Planning and Preparation

Wow what a weekend. I am glad that God saw me through it all the way to last night. One thing that God has taught me was that if something needs to be done, for example a test in this case I need to prepare. This applies to projects that you are working on as well. I have been studying for the General Class License since the last weekend in June and it payed off. I passed. Then I decided to take the Extra and see how good I would do on it. 19 out of 50. God has taught me that in order to accomplish something I need to prepare for it. In this case I never once studied for the Extra exam and yet I could not pass it. Why? Because I did not take the time to study it and understand the contents. This goes hand in hand with the Word of God. How in the world can you grow and learn the very mind that died on the cross for the sins of the whole world including you, unless you study! Even after we have been saved for some time and have read through the bible 50,0000 times it still does not prepare us for what we will be facing. Not only as a saved person but the Lost as well. God doesnt want just our souls He wants all of us and the very essence of who we are and He wants to use us for His glory and honor!

Still Small Voice

God reminded me of something that happened a few weeks back that I still to this day kick myself for it. My wife and I were at the Quick Trip on South 7 and I was filling up the van. I observed a couple of young teens that were hanging out in front of the store. I recieved a still small voice to go and buy them a drink and to say something to them while I was filling up. I ignored it and continued filling as I watched the two boys one was pacing up and down the sidwalk and looking around and then I saw the young man open a case of Sprit and proceed to take a can open it up and walk away sipping it! I was struck with supprise. I then told the store what had happened and showed them the open case of soda. I felt so stupid. I should have listened to that still small voice and could have been able to share the Gospel with those boys and showed the Love of Jesus. There was nothing else I could do but just ask God for forgiveness and move forward. I told my wife what happened after she had saw the incident as well. She stated that God wants to go out of His way to keep us from sinning. It brings me to that verse in Peter.

(2Pe 3:9) 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.

Jesus will do anything and everything just so a lost person can find the forgivness and grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. The issue here is having the Laborers to do it. We are all guilty and one point or another where we do not listen to that Still Small Voice of God telling us, will you share my Son with that person?

Watch the Video Below.

Hit me with bricks!

John Chapter 4 showed me something that broke my heart! At one point in this Chapter Jesus sent the disciples off to get some food and they came back to him finding him ministering to a nobleman. The nobleman stated that he needed his son healed and Jesus told him he was healed. What struck me is that as Jesus was ministering to the nobleman the Disciples told Jesus he needed to eat. Jesus refused and continued to minister. I look back on the many times I chose to do something else instead of doing God's will. It broke my heart. Here Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world including me and those that repent and ask Jesus in their heart can recieve eternal life and a ticket to heaven. I am one of them but the fact of the matter is I sometimes lose that site of what He did and what He wants me to do! That is horrible. As Paul would say oh wretched sinner that I am! I dont understand why we do the things we do and not put God first in EVERYTHING and every time we lay down our cares before the cross we pick them back up! Pastor said the problem with a living sacrifice is that it has the tendency to crawl off the altar! Oh how true that is! The wonderful thing is my God is a forgiving God and has unconditional love! Thankyou Jesus for hitting me with a brick! I need it every now and then. We as christians need it every now and then!

Blindness

I think about blindness. I know a few people through my Amateur Radio Club that are completely blind. The other day I saw a blind person tapping his way down the halls of the VA Hospital. In the bible Jesus talks about Spiritual blindness and associating that with darkeness as well. The definition of darkness is the absence of light. Those that are lost are blinded spiritually. They cannot see the kingdom of God. John chapter 3 Nicodemus was confused when Jesus told him Except a man be "born again" he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus though he had to be physically born again when Jesus was actually referring to a Spiritual birth. Jesus was patient with Nicodemus. How many times have we lost our patience with a lost person who is "blind"? I am guilty of it as well. You dont tell a blind person to watch where he is going if he accidently bumps in to you. The guy is blind! He cant help it. Today I asked God to remind me that those that dont have Jesus Christ in their lives are blind they dont understand why I am the way I am. They say bible is confusing and "full of false truths". Well duh, it is going to be because they have not recieved Gods teacher. The Holy Spirit.

America is so full of "stuff". We have all kinds of stuff we can do and it crouds our minds and takes us away from the sole reason why we are here. It clouds our minds and we loose track of who gave us life in the first place. Here we are we over schedule our lives with all these different things (Christians included) and we have absolutely no time to give back to God. Kids sports, work, hobbies of all sorts just to name a few. Sometimes we focus on our families first before we ever focus on God. How many times have we done that or are currently doing that. Christian God didnt put you on this earth to be "BUSY" God put you on this earth to show others the path of salvation. So look at your life are you willing to sacrifice that time you have to focus on God or are you going to continue to be disobedient to Him and put him on the back burner? With me I have an accountability partner that makes sure that I am doing the right thing by putting God first before anything else! I am so thankful I have that accountability partner to keep me in check with my Christian walk and even my daily readings! They have my permission to let me know what I need to fix or change. It keeps you from going blind. Maybe you need one too?

I am looking forward to Guatemala because they dont have the things or stuff that we have so they have to time to sit down and focus and listen to the Gospel. I continue to pray that God will change my very essence as Novemeber approaches. Change the way I see people and see Him!

THEY SHALL NOT ESCAPE!

Hello again. One of the assignements that we are required to do is to read 1 Thessalonians completely till we leave. I have read it many times before but God stopped me today.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
(1Th 5:2-3)

He stopped me on the final few words at the end of 1 Thessalonians 5:3 and it says. "THEY SHALL NOT ESCAPE" They who? Of course the church because in the very first Verse states:

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
(1Th 5:1)

That key word Brethren.

Something tells me that there is going to be believers out there that will be supprised when Christ comes back to claim His kingdom! The question is are you one of those? Do you watch for his coming? Do you even believe that His coming is near? Some of us are going to get suprised as some of us go about our daily routines and not even puting God first in their lives continuing in sinful acts of disobedience and using salvation as a ticket to sin! There is no escaping the fact that Jesus Christ will be coming! The question is what are you doing now this very moment? Reading this I know but what about afterwards?

Those of you that are not saved and have no idea what I am talking about let me give you an example. What happens with a thief in the night? He comes when you least expect it! You may be away from the house you may even be sleeping in your house or you may even be awake and the thief comes in. The next thing you know your most valued possessions are gone! The chances of getting them back are slim to none. Jesus Christ is coming for the Church! Not the building but the people! A human life is pretty valuable! They will disappear raptured out! Loved ones, Neighbors, Friends, coworkers. Some houses will be partially missing because that relative repented of their sins to GOD not man and asked them to come in to their heart and save them from hell. The rest will be "Left Behind" awating a distruction, a judgement and eternal pain and suffering. THEY SHALL NOT ESCAPE! No place to hide no where to run.

Are you one of those?


Watch the video below.

Nothing but a God Thing

Today I woke up this morning at 430 to get back in the routine after being sick off and on over the past month and a half or more. The first thought on my mind was the people of Guatemala and how many people that God will allow us to lead to the kingdom. I went and worked out about 30 minutes or so and was thinking about the what if's, but they were good what if's. For instance what if on the last day of this missions trip I am able to lead the last person to the Lord and the rapture occurs? Imagine that! Sends chills down my spine just thinking about it.

I started to read the Book of John and God showed me just in the first chapter how he had a contageous spirit! Duh.... Jesus is God manifest in the flesh! What caught my eye was verse 50. Nathannel was supprised that Jesus knew him already and asked how? Look at verse 50 of John Chapter 1

Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
(Joh 1:50)

He saw him under a Fig tree before he ever met him! But then the second half of that verse is absolutely amazing. "thou shalt see greater things than these."

Heaven is far beyond the human minds comprehension! I dont care how moch of a bible scholar or how smart you are. You may be the most smartest person in the world and you will by no means be able to comprehend Heaven!

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
(Joh 1:4-5)

Jesus is the light of men He is the one that is going to decide wether you will be able to pass in to heaven! If you dont have his Holy Spirit and have not repented of your sins TO GOD NOT TO MAN you will not enter. You are darkened and need the light of Jesus to light your way. I was in those same shoes but I repented to God through prayer and asked Him to change my life and save me from Hell believing that Christ died on the cross for my sins! God turned the Light on and I was radically changed!

It was a God thing! Not anything that I did myself. My comprehesion of the Bible turned on and the indwelling Holy Spirit showed me things in His Word that only someone that has been saved can understand!

No Turning Back

I just made my deposit for the Guatemala missions trip scheduled for November 7th to the 14th. I am nervous and I am sure that I will become even more nervous as the day draws nigh. I have to raise over 1000 dollars over the next 3 months or so that only God can provide. This is my first expierience outside the military that I will be experiencing in a foriegn field! The mission is to share the Gospel by evangelism which means standing in front of crowds of people and preaching. This will be different compared to American way. Full of pride and self righteousness. I have preached on the streets of Kansas City and it is more dificult and Satan has domonation and control providing us with access to anything we want to try an satisfy the flesh! Everyone that has been on the foriegn field has stated that the people are so receptive to the Gospel and once they are saved they become hungry for the Word! It brings me back to the day that I was saved on July 14th 2002 and how hungry I was and still am for the sweet truths of God's Word.

Some people I have approached with the Word of God don't understand it and they find the Word to their eyes false fables. That is only because their eyes have a vail over them and they dont understand. The bible is TRUTH from cover to cover beginning to the end and there is not one word in it that is false! The bible says that they are blind. Not physical but spiritually!

(1Co 1:18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

(Joh 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.


I am going to attempt to journal or blog my daily experiences with God from this point till I return from Guatemala! Wether that is a daily entry or every few days or weekly I do not know.

As a testamony of what is currently happening I have already seen God work since the day I committed myself to this trip back durning the missions conference. Several days after my commitment I recieved a letter from the VA stating that every disabled Vetran would recieve a one time $250 check in the mail. Our deposit was $200.00 Secondly today I should have been doing my military weekend and I would have missed my first meeting for the trip. God fixed that! He set it up so I spent my Friday with the VA Hospital and offset my drill days to Friday and Saturday just so I could attend the meeting today! Tell me thats coincidence? I dont thinks so!

If you are reading this today and you have not recieved Jesus Christ as your personal savior you can have this too! The bible says that without faith is is impossible to please God! It also states that For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph 2:8-9) You cant get to heaven by works by yourself or any other man you cant get to heaven by baptism going to church or by any ammount of things or money you have or even a communion! There is only ONE way to heaven and that is by REPENTING of your sins turning from them and asking God NOT MAN to forgive you and save you from those sins and ask Jesus to come in to your heart and life!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, BUT BY ME. (Joh 14:6) That ME is Jesus Christ!