Spiritual State

We don’t decide the day of our death any more than we decided the day of our birth. But we do determine the spiritual state we’ll be in when we die. God wants us to be close to Him. God wants us in friendship and fellowship and intimacy with Him. But it’s our choice whether to have a relationship with the Lord or not to have a relationship with Him. We must choose wisely so that we finish well. 

[Greg Laurie]

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Joshua 24:15 ...  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Deuteronomy 30:19 ... I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

2 Timothy 4:7-8 ... I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. ❤

It's Not Your Battle!!

The encounter between David and Goliath is one of the best-known stories in all of Scripture. In fact, it’s so well-known that it’s become a cliché. Today, any contest that involves an underdog is invariably referred to as a “David versus Goliath battle.” The irony is that, strictly speaking, there’s no such thing as a David versus Goliath battle. No such fight ever occurred. David himself said so when he went out to meet the giant on the battlefield. “And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:47 NLT)

It wasn’t David’s battle; it was the Lord’s battle. David didn’t defeat Goliath; the Lord did. One reason David was chosen to represent God on the battlefield is that he was humble enough to recognize and acknowledge that truth. He was also wise enough not to rely on his own strength and skills when faced with a ridiculously powerful opponent. That’s an important takeaway from this story because we are living in a critical time right now. I think all of us can agree that the devil is working overtime. He knows his days are numbered. He knows his judgment is certain. So, he is doing everything he can to wreak havoc until the day he faces his judgment. That means we, as the targets of his attacks, must stay battle-ready. Not to fight him using our own strength and tactics, but to stay close to the Lord so that we can call on His power and wisdom. The apostle Paul wrote, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So, remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see” (Romans 13:12–13 NLT). 

Before we put on our spiritual armor, we need to cast off the works of darkness. We need to be done with the compromising life. We need to be done with trying to live in two different worlds. We need to get busy living as Christian soldiers. No matter how much the devil tries to trip us up, our Commander-in-Chief will lead us to victory if we stay close to Him. Remember, “The battle is the Lord’s.” You will never get in over your head if you let God fight your spiritual battles. The battle cry, the cry of victory, went forth from the cross as Jesus hung suspended between Heaven and earth, with nails in His hands and feet. In triumph, He cried out, “It is finished!” Those three words reverberated through Heaven and Hell. Every demon likely heard them. So, now we can stand in the victorious strength of Jesus. We can fight for Him as He works through us, marching on, taking ground for the kingdom. 

[Greg Laurie]

Ephesians 6:11 ...  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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Time to Pray!!

As the war in Iran rages on, experts are warning that World War III may be closer than ever. Scientists have moved the Doomsday Clock to just 85 seconds before midnight the closest it has ever been to symbolic global catastrophe.

Not surprisingly, fear and anxiety are surging. Among adults under 30, depression rates have nearly doubled since 2017. Almost one in five American adults experienced an anxiety disorder last year alone. Millions are glued to their phones, doomscrolling, constantly looking down, absorbing one alarming headline after another.

But Jesus told us to do something very different. He said, “When you see these things begin to happen, look up, for your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)

In other words... don’t panic. Look up.

Don’t panic. Pray.

[Greg Laurie]

Philippians 4:6-7 ... Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ❤

Charles Frazier Stanley

Charles Stanley went to Heaven. He made his mark on this world for the Gospel and his incredible teaching of God’s Word. I like so many others were blessed by hearing his messages on the radio and TV and he was a trusted voice we have all been encouraged by. It was my privilege to meet Dr. Stanley in person in Charlotte, North Carolina at the funeral for Billy Graham. He was warm and gracious. No doubt, he has already heard Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Charles Stanley will be greatly missed. 

[Greg Laurie]

Charles Stanley was a good man who loved God, followed Christ and kept his faith unto the end. That’s all that matters. He kept his faith unto the end. Grace covers a multitude of sins, even questionable theology. 

[Christopher Gregory] 

What a glorious homecoming Dr. Stanley is getting to experience now! God has truly called him home after a lifetime of faithful service. 

[In Touch Ministries]

Charles Stanley 1932-2023

Matthew 25:21 ... His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ❤

John Lennon

John Lennon was tragically shot and killed in NYC 41 years ago. John was a supremely gifted singer/songwriter and leader of the legendary rock band, The Beatles. John was abandoned by both his mother and father and was on a search since his childhood. His song with the Beatles, "Help!" was just that. A cry for help from a searching young man. 

John is remembered for many things, such as saying that the "Beatles were more popular then Jesus".  But here is something you may not know about him. John made a profession of faith to follow Jesus Christ. His diary was filled with entries about it and he even wrote at least two Gospel-themed songs. He did appear to walk away from it later, but did he ever stop believing in Jesus? I don't know. 

John's last record was titled, "Double Fantasy". In one song that did not make it on the LP called "Help Me To Help Myself" John wrote “So I'm asking this question in the hope that you'll be kind 'Cause I know deep inside I was never satisfied, oh no, no Lord, help me, Lord, Please, help me, Lord, yeah yeah yeah.”  

After John was shot, he was driven to the hospital in a police car. He was still conscious. Did John call out to Jesus in those last moments of his life on earth? Again, I don't know. But if he did, God heard his prayer and answered it. 

I believe There will be three big surprises when we get to Heaven. Some of the people we thought would be there won’t be. Some of the people we never thought would be there will be. And surprise number three, because of God’s faithful promises, you and I will also be there. 

 [Greg Laurie] 

 (This Annie Liebowitz photo was taken on the morning John died)

Galatians 6:8 ... For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.❤

Sophisticated Imitations

In 2011, news outlets reported that a number of fake Apple Stores had been discovered in Kunming, China. The stores apparently looked exactly like Apple Stores, right down to the shirts the employees wore. But the stores weren’t real. They were impressive imitations. 

In the same way, we have people in the church today just like that. They look like Christians. They talk like Christians. We assume they’re Christians. But in reality, they’re sophisticated imitations of the real thing. The Bible tells us that in the last days, we’ll see more and more people like this. The apostle Paul wrote, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1–5 NKJV). 

We need to realize that church can be a dangerous place. Now, if you go to church for the right reasons, it’s a safe place. If you come to worship God, hear the Word of God, and have a desire to walk with the Lord, then church is like an oasis where you can be refreshed, replenished, and rebuilt. But if you go to church to play a religious game and just go through the motions, then church is a dangerous place. That’s because every time you hear the gospel and don’t respond, your heart can become hard. The best inoculation against the gospel is the gospel, heard but not heeded.  

[Greg Laurie]  

Hebrews 3:12 ...  Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

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Outward Appearance.

 Don't judge a book by it's cover.

[Idiom 1944]

[Greg Laurie interview with Alice Cooper]

1 Samuel 16:7 ... But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Food.

As a Christian, I am not better or superior to any other person. I’m just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. 

 [Greg Laurie]

John 6:35 ... And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Mark 16:15 ... And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.❤

Homesick For Heaven

Have you ever been to a really beautiful place that stayed with you long after you returned home? Maybe you have a picture of it as your screensaver, and you just sit and gaze at it. You love that place.  That is how Paul felt about heaven. He longed for it.

Paul had already been to heaven at this point. At one time in his life, we don't know when, he was killed and went to the third heaven. 

2 Corinthians 12:3-4 ... And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Having experienced the sounds and sights of heaven, Paul was homesick. This doesn't mean that Paul had a death wish. He just knew that when he died, it was ultimately a promotion.

When Paul said that he had "a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better" the word he used for depart is an interesting one. One way it is translated from Greek is "to strike the tent." It's the idea breaking camp. On more than one occasion, the Bible compares the human body to a tent. And one thing we know about tents is they are not meant to last forever. So why did Paul say this was far better? It's because he was moving from a tent to a mansion.

When Christians die, they go straight to heaven, because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The moment they take their last breath on earth, they take their first breath in heaven.

[Greg Laurie]

Philippians 1:22-23 ...  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Philippians 1:21 ...  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

2 Corinthians 5:8 ... We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.❤

Songs in The Night

Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night and had a Christian song or a worship chorus going through your mind? If so, then that tells me you are laying up the things of God in your heart. Instead of waking up with the latest pop music in your head, you are thinking of a Christian song or maybe a Scripture verse. That is a song in the night God has given you.

When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi, at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

The word "listening" used here is significant. In the original language, it means to listen very, very carefully. Another way to translate it is "they listened with pleasure." There are some things that aren't a pleasure to listen to — they are painful, like fingernails on a chalkboard. But this was pleasurable, like when your favorite song comes on the radio and you turn it up. Oh, I love this song! This is a great song! That is how the prisoners were listening.

I doubt they had ever heard anyone sing in that dungeon before. And I think the simple fact that they were singing at all in such a place was a powerful testimony. It was a platform for evangelism. You see, you can talk about trusting God in adversity, but when someone sees it in action in your life, there is an undeniable authenticity. It is a powerful witness. Worship can be a powerful tool for a nonbeliever to be exposed to.

When you are in pain, the midnight hour is not the easiest time for a worship service. But God can give you songs in the night. And never doubt it: people will be listening.

 

 

[Greg Laurie]

 

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Psalm 42:8 ...Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

 

 

Acts 16:25 ...And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

 

 

 

Mark 7:16 ...  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.  ❤

Redeem The Time

Let's say that one day your phone rang and it was the president of the bank that you use. He told you that an anonymous donor who loved you very much had decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your bank account each and every morning.

At first, maybe that didn't seem like a lot.  But then you figured out that it was $864 a day. At seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, those pennies add up to almost $315,000 each year! But the bank president added one thing: "The anonymous giver said you must spend all of the money on the day you receive it! No balance will be carried over to the next day. Each evening the bank must cancel whatever sum you failed to use! Remember, what you don't spend is lost."

That may sound like fantasy, but here's the reality:

Every morning, Someone who loves you very much deposits into your "bank of time" 86,400 seconds, which represent 1,440 minutes, which of course equals 24 hours each and every day. God gives you that much to use each day. Nothing is ever carried over on credit to the next day.  There is no such thing as a 27-hour day.  It's called time, and you can't escape it. Time is ticking away right now. The Bible tells us to "redeem the time"— to make sacred and wise use of every opportunity.

 

Offer God your treasure, your talent, and your time. Live this next year as if it were your last, because it could be. Make those minutes count!

 

[Greg Laurie]

 

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Ecclesiastes 5:15-17 ... See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.


Romans 6:13 ... Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.


Ephesians 5:2 ... And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.❤

 

 

Sacrificial Praise

Praise and worship can sometimes be a sacrifice, because we don’t want to do it. That might be because we are depressed or because things aren’t going well. But the Bible does not say we are to give thanks to the Lord because we feel good. It says, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good."

[Greg Laurie]

Psalm 107:1 ...  O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 27:6 ... And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

Hebrews 13:5 ... By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ... In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.❤

Hope of a Christian

The hope of a Christian is a quiet confidence. It is a supernatural certainty.

And where do we find this hope?  In the pages of Scripture.  Paul reminds us that the Scriptures were written to "give us hope."

So put your hope in God today. He will never disappoint.

[Greg Laurie]

Romans 15:4 ...  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Psalm 31:24 ... Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

1 Timothy 6:17 ... Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

Lamentations 3:24 ... The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.❤

With Him

It is better to be in a storm with Jesus than to be anywhere else without Him. I would rather be in a fiery furnace with Jesus than in a palace without Him. I would rather be in a lion's den with Jesus, or in a prison, or even shipwrecked, than to be elsewhere without Him. As long as I know Jesus is there, then I can get through it.

[Greg Laurie]

Psalm 27:1 ... The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Acts 27:22 ... And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

John 16:33 ... These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.❤

Do You Have Room?

If you are a Born-Again Christian: Consider yourself favored by God's undeserved grace. Most today have no room for Christ still.

[Greg Laurie]

Luke 2:6-7 … And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ♥