Sweet Peace....

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful." John:14:27 ASV With everything that is happening in our world today, peace seems elusive. However, the peace that Jesus offers isn't dependent on our situation or the circumstances that surround us. We have to look at things through spiritual eyes, rather than natural eyes & see what God sees rather than what appears in the natural world. We live in a fallen society & under the curse of humanity. But, this life is temporary and our eternal home is Heaven. We are merely passing through this world en route to our final destination. While we are here, we need to be about the Father's work & do what we can to point others to Him. Change has to start within the church body--we've become complacent, somewhat fat & lazy, content with what we have & are. But, God has so much more! "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 ASV It is God's people, Christians, those within the church that have to take the first steps and forgo our pride. We must be humbly submissive to Him. We must repent of our sins before we can encourage others to repent of theirs. We must seek the face of God before we can show Him to others. We must ask for forgiveness and then lead others to do the same. Essentially, we can't give what we don't possess. If we've taken it upon ourselves to do things in our own power, then we've left God out of the equation altogether. We can accomplish the natural, we need God to accomplish the supernatural. He'll allow us to be part of it, but we have to have Him to complete it. Lie won't always be easy. We'll encounter troubles. Isaiah 43 tells me that God walks with me through the trials of life. Romans 8 tells me that He brings good out of all things. Psalms 23 tells me that He walks with me through the valley of the shadow of death. Psalms 91 tells me that He covers me with His wings & protects me from pestilence & disease. James 1 tells me to consider it all joy when I encounter trials because it is in times of trial that my faith grows & I draw closer to God as a result of them. Philippians 4 tells me to be content with what I have & in any situation. So, how can I know all these things, read His Word, pray for divine revelation and then not take seriously what He shows me? I have to see things from His perspective & walk in faith, denying what I see in the natural. Remember, we walk by faith, not by sight and when we walk in the Spirit, we won't fulfill the desires of the flesh. Our carnal man will always be at odds with our spiritual man. We choose which one we'll be. No fence-straddling allowed, we have to choose a side. As for me, I want the sweet peace He offers so I'm going with God. I pray you will too. Blessings! Tony

Jesus's Mission Statement...

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn," Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV Jesus quoted these verses as He launched His public ministry, reading them in the Temple and stating that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy--the Messiah, The Son of God (Luke 4:18-21). I see that as Him claiming this as His personal mission statement. As Christians, or "little Christs", we are supposed to follow the example of Jesus. Therefore, if this was His mission statement, should it not also be ours? But, do we do it? Are we preaching the good news to those in need? Are we ministering to the brokenhearted? Are we sharing the message of freedom in Christ to those held enslaved by the chains of addiction, abuse & depression? Are we taking the Word to those who are imprisoned to tell them there is a better way of life? Are we telling others that Jesus is the way & that He's taken the punishment for all their sins? Are we making it known that He will return & judge the earth? Are we comforting the grieving? How well do we measure up in what we do as Christians? It's not enough to just attend church on Sunday. We don't get gold stars & smiley faces for participation--we must be people of action! James says it well. I like James because he doesn't sugarcoat things, he shoots straight & gets right to the point. Here's what he has to say, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:15-17 NKJV Wishing someone well is ineffective if we don't do something to change their situation. We have to be willing to get our hands dirty and serve others. Jesus did it--He washed the disciples' feet. If He, as the Prince of Heaven, can be a servant, can't we? I fear we are missing opportunities to share God's Love with others because we don't want to get involved or be a bother. So we stand idly by while people stagger through life & towards the gates of hell without making effort to warn them of the dangers ahead. If you knew a bridge was out, wouldn't you try to stop people traveling towards it to save them? Some years back, I heard someone speak on a verse from Proverbs. I read Proverbs daily but had never paid attention to this particular verse until this point. It was Proverbs 24:11, which reads as follows: "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter." It's our duty as Christians to tell others about the sinless life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus--all for them. If we fail to tell them of His love for them and of the eternal torment that awaits them if they choose not to accept & follow Him, we are allowing them to wander aimlessly, stumbling towards destruction, the very gates of hell itself. I don't know about you, but I can't stand by & watch while those of my generation and in my circle of influence commit slow suicide by living a life without Christ. It's up to us--we have to be the ones to tell them! Will people think we're crazy? Probably so. Will we lose close relationships because of our zeal for God? Maybe...but Jesus warned us there was a cost to being His follower. He told us there'd be difficulties. He told us we'd be despised & persecuted. But, He also told us that it'd be worth it in the end, when the battle is over and he welcomes us into Heaven, His Kingdom of Glory and Eternal Peace, and says "Well done..." I long for that day. Don't get me wrong, I love my life & the people in it, but my soul longs for the day I see my Jesus face to face. I just want to take as many with me there as I can. Do I get tired and frustrated at times? Yes, do I ever! Do I sometimes question my calling? Yes, often... Do I wonder if it's all worth the personal sacrifice, the sometimes seemingly endless days, the lost sleep, the tiresome travels, the separation from loved ones? Yes, to all. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt that God has called me to what I do and I refuse to let anything or anyone on earth or in hell below, distract me from my purpose. Do I miss the mark sometimes? Yes, all the time. But God loves me still & knows the motives of my heart. I have to ask for forgiveness regularly, but I'm doing what He called me to. We have to be the ones to sound the alarm! All is not lost. We can still turn our country back to God. We just have to be willing to stand our ground & not let the forces of evil overtake this world. We may be but a small remnant of believers, but look what Gideon did with a small army. We cannot continue to sit in silence. Will you join with me in this battle? Will you take Jesus's mission statement as your own? Will you help proclaim Christ to the masses? Will you be a heavenly ambassador to this lost generation? Will you live a life that points others to God? Or, will you just stand there with your hands in your pockets while they march towards hell? It's your choice, but you have to live with the choice you make. Ponder and pray about that... Blessings! Tony