ahead today as though it were a journey full of adventure. Remember that heaven is your destination. Just keep your eye on the Way. That's all the direction you need.
Lord Jesus, You are the Way, and I know that no matter what lies ahead today, I am safe and secure when I keep close to you. Thank You for being my guide and my map. Your Word tells me exactly where I"m going and how to get there. Ilove following You!

The Changing Economy

And they gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place called Armageddon in Hebrew.
Revelation 16:16

THE BRITISH HISTORIAN Arnold Toynbee used to say, "what I have been trying to tell the West is that the world, the real world, is Asia." He saw it coming! Masses if people today are emerging from poverty and forming a middle ckasswith discretionary income, who can go into international investing. The Bible for tells and relates it to the end of the world as we know it now.
    The Bible predicts that in the end timed an anti-christ, a powerful figure, will control the world  markets. He will demand allegiance and exert such power over the world that without his seal or imprimatur whether it is a embedded in the back of a hand or a number on a forehead you can neither buy nor sell.
    The economies of the world have brco e so interwjned, that when someone sneezes on Wall Street in New York, other catch cold in Tokyo and Manila What Scripture foretold has become economically possible.
   If the many prophecies contained in the Bible, written by men of God who had no vested interest in deceiving people, have come to pass with astonishing accuracy and the Bible foretells a one world government with the currencies of the world interrelated, what is happening today cannot be ignored.
     You may be thinking, Okay, his does this relate to me?" Youmay be worried but you have to remember that when you are God's child, no matter what the economic situation in our world is. He will provide for you.
    God is must as concerned about the little things (which may seem large) in your life as He is with the larger ones. No problem is beyond His grasp, know that today's needs are as important to Him as they are to you.

Trusting in God Alone

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong.
Isaiah 31:1a

Isaiah declared that the Jews were not allowed to make any alliance with the Egyptians, He emphasized this for two reasons. First, to trust in anything other than God for their salvation was to despise the power and goodness of their Lord. Second, God had said in Deuteronomy 17:16 that they were not allowed to make alliances with the Egyptian. But the Jews stubbornly resolved to provide for their own safety despising God and disobeying His will.
  Though it might seen that God was being too hard on the Jews for trusting in Egypt, He had very good reason for being angry. He wanted to keep them forgetting that He had redeemed them from Egypt, and He wanted to protect them from being corrupted by the superstitious and idolatry of the Egyptians. But the Jews didn't heed His commands and turned to Egypt anyway.
   Isaiah proclaimed to the Jewish nation that this was an extremely foolish thing to do, because the power of men cannot be compared to God's. John Calvin wrote that men have no power in themselves except what God has granted to them, so to look to men for comfort and help is foolish and irrational: "If we were reasoning about the nature and excellence of man, we might bring forward the singular gifts which he has received from God; but when he is contrasted with God, he must be reduced to nothing; for nothing can be ascribed to man without taking it from God."
  This is why it is such an offence to the Lord when we trust in our own works instead of relying solely on His grace in our salvation. To say we trust in the righteousness of Christ, but then to add our own works to His, is to rob God of His glory in redemption. Our salvation rests solely on the grace and power of God, not our own decisions choices, or experiences. Good works." Those who believe that they can do faith by their own will do not realize how sinful they are being in robbing God of the glory that is His due.
  God was the one who delivered the Jews from their bondage in Egypt. It was by His power alone and not by their choice. For them to turn back to Egypt, to look to man for their salvation, was an affront to the grace of God. May we not do the same. May we give God the g!ory by relying solely on His power and trusting in Him alone.
Read Ephesian 2:1-10. Are you trusting in your works or in the grace of God alone for your salvation? Do you really believe that God is the one who can protect you or do you seek the shelter of the world? Spend some time today confessing to the Lord those ways in which you trust in things others than Him. Repent of your sin

"Let Him Pray"

When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, "Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you in truth and a loyal heart"
Isaiah 38:2-3a

There is a verse in the book of James that we often take for granted because it is so simple. It says, "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray" That's  simple and straightforward; no hidden, no mind teasers. If you're suffering pray. And yet, some of us find this very hard to do. We want solutions. We want the pain to go away. We want to do something that will make our situation better. We try every means necessary, and yet when the day is done we have failed to do the one thing Scripture tells us time and again to do: pray,
   This was what Hezekiah did. He was suffering. He was dying a horrible death. He had no heiur to take his throne after him, and he still had worries about enemies storming the gates. When Isaiah come to him and told him that he was going to die, Hezekiah"s heart was heavy, but he didn't allow his grief and fear to keep him from doing the one thing what would really help. He went into private (the text say he turned his face to the wall) and prayed to the Lord. Like David, he spoke of his faithfulness and love for the Lord, and his desire to continue living in the resence of the Lord. Then, after praying Hezekiah "wept bitterly." He was in pain, he was afraid,and he was suffering greatly. Would his Father in heaven hear him and give him the comfort he so sorely needed?
    The Lord answered him through the prophet Isaiah: "I have heard your prayer, i have seen your tears; I will add to your day fifteen years." What a tender interchange between God and His beloved child, one of His chosen servants who was filled with pain and grief. God reached out to Hezekiah in response to his humble and sincere prayer, and He promised to heal him.
   In the years following this incident, Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh. The king would noe have an heir to his throne, and when Hezekiah  died (his son was 12 years old at the time), he died content, for he knew   kingdom would go to his son in keeping with the line of David, and he knee he himself would be with God.
   Hezekiah didn't allow his doubts to get in the way of turning to his Father in heaven. May we follow this godly king's example and go to the Lord when we are in pain, or frightened, or grieved. May we do as James said pray.
Are you suffering? Pray. Are you downcast? Pray. Do you worry about future, about your parents, about your children, about your husband or wife? Pray. Do you worry about the
Church of Christ and how it will fare in the days ahead? Pray, Do you have financial trouble? Pray. Whatever your situation, pray to the Lord.

A kingdom that cannot be shaken

Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.
HEBREWS 12 : 28

THERE ARE VERY FEW THINGS in the world that can be describe as unshakable or unmovable. Today we can dynamite or blast almost anything into oblivion. So when somethings is describe as unshakable or unmovable, we pay attention.
   The writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptable with reverence and awe" (Hebrews 12:28). What he is talking about is the kingdom of God, the territory in the heart of every one of God's children. The "we" means everyone who has embraced Jesus as Lord. Jesus was of the royal lineage of David, and He fulfilled the prophecy that one of David descendants would role and reign forever.
  Can Christians also be described as unmovable and unshakable? In the first century, Nero demanded to be worshiped as a god. Subject of the Roman Empire were required to go to a pagan temple and offer incense, saying, "Ceasar is Lord." Instead, these sturborn followers of Jesus refused, proclaiming, "Christ is Lord." Their chief weapon was love; they prayed for their enemies, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and ministered to the sick. No wonder the Roman detested them, crying, " Away with them! Burn them at the stake."
   Nation and kingdom will rise and Fall but the one whose builder and maker is God will never be shaken. Remember, there is an unshakable kingdom in a shaky, uncertain world.