Is Victory In Your Future?

In 1983, residents of a Florida apartment building awoke to a terrifying sight outside their windows. The ground beneath the street in front of their apartment building had literally collapsed creating a massive depression that Floridians have come to call a sinkhole. Tumbling into the ever-deepening pit were automobiles, sidewalks and lawn furniture. The apartment building itself was obviously the next thing to go. Geologist tell us that sinkholes occur when the underground rock and sediment is drained away over time by water table shifts and the forces of erosion. When this happens, the crust of the earth no longer has a supporting structure beneath it. When the external forces, in this case weight on the surface, exceed the limit of support, the ground collapses and a sinkhole is formed. Anything that happens to be on the surface when the ground collapses is swallowed up in sudden destruction – houses, cars, factories, highways, livestock, pets and people. In Rocksprings, Texas there is a place called The Devil’s Sinkhole. It is named this because it was believed to be the proverbial “bottomless pit.” If one looks into the hole, all you can see is about400 feet of straight down into utter darkness. It has a long and narrow shaft at the surface that leads to a large lower chamber inside. Each evening, as the sun sets, millions of bats swarm out of the chamber and up through the narrow opening in an ominous black cloud of beating wings and shrill cries that twists and turns like a tornado as these nocturnal residents leave the cavern to hunt for food throughout the night.

[Ephesians 6:10-12] There is a different kind of Devil’s Sinkhole that is far more ominous, for it constantly threatens to virtually open underneath your feet. The devil is at work, right now, in an attempt to erode the foundations of your heart, your mind, your character, your integrity, your resolve, your purpose and your very soul. At the same time, he is working to apply pressure on the surface of your life by trying to overwhelm your time your energy, your finances, your family, your friendships, your health and your occupation. His goal is to cause as much pain, sorrow and despair as possible. He wants to destroy your faith in God because he wants you to surrender to the wilds of the world. Allow the evil one to weigh you down and you will collapse.

[Revelation 2:10] God has promised us many wonderful blessings in His Word. The grandest blessings are reserved for those who are faithful to him unto the very end. One of these grand blessings is the crown of life. This is the promise given to the church at Smyrna which was suffering and would suffer even greater things in the future. To them the word of exhortation was given, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” God’s people cannot be defeated. We may be persecuted, troubled on every side, tormented, and sometimes disheartened, but if we remain faithful we are set for victory! Christians, instead of striving for earthly glory, make sacrifices for the eternal “…crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).

Because mankind is continuing the endeavor to “guide his own path”, this Memorial Day weekend has lost some of  its luster in honor and gratitude for those who gave their all to protect our constitutional and God given rights declared by “We the People”, freeing citizens to worship and pursue happiness under the protection of God’s graces. Church persecution will bring about apostasy, and the return of Christ. Are you ready?

How God and I Feel About It All

Oh yeh; I’m being vocal and rebellious! I’m also crying out to the Lord! God gave us feelings. We feel joy and sadness, anger and fear. These emotions test us. They can help or hinder us in our choice between right and wrong. It feels good to be happy. God wants us to be happy and He gives us richly all things to enjoy (I Timothy 6:17). The promise of heaven causes us to “leap for joy” even in hard times (Luke 6:23). But there are limits to our pursuit of a happy life. Some pleasures are sinful (Hebrews 11:24-26), and even enjoyments that are right must be kept in their place. Life is not a giant theme park where we get off one exciting ride and start looking for the next one. Fear is natural. It is good to be afraid when an oncoming car swerves into your lane or when you see a Black Widow spider crawling up your arm. It is good to fear what sin is, and what it will do to a person. “The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure” (Proverbs 14:16). Jesus said it is good to be afraid of hell (Matthew 10:28). But, the “fearful” will have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8). Some people fear man more than God. They are afraid to do right because of the sacrifices they must make or the persecution they must endure. They are confident when they should be afraid and they are afraid when they could be confident. Anger is a strong but volatile feeling. Some anger is right. God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). Jesus was angry with the calloused Jews (Mark 3:5). We need more righteous indignation in this evil age. But we must be angry over the right things and for the right reason. We must keep our anger in check or it will destroy us like it did Cain (Genesis 4:1-10). “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry…” (Ephesians 4:26).

[Psalm 94] “The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. They say, ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.’ Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law; you grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Can a corrupt throne be allied with you - a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.” Amen. Today, we need God more than ever.

The Dust of the Golden Calf

    Political correctness is a set of beliefs that are in total opposition to God and righteousness. It is the system of the most ungodly and immoral people on earth. It is preached by our news and entertainment industries, supported by our most radical politicians and taught to our children as truth. The politically correct say we must support abortion on demand, accept homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle, decriminalize drug use, restrict religious freedoms, teach evolution as fact, punish the hard-working citizen while rewarding the indolent, open our borders to illegal aliens, take weapons of defense from honest citizens, downsize our military to a point of ineffectiveness, allow exorbitant lawsuits in our legal system, give preferences to minorities, oppose capitalism and support socialism, tax people so as to redistribute whatever assets are available, give government controlled agencies more power and individuals less freedom, entrench the political party that is politically correct and attack the opponents of political correctness at every turn. They also claim that they will save the planet from the people who live on it. God is not politically correct. The apostle Paul wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and employ deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). God wants us to obey Him, not the proponents of political correctness that are so numerous in our society today. It’s time to point out the enemies of God living among us. It is the politically correct that are seeking to destroy our souls by their incessant heresies. (Rick Cunningham, Bulletin Digest, May 2011) Yes, that article was written in 2011 and look where we are today!

    [Exodus 32] There is a metaphorical saying among Jews which says, “…no affliction has ever happened to Israel in which there was not some particle of the dust of the golden calf.” This author assumes you have a basic knowledge of the Old Testament story, but suggests the reading of Exodus, Chapter 32 for a deeper understanding. There are many marvels in this story not least of which is how soon God’s people went from verbal acceptance of his holy commands to dancing naked and fornicating before their idol (approximately 40 days). Still, in the midst of this ultimate betrayal, God is glorified by the manifestation of his wondrous mercy. In verse 10 God said to Moses, “…let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” Moses reasoned with the Lord and verse 14 reads, “And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.” Is there a lesson for us today in this Old Testament story?

    I can’t help but to ask the question, “Has Jesus been gone too long?” Too many people of the world have fashioned for themselves “golden calves” which they are worshipping, having resolved that either Jesus is not returning, or have forgotten Him all together while he is away preparing a place for us to spend eternity. At this moment in time it seems our “golden calves” have been burned, ground into powder, and we are being forced to drink the dust. The dancing and the fornicating have brought God to the point of wrath on His creation. We are being led down the path of destruction by the politically correct and sincere petitions of prayer for God’s mercy are our only reprieve at this point. “Lord, forgive us for our disobedience and revive us again.” Amen

Mother's: The Heart of the Family

“Mother’s Day Is Remembrance Day” by Helen Steiner Rice; We pause on the path of the year To pay honor and worshipful tribute To the Mother our heart holds dear… For, whether here or in heaven, Her love is our haven and guide, For always the memory of Mother Is a beacon light shining inside… Time cannot destroy her memory And years can never erase The tenderness and the beauty Of the love in a Mother’s face… And, when we think of our Mother, We draw near to God above, For only God in His Greatness Could fashion a Mother’s Love.

Nations rise and fall, empires prosper or crumble, and men are stirred to great accomplishments or driven to shameful failure often because of the influence of a wife or a mother. The wise poet William Ross Wallace has properly said, “The hand that rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world.” For most women, motherhood is a great privilege, a crowning joy and a sublime fulfillment. Perhaps the greatest privilege of motherhood is that of sharing and giving. No one shares and gives as a mother does. She shares her body with another in order to conceive. She shares it again with her unborn child. Then she shares her time, energy and talent with her child after it is born in order to meet its needs enabling it to grow and develop. But most of all, she shares her heart and her love as she weeps, laughs, sorrows and rejoices with her child through the months and years of infancy, youth, adolescence and adulthood. Motherhood, while being a great privilege, also involves obligation. No task on earth requires more dedication, greater skill or fuller commitment. Her responsibilities demand devotion to the highest ideals and patient perseverance over long years of time. Her task is formidable because there is no human obligation that is less adaptable to substitution than motherhood. You can substitute for the teacher, policeman, governor and most anyone else but no one has found an adequate substitute for your mother’s love. The greatest writers and speakers of the ages have tried to capture the fullness of motherhood but all have failed to maximize it.

[Proverbs 31:10-31] The collection of wise sayings assembled by Solomon and written through inspiration of God was “…to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young” (1:4), and to make the wise even wiser (1:5). The book of Proverbs is unique in a way that it has 31 chapters – just enough to fulfill a Bible reading of one chapter per day each month – what’s the date – read that chapter. I also find it fitting that the book would end in remembrance to “The Wife of Noble Character;” “The Virtuous Wife;” “The Woman Who Fears the Lord” each sub-titles to the last section of Chapter 31, depending on translation style, that after all the wisdom had been presented we should be reminded to honor the woman God gave to man as a help-mate, not forgetting the qualities she has been blessed with. Only in Scripture do we see the blessedness of a good mother fully described. “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; ‘Many women have done excellently but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Happy and blessed is the home and the children of a loving mother – one devoted to her husband, children and the Lord. Let us thank God if our home is so blessed. Happy Mother’s Day - here and in heaven. Amen.

Pray Anyway

    Isn’t it ironic, the person we most fear in the store today is not wearing a mask? Who knew?!


    A little shepherd boy was watching his sheep one Sunday morning. As he heard the bells ringing calling the villagers to worship, he watched them and began to think that he too would like the ability to communicate with God. “But what can I say,” he thought. He had never learned to pray. So on bended knee, he began to recite the alphabet – “A…B…C…D” and so on until he reached Z, and then repeated his “prayer” several times. A man passing by, on his way to worship, heard the boy’s voice and stopping to look through the bushes, saw the child kneeling with folded hands, closed eyes and his face lifted toward the heavens, saying, “J…K…L…M.” The man interrupted the boy by asking, “What are you doing my little friend?” Startled, the boy looked to the man and replied, “I was praying, Sir.” Surprised, the man said, “But why are you repeating the alphabet?” The boy explained, “I don’t know any prayers, Sir. But I want God to take care of me and help me care for the sheep. So, I thought if I said all I knew, He could put the letters together and spell all that I want to say and should say.” The man smiled and said, “Bless your heart young man. I think you’re right and God will do just that.” Then the man went on to worship knowing he had already heard the best sermon he was going to hear that day.

[Matthew 18: 1-6] Remember, Jesus told us to have faith like a child. “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” When we go to God in prayer, we mustn’t worry whether we know all the right things to say or not. God can put the thoughts and feelings together and send the answer we need even when we don’t know what we need. The Bible assures us that even though we don’t completely understand it, God is mindful of us and our needs. In Psalm 8, David is in awe of God and the works of his hands and in the midst of all this splendor, David examines the promise of the coming Savior and asks the question, “…what is man that you are mindful of him…” (v.4). I may not know what to say to God. I may not have my problems figured out. I may not know what to be asking of God, but thank the Lord that he knows the alphabet of my scrambled thoughts and hurts, and thank the Lord he can put the words together and answer my needs. I know down deep in my heart that in times like these, we have an anchor of hope for our prayers. God is unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8) and on oath has promised us salvation. “…so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever…” (Hebrews 6:13-20). Remember this great hymn: “In Times Like These” by Ruth Caye Jones. “In times like these, you need an anchor. In times like these you need a Savior. Be very sure…Be very sure your anchor holds, and grips the solid rock. This rock is Jesus, yes He’s the one; This rock is Jesus, the only one. Be very sure…Be very sure…Your anchor holds, and grips the solid rock.” Pray for our country’s speedy recovery from our over-zealous politicians.