The Lord is my Shepherd!

 When Jesus came to earth, He used the analogy of a Shepherd who knew his sheep by name.  And I know that GOD knows each one of us by name.  More than that, our FATHER knows us now, He knows us in the future and He knew us before we were born.

We are HIS creation.  And we are made in HIS image.  And that is why this Psalm resonates with me.  

GOD restores our souls.  When the world lets us down or seems to be to much to bear, we can turn to GOD and Jesus and ask them to fill us with their Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to carry on.

And when the Psalmist wrote that indeed, should we walk through the valley of death, the rod and the staff of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will comfort us.  For if we are lost, we can be found by Jesus.  If we are hungry, we can be fed by Jesus, if we are thirsty, our thirst can be quenched by Jesus.  

And the Psalmist ends off with the words, that surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives if we dwell in the House of the Lord for ever.

Prayer:  Dearest FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU sent my Shepherd Jesus Christ to this earth to save me from my sins.  I thank YOU FATHER that I can always find comfort from my Lord and my Saviour, Jesus Christ.  I thank YOU that YOU fill me with the Holy Spirit when I am empty.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously GOD blessed today!

Prophecy Fullfilled!

                                                                     Psalm 22

                                          The Foretelling of the suffering of Jesus Christ! 

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" 9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God.

11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. 19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! 20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. 21 Save Me from the lion's mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. 25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! 27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the Lord's, And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. 30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that the Bible is YOUR inerrant, Spirit filled word.  I thank YOU that through YOUR word, people can learn about our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  And that YOU planned our Salvation, long long ago.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay Truly GOD blessed today!

Jesus our Mediator

 Jesus died to set us free.  Free from sins that we have committed.  Sins that we will commit.  GOD knows that we are frail and that we are sinful in nature.  How often do we sin?

More than you might think.  Getting impatient with people is sinful.  Cursing at people behaving badly in the traffic is sinful.  Not being kind and gentle to people is sinful.

Selfishness is sinful.  Not giving when we are asked is sinful.  Disrespecting authority is sinful.  And mostly not worshipping GOD or praising HIS grace enough is sinful.

And that is why Jesus says that all have fallen short of the glory of GOD.  There is not one righteous amongst us.  Not one.

The only thing that can save us from an eternity spent in hell, is the grace of GOD through the death of Jesus on the cross.  That is all.  Jesus is the ONLY way.  Jesus is the ONLY truth.  And Jesus is the ONLY eternal life with GOD.

Unfortunately, "good" people who will not accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, will not be saved.  No, I did not say this.  Jesus said it. 

The gate is narrow and only a few will enter in.  

Today, choose the narrow gate.  Admit that we are sinners.  Believe in Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.  Confess this truth with our mouths.  Be saved!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, thank YOU that I believe that Jesus died to set me free.  Thank  YOU that I can admit to YOU that I am a sinner and that YOU will forgive me.  I thank YOU in Jesus Holy Name.  Amen.

Stay graciously GOD blessed today!

The Heavens declare the glory of GOD!

The weather is turning really cold and it is blowing up outside as I write this blog tonight.  But a quick look outside at the darkening sky with the stars bringing forth the Glory of GOD remind me of the greatness of the GOD we serve.

Our FATHER is the CREATOR GOD.  HE created the entire universe.  And HE reigns supreme.  We are but a blink and a dot on the face of a really small earth in the huge expanse of our universe.

So why did GOD create an universe?  And the simple answer is - because HE could.  And it is true when we consider the universe that the Heavens declare the Glory of our GOD.

And the Grace of GOD declares HIS enormous love for you and me.  That GOD should take HIS Son out of the Heavens where they reign to bring Him to this earth in human form as a baby and let Him grow up, sinless for you and me.  To redeem our sins - past, present and future - on that cross.  That is Love indeed.

We are unable to fathom the magnitude of the CREATOR GOD we worship.  Because next to GOD we are truly tiny and should not be important at all.  And yet our FATHER numbers the very hairs on our heads.  That is how much HE cares for you and me.

Tonight let us consider how gracious our GREAT and AWESOME FATHER in Heaven truly is.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, tonight I wonder at YOUR grace and YOUR love for me that I should be able to spend eternity with YOU through the redemption of my sins by Jesus Christ.  I worship YOU and I thank YOU FATHER, in the Holy name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay wondrously GOD blessed tonight!

Pre Tribulation Rapture

I believe in the pretribulation Rapture.  The coming in the clouds of Jesus Christ to fetch home His bride, the Church - the believers.  And above are the verses in the Bible which tell us of and confirm this event.

What do we need to do in order to be raptured?  We need to admit that we are sinners.  That we are saved only  by Grace (of GOD) and only through Faith (in Jesus Christ).

By the Grace of GOD, HE sent HIS Son Jesus Christ to earth.  Jesus was born of virgin mother so that He was not carrying on the sinful line of Adam.  Jesus never sinned on earth.  So as a blemish free lamb, He was led to the slaughter.  He was nailed to that cross with your sins and my sins.  

We need to believe that Jesus is the Son of GOD who did all of this for you and me to save us from our sins.

We are born sinful.  And unless we accept that fact, we simply cannot be saved.  If we believe that are good enough to get to GOD without admitting that we are sinners, we, unfortunately are not going to Heaven and we cannot be raptured.

So, first things first.  Admit that we are all sinners.  No one is "better" than another.  We are all sinners.  Then believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of GOD and that He is the ONLY way to GOD.  Without a belief in Jesus, we are not going to Heaven.  

Then confess this with our mouths.  For as Romans 10 put it "9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

Prayer:  Heavenly FATHER, I am a sinner.  Forgive my sins and grant me YOUR grace.  I believe in Jesus Christ as my Redeemer.  I confess this with my mouth.  Please fill me with YOUR Holy Spirit.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly Graciously GOD blessed today!

We are GODs handiwork!

 GOD created us in HIS image.  And HE created us to do good works, which HE prepared in advance of our creation for us to do.

So when we start pondering what our purpose on earth is, we need to revert to this verse and truly understand what we are doing on this earth.

Our FATHER made nothing that is not perfect.  So it follows therefore, that we are exactly what our FATHER in Heaven wanted us to be.  We are born to the parents HE chose for us.  We are given the name that HE chose for us.  We are given the works to do on earth that HE has chosen for us to do.

Now we do have free will and we can do anything we please.  But is that what our FATHER wants for us?  And the answer is simply - NO!

So how do we know what our FATHER wants us to do.  We need to know GOD.  We need a living relationship with HIM where HE can share with us HIS master plan.  And then we need to let go of our own free will and take all our plans and give them to GOD.  Before we do anything we need to pray about it.  We need to ask GOD if this is what HIS will is for our lives.

Most of all, we need to listen to HIS voice which we will come to know the more time we spend with our Heavenly FATHER.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER,  I thank YOU that I have free will.  However FATHER, THY will and not my will be done in life.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

False Prophets!

 We need to be very careful in how we deal with issues such as which people we choose to lead us in our Christian walk.

There are so many false prophets today.  Preachers who are money orientated.  Preachers who do not really know GOD.  Preachers who teach falsehoods.

The test of a true preacher is one who teaches straight of our the Bible.  This preacher does not use Hermeneutics - his own interpretation of the Bible.

This is where a lot of people who are claiming to be Christian, are falling down.  They go to Church and believe that everything the preacher is teaching is correct.  Test what your preacher is telling you.

Is it Biblical?

Can you substantiate it yourself in the Bible?

Does your teacher promote a prosperity gospel - if you give you will get?

Just the three questions above will tell you if you are in the right Church. If you are not taught 

then you are in the wrong Church.

• repentance, 
• belief in Jesus, 
• the miracles of Jesus, 
• the grace of GOD, 
• the fact that we are saved through grace alone, 
• by faith alone, 

When you are new to Christianity it is particularly important that find a teacher or a preacher who can tell you about your salvation.  Find someone who knows the word of GOD, someone who demonstrates through his lifestyle that he loves the Lord our GOD with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his strength.

See that you are taught about the greatness of GOD, the mercy of GOD, the love of GOD and most of all the grace of GOD.

We are saved only by the Grace of GOD through our faith in Jesus Christ.  There is no other way to an eternal life with GOD through Jesus Christ alone.

Good deeds are not getting us into Heaven.  

Prayer:  Heavenly FATHER, today I thank you that I am saved through YOUR grace and my faith in Jesus Christ alone.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

 Jesus said that if anyone loves Him, they would obey His teaching.  And if anyone loves Jesus GOD will love that person.  And furthermore, Jesus said that He and His FATHER would come to the person and make their home with them.

What a marvellous promise we have.  When we accept Jesus and love Him, He and His FATHER come and live in you and me.

When we love someone, we want to spend time with them.  Not just time, but quality time.  We want to know what they are thinking.  We are interested in them and their lives.

This is why, if we really love Jesus, we will want to spend time with Him.  We will want to know Him more and more.  We will want to talk to Him and we will want to involve Him in every aspect of our lives.

Let us examine our lives.  Do we really love Jesus?   How much time are we spending each day with Him.  How much do we know Him?  Do we tell Him everything about our lives?

If the answer to the above questions are resonating with you and you are spending quality time with Jesus and involving Him in all aspects of your life, then Jesus and His FATHER are living with you.  If not, then it is time to get to know Jesus.

Start by daily reading the word.  Pray before you eat.  Pray in the morning.  Pray in the evening.  And you will feel the love of our gracious GOD growing daily within yourself.

Prayer:  Heavenly FATHER, I am so glad that I know YOU and I love YOU.  Show me daily how to know YOU more and to love YOU more.  Show me how to shine YOUR light on earth today.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

The more we trust in GOD!

 Paul writes that he hopes that the GOD of hope will fill the disciples with all the joy and peace as they trust in GOD.

And this is true even today.  The more we learn to trust in GOD and to know Jesus, the greater will be our joy and peace.  When we know that GOD is always there, always listening, always with us, we learn to trust HIM more and more.

Knowing GOD is one of the greatest joys of my life.  I know that no matter what GOD is greater than any problem I am facing. I know that GOD is stronger than any person on earth.  I know that GOD can do anything.  And I mean anything.  Because HE created you and me. 

With that knowledge, we need to overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit which lives in you and me when we accept Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.

If you have not accepted Jesus, I would urge you to do this today.  Do not tarry. We are not sure when Jesus will come back to fetch us.  It might be tonight!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU are greater than the greatest of any of our problems here on earth.  I thank YOU that YOU fill me daily with YOUR Holy Spirit.  I thank YOU that the Holy Spirit fills me with hope and joy.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  My Redeemer.  Amen.

Stay faithfully GOD blessed today!

The Holy Spirit

 Jesus promised His disciples that when He departed from this earth, His FATHER would send the Holy Spirit in the Name of Jesus Christ who would teach the disciples all things and would remind them of Jesus and all that He had told them.

And when we admit that we are sinners - repent, turn towards Jesus - believe in Jesus and confess this with our mouths, GOD sends the Holy Spirit in the Name of Jesus Christ to live in us.

The Holy Spirit convicts us to change our hearts and minds to live for Jesus.  No longer can we live as we lived before.  We need to see change in our lives.

No longer can we blaspheme.  No longer can we gossip.  No longer can we covert.  No longer can we be unforgiving.  Because the Holy Spirit tells us to be more and more like Jesus each and every day.

If we profess to be filled with the Holy Spirit and there is no noticeable difference in our behaviour and we continue to conform to the ways of the world, we simply do not have faith.  Our belief is dead and our faith is dead.

We can measure the work of the Holy Spirit by our changing lives.  We become avid speakers for GOD and for Jesus.  We want to spread the good news.  Other people notice that we are becoming more faithful in our walk with the Lord.  

So let us examine ourselves today.  Are we growing in our faith?  Are we wanting to spend more time in prayer with our FATHER in Heaven.  Do we get distressed by blasphemy and bad behaviour?

Then indeed, we are growing in our faith.  So let us today ask GOD to continually fill us with the Holy Spirit in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ - our Lord and our Saviour.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, today I humbly admit that I am a sinner.  FATHER forgive me as I forgive those who sin against me.  FATHER I believe in Jesus Christ, my Redeemer.  I confess this truth with my mouth.  Tonight, FATHER, fill me up with the Holy Spirit in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Teach me Jesus to be a better person and to be a better Christian.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed today!

The Rapture!

 I believe in the pretribulation rapture.  And I believe that we are living in the end of times.  The signs are everywhere.  Now, whether this will happen in my life, I simply cannot say, because only GOD knows the day I will die.

What I do know is that this earth is slowly dying.  And not just the earth, but people are decaying.  Morally and in their faith.

We have preachers who are purely in it for the money.  There is all kinds of false beliefs doing the rounds and people are treating this as if it were the only truth.

The one thing I do know is that Jesus is the only Truth.  Jesus is the only Life and Jesus is the only Way.

And if you want to be with Jesus then you have to know Jesus.  You have to know what He did for you and for me.  You have to believe that Jesus is GOD.  That He added humanity to His deity.  That He came to earth, lived on the earth.  Was tempted by satan himself and did not succumb.  He was tortured for our sins.  He was nailed to a cross for the sins you and I have committed and will commit.  He died for you and for me.  To take away the sins of the world.

And the way to Jesus is through the grace of GOD.  If you will admit that you are sinner. (We are all sinners. Not one is righteous).  If you will believe in Jesus and if you will confess this truth with your mouth, tonight if the Rapture takes place, you are going to meet Jesus in the clouds.  I urge you not to tarry.  For it could happen tonight.  And when it happens, if you are left behind, you are going through the tribulation.  It is that simple.

Prayer:  HEAVENLY FATHER, YOU alone know the time of the Rapture.  But FATHER I pray tonight that all reading this will accept the simple truth that Jesus is the only way to YOU.  I humbly pray that any and all reading this, will come to this acceptance now.  I pray this in Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly GOD blessed tonight!