Sunday, April 19, 2009

Great Quotes that apply to life today!

Quotes of George Whitfield who was a great man of God that didn't water down the Word of God. He didn't care what others thought, he just stood on the Truth.

"When Jesus preached on the earth, there were many opinions about Him. Concerning who He was, some said He was Moses. Others said He was Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the ancient prophets (ref. Matthew 16:13-14). Very few people admitted who He actually was: the incarnate God. Common people heard him gladly and said He was a good man. But the ... Read MorePharisees, the evil leaders of the churches in His day, said He was in partnership with the Devil. They said He cast out demons by the power of the prince of devils. His own half-brothers were so blind that they tried to stop him from preaching. They said, "He is beside himself" (Mark 3:21). They thought He was insane. ..."
This is the way Jesus, the King of Glory, was treated. Ministers who preach correctly should not expect any better treatment. No, if we preach like our Master, Jesus, we must expect to be rejected, as He was. The reproaches that He suffered, we will suffer also. Common people will hear our preaching gladly. But ministers, especially pastors of ... Read Morelarge churches, who have never been converted themselves, will call us madmen. They will say we are deceiving the people. They will say we are under the influence of demons. ..."
"But a minister who is unwilling to suffer such rebukes from unconverted preachers is unworthy of the name "pastor." False prophets, who do not care about the people, love to have all men speak well of them.

"Blessed are ye, (says Jesus first to the Apostles, and then to all succeeding preachers) when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and ... Read More
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake" (Matthew 5:11).
Indeed, it is not possible for such false preachers to do anything else. If they did not speak against the true preacher, they fear they would be asked, "Why did ye not then believe him?" (Matthew 21:25). We cheerfully go on preaching no matter what these false ministers say. We have no regard for what men or demons say against us, or do to us."

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Spring Break!!

This week the kids are out of school for Spring Break. We planned a trip up to go camping. We go the hunting camp which is about 600+ acres. We left on Monday. We had so much fun. We brought the boys moto bike's and had the four wheelers that were left there. We road ATV's most of the day on the first day. Peyton, Grace and Haven all fished. Peyton caught 16 fish. Most of them were bass. He caught one that was really big. The first night we watched Bedtime Stories after supper. It was okay...nothing to brag about. The second day we were there we road our bikes again. I got some good video of Scott and Peyton riding. Haven did so good...he went through mud and ditches and pot holes never once falling. He is doing really good. May even start to race soon. Oh the highlight of the trip was when I was looking for a pan, opened a drawer and saw several mice scurrying. I was not happy. Peyton and Scott tried to kill them, but couldn't catch them so we left them alone. They didn't bother us and we didn't bother them. I would see them run from the back to the front in the evening....that was interesting. At night you could hear them scratching and scurrying around the kitchen. NICE! Gotta love the country. The last night we sat around a bon fire and roasted marshmellows. The kids all got a chance to say one thing they didn't like about our family. We then discussed it and how we need to change. It was real good. We played sharades. That was so funny!! Got that on video as well. Hopefully I will get to post some of this soon. We didn't have running water or electricity. Only a generator. The water we did get only lasted for bathroom and a shower to "clean off".....so I need a shower BAD! :)

Saturday, April 11, 2009

A discussion Scott and I had......

The other day I had a couple of comments from my blog. This blog is set up to allow ALL comments. However, I am the moderator because this is a blog my kids read. There are people out there that could use inappropriate language. These comments were interesting to say the least. They had some accusations, some opinion, some false use of Scripture, some false judgment to name a few. Well, I have NO problem posting these type comments. The problem I have is that they were all anonymous. IF you are that passionate and believe what you are saying then put your name on it. To me that is proof of uncertainty. I know who I am in Christ and with my friends and family so nothing anybody say's will affect me. I say things that mean something to me and if it bothers somebody else then they don't have to read it. I post stuff all the time on my facebook about Christ, and my friends who I don't assemble with as a Church read it all the time. They have never once made a statment to me about it bothering them. They still talk to me like normal. Some are even unchurched and have said so. We are a strong family and we can handle other peoples opinion. We have nothing to hide. If anything that is why we have this blog and have opened it to everybody hoping that our home will be a testimony of Jesus Christ. Scott said from now on if you post a comment you MUST put your name or it will be rejected. If you put your name and it is not pure hatred then I will post the comment. I like to hear what people have to say. Thank you for coming to our blog and seeing what we are about. I hope to have more comments.

Daily readng today from Berean. Say's it all!!

1 John 2:29

(29) If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 John 3:3

(3) And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 John 3:9-14

(9) Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (10) In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (11) For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, (12) not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. (13) Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. (14) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

1 John 5:1-4

(1) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. (2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (4) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world?our faith.

1 John 3:22

(22) And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

In several places, such as I John 2:29; 3:3; 3:9-14; and 5:1-4, John expressly states what the responsibilities of a converted person are. In these verses, the work of keeping the commandments is plainly shown.

The application of Paul's statement in Ephesians 2:10 is becoming ever clearer. He writes that we are indeed saved by grace through faith. However, he adds, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Sanctification is a process involving a period of intense work: walking in love, keeping the commandments, and overcoming sin and the world, as John's first epistle clearly stipulates. This process within a relationship with the Father and Son brings us to completion.

Sanctification does not consist only of a lot of talk about religion. Nor does it consist only of spending large amounts of time studying the Bible and commentaries. As helpful as these might be, God also calls for a great deal of action. The apostle John again supplies helpful exhortation: "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth" (I John 3:18). It could not be stated more clearly that the love of God is an action. Further, Jesus exhorts all His disciples, "If you love Me keep My commandments" (John 14:15). "Keeping" indicates consistent effort to obey as a means of expressing our love, loyalty, and submission to Him.

Paul writes in Romans 5:5, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which was given to us." The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is essential to salvation, and God gives it to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). As we saw earlier, Paul says in Romans 8:9, "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." God gives His Holy Spirit for the very purpose of making one His child. It also allows one to witness on His behalf, to produce the fruit of the spirit in preparation for His Kingdom, and to glorify Him.

Jesus says in John 15:8, "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." Sanctification is the period of our converted lives when God expects us to provide evidence that we are indeed His converted children. In fact, the fruit produced by our works, themselves enabled by God, are the evidence of our conversion. Some things in life are absolute certainties: Where the fruit of the labors of conversion are, there the Spirit of God will be found. Where those fruits are absent, the people are spiritually dead before God—they lack the life of the Spirit. Put another way, where there is no holy living, there is no Holy Spirit.

The works of sanctification are the only sure sign that one has been called of God and impregnated by His Spirit. Notice something Peter writes on this: "[Christians are] elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 1:2). Paul adds in II Thessalonians 2:13, "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."

He also writes in Ephesians 1:4, ". . . just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." When Paul saw the Ephesians' attitudes, their manner of life, and the evidence of their conversion, he knew they were part of the elect of God. He could thus honestly write to them with glowing praise. Many more similar verses could be added to these.

Out of ignorance, weakness, or lack of understanding, a person may break some of God's commands. However, anyone who boasts of being one of God's elect while willfully living in sin is only deceiving himself—and his claim may very well be wicked blasphemy.

Thus, because of the works that are performed during sanctification, it will always be a visible condition. As Jesus says in Matthew 7:18-20: "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

Thursday, April 9, 2009

What a GREAT day!!!

We woke up and had our morning reading with the kids. I finished my daily routine in getting kids ready for school. I got on the computer to check my emails and read some emails that caused me to rejoice. Jesus said in Matthew 5 vs. 10 - 12 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. "REJOICE, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. What a beautiful day.....my son and his friend are here helping me with my huge garden. We have been making rows. The wind is blowing giving us A/C! :) Scott is down the road working with Teryl (his partner in a land developing business) fixing some roads to sell lots we have. I have reason to rejoice there too, because that business has allowed Scott to be at home more with his family. It has allowed him to provide for us and be there at the same time. It has allowed him to start a business that will one day be given to our boys to help support them. It will also pay off 98% of our debt making us so close to being debt free. I have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for the friends I have reconnected with from elementary school, middle school, high school and my neighborhood I grew up in. I am thankful for the friends I have with the Church that are rich and lasting. Man, what a GREAT day!! I look around me and I am blessed.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

My comment after the post on What Jesus do you serve?

I can say that I live for Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God that the Word speaks of. Before my conversion two years ago I can say that I lived for many of the "false jesus'." I had a jesus for everything that made ME happy. I had a jesus that went with the flow so to speak. One that never made me feel guilty or that I was doing wrong. I am so thankful the Lord had mercy on me and revealed Himself to me powerfully through His chastening and correcting. It was through that my eyes were opened and I saw the TRUE Jesus. He loved me that much to correct me. He could have let me continue to live the way I was, full of religion. I was so fake. I was so vain. It really boiled down to worship of SELF. The true Jesus that never sinned, that hates it. Jesus that is Holy and calls us to be holy too. No excuses saying, He was perfect and I am not. It isn't about that. It is about being obedient and if He says do it, do it! He won't tell us something we can't do. We are to work on it daily to look more like Him. The One whose blood was shed for me visited me in a powerful way. I am so thankful for His mercies that triumph over judgment. It was after I felt the total separation from Him and darkness that is tangible. I could feel the darkness and as though I was hanging over hell. A fear gripped me that is hard to describe. I knew then I was damned. I was lost. None of my "religion" or "good works" were speaking to me at that point. I KNEW I was lost. I remember sitting on Diane's couch at a ladies Bible study and the pressence of God was so strong. All I could do was whisper the words, "I'm not saved". This coming from a "Pastor's wife" who was leading a Church. I responded with repentance. I changed the way I thought. I went a step further since I was in an elder position to go to those that I hurt and ask forgiveness. I made right what I did wrong. I was to be above reproach and I wasn't. I was supposed to live in the world but not be of it. I was so worldly and carnal, but I was good at masking it. As I walked out repentance, HE spoke to me and said "not guilty". I knew then that my sins were forgiven and the JUDGE said I was right with Him. Now I live for the REAL Jesus Christ. The One that gave us the Word to live by and use as the standard of our life. TRUTH! He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. THAT is the Jesus I serve now. I destroyed all the other jesus'...the ones that were lying to me and were false. Do they try and resurrect to tempt me, YES! Do I allow it, NO! I have to DAILY take up my Cross and follow HIM. The Cross is not a one time event. We have to revisit it a lot since we are subject to vanity every day living in this world. What is sad, is people can't hide what jesus they serve. Yet, they say they love Jesus with all their heart. Our lives show who we serve. One day when we stand before HIM, he will either say depart from me I never KNEW you, or enter in. We better judge ourselves daily and if need be visit the Cross and die to our desires/will. I know I will. We better not think the Cross is a one time event in our lives. We better not sell Jesus out for all the other jesus'. We better walk in the Truth of the Word and not by opinion. I for one will not back down when it comes to Truth. I may become an outcast to friends and family but I will not compromise in order to have those things. Hey, that may even come across to "some" as self righteous. You are welcome to your opinion, but I have the battle scares where I had to kill self and lay down my will in order to take up His will. I know the war that takes place and yet I have overcome because of obedience to Him. He tells me when I am wrong and when I need to visit the Cross. How? I know His voice, I read His Word (daily, not when I feel like it), I subject myself to His Body and the Light of fellowship (it's my life, not a once a week thing) and I listen to His prophets (not the false ones, but the ones that live the Word and their words line up with the Word). So I have the right to speak the Truth in love and be transparent.

Which Jesus do you serve?

-Posted by Brendon Powell on Andrew Strom's webesite.

There seems to be more than one Jesus to choose from these days.
Which one is the true Jesus and who am I following?

· There's a 'seeker friendly' Jesus, he's the one who will not
offend anyone in anyway. He loves everyone no mater what they do.
· There's a 'sow and reap' Jesus, he made a covenant with man
so that man could sow his seed and reap wealth and happiness on
earth and then go to heaven when he dies.
· There's a 'blend in with the world' Jesus, he wants us to look
like, act like, and be like the world in order to reach the lost.
· There's a 'neverending grace' Jesus, his 'grace' covers us no
matter what we do or how we live.
· There's a 'just believe' Jesus. As long as you truly believe
in your heart, you're saved.
· There's a 'name it claim it' Jesus. You name it; anything and
it's yours! If you don't get it, it's because you lack faith. It's your fault.
· There's a 'carnal' Jesus. He doesn't expect you to overcome
sin, he understands you're just carnal.
· There's a 'heart dwelling' Jesus. All you have to do is ask
him into your heart and voilĂ , he's there. You're going to heaven!

Truth:

· There's the Jesus who said "Repent and believe the gospel,
the kingdom of God is at hand." -Mark 1:15
He said, "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him." -Lk 9:23-25
He said without Him you are already condemned. -John 3:18
He said He came to save the world -John 3:16
He said unless you forsake all you have, you cannot be His disciple.
-Luke 14:33
He said if we love anyone more than Him we are not worthy of Him.
-Matt 10:37-39
He said if you love this life you'll lose it. -John 12:25-26
He said you cannot serve God and money. -Matt 6:24
He said fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. -Mt 10:28
He said be extreme in your war against sin. -Matt 18:8-9
He said love God with all your heart, soul and mind and your
neighbour as yourself. -Matt 22:37-39
He said He is the light of the world. -John 8:12
He said the gate is narrow and the way is difficult and few find it.
-Matt 7:13-14
He said those who believe in Him but work iniquity will be
cast out. -Matt 7:21-23
He said you'll be hated for His name's sake, but if you endure to
the end, you'll be saved. -Matt 10:22
He said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father but by Me. -John 14:6

Which Jesus do you serve?