Tag Archives: Jesus

Crushing Fear

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Can one man make a difference for Christ?  Do worms eat dirt?

Through the actions of one man, Adam, all humanity was condemned to die.

Through the actions of one man, Christ, all humanity is offered eternal life.

I started to write this and remembered all the leaders God has raised up.  But the intended audience for this post is not in such a position as they.  And the provocation for this post was a tiny man in a tiny place.

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I sat in the driver seat of my truck facing the sunrise,

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The pathetic body

as almost 200 people passed by the front of my truck to go to work, I kept myself busy with reading.

Did anyone notice?  That’s not my call to make.  I offered the opportunity of “Sonrise” to everyone who passed.

One slice of time in one day.  And everywhere I go, the message is brought.   

Underneath the hat, lay a Christian spy.  Everywhere he goes, he searches for weakness in the enemy camp.   Can something be done?  Can something be said?  What can I do to allow the Gospel to infiltrate the domain of wickedness?

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The parking lot

It is not reasonable to assume that everyone who dismounted from those cars is strong in Christ.  There are about 150 cars there.  Statistically speaking, 1% of those who passed by might have understood the visible message.  (I’ll round it off.  I don’t think there was a “half” person who pass by my truck).  Two people might have been influenced by the display.

I’m making a fool of myself by showing how I strive to serve the Gospel.  But I’m trying to make a difference here.  I’m trying to inspire others to do similar things.

I have found that most Christians are terrified to testify for Christ verbally.  The human body is not just a set of lips.  And the ingenuity of man is proven.  If a Christian wants to testify, he can find a way.

I will end this post with a rather sobering thought.

Try to envision your appearance before the Holy One.  What will be said of you if you died today?  Are you striving to further the cause of Christ, regardless how great or small the effort?  Or are you letting fear shove you into a dark corner?

We will all stand shoulder to shoulder with those who were beheaded for Christ.  Those who were torn apart by the rack will be there too.  Those whose bodies were ripped apart by lions will stand there with us.  Many had been imprisoned for years, for the very name of the Lord Jesus.  Perfected souls of mutilated bodies for the sake of their love to Christ.  And shall we appear empty handed?  Can you possibly imagine the shame of having hid the beautiful message of salvation because of fear?

Let us go and die with him!  For if we die with him, He has promised we shall surely live with him. 

And if by chance, you need further inspiration , read what is said in Revelation 21: 

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

I have no strength to inspire you more powerfully.

By His Grace

Panacea

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Panacea:
“A solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases.”

IS

Faith in the Christ of the Living God.

Political, social, personal, bodily, mental, environmental, technical, it doesn’t matter what it is.  Christ Jesus is the panacea for all the ailments of Man.

From aspirin to nucular bombs, from violence to political correctness, from sewers to recycling, from the advancements of wars to the pursuit of world peace, humanity tries everything but Jesus.  Take a good look at the result of Man’s ability.  Go ahead and be ignorant (display stupidity), tell me things are better than they’ve ever been. 

Why would you say such a thing?  Is it because you can watch television?  “Big woop!”  Do you think things are better than they’ve ever been because you have a cell phone?  “Woo hoo!”  Do you really think man has cured everything evil because you get to ride around in a car?  “Wow!  Really, wow?”

Depression runs rampant among you.  Hatred and anger are the call of the day.  Blame is considered the cure for personal mental difficulties.  And unforgiveness, ungodliness, hatred, immorality, laziness, obesity, physical and mental illness of every kind, find a happy home among modern Man.  “Yeeha!”  Not to mention the pre-eminent god of Man, money.

The majority of mankind has thrown Jesus to the refuse pile.  And in doing that, they have sealed their own fate.  I can’t fix the world.  I can’t help even one person.  But unless you give your life to Jesus, in its entirety, you are destined to suffer by your own hand.

Panacea among men is a fairytale.  But look how stupidly they chase after it.  The solution is quite simple.  Trust Jesus with everything you have.  Allow him to show you how to be holy.

To solid Christians, this is obvious.  To the rest of the world, it is an abhorrent  concept.   But does anybody even ask why that’s true?  It’s true because it destroys the pride of Man.  It’s a direct attack against everything Man is.

The Word of God labels every man as a liar.  God has no respect for any man.  God says, “Humble yourself before me!  Remain in that posture, and when my wisdom says the time is right, I will lift you up”.

But people say, “NO!  You will lift me up now.  Everything in this world either does what I want it to, or I throw it away.”  And this is how they have treated the Holy Son of the Most High God.  “You will fix my troubles now, if indeed you are God.”

Ok that’s fine.  Then live among the things of squalor.  Watch your children turn to drugs and sexual immorality.  Watch the concept of marriage become so deluded that priests even marry animals to humans.  Watch the wars intensify.  Watch every sort of wickedness explode in the streets.  And you will be fully helpless to stop it.

Christ Jesus IS the panacea!  And it really doesn’t matter whether you believe these things or not.  Eternity is quite capable of moving on without you.

By His Grace

Fear

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Of all the things that man can perceive, there is but one truth.  The Holy Christ of God has given himself for the salvation of every man, woman and child who  ever lived.

As we believe this we are set free of every wicked thing.  We are set free of fear; the greatest enemy of man.  Who can fear anything if he knows he has eternal life? 

Because of fear, men turn to all manner of wicked and abhorrent behavior.  They invent their own religions.  But every religion of man is full from top to bottom with fear.

By fear, men subject one another for the sake of wicked gain.  But it is impossible to subject the one who believes. 

“Christ has died for my sins.  Nothing you can do to me can take that away.  Though my body shake with anxiety for the coming pain,  my soul is that perfect rest.  For when you are finished applying what torture you may envision, I will go and be with he who has died for my sins.  How should I fear?  What can man do to me?  When in comparison, Christ has given me eternal life.”

A Christian believes this and is saved.  Anything less than this is not the fullness of Christ within us.  Anything less than this is worthless religion.

By His Grace

Cut to the Chase

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When you go to church on Sunday morning, will you be prepared?  Or will you go with only a partial clue as to why you’re there?

Wishing is useless.  But I wish that in my forties I had known what I know now.  I had all the right knowledge.  I said all the right things.  And everybody thought I really understood.

So no one took me aside, that they might mentor me.  No one challenged my life.  No one asked me to prove the things I was saying.  So I fell flat on my face and squandered a beautiful gift from God.

I will not blame anyone.  They couldn’t possibly have known how shallow my faith really was.  And frankly, out of the hundreds of people I knew, only two had the things I have now.

When you go to church on Sunday, will you be prepared?  Will you go there to worship the Most High God with everything you have?  Or will you worship him with everything he is willing to give?

There is a statement I wish someone had said to me.  “When you worship the Lord, try to percieve the first worship session in heaven.  Then worship the Lord as if you were not here.”

We are so caught up in the things of this world.  We are so caught up in the things called “Church”.  Mistakenly, we think that if we have banded together with men in the name of Jesus, we have fulfilled a proper worship of the Most High God.

There is so much more I could say about this.  But I’ll bet you have many things to say in regard to this also.  And I have learned that it is so much better when we understand these things personally. 

But I will give this a shove in the proper direction.  What we are looking for is the full power of God in a Christian.  Not just the proper words, knowledge, or timely arrival in the proper place

It might be good to ask someone you can trust, to sit you down and grill you about Christianity.  Submit to all their questioning.  Let them either prove what you really have, or show you plainly what you lack.

It doesn’t matter to me how you respond to these things.  Who am I to order anyone around.  But what you stand to lose is a pittance.  There is no profit at all in being incomplete.  What you stand to gain is immeasurable.  What fully profitable things might be accomplished if you fully belong to God?

You could be like me, and wait until you’re 60 to get a partial clue.  Assuming God will be merciful and let you live that long.  Or you could just cut to the chase today.  What could you be in Christ if you gave everything you had to find out?

I thought it might be good to add the following.  Instead of looking for only one man to grill you about your Christian life, perhaps you want to look for a team of three. 

And who knows, in the process of questioning the three may be grilling themselves.  Certainly a profitable circumstance for all.

Humility is the target.  Profitability to Jesus is the cash flow.

By His Grace

To Have, or Not to Have

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It is far better to agree with the Holy Lord, than to be able to raise the dead.  It is far better to die of starvation, if that is His will for you, than to be able to make a banquet appear from nowhere.

It is far better to live in isolation and abandoned by every man, then to distort the Gospel and make it say things for the sake of their itchy ears.  It is better to be crucified for the Holy Name of Jesus the Christ of God, than to be loved by every man, woman and child who ever lived.

The Living God will support the one who agrees with his Holy Son.  But the one who desires appreciation from man, will find himself starkly alone.  It is immeasurably better to agree with the Living God, than to have the smallest of desire granted.

“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”  Miracles do not provide the willing soul that God desires.  Instead, God is looking for those who will love him regardless what comes.  Isn’t that why he loves his Holy Son so dearly?

By His Grace

Godly Sorrow

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There is sorrow in me

For the vastness of humanity.

What they seek so deep,

They will not keep.

The riches of religious pageantry.

The folly of drunken revelry.

The science which explains it all.

The buildings which stand; so many and tall.

Relationships they hold so dear,

While hating those who dare draw near.

The wars they fight with all their might,

With blood spilled out, both day and night!

The music of the devil planted,

The voice of God, by ruse supplanted.

Their love of freedom regardless the cost.

Even though eternal life is lost.

And so much more, time will not lend.

This sorrow in me just cannot bend.

When all it takes is humility,

To seek God’s face on bended knee.

While God’s promise remains,

“Destruction’ coming”.

They go on with all their precious nothing.

They have no grasp of the war within.

Or the strength of all their dearly loved sin.

Instead they see there’s nothing wrong,

For humanity to sing the song:

“I’m only man.
That’s what I am.
How dare you call me to holiness!

If God is true,
Then contempt is for you.
May all your religions be damned!

For there is no God
On our precious sod,
To teach us the way you proclaim.

So then righteous hatred
To you is directed,
There’s no mercy attached to your name!

Now just leave us alone.
Treck on to your home.
But you’ll die like the rest of us.

Eternity’s there.
Will grant you, that’s fair.
But science alone will save us.

You tire out us.
Provoking disgust.
When time’s proper we’ll seek your demise.

Go up old bald head!
Ascend to your home,
Past our beautiful clear blue skies!”

I hear that song sung

As each day has begun.

To avoid it, I am not fit.

So I counter their din

By praying to HIM:

“Please, Great God,
Teach me how to respond.
Lest their blasphemous words destroy me.

For I know you are True.
And within me is You.
Grant me words that release, not restrain Thee.”

Then I wait for a time,

With my soul so inclined,

To hear his most precious response:

“From the time of Adam to the present,
The rebellion of man has ascended.

Men will do what they do!
It’s not up to you,
To stifle the seed that was planted.

I have heard their proud words.
I’ve considered them fully absurd.
For they think that their words can destroy me.

But I raise up my own,
From My Holy Home.
Keeping blind, those fools who offend me.

But write down what’s good,
For its proper we should
Lay fast the vast great testimony.

Soon enough I’ll descend
To bring complete end
To their fully abhorrent false revelry.”

So I started to write,

As best I might,

A recounting of things that are true.

And by all means I’ll fight

To reveal He whose Right

That the Lord may save his sweet few.

By His Grace