In GOD We Trust?

"It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man." Psalms 118:8 NKJV In GOD we trust...a phrase that is printed on our currency in these United States, but do we really trust GOD? Our forefathers came to this great land in search of freedom--freedom from tyranny and religious oppression. This newly formed & liberated country honored GOD, revered GOD, trusted GOD, and looked to Him for guidance & direction in all things. As the winds of time & the winds of change blew, one thing remained true--GOD was the GOD of America. Various sects & denominations of the Christian faith came into being, They differed in their doctrines, but the core beliefs remained grounded in the Bible. Division did not conquer our faith. But, what happened? Was it the influx of foreigners who brought different religions into our culture? Was it the Hippie culture & the mind-altering drugs that became prominent in the 60s & 70s? Was it Rock & Roll music? Was it the Women's Lib movement? Was it decades of wealth & affluence that caused us as a country to lose our focus, our dependence on GOD? No, it was none of those things. It was a slow, methodical, attack of the enemy that convinced the American church it needed to be tolerant of new ideas--to accept new fads as the norm. And, we took the bait--hook, line & sinker. We became complacent--we settled for the things of the world instead of holding on to the things of GOD. When Clark Gable said "Damn" in Gone With the Wind, Americans were aghast. Look at what Hollywood puts out now and as Christians, not only do we not speak against it--we support it by seeing the trash they produce just as much as those who are lost do. I grew up watching The Wonderful World of Disney & these days, you can't even trust Disney to produce wholesome movies. Things that once were completely unacceptable have now become the norm in this land. Am I endorsing intolerance? No, I am not--just as Jesus went to the lost, the sick, the sinful people of His day--we should do the same. I think it is completely unChristian to be hateful or hurtful towards those with different beliefs & values from our own, but I do think we are to lovingly point them towards the Savior without compromising our own values in the process. We can't do that if we hate & berate them. GOD's Word says the world will know us by our love--our love for one another & our love for the lost. We've blown it and we've blown it big time! We can't even get along within the walls of our churches & within the Christian community, let alone with the outside world. Am I saying I am perfect? Good Heavens, no! I mess up far more often than I'd like to admit. I look at the temporal things of this world far too often rather than focusing on the eternal things of GOD. I can throw a major pity party when things don't go my way--I can whine, moan and complain like the best of them. I'm often trying to pull my foot out of my mouth or end up eating my own words--and can I tell you, they don't taste good! I've got Proverbs 3:5-6 hanging in my bedroom, where I see it before I close my eyes & as soon as I open them again--"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Lord knows I want to live by them, but life beats me up a lot and once again--I find myself looking at what appears real, rather than GOD, Who I know is real. Sometimes you just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, take a deep breath and face the realities of life head-on. GOD never promised us our earthly life would be easy. As a matter of fact, He tells us over & over again not to expect that--but to expect to be mistreated, spoken ill of, & that some of us would lose our lives for our faith. I fear America will soon come to exactly that--a place where Christianity is so despised that those who refuse to deny our faith will suffer not only persecution, but death for our beliefs. All of this because we accepted the lies of the devil and effectively surrendered rather than taking a stand and fighting for what we believe in. People sometimes call me a fanatic. Those who love me generally love me to the utmost & those who hate me, hate me just as intensely. There is rarely a middle ground--but I'm OK with that. I figure if Jesus loved me enough to die for me, the least I can do in return is to live for Him. That means accepting whatever this life holds in store--with all its uncertainties. all its pain. Let me say, Like King David did, "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation..." Psalms 25:1-5 NKJV Where do you stand? Are you tired of being force-fed the things of this world? Are you willing to suffer for the cause of Christ? We all need to think about this now so the decision is made before the question is asked by someone with a sword or gun in hand... Something to ponder--I know what my answer will be. Blessings! Tony

A Rose is a Rose...

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 NKJV Pay close attention to that Scripture. Notice it doesn't say, "for some have sinned..." Nor does it say, "for most have sinned..." It specifically says, "for "ALL" have sinned..." (emphasis mine). That means no human being who has ever lived or ever will live--with the exception of Jesus Himself--is capable of living a sinless life. Therefore, we are all guilty of sin & deserving of death as a result. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Many people try to "pretty up" sin by calling it by a different name, but a rose by any other name is still a rose & regardless as to what one might choose to call it--sin is still sin. Some say it isn't sin, merely poor choices. Some say we are a product of our environment & therefore, someone or something else is to blame. Some cite inadequate education or employment opportunities as the reason for their moral failures (a.k.a. SIN). Some revert to the old Flip Wilson show's, "The devil made me do it!" However, every one of these excuses are just that--excuses. We can shift blame all we want in an effort to justify our sin, but the truth of the matter is that we alone are responsible for the choices we make. Now, granted--there are times when others' choices may put us at a disadvantage or hurt us either physically or financially. But, the trails & tribulations of life do not excuse us from from the decisions we make when we disobey the laws & commandments of GOD. Bear in mind also that all sin is sin in GOD's eyes. A "little white lie", the theft of a pack of chewing gum, or cheating on one's income taxes are sins just the same as robbery & murder. GOD sees the issue as purely black & white. Humans are the ones who muddy things up by declaring gray areas to minimize the conviction they feel when they know they have sinned. We often attempt to make ourselves feel better by convincing ourselves that we are not as guilty as others we know. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 has some harsh words, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." OUCH! Who do we think we are to judge other people by stricter standards than we have for ourselves? Seriously, how hypocritical can we be? Our standards don't matter--all of humanity will be judged by The Righteous Judge & according to GOD's standards... Thankfully, Jesus Christ--The Holy, Sinless, Spotless, Perfect, Son of GOD--according to Philippians 2:7-8, "...made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Why? He did it for us! He willingly sacrificed Himself, taking the sins of the world on His precious body so that our sin would not be counted against us if only we would accept & believe in Him and make Him our Savior & Lord. You might be thinking, "That sounds good & all, Tony--but, what's the catch?" The beauty of it is that there is no catch! In all honesty, I'd be lying to you if I told you life's going to be great & you'll have no problems if you will simply trust in Jesus. The fact is that whether you are saved or lost, life can be challenging, painful & downright difficult st times. But, when you have the Holy Spirit living within you, GOD's Word to guide you and the love and support of the church, the family of GOD--the sucker punches Satan will hit you with, will be more easily managed because you aren't fighting it alone. Our burdens are lighter when they are shared. Many can carry a heavy load much easier than one alone can... Don't wait, don't hesitate, don't procrastinate. Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you. But, He is a jealous GOD--He won't share you with the idols of sex, drugs, alcohol & greed. You have to be willing to forsake all to follow Him and when you invite Him in (Revelation 3:20), he'll be the one to answer your door when the world comes knocking. Satan will deceive you, use you & then, cast you into Hell for all eternity as a thank you for entrusting your life to him. Trust GOD today. If you've wandered away from Him, He will welcome you back--just confess your sin & trust your heart & life to Him. Share an eternal inheritance with Him and His Saints in Heaven's glory... Blessings! Tony

Comfort and Consolation

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NKJV Do you ever wonder why trials & tragedies occur? Do you ever ask "Where was GOD when...?" Do you ever find it difficult to cling to your faith when life is beating you to a pulp? Well, I do. Yes, I admit it--I am a man of faith & a minister of the Gospel, but sometimes I struggle to understand why things happen, why GOD allows pain & suffering, why people rob, rape, & murder others, why there is sickness & death, why prejudices and social injustices exist, WHY? Why do some people seem to live lives of relative ease without seeming to have problems and other seem to be plagued by difficult circumstances & events throughout their lives? On a personal level--I fail to understand why has my life been touched by practically every situation the devil can throw at me. I look back over my life and wonder. I had pretty decent childhood. My parents remained married until my dad's death. It was the first & only marriage for both. I was raised in church. I went to a Christian school. I was a typical rebellious teenager. I strayed from my upbringing, got involved in drugs, alcohol & sex. I smoked & I got caught shoplifting. I wasn't a model child, but my picture didn't grace the Post Office walls either. My mother is still in denial--she still insists that I was a good kid. I guess that is what she chooses to believe or remember, rather than remembering finding cigarettes, pot, porn & alcohol in my room when i was a teen. OK, so I was a hellion--pure & simple. I outgrew all of it and turned out to be a somewhat decent human being. Still, my life has been touched by much adversity, many disappointments, and many tragedies--but GOD had His hand on me, even when I was deep in the stench of the world. I think all the problems I've encountered throughout life have made me understand & relate to people & their struggles. Isn't that what life is really all about? Truly, no man is an island. Each life touches so many others--either negatively or positively. I want to live in such a way that people know I am a Christian by my actions, speech & lifestyle. I want to be able to offer them the hope I have in Christ when they are facing hard times. I want them to know the peace that passes all understanding, the peace in knowing GOD is in control even when life seems to be spinning out of control--as it often does. GOD can use all things (Romans 8:28) for our good & His glory. I'm convinced that He allows some seemingly disastrous things into our lives to teach us, to stretch us, to grow us--so that when the time comes and others are facing life's difficulties, we can truly say, "I know how you feel, because I've been there and GOD brought me through it." We can say that with all genuineness and sincerity because it is part of the testimony of what GOD has done in our lives. Each life creates a ripple effect in the lives of those it comes in contact with. Think about that when you meet someone with different views, from a different background, from a different ethnic group, someone homeless, someone wealthy, someone hurting... We all have an opportunity each day to allow our lives & our testimonies to give hope to others. It's time we stopped selfishly thinking about ourselves & our comforts and reach out to a hurting world. One life can make a big difference--look at the life of Christ. Look at the life of Billy Graham. Look at the life of Rev Martin Luther King Jr. Look at the life of Mother Teresa. There are so many who made the choice to make a difference & what a difference they have made in this world. While our names may never be in the History books, rest assured--they will remain known to GOD & remain known to those whose lives we impacted, either negatively or positively... Be blessed! Tony