The God Who Sees Me....

Question: To whom then will YOU liken God or what likeness will YOU compare to Him? To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal? Says the Holy One. Lift up YOUR eyes on high, [ lift up our eyes up over the hills, over this world, over our troubles, our sorrows, our addictions, our sickness, our whatever‘s] and SEE who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them ALL by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; NOT ONE IS MISSING…. You might feel like you are missing from the ways of the world, like everyone else seems to have it together and you feel like an outcast…you may feel like your family or friends, and those around you have forgotten you, but you are NEVER missing from the eyes of the LORD… Psalm 139:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry Psalm 11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his goings Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good Psalm 139:12 Yea, the darkness hides not from thee; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. Psalm 121:4 Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleeps. The Everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth, He never faints nor is weary. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength…King Jesus who sits above the circle of the earth never sleeps nor slumbers, and He sees you right where you are, and He loves you more than you could ever understand. Trust in Him, wait upon Him and He will renew your strength and you will run and not be weary, you will walk and not faint, For He is El Roi, The God who sees us, and He is Immanuel God with us!!! In the Words of Hagar the Egyptian slave, “I Have Now Seen The One Who Sees Me.” Psalm 33:13-15, 18-19 NRSV The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all humankind. From where He sits enthroned He watches all the inhabitants of the earth...He who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds...Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Thank you Lord Jesus, for You hear me, You see me, and You deliver me, GLORY!!!

God Loves You

When I was a sinner I did not need anyone to tell me I was sinning...everything within me screamed I was living wrong. What I desperately needed and did not know is that God loved me. While I was yet a sinner, Christ died for the ungodly, He died for me. If there was such a thing as "Sinner of the Month Award" I would of had my picture and name on a plaque...lol The summer of 1986 I was 21 years old working at “Mister Donuts” on East Empire. I worked third shift and for most of the night I worked alone, so I would light a candle in the back room, sit at a table with a little new testament Bible reading the book of Revelation, while smoking a joint. Looking for answers to all the questions that lingered within my mind. Early one morning just at the break of dawn a women comes in the shop and orders a chocolate donut and a coffee to go. As I rang in her order and handed her the change, she looked deep within my eyes and said, “God Loves You”…those three words would haunt me for the next few months as I continued to seek for truth. I knew the evil that was present within me, I knew what I was capable of doing and what I had already done. Yet, there was a God who loved me? I did not understand the word “Love” Could it be the way this woman said those words or the way I heard it? Either way, these three words; God. Loves. You; Pierced my heart and stirred my soul. I began to search with all my heart this unknown God who loved me. And When I searched for Him, He sought me and He found me. Why I sat in darkness, and the fear of death gripped my soul, Jesus gave light to me. Can three simple words "God Loves You” change the course of ones life? Absolutely! Live to be a witness of Christ through the power of His love that is poured into our hearts by His Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:5)…If you have never heard, or have not yet believed, I tell you the truth; God Loves You!!!

God is Light and in Him There is no Darkness at All...

I have seen this post on facebook by many people, and although it sounds spiritual, and appeals to our emotions, it is not biblical truth. The phrase, ""I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light."...If you feel like you are walking in darkness, I pray you will be encouraged by these scriptures written within the pages of God's Word. Always remember Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you, He is with you unto the ends of the earth, and not only is He with you, He is for you! Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. Luke 1:79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine our of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; John 12:35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 1 John 1:5-7 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. Ephesians 5: 8-14 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. The Resurrection of Christ calls you and I out of darkness...may the light of the Lord Jesus Christ shine in your hearts, they you may know that He walks with you in the light. For God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all...Let your light shine!!! When we walk in the light as He is in the Light we have fellowship with one another and we are never alone...

Isaiah 34:16 Seek Out The Book of Lord and Read!

Over the course of years a few people with good intentions have given me books to read concerning poverty. How to help those stricken in poverty. What works, what doesn't work etc….and as I sit at my desk today, thinking about these books that I have yet to read, The thought came to me….wait, I am poverty. I was born into poverty, I was raised in poverty, and it was only through the Word of God have I overcome poverty. You see, it’s not poverty of economic status or material possession, but poverty of one’s soul. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God who created us looks at our heart (Jeremiah 17:9 the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked) ....Jesus tells us in Matthew 26:11, the poor you have with you always. No matter what agencies or programs we have in place, we will always have the poor among us, and we are commanded by the Word of God to take care of them; Jesus said, I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty, you gave me a drink, naked, you clothed me, sick, you came to me, in prison and you visited me.....but the poverty of ones soul must be "Born Again", and then one will be transformed from darkness to light, from the power of satan unto God. We as Christians consume ourselves with trying to clean up the outside of the cup, and yet inwardly, lies the poverty of our souls, (original sin) rooted in extortion, self indulgence, greed, wickedness, and lust. We must preach the everlasting Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the Wisdom of God, and the Power of God. From Genesis to Revelation, it's the Word of God that is able to make one wise unto salvation, His Word changes the poverty of ones soul, and the evidence is seen through a life of obedience that is transformed by the renewing of ones mind through the knowledge of God‘s WRITTEN Word…and that my friends, is found written within the pages of 66 books, called “The Bible” If only we would seek God through His Word. Know Him through His Word, Trust in His Word, and obey His Word, open our mouths that He will fill us with His Words, that our speech and preaching are not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power…1 Corinthians 2:4 Forever O Lord Thy Word is Settled in Heaven. Thy Word is absolute Authority, and Thy Word is Absolute Truth, May Your Word be hidden in our hearts, that we Your people created in Your image, created for Your glory, might not sin against You.

Relevant Worship or Reverent Worship...which worship does the Father seek?

The church should not look like the world and the church should not act like the world, but because the church has and continues to engrave the world upon the horns of the altar in the form of relevance, thus "Relevant to the Culture" is engraved upon it. To be relevant in worship is to connect with the culture at hand, not the Holy God of scripture. To have social relevance is not Holy reverence. No where in the Word of God are we instructed to adapt the worship of God so that we can capture a generation. We can do nothing of ourselves…..The Word of God commands us to Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness, the Word of God commands us to Praise Him from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Word of God commands us to sing unto Him a new song...God forbid, the church turns the worship of the Almighty God into a socially acceptable performance to connect with people, or to keep people within the church. Exodus 25.…let them make me a Sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. The Lord gives Moses the pattern of the tabernacle. The instruction of the altar and the mercy seat. The ark holds the testimony, the commandments of God, the mercy seat is above the ark with a Cherubim on each end with their wings stretched on high covering the mercy seat, and their faces looking toward the mercy seat. And the LORD tells Moses in verse 22, “And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two Cherubim’s which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment unto the children of Israel.” This place of communion with the Lord does not depict a worship that is relevant to culture, but a dwelling place of reverence before a Holy God. Only the Power and Presence of the LORD will draw people, His Word that is forever settled in heaven will set one free, and Jesus Himself prayed, And, now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given me, that they may be one; as we are! Many believers will attend church services but few will enter into His Sanctuary and worship Him with holy reverence saying with a loud voice, “ Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessings.” In this place one beholds; “every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them saying, Blessing, and honor and glory, and power, be unto Him who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” AMEN!

Sacred Gathering on Holy Ground

When God’s people gather together we gather on holy ground…..For God is holy and wherever He is…it is holy, (For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20.) We present ourselves before the LORD an offering of the highest praise which is our lives….a place of consecration and sanctification. A place of communion beneath the mercy seat of our Lord Jesus Christ. We enter within the torn veil through the blood of Christ into the Most Holy Place. In this place we seek the LORD and minister unto Him, a place of revelation, God revealing His truth and His purpose. The Most Holy Place where the high priest, if he had done just one thing wrong in the process of preparing himself before the LORD he would fall dead in the presence of God. Questions to ask ourselves….. Worship leaders: Should you really present yourselves, while entertaining the congregation with “strange fire” unto the Lord in His House? (Leviticus 10) Pastors: Should you really handle the “Word of God” deceitfully conforming to the wisdom and fashion of this world, and not to the Revelation knowledge of Christ? (Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 1:17-24 & 2 Corinthians 4:2) Church goers: Should you really sit in the cushioned chairs sipping on your Cappuccino’s and Latte’s with “itchy ears” embracing a socially excepted feel good gospel claiming you have no responsibility in your salvation? (Isaiah 30:9-12 & 2 Timothy 4:3-4) Non church going believers: should your excuses for not seeking God be blamed on those around you, and even those you do not know? (Acts 17:39) Question for all who say they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and handle His Holy Word as if it’s just a book from a second hand store: Where is the fear of this God you say you believe in? (Hebrews 10:31 & Luke 11:35) Sacred Gathering on Holy Ground (Exodus 3:1-12, 14) We as God's people gather together for worship to present ourselves before a Holy God. It was and should still be a sacred gathering. When Moses encountered God at the burning bush scripture teaches us clearly how we are to approach God. 1. Moses looked…..God gets our attention. 2. Moses turned to see…..Repentance 3. When the LORD saw Moses turn and He then called unto Moses out of the midst of the bush, and said…..Moses turns, God sees then God speaks…. 4. Moses, Moses….Moses response; “Here I am” 5. God said, “ draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou stands is……Holy Ground” Consecration and sanctification…putting off the old/flesh to put on the new…righteousness of Christ. 6. God reveals Himself….I Am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God the creator, God who made covenant and the God who has declared the end from the beginning. 6. Moses hides his face for he was afraid to look upon God…..Holy reverence. 7. The LORD sees, the LORD hears, the LORD knows, and He came…. A. I have seen thy affliction. B. I have heard their cry. C. I know their sorrows… D. I Am come down to deliver them… E. To bring them up out of that land (Egypt)…unto a good land flowing with milk And honey….. 8. Come now and I will send you…..Great Commission 9. To bring forth God’s people out of Egypt….(Bondage, slavery) turning their eyes from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among the saints which are sanctified by faith in Christ. (Acts 26:18) 10. When the people are out of Egypt, they shall serve God upon this mountain…. Serve as in worship, serve as in obedience, not with convenience, worship in Spirit and in truth. Three things God seeks..... 1. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.....Luke 19:10 2.The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong. 2 Chronicles 16:9; sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me...Ezekiel 22:30 3. The hour comes and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. god is a Spirit: and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth.... John 4:23-24 The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth.....seeks the lost soul, seeks to show himself strong through us as we stand in the gap, and He seeks us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ be a worshippers of the Living God, and fear before Him, knowing that He has the power to just kill our bodies, but to cast our souls into hell.....it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.....Jesus himself said, And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whosoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Matthew 21:44)   For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is HOLY; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones....Isaiah 57:15 Thus saith the LORD, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that you build unto me? And where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath my hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I LOOK….even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and TREMLETH at My WORD……Isaiah 66:1-2 O Lord God, God of my Fathers, The God of Abraham, the God Isaac, the God of Jacob…….hear my prayer that I pray unto You this day. You who inhabit eternity, inhabit the praises of Your people as we turn our hearts from our wicked ways, we turn our hearts in repentance unto you. With a humble and contrite heart we come seeking Your face, desiring to worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Seek us Lord as we worship You! Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens….Yeshua HaMashiach, let my prayer be set before Thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. I pray for Thy people Israel, peace be within the walls of Jerusalem. I pray for revival in the land of Your people, and within the hearts and minds of all who say they believe on You Lord Jesus. Psalm 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

The Purpose of the Pulpit and the Order of Worship

The Book of Nehemiah chapter 8 & 9 reveals the purpose of the pulpit and the order of worship. Ezra stood upon a pulpit of wood which they had made for this purpose. 1. Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 2. Ezra blessed the Lord, the Great God. All the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 3. They read from the book of the Law of God and caused the people to understand the reading. 4. Israel separated themselves from strangers and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquity of their fathers. 5. They stood up and read from the book of the law of the Lord their God one forth of the day, and another forth of the day they confessed and worshipped the Lord their God….. God communes with His people through worship. It is not a three ring circus for the self indulgence of your flesh, pastors; nor is it for the entertainment of your eyes, church. Acts 3:19...repent, be converted and the times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. If the world could be saved by worldly means then Christ death is in vain. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins! Today, many pastors and leaders that stand behind a pulpit trust within themselves and their own righteousness. It is written in the Word of God that there is none righteous, no not one. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son.“ He did not say, For God so loved the world that He became like the world….Jesus said, “the Son of man came into the world not to condemn it, but to save it“…The Son of man came into the world to save us, not for us to continue be like the world, but He made the way for us to come out and be separate. Today, the American church does not look like the Blood Bought Church of the Bible. A people called out to be a light in a darkened world. A people who declare His truth to all generations in a world that embraces lies. A people who overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony. A people unashamed of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ…..for they know that Christ is the power and wisdom of God. The Bible speaks for itself and it stands set apart from all other books that have or ever will be written…Forever O LORD Thy Word is settled in heaven, let it be established within our hearts. From the pulpit to the pews, from the cooperate office to the lonely streets…Hear the Word of the LORD and LIVE!!! Psalm 51 A Prayer of Repentance Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered Him, "LORD, to whom shall we go? thou has the Words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" John 6:67-69