Please do not get me wrong…I wish you a Happy New Year!

 

We all look to the new year’s for a fresh start.  But, the truth of the matter is a really fresh start is a life where you make Jesus your personal Lord and Savior.

This is not “religious mumbo jumbo,” but it is true.  You don’t believe me…try this…say a prayer…

Dear God, please show me if you are real and I will believe it.  Show me how to change my life for the better, show me how to have peace and no fear for Christ‘s sake.  Amen

Let’s look at some Salvation scriptures:

But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
Ephesians 2: 1

 

And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father's] presence. Colossians 1: 21-22

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]. Psalm 119: 67

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.
Psalm 119: 71

Come to Him [then, to that] Living Stone which men tried and threw away, but which is chosen [and] precious in God’s sight.
1 Peter 2: 4

Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them. Hebrews 7: 25

For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.
Romans 10: 10

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I BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU THIS YEAR…THAT YOU WILL HAVE A BLESSED YEAR WALKING THE COURSE THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU!

 

I was so empty before I took God on.  You know, I’ll admit that I knew about Jesus as a child.   Nobody in my family was sold out for God; not even me…as a result…the fire never burned in me.  The emptiness took over.  Eventually whatever was there was pushed to the background.  I jumped back and forth between nothingness and being with God.  Nothingness won out for a long time.  Then, I got sick of it.  There had to be something better…so I ran to the light of God.  I re discovered the Christmas miracle.

 

I did not automatically get the fire.  Because of that, there really wasn’t too much to hold me.  I actually found the fire looking for something else from God!    All I can say is wowee!!!

MATT 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

My prayer for you today is that when you receive the Gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ; the door to heaven…that you will ask for the fire!   God will give it to you..if you ask! 

 

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” —Romans 10:9-13

Jesus

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I have been watching a great show on television!   It’s called “Person of Interest.”  The theme is about this guy who used to be Special Forces who was just drinking and walking around lost who gets recruited to be a vigilante to save the lives of intended victims…(or their intended victims). 

 

It’s a good show in theory. 

 

The “targeted” person is called the “person of interest.”  The hero played by Jim Caviezal (who played Jesus Christ in The Passion Of Christ) zones in to find out what’s going on and gets in a reverses the evil intentions of “whoever,” to save the person of interest. 

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Prayer is so critical because we are in a war. 

Ephesians 6:10-19

New International Version (NIV)

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

 

Notice how the above passage talks about how you must be ready and caps it off with prayer.  WHY?

 

Because you are a person of interest to the forces of darkness.   If you don’t get that…I don’t have enough time to teach it to you.  But, I will pray for you…that’s what I do. 


 

 

 

 

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 

Luke 9

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

In the beginning God [prepared, formed, fashioned, and ] created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

 

 

 

 

COMMENT:The other day I was flipping through the TV channels and came across a talking shark who was bragging that he didn’t have to worry about losing a tooth because “I have ‘back up’ rows of teeth thanks to EVOLUTION!” The enemy certainly wants to scramble the minds of our children with deception at a very early age. I’ve heard it said that it is just as impossible that this world exists by chance as if there were an explosion in a print shop and as a consequence of the explosion out jumps an unabridged dictionary, alphabetically in order. In Romans 1:19,20 God tells us that He has revealed Himself through His creation. Well, a few years ago, we on the East Coast experienced one of God’s more phenomenal creations, the invasion of the cicadas. Every 17 years these 1 1/2 inch-long flying insects emerge from their holes in the ground intent on producing the next generation. (I think of these guys as the Rip Van Winkles of the Insect World.) The male goes wild with an irritating racket meant to woo the females. I guess they make all that noise because they are celebrating the cessation of seventeen years of celibacy. (Try saying that fast three times!) These cicadas give new meaning to the saying EVERY SHUT EYE AIN’T SLEEP AND EVERY GOOD-BYE AIN’T GONE!

 

SCRIPTURE STUDY:Genesis 1-14

 

WISE SAYING: IT TAKES MUCH MORE FAITH TO BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION THAN IT DOES TO BELIEVE IN GOD.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
COMMENT: “computers for Dummies” is one of a host of books written in simple terms for people who are “technologically challenged”. Well, I fall into that category, but I prefer the term “novice”. One of the problems I have is sending an e-mail to someone who is not in my address book. I have to make sure that every single character in the address is correct; otherwise it will not be delivered. If I make the slightest mistake in searching for a Web Site, I am rebuked. In cyberspace, one has to be perfect in order to communicate. I thank God that He is not that way! We don’t have to go through any particular ritual to get the Father’s ear. It is not necessary to bow our heads, close our eyes, bend our knees, or lay prostrate. Of course, if you feel prompted to practice any of these gestures you can, but they are not prerequisites. When Peter began to sink in his attempt to walk on water, he didn’t have time for any rigmarole. He cried out to Jesus and the response was immediate. (Matthew 14:30,31) However, we are given some instruction regarding prayer and it’s in John 14:13,14. . . .”And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
SCRIPTURE STUDY: Isaiah 65:24, Matthew 7:7&8, John 15:7 and Hebrews 4:16
“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave His only begotten [unique] Son….” (John 3:16) Amplified Bible
COMMENT: For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a poor self-image. I guess it started when I was a youngster and was rebuked by guys my age because I was “athletically challenged”. (Can you imagine a Black  kid living in a ghetto and not knowing how to play basketball?) In school when sports teams were chosen, I was always the last person picked. In adulthood this led to some peculiar attitudes and resulting action, trying to hide my inferiority complex by putting on a superior facade.
There was a time when I would not use coupons at the food market because I didn’t want anyone to think that I was poor. For the same reason, I  would never look into my wallet while I was in the store because I didn’t want anyone to think that I was checking to see if I had enough cash to pay for my groceries. Every time Equitable, my company, would hold a convention I had to have a new outfit, something “they” had not seen before. Recently I came across a list of goals I had set in 1970; among other things it included the purchase of 8 new suits in 1971. Now why in the world would I need to purchase 8 new suits? The Cadillac automobile I leased was part of my stupid strategy. Now that I am a Christian, “I’ve got a new attitude.” Christ‘s death for man gives us God’s ultimate evaluation of the worth of man in His sight. Therefore, I am highly esteemed in God’s sight. It doesn’t matter what man thinks of me. I am confident in the steadfast love of my Heavenly Father. I’m His treasured possession and the apple of His eye. That works for me!
SCRIPTURE STUDY: Deut. 32:10, Luke 14:11 and 18:14
WISE SAYING: WE WOULDN’T WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF US IF WE KNEW HOW LITTLE THEY DID! 

I cannot even imagine how lousy my life would have been if one “Baptist” woman of God; had not left me that note on my doorstep.  She wanted to know how I could live my life without being close to God.     I became a Pentecostal; but it didn’t matter to her.  Her work was done.  She did not have to disciple me; God sent.  That was many years ago.

Because she chose not to be selfish or scared when it came to ministering Salvation to others; many souls have been saved; and many ministries have been birthed! God targeted me and she obeyed! 

I challenge you this day to ask God to give you a target and go forth!  Write and let me know…I love to hear the story!

Souls are waiting for Jesus The Christ!