Is Hell Real?

Hell exists, and everyone deserves it. When we understand God for who He is as perfectly holy, we immediately see not only who He is, but who we are utterly sinful. Some speak of hell as the absence of God, but hell is not the absence of God absolutely; indeed, it is the presence of God in wrath. Hell is the presence of God the righteous wrath of God, as unbelievers suffer the torments of their ruinous sin forever. 

The point is this: a penitent murderer goes to heaven; an impenitent orphanage founder goes to hell. All of our badness does not make us harder to save. All of our goodness does not make us easier to save. The world tends to believe that heaven is for the good, and hell is for the bad. The Bible teaches that heaven is for the penitent, and hell is for the impenitent however good or bad anyone has been. Jesus had no hesitation warning the crowds of the horrors of hell, because He, more than anyone, saw the true frightfulness of it. No one who ever lived will receive injustice from God. Some will receive mercy. The rest will receive justice. 

No one is ever treated by God unfairly. (Genesis 18:25) We tend to think that the default destiny of all people is heaven, and that hell is reserved for the particularly wicked. But in truth our default destiny is hell, and heaven is reserved for those who honestly admit their wickedness and look to Christ alone for salvation. More than likely, in the next few days, within a few miles of the spot where you are sitting right now, someone will descend into hell. We are not any further from hell if we've lived a moral life. 

We are not any closer to hell if we've lived an immoral life. Heaven is not for the deserving. It is for the repentant. Hell is not for the undeserving. It is for the unrepentant. Hell is filled with people who think they should be in heaven. Heaven is filled with people who know they should be in hell. The astonishing surprise is not that there is only one way to get to heaven. The astonishing surprise is that there is any way to get to heaven for miserable sinners such as us. 

[Dane Ortlund] 

Ephesians 2:3-5 ... Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

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From Outsider to Heir

To many, “heir” sounds like a distant promise, something waiting for us once we reach heaven, but for the believer, being a joint heir means the family business is ours to walk in today. An heir is someone whose identity and resources are defined by their father, and an heir doesn’t just receive something later. They carry the Father’s authority and the weight of His name, and when the heir spoke, it was understood that the Father stood behind that word. You do not have to beg for access to God’s presence or His power. 

You have been given the keys to the kingdom, and being a joint heir with Christ means there is no tiered system in God’s family. You are not on the outside looking in. You share in the same Spirit and the same authority Jesus walked in, and you have been brought into His household, His mission, and His inheritance, not someday but right now. Outsider to heir, this is the identity you carry in Christ.

[Nichole and Jaime Northcraft]

Romans 8:16–17 ...  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. ❤

A Biblical Warning!

The Bible warned us long before hookup culture, dating apps, and the sexual programming of society. It's not poetry. That’s a WARNING. And Solomon doubled down. This isn’t just about one woman. This is about a system. A system that weaponizes lust. A system that uses desire to drain men spiritually, mentally, financially. A system that turns pleasure into a trap door. 

Notice the language: Steps gradual compromise House a place you willingly enter Chambers of death levels, not instant destruction.  They don’t drag you to hell. They invite you. Seduction is never loud. It’s soft. It’s flattering. It feels good, until you realize you’re empty, addicted, broken, and spiritually numb. 

This is why: marriage is mocked modesty, is attacked discipline, is ridiculed men are weakened through lust because a distracted man is a controllable man. Solomon wasn’t anti-women. He was anti-destruction. And the same trap he warned about thousands of years ago is now monetized, normalized, and celebrated. 

Ask yourself: Why is lust pushed everywhere? Why does it always lead to loss? Why does pleasure come first, and consequences later? 

Because hell never looks like hell at the door. 

Stay sharp. Guard your eyes. Protect your spirit. 

[Robert Johnson]

Proverbs 5:5 ... Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

Proverbs 7:27 ...  Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

1 John 2:16 ... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ❤

Unbelief of Zacharias

Zacharias was so much astonished at the message of the angel, that he wanted to see some sign or miracle to prove that the angel came from God. Why was it wrong in Zacharias to desire a sign? Because he had already had one. The glorious appearance of the angel, which had filled him with fear, was a sufficient sign. God does not wish us to believe things without any proof. If he were to send a prophet to speak to us, he would give us some sign to show us that the prophet really came from him. When Moses spoke to the Israelites in Egypt, he gave them two signs; his rod was turned into a serpent, and his hand was made white with the leprosy. (Exodus 4) 

God is angry when men will not believe, after he has given them a sign. It was sinful in Zacharias not to believe after he had seen the glorious angel.  Thus, we find that though he was righteous before God, he was still subject to sin. Unbelief is a great sin; for it is an insult to the truth of God.  The angel rebuked the unbelieving priest, saying, "You shall be speechless." This gentle chastisement would at once remove the doubts of Zacharias and remind him of his sin. In this way, God deals with his own people, when they forget what a great God He is.  Zacharias at length came out of the temple. It was now expected that he should bless the people in those beautiful words recorded in Numbers 6:24-27, beginning, "May the Lord bless you and keep you;" but he could not speak, and he made signs to show the people what he had seen in the temple. 

Each division of priests remained to serve in the temple from one Sabbath to the next; in a few days, therefore, Zacharias returned to his own house among the hills. What a history he had to unfold to Elizabeth! For he was able to inform her in writing. What a proof she beheld of the power of God in the silence of her husband! We should take notice of God's dealings with others. "Whoever is wise, and will observe these things, even he shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." (Psalm 107:43) How humbly and gratefully Elizabeth behaved on this occasion! She acknowledged the goodness of the Lord in having condescended to look upon her affliction; for she had been exposed to much reproach on account of having no child. 

When troubles are removed, we are apt to overlook the Lord's merciful hand! Perhaps we have been suffering under some trial; the unkindness of a relative, the dread of sickness, or the pressure of poverty God removes the trial, and we forget how much it weighed us down before, and so we omit to thank the Lord heartily. A holy minister named Rutherford, in one of his letters, written two hundred years ago, says, that one of the things which most showed him his own wickedness by nature, was his feeling more disposed to call upon the Lord in trouble, than to thank him when delivered. Let us think over the things that troubled us a few years ago and bless the hand which has lightened our load. 

[F. L. Mortimer]

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Love is Best Understood Through the Cross

The cross was certainly the most visible act of God’s love towards us. It was also planned. It wasn’t an accident. I think sometimes people think that Jesus was this man on earth and he was kind of like a leaf on a river and got carried to and from and somehow ended up on the cross, got lucky and paid for everyone’s sin, or maybe unlucky, depending on how you look at that. That’s not actually what it was. Yes, people made choices and decisions that resulted in Christ going to the cross, but the decision made before the world was created was that Christ would go to the cross to pay for sin, so what we see is this act of love on the cross was intentional. It was planned. 

Also though, the cross was about God, primarily. We often think of the cross as being about us. Now, we are beneficiaries of the work that was done there, but the cross, first and foremost, was God glorifying himself in the creation of a people for himself, doing something only he could do. So, when we want to understand love let’s understand that its planned, it’s about God, but it’s also about people. It’s about us. The cross is the way in which God shows his love for us, so love has a God-facing component, it often has a man- or woman-facing component, but the cross was also sacrificial. It was undeserved and costly. 

The last point is that it was an objective good. God said the cross was good. God said the cross accomplished his plan, so love is something that has a right answer. It has a God-grounded right answer, so the things we can learn just briefly by looking at the cross: Love is planned, love is about God, love is about man, love is sacrificial, and there is a right answer to this question, but love is best understood through the cross.

[Excerpt from First Baptist Church New Smyrna Beach Fl.)

John 3:16 ... For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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.

Romans 5:8 ... But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.❤

When a True Christian Sins, What Happens?

When a True Christian sins, what happens? 

 1. His Fellowship with God is severed. David, when backslidden, mourned, “Day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.” (Psalm 32:4) As clouds hide the sun for days, so sin comes between the soul and God. 

 2. The Joy of salvation is lost. One loses all relish for spiritual things: the heart is empty. David, in this condition, confessed, “My sin is ever before me” and “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit.” (Psalm 51:3, 12) 

3. Power for service is lost. The Holy Spirit’s power is essential for any real witness for Christ. It cannot be faked. David prayed, “Thou desirest truth in the inward parts” and “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:6, 10)

4. The Christian invites divine chastisement. Hebrews 12:6-7 says “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. What son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” Psalm 89:32-33 says “I will visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.” 

 5. There is loss of reward. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) Out of Fellowship means out of Service out of service means that one is failing to lay up treasures in heaven. He is building of “wood, hay, and stubble” which cannot endure the test of the rewarding day. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) Many will be chagrined in that day by suffering Loss of Reward. 

Take the Way Back Now. 

[Keith Brooks]

Psalm 32:5 ... I  acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

1 John 1:9 ... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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The Unconverted

The problem with conservative churches is not that they lack members. The problem is that many of those members are not converted. 

Millions of members of evangelical churches are absent from worship services each Sunday and are equally absent from Christian living during the rest of the week. 

Biblical illiteracy and unethical conduct by Christians seem to be on the rise. Many people who attend are indifferent to the truths of Christianity, and others are divisive, even mean-spirited. 

[Paul House]

Ephesians 4:18 ... Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

2 Corinthians 6:14 ...  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Romans 8:9 ... But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.❤

Christmas ~ A Personal Promise

Jesus fulfilled Messianic prophecy when He came to earth, and that’s the reason we can trust Him in everything.

If someone’s birth was predicted thousands of years ahead of time and then announced by a heavenly host on the night of his arrival, wouldn’t you consider this event extremely significant in human history? Yet for too many people, Christmas is simply a time for festive parties, decorated trees, and wrapped presents. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with these expressions unless they replace the real significance of the celebration. The truth is, Christmas is more than an event; it’s a promise offered to mankind, and it originated long before that first Christmas night. In fact, God planned this entire event before the foundation of the world. He foreknew the coming child and all the details of His birth, life, and death.

[Charles Stanley]

 Read more here: Christmas: A Personal Promise

1 Peter: 19-21 ... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. ❤

The Sins of The Saints

Bernard of Clairvaux once mentioned an old man who, upon hearing about any professing Christian who fell into sin, would say to himself: "He fell today; I may fall tomorrow!" The apostle Paul commended the same mindset when he wrote, "let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12) 

There is great wisdom in not trusting our own ability to stand. When I was a boy, my father would often say, "The person I trust least of all is myself." It should shock us to hear a professing Christian say, "I would never do that," or "How could anyone do that?" Consider the following: 

If Adam, an innocent man, could choose a piece of fruit over the infinitely valuable God (Genesis 3:6);  if Noah, the most righteous man of his day, could get so drunk that he passed out naked before his sons in his tent (Genesis 9:21);  if Abraham, the most faithful man of his day, could father a child with his wife's handmaiden (Genesis 16:1-4) and twice hand his wife over to other men (Genesis 12:11-15; 20:1-2);  if Sarah, the mother of promise, could laugh at the words of the God of promise and then lie to Him about doing so (Genesis 18:9-15);  if "righteous Lot" could greedily pick the most materialistic and sexually depraved place for himself and his family to live (Genesis 13:8-13), and could hand his daughters over to the sexually perverse men of the city (Genesis 19:4-8);  if Isaac, the son of promise, could show partiality to his oldest son because he liked his hunting skills (Genesis 25:28), and he, too, could hand his wife over to another man (Genesis 26:6-11); and if Jacob, the namesake of Israel, could swindle his brother for a birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), then so could I. 

If Moses, the meekest man on the planet, could act in such sinful anger and unbelief that God would not let him into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:7-12);  if his successor Joshua, could disobediently covenant with pagans (Joshua 9);  if Gideon, the mighty man of valor, could fall into idolatry at the end of his life (Judges 8:22-27); and if Samson, the strongest man who ever lived, could be defeated by wine and women (Judges 14-16), then so could I. if David, the man after God's own heart, could commit adultery and premeditate the murder of one of his mighty men (2 Samuel 11);  if Solomon, the wisest man, could foolishly allow his heart to be led astray by a thousand women to worship foreign gods (1 Kings 11);  if Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, could charge God with deceiving His people (Jeremiah 4:10); and if Elijah, a prophet of Israel, could self-righteously run from the mission of God (Jonah 1-3), then so could I. 

 If John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, could doubt the identity of the One to whom he bore witness (Matthew 11:2-3); and if the Apostle Peter could try to stop Jesus from going to the cross (Matthew 16:21-23), deny Jesus (Luke 22:54-61), argue with the Lord about the gospel and its implications (John 13:6-10; Acts 10:9-16), and support division in the church over the doctrine of justification by faith alone (Galatians 2:11-21), then so could I. 

If James and John could use Jesus to get to the top (Mark 10:35-37) and could want to call fire down from Heaven on those who did not believe the gospel (Luke 9:51-55); and if the Apostle John could twice fall down to worship angels (Revelation 19:9-10; Revelation 22:8-9), then so could I. 

We must resist the temptation of thinking that we can stand in our own strength. We must depend on the grace of the One who said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The greatest believers are subject to great weaknesses. In no way do these truths give a license to sin; instead, they give a sober realization that by nature, "nothing good dwells in us." (Romans 7:18) 

We must distrust ourselves, bear with the weak, and hold fast to Christ. We must flee to our Great High Priest, who was tempted in all points as we are, yet never sinned. We must go to Him for grace and mercy to withstand temptations, and we must go to Him for grace and mercy if we fall.

[Nick Batzig]  

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1 Corinthians 15:10 ...  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Psalm 119:117 ...  Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. ❤

I Am Poor and Needy!

O my soul, sit down and reckon up your unsearchable riches in Christ! By nature, and practice, I am a child of a bankrupt father, Adam, who lived insolvent and died wretchedly poor in himself, having left only an inheritance of sin, misery, and death, with the loss of divine favor, upon the whole race of his children! By nature, and by practice, I am poor in the sight of God, despised by Him because of my loathsome disease of sin! In myself, my understanding is darkened, my will is depraved, my passions are corrupt. 

I am proud and rebellious against God. I am a slave of Satan, a willing captive in his drudgery! I am daily hastening to deserved damnation! Such, my soul, was my state by nature; and such, and far worse, would have been my state forever had not Jesus intervened, looked upon me, and loved me when I was cast out to perish, with no eye to pity me or rescue me from eternal ruin. 

O my soul, I can now say: "Though I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me!" Oh, blessed Jesus! You do indeed think upon me, provide for me, and have given me the grace to see and to feel my spiritual poverty, need, and misery and to live wholly upon You and Your alms, from day to day. Lord Jesus! I would be poor; I would be needy. I would feel more and more my nothingness, worthlessness, poverty, and wretchedness that You may be increasingly precious, and Your salvation increasingly dear. 

Oh, for grace, as a poor needy debtor, daily to increase the awareness of my sin so that my conscious need of You and Your fullness, may be increasingly blessed. Let my daily motto be: "As for me, I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me!" 

[Robert Hawker] 

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Ephesians 1:3 ... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Psalm 40:17 ... But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. ❤

Spiritual Power

The secret to Spiritual Power is not a secret. It can only be discovered in The Secret Place of The Most High, abiding under the shadow of The Almighty. Dwelling (living, remaining there consistently) in the secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

When you come to a place in your life where you’re tired of people ‘performing’ and calling it church. When the gifts of the Spirit start operating in services again. When people are getting SET FREE from demonic oppression and getting up out of wheelchairs again. When we hunger for God’s presence more than our next breath. When we hunger for His word more than our necessary food. And when we cry out for the needs of others before our own needs, and lay aside bitterness, malice, and wrath and learn to forgive. When we start to pray again, and repent for our sins, and turn from our wicked ways. Then, we will see God’s Spirit poured out upon us, He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Revival begins in our hearts, not at a revival meeting because someone called it that but because that’s how God said it’s going to happen.

It’s time for the church to Arise, Shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you; And His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles (unsaved) shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

[Mark Pothier]

Isaiah 60:1-3 ... Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

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"Blessed is The Man..."

Christian! These are some of your choice spiritual blessings: 

Election by the father. Redemption by the son. Regeneration by the Spirit. Justification by faith. Forgiveness of every sin. Reconciliation with God. Adoption into God's family. Glorification and eternal life in Heaven! 

Ponder the 'names' given to believers in the Scriptures: 

"Sons of God," "children of light," "children of obedience," "children of promise," "children of the living God," "children of the resurrection," "children of their Father in Heaven!" 

While the whole world besides is: 

 "Children of the devil," "children of darkness," "children of disobedience," "children of the wicked one," "children of Hell," "children of wrath!" 

Consider some of the believer's prospects in the eternal world: 

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God! He shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." (Revelation 21:3-4) 

While to all others, there is nothing but: 

"a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries!" Consider the unbeliever's prospects in the eternal world: in outer darkness, in the lake of fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is never quenched, where the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever, where there is no rest day or night, with Satan and his demons, in the furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

Psalm 1:1-6 ...  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Ephesians 1:3 ... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ❤

The Sin of Lying

A minister told his congregation, “Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17.” 

The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. 

The minister smiled and said, “Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying.” ツ

 [from the Internet] 

Proverbs 12:22 ...  Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.

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The Best Shape!

I’m a little suspicious of those commercials where some 50-year-old fella claims to be in the best shape of his life. But maybe that’s just because I’m not. I can still run a few miles, and I can bike a few more. But I’m not nearly as strong as I used to be. Maybe that’s a good thing. The weaker I become, the more I rely on Jesus. And the more I rely on Jesus, the more I realize how weak I really am. And the more I realize my weakness, the more I depend on His strength. 

Once we were dead in our sin.  It doesn’t get a lot weaker than that. "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved! So, you and I don’t have to regret the fact that we’re not as strong, or as fast, or as pretty as we once were. Now we can boast about our weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through us. 

In Christ, we really are in the best shape of our lives. 

 [Scott Underwood] 

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Ephesians 2:1 ... And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:4-5 ... But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

2 Corinthians 12:9 ... And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ❤

All That Occurs ...

Upon the whole history of this solemn event, is stamped the record of the absolute sovereignty of God. It is not an enemy who has done this! God is sovereign, and this is the hand of God! All that occurs in His wide empire, from the falling of a leaf to the extinction of a race; from the death of a sparrow to the blotting out of a star; is only the fiat of Him, who is from everlasting-to-everlasting God whose counsel shall stand and who will do all His good pleasure. There is a God who reigns in the earth! Affliction does not come forth from the dust; neither does trouble spring out of the ground" but "the Lord God omnipotent reigns!" (Revelation 19:6)

God is sovereign on His throne! All the powers and processes of nature are but the ministers who do His pleasure. Rising above the roaring of the ocean, above the moaning of the blast, above even the shrieks of drowning men is heard the solemn voice of the Almighty, saying in tones of overwhelming majesty, "Be still and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10)  

Let us enthrone above these scenes of apparent disorder and arbitrary infliction a Sovereign God, a God of wisdom, a God of power, a God of love, who sees the end from the beginning, and orders all things according to the counsel of His will and here at least we have an anchorage for Faith, a place where she can cling, and look up amid the jarring elements, and say, Even so, Father, for so it seems good in Your sight!

Who would not prefer, if called on to submit uncomplainingly and absolutely to the most trying circumstances and dealings that these should be ordered by a wise, just and good Being one whose infinite wisdom enabled Him to devise the best things, whose infinite power enabled Him to accomplish them, and whose infinite goodness disposed Him to exert that power. Who would not choose that a father's hand should pour the bitter cup which he was to drink even to the dregs? 

Oh! to be taught that a Sovereign God rides upon the billows and directs the storms which have swept all our idols away and left us beggared and forlorn is a lesson worth to the tried and tempted soul of man, all that it costs to learn it. To my own mind this fearful event in all its horrors is full of teaching on that great point which lies at the foundation of all religion, but which men are so constantly prone to forget that there is a Sovereign God in the heavens before whom all must bow, and to whom all must give account! 

[Ebenezer Rogers]

Daniel 4:25 ... That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. ❤

How Much Time is Wasted!

How valuable is time! God has given it to us only minute by minute to show us how precious a thing it is that He grants in these small drops. How soon is time over! How short is the longest life! And yet time is given to prepare for eternity! As we spend our time so shall we spend eternity! The question "Where shall I spend eternity?" must be decided in time. 

When eternity begins, it will be too late. Time is given us to serve the Lord in. Time is given us to repent in and to believe the gospel. Time is given us to do our duty in our station. Time is given us to do good to others. How much time is wasted! Idle gossip from house to house, too much attention to dress, and foolish reading are so many things to waste precious time! 

But there is one idea I would like you to have, one thought that I trust the Spirit may write and keep in all our hearts for Satan and the world would wish us to think far otherwise. This is it: Time is given us to prepare for eternity! I am answerable to God for my use or abuse of time. Let us pray to God to give us grace to spend our time in His service, in doing our duty in our day and generation, and in preparing for the life to come. Then, when time shall be over, we shall enter upon a glorious eternity through Christ our Lord. The ungodly and the careless will then wish, when wishing will be vain that they had in like manner devoted their time to God. 

What would the lost sinners give at the last, for one short day! Oh, then, be wise now. Be wise in time. Consider your ways and prepare for a life that shall never end! 

[Elizabeth Hasell] 

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1 Corinthians 7:29 ... But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

Psalm 90:12 ... So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Revelation 1:3 ... Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.❤

A Snake.

When a snake can't get to you or your ministry because of the anointing that rests on your life, they shoot their VENOM poisoning people against you. The very ones that used to be in fellowship with you before the snake got to them will give you a cold shoulder based on what they heard from the snake and not what they heard from you. 

A poisonous snake will sit back and watch you from a distance to see if you're going to fail until they see you're STILL standing no matter what they do, say, throw, cast, it didn't work! That's when they attack your character, integrity, and your ministry. They bring up your past as if you're still living there! 

If they can't kill you, they'll try to kill your name causing people to not fellowship with you! Kill the snake by disconnecting from it. Why? Because the more poison it speaks into your ears, the more powerful it is in your life. 

 [Stephen Hoell]

Ephesians 5:11 ...  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. ❤

His Sheep Hear!

Christ's sheep hear His voice. Christ speaks to us in His Word as truly as ever He spoke to His disciples in the days of His flesh and it is the delight of all His people to hear and obey His Word. The inspired volume is to them an inexhaustible source of comfort. They read it, they meditate upon it, they pray over it, they "esteem it more than their necessary food." When they open it, they look up to their Divine Master and say, "Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:9-10) "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of Your law." (Psalm 119:18)  Directions, warnings, precepts, promises are all alike acceptable to them. Everything that conveys to them the mind and will of their Good Shepherd, is received with implicit faith and unreserved obedience. 

Christ's sheep follow His steps. In the written Word they behold the path their Savior trod. Wherever they see the traces of His feet, they endeavor to follow. They inquire not whether the way is arduous and self-denying, or perilous and beset with enemies. All that they desire is to ascertain precisely the path of duty; and then to walk in it with steadiness and perseverance. They follow Jesus regardless of all dangers, indifferent to all the things of this world, and intent only on executing His will; and thither they direct their steps, cultivating in everything the mind that was in Him, (1 Corinthians 2:16) and endeavoring "to walk as He walked." (1 John 2:6)

 [Charles Simeon] 

John 10:27-28 ... My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.❤

Read On!

All earthly things are to be accounted good or evil, only as they concern our eternal state and condition. You will be greatly deceived if you look upon earthly things as they appear in themselves. Then you will call prosperity, and riches and worldly abundance good things. Then you will call poverty and affliction evil things. But consider these things as they relate to eternity, and then poverty may be a mercy, and riches may be a judgment! God may bless you by afflictions, and curse you by prosperity! He may bestow more upon you in allowing you to lack these things, than if He gave all the world's abundance to you. It may be that prosperity may puff up your soul, and make it grow more estranged from God. It may be that adversity may humble you, and bring your soul the nearer unto God, and so conduce more to the eternal good of your soul.  Adversity, in this case, is good; and not prosperity. 

This present life is nothing but a preparation for eternity. All that we here do, or receive, or suffer is in order to eternity; and, therefore, all must be measured by eternity. That is good, which tends to our everlasting happiness be it poverty or misery. Whatever it is that increases our grace, that augments the stock of our heavenly treasure, that promotes the everlasting salvation of our souls that alone is to be esteemed by us as good. What folly is it for men to roll and wallow in the profits and pleasures of this world, and hug them as good things when indeed they are only snares and traps to their souls; and are only given to fatten them for the day of slaughter; and may every moment deliver them up to an eternity of torments, which will be fearfully heightened and enraged by the enjoyment of these things that they account good things! 

Abraham tells Dives that in his lifetime he received his good things; and Lazarus received his evil things. This is a strange providence of God to bestow good things upon a hated Dives, and to inflict evil things upon a beloved Lazarus! But read on! Luke 16:25, But now Lazarus is comforted, and Dives is tormented. Oh, never call Dives' expensive and delicious fare, good things for these end in eternal torment! Never call Lazarus' sores and rags, evil things for these end in everlasting comfort! "No!" might Dives have replied with horror, "When I was clothed in purple and fine linen, I then received evil things! O cursed be all my pomp and riches! I see now the end of my purple linen it was but to wrap me up in redder flames. My sumptuous fare served only to make the never-dying worm the more to feed on me! Oh, happy was the poverty of Lazarus, for he awakened in ease and happiness in Heaven. Then he was the truly happy one, and not I; though I thought myself so. For though I received an abundant measure of worldly things, yet I received no really good things." 

This, within a short time, will be the judgment of all of you, when you come to be judged and sentenced to an unalterable condition for all eternity! Oh, therefore, be persuaded to pass the same judgment upon earthly things now. Hence, if God denies any worldly enjoyment to His redeemed people, He denies it because it is not really good for them; because it will not conduce to their eternal happiness, which is the only rule and measure of earthly things. Psalm 84:11, "The Lord gives grace and glory. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." 

If God withholds anything from you, then you may conclude that it is not a good thing for you to have; but that it would be harmful to grace or glory, had God bestowed it upon you. Will you desire to diminish the least degree of grace or glory for the greatest accumulation of worldly enjoyments? If you would, you have never yet made grace or glory your treasure! 

 [Ezekiel Hopkins]

ƸӜƷ•°*”˜˜”*°•.ƸӜƷ✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.ƸӜƷ✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.ƸӜƷ✫ 

Absolute Predestination!

Without a due sense of predestination, we shall lack the surest and the most powerful inducement to patience, resignation and dependence on God under every spiritual and temporal affliction. How sweet must the following considerations be to a distressed believer!

(1) There most certainly exists an almighty, all-wise and infinitely gracious God.

(2) He has given me in times past, and is giving me at present (if I had but eyes to see it), many and signal intimations of His love to me, both in a way of providence and grace.

(3) This love of His is immutable; He never repents of it nor withdraws it.

(4) Whatever comes to pass in time, is the result of His will from everlasting, consequently:

(5) my afflictions were a part of His original plan, and are all ordered in number, weight and measure.

(6) The very hairs of my head are (every one!) counted by Him, nor can a single hair fall to the ground but in consequence of His determination. Hence:

(7) my distresses are not the result of chance, accident or a fortuitous combination of circumstances, but:

(8) the providential accomplishment of God's purpose, and

(9) designed to answer some wise and gracious ends, nor

(10) shall my affliction continue a moment longer than God sees fit.

(11) He who brought me to it, has promised to support me under it, and to carry me through it.

(12) All shall, most assuredly, work together for His glory and my good, therefore:

(13) "The cup which my heavenly Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?" Yes, I will, in the strength He imparts, even rejoice in tribulation. I will commit myself and the event to Him, whose purpose cannot be overthrown, whose plan cannot be disconcerted; and who, whether I am resigned or not, will still go on to work all things after the counsel of His own will.

[Jerome Zanchius]

Ephesians 1:11 ... In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫