God has shown me today that the developed nations of the world have become fat and lazy. They all (including the USA) will be trimmed. The fat will be removed and in the process God will bring them all back to Him. I don't know exactly how He will do it but I believe God will remove the comforts we have come to depend upon. Through those trials and the hard work that will result from them we will be brought back to Him.

Today doctors can cure diseases that only a few years ago would have killed hundreds if not thousands of people. We can build huge dams and buildings. Many think there is nothing man cannot do with enough money and time. We have even gone to the moon. As we learn more and our abilities grow we move further and further away from God. As a people we have developed too many abilities that make us too self reliant and think we no longer need God. He is going to prove us wrong. He will destroy our self reliance so that we may know that we cannot exist without Him. That process has already begun. The recent financial problems were only the beginning of a much longer and larger problem. It will get worse here in the U.S., and in other developed nations. I believe the destruction of the Deep Horizon oil well platform is part of this process. It will be stopped only by the will of God. The companies involved and the U.S. Coast Guard have no idea how to handle the problem. The solution will only come from God and only in His time. We who know Him must be praying that the country will return to the Lord before these situations get much worse.

The United States will no longer be a super power and He will cause us as a nation to rely on His power. If this country does not return to the Lord soon we could lose the entire infrastructure of our country. Our roads, bridges, buildings etc won't be taken care of because we won't have the money to make the repairs. God is already limiting our ability to fix the problems we are having. None of the decision makers in Washington can see this. They all think that we are above God and that we don't need Him. President Obama says that the United States is no longer a Christian nation. The Lord is going to prove him wrong. We will return to God as a nation and there will come a time when even President Obama will not be able to deny that the United States is a Christian nation.

God is ultimately in control and He is going to prove that to the entire world.

Lately, my life hastaken what I will call a strange new direction. My car has died and Idon’t believe it is worth repairing. Not to mention the fact Icurrently don’t have the funds to repair it. This leaves me with nochoice but to take the bus back and forth to my job five days a weekexcept for the rare times when I successfully beg a ride one way orthe other. I have had a bit of a hard time accepting this change. Thebus ride adds at least half an hour to my travel time in addition tostanding out in the cold, temperatures here have not gotten above 20degrees very much and when I leave in the mornings they are often insingle digits. I take two buses to work the #1 and the #24. Yesterdaythe #1 was late which means I missed the #24. On the way downtown the#1 bus the driver called the dispatcher and told him about me andanother passenger that would miss their connecting buses and theysaid they would send someone to take us where we had to go. No onecame. Now I was presented with a problem: should I go back home andwait for the next #1 hoping it will be on time to meet the #24 thistime or wait downtown for another two hours in single digittemperatures with a wind chill below zero until the next #24 was due?I chose to go back home and take the next #1. Apparently it was theright choice because the #1 was on time and I met the #24 withoutincident. Also on weekdays I have to walk about ¼ to ½ mile fromwhere the #24 drops me off to where I work. This takes about 15 or 20minutes. Now, you may think I am feeling sorry for myself but I canclearly see God at work in this. He has shown me His love in thepeople that have given me rides when I have asked for them (I don’thave to ask very often). When I missed the #24 yesterday He gave me aplace to get out of the wind while I was waiting for the next #1.This wasn’t in a bus shelter either; those things don’t shieldyou from the wind. I found a place in a doorway where I could getbehind a wall and the wind couldn’t get at me. When the #1 came byagain to take me home it was the same driver who was late and heallowed me to ride home for free. When I got back on the #1 to goback downtown and meet the #24 again it was the same driver who letme ride home for free and again he allowed me to ride downtown forfree. So I got two bus rides without paying a cent. I have alsogotten a lot of exercise I would not other wise get. People in mychurch have given me rides back and forth to services for a week. Ibelieve the Lord is telling me He wants me to exercise more. I alsobelieve He is giving me a chance to see His love in my life byshowing me how he provides for my every need. The Lord is giving me achance to see all that He does in my life and I need that because Itake far too much for granted.

I go through mydaily life and expect everything to go smoothly. When it doesn’t Iget upset. God is giving me the chance to learn how to walk in faith,to mature as a Christian and a person and how to understand the waysthat He works in my life and I’m sure in everyone else’s as well.

            When peoplehear the word foundation they generally think of a building. The foundation isthe part of the building that sits on or extends into the ground, the deeperthe foundation the stronger the building… generally speaking. Foundations existin Christianity too. Our Foundation is Jesus Christ and the better we know Himthe deeper our foundation is. Isaiah 28:16 says Jesus is a “tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a surefoundation. The one who trusts in Him will never be dismayed.” Thecornerstone is often the first piece of the foundation to be laid. If thecornerstone is off the rest of the foundation will be also. One definition ofcornerstone is that of “An indispensable and fundamental basis.” Isaiah 33:5and 6 says Jesus is a rich store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. We needall of that and the only way we can get it is by getting to know Him better.You get to know God by reading His word, Romans 10:17 says you gain Faith byhearing the Word of God and hearing by reading the Word. I read out loud so Ican hear myself. Prayer is talking to God and one way to get to know someone isto talk to them. Prayer helps you to get to know God. He will even tell youwhat to pray. If you have a prayer language, speaking in tongues is another wayto get to know God. 1Cor. 14:2 says that when you speak in an unknown tongueyou don’t speak to man but to God.

            Ok, so whydo we need to know Jesus better? Matthew 7:21-27 says that on judgment daythose who come to Jesus saying, “Lord, Lord” and do not do the will of Hisfather in Heaven will be told by Him to go away “for He never knew them.” Youget to know the will of the Father by getting to know the Father, Jesus and theHoly Spirit better through everything mentioned so far. There are other ways toget to know Jesus, meditation is another way. I don’t mean the type where youkeep repeating some meaningless word as some heathens do. The type ofmeditation I am talking about means that you find a quiet place and time thenread a passage and contemplate it’s meaning for several minutes, ½ an hour oreven a full hour… maybe more. If this is done repeatedly it gets the Word downinto your heart where it starts to do its work and change us into what theFather wants us to be.

            I am notone to put great emphasis on works because our relationship with Jesus shouldbe the most important thing in our lives. There is however an important aspectto works, this is that we are supposed be exemplifying Jesus in our everydaylives. The reading, praying, speaking in tongues and meditation will prepare usfor this. We are then able to go out and show the world what Jesus looks likeand after worship that is what we are here for.  

 

 

Genesis 1:26 – 27, And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

 

            We are created in the image of God! That is such an awesome thought. God thought enough of us to create us to look just like Him. I believe our resemblance to God is in our spirits and not our physical bodies. Every living human has a spirit. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (KJV). Adam didn't live until God put a spirit in him. God put our spirits in each of us. Because God put our spirits in us, in a manner of speaking, He put some of Himself into each of us. We cannot live without a spirit and since that spirit is from God and in His image we cannot live without Him either. Many people believe they don't need God but a day will come in all of our lives when we will find out exactly how much we need Him. That day could come after we are dead and being judged...but then it's too late.

            With a bit of God in each of us it's easier to understand why He doesn't want us to participate in things that are against His will. We dishonor our bodies, our spirits and Him every time we engage in something that is against His will, pornography, adultery, fornication, swearing, and abortion. Those are just a few of the offenses and each one makes us spiritually unclean. We commit offenses against God because we are born sinners. It is only by repenting and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we can be spiritually clean again. Of course those that don't accept Jesus won't go to heaven no matter how much you believe you are a Christian. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you won't see Heaven. Many Christians who have accepted Jesus as Lord an Savior are living lives that are as spiritually unclean as any secular person. There are “Christians” that commit all of the offenses stated above and more. They can be forgiven only after repenting and rededicating their lives to Christ, then they must live for Him and Him only.

            After accepting Christ as Lord and Savior God starts a process in us called sanctification. This is a process of growing in divine grace. We won't grow much in God's grace without getting rid of the junk in our lives. Many people believe that if they kick drugs and alcohol that they've got it all licked. Getting those things out of your life is certainly a good start but there is still a long way to go. The Christian walk is a long one and it can lead you into a lot of blessing but only when you take God's route. Along the way God will lead you through experiences that will teach you what He wants in your life. If you listen and obey you will be blessed. If you don't listen and or obey you are opening a door to the enemy and he will ruin you if he isn't stopped. The enemy can be stopped and we can succeed in winning the race but only if we do it God's way.

            God made us in His image to show us that He wants us to be like Him. Jesus said in John 14:9 “have I been so long time with you , and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (KJV) As we are sanctified we become more like Jesus and, consequently, more like God.

I have been faithful to post a blog at least once a week and have done my best to write as well as I can. Unfortunately I have not been able to generate much traffic to this site. I just wonder how many people actually see my blog and don't comment on it. If you see this blog and you like it please leave a comment... good or bad. If you don't, I may stop blogging and that wouldn't be bad from my point of view as I have many other things that could take it's place and I would enjoy them much more.

     Has anyone reading this lost a house yet or had a car repossesed, or lost a job? These are difficult times and they may get much worse before they get better. Even those of us that follow Christ and make an honest attempt to be in Christ every day of our lives may find ourselves in serious trouble at some point in the near future. I just wanted to give a note of encouragement to anyone that is being hit by these times and let you know that the Lord does love you and will sustain you through out all of this.  Psalms 55:22 says : "22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." (KJV) The Lord is with us if we depend upon Him to provide for our needs...even during times like these. I have written before about the possibility of judgement coming and I believe it is already here.The righteous in Israel were carried off to Babylon along with the unrighteous but God provided for those that were faithful to Him. He will do the same here and now. Do not lose faith, God is with you if you are faithful to Him.