SIN AND DEATH UNLEASHED

(Gen 3:17-19) Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

Let us open in prayer:

Father God, bless us as we study your word. Open our hearts and our minds as we bathe ourselves in scripture, Amen.

When we last met we saw how one man ADAM allowed himself to open the gates of Hell into the lives of all mankind. Certainly it was Eve who disregarded what Adam had instructed her [Adam shared with her what God had told him] and she ate of the fruit. Adam, however, had one rule given him. This command was delivered directly, face to face from God. Adam was the only man on earth, and before eating of the fruit, he was perfect, sinless, without blemish.

It was ONE RULE! Just ONE!! Don't eat the fruit of that specific tree. Adam allowed pride to enter him and thereby his actions unleashed SIN and DEATH upon all mankind. (Gen 3:13-19) Adam was THE first man on earth and through his actions, sin and death is now passed, through his seed, to all other men who follow.

I cannot begin to tell you how big of a deal this event truly was and is. From the moment of Adams transgression, we who follow are automatically condemned to the fires of Hell. We are under a mandatory death sentence. Unless something changes, we face a horrible and eternal punishment.

I beg you to study the book of Genesis well. It is the foundation and recorded evidence of why we must look to the second Adam, a sinless man, without blemish to right the wrong that befell us in the Garden of Eden.

Pray with me, Almighty God, thank-you for your word, for your mighty vision and mercy. Thank-you for blessing us with the record of why we fell into sin and into death, but also for your wondrous love in also showing us the path to overcome that which has befallen us. You are our Creator, we are Your created. You are God, we are your people, and we revere you as Master of all. Grant to us the understanding of Your plan that we might all be saved through the blood of Your precious Son, Christ Jesus, Amen and Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

SIN AND DEATH UNLEASHED

(Gen 3:17-19) Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

Let us open in prayer:

Father God, bless us as we study your word. Open our hearts and our minds as we bathe ourselves in scripture, Amen.

When we last met we saw how one man ADAM allowed himself to open the gates of Hell into the lives of all mankind. Certainly it was Eve who disregarded what Adam had instructed her [Adam shared with her what God had told him] and she ate of the fruit. Adam, however, had one rule given him. This command was delivered directly, face to face from God. Adam was the only man on earth, and before eating of the fruit, he was perfect, sinless, without blemish.

It was ONE RULE! Just ONE!! Don't eat the fruit of that specific tree. Adam allowed pride to enter him and thereby his actions unleashed SIN and DEATH upon all mankind. (Gen 3:13-19) Adam was THE first man on earth and through his actions, sin and death is now passed, through his seed, to all other men who follow.

I cannot begin to tell you how big of a deal this event truly was and is. From the moment of Adams transgression, we who follow are automatically condemned to the fires of Hell. We are under a mandatory death sentence. Unless something changes, we face a horrible and eternal punishment.

I beg you to study the book of Genesis well. It is the foundation and recorded evidence of why we must look to the second Adam, a sinless man, without blemish to right the wrong that befell us in the Garden of Eden.

Pray with me, Almighty God, thank-you for your word, for your mighty vision and mercy. Thank-you for blessing us with the record of why we fell into sin and into death, but also for your wondrous love in also showing us the path to overcome that which has befallen us. You are our Creator, we are Your created. You are God, we are your people, and we revere you as Master of all. Grant to us the understanding of Your plan that we might all be saved through the blood of Your precious Son, Christ Jesus, Amen and Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

ARE YOU?

(1Pe 4:17) For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Are you saved? You might ask, “Why do you ask such questions?” “What's the big deal about being saved?”

I ask because I truly care about you. You are a good person, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker. I feel somewhat protective about those I care about. I would certainly warn you about any dangers that were in your path, or coming up from behind. I would never want to see you hurt or killed if at all possible for me to prevent such a thing. I expect that you would grant me the same friendship and consideration. That is why I ask, are you saved?

(Gen 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God also created everything in and on the earth, man and woman included. (Gen 1:27)

And so it began. Adam the first man fashioned by the very hands of God, and from his body, God made Eve, the first woman. Their home was in the Garden of Eden. God desired that they take care of and cultivate the garden for Him. They did so with joy. Eden was really and truly heaven-on-earth. Here was complete innocence, no violence, no lust, no pride, only joy and peace. Even the birds, beasts and all the animals, including the creeping ones got along well with each other and with man. There were no predators. All creatures were Vegans!

Innocence prevailed in this heaven-on-earth. God was so pleased.

God had one prohibition for Adam. Just one. Do not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the Garden. Adam passed this rule onto his bride Eve and included that she should not even touch the fruit of that tree. (Gen 2:16-17)

We know that Satan used his craftiness and charm to lure Eve into eating of the fruit of that forbidden tree, and she gave Adam fruit as well and he also ate.

In an instant, the innocence of Adam and Eve was ripped away, as sin and death was immediately introduced into mankind through the seed of the only man who existed, Adam. From this point forward, SIN became the default behavior for all mankind that followed. It was as though man's DNA was changed and would be passed on to all generations. The penalty for this sin is death, and the sentence immediately pronounced.

It is this sin and the standing sentence on all of us that drives us to ask ... ARE YOU SAVED?

Just as Adam was sinless, God gave us Jesus, also sinless. Jesus, through His death and in His blood, corrects the grievous error of Adam, and redeems us, returning each of us to that pure innocence that was found in the Garden of Eden. It is God's gift to us. His way of righting ourselves from the crushing penalty of sin, completely and forever.

Here is the catch. You have to believe. You must believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord. You must believe that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried and on the third day was raised up from the dead by the mighty hand of Almighty God. You must believe. (Heb 11:6)

You must ask for the gift. It is not automatic. It is through the GRACE of God, and through FAITH that Jesus will come into your heart and clean you of all sin, and grant you eternal life with God, with Him and with the Holy Spirit forever in God's kingdom. ARE YOU SAVED?

In the next several blogs, we will journey through the Bible and get a better understanding just how salvation in Christ can operate in your life.

Don't be that one person who takes his last breath and is not saved, spending FOREVER in horror, darkness and pain, never ever able to be redeemed.

(Rom 10:8-10) But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

ARE YOU?

(1Pe 4:17) For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Are you saved? You might ask, “Why do you ask such questions?” “What's the big deal about being saved?”

I ask because I truly care about you. You are a good person, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker. I feel somewhat protective about those I care about. I would certainly warn you about any dangers that were in your path, or coming up from behind. I would never want to see you hurt or killed if at all possible for me to prevent such a thing. I expect that you would grant me the same friendship and consideration. That is why I ask, are you saved?

(Gen 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God also created everything in and on the earth, man and woman included. (Gen 1:27)

And so it began. Adam the first man fashioned by the very hands of God, and from his body, God made Eve, the first woman. Their home was in the Garden of Eden. God desired that they take care of and cultivate the garden for Him. They did so with joy. Eden was really and truly heaven-on-earth. Here was complete innocence, no violence, no lust, no pride, only joy and peace. Even the birds, beasts and all the animals, including the creeping ones got along well with each other and with man. There were no predators. All creatures were Vegans!

Innocence prevailed in this heaven-on-earth. God was so pleased.

God had one prohibition for Adam. Just one. Do not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the Garden. Adam passed this rule onto his bride Eve and included that she should not even touch the fruit of that tree. (Gen 2:16-17)

We know that Satan used his craftiness and charm to lure Eve into eating of the fruit of that forbidden tree, and she gave Adam fruit as well and he also ate.

In an instant, the innocence of Adam and Eve was ripped away, as sin and death was immediately introduced into mankind through the seed of the only man who existed, Adam. From this point forward, SIN became the default behavior for all mankind that followed. It was as though man's DNA was changed and would be passed on to all generations. The penalty for this sin is death, and the sentence immediately pronounced.

It is this sin and the standing sentence on all of us that drives us to ask ... ARE YOU SAVED?

Just as Adam was sinless, God gave us Jesus, also sinless. Jesus, through His death and in His blood, corrects the grievous error of Adam, and redeems us, returning each of us to that pure innocence that was found in the Garden of Eden. It is God's gift to us. His way of righting ourselves from the crushing penalty of sin, completely and forever.

Here is the catch. You have to believe. You must believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord. You must believe that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried and on the third day was raised up from the dead by the mighty hand of Almighty God. You must believe. (Heb 11:6)

You must ask for the gift. It is not automatic. It is through the GRACE of God, and through FAITH that Jesus will come into your heart and clean you of all sin, and grant you eternal life with God, with Him and with the Holy Spirit forever in God's kingdom. ARE YOU SAVED?

In the next several blogs, we will journey through the Bible and get a better understanding just how salvation in Christ can operate in your life.

Don't be that one person who takes his last breath and is not saved, spending FOREVER in horror, darkness and pain, never ever able to be redeemed.

(Rom 10:8-10) But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

ONE NATION DIVIDED

Our Creator, the Lord Almighty has so blessed this beautiful country for much of it's history. What a wondrous blessing it was to see His mighty hand during this nations darkest times, our most hard fought wars and times of national tragedy.

We as a nation truly need to call upon His grace, His wisdom, His strength, His mercy and most of all His love in bringing us to healing and solving our differences. A house divided cannot stand. Our national foundation is beginning to feel the strain.

If we return and call upon Him, He will return to us. Let our national spirit once again call upon our Christ, our Lord and allow Him to heal us, Amen.

I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.

Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. --My beloved had turned away and had gone! I searched for him but I did not find him; I called him but he did not answer me.-- I hid My face and was angry, And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.

I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, "Have you not done this to yourself By your forsaking the LORD your God When He led you in the way?

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hos. 5:15. Isa. 59:2. Song 5:6. Isa 57:17,18. Jer. 2:17. Luke 15:20. Hos. 14:4. 1 (1Jn 1:9)

sbagster

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

ONE NATION DIVIDED

Our Creator, the Lord Almighty has so blessed this beautiful country for much of it's history. What a wondrous blessing it was to see His mighty hand during this nations darkest times, our most hard fought wars and times of national tragedy.

We as a nation truly need to call upon His grace, His wisdom, His strength, His mercy and most of all His love in bringing us to healing and solving our differences. A house divided cannot stand. Our national foundation is beginning to feel the strain.

If we return and call upon Him, He will return to us. Let our national spirit once again call upon our Christ, our Lord and allow Him to heal us, Amen.

I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.

Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. --My beloved had turned away and had gone! I searched for him but I did not find him; I called him but he did not answer me.-- I hid My face and was angry, And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.

I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, "Have you not done this to yourself By your forsaking the LORD your God When He led you in the way?

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hos. 5:15. Isa. 59:2. Song 5:6. Isa 57:17,18. Jer. 2:17. Luke 15:20. Hos. 14:4. 1 (1Jn 1:9)

sbagster

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

THE 3:16'S

Arguably, one of the most cited and loved passages in our Bible is John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The Bible never fails to feed the thirst to know more, to be filled to overflowing, and surprised as God reveals His will and shares His love. Many times, I feel as though the Bible is READING ME, as I read it!

Lets play a little Bible game I call “The 3:16's”. This is where we use verse 3:16 as the target as we examine the message of various books. Remember to look for Jesus as we go. We shall begin in Matthew;

(Mat 3:16) After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.

Cool, Huh? Now on to Mark;

(Mar 3:16) And He [JESUS] appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter).

See where we are heading?

(Luk 3:16) John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His [JESUS] sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John the Baptist's proclamation certainly came true.

(Act 3:16) "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Peter, having just recently himself so endowed with the Holy Spirit, exercised the gift of his Lord by being the vessel of healing for the beggar at Solomon's Portico. All credit given to our Lord!

(1Co 3:16) Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Here we read as Paul clarifies the indwelling of the Holy Spirit creating in YOU His place of residence, His temple.

So, have you caught onto the way the game is played? Earlier this year I published the 3:16's from Genesis to Revelation. There were some pretty exciting discoveries made.

Now it is your turn. Grab your Bible, pick a verse and then track it book by book. You will be so amazed at what you will learn!

*** The [Bracketed JESUS] above is my inclusion for clarity purposes only.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

THE 3:16'S

Arguably, one of the most cited and loved passages in our Bible is John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The Bible never fails to feed the thirst to know more, to be filled to overflowing, and surprised as God reveals His will and shares His love. Many times, I feel as though the Bible is READING ME, as I read it!

Lets play a little Bible game I call “The 3:16's”. This is where we use verse 3:16 as the target as we examine the message of various books. Remember to look for Jesus as we go. We shall begin in Matthew;

(Mat 3:16) After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.

Cool, Huh? Now on to Mark;

(Mar 3:16) And He [JESUS] appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter).

See where we are heading?

(Luk 3:16) John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His [JESUS] sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John the Baptist's proclamation certainly came true.

(Act 3:16) "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Peter, having just recently himself so endowed with the Holy Spirit, exercised the gift of his Lord by being the vessel of healing for the beggar at Solomon's Portico. All credit given to our Lord!

(1Co 3:16) Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Here we read as Paul clarifies the indwelling of the Holy Spirit creating in YOU His place of residence, His temple.

So, have you caught onto the way the game is played? Earlier this year I published the 3:16's from Genesis to Revelation. There were some pretty exciting discoveries made.

Now it is your turn. Grab your Bible, pick a verse and then track it book by book. You will be so amazed at what you will learn!

*** The [Bracketed JESUS] above is my inclusion for clarity purposes only.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

MOTHER'S DAY

O' LORD, our God, we lift our voices together in the name of Christ Jesus and give thanksgiving for this day and this time that you have granted us so that we might bring great glory to You on this Mother's Day. Father, it is through Your great wisdom that man was created, and from a man, a woman. It is through this hallowed bond, Oh Lord, that we fulfill Your commandment to be fruitful and to multiply and to receive the rich love, a mother's love, received first from You. Bless all those who are gathered, in Your name, who may call themselves Mothers, and bring richness to their days, and great respect from our collective hearts, We pray in His Name, AMEN.


AND IT BEGAN


In (Gen 2:21-23) So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

Thus we have our Man and Woman, soon to be someone's Mom and Dad.

This was the start. God's mighty plan to join ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN into a lifelong bond, providing THE method of producing families, children, natural brothers and sisters who themselves would grow up be joined together by the Lord and produce families all in the loving grace of a mighty and wondrous God.

The word MOTHER appears 320 times in the Bible. Some mothers were famous. Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Bathsheeba, and of course Mary, Mother of Jesus. Other Moms we will simply say that Jezebel's image was probably not the most wholesome for children to emulate.

On this Mother's Day, let us take a journey through the Bible, specifically to scripture highlighting Mothers of Biblical times.

In Exodus 20:12, God lays out by a commandment that we should honor our Father and our Mother. This is repeated in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms and Proverbs and further.


In Judges Chapters 4 and 5, read about Deborah, a powerful judge and leader of the Israelites, and how she, took Barak by the hand and with the help of a brave woman and mother named Jael, a major battle was won. Deborah called herself a Mother in Israel. Perhaps the title should have been Mother OF Israel.


In the book of Ruth, we read of a wondrous bond between a widowed mother-in-law and her like-wise widowed daughters-in-law. Committing one's self to an exemplar of motherhood to journey into the unknown. A great love story. Ruth became a mother and the Great Grandmother of King David!

Not all mothers of Biblical times had happy outcomes. The wife of LOT, Abraham's nephew was turned into a pillar of salt as she looked back towards Sodom and Gomorrah in defiance of the Angel of the Lord. Genesis 19:26

Jezebel, wife of King Ahab set a horrible standard for her children as she became truly a terror and killer taking many lives in pursuit of her Pagan beliefs. Her story begins in 1 Kings, Chapter 16. Her end came in a most gruesome way.

When you were a child and was hurt, or you were sick, who made it all better? It was Mom. Who taught you how to count to ten, to say thank-you and please? It was Mom. Who taught you to pray; Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take? It was Mom.

Then there was Mary:

(Luk 1:30,31, 34, 35) The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

(Luk 2:7) And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

(Luk 2:17, 19) When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Mary, the Mother of Christ, the most cherished and adored MOM of all time.

It is those special and unique talents, gifts and nurturing temperaments given to Mothers, by the grace of God, that causes Mothers to be so very special and to hold eternal places in our hearts. Whether good or bad, strong or weak, she will always be more than just a woman, she will forever be MOM. Happy Mother's Day.

LET US PRAY: Father, we praise You for Your great wisdom in creating Mothers. Those who carry us while You knit us together in the womb, those who nurse us, hold us, care for us, teach us, and Love us, just as you have taught. Continue, O Lord, to hold Mothers in special regard, keeping their hearts pure and soft as the great nurturers of your Kingdom, In the name of Jesus, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY...MOM?

MOTHER'S DAY

O' LORD, our God, we lift our voices together in the name of Christ Jesus and give thanksgiving for this day and this time that you have granted us so that we might bring great glory to You on this Mother's Day. Father, it is through Your great wisdom that man was created, and from a man, a woman. It is through this hallowed bond, Oh Lord, that we fulfill Your commandment to be fruitful and to multiply and to receive the rich love, a mother's love, received first from You. Bless all those who are gathered, in Your name, who may call themselves Mothers, and bring richness to their days, and great respect from our collective hearts, We pray in His Name, AMEN.


AND IT BEGAN


In (Gen 2:21-23) So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

Thus we have our Man and Woman, soon to be someone's Mom and Dad.

This was the start. God's mighty plan to join ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN into a lifelong bond, providing THE method of producing families, children, natural brothers and sisters who themselves would grow up be joined together by the Lord and produce families all in the loving grace of a mighty and wondrous God.

The word MOTHER appears 320 times in the Bible. Some mothers were famous. Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Bathsheeba, and of course Mary, Mother of Jesus. Other Moms we will simply say that Jezebel's image was probably not the most wholesome for children to emulate.

On this Mother's Day, let us take a journey through the Bible, specifically to scripture highlighting Mothers of Biblical times.

In Exodus 20:12, God lays out by a commandment that we should honor our Father and our Mother. This is repeated in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms and Proverbs and further.


In Judges Chapters 4 and 5, read about Deborah, a powerful judge and leader of the Israelites, and how she, took Barak by the hand and with the help of a brave woman and mother named Jael, a major battle was won. Deborah called herself a Mother in Israel. Perhaps the title should have been Mother OF Israel.


In the book of Ruth, we read of a wondrous bond between a widowed mother-in-law and her like-wise widowed daughters-in-law. Committing one's self to an exemplar of motherhood to journey into the unknown. A great love story. Ruth became a mother and the Great Grandmother of King David!

Not all mothers of Biblical times had happy outcomes. The wife of LOT, Abraham's nephew was turned into a pillar of salt as she looked back towards Sodom and Gomorrah in defiance of the Angel of the Lord. Genesis 19:26

Jezebel, wife of King Ahab set a horrible standard for her children as she became truly a terror and killer taking many lives in pursuit of her Pagan beliefs. Her story begins in 1 Kings, Chapter 16. Her end came in a most gruesome way.

When you were a child and was hurt, or you were sick, who made it all better? It was Mom. Who taught you how to count to ten, to say thank-you and please? It was Mom. Who taught you to pray; Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take? It was Mom.

Then there was Mary:

(Luk 1:30,31, 34, 35) The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

(Luk 2:7) And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

(Luk 2:17, 19) When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Mary, the Mother of Christ, the most cherished and adored MOM of all time.

It is those special and unique talents, gifts and nurturing temperaments given to Mothers, by the grace of God, that causes Mothers to be so very special and to hold eternal places in our hearts. Whether good or bad, strong or weak, she will always be more than just a woman, she will forever be MOM. Happy Mother's Day.

LET US PRAY: Father, we praise You for Your great wisdom in creating Mothers. Those who carry us while You knit us together in the womb, those who nurse us, hold us, care for us, teach us, and Love us, just as you have taught. Continue, O Lord, to hold Mothers in special regard, keeping their hearts pure and soft as the great nurturers of your Kingdom, In the name of Jesus, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY...MOM?

THE CARPENTER'S SON

"Is not this the carpenter's son? – "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" -- "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" – "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."-- "Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner."-- He leads the people astray."-- "This fellow blasphemes."-- 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

"It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. – For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly...For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps: WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. – If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

(Mat 13:55) (Joh 1:46) (Joh 8:48) (Joh 9:24) (Joh 7:12) (Mat 9:3) (Mat 11:19) (Mat 10:25) (1Pe 2:19) (1Pe 2:21-23) (1Pe 4:14) sbagster

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

THE CARPENTER'S SON

"Is not this the carpenter's son? – "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" -- "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" – "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."-- "Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner."-- He leads the people astray."-- "This fellow blasphemes."-- 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

"It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. – For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly...For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps: WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. – If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

(Mat 13:55) (Joh 1:46) (Joh 8:48) (Joh 9:24) (Joh 7:12) (Mat 9:3) (Mat 11:19) (Mat 10:25) (1Pe 2:19) (1Pe 2:21-23) (1Pe 4:14) sbagster

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

WHO PRAYS FOR THE SILENT?

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF INTERCESSION

1. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and

with all thy strength" (Dt 6:5).

2. Thou shalt have God choose each member of an intercessory prayer group.

3. Thou shalt not intercede without first hearing God.

4. Thou shalt be as specific as possible.

5. Thou shalt have expectant faith.

6. Thou shalt love thy enemies.

7. Thou shalt expect spiritual warfare.

8.Thou shalt commit thyself to intercede for a set period of time.

9. Thou shalt change thy life-style.

10.Thou shalt pray as you have never prayed before.

Jesus, our Christ, our Lord is the great intercessor. Were it not for His death, and the washing of our sins in His blood, all of us would remain eternally condemned to the fires of Hell. This is TRUTH. God gave us the ability to decide, to choose salvation and live, or to believe the lies of Satan and be forever lost and in darkness.

There are those who live and breathe who have forever lost the ability to decide. Trapped in the ever shrinking world of their failing minds, these living souls are grandfathers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and in some instances, children. Brain injury, disease, trauma, violence, infection are among the causative agents that produce entrapment in a closed TERMINAL world of deep despair and loss.

Alzheimer's, stroke, organic brain wasting disease are a few names many of us have heard about and some have had first hand introductions through a loved one or friend.

(Heb 7:25) Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Christ Jesus calls whom He wills to follow His lead in interceding for those who cannot escape the confinement of their own inability to decide. Intercession through prayer, powerful prayer. Praying for and on behalf of those who cannot pray for themselves.

In our system of laws, specifically dealing with Emergency Medical Intervention, we have three accepted levels of consent regarding intervention. (1) EXPRESSED CONSENT; the person is gravely injured, recognizes such, and readily agrees to ask for and receive intervention to stop or mitigate the emergency situation. (2) INFORMED CONSENT; My child is badly injured and I am requesting and giving permission for intervention. (3) IMPLIED CONSENT; The person who is in extremus cannot call for help. Cannot evaluate their grave situation. Is helpless and may soon perish and breathe their last. It is implied that this person, if they were able to do so, would readily agree to intervention in order to save their life.

It is through intercessive prayer and the call of the Holy Spirit that the tenants of implied consent come to bear in a spiritual emergency intervention, (on behalf of that precious soul) who cannot cry for help themselves.

In many cases, the calling for intercession through prayer may be the only avenue left opened, by God, for the dying to be saved unto the Lord. Perhaps you have been called to be an Intercession Prayer Warrior?

(Psa 25:4, 5) Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

WHO PRAYS FOR THE SILENT?

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF INTERCESSION

1. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and

with all thy strength" (Dt 6:5).

2. Thou shalt have God choose each member of an intercessory prayer group.

3. Thou shalt not intercede without first hearing God.

4. Thou shalt be as specific as possible.

5. Thou shalt have expectant faith.

6. Thou shalt love thy enemies.

7. Thou shalt expect spiritual warfare.

8.Thou shalt commit thyself to intercede for a set period of time.

9. Thou shalt change thy life-style.

10.Thou shalt pray as you have never prayed before.

Jesus, our Christ, our Lord is the great intercessor. Were it not for His death, and the washing of our sins in His blood, all of us would remain eternally condemned to the fires of Hell. This is TRUTH. God gave us the ability to decide, to choose salvation and live, or to believe the lies of Satan and be forever lost and in darkness.

There are those who live and breathe who have forever lost the ability to decide. Trapped in the ever shrinking world of their failing minds, these living souls are grandfathers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and in some instances, children. Brain injury, disease, trauma, violence, infection are among the causative agents that produce entrapment in a closed TERMINAL world of deep despair and loss.

Alzheimer's, stroke, organic brain wasting disease are a few names many of us have heard about and some have had first hand introductions through a loved one or friend.

(Heb 7:25) Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Christ Jesus calls whom He wills to follow His lead in interceding for those who cannot escape the confinement of their own inability to decide. Intercession through prayer, powerful prayer. Praying for and on behalf of those who cannot pray for themselves.

In our system of laws, specifically dealing with Emergency Medical Intervention, we have three accepted levels of consent regarding intervention. (1) EXPRESSED CONSENT; the person is gravely injured, recognizes such, and readily agrees to ask for and receive intervention to stop or mitigate the emergency situation. (2) INFORMED CONSENT; My child is badly injured and I am requesting and giving permission for intervention. (3) IMPLIED CONSENT; The person who is in extremus cannot call for help. Cannot evaluate their grave situation. Is helpless and may soon perish and breathe their last. It is implied that this person, if they were able to do so, would readily agree to intervention in order to save their life.

It is through intercessive prayer and the call of the Holy Spirit that the tenants of implied consent come to bear in a spiritual emergency intervention, (on behalf of that precious soul) who cannot cry for help themselves.

In many cases, the calling for intercession through prayer may be the only avenue left opened, by God, for the dying to be saved unto the Lord. Perhaps you have been called to be an Intercession Prayer Warrior?

(Psa 25:4, 5) Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

A NEW BODY

"How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?"

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. – And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. – But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. And then he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

(1Co 15:35) (1Jn 3:2) (1Co 15:49) (Php 3:20-21) (Luk 24:36-37) (1Co 15:5-6) (Rom 8:11) sbagster

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

A NEW BODY

"How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?"

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. – And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. – But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. And then he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

(1Co 15:35) (1Jn 3:2) (1Co 15:49) (Php 3:20-21) (Luk 24:36-37) (1Co 15:5-6) (Rom 8:11) sbagster

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

OUR MORAL COMPASS

I can't recall in my lifetime having such an uneasy feeling about where we are as a country, as a people. Our collective moral compass seems out of whack, leading us in a different direction. The basic goodness of the American people appears to be on a downward spiral. Folks are not God fearing as they were when I grew up.



The end of times, I believe, are unfolding right before our eyes. With this in mind, there is a certain sense of urgency, in my heart, to share the Gospel, to spread the word, to show the way to as many as possible, as soon as possible. I have avoided doing this using the excuse that I am not ready. That I am not smart enough. That I am not, whatever!



The Holy Spirit is convicting me daily, demanding that I get off my rump and get to HIS business. The business of encouraging salvation. The Holy Spirit will highlight them, place them in my path and I will go get em! Praise God!



Today I was thinking real hard about those I personally know of who are lost, and will never find their names written in the book of life before the White Throne of God. How terrible it is that I know this and that I am not doing a thing to try and turn their thinking around, see if they will listen to reason. God works through us, we are his hands, his voice, a tool; being the vehicle for His words to flow through us to the intended soul. What we hear our mouths say is not always what the receiver of the words hear and understand in his heart. THAT is the Holy Spirit working, my dear friend!



In study, I was led to Matthew, Chapter 13. What if Uncle Charles and Aunt Kathy or one of your own children continued to deny the existence of God and they die and go to Hell? What if God could use us as a lever to free their unbelief and end up with them being saved? How great of a deal would that be?
Take a look at this scripture below then answer this question; Am I ready to do His will and start immediately to share the Gospel, to tell all I meet the joy of Jesus?

(Mat 13:47-51) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. – "Have you understood all these things?" They *said to Him, "Yes."

Spreading the Gospel is as simple as telling your own story. In your own words. From inside your own heart. Share yourself with others then watch the Holy Spirit work! Spread the Gospel. Be the LORD'S tool for salvation!

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

OUR MORAL COMPASS

I can't recall in my lifetime having such an uneasy feeling about where we are as a country, as a people. Our collective moral compass seems out of whack, leading us in a different direction. The basic goodness of the American people appears to be on a downward spiral. Folks are not God fearing as they were when I grew up.



The end of times, I believe, are unfolding right before our eyes. With this in mind, there is a certain sense of urgency, in my heart, to share the Gospel, to spread the word, to show the way to as many as possible, as soon as possible. I have avoided doing this using the excuse that I am not ready. That I am not smart enough. That I am not, whatever!



The Holy Spirit is convicting me daily, demanding that I get off my rump and get to HIS business. The business of encouraging salvation. The Holy Spirit will highlight them, place them in my path and I will go get em! Praise God!



Today I was thinking real hard about those I personally know of who are lost, and will never find their names written in the book of life before the White Throne of God. How terrible it is that I know this and that I am not doing a thing to try and turn their thinking around, see if they will listen to reason. God works through us, we are his hands, his voice, a tool; being the vehicle for His words to flow through us to the intended soul. What we hear our mouths say is not always what the receiver of the words hear and understand in his heart. THAT is the Holy Spirit working, my dear friend!



In study, I was led to Matthew, Chapter 13. What if Uncle Charles and Aunt Kathy or one of your own children continued to deny the existence of God and they die and go to Hell? What if God could use us as a lever to free their unbelief and end up with them being saved? How great of a deal would that be?
Take a look at this scripture below then answer this question; Am I ready to do His will and start immediately to share the Gospel, to tell all I meet the joy of Jesus?

(Mat 13:47-51) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. – "Have you understood all these things?" They *said to Him, "Yes."

Spreading the Gospel is as simple as telling your own story. In your own words. From inside your own heart. Share yourself with others then watch the Holy Spirit work! Spread the Gospel. Be the LORD'S tool for salvation!

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?