1 Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Good morning! Have you ever wondered if there was a self-help book that would keep you from making the wrong decisions? We especially need one in these days of deception. The Apostle Paul warned Timothy that there would come a time when people would not want to listen to the preaching of the Word and would prefer to listen to someone with a positive message. (2 Timothy 4:3) There are plenty of “preachers” out there who have the Cheshire cat grin and are leading souls to everlasting burning … that’s right, for all eternity! That door to the lake of fire is permanently closed once a person goes there. There will be no relief in sight – no end whatsoever. People fail to think of the repercussions of their sins; but reader, there is coming a time when payment for those sins will have to be made.
The only self-help book out there that has a positive outcome is the Bible, friend. There is no other book that contains truth, everlasting life and peace. The Bible reveals who has the truth, who provides everlasting life and who gives peace; it is Jesus Christ, the Messiah! (John 14:6) He is the only one and the only way!
Furthermore, Jesus is the word of God (John 1:1), we can easily see Him in this verse:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee!!!
So what is the self-help I’m speaking about? It is hiding Jesus and His word in your heart! Jesus’ blood provides forgiveness for our sins. As well, for this born again believer, by speaking God’s words when I am in the middle of temptation, the desire for that sin dissipates and then leaves. This gives me goosebumps! When Jesus’ Spirit comes into the very core of our hearts at salvation, we have the power and ability to say no to sin! Since Jesus is the word of God, we can hide His very words through memorizing or at least remembering the verses that keep us from sin! This is the only way to succeed as a Christian! Stay in the word of God – read your Bible and study! It’s worth re-emphasizing this previous verse:
Psa 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
Thank You, Lord, for the blessed Bible! It is our source of communication from You and with You!
Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Psa 119:7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
I am deeply saddened during these end times because mankind has gone further away from God. The one thing that can bring peace during such turbulent times, is not sought after. Instead, drugs, alcohol, sex and any other imaginings are what people search for to fill the empty hole in their hearts. Only God can fill that empty hole and bring peace and joy.
One of the many names for Jesus Christ is the Word of God. (John 1:1, 1 John 5:7) It is His, God’s, words that are recorded in Scripture. Why would God want His words recorded? His words are not put together like any usual author. This Author inspired great men of God to pen every word that God’s Spirit breathed upon them. There is not even one contradiction in the 66 books. Sadly, only 11% of Americans read the Bible daily! How sad is that?😥😥😥
The quest for knowledge has brought the world further away from God rather than towards God. They seem to forget that a couple more of God’s names are Righteous and Judge. People forget that God will always Judge righteously because that is His nature. Not any one of us is exempt from that judgment because each one of us has sinned. (Psalm 14:3, Psalm 53:3, Romans 3:10)
The more we learn about Jesus Christ, the more we see His righteousness and how this same righteousness is what saved us from eternal separation from God. At death, we will step into one of two places to face eternity. One is in Heaven with God and the other is in a burning Lake of Fire with the devil and his angels.
God did not leave us empty-handed but left us His Righteous Word to find salvation. Our hearts should be filled with joy because of what Christ did for us. We are no longer the servants of the Old Testament but are now His friends!
John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Jesus has outlined in His words from the Father in the Bible and it contains everything we need to know to be saved and to live godly lives. How can we not praise Him? In these extremely uncertain times, we have the answers from God. We can find that peace which surpasses all understanding within the pages of God’s word!
Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Psa 119:5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
This prayer, asking the Father to help us with keeping Jesus’ words alive in our hearts, is the root of this verse. The Word of God (John 1:1), Jesus, can keep us on the right path, my friend. In this end-time chaos and confusion, we can turn to God’s words written for us … especially in times like these! We need to show the world the peace which surpasses all understanding! (Philippians 4:7, Colossians 3:15) The world will wonder (and desire) to have what we have. Who wouldn’t want to have peace in the midst of chaos?
Look at today’s picture … the one thing born-again believers have that unbelievers do not have is a well-illuminated path! God’s Word provides us with a path! (Psalm 119:105)
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
What a prayer – what a promise! Until the day that we are raptured or die, we are promised that the light of God’s Word will shine more and more. Thank You, Father, for providing Your children with the blessed light of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Today’s verse, Psalm 119:5, is a beautiful prayer asking the Father to direct us! Don’t you think that our Father in Heaven would love to hear every one of His children pray this prayer and actually mean it? What parent wouldn’t love to hear their child say, “Mom/Dad, I want every part of my day and every step that I take to be in line with what you have taught me!” Yes, indeed! This would melt any parent’s heart. How much more your Heavenly Father!
Jesus Christ has the words of life, my friend! Our relationship with the Father is as a parent with his child. Jesus’ work on the cross has given us the wonderful opportunity.
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Jesus called His Father, Abba. We, having received the Spirit of adoption, can also cry out to His Father because He is our Father! When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He instructed them with: “Our Father which art in heaven,” (Matthew 6:9). Why did Jesus choose to use “Our Father”? Think about it! He could have said, “My Father”! I can run to the Father just as I did when I was a little girl and ran to my earthly father. Secondly, I can run to Jesus’ Father just as He did! What a comfort this is!
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!
Refrain: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
Thro’ death into life everlasting, He passed, and we follow Him there; O’er us sin no more hath dominion– For more than conqu’rors we are!
His Word shall not fail you–He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
Helen Lemmel
The History Behind the Hymn
Few know, however, this call to fix your eyes on Christ was given by a blind woman!
Born in 1864, Helen Lemmel moved to the United States around the age of twelve. From a young age, her musical ability was noticed by all those around her.
In 1907, She moved to Germany for 4 years to undergo intensive music training. It was here that she would meet her husband. Together, they returned to the United States in 1911. While in America, she served faithfully in the Lord’s work. She dedicated herself to writing, arranging, and teaching songs and hymns of the faith
A few years after her marriage, a tragic illness caused her to lose her vision. Her husband, refusing to attend to a blind wife, left her. This time of hurt and loss weighed heavily upon Helen.
Then, in 1918, Lemmel was introduced to a pamphlet written by Algerian missionary Lilias Trotter. Trotter was a well-known artist who had given up a rising and lucrative career to serve the Lord on the mission field. Her words stirred the heart of Lemmel. She writes, “Suddenly, as if commanded to stop and listen, I stood still, and, singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody…These verses were written…the same week…”
The words that so captivated Helen were these: “How do we bring things to a focus in the world of optics? Not by looking at the things to be dropped, but by looking at the one point that is to be brought out. Turn full your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look…look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him, and the Divine “attrait” by which God’s saints are made…will lay hold of you. For “He is worthy” to have all there is to be had in the heart that He has died to win.”
Helen kept her eyes on the Lord Jesus and continued to serve Him faithfully. She would lead a women’s choral group for many of the Billy Sunday outreaches, teach music at the Moody Bible Institute, and pen over 400 hymns! Her life is a stirring challenge to us all. Hence, it may be said that although blind, her spiritual sight has challenged those of us who can see to keep our eyes fixed on Christ.
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Consider your walk on this earth as a journey in total darkness. Your steps are uncertain and you must feel your way in order not to stumble. Along your journey, you find a flashlight and turn it on! All of a sudden, things are made clearer! The uncertainties of what lies ahead is not so unsettling, is it?
O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!
Message for today
Jesus said He is the light of the world in John 8:12. Today’s hymn depicts this beautifully! It reveals to us that the Saviour, Jesus Christ, is a light in the darkness. But what darkness?
The human heart is filled with wickedness.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
One only has to create a check list of the Ten Commandments and put a checkmark next to each commandment one has broken to discover that Jeremiah had it right.
Jesus says that He is the light of the world. The light of His Gospel reveals to us that He is the Son of God – He is God; He came for one purpose and that was to save us from our sins. He wants to shine truth and salvation into our hearts so we can plainly see our sins and admit we need a Saviour. (John 3:16, John 1:1)
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Every person must realize that there is no way to receive God’s peace through one’s own merit. The light of the Gospel now begins to shine in man’s heart and he looks to God’s Word for redemption. Jesus took our sins and nailed them to the cross because God knew that man could not earn or work his way to Heaven.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Once one recognizes and confesses his own sin and accepts Christ’s redeeming work on the cross, he is born again. A new life is given and that soul is no longer walking in darkness but in the light of the Word of God.
God’s Word will never fail you. Now tell someone else about what God has done for you!
His Word shall not fail you–He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Good morning! Spring has sprung and the temperatures are slowly warming up! This season has always been one that I love to compare with being born-again. The newness of the trees and budding flowers are always a spirit lifter! The Creator of all things “spoke” into being everything you and I look at every single day! Genesis 1:3 beings with “And God said,”!
Joh 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (4) Joh 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Jesus has not left us empty-handed in this world. He gives us His Word to light our way. Have you ever looked at a lighthouse and thought about the Lord Jesus? I sure have! Without these lighthouses, ships would run ashore at night and crash. In this same light, think of your Bible as a lighthouse to your heart and soul!
(Psa 119:105) NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
When I stay at a place I’ve never been to and get up in the middle of the night, I can be sure I’ll stub my toe on something I wasn’t accustomed to having in my path. Everything we go through in life can be compared to this analogy. We don’t know what to expect and so we proceed with caution. But what if you carried a lighthouse with you? I know it sounds silly but think about it for a moment. With its light shining, your path would be illuminated and you’d have a clear picture of which direction to go, amen?
It’s not any different with God’s Word, my friend. Psalm 119:105 is a beautiful picture of God desiring that His children have a “map” or a “lighthouse” to show the way. People need to know the way in order to know where they are going. Our Bible is a literal GPS for man. If we need to know how to be saved, the Bible point us to it. If we want to know about God, the Bible tells us. If we want to know what is going to happen in the end times, the Bible takes us there. It is a spiritual compass which directs us and teaches us. Even a child can learn as he reads the stories laid out in its pages!
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The Lord Jesus doesn’t want us to be in the dark … ever! He gives us clear direction in the Bible so that we can never be lost. His very nature is “light” and He will always point you in the right direction. As we are living in the end times, we are bombarded with the enemy’s efforts at corrupting our world. We are seeing less light and more darkness as the days draw nearer to the Tribulation period. The Bible has everything we need to prepare ourselves, my friend. The Bible repeatedly speaks to us how God doesn’t want us to be ignorant on important topics; one of those topics is Christ’s coming for His Bride, the Church, before the Tribulation begins.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
When you read the Bible, read it with the intention that God is going to be shining and pointing to something that will help you. There is nothing in there that will harm you, friend! All of the Bible is there for our learning and for lighting our path. We are so blessed, especially in these end times! What book can you read where its prophecies all come true? It is not your local palm reader, but the words of the Living God. (John 1:1)
Friend, don’t be willfully ignorant of the end times. (2 Peter 3:5) If you are not born-again, confess your sins and repent of them. The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Good morning, dear Reader! The sunrise is beautiful and the peace and quiet in the house is so welcomed. I realize this has nothing to do with today’s topic but it’s good to remember the days when I was raising my children. It was difficult trying to find a peaceful moment where I could spend time with the Lord. As soon as the light from where I did my devotions gave its glow from the bottom of the kids’ bedroom doors, they would be up! 😂 And when I kept my time with Him after they went to bed, I would fall asleep while reading. Just as there are different phases to our lives, there are different phases to our spiritual lives as well. Some do their devotions outside where they can experience nature all around them. The Lord Jesus created all these things for mankind to enjoy and it is no wonder that we can find Him through His creation! (John 1:10) What phase are you in right now, Reader?
Let’s get back on track, LOL! Today’s prophecy reveals to us that after Jesus’ death on the cross, He went to Abraham’s bosom to show those who died in their faith that He was their long-awaited Messiah (Luke 16:22). Jesus’ body did not decay as all those people who died before Him. David wrote about this in today’s Psalm 16:10.
Prophecy of Messiah Fulfilled:
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Now we see in Acts 2:31, that Peter spoke of David’s prophecy and showed all who were listening how Jesus fulfilled it. This may not excite some readers but it is surely the very foundation of all born-again believers. If Christ had not risen from the dead, our faith would be for nothing! Jesus would be just another prophet and people would still be trying to get to Heaven by trying to live by the Law (Galatians 2:21). However, Jesus did rise from the dead and revealed God’s grace to mankind. All we have to do is believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 3:16). In fact, He IS God (John 1:1).
Do you know Him personally or do you only know of Him? Knowing Jesus personally happens the moment you accept Him as your Saviour, friend! Your heart changes and your sinful nature is replaced by a desire to live for Him. I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Job 19:23-27 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! (24) That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! (25) For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: (26) And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: (27) Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Good morning, reader! Have you ever wondered which book of the Bible is the oldest or which one is the newest? Or who was the person who lived the longest? What I love the most is that I can always seem to find answers to my questions in my Bible. It is the book of knowledge and wisdom according to Proverbs 2:6, amen? God wrote the book through His Holy Spirit (2Peter 1:20-21) and therefore He provides us with both knowledge and wisdom when we read His Word.
Job is said to be the oldest book. Job doesn’t mention Moses and the Law so he probably lived during the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Furthermore, Job offered sanctified his children and offered a burnt offering for all of them. Only the priests did this so Job must have existed prior to the Law.
Just think of this for a moment, Job says how he wished that his words were written and printed in a book! Well they were! More than that, he wanted them written with an iron pen and lead in the ROCK for ever. Jesus is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13) – the Father in Heaven sent His Son to be the Father’s words in the flesh. Jesus is the spoken Word of God (John 1:1, John 1:14, Hebrews 1:3) and His Holy Spirit penned it on paper through His prophets and Apostles. (John 14:26, 2Peter 1:20-21)
Even at this early time in history, Job knew that he would see his Redeemer and that he would partake in the resurrection of life!
Prophecy of Messiah Fulfilled:
John 5:24-29 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (25) Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (26) For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (27) And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (28) Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, (29) And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Doesn’t this give you goosebumps? It sure does for me! These words were recorded for us in the Scriptures so we would be excited about the upcoming resurrection of life for all believers! Unfortunately, there will also be another resurrection: not unto life but unto death! I can’t imagine someone not caring about what happens to them after they die. If they only knew the pain and suffering that awaits them. If you knew that your house would catch on fire during the night on a specific day, wouldn’t you make sure that your smoke detectors were functioning and batteries were new? Of course you would. It’s no different with where you will spend eternity! We have the Bible, which is our smoke detector (no pun intended). In it are the words of eternal life for all who will believe in Jesus Christ, our Saviour! You can find out what that will be like by just reading the Scriptures! All the answers are there!
Do you know Him personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
