Tag: Rescue

The Only Wise God

Isaiah 57:14-21

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8-9 KJV). The more I try to understand the intricacies and details of God the Father, the more my head hurts. I often quote Dr. Kent Hovind when he says,”if my little three pound brain could understand the Creator of all things, then He would not be worth worshiping”. Simply reading descriptions of the nature of the Creator and His dwelling place, makes me so excited to soon inhabit eternity with Him! The Lord our God is many wonderful things, including eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, in all places at all times, humble, just, righteous, consistent in love and judgment, and more! God inhabits eternity, and dwells in the high and holy place (with Christ), and His plan is to revive the spirit of those who walk in humility, and restore the hearts of those who’s were broken.

With the state in which the world is today, many, including Christians, have given up hope that God truly cares for those who suffer. But, know this; God never gives up on those He loves, those who walk in His ways, and keep His commandments. Even when we fall short, while trying to walk in the Spirit, God will pardon our iniquities, and restore us to a right place in Him. God sees our suffering and is fully aware that we need Him, but only in His perfect timing, will He step in to deliver His people.

We may not understand all that’s going on today, but focus your attention on being consistent in obeying God, because He made us, and He knows all about what we’re experiencing. In due time, the one whose name is Holy, will show Himself mighty in the lives of His children.

Saved For A Purpose

Matthew 11:7-19

Hey born-again man, and sanctified woman… guess what? The world hates you! Do you wanna know why? Well, it’s simple. The world hates you, because you walk, talk, and act like Jesus. That’s it! You are a living example of what holiness is in the 21st century, and satan can’t stand it! He and his minions have been trying to silence the message of the Gospel for thousands of years. Every day you get out of bed, demons devise plans to wreck your day, but they are hardly successful, because God has angels watching over you, and fighting in the realm of the spirit, on your behalf.

You, mighty man, and virtuous woman, are the reason why the devil works diligently to thwart the plan of God. God has already passed judgment on the devil and his demonic accomplices, but until the day of judgment comes, the enemy roams free, seeking only to bring the children of God down with him. Have you ever seen, or heard of a situation where a person was drowning, and when someone came to rescue them, they panicked, causing their rescuer to drown with them? Well, satan is doomed, and is frantically attacking the church, in hopes that they will fall out of right standing with God, and spend eternity with him, in the lake of fire. I hate to burst satan’s bubble, but you, man of valor, and highly favored woman, are too focused, and motivated on fulfilling God’s will for your life, and you will not bow down to the forces of evil and wickedness!

This is the generation the prophets of old would love to experience, because these are the days when, “I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:” (Acts 2:17). I say to you courageous man, and faithful woman, be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power. God sits high, and is observing all that’s going on in the earth. He is neither surprised, nor caught off guard by the goings on of mankind. But, God is watching you, redeemed man and woman, to see how you will conduct yourselves in these end times.

Will you fall short, after running the race faithfully for years? Will you break and give in to the pressures of this perverse society? Or, will you stand strong and be bold, as the apostles were as they faced persecution on levels far beyond anything we’ve ever experienced? Know this; you are special to God, and He is your biggest supporter. Make Him proud of you, by living according to righteousness, no matter how rough and tough your life may get, knowing that it’ll all be worth it, in the end.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Hang In There

Zephaniah 3:14-20

“In that day…” Fighting the good fight of faith, has taken its toll on many faithful believers. Despite how prepared we are to face daily struggles, and fiery darts from the enemy, there’s only so much we can take, until we reach the point of breaking. We’ve been given the helmet of salvation, to guard our confession of being reunited with the Father, the breastplate of righteousness, to protect our hearts, as we boldly proclaim the Gospel, our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, so that we will always be swift to run, and not be weary, the shield of faith, to block all attacks from the enemy, and the sword of the Spirit, to slice and dice all manner of evil that confronts us.

God knew, living in a world of sin wouldn’t be a cakewalk, so He provided necessary spiritual tools, to keep us protected during our journey. The one thing I am grateful for the most is, knowing that our trouble has a deadline. There’s coming a day, when God will stand in the midst of us, and cast out all our enemies. At that time, there will be no reason for us to fear, because God will gather His people together, and give them joy, while allowing them to rest in His love. All who have suffered for the sake of righteousness, struggled while trying to maintain holiness, and contended for the faith, will soon be relieved from all their worries. In that day, God will undo all of our afflictions, whether they be sickness, pain, misery, persecution, or other attacks. The day is fast approaching, when God will turn back the captivity of the Saints, then all who proclaim God’s salvation, will see the goodness of the Lord, with their own eyes. Stay in the fight, and don’t give up, because God will soon step in to undo all that opposes His people.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Save Me!!!

Isaiah 49:1-7

If you were swimming in the ocean, and was caught off guard by an undertow current, would you ignore the help of an experienced lifeguard, swimming to your rescue? If you were severely injured in an automobile accident, and was unable to move, would you tell the ambulance and rescue team, you’ll figure things out on your own? When we’re in trouble, we rarely turn down the opportunity to receive assistance, especially if it’s rendered free of charge. Men and women are in position, in various areas of life, to aid and assist those, who require help. Whether a person was involved in a car accident, work injury, burglarized, or whatever the case, there are always people at the ready, to meet their need.

The world was once drowning in sin, and needed a savior, so God prepared for Himself, a body, by which to come to the earth, and redeem man back to Himself. For various ungodly reasons, many have refused to accept God’s help, and chose to figure things out on their own. These people fail to realize the gravity of the situation they’re in, and can ill afford to die in their sin, yet God offers limited time for them to reach out, and take hold of His hand.

Refusing to accept God’s free gift of salvation, is equivalent to the person rejecting the lifeguard’s help, while being pulled underwater, by an undertow current. Sin is real, and the devil cares nothing for men’s souls. For this reason, he attacks the children of God relentlessly, and won’t stop until his judgment is executed. Snap out of your world of selfishness and pride, and reach out to grab hold of God’s saving hand. Don’t allow the waves of sin to pull you under, into an eternity of sorrow.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

God’s saving deeds

Psalm 105:1-15

The past few lessons, I’ve expounded on the importance of giving praise to God, but how does one truly render praise, to a God who is beyond amazing? Growing up in a pentecostal background, I’ve been accustomed to seeing men and women praise God with loud, and hyped expressions, but the more I matured in the Word, I realized that praise can be offered in a number of ways. While crying out to God, and reverencing His name with exuberance is in no way shunned by the Father, there are times when praise can be as simple as remembering some of the many things God has delivered us from, and simply bowing our heads.

When thinking back on the goodness of God, some are inclined to sing, others call upon the name of the Lord, and many make known His deeds among fellow believers. How exciting it is, to think on those times when we were stuck between a mountain, and a hard place, then God miraculously delivered us! In the same way the man who was lame from his mother’s womb, was miraculously healed at the hands of Peter, sprung up, and begin walking, leaping and praising God for his healing, it should never be a problem for us to do the same, when God brings a great change in our lives.

There are times when we allow the struggles of life to cloud our thoughts until we forget some of the things God does for us, but the Father never forgets, and watches to see how we respond to His goodness, in the midst of suffering and pain. Do you appreciate what God does for you? Are you overwhelmed with things in your life, that you fail to notice the blessings God has placed right in front of your eyes? Stop swimming in the pool of frustration, and float above all your cares and worries, so you can see all the many blessings God has prepared for you.

Walk in love,

Ell

God rescues the godly

2 Peter 2:4-10

Why do bad things happen to good people. If God loves His children, then why won’t He come down and deliver them from the pressures of sin and temptation? Were we created only to suffer and take the blows of wicked and perverse men, or is there something more to us that satan hates so much, until he can’t stand to see us walk the earth, and makes endless attempts to break our faith? First of all, no one is exempt from bad experiences, because the world has changed into something God did not intend. Therefore, the good, as well as the bad, will encounter unpleasant circumstances during their lifetime. Secondly, God can do anything, but He allows things to take place for a time, and for different reasons. The mercy of God is everlasting, and He cares sincerely for everyone He created, but there are just wages due to those who perform works of evil, and those who produce works of goodness.

In the same way a good parent encourages and warns their children to be obedient to their words, in order to avoid discipline and punishment, God gave His Word to all men, and expects them to live according to it, or else there will be strict discipline and punishment to follow. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God desires that all men surrender their wills for His own, so that their existence can be counted worthy, and purposeful in His sight. Unfortunately, many will fall short of God’s glory, and willingly remain there to face the inevitable second death. God’s love is amazing, and stretches out as far as the east is from the west, but if He didn’t spare the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (Tartarus), bound them in chains of darkness, and kept them there to await their judgment, how much more will He punish sinful men who refuse to turn away from their evil ways? Even during the time of Noah, God wiped out everything, and everyone, but spared the righteous few. All of God’s children who may be in the midst of the effects of evil men will soon be delivered, according to His timing. The following passages of Scripture support the aforementioned statement, and should strengthen the faith of all who are experiencing hard times:

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

1 Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

Walk in love,

Ell

Calling the lost

Luke 15:11-24

The most creative characteristic of man is the ability to choose and make our own decisions. The power of choice has the influence to shape our lives whichever way we see fit. If one decides to become a doctor, he’ll choose the proper path that’ll allow him to reach that goal. The same goes for a woman who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, and made all the right choices that guided her to her desired destination. Unlike the rich who are recently being exposed for paying for their children to receive the best education, without meeting the school’s requirements, it takes a collective group of right choices, coupled with consistent effort and determination, to guarantee the possibility of achieving the goals you set for your life.

Although God set standards after He created everything, He left man with the power to choose whether to follow His plan, or not. From the first Adam until now, men have made some bad choices, and some are suffering from the consequences of those choices still today. In the book of Isaiah, God told His people, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it” (1:19-20). God’s people were left with a choice to obey God and prosper, or disobey and perish. Common sense would tell you that they undoubtedly obeyed, but I wouldn’t be so sure about that. The children of God had gone through numerous cycles of disobedience, of which God continued to show them mercy, because of His unconditional love. But there is coming a day when the clock will stop ticking, and judgment will be brought upon the earth. For this very reason, believers have to make the decision to help those who are lost, to see the light of God’s salvation. Christ commissioned His disciples to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). We may not have the same authority as the apostles once did, but we are ambassadors of the Gospel, and have the power of God’s Spirit inside of us to help guide us as God desires. There’s no need for believers to fear the world, because Christ overcame the world, and all the fear that dwells therein.

It’s imperative that we maintain our focus on the things that please God, and seek to pull as many as we love from the fiery pit of hell. Our job is to do all we can, while we can to make the Word of God known around the globe. We must then pray that God touch the hearts and minds of those who hear the Word, and that they make the right decision to choose life.

Walk in love,

Ell

God sent me to preserve you

Genesis 45:1-8

One of my favorite Bible stories is that of Joseph. He was a vibrant and lively young lad, who was always misunderstood by his elder brothers. Those brothers of his would eventually become very jealous of the special treatment he received from their father, as well as from the dreams he would share with them, of how God would one day make him great. I won’t delve too deep into the story, as it would take a while to get through, but the lesson I learned from this story was, be careful how you treat those whom you dislike or don’t understand, because God may use them someday to pull you out of trouble.

This was precisely the case with Joseph. After his brothers sold him into slavery, his journey only seemed to get worse as the days went by, but God was with Joseph through the whole process. He went from being cast into a pit, sold as a slave, then sold again to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, and captain of the guard. The captain saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper, so he promoted Joseph to overseer of his house. Joseph was then wrongly accused of fooling around with Potiphar’s wife, and thrown in prison. Even in prison, God was with Joseph. He was elevated while in prison, as the overseer of all the prisoners. My my goodness! When the favor of God is on you, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it. From prison, Joseph found favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, after interpreting an important dream he was having trouble understanding. He was then exalted as second ruler over all the land of Egypt.

This was one of the most beautiful testimonies in all of history, but the story got better, as Joseph was soon hit with a very hard test. He remembered his brothers, and how they had treated him extremely ruthless and merciless, but rather than render to them evil for evil, Joseph extended all the help his brothers needed, and he did so in love. Although his brothers thought evil of him, God blessed Joseph and sent him to preserve his wicked family, even though they weren’t deserving of it. This is how’s the love of Christ works toward unbelievers. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, but Christ died in our stead, while we were yet undeserving of his matchless love. For this reason, all men should walk in humility, because there was nothing we could do on our own to remove the stain of sin from our lives. On the same note, Joseph’s brothers were totally unprepared for the coming famine, but God supplied Joseph with enough resources to take care of himself, and his family for seven years.

Be careful how you treat everybody. Learn to love every person you meet, the same way. Read and study how the love of God was shown throughout the Scriptures, and try to mimic that same love in your lives today. Everyone has issues, but those issues may someday be resolved, and God can use the people you once despised, to make His kingdom great. “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Walk in love,

Ell

Longing for God’s help

Psalm 42

Trust is something not easily earned these days. Oftentimes, people lose trust in others based on reasons of unreliability, or lack of confidence in their words and actions. When you’re in need, you desire only what will satisfy those needs. In times when your health had failed you, you sought only those who could offer guaranteed methods to bring your body to a more stable condition. Even in times when your money was low, you knew who you could, and couldn’t rely on to give you assistance, based on the level of trust you had in them. When we need help, we make sure to run to sources we can trust, while avoiding those who are unreliable, and could possibly make our situations worse.

King David experienced the love of God on so many levels, until he developed a longing for His help at all times. In all that David experienced in his life, he knew that God was the most trusted source in all the universe. He looked to God for wisdom, direction, courage, strength, and all he needed, as he faced the fear of death, loneliness, and shame from his enemies. Some trusted in chariots, and some in horses, but David always remembered the name of the Lord.

In our text, the writer was seeking help in a time of distress. David was totally transparent in his writings, and shared with God his deepest thoughts and feelings. He wanted God to know exactly what his thoughts were, so that God would, in a sense, feel what he felt, but God already knows everything about His creation, and He in fact is sensitive to our feelings. During this moment of distress, apparently David’s enemies were pouring heavy oppression upon him, and he sought God for deliverance, but God delayed His rescue for reasons known only to Himself. I often express that God, at times, delays His response to our call in order to monitor how we react while we wait. God was, and is always reliable and trustworthy, and David knew this truth, but he couldn’t understand the purpose for God’s delayed response. What I admire about David most is, while he suffered, struggled, and waited for his deliverance, instead of murmuring and complaining, he offered continual prayer and praises to the One who would soon deliver him from his oppressors.

Who do you long for when trouble knocks on your door. Do you reach out to those you know can possibly assist, but would bring it up in every conversation after, or are the people you confide in phony and unreliable? Trust in the Lord in every situation you face in life. Our God is the only One who has an answer to every problem we face. Man can offer temporary solutions to some of the things we encounter, but God’s love has the permanent fix for all we experience in our lives.

Walk in love,

Ell