Draw Near to GOD....

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...James 4:8

The daily grind of living in this fallen world has a way of dulling our spiritual senses. Instead of longing for deeper intimacy with Jesus, many find their pleasures and fulfillment in the things of this world. The result is~we move from day to day and week to week, robbed of the joy and peace that only a close relationship can give with the Lord Jesus Christ. But the truth is some Christians are satisfied with having a distant relationship with God. From their perspective, God is afar off... in heaven, and has too many others to deal with to worry about them. A prayer may be offered up once in a while but really have no idea how to reach for God and experience that type of relationship that they once thought possible.  What they don't realize is that GOD desires so much more for them! He desires more for you too!

We must maintain a daily communication line with our Saviour daily... through prayer, the Bible and of course there are those nudges, those convictions that He sends in our spirit.  Sometimes there are those unexpected encounters that God sends our way expectantly... at times they are life-changing experiences initiated by God.. we have to keep our spiritual ears open continually and be receptive, so when God speaks we are ready to listen.

We see in The Word of God accounts where he has made interactions with his people. God never changes, he is the same and so he continues to deal the same way with us today in powerful ways.  These experiences are not only for the ministry, for leadership. God wants to daily communicate intimately with all of his children, but too often, too many times we are just too busy to stop and give God an opportunity to speak or us to stop and listen to him.  If you haven't had any encounters here lately that you can recall, then maybe you've tuned him completely out with the sounds and voices of the world.  How much silence do you experience on a typical day? Is there a set time of the day that you have set apart to sit still and know that He is GOD in prayer? Or, are your days filled with commotion so loud that you don't have time to think, from morning to night? Is he Completely drowned out?

You may feel disconnected and distant from the Lord. You don't have to stay away, he is waiting, for he desires that closeness, but you have to draw near to Him, quiet your spirit and listen to His voice that speaks through His Word. Then he can come with that special message, an open line of communication and intimacy...The time to begin drawing near is now, not we you desperately need to hear from Him.  We need an encounter with God! We have to cultivate an intimate relationship with Him, He loves us you so much and wants you to be aware of His Presence.But we have to make ourselves available.  We need to spend time daily reading the scriptures that he has given unto us. Pray and stay tuned and ready to listen to His voice. Ask him to speak to you, to your heart and wait for him to show himself to you, and He will.

MERCY or JUDGEMENT?

2 Peter 2:4-6 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.

I wonder why people today think that God has changed His mind regarding mercy and judgment. As we read in the opening text, God dealt with the ungodly with judgment and the righteous with mercy. I grieve in my spirit each day as I see the multitudes who have been lured into the enemies net of deception. Why are we quick to listen to the things that tickle our ears and please our flesh and then turn around and question the word of God? The explanation is simple. We have allowed our sinful nature to rule our life
because we love pleasure more than commitment, instant gratification more than sacrifice, and we want it right now instead of waiting patiently for God. Ouch!

This is what I believe God has laid on my heart. The word of the Lord has purpose and even though it hurts to hear the truth at times, it is necessary for bringing change. For those who have been seeking and following the Lord to the best of your ability, keep going. For those who have been struggling lately, hold on to the promises of God and put your faith in His word, for victory is coming to those who refuse
to throw in the towel. Just as God sent His prophets with a word of warning to those who have allowed compromise to rule their life, He is still sending a wake up call to His people today.


God always extends His mercy before judgment comes. I believe the door of mercy is wide open today and I also believe that judgment is right around the corner. Jesus told us that the end times would be very
similar to the days of Noah. The old world was judged by a great flood because mankind was consumed by wickedness. Think about it for a minute. Every man, woman, boy, girl, grandparent, as well as newborn child were destroyed by the flood of judgement. The opening text stated that Noah was a preacher of  righteousness. I believe this is where mercy could have been applied. An anointed preacher will warn people of God’s coming judgment and instruct people to turn from their wicked ways and return to the Lord. Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith t he Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? You see, God's desire was for people to turn around and
come back to Him. Noah preached and warned the people and yet they made light of it until it was too late. When the door of the ark closed shut, mercy was no longer available. The people sung a different tune when the skies began to open and rain started to pour forth. “Noah, please, please, open the door, we believe you now.” Noah, please take my precious child inside, don’t let him die.” Just a week before the people walked by and mocked and ridiculed the man of God and now they are pleading with him.

Do you see the similarities in the day we live in? People want to go to heaven as long as they don’t have to make a commitment to get there. I truly believe there is good in most people, however, our goodness will never be good enough. God will never change His mind when it comes to His word. We will obey it or deny it, we will either turn to Him or turn away from Him, and we will either be saved or we will be lost. Jesus said it as plain as the nose on our faces. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The new birth brings a change in our life. The Holy Spirit is alive and working in us each and every day. We
 have power to live victorious through Christ and do not need to be a servant to sin. My friend, God is going to fulfill His word and there will be no excuse good enough why you neglected the gift of eternal life. God is love and also He is just. Mercy is here today and yet there is no guarantee you will have access to it tomorrow. Have you turned from your way unto His? He waits patiently and
calls you by name. Acts 2:38 Then  Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This invitation goes forth today from the Lord.

HE HEALETH THE BROKEN...

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

Family members can hurt you worse than anyone else. When a loved one turns against you, it can cut you deeper than any other form of rejection. Although we’ve all made our parents at times, when a care-giver or close relation says you are "worthless," they can damage you emotionally and morally. Wounded people often don’t realize how deeply they are hurt. They may not even realize they are acting in response to wounds they buried long in the past. Soul damage can follow us forever, until we find freedom.

 

Scripture promises the Lord is close to those “that are of a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18), and He comes to “set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).

Bruised people have been hurt intentionally.

Bruises hurt whenever you touch them.

Bruises only happen from close up action.

 

If you’re hurting from someone who deliberately accused you, molested you, or otherwise destroyed your self-worth, you need to know that Jesus Christ offers you liberty. You don’t have to stumble through life in blind pain, grieving inside, seeing no end to your frustration.

 

When you run to Him with your tears,

when you leave behind all your demands,

when you accept the fact that He thinks you are wonderful,

when you stop believing all the lies you’ve been told, and

 

when you find the end of yourself,

 

then you will find what walking with Jesus means.

The Lord didn’t come to wave a magic wand toward problems and say “See ya’ in Heaven.” With wide-open arms, He gathered the cast-off children, the drunks, the divorce victims, and the disabled. He came to rebuild a tattered world. He came to let us know the love of God. Broken weeping draws us near to Him. Looking into His light chases away the clouds of the past. Begin the lifelong journey now, to experience this life of wholeness.