Author: jerryemry

I am a God-fearing Christian sharing the vulnerability of my life, experiences and faith, all while trying to live a pleasing life for God.

Anxious Heart

The Bible says in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

Or English Standard Version “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[d] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2023)

But it is hard not to have an anxious heart when you see all that is going on in the world today.  In our house, we cancelled DirecTV.  I did enjoy watching football, but the local games were being scrambled and I couldn’t watch my favorite team.  I had NFL Network and I only watched that one team, but every time I tried to watch it, it would direct me to a local channel, and it wasn’t available because the networks are fighting over money. 

1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

That and all the other woke garbage on TV.  You can’t even watch something without seeing two men kissing and it made me sick, and in an effort to remove ourselves from the world and save money, we cancelled it!

That brings me to the Grammy’s and the disgusting display of abomination devil worshipping by a person that considers himself a they and non-binary performing a song that is called “Unholy”.  Call me naive if you want, but I had to look up what non-binary means.  I can’t even keep up with all the different letters of the alphabet they are using to describe themselves (LGBTQIA+).  What happens when “they” run out of letters, oh that is what the + is for.  And they (he) preformed the song with a person that is transgender, again I know what that means, but I don’t’ want to know what that means, and I don’t want it displayed on my television!  Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in the Bible for something similar.

Genesis 19:1 “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.[a

23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2023)   

And let us not forget the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria where the death toll rises to 31,974: Disaster management authority.  Luke 21:7 “And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

Does it seem like there are more storms lately, flooding, earthquakes, tornadoes?  It certainly feels like God is pouring out his wrath on the world.     

What about Russia attacking the Ukraine for no good reason except for booty and plunder.  Russia wants the resources that the Ukraine has. 

Don’t forget about the chicken phenomena and no I am not talking about what came first the chicken or the egg.  We all know the chicken came first because God said so.  He made the animals first. Genesis 1:20And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds[g] fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2023)

However, I am talking about the supposed avian bird flu and the killing of over 1 million chickens, making chickens and eggs scarce, and according to the law of supply and demand when the supply goes down and the demand goes up the prices go up.  The best thing you can do is get your own chickens, including a rooster(s) and incubator and hatch your own eggs.  And with the prices of everything going up and the economy crashing, I would also suggest buying some canned goods and keeping them for when times get hard and maybe even planting your own garden.  And while you are at it, if you hunt or fish, keeping some meat in the freezer. 

And I would be remise, if I didn’t include the “spy balloons” or “UFO’s” being shot down in the United States.  The current count as of 14 February 10:32 is four shot down.    

Therefore, what are we to do?  It’s hard not to be a little anxious, but we are supposed to pray and stand fast in the storm knowing and having faith that Jesus will return.   1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen [b]asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who [c]sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are [d]asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)   

However, God is longsuffering and is waiting for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

And finally, we are to comfort one another.  1 Thessalonians 5:1 “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be [a]sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

11 Therefore [b]comfort each other and [c]edify one another, just as you also are doing.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

So, if you are feeling troubled or anxious like I am, know that everything will be alright in due time, in God’s time and God’s timing is perfect.

Let’s Talk About Love

The date is January 22nd, and we are getting close to Valentine’s Day, so I wanted to talk about Love today.  And I’ll tell you, I am madly in love with my wife. 

According to Google the word Love is mentioned 442 times in the KJV Bible.  There are verses like:

  Luke 10:25 ”And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

Or John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

Those are just a few verses about love and how to love but the scriptures I really want to focus on starting on Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.  (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

Our minds can’t fathom what unconditional love is, and we won’t experience unconditional love until we are in the presence of Jesus and it’s going to be like nothing, we have every experienced in our earthly lives.  It’s going to be overwhelming. And I am sure I can’t even describe what it will be like.   

Jesus loves us so much he lived a perfect and sinless life, died on the cross, and was resurrected for you and me and in the process defeated death so you and me can have everlasting life.  Men, that’s how much we are supposed to love our wives, enough to lay our lives down for them.        

My hope and prayer is that our wives would marry us all over again.  I know I am not perfect, and I may be hard to love sometimes, by my hope and prayer is that Manuela would marry me all over again.

Revelation 19:7 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  (Bible Gateway KJV 2023)

You want to read a romance novel?  Read the Bible.  The Bible is the greatest Love story ever written between Jesus the Bridegroom and us the church!  We are going to have an amazing feast and celebration and we are going to live forever with Jesus.  Isn’t that the greatest love story ever written! 

To Live Is Christ To Die Is Gain

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father thank you so very much for the opportunity to stand before the church and to grow spiritually with the church as I deliver this message.  But I certainly can’t do this without you.  I can’t do anything without you.  I Thank you for your grace, mercy, and patience with me.  There are many people hurting in our community and all over the world.  I lift them up to you, heal and comfort as you see fit.  Please bless Youth night this evening and I pray the community will see the love if Jesus Christ in us and that if there is someone that doesn’t have an intimate relationship with you that they would form a relationship with you through the planting of the seed.  If it not by us, by someone else.  In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Turn to Philippians 1:21 

This is the Word of God King James Version: Phillipians1:21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Amplified Philippians: 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity]. 22 If, however, it is to be life here and I am to go on living, this will mean useful and productive service for me; so I do not know which to choose [if I am given that choice]. 23 But I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; 24 yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your rejoicing for me may overflow in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

I love this scripture:  Let’s look at the first part.  For me to live is Christ.  We live for Christ.  Christ lives in us and we have eternal life because of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, everything we do should be centered around Christ.  We should live the same way on Monday and Saturday as we do on Sunday at church.  

If you have seen any of my Facebook posts, you know I don’t hide my light underneath a bushel. 

The other day, a rogue deer that was bent on crossing Highway 8 E plowed into Manuela’s van and did a pretty good number on it, but thank God, no one was hurt.  The Lord was with us and protected us. 

While I was waiting on someone to tow the van, I had K-love on, and I was praising the Lord that no one was hurt in the accident. 

I sent an email out to everyone, just to bring awareness about crazy deer out there. 

I will read it to you. “Good Morning Team

Ya’ll be safe out there!  A deer decided to commit suicide and run into our van; photos attached.  Praise the Lord, no-one was hurt.  There was absolutely nothing we could do to avoid the rogue deer that was running full throttle.

Anyway, ya’ll be safe and watch out for deer.” 

Jerry  

I am a K-love supporter and I get prayers sent to me every day.  And I share them on Facebook and at work I stumbled upon, no God uncovered this USDA Faith at work group on Microsoft Teams and I share these prayers with them every day.  I’m blessed to be able to share these prayers with others, again live through Christ in everything we do.

Let’s look at the second part of the verse.  And to die is gain.   You see when Paul was writing this, he was torn between staying on earth and being persecuted and going home to be with Jesus for eternity and we may feel the same way.  In one sense we may want to stay here on earth because there is more work to do.  There’s more kid’s camps to have, there’s more Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames to have.  There’s more Youth Nights to have.  There’s more people to talk to about Jesus.  There’s more seeds to plant and more people for God to save.  And more sermons for Brother Zack to deliver.  But isn’t it going to be awesome to go home to Heaven!  Amen!  Come on Eddie where are ya?

“If you can really grasp what Paul is saying here, then you will truly understand the meaning and context of Philippines 1:21 For Paul to keep living would be beneficial for the church in Philippi and everyone else he was ministering to. He could keep serving them and be a blessing to the body of Christ. (That’s to live is Christ). 

However, understanding the sufferings of this life (remember Paul was in prison when writing this letter), and all of the challenges he faced, he understood that as great as it is to serve Christ in this life, it was better to die and go be with Christ forever. This does not mean you should want to die, it just means that you understand that death for a Christian is not the ending, but just the beginning. In death, you lay down your struggle. You complete your race and you enter into the presence of God for all eternity. That’s the experience for every believer and truly that is better.” (Clarence L. Haynes Jr. August 2022)

People That Don’t Care If They Go To Hell Scare Me

Let Us Taco Bout Jesus!  Get it?  We just had lettuce and tacos.  That was my ice breaker.  You can thank Brother Eddie for that one.  He wanted me to fit that in.  We’ll talk about Jesus in a few minutes.

But, have you heard of Elon Musk? If you haven’t Elon Musk is the founder, CEO, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX;  CEO, and Product Architect of Tesla, Inc.; and co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI. With an estimated net worth of around $266 billion as of August 17, 2022,[4] Musk is the wealthiest person in the world according to both the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes‘ real-time billionaires list.[5][6]

I have a Twitter account.  I am just trying to be cool, and I saw this Tweet from someone named Muhammad somebody to Elon Musk That said:

Quote “You won’t die before your day Elon. Anyhow, you are/were a unique figure in this world. I’m only wondering one thing: As a genius, haven’t you find out that there is a great creator of this world yet? If you did, make sure you confess this before your last heart beat. Bless u”

Elon Musk wrote back, and I quote “Thank you for the blessing, but I’m ok with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.”

What?!?  Someone that is so no nonchalant about going to Hell scares me.  That scares the crud out of me, or you could say it scares the fire out of me!  Elon Musk is supposed to be a smart man.  He was just called a genius.  But he’s not that smart after all.  Apparently, Mr. Musk doesn’t understand what Hell is and he sure doesn’t understand what Heaven is and how amazing Heaven will be. We can’t even fathom how awesome Heaven will be.  And he sure doesn’t understand what Hell will be like.  That Hell is the absence of God and light.  That God is love and light and that Hell is the opposite.  The Bible says in Hell there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and the worm never dies.  That means it will never end.  It’s forever and eternity.  It’s not like going to visit your Month-in-law for two weeks.  Although, two weeks is a long time to spend with your Mother-in-law, no Heaven and Hell are for an eternity and Eternity is a long time, it’s forever! 

The God of the Universe.  The God that created 200 billion-trillion stars and two trillion galaxies.  The one and only God knows your name and wants a relationship with you.  God wants a relationship with all of us, and we have nothing to give to God.  We come to God empty handed.  You see the richest person in the world.  The most prominent person in the world can’t buy their way into heaven.  The ONLY way to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ.  

This is where we taco Bout Jesus.  You see Jesus will change your life forever!  Jesus died for our sins on the cross and resurrected three days later, and he sits on the right hand of the Father in Heaven and anyone who believes in Jesus and has repented of their sins (or turned from their wicked ways) that has a relationship with Jesus will spend forever with Jesus in Heaven.  If you ask Jesus into your heart, into your life he will change your life forever.  Romans 10:13 says “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”—Romans 10:13, King James Version. Meaning of Romans 10:13 God is impartial, and he extends to all people the opportunity to be saved and gain everlasting life, regardless of their nationality, race, or social status.

I didn’t write that, but that was exactly the point I was trying to get across.  It doesn’t matter who you are and how much money you have.  God just wants a relationship with you.    

Sing I want to know more about my Jesus. 

That was free.  I won’t charge you for that.  But if you want to know more about Jesus.  There are people here that would love to talk to you. 

Kids don’t be like Elon Musk and the others that don’t care where they spend eternity.  Get to know Jesus.  Jesus loves you and wants a relationship with you, surround yourself with people that have a relationship with Jesus and love Jesus.      

Don’t Turn Back Towards the World

It seems like we are in the last days before Jesus returns to gather the church, or his bride.  The world is sick.  We are killing each other on the streets.  There are plagues, earthquakes in diver’s places.  We have run out of names for hurricanes, record breaking tornadoes (over 200 miles on the ground).  It’s difficult to find things that we need to live, staples are increasingly becoming harder to find (things we need to sustain ourselves).  Gas prices have skyrocketed, and there is a shortage of baby formula. 

Signs of Christ’s Return

Matthew 24 “Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the [magnificent and massive] [a]buildings of the temple. 2And He said to them, “Do you see all these things? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, not one stone here will be left on another, which will not be torn down.”

3 While Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and said, “Tell us, when will this [destruction of the temple] take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end (completion, consummation) of the age?”

4 Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. 5 For many will come in My name [misusing it and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many. 6 You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age]. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

We are in the times that Jesus speaks of above.  But there is good news, great news, Jesus is coming back to gather the church. 

John 14 1. “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 2. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” 66Jesus said to him, “[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

We don’t know when he will return. 

Matthew 24:36 “But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment]. 40 At that time two men will be in the field; one will be [h]taken [for judgment] and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left. 

Be Ready for His Coming

42 “So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that [faithful] servant when his master returns and finds him doing so. 47 I assure you and most solemnly say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware, 51 and will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

No one knows the exact day or hour but when Jesus does return for his bride (the church), do not look back towards the world.   Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Lott’s wife turned back toward the world and was turned into a pillar of salt.  Lott’s wife was safe from God’s destruction, but she apparently couldn’t help herself and was more concerned about the welfare of the world and turned back her eyes toward destruction. 

We see this more and more these days.  There was a bad wreck here in Arkansas a few days ago.  There were vehicles on fire and people badly hurt that needed help, but instead of providing much needed assistance, you could see people on their phones video tapping the event. 

 Genesis 19: 24 Then the Lord rained down brimstone (flaming sulfur) and fire on Sodom and on Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew (demolished, ended) those cities, and the entire valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she [d]became a pillar of salt.

Don’t be like Lott’s wife and look back.  The same thing happened to Peter.  He took his eyes off Jesus, and he began to sink while walking on the water to Jesus. 

Matthew 14:28 “Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you [c]doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him [with awe-inspired reverence], saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

The point is that Peter lost focus on Jesus and was more concerned about the wind and lost faith on Jesus.  Don’t lose focus in Jesus in the last days.  Jesus will return, keep working until his return.  Keep spreading the good news, the gospel about Jesus Christ.  God Bless you.  Let’s make Jesus famous (he already is famous), Heaven crowded and don’t forget to love, pray and fish (for men).

How Hot Is Hell?

It’s starting to get hot here in Arkansas.  Yesterday’s high temperature was in the 90’s but it felt even hotter.   Last weekend my family and I were camping at Gilham Lake, and I was in the sun longer than I should have been, fishing, playing, and swimming with my girls.  At the end of the day, I felt terrible.  My face was burning hot, and I felt like I had heat exhaustion.  My wife said I looked like I had a 2nd degree burn on my ears.  I laid down to go to bed and I just didn’t feel good.  I had a cold bottle of water on my chest to cool me down and another cold bottle of water to drink.  I thought I needed to go to the doctor, but I laid down and prayed that God would make me feel better and that I would be alright.

Have you ever felt this way?  Did you ever get too much sun and just feel terrible?  Maybe some of you have had heat exhaustion or heat stroke.  I can’t imagine what hell will feel like, but I wonder if that is anywhere even remotely close to what hell will be like?  Probably not, hell will probably be much more intense, and it lasts forever, for eternity.  There will be no relief from it. 

What perplexes me is when people say they don’t care if they go to hell or not.  WHAT!  You don’t care if you go to hell?  You must not understand what hell is?  That scares the hell out of me, people that (think) they willingly want to go there.  Elon Musk, I would submit that he is not as smart as people give him credit for.   Or maybe he is too smart? 

Elon Musk

@elonmusk

Replying to

@Almisehal

Thank you for the blessing, but I’m ok with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.

5:57 AM · May 9, 2022·Twitter for iPhone

Elon Musk on Twitter: “@Almisehal Thank you for the blessing, but I’m ok with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.” / Twitter

The Bible says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  People in hell will be in so much agony that they will gnash their teeth down. 

Mark 9:42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe and trust in Me to stumble [that is, to sin or lose faith], it would be better for him if a heavy millstone [one requiring a donkey’s strength to turn it] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It is better for you to enter life crippled, than to have two hands and go into [g]hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [h][where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.] 45 If your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, 46 [i][where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.] 47 If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, throw it out [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm [that feeds on the dead] does not die, and the fire is not put out.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

We just had someone die in our family.  My Sister-in-Law’s Father-in-Law and we weren’t sure of their salvation.  We are questioning ourselves, did we do enough.  Did we talk enough about Jesus?  Did we shine our light?  I believe that people can be saved through the loss of others, so I pray that his death is not in vain. I pray for people that do not know Jesus Christ as their savior.  I pray that someone will be sent into their lives to set an example to at least plant a seed so that God can do the rest. 

Hell according to the Bible

Heather Riggleman 2021 says “Hell is a place of sorrow and torment. This truth is seen throughout the Bible in the Old and New Testaments. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked/unbelieving are sent after death. Hell is this infinite and eternal death which we have earned because of our sin. Christ talked a great deal about this subject. He describes “Gehenna” as a place where “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44, 46, 48). He spoke several times about weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who are “cast into outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30). He also gives the parable about inhabiting a “place of torment” (Luke 16:28). Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in Scripture.”

Heather goes on to say “As of right now, whether or not you believe in God—you are still experiencing His blessings. Even if your life is less than ideal. Even if you are sick, poor, or suffering in some way. You woke up this morning to the blessing of His breath in your lungs. He is ensuring your needs are met. If you’re alive and living on this planet, you have already benefited from God’s grace and goodness. Every sinner, saint, atheist, agnostic, and doubter have all received His gifts of being alive, witnessing God’s hand-painted sunsets, the breath in their lungs, or the love of a parent. Everyone has benefited from the goodness in this world that God not only created but provided. He’s given you free will and in Him, you live, move, and have your being—mind, body, soul, and spirit.”

“Hell was created for the rebellion of Satan and the angels that followed him (Matthew 25:41; Romans 6:23). Scriptures indicate God never intended Hell and the lake of fire for mankind but that is where all will go who choose not to put their faith in Jesus Christ. The most important question is not where hell is or even when it was created but how to avoid going to hell. We avoid hell when we choose to believe in Jesus Christ—the One who died to pay for your sins and all who choose to put their trust in Him.” (Heather Riggleman 2021)

When I started out writing this article, I certainly didn’t mean for Heather’s article to take over, but her article is so good. 

And finally, how do we insure we don’t go to hell? 

“One day each of us will stand before God and Jesus will say, “Depart from me for I never knew you.” After God’s judgment, seated on the ‘great white throne, (Revelation 20:11), anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life [will be] thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). God has been patiently waiting as He does not want any of His children to perish. We can avoid hell by choosing to love God—by accepting His plan of salvation (Mark 1:15).”  (Heather Riggleman 2021)

Here is a link to her entire article.  What Does the Bible Say about Hell – Location and Description (crosswalk.com)

Hell is real and it is a place of constant sorrow and constant torment.  It’s a place I don’t want to go.  And anyone that wants to go there, quite frankly, scares me.  It’s hard for me to believe they even have a clue as to what they are talking about.  Don’t be like Elon Musk and believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ who died for you and me, so that we don’t have to endure the agony of hell. How hot is hell? I don’t know and I don’t want to find out! However, I do know that the rich man wanted a drop of water to cool his tongue. Luke 16:24 “And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things [all the comforts and delights], and Lazarus likewise bad things [all the discomforts and distresses]; but now he is comforted here [in paradise], while you are in severe agony.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)  God Bless You! 

Trust in God’s Plan

I was asking God for some guidance while fasting and praying and I opened my Bible up to Genesis 45 and this is the message God wanted me to read:

First let’s start with Joseph’s back story:

Genesis 37:1“Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[a] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels[b] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”

31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”

34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[c] sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.” (Bible Gateway NIV 2022)

And now to the reading that God led me to:

Genesis 45:1 “Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[a]

8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.” (Bible Gateway NIV 2022)

Can you imagine getting sold as a slave by your own brothers?  Or having them plotting your death?  I know I can’t.  Joseph’s brothers first wanted to kill him but changed their minds.  However, they did dip his robe in blood and told his father he was dead.  What a deceitful thing to do.  But God had a plan!  

Has plan was for Joseph to go be an advisor to King Pharaoh and to protect his family from the famine.  Trust God’s plan even if it looks dire and hopeless.  God has a plan for each of us, we have to have faith and trust him.    

IS God Real?

I struggled with the title of this devotion.  I went back and forth between three titles, God Is Real, Is God Real and another one, but every fiber of my being KNOWS that God IS Real!

The reason God laid this devotion on my heart is I saw a post on Facebook.  I can’t remember the group I was in.  I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me back to that post, but someone wrote God is not real in the comments, and it broke my heart to think that there are people out there that don’t believe in God, that deny his existence, that deny him.

And there may be someone in this room that hasn’t accepted Jesus into their lives.  I pray that if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you would ask Jesus into your heart before it’s too late.  There is a lot going on in this world right now.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow.  You could die in a tornado, there could be a Hurricane, or flood.  We are having wildfires.  You could die in your sleep.  You could have a heart attack, or a stroke.  You may not make it home from this event.  I may not finish this devotion.  If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus.  I implore you to ask Jesus into your heart and accept him as your personal savior before it is everlasting too late.    

I am not bragging.  I give all the glory to God.  But I have heard God (the Holy Spirit) talk to me and I have felt the Holy Spirit’s presence.  Have I seen God, no I haven’t, but that’s where faith comes in.   

Now I don’t always do what the Holy Spirit wants me to do, but I have heard the Holy Spirit talk to me and you guys may have too.  I was coming back from (you guys can fill in the blank) fishing on Highway 88E and there was a truck broken down on the side of the road and I passed the vehicle, and something told me to turn around and go back, turn around and go back.  And I had to ask for forgiveness for not doing what I was told.  The Holy Spirit told me to stop drinking and I stopped drinking alcohol about three years ago.

And I’ve felt the Holy Spirit.  You may have felt the Holy Spirit in church or when you are praying, or during singing church hymns.  The last time I encountered the spirit I was praying.  It seems like Manuela’s whole family had COVID and her sister’s father-in-law is in (was) ICU with COVID pneumonia and not doing very good at all and Manuela was talking to her sister and her sister didn’t know what to do so she told her to pray.  So, Simone said she prayed, and we are not sure of Simone really believes in God, so she prayed that if you’re real God show me a sign, and the next day Berndt’s health improved.  So I was praying for God to heal Berndt and not only would you be performing a miracle and saving Berndt’s live but you would be possibly saving other lives by proving that you are real and you do perform miracles and the Holy Spirit started at the top of my body in my arms and went down my back and in my spine and stayed there for a little bit and ran down my legs and I was just thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and it felt like goosebumps but they were inside my body and it lasted for a two or three minutes. So don’t tell me God’s not real.         

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]?” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one [the only God]!” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench [subdue or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.”  Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Acts 20:28 “Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend, feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

2 Timothy 2:8 “Remember Jesus Christ [the ever-living Lord who has] risen from the dead, [as the prophesied King] descended from David [king of Israel], according to my gospel [the good news that I preach], 9 for that [gospel] I am suffering even to [the point of] wearing chains like a criminal; but the word of God is not chained or imprisoned! 10 For this reason I [am ready to] patiently endure all things for the sake of those who are the elect (God’s chosen ones), so that they too may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it the reward of eternal glory. 11 This is a faithful and trustworthy saying:12 If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us;13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

John 3:16“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] [a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because [b]he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. 19 This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the [c]darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. 21 But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022) 

Men, and women we are here to praise and worship God, thank God, and spread the good news of Jesus Christ so that they would not perish but have everlasting life.

We are the apostles, Hebrews 3:1 says “Therefore, [a]holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, [thoughtfully and attentively] consider the Apostle and High Priest whom we confessed [as ours when we accepted Him as Savior], namely, [b]Jesus;” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022) 

Matthew 28:16“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Is God real?  I know I am not supposed to use explicit language especially at church, but you darn right God is Real!  I’ve experienced things that you cannot explain happen to me.  I’ve had friends and family members experience miracles.  I’ve heard of miracles.  Neil Taylor is a walking example of a miracle.  Just look at our prayer chain.  There have been many examples of answered prayers and miracles on our very own prayer chain.  We see it over and over again and I would submit that if God doesn’t heal someone, then it was his will.     

God heals people.  He saves people.  He moves mountains. 

There is a song by Jon Reddick called God Turn it Around and the Bridge goes like this: 

He is Healing Someone, He is Saving Someone, God is Doing Something Right Now, Right Now, He is Moving Mountains, making a way for someone God is doing something Right Now, Right Now.

There’s another song called Too Good to Not Believe by Brandon Lake, listen to that song when you have a chance.

It pains my heart to know that people deny the good news of Jesus Christ!

I’ll leave you with this quote: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and un-prayed for.” Charles Spurgeon

Go talk to someone about Jesus, plant a seed and let God do the rest.  Romans 10:13 states “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022) God Bless you! Just Believe Please!  Before it is too late!    

No Storms In Heaven

I would say natural disasters are intensifying, God is pouring out his judgement on us. 

Today on earth, the storms seem to be intensifying.  In December 2021, a tornado traveled 227 miles on the ground 200 miles in Kentucky with a death toll of at least 70 people.  In 2020, we had so many hurricanes we had to start the Greek alphabet over naming them. 

The Bible says there will be earthquakes in diver’s places.  We are having a record number of natural disasters including devastating wildfires.  On March 30, 2022, the USGS lists 50 earthquakes over 2.5 magnitude in the past day and 21 tornadoes in the last 14 hours according to Tornado HQ site by Hayley (2022).  And as of this writing on 30 March 2022 there are 604 wildfires in 19 states of the United States that have burned 404,797 acres of land according to 2022 Fire, Weather &Avalanche Center.  You don’t think God is pouring out his judgment on us for turning away from him, from taking him out of our schools etc., etc.?  See below Bible scripture:    

Matthew 24:1 “While Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and said, “Tell us, when will this [destruction of the temple] take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end (completion, consummation) of the age?”

4 Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. 5 For many will come in My name [misusing it and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many. 6 You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age]. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

But there is good news, there will be no fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms in Heaven.  There will be no more sickness, disease, and death in Heaven.  There will be no more wearing a mask or getting a booster shot.  There will be no more fear in Heaven.  No one will steal your identity in Heaven.  Heaven will be perfect.   We won’t even need the sun in Heaven because the glory of God will illuminate it, see Bible scripture below:

Revelations 21:22 “ I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory (splendor, radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light. 24 The nations [the redeemed people from the earth] will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring into it their glory. 25 By day (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed [in fear of evil]; 26 and they will bring the glory (splendor, majesty) and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices abominations [detestable, morally repugnant things] and lying, but only those [will be admitted] whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Oh, how we long to be in the presence of our almighty Lord and Savior!  Bur until then, comfort each other with these words; see Bible scripture below:

1 Thessalonians 13 “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in this same way—by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death]. 16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the [b]archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! 18 Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].”  (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Until Jesus returns comfort each other insuring them that Jesus will indeed return and if we believe in him and have a relationship with him and have repented from our sins, we will be with him for eternity. 

God Cleans Up Our Mess (God Is Faithful)

Have you ever noticed how God cleans up our messes? (God Is Faithful) We make mistakes every day, but God.  There’s those two words again, But God!  I have written an article titled But God already.  It’s true though, as soon as you think something is impossible, God is there to perform a miracle But God!  God is faithful!   

In Genesis, the first Book of the Bible, there God is fixing our humanly mistakes.  First, we see Abram tell Pharaoh that Sari is his sister.  Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, technically Sari is Abram’s half-sister, but Abram and Sarai were being deceitful and didn’t want Pharaoh to know that Sarai was his wife, see Bible text below:

 Genesis 12:10 “Now there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive and severe. 11 And when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Listen: I know that you are [c]a beautiful woman; 12 so when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me [to acquire you], but they will let you live. 13 Please tell them that you are [d]my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you.” 14 And when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh’s princes (officials) also saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken [for the purpose of marriage] into Pharaoh’s house (harem). 16 Therefore Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake; he acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

17 But the Lord punished Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and go!” 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him on his way, with his wife and all that he had.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Abraham thought that Pharaoh would think Sari was so beautiful that they would harm him to get to Sari, but he should have had faith that God would protect him.  God did make a covenant with him promising to make him a great Nation.  But God was there to clean up the mess and make it right ensuring that Abram and Sari didn’t do anything to jeopardize God’s redemptive plan to bring the birth of Jesus Christ into fruition.    

We see another mess:  Sari tells Abram that he should sleep with her maid Hagar, because Sari thinks she isn’t able to give him a child and so Abram and Sari take matters into their own hands and Abram sleeps with Hagar, has a son named Ismael which means God hears.  This was not the son that God had in mind when he promised Abram to make him a great nation, see Bible text below:    

Genesis 16:1 “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him any children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See here, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. I am asking you to go in to [the bed of] my maid [so that she may bear you a child]; perhaps I will [a]obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to Sarai and did as she said. 3 After Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian [maid] and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife. 4 He went in to [the bed of] Hagar, and she conceived; and when she realized that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress [regarding Sarai as insignificant because of her infertility]. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May [the responsibility for] the wrong done to me [by the arrogant behavior of Hagar] be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, and when she realized that she had conceived, I was despised and looked on with disrespect. May the Lord judge [who has done right] between you and me.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your maid is entirely in your hands and subject to your authority; do as you please with her.” So, Sarai treated her harshly and humiliated her, and Hagar fled from her.

7 But [b]the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, on the road to [Egypt by way of] Shur. 8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where did you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress, and submit [c]humbly to her authority.” 10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” 11 The Angel of the Lord continued,

“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears),
Because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering).
12 
“He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man;
His hand will be against every man [continually fighting]
And every man’s hand against him;
And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.”

13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are [d]God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after [e]seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi (Well of the Living One Who Sees Me); it is [f]between Kadesh and Bered.

15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son; and Abram named his son, to whom Hagar gave birth, [g]Ishmael (God hears). 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Again, they should have waited for God’s plan, but they didn’t have enough faith that God was going to come thru with his promise.

Abraham must not have learned from his mistake, because he tells Abimelech that Sarah is his sister not his wife again deceiving him.  Is Sarah his sister?  Sarah is his half-sister, but they were being deceitful.  It seems Abraham’s faith wasn’t strong enough to trust that God would protect them, see Bible verses below: 

Genesis 20:1 “Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the Negev (the South country) and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived temporarily in Gerar. 2 Abraham [a]said [again] of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So [b]Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took [c]Sarah [into his harem]. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night, and said, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken [as your wife], for she is another man’s wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not yet come near her; so he said, “Lord, will you kill a people who are righteous and innocent and blameless [regarding Sarah]? 5 Did Abraham not tell me, ‘She is my sister?’ And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this in the integrity of your heart, for it was I who kept you back and spared you from sinning against Me; therefore, I did not give you an opportunity to touch her. 7 So now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her [to him], know that you shall die, you and all who are yours (your household).”

8 So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things; and the men were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I offended you that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me what ought not to be done [to anyone].” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered or seen [in us or our customs], that you have done this [unjust] thing?” 11 Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely there is no fear or reverence of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she actually is my [half] sister; she is the daughter of my father [Terah], but not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This kindness and loyalty you can show me: at every place we stop, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” 14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him [as God commanded]. 15 So Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.” 16 Then to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given this brother of yours a [d]thousand pieces of silver; it is to compensate you [for all that has happened] and to vindicate your honor before all who are with you; before all men you are cleared and compensated.” 17 So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, and they again gave birth to children, 18 for the Lord had securely closed the wombs of all [the women] in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Now the scene changes and we see Ishmael do something that offends Sarah.  The Bible says Ishmael mocks Isaac and they throw Hagar and her son, Ishmael out of their camp to fend for themselves in the wilderness, read the Bible verses below:

 Genesis 21:9 “Now [as time went on] Sarah saw [Ishmael] the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, [b]mocking [Isaac]. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.” 11 The situation [c]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son [Ishmael]. 12 God said to Abraham, “Do not let it distress you because of Ishmael and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her and do what she asks, for your descendants will be named through Isaac. 13 And I will also make a nation of [Ishmael] the son of the maid, because he is your descendant.” 14 So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her [d]away. And she left [but lost her way] and wandered [aimlessly] in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was all gone, Hagar abandoned the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” And as she sat down opposite him, she raised her voice and wept. 17 God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy from where he is [resting]. 18 Get up, help the boy up, and hold him by the hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the [empty] skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with Ishmael, and he grew and developed; and he lived in the wilderness and became an [expert] archer. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

What I find very interesting about this is that God provides for Ishmael and Hagar, even promising to make Ishmael a great nation.  Again, God is providing and cleaning up our humanly mistakes.

Now we could argue that God knows everything, and he does!  And that all these things needed to come to pass.  Ishmael being born so he can become a great nation providing lineage and that God would bless all the women and open their wombs allowing Abimelech and his wife and maids to have children.    

As humans, we make a lot of mistakes. We can count at least three things that Abraham and Sarah did that could have potentially ruined the plan of Jesus Christ being born, Jesus Christ’s lineage coming from Isaac (Abraham’s son) But GOD made sure that our humanly mistakes didn’t ruin everything.

Has God saved you from yourself?  He certainly has saved me from myself.