New Beginnings

"Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV It is a New Year--a time of new beginnings, a fresh start. As we walk the road of life, we all hit a few potholes & speedbumps along the way. It may be family & relational issues. It may be financial issues. It may be moral decisions we are faced with. Whatever we encounter is meant to shape us, not to define us. Lord knows, I've suffered my own share of setbacks & failures--truth is, there is very little this world has to offer that has not somehow touched my life through the years. Satan would have us think these things will make us ineffective for the Kingdom & use them to squelch the plans GOD has for our lives. None of us are perfect, we are all born with an inherent sin nature from our natural earthly father, Adam. Paul tells us in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Does that mean GOD can't use us? No, it means if we are willing to accept the responsibility for our choices & actions--GOD can use those very things to help us reach out to others facing similar situations. Sometimes the choices of others force bad circumstances on us, but that too, can be used by GOD for good in time to come. Admittedly, it is hard to see GOD in it while we are in the heat of the battle--but in time and looking back in retrospect, we can see how GOD delivered us from much & has and will continue to use it for our good and the good of others as well as for His glory. I feel like I speak & write of this subject often--I suppose because it is I struggle to understand it myself because of the problems I've faced, the poor choices I've made, and the impact that others' decisions & actions have had on me personally. Satan beats me up a lot of days, tells me my past makes me useless in GOD's work, plants seeds of doubt--especially through this credentialing process I've been going through for ministry. However, I'm determined to stay positive & to mine out the nuggets of GOD's Word that pertain to such things. It makes me look not only at the strengths of Biblical characters, but also to study their weaknesses. I find that I see a lot of myself in them & it gives me hope. Hope is what I need. Hope is what we all need. The only true source of hope is in Jesus and an intimate & personal relationship with Him. Each of us needs to turn our attention on cultivating our relationship with GOD, on studying His Word more, on spending more time in prayer--for ourselves, but mostly intercession for others. So many are lost, so may are bound for a devil's Hell--a place not intended for human souls. America needs a true revival & for it to begin, it has to begin within the walls of our homes & churches. So many Christians have become comfortable & complacent that their focus is inward rather than outward. If Jesus is our Lord & Savior, we are to follow His example. As I read the pages of the Bible, I see nowhere that He was concerned for His own needs--but concerned for the lost & dying around Him. We need to grasp that vision and go forth into the world seeking to bring the Gospel to all who will hear. I am speaking to myself as much as anyone else. I know I have many shortcomings & I ask GOD's forgiveness for them and to empower me and embolden me to be His Ambassador. I pray GOD will use me in spite of myself and strengthen others to join me in the battle. The battle is the Lord's, but we have to stand with Him. Are you willing? Time is short, we must act now! Blessings for a healthy, happy & prosperous New Year! Tony

Happy Holidays?

'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:34-36, 40 NKJV The holiday season is approaching and it should be a wonderfully happy time of year. It is a time of wide-eyed wonder for little ones and an opportunity for young families to make memories by inventing traditions that will be part of their family gatherings for years to come. Most people will gather with their families for meals, exchange gifts, attend church & work celebrations and enjoy the overall festivities. However, let us not forget that while the Holiday season is a time of celebration--for some, it is a terribly depressing and hopeless time of year. Many lack the basic necessities of life--food, shelter, clothing, etc. Many are estranged from their families--some because of their own choices & some because others made choices that caused the rift. Many have lost loved ones & the holidays bring fond memories, but serve more as a reminder of the loss they have suffered. It can emphasize what is missing from their lives rather than being a celebration of what they have. As Christians, we must be careful not to get so caught up in our own families & festivities, that we ignore the needs of others. Obviously, this is something we should do daily but even more so during the Holiday season. It is our duty and responsibility to be servants to those we come in contact with. If we reach out to them in love and meet their physical needs, that will open the door for us to speak to them about their spiritual needs. When we do for others, it bring s a smile to the face of GOD. We must live our lives in the same way Jesus did when He walked among mankind. He went to the poor, the oppressed, the possessed, those who lived openly sinful lives--these are the people He reached out to. He was called "a friend of sinners" and was criticized for associating with such people. We must do the same--when we do for people who have nothing to offer us in return, we are living out the mission of Jesus. Oh, to suffer persecution for the cause of Christ! I can think of no greater honor. Our desire should be to live a life that honors GOD. So in your holiday hustle & bustle, don't forget to minister to "the least of these" & in doing so, you are honoring our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ and truly celebrating what CHRISTmas is all about... Blessings! Tony

The source of hope...

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" Lamentations 3: 21-24 NKJV I, for one, am thankful that GOD is a GOD of second chances. I know that I have pushed the envelope on that one, but GOD is faithful--even when we are not. We have hope because of Jesus, because He was born of a virgin, because He lived a sinless life and willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross to provide our salvation. He didn't have to & we certainly didn't deserve it. We deserved the sentence of death and eternal separation from GOD in Hell with the devil and his demons. But GOD, in His great love for us, showed mercy & compassion towards us. We have reason to be thankful for His mercy & His grace. Left to our own devices, we easily fall prey to the wiles of the devil. Satan's tricks are not new, they are as old as time itself. He used them to persuade angels to follow him in rebellion against GOD. He uses them still to convince humans to live in rebellion, contrary to the Will of GOD. He perverts things GOD intended for good--look at what he has done to sex. GOD created sex as a physical, emotional & spiritual union of a man and a woman in a committed marriage relationship. Satan has perverted it by making it cheap through pornography, through pre & extra-marital sexual relations--worst of all, he has perverted it through homosexuality. GOD never intended for people to be intimate with those of the same sex--Satan did that! Remember Sodom & Gomorrah and what became of those evil cities & the inhabitants thereof? Satan has also twisted up our views of money, possessions & material things. There is nothing wrong with having things but rather than owning them, we've allowed them to become our master instead. They (material things, that is) have become idols to us. We think we can't live without the newest gadget, the flashiest car, a larger home, a fatter bank account--all at the expense of our relationship with GOD. GOD is a jealous GOD--He doesn't like to share our hearts with anything or anyone else. Deuteronomy 4:23-24 says, "Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." We are reminded of this same concept again in the New Testament, in Matthew 6:24 which reads, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Why then do humans struggle with this so? Why has it plagued mankind for centuries? Why do we allow Satan to exercise control over us in these areas? We are rebellious and disobedient children. Just like Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, we think we can live life on our own terms--but, it doesn't work that way. GOD will not bless a life lived in opposition to His Word & Commandments. He allows us to exercise our free will choice and suffer the consequences of those decisions. You see, often we blame GOD for the problems in our lives when they are the outcome of our poor life choices. Yet, while He could simply leave us to suffer--He extends grace to us repeatedly because He is loving and compassionate. He is our source of hope, He is our faithful Father, He is the breath of life and He delights in making provision for His Children. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy." (Psalm 147:11) How can we rebel against, be disobedient towards, or withhold praise from the Lover of our souls? My hope is in Him. I pray yours is as well... Blessings! Tony

Let's not play church...

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24 NKJV I think one of the major problems in the world today is that people are tired of seeing people play church. Those in the world tend to think those in the church are nothing but hypocrites and maybe there is some degree of truth in that. Maybe, as Christians, we've become so sterile in our approach to people that we turn them off. Maybe we've become so professional & polished in our Christianity that we've forgotten where we came from and especially what GOD has delivered us from. Have we been doing church so long that we no longer remember what a mess we were when GOD found us? We lived lives that were offensive to both GOD and man, but the GOD of the universe reached down into the filth of humanity, picked us up out of the muck & mire of this world and miraculously saved us! We've conveniently forgotten the path Satan had us on, the road to destruction that was taking us straight to the depths of Hell. On the other hand, we often look at those in the world like as if they are beyond hope. Many churches these days are exclusive rather than inclusive. We find ourselves unable to look past the outer cloak of flesh they wear--with it's bedraggled clothing, the unkempt hair, the multiple piercings and tattoos. We need to look at them through GOD's eyes, "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV) GOD desires that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), so that should be our goal as well. If we carry the name of Christ, we need to love others as GOD does and do what is in our power to see them come to salvation. Far too many churches are more interested in building bigger buildings, having bigger choirs, reaching the next level in attendance--but they have forgotten the purpose that the church exists for, to reach a lost and dying world with The Word of GOD. We send missionaries to foreign lands but we are afraid to walk across the street or speak the name of Jesus to another person in the supermarket. We are failing miserably in carrying out the Great Commission, especially in touching the lives of those closest to us. GOD forgive us! These are my thoughts, what are yours? Blessings! Tony

Lord, help me understand...

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV Lord, give me wisdom and give me understanding. So much has happened and so little of it makes sense to me. Not so long ago, America was a nation of people who trusted in You. She was a nation founded on Christian principles and because of that she was strong & blessed. Our military was second to none & the nations of the world stood in fear and in awe of our might because You were our strength and as long as we kept our focus on You, we were shown Your favor. So, how did we get to where we are now? Have we, as Christians, grown so pathetic and so complacent that we no longer stand for anything? We have allowed the voices of a few who claimed they were offended by "religion" to dictate the laws of our land. What must we do to get back to what we once had? How can we turn the tide of political correctness and reclaim what we have lost? I am sickened by those elected officials who claim to represent us when their only interests are in pacifying liberal leftists who cry foul at anything that doesn't agree with or endorse their views. I know You must be disappointed at what this country has become also. Christianity is on the brink of becoming outlawed because it speaks against immorality, homosexuality & other sexual perversions, idolatry, drunkenness, laziness, and many other ills that our society now embraces as normal. I know Your Word tells us "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 will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14), but how do we get back there from where we now are? I am but one man, Lord. What can I do? On my own, I cannot & will not be heard. How can I rally lazy, complacent Christians to once again engage in the battle? We need a revival! Lord, let that revival begin in me and let it spread to my community, my state, my country & the world as a whole! Lord, make Your Presence known--fill Your people once again with a fresh anointing of Your Holy Spirit. Let us suit up with the full armor of GOD and fight the evil one that is overtaking this world. Give us boldness to speak Your Name & to proclaim You to everyone & everywhere we go. Let us not be the generation that sits back while one by one our freedoms are stripped away. So many have fought & died to preserve these rights--we cannot sit idly by. How will we respond to the generations to come? Will we tell them we gave up or will we tell them they are free because we stood in the gap & fought to preserve freedom for those who came after us? Give us courage so that we can say we fought the fight and finished the race and we can claim the crown of righteousness that awaits us when we reach Glory! Rally the troops, Lord, we have a battle to win! Who out there is with me? Who will help me fight for the Lord, for our freedoms and against tyranny?

Sweet Temptation?

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV Temptation...Satan has been playing that game for centuries and has he ever gotten good at it! Man however, is still falling for the same old thing. You would think we would catch on at some point, but he keeps dangling the carrot in front of us & we continue to fall for his tricks--pride, fame, wealth, drugs, relationships, etc. The result is ruined lives, fractured families, financial disaster and the like. On our own, we are not strong enough to withstand Satan's attacks--but, if we can overcome our own foolish pride (that Satan plays on so well) & learn to look to GOD & draw from His limitless strength--we can stand strong. Pride is what got Lucifer (Satan) into trouble to begin with. He, who was once a beautiful angel, allowed pride to over take him & thought he could rival GOD. His rebellion ended when he & his followers were cast out of Heaven. Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall" & Lucifer's fall is a perfect example. Since he was forced from Heaven & knows what awaits us there as followers of Christ, it gives him all the more reason to desire to deter us from spending eternity in Paradise. He wants nothing more than to drag as many of mankind into the pits of Hell with him. What can we do? "Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:7b-8a). The closer we grow to GOD, the more distance we put between ourselves & the devil. But, don't be deceived into believing he goes away completely--he doesn't. We must always be on guard & not give him a place to sneak in--if he gets his foot in the door, he will barge right in. When we think we have come so far that we cannot fall, we are setting ourselves up for just that. We must remain humble before the Lord, we must remain pliable in His hands, we must seek Him even in seemingly insignificant matters because He is interested in even the minute details of our lives. If we pray, seek GOD, study His Word so we have the ammunition with which to fight Satan's temptations. "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" James 1:12. Jesus Himself endured temptation, yet remained without sin. When He was at His weakest point, Satan came to Him but He was able to use GOD's Word to withstand. We have GOD's Word available to us, if we will but tap into it, mine out those golden nuggets that will allow us to also stand when temptation comes our way--and come our way it will, it is only a matter of time. We must learn to rely on GOD rather than self if we are going to win the battle against the devil. In the end, we're already told we win. Along with that, we get a heavenly reward, a mansion in glory, a crown of life...why would we not want that? Blessings! Tony

What does it mean to be Free?

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32 NKJV Today is Independence Day, the Fourth of July. It is the day we celebrate our independence from the tyranny & oppression of England. 237 years ago, patriots took a stand and proclaimed liberty. As a result, a great new country was formed. History records that America was settled by people who were in search of religious freedom--Christian people, who desired to worship their Creator in the manner they saw fit without that worship being dictated by the Church of England. These people overcame great obstacles to carve a new nation out of the massive wilderness that was then, these United States. Problems & plagues came their way, yet they stood strong--refusing to waiver in the face of danger, trusting in the will of The One who had brought them to these shores. I looked up the words "freedom" & "liberty" in my trusted Merriam-Webster Dictionary and found their definitions to be the same. Both read, "the quality or state of being free." That prompted my question, "what does it mean to be free?" I suspect individual interpretations of the word "free" vary from person to person. As a Christian, I take my cues from the Bible. I found many references to free, freedom & liberty within GOD's Holy Word. John 8:36 reads, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." Romans 8:2 says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Then there are a couple of my favorites, Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." and 2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." I've come to the conclusion that freedom doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Apparently, what I see as a freedom is seen by some as oppression. Because many people no longer wish to live in accordance to GOD's Word, they see GOD's commandments as oppressive & restrictive. Freedom should not & does not mean we can choose to live however we want to. We are still bound by the laws of the land & even moreso by the laws of GOD, because while America's laws may change with the winds of time & supposed progress--GOD's laws never change as stated in Malachi 3:6, "For I am the Lord, I do not change..." However as we have seen in recent years--liberals have pushed through changes in our legal system that 30-50 years ago would never have been allowed. Progress is not always positive. Where are we headed as a nation? Only GOD knows. I don't like everything I see happening to the country I was born in & taught to love, but I know that while the future is a mystery to me--GOD is already there. While I can only look at the present & past, His sight & knowledge extend to infinity. I need only trust Him to use whatever happens to bring about good, even when evil seems to prevail. I pray that we as a people will turn back to GOD & that America will once again be a blessed nation. For what it is worth, those are my thoughts. Blessings! Tony