"OUR INTENTIONS"

Well here we go again, we're at the start of another day, and one might call it a "Do Over". Hopefully you thank the good Lord for allowing you to wake up and for the chance to start another day etc. After you commune with our Heavenly Father I would imagine that your intentions for the day would flood your mind.

"Intentions" A determination to act in a certain way.
In the book of Genesis God made a covenant which is still in force, as it is and was a formal and binding agreement. God promised to make Abraham's descendants into a great nation. How many of you indiscriminately allow words, statements and yes promises to flow from your mouth without any intentions to follow through? I believe that every thought and intention that God has is sealed by His Word. He promised to bless and care for the Israelite Nation, and the people promised to obey him. History tells us that the good intentions of the people quickly wore off. Sometimes right actions or good intentions come too late.

I have a confession to make, yesterday morning while at the doctor's a woman passed by with a shade of blue hair like I have never seen before. Lord knows I was fighting every muscle above the shoulders, not to appear startled. I equally was attempting to resist the urge to stare.
Have you ever been proud that you didn't strike out and say what was really on your mind? Discretion is good, but Christ wants us to practice thought-control as well. Yesterday morning I was reminded that we will be held accountable even for our frame of mind.

Wrong intentions are sinful, and can get us into trouble so please read or re-read Matthew 5:27-28 regarding LUST. We all know that it is wrong for a spouse to have sex with someone other than his or her marriage partner (Exodus 20:14). But Jesus pronounced that the desire to have sexual relations with someone other than your spouse is Mental Adultery and therefore sin. Jesus was emphatic that if the act is wrong, then so is the intention. The deliberate and repeated saturation of one's mind with illusions that would be immoral if acted out.
Acting out sinful desires is harmful, sinful desires can lead to sinful actions which is mentally destructive. Nevertheless, sinful desires is just as damaging to righteousness. Left unchecked, wrong desires will result in wrong actions and turn people away from God.

A sincere desire to please God will result in an alignment of your desires with God's desires. You will love what God loves and hate what God hates. If you love the Father, you will hate evil. If you do not despise the actions of people who take advantage of others, if you admire people who only look out for themselves, or if you envy those who get ahead using any means to accomplish their ends, then your primary desire in life is not to please God. Learn to love God's ways and hate evil in every form - not only the obvious sins but also the social acceptable ones.

Until next time,

Jim

"ENDTIMES"

Greetings to you all,

It's my prayer that all is well with you and yours. Do you give much thought to your future? Are you one who sets goals? I'm not thinking about short-term, mid-term, nor long term goals but "Eternal Goals".

" You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end" (Matt.24:6)

What goes through your mind when you hear the words " End Times " ? Does it strike fear in your heart or a totally different emotion. Please do yourself a favor and store up the Word of God in your heart.

By knowing the Word of God, it will give you much comfort. I've heard it said that knowledge is power, do you believe this?

The disciples that were following him asked Jesus for the sign of his coming and of the end of the age. Jesus' first respond was " See to it that no one misleads you. " If we trust in the Lord and live by His word, the word of God, no other can deceive you. The fact is that whenever we look for the signs, we become very susceptible to being deceived. The Bible makes it clear that there are many " False Prophets " yes even in today's world, with counterfeit signs of spiritual power and authority. As mentioned before, the only sure way to keep from being deceived is to focus on Christ and His words. Don't look for express signs, and don't spend time looking at other people. Look for Christ.

Jesus said that before He returns, the gospel of the Kingdom (The message of Salvation) would be preached throughout the world. What do you think, with radio, tv, internet, etc it's close. This was the disciples mission _ and it is ours today. Jesus talked about the End Times and Final Judgment to show His followers the urgency of spreading the Good News of Salvation to everyone.

Christ will return on God's timetable, not ours. Jesus predicted that, before His return, many believers would be misled by false teachers claiming to have revelations from God.

According to scripture, the one clear sign of Christ's return will be His unmistakable appearance in the clouds, which will be seen by all people.

BE BOLD IN YOUR COMMITMENT. HAVE YOUR HEART AND LIFE READY FOR CHRIST'S RETURN.

" TIMES OF TRIAL SERVE TO SIFT TRUE CHRISTIANS FROM FALSE OR FAIR-WEATHER CHRISTIANS ".

Until Next Time,

Jim

"JESUS CONTROLS THE STORMS OF LIFE"

If there was ever a time to communicate with the Father it's now. Praying, talking with the Father should be like talking with a friend who you care about and respect very much. A friend should be someone whom you have much admiration and trust in. A friend should be someone who you can talk over your inter-most thoughts with. A friend is someone that can be contacted anytime, even at 3am in the morning (Per my Good Friend David).

And they came to Him and woke Him, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing! " (Matt. 8:25)

How many times have you felt like you were at the end of your rope, with no where to turn? I'm sure that we all can say that we've felt the pressures of the day. Unfortunately some have even experienced catastrophic loss, due to our countries state of affairs. Debt Crisis in America has caused many businesses as well as hearts to fail. Times of distress and misfortune revisit much to often.

We must purpose to trust God no matter what is happening in our lives. It's alright to tell God about how you're feeling, even if you feel abandoned by God, tell Him. If you're like most others who become impatient with how slowly you feel God seems to be answering your prayers, tell Him that also. The disciples waited until there arose a great storm on the sea before calling on Jesus.

As in our lives sudden storms appear without warning, and if we're not accustomed to talking with the Lord about everything in our lives we will panic and most likely make the wrong decision. Think about it, many believers find find that when they determine to follow the Lord, they almost always encounter great obstacles.
Now, when facing trials, first make sure you haven't brought them on yourself through sin or unwise choices. If you find no sin to confess or unwise behavior to change, ask God to strengthen you for your test. Finally, be careful to follow faithfully wherever the Holy Spirit leads you.

Remember a few weeks back I shared with you that temptation will often come after a high point in our spiritual lives or ministries. Satan will choose the times of his attacks, normally when we are vulnerable. God should be the very first place that we turn when facing struggles or dilemmas. What happens when we choose to go our own way, we get ourselves into a jam. Have you ever wondered , when are we going to get it. Trying to control our own lives without God's help leads to struggle and confusion. Don't feel that your problems will keep you from God. He is always ready to help. We should never allow our fear to keep us from approaching him. FAITH THAT ISN'T PUT INTO ACTION IS NOT FAITH AT ALL.
( Remember that we can always approach the Father).

Until Next Time...

Jim

" EXAMPLE, WHO ME "

An "EXAMPLE" IS WHEN WE FORM A MODEL, TO BE FOLLOWED OR AVOIDED.

We are told that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time, Noah walked with God. What kind of example are you and are you being an influence on others VS. being influenced by others? The world that we live in now is pretty much the same as it was in Noah's time, we live in a world filled with evil.
Gen. 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty"; WALK BEFORE ME, AND BE BLAMELESS.

We are shown in the Word that those you lead will not always follow our example but that, should not effect the way you live for God. The Word consequently is a clue that what follows is important! As Born Again Believers ("Christians") we must not live with our own selfish agenda. Others will mirror our example, as we have a duty to them to live for Christ.
Here is a catechism for you, does your example make it easier for others to believe in and follow Christ, and to mature in him? Or would those who follow you end up disconcerted and misguided?

Friends to rise above the influence of poor models, we must seek better ones. Jesus provides us a perfect model. No matter how you were raised or who has influenced your life, you can move beyond those limitations by taking Christ as your example and consciously trying to live as he did.

Until next time, be the example I know that you can be.

Jim