Monday, September 23, 2019

Come to Jesus


You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Psalm 73:24

Death comes to all of us. The only exception is for those who are believers during the rapture. I believe in healing; I believe in miracles, but God has the final say in our lives and in the lives of those we love.  As I write these words, my father’s health is failing. He is a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease, and he may be transitioning to God’s kingdom very shortly. He has experienced God’s healing along the way. Severe bedsores, over a relatively short time, improved greatly. He walked with assistance, for a time, after an injury to his back. This is after he was bedridden. These healings were answers to prayer.

But I believe Dad’s future now lies beyond this life. About a year and a half ago, he gave his heart to Jesus. This quiet but strong man bowed his heart to the King of Kings. He accepted Christ’s unmerited forgiveness. He surrendered his unrighteousness for the righteousness that can only be found in Jesus. For so many years, he was resistant to the gospel. Now he is a child of the King. Thanks be to God heaven is his home. A glorious eternity awaits him.

Have you been putting off the most important decision you can make – the decision to embrace Jesus and his salvation for you? Will you bow your knee to the Savior. He died and rose for you. He has a wonderful plan for your life. Don’t wait till your twilight years to come to God. Come to him now. The scripture says, “Today is the day of salvation.” Invite him in your heart today. Tomorrow may be too late.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Giving Thanks Well


My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. Psalm 71:8

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:15

We should make it our aim to glorify the Lord with our lives. One way to do that is to offer praise to him, and that praise can be offered with our spirits or with our understanding. To pray with our spirits is to pray in other tongues. This explanation fits the context of 1 Corinthians 14.  In 1 Corinthians 14:17 the scripture says that when we pray in tongues, we give thanks well.

God has given us the gift of tongues for many reasons, but one primary reason is to praise God. I often start my morning praying in tongues and carry it on throughout the day. I do it quietly to myself. No one but God knows I am praying this way. 

I believe this gift of tongues is offered by Jesus to every believer. It is the initial sign of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Some excellent scriptures to study on the matter are: 1 Corinthians 1:5, 1 Corinthians 14, Acts 2:4, Acts 19:6, Acts 8:14-17, Mark 16:17, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 and 1 Corinthians 13:1. 

Like salvation, the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a gift of grace.  We cannot earn it. Although I believe every Christian has the Holy Spirit living in him or her, not everyone is controlled or filled by him. We receive infilling of the Holy Spirit by asking God for it (see Luke 11:13). His power in our lives also enables us to be better witnesses for him (Acts 1:8).

There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding this subject. That is one of the reasons why I have included so many scripture references dealing with the topic. If we disagree on this subject, we can still get along.  Praying in tongues is not a prerequisite for our salvation. God loves those that have a prayer language and those that do not the same. However, I believe that if we receive this gift, it opens the way for us to flow in the other gifts of the spirit, and it makes us bolder witnesses for the Lord.

If you would like to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, please pray the following prayer…

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me and to save me.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. I believe He rose from the dead. I declare that He is my Lord! Jesus, I ask you to fill me with the Holy Spirit to overflowing. I acknowledge that my salvation and this infilling of the Holy Spirit is a gift of grace.  I praise you and wait on you. I believe that I have the gift of tongues because I receive it by faith. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Now focus on the Lord and let him give you foreign words to say that you do not understand. He will not force you to pray. You must do the praying, and when you do, you will give God thanks well.




Wednesday, September 11, 2019

There is a Peace


There is a peace that can insulate us from the chaos
The clamor of our “cling-clang” world does not have to deafen us
We can rise above the rat race
Though its speed be super sonic

We can rest in the arms of the Almighty
Find our peace in Him
As we behold His serene and loving face
Oh Prince of Peace You set this prisoner free

Gave me feet to dance on hills of adversity
You bring calm to my confusion
Ease to my dis-ease
And You rejuvenate me
As water cascades down the mountain