Days Of Affliction

The definition of affliction is something that causes pain or suffering, distress, misery or grief.

Ps.90:15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.

In life there will be sorrow! Sinner or Saint, does not matter, you will be afflicted. As a follower of Christ we turn to Him in sorrow for His mercy and grace. As an sinner who is rebellious and will not repent, in whom do you place your hope?

Ps.86:1-10

1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 

2 Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you--you are my God. 

3 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. 

4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 

5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. 

6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. 

7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me. 

8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. 

9 All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. 

10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

Will you pray and ask God for mercy? Will you plead for our joy to be more than our sorrow? Will you submit to Christ as Lord and Savior?

Ps.90:10-12 

10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. 

11 Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? 

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Lord, teach us to truly number our days, knowing they all belong to You. Amen

Are You Worth Dying For?

What a sobering question! Someone thought so, the Lord Jesus Christ! Although, He was being obedient to God's command. He did die to make the only way for, those who believe in Him for salvation, to be reconciled to God. Do you ever think about what this gift truly means in terms of this life and eternity? Do you give praise to Him? Do you follow Him? Do you speak to Him like the dear friend He is? Do you share, with others, the hope that is in Christ alone?

Matt.10:30-33
30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Romans 3:22-26
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 

25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 

26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

At the foot of the cross, mercy is obtained for all who believe Christ is able to save souls from eternal damnation. Salvation is open to all but not all will believe that Christ alone is able to save. You must bow before His throne of grace for salvation, there is no other way!

Acts 4:12

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

All men are intended to receive the mercies of the cross....

1Tim.4:10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

God's mercy toward unbelievers....

Matt.5:45 
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Lord, there is power in your blood, power to save souls from Satan. Those who will believe, those who will follow, those who will love in Your name, these are the ones who will receive mercy. Let us, in love, teach the truth of Your Word. Give us the knowledge to share with the world, that You alone are worthy of all our praise. Write Your commands on our hearts and minds. In Christ name and for His glory! Amen

What If God....

Romans 9:22-23 
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction

23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-- 

On this earth, created solely by God, there are two types of humans, the righteous or the wicked! There are the saints who have been created for God's glory and the willful sinners whose fate is destruction. It is God's right to pour out mercy or wrath. He wants all men to repent! He has great patience with the sinner, His creation, waiting for him to repent. While we all deserve death for our willful rebellion against God, some repent and beg for mercy, others simply deny Christ and walk the road to their destruction. We are God's vessel, created by Him! Now it is man's choice to be an honor unto God or be a "son of perdition". Unless you repent, you will perish!! No man deserves grace, yet Christ freely offers to all who will repent. That is why we praise God above all. God is sovereign over all things! 

1Thess.4:4-8

4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 

5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 

6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 

7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 

8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 

Christ sacrifice once for all....

Hebrews 10:3-18

3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 

7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" 

8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 

9 then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 

10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 

13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 

16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," 

17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." 

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Father God, in Christ name we ask for mercy for the ones who will not repent. Let us teach Your Word with power and the knowledge that You will forgive and show mercy. Amen

God's Word is here for all who want to know Him!

1Chr.29:9 "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." 

Our humble prayer.....

Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

Let Your Hand Be On The Man of Your Right Hand

Ps.80:17-18
17 But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name!

All power has been given Him! Our Deliverer, our Messiah, the arm of the Lord, the Protector and Savior of the Church, who? Christ Jesus! In Him, alone do we have strength! In Him we have died to our self and are raised to new life. We are set apart for His glory!!! Lord God Almighty, show mercy to us sinners. Teach us Your ways and give us knowledge to lead the world to repentance in You. Amen

Who He is....
Dan.7:13 

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

Matthew 26:64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

Who we are....

Ps.8:4 

what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Hebrews 2:6 But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

Job 7:18 that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?

Psalm 144:3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?

Humble yourself before the Lord and beg for mercy! Search His goodness and see He is there for you if you seek Him with your whole heart!!!

United By Faith

Roman 4:3-6

3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." 
4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 
5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 
6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:


John 6:29

29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 

Men are sinners! They are ungodly! They lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, fornicate, murder, twist God's word, engage in unnatural sex acts and commit all other manner of evil. How can man be justified before holy God? He can not!! God, knowing man could never follow the law, made a way, the only way, for us to be reconciled to Him, His Son Jesus Christ. Our souls have been defiled by sin. God judges not as if we are pure but that Christ is and through Him we are covered ! We are undeserving of this gift but Christ died in our place and therefore we are given the precious gift of salvation through faith in Christ alone! There is nothing you can do to earn salvation! It is given by Christ to you if you will repent! This is what unites man, God and Christ! Faith in God through Christ, that Christ alone saves the sinner from Hell!

Romans 3:22-25

22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 

25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 

Lord God blessed is Your name! I pray for souls that are lost, for the ones who do not believe, the ones who will not yield, the ones who want to trust but have not heard the gospel and the ones who have been enticed away by false doctrine. You are the only true God, creator, judge and given of life. Amen

Sin That's Hard to Shake

Becoming a Christian does not instantly solve all life's problems!
The law convicts....
Romans 7:7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."


Battle between the spirit and the flesh....
Romans 7:14-25
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 

16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 

17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 

19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 

20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 

22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 

23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Battling sin that is hard to shake....
Recognize that spiritual Christians struggle with sin.
Understand your spiritual condition.
Realize that the answer is the Spirit of God.

Recognize that spiritual Christians struggle with sin....
Reasons to have confidence that Paul is speaking as a born-again believer....
He makes reference to both his relationship to God and his relationship to sin.
He speaks only as a Christian could.
He has a desire to do God's will.
Our personal experience resembles Paul's.
Key point of application....
The more I grow in my faith, the more sensitive I'm going to be to sin's attempts to conquer me!

Understand your spiritual condition....
The situation: The "new him: is stuck in the "old flesh".
Our mistake: We often make human attempts to fix the flesh.
The struggle: I don't want to do some of the things I am doing.
Key point application....
One of the keys to spiritual victory in my life is recognizing my utter hopelessness.
The source: Sin!
Sin is a powerful thing! It's a law that governs every aspect of the flesh.
Before your conversion, you were in direct opposition to God. When you came to faith in Christ, a powerful war with sin broke out!

Realize that the answer is the Spirit of God....
No one benefits from the cross apart from receiving the Spirit, and no one receives the Spirit who is not justified by the cross.

Summary....
The Christian life is only possible because sin has been forgiven, guilt has been removed, and God's Spirit was provided.
The Christian life can't be lived in the power of the flesh; it only happens by the strength of the Spirit.
Don't ride the fence between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh.
Cry deeply and daily for the ongoing ministry of the spirit of God in your life!!

Thanks Dennis for this blessed teaching truth!!!

Have You Found Our Ransom?

Job 33:22-24

22 His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death. 

23 If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, 

24 and he is merciful to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom

Romans 3:25 

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins


Love....
1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Ps.49:7-9

7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, 

8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, 

9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit.

The cost, death....

Heb.9:15 NIV

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant

Matt.20:28
even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many


Who can know the depth of Your precious gift? Lord, we praise You for you alone are worthy!! Amen