He's An On-Time God!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! What a wonderful God we serve who loves us with an everlasting love! My heart is so full of joy as I read the book of Daniel. I have read this book many times; the first of which was in 2010 when I was "introduced" to the book by a fellow co-worker. Little did I know that this book would change my life and I want to share a little bit about it with you today.
Here is a bit of background on the book: Daniel, along with his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (God-fearing men) were natives of Judah under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar (idol worshipper). Though they worked for a king that served idols, they continued to serve God with boldness in everything they did.

So there came a time when the king made a statue (gold image) and wanted everyone in His kingdom, at the sound of a horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music; to fall down and worship it (Daniel 3:5). This was a decree (or a royal order) to do so and those who disobeyed would be severely punished. So word got out that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did not do as the king ordered and they were brought before him to be punished in the form of a burning fiery furnace. Now this is pretty harsh treatment! Can you imagine being sentenced to burn to death in a fiery furnace? Plus the furnace was heated 7 times hotter than usual because the king was extra furious with them. Probably because they had this to say about their punishment: "...our God who we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up" (Daniel 3:17-18). Now for a king with all his might and power, this is a huge slap in the face! So of course he has to "flesh his muscles" so to speak and turn up the heat. He had mighty men to bind them up and throw them into the furnace. But because the fire was extremely hot, the mighty men who threw the 3 into the fire, died from the flames themselves! So certainly since Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were actually thrown into the fire they are good as gone, right? Well suddenly the king arose and was quite confused. He was sure that only the 3 of them were cast into the flames but instead he saw 4! "Look! he answered. "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (Daniel 3:25). God stepped in right on time! As you can see, He didn't step in before they were placed in the fire; God went in with them through the fire and I believe He does the same with us today. He ain't scared y'all! (I just had to throw that in there :) ) So the fire had no power on their bodies, their hair and garments were not singed; as a matter of fact they did not even smell like smoke (Daniel 3:27)! Wow, what a powerful God we serve! He is above all things and everything is in His control. If He tells a fire not to burn, guess what, it has got to obey and it will not burn!
Some of you may be going through or have gone through some fiery trials in your life. All you have to do is trust and depend on the Lord and He will ALWAYS be there for you and with you. It doesn't matter what the situation looks like. The situation may look hopeless from a human stand point but we know that all things are possible through Christ! But just as we should, they took a stand for what they believed in and did not waiver no matter what the king threatened them with; these men were willing to die for what they believed!
I encourage everyone to read this book and I pray that you receive revelations that will help you in your walk towards Christ. Many blessing to all of you!!!

NIV bible perverted???

I have read many different versions of the bible from the King James Version (KJV), (New International Version (NIV), New Century Version (NCV), and the New King James Version (NKJV). I personally read the NKJV and have found it to be accurate to the KJV bible that I was brought up on. But sometime last year I attended a women's conference that talked about how the NIV bible was revised by an atheist. Is this true? As I did my research I could not get a clear answer as to specifically who it was that revised this version of the bible. But one thing was very clear: it is NOT equivalent to the KJV and in my honest opinion, the NIV is NOT the infalliable word of God. I know many people read the version because it is easier to read in terms of the words itself but there are many, MANY powerful words and even verses that are left out! I just urge everyone to please do your research along with prayer for God to show you truth. Here is a webpage called NIV Exposed! to get you started if you are willing and interested. God bless you!
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/niv_exposed.htm
Please share your thoughts!

Unforgiveness: Spiritual Poison

I found a great website that talks about unforgiveness from all angles. I think it's good information and it includes scriptures references. Let me know what you all think!
http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/unforgiveness_poison.php
God bless you all!

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Who is able to stand up against God? No one! Therefore, when opposition comes stand on the word of God without compromise. When we believe in Jesus and the word of God, all His word is ye and amen. So when it comes to fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lying, back biting (gossiping), and all things sinful; when the Lord says these things ought not to be so, then guess what.....we say ye and amen! As a matter of fact, as believers we should hate sin. Which brings me to this: God hates sin and He loves people. Therefore we ought to do the same! When someone is caught up in any kind of sin, instead of coming down hard on them as if we have never done anything ungodly, talk to them with love and compassion lest ye also be tempted with the same sin (Galatians 6:1). We are not above being tempted as Satan did to Job, a righteous man. He is consistantly going to and fro seeking whom he can devour. But temptation is just that, a temptation! We are not being made to fall into a trap but we are given a choice. But as followers of Christ, we know right from wrong. It's time to stop letting the world dictate what is acceptable and what is unacceptable sin. The world says as long as it doesn't hurt anybody its okay. But what does God say? This is the question you should ask when conforted with such situations. So let's get serious and stand up/speak up for what is right! And if you are ever at a crossroads between what is right and wrong, you can ask this question as well: Can I stand before the Lord boldly and say that I believe that what I'm doing is good according to His will? Overall what I am saying is that as Christians, we should NEVER compromise the word of God to please man. Period! We do everything with love but we should not compromise His word. People may not like the truth but we still should stand firm because after all is said and done, if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). You're on a winning team! God bless you!

Irreplaceable Love

I truly understand when the gospel artist sings, "Searched all over. Couldn't find nobody. I looked high and low, still couldn't find nobody. Nobody greater....nobody greater.....nobody greater than You!" Sometimes in life, we lose focus of God and turn to things and other people for happiness, joy, and peace in our lives only to find that God is and will always be all that we need. There was a time when I thought if only I was the perfect size then I will be happy. Or if I had millions of dollars, nice things, and lots of friends then I will have joy and peace in my life. But it's not so! We see it all the time on tv where celebrities who seem to have it all: money, fame, multiple houses, and designer clothes who are living a life a misery. There is a void in their lives that can only be filled by One, and He is Jesus Christ! He is our irreplaceable love! He is our friend that sticks closer than a brother and gave His life for us (Prov. 18:24 & Gal. 2:20). Who else would ever do that for us?
The things that we can gain in life on earth are temporary but the love of God is everlasting. We all go through ups and downs in life but at the end of the day if we have God in our life, there is peace, joy, and happiness in our spirits. All we have to do is let it shine through despite what we see with our natural eye.
So ask yourself, what do you treasure? If it is anything or anyone other than the Lord or the things of God, then it needs to take a back seat! Because the bible says that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:21). If you do find that it is the things of life that are consuming your heart and you want that to change, you can ask the Lord to create in you a clean heart and renew a loyal spirit within you (Psalm 51:10). For our God is ready and willing to restore us for His name sake. I love you all and God bless you!

No More Separation

Tonight I watched a documentary about the Freedom Riders. This was a non-violent group from the 1960s consisting of both black and white individuals, who traveled on buses through cities such as Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, and New Orleans to promote desegregation. Many of them endured much suffering all because they wanted equality for themselves and the upcoming generations. Through their efforts and several other notable civil rights activists, we are no longer separated. Everyone despite their race can go to the same restaurants, restrooms, and have the same opportunities as others. Now in no way has racism disappeared, but I just thank God that because of our ancestors things are better than what they used to be.
But as I sat and watched, I was reminded of the word of God. I thought about how before Jesus came there was no hope for the Gentile (Non -Jewish) people. We were not considered God's people as the Jews were. But after Christ came, the bible states in Ephesians 2:11-13 "Therefore remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh---who were called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands---that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. BUT NOW in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Glory be to God, I am so glad that Jesus came to set us free and wash us with His precious blood! Because of Him there is no more separation!
When Jesus was on the cross at Calvary, He yielded up His spirit and immediately the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51). The veil represented our separation from God because of sin. Before Christ, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place once a year to bring the blood of bulls and goats as a sin offering. But Christ came as our final sin offering, entering the Most Holy Place ONCE for all, having obtained eternal redemption through His bloodshed (Hebrews 9:11-12). And His blood is and will continue to redeem all believers now and forever! As proud as I am of my ancestors for what they have done for this country, no desegregation is better than that which was done by Christ! God bless!

Compromising your faith or is it going to far?

I have been thinking a lot about compromising when it comes to the word of God so I decided to look up a website on the subject. After reading the points the author made, I quickly thought they many of his points were taking things a little too far and very few were actually valid to me. Please check out this link and read the points http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/compromise.html and please let me know what you think via comments on here or Facebook.
Thank you and God bless!