Ryan Callahan's Blog

Every year I put lights on our house for Christmas.  I’m a bit late putting them up this year, but we got it done yesterday despite the freezing cold wind.  Our old lights didn’t work, so I bought new ones and opted for the super bright LEDs this time.  Jesus is the Light of the world and His love literally lights up the world at Christmastime!  It’s so beautiful to see everyone’s lights piercing the darkness as we glorify Jesus and celebrate His birth!  Our lights represent His Light because Christmas is all about Jesus!

Our son helps me by holding the long strings of lights and he holds the ladder when I’m wrapping the wooden beam above the garage.  It’s a fun tradition for us and he does a great job at nine years old.  Thanks son, the house is lookin’ good!  The master bedroom above the garage is where I went into anaphylactic shock on 4-28-2012 and died for a short time before coming back to life in the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit!  It all happened right there in that room (just like in the upper room in Acts 2).  Thank You Jesus!!!

Here are a couple photos looking east off our front deck.  Some of our neighbors really light their houses up big time, roof and all.  It’s amazing what a contrast it is from the darkness of October 31st.  In December, the whole neighborhood comes alive with lights and there is a sense of peace and calm in the air.  Celebrating Jesus is beautiful!

All of the warmth and joy of Christmas is in Jesus!  The love, peace, and hope of Christmas is found in Jesus alone!  That glorious day when our Lord and Savior was born in Bethlehem almost 2,020 years ago is celebrated around the world, and He is worthy to be praised!  Only Jesus can save us from our sins and set us free and there is no other name that can save us.  Jesus is Lord and when you believe in Him, you have the light of life!

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

Follow Jesus by faith and you will never walk in darkness just as He said!  You will be filled with the Holy Spirit and His light and love will flow within you like streams of living water!  The joy and peace of Christmas is not just for one season of the year.  You can have the light of the world inside of you every day for the rest of your life!  Jesus is with us every day and He will never leave us!  May we celebrate and glorify His Holy Name!

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

Jesus speaking in John 7:38

“By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

John 7:39

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13-14

Christmas is about God becoming flesh and dwelling among us.  It is about the day God was born as a man, the Lord Jesus Christ, to defeat sin and death.  A child who was born to suffer and die, so we could be free!  It is all about God destroying the devil’s work!

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

“He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

1 John 3:8

“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.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16

If Jesus had not been born, we would still be living in spiritual darkness!  There would be no hope without Jesus!  Jesus is the light of life our souls desperately need!  Jesus is the hope every human soul longs for!  He is calling you home even now.  Do you hear His call in your heart?  I pray you do and I pray you come running into the arms of your Lord and Savior who loves you more than you could ever imagine!

Grace and peace to you all and Merry Christmas!

Did you know the birth of Jesus was prophesied around 700 years before he was even born?  The Book of Isaiah was written between 739 and 681 B.C. by the prophet Isaiah.  The name Isaiah means “The Lord is salvation” and the entire book prophesies the birth, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Messiah Isaiah told us about.  He is the prophesied King, our only Lord and Savior!

In Isaiah chapter 9, we read about a child being born.  A child who is a King whose Kingdom will never end.  A King who will be called Mighty God and Everlasting Father!  A King who will bring peace, justice, and righteousness to the world forever!  Isaiah was speaking about Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords!  Listen as Isaiah tells us about the day that we celebrate on Christmas.  The day our mighty King, Lord, and Savior was born!

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.  In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan–

The people walking in

darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land

of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the

nation

and increased their joy;

they rejoice before you

as people rejoice at the

harvest,

as men rejoice

when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of

Midian’s defeat,

you have shattered

the yoke that burdens

them,

the bar across their

shoulders,

the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used

in battle

and every garment rolled

in blood

will be destined for

burning,

will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will

be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his

government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s

throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding

it

with justice and

righteousness

from that time on and

forever.

The zeal of the LORD

Almighty

will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:1-7

That is why the Magi came from the east to worship Jesus when He was just a child.  They knew the prophecy and they were waiting with great expectation for the day God would become flesh and dwell among us.  They were waiting for the King that Isaiah wrote about hundreds of years earlier.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:1-2

In the first chapter of Matthew, we learn the genealogy of Jesus and why Isaiah said He will reign on David’s throne forever.  That prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was born through the line of Abraham and David.  The entire family line is listed in verses 1-16.  I will post verse 17, which sums it up.

“Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.”

Matthew 1:17

The part of the prophecy about Zebulun and Naphtali and honoring “Galilee of the Gentiles, by way of the sea, along the Jordan” was fulfilled when Jesus left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum when he was thirty years old.  That town is right next to the Sea of Galilee (which they also call “the lake” in the Bible) in that exact area.  The great light Isaiah talked about is Jesus!  Jesus is the light that has dawned on the world!

“When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee.  Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali–to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

“Land of Zebulun and land

of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, along

the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles–

the people living in

darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land

of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.”

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:12-17

It was from that very place that Isaiah prophesied about that Jesus began His ministry!  A great light has dawned indeed!!!  And what did Isaiah mean when he said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given?”  Whose Son is it and who gave Him to us?  Jesus is God’s Son and God gave Him to us!

“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.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

Jesus Christ is the prophesied King of Isaiah!  He is God in human flesh and He was born to die for us to save us from our sins!  He is King of kings and Lord of lords and His Kingdom and Peace will never end!  He will reign forever in justice and righteousness and those who believe in Him will have eternal life!

In chapter 53, Isaiah talks about how Jesus would die and intercede for our sins.  He speaks of the pain the King would suffer for us and how the punishment upon Him would bring us peace.  That prophecy was also fulfilled when Jesus was crucified, laid in a tomb, and rose again three days later defeating sin and death forever!

“But he was pierced for our

transgressions,

he was crushed for our

iniquities;

the punishment that

brought us peace was

upon him,

and by his wounds we are

healed.”

Isaiah 53:5

All of the prophecies of Isaiah were fulfilled through Jesus Christ!  Jesus fulfilled the Law!  Jesus is our salvation!  Jesus is Lord!  He alone is our righteousness and eternal life!  May we keep this truth in our hearts as we celebrate the birth of our loving God and Savior Jesus Christ!

Grace and peace to you all and Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone and God bless you all!  We are just about half way through December and 2019 is almost history, so I’d like to share my Christian American perspective on where we are at right now in our time.  It’s a perspective based on God’s Word, supernatural experiences, and my walk with Jesus.  It is also a perspective based on living as an American (born and raised) my entire 41 years on earth.  This post is just me sitting down with you all and having some real talk about 2019.

It is amazing that 2020 is just around the corner!  Another decade has gone by as we march towards the end.  Here in America, a lot has changed in that time.  Parts of our country have become so depraved and immoral that they are now unrecognizable as America.  Cities that have become havens for lawlessness and homelessness.  “Sanctuary cities” is what they like to call them.  Some have become so bad there are drug needles and human feces in the streets and crimes go unpunished.  Don’t believe me?  Check out San Francisco, L.A., and Sacramento.

There are local governments run by radical socialists who openly hate America and our Constitution.  We also have radical Muslims running local governments who openly admit to hating Jews, Christians, and America (I know not all Muslims are like that).  People say we are headed for a second Civil War.  If you ask me, we have already been in a Civil War for quite some time.  We just haven’t arrived at the point of bearing arms on the battlefield yet.  Although sadly, there have already been real casualties in the streets.

2019 in America has been a tinderbox of violence and hatred stirred up by a liberal propaganda machine they like to call “the news.”  24/7 lies are what they peddle.  They do it because they hate God and they hate America.  They want a new world order, which is their sick illusion of grandeur that a socialist one world government will somehow bring them a glorious utopia.

They might want to go ask Venezuelans how that is working out.  Our neighbor is from Venezuela and he has been trying to get his parents out of there for years.  It is so much worse than people know.  Did you know people had to eat zoo animals to survive?  Did you know educated teachers became prostitutes?  There is no utopia with socialism!  There is poverty and violence built on a foundation of lies and greed.  Socialism is just a bridge to tyranny.

Socialism is not a share the wealth program.  It is a consolidate and control the wealth scam to funnel all the power and wealth into the hands of the power hungry greedy few who want to dominate you forever, and they will do it through violence.  What do you think Antifa is?  They are socialist violence.  They operate just like Hitler’s brown shirts.  That is socialism friends.  They will literally beat you in the streets, point a gun at your head, take all your wealth, and then welcome you to their “utopia” as you are standing in line for week old bread wondering what happened to your country.

In 2019, there are people in America and Europe who are purposefully tearing down national borders and sovereignty to make their new world order dream come true.  They want a one world government and their motto is “order out of chaos.”  The chaos they are creating is by design and it is designed to destroy the current order we have been living in since World War II.  Keep paying attention to prophecy because we already see all the players being positioned for World War III and the coming one world government of the evil one.  Those who promote the new world order are serving the evil one and they are building it for him.

It is dangerous to speak the truth in 2019.  Those in power who own the social media outlets are one with those who want the evil one’s new world order, and they are doing everything they can to shut down free speech.  We are living in a time when people call evil good and good evil.  A time when people think that truth is whatever you want it to be.  A time when people not only hate God, but want Him and His Word out of society completely.

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with them.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5

“Woe to those who call evil good

and good evil,

who put darkness for light

and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet

and sweet for bitter.”

Isaiah 5:20

They want you to believe that God’s Word is a lie, but their belief in things like 100 genders is the truth.  And if you don’t believe their truth, they say you are a hateful bigot deserving of punishment.  I don’t care what they say, God’s Word is truth!

When we were in L.A. we saw a Mexican dude standing outside of a girl’s bathroom at LAX.  He had a wig and his hairy man legs were sticking out of a mini skirt.  I don’t care what anybody says about it, his gender is male no matter what he calls himself.  And if he had tried to go into the bathroom with my daughter, he and I would have had a problem.  There would be no violence, but you better believe he is not going in there with my daughter.  You got that liberals?  Quit trying to destroy our society as you throw a fit over God’s order!  Male or female folks, and that’s the truth.

“This is the written account of Adam’s line.

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.  He created them male and female and blessed them.  And when they were created, he called them “man.”

Genesis 5:1-2

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

Jesus praying in John 17:17

People need to understand that the destruction of our society’s morals and values is by design.  All of the race baiting on the news, the gay agenda, the laws to murder more babies, the leftist and gay agenda in the schools, the political hatred from the left, and all the socialist anti-American talk.  It’s all by design to destroy us!  Those in Hollywood are complicit in it too.  I just saw this morning on Twitter that Netflix made a sick mocking comedy about a gay Jesus!  Total blasphemy!  I’m telling you folks, we have got to be very close to the end!

The gay agenda has become such a political weapon that now they even mock Jesus Christ and blaspheme His Holy Name with their homosexual filth!  All I can say is God will not be mocked and they will reap what they sow.  Jesus is coming soon and next time He comes He won’t be riding on a donkey.  My advice to them is to repent before it’s too late!

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:17

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

Galatians 6:7-8

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

“Behold, I am coming soon!  Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

Jesus speaking in Revelation 22:7

What will 2020 be like in this country?  It will most likely be rough politically, which will cause great conflict and stress in our society.  The socialist controlled democrats have been throwing an absolute violent fit since the American people firmly rejected their doctrine of lies in 2016.  We have seen people being attacked in the street for being white, wearing a red hat, being a Republican, being a conservative, and being a Christian.  The liberal dominated media stirred up that hatred folks!  Accusing guys like me of being racist when they are the ones who are racist and completely obsessed with skin color!  They declared it open season on God fearing American patriots and they quite literally encouraged people to commit acts of violence on us!

Those divisions of the flesh are from the evil one and he is the one causing all the violence and bloodshed through the liberal media propaganda.  You are not a racist just because you love your country and want to protect it!  They talk all that filth on stations like CNN because the globalists own the media and they are using hatred to get the new world order they want.  They are continually stirring up violence to cause the chaos they need to instigate a societal collapse.

They don’t want national sovereignty.  They want America and the nations of the world to fall!  They want to rule the world with a dominating global government!  That government will be run by the evil one for 7 years in the end and he will use the mark of the beast to enslave the people who are left during the Tribulation (also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble).  Do not accept that government and do not take the mark!

They already have the RFID microchip technology to do it and people are already getting it implanted in them just to do things like ride the train easier or get paid at work by scanning the chip in their hand.  I believe that will be the technology behind the mark because they can put all of our information on a chip and control us through it.  They are already using technology to track, control, and spy on us and they have been for a long time.  Yes, in 2019 we are seeing the build up to prophecy being fulfilled!

“He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

This calls for wisdom.  If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number.  His number is 666.”

Revelation 13:16-18

Now the dems want to continue with their ridiculous circus they call an impeachment trial as they continue their attack on Americans.  They have no grounds to impeach our President and they know it!  Their lies and false accusations will come back on them badly.  God hates false accusations.  The “impeachment” is just their chance to keep throwing a fit to make themselves feel better about getting beaten so badly in the election.  They are trying to remove our duly elected President and start a Civil War!

I pray their socialist agenda is wiped off the face of the earth and I am ready and willing to fight for my rights and freedom!  I don’t want a Civil War, but if that’s God’s will, so be it.  I’m never going to let a bunch of depraved atheist liberal socialists take my country, my freedom, or my life.  Me and mine will fight the good fight to the very end and I will protect those I love.  I’m never going to stop cutting down their lies with the mighty Sword of God’s Word either!  We must stand firm in God’s Word and speak the truth, or the only thing society will hear are the lies coming from those who hate God!

“Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

1 Timothy 6:12

2019 has shown us that God’s Word is true!  We are seeing evidence of the end times all around us.  We have seen increased persecution of God’s Word and those who believe it.  We see the depravity that God’s Word told us we would see.  We see the hatred for God and we see that people’s love has grown cold.  God warned us these times were coming and we must stand firm to the end.

We even see more people messing with witchcraft and worshiping the evil one.  We have TV shows where people enter haunted houses and interact with demons.  More people are seeing demonic masquerading like glowing orbs and other manifestations.  As one who lived in a demon possessed house, I warn you with all my heart to flee from that evil and run to Jesus!!!  The spiritual war is going to continue to heat up and you better choose the right side!  Don’t mess around with evil, it will eventually kill you!  The evil one is a thief and a liar and he only comes to kill, steal, and destroy your soul!

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:10

Nobody knows what will happen in 2020, but I know and trust the One who does.  Jesus saw me through 2019 and I trust Him to see me through to the end.  If you don’t know Jesus, now is a real good time to meet Him!  The Bible is clear that we are going to see more madness as we approach the end.  Hold fast to Jesus and don’t let go!  Jesus is the only One who can save our souls!

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

“for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

 

 

Good morning everyone.  It has been a rough week.  I had somebody speaking lies about me and falsely accusing me yesterday regarding what I preached on my blog a couple days ago, so I was dealing with that all afternoon.  It was very discouraging and I’m not even going to get into it.  On top of everything else with Celiac, my heart feels tired and beat down from it and I am asking the Lord to bring healing and peace to the situation.  Today, I am just going to show you some photos of the beautiful sunrise we had this morning.  I claim love and forgiveness over all false accusers and their false accusations against me and I am at peace in Jesus.  This is a new day the Lord has made and I choose to rejoice in Him and be glad, no matter what lying false preaching accusers say!

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus speaking in Matthew 5:11-12

I took all these photos with my good Canon PowerShot SX50 HS camera.  Enjoy!

After I took those photos, I went to the front of the house and got some really cool shots of the full moon setting in the west.

Here is looking back east at the sunrise from the front of the house:

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his

hands.”

Psalm 19:1

Thank You Lord for declaring Your glory in Your creation!  Have a blessed day everyone!  You are all in my prayers!  Don’t ever forget, Jesus loves you and He died for you to set you free from sin and death!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

“for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

Grace and peace to you all!

 

It has been an eventful morning.  Our kids have a late start on Wednesdays, so I was taking our daughter to school this morning.  As we came out of our neighborhood, an older lady pulled in front of us out of the neighborhood next to us and she was driving all over the road.  She was swerving left and right and she just about hit a truck in the oncoming lane when we turned right at the round-a-bout.  It was quite a scene and I called the police.  Definitely not what I expected when I got up this morning!

I stayed on the phone with the police dispatch and stayed a safe distance behind the lady as we approached town.  I gave the dispatch lady the description of her car and the plates and explained it appeared she was older and was having trouble controlling the car.  It was either that or she was drunk.  My conversation with dispatch was over once the officer pulled her over.  The officer called me shortly after that and asked me a few questions.  He also said that she was indeed an older lady and she was not drunk or anything.  I let him know I was glad she was okay and explained that maybe she has arthritis and was having trouble turning the wheel.  He agreed and thanked me for calling.  He seemed very compassionate and helpful as are most of the police officers in our town.

You just never know when or how God is going to use you!  Sometimes He calls you to action right after you get up in the morning!  I am really glad we left at a later time today and I’m glad God used me to potentially stop a serious accident.  Praise God she is okay and she didn’t hit that truck!  Please pray for her.  I hope she has someone to help her if she needs it.  She just wanted to do some shopping in town and she wasn’t going to let her age or ailments stop her.  I can relate to that!

Always be prayed up and ready to go in God’s armor.  It might be early in the morning and you might be tired, but we need to be ready to obey as God leads.  May we always look out for our neighbors and love them.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

Grace and peace to you all!

 

I was thinking about Christmas and reading about the birth of Jesus in the Book of Matthew today.  I am always struck by the power of the angel’s statement to Joseph regarding the reason he was to call him Jesus.  Remember, Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and giving Him glory for who He is and why He was born!  It is the greatest birthday celebration in the whole world!

I have been blogging on WordPress for over a year now.  I started in August of 2018, so last December was my first Christmas as a blogger.  Unfortunately, I ran into quite a few legalistic believers and false preachers during that time that were very hateful and judgmental about Christmas.  As a matter of fact, in all my time blogging, those are the people that have given me the most trouble, not unbelievers!  In the most loving way I can say this, I am not putting up with it this year or any other year.

There are a lot of people out there that claim to know Jesus and they pretend to have fellowship with us, but they are actually legalistic wolves that believe they can earn their salvation through works.  All they want to do is tear at you with their vile lies and point their bitter judgmental fingers at you while they try to beat you over the head with verses they don’t understand.  And they don’t understand them because most likely, they don’t have the Holy Spirit.  Beware of such “believers.”  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Christians who don’t celebrate Christmas are false believers (although it makes me wonder).  Some are real believers that have somehow got mixed up with legalism, but others are straight up false preachers.

They came at me with their misunderstandings of Jeremiah 10 and condemned me for having a Christmas tree.  I have never carved an idol in my life, that’s not what a Christmas tree is, and I sure don’t worship it!  It’s a decoration for crying out loud!  Some people are so legalistic it’s ridiculous.  Such people still think they can fulfill the Law on their own and they are not trusting in Christ’s finished work on the cross.  They act as if they are still under Old Testament Law as if they could be righteous on their own.  Jesus fulfilled the Law because we can’t!  No one will be justified by observing the Law.  Read Galatians and Romans.  God’s Word will prove it to you!

Other people don’t like the word Christmas and want to argue about the origins of the word.  One of them even told me it “grieves her heart” to here the phrase “Merry Christmas.”  She was a former Catholic and her reasoning for being grieved was based on some weird Catholic painting depicting King Herod’s orders to kill the boys in Bethlehem (not sure why someone would want a painting like that).  She tried to tell me Christmas is celebrating Herod’s slaughter (still one of the weirdest things I’ve ever heard).  Then a couple of her friends jumped in the conversation pointing their fingers at me with all kinds of accusations and judgments.  It was quite strange and crazy, and I still shake my head at that one.  We know about King Herod trying to kill Jesus and we know he ordered the murder of all the boys in Bethlehem aged two and under (Matthew 2:13-18), but that is absolutely not why we celebrate Christmas.

Others want to argue about the date of Christmas as if we don’t know that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th.  That’s not the point in our time.  The point is we celebrate Jesus and He is glorified worldwide through the celebration of His birthday!  Christmas puts the focus on Jesus and shares the Gospel with the world!

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

I don’t understand why a believer in Jesus Christ would not celebrate the birth of their Lord and Savior, but if that’s you, I don’t judge you.  I am not here to argue with legalistic people.  I am here to preach the Gospel!  I love Jesus Christ with all of my heart and I’m going to celebrate Him and worship Him in spirit and in truth!  Judge me if you want to.  Jesus is my Lord and Savior and He deserves all the glory and praise!

I say “Merry Christmas” and if that offends you, tough cookies.  All of the people who subscribe to my blog now have never treated me that way and I thank you all for that.  The false preachers who attacked me learned pretty quick not to mess with me and they are gone now.  I preach the truth boldly and I will not back down.  If you are reading this blog for the first time and you are a legalistic Christmas hater, you will probably want to stay off my blog in December.  Your hateful comments will just get blocked, you won’t like talking with me anyway because I will preach the truth to you, and your misunderstandings of Scripture will never defeat the truth of God’s Word.  Your legalism will never defeat my freedom in Christ either (Galatians 5:1)!

Romans 8:1-2 burns bright in my heart!  I am not a slave to the law of sin and death!  I am righteous through His blood alone and I celebrate and worship Him because He died to save my soul and set me free from sin and death!

Now that I have been clear on that, let’s take a look at the birth of Jesus and what the angel of the Lord told Joseph:

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.  And he gave him the name Jesus.”

Matthew 1:18-25

That is why we celebrate the birth of Jesus!  He was born to save us from our sins!  His Name in Hebrew is Yeshua, which literally means “the Lord is salvation.”  The root verb of His Name means “to deliver, to rescue, and to save.”  He is God in human flesh!  God with us!  Jesus rescues us, delivers us, and saves us from sin and death!  The greatest gift God ever gave to mankind was coming to earth as a beautiful little baby boy to save the world!

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:1-2

Don’t ever forget why Jesus was born and why we celebrate Christmas!  Jesus is Lord and He is our only Savior!  It is His birthday and just like the Magi did, I want to honor and worship Him as I celebrate His birth!  Jesus Christ is Lord!  May He be celebrated and glorified throughout the whole world!

Grace and peace to you all, and Merry Christmas!

“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.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference a day makes!  Yesterday, I was in pretty bad pain and I had to get a cavity filled on top of that.  Guess what?!  By the time I got to the dentist the pain in my body was completely gone!  Also, the cavity filling went great!  I didn’t even need a shot for pain before the procedure!  I don’t know what you all are praying, but God is answering!  I have pretty much no pain this morning and it’s incredible!  My tooth is fixed, the pain is gone, and it’s a brand new day!  Thank You Jesus!

I haven’t been without pain in the morning in a very long time!  I’m kind of sitting here in shock.  I’m not used to feeling this good!  I really pray the pain stays away for good!  Every day has been a fight for me for many years and I wake up gritty ready to fight the pain every morning.  Not today!

I just want to give the Lord big praise!  Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers Lord!  Thank You for taking the pain!  Thank You for blessing the cavity filling!  Thank You for always being with me and never leaving me!  Thank You for Your comfort and love!

Have a blessed and beautiful Friday everyone!  God answers prayers and miracles really do happen!  Trust in Him and believe!

“My heart is steadfast, O God;

I will sing and make music with all

my soul.

Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, O LORD, among the

nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, higher than the

heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

and let your glory be over all the

earth.”

Psalm 108:1-5

Here is one of my favorite Christian bands and one of my favorite worship songs of all time.  I love playing this on my guitar and singing to the Lord!  Hallelujah Lord, Hallelujah!!!

Grace and peace to you all!

I love that poster quote!  The evil one may think he has me beat with all this pain and suffering I’m going through, but when I’m on my knees to the Lord I am strong!  It has been a rough week.  I couldn’t write yesterday because of the pain, then I had an eye appointment I barely made it to.  Today, I have even more pain and I have a dentist appointment to get a cavity fixed.  Pain on top of pain.  Show of hands, who likes going to the dentist?  That’s what I thought, nobody does.  No matter what pain we are going through, we must give it to the Lord.  He is the One who sustains us in times of trouble.

Our dentist is great and I have no need to worry, but it will be tough laying back in the chair with the pain I have in my body.  The filling is nothing compared to that.  I appreciate your prayers.  My appointment is at 3 p.m. Mountain.

Pain is strange at times.  When you live with a chronic illness that includes chronic pain, you get used to different levels of pain.  The pain you have one day might be less or more pain the next day.  What is minor pain to us may seem major to someone who does not suffer chronic pain.  On days when the pain is minor it can feel like there is no pain at all, even as you sit in pain.  I am always hurting.  It’s just a matter of how bad.

Today is fairly bad and I am praying up and doing everything I can to make it to my dentist appointment.  I have to get this cavity fixed, so I have to set my face like flint and get there despite the pain.  His grace will be sufficient because Jesus is enough for me.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

I get on my knees to Jesus and I cry out to Him!  I lift my prayers to Him because He is my help and my refuge!  He is my Lord and Savior!  His Holy Spirit gives me strength and peace in the storm and I know He is with me by the Spirit!  I am a child of God, redeemed, forgiven, and free!  Nothing can snatch me out of His hand, and as I rise up and say, “Amen,” the devil is crushed under my feet!

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Romans 16:20

Trust in Jesus no matter how bad the pain!  He will see you through to the end!  May His will be done!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

 

A couple weeks ago on Twitter, there was a Christian asking a serious question.  He wanted to know if Christians (meaning born again believers in Jesus Christ) would go to hell if they committed suicide.  The question really bothered me because Christians should know the answer to that based on our core belief in Jesus.  This will be a longer post (1,700 words) due to the seriousness of the question, so get ready to dig into God’s Word on this one.

First off, the answer to that question is NO, they would NOT go to hell.  People most likely think they would go to hell because of Catholic lies they’ve been told regarding salvation.  People who base their salvation on works are never assured of their salvation.  People who base their salvation 100% on God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ are 100% assured of their salvation!  The only reason a person loses Heaven is by rejecting Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son.  A believer in Jesus Christ has not rejected Him and suicide cannot separate us from Him.  Nothing can!

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

“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.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16-18

Works based false preachers are still living in fear of death.  Jesus set us free from that slavery!  It is the evil one who holds the power of death and that is why people are afraid of death.  Jesus destroyed the devil’s work!  There is no fear of death for the born again believer in Jesus Christ!  Someone who trusts in their own works for salvation will always fear death and they will always worry that something they do wrong will send them to hell.  That is not the Way of faith in Jesus Christ!  Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and because of Him I have no fear of death!  He was right there with me when I stopped breathing in 2012 and there was absolutely no fear!  There was no pain either. Just perfect peace, and it was more beautiful than I can explain.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Hebrews 2:14-15

“…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

1 John 3:8 (2nd sentence)

“There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:18

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9

If you believe in Jesus Christ, then stop living in fear of death!  If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you will never be condemned!  If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you are NOT appointed to suffer wrath!  You are appointed to receive salvation through Jesus!!!  Praise God and rejoice in your salvation!!!  Give Jesus the praise and glory He deserves!!!

If someone has accepted Jesus Christ by faith, then they are saved and nothing can snatch that person out of His hand.  The Holy Spirit resides in the born again believer and the Holy Spirit is God’s seal on us that proves we belong to Him and proves our salvation is guaranteed!  No matter how the believer in Jesus dies, the believer will be in Heaven with Jesus forever.  We are redeemed by His Blood shed on the cross for us and nothing can change that or take that away.  Once you are His, you are His forever.

Our salvation is not dependent on human effort, but only on the finished work of Jesus Christ!  When will people understand this?!  Jesus saves us!  We cannot save ourselves!  That is the whole reason Jesus died for us!  It is terribly sad if the tragedy of suicide happens, but if the person believed in Jesus, then they are saved.  His blood covers all of our sins; past, present, and future.  Suicide does not change God’s promises or His faithfulness to a person who believes in His one and only Son.  You cannot snatch yourself out of His hand once you have given your life to Jesus Christ by faith.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:19-23

Depression is a major problem in every society because depression exists everywhere on earth.  It is an unfortunate reality of living in a sinful fallen world.  Nobody is immune to it.  I struggled through a very dark depression for several years while fighting Celiac and it’s by God’s grace that I’m still alive.

A few months before I published my testimony and started this blog, I went to see our Pastor at our old church.  The disease had really taken its toll and beat me down.  When I walked into the church that day, I had pretty much given up hope and I just wanted to die.  I just wanted to be home with Jesus and be free from the pain.  I actually cried out many times for the Lord to take me.

I talked with the Pastor about the disease and all the suffering.  I told him about the crushing sadness and hopelessness and I broke down in tears.  He listened and prayed for me and gave me some words of encouragement and it helped give me a better perspective on things.  He also introduced me to a Christian counselor and I talked with him a couple times too.  It’s okay to talk to somebody.  We need that fellowship, so please get help if you need it.  Don’t suffer alone.  God loves you and you are not alone!

Sometimes life can knock us down so hard that it seems impossible to get back up, but suicide is never the answer.  We go to Heaven through our faith in Jesus alone, but we should go home when He calls us home.  Just make sure you don’t condemn the brother or sister who was suffering depression.  Those believers that have fallen to suicide for whatever reason are safe in the arms of Jesus.  They don’t lose their salvation and there is not a single verse in the Bible that says they would lose it.  Our salvation is secure and finished through Jesus!  We are justified, redeemed, forgiven, and saved by His blood alone!

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

Romans 5:9

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

Ephesians 1:7-8

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Galatians 2:21

Richard Wurmbrand was a Romanian preacher who was imprisoned and tortured by the Soviets during World War 2.  In his book, “Tortured for Christ,” he talks about a day when he and his fellow brothers were being tortured by the prison guards.  The beatings were so bad during the torture session that one of the brothers in Christ couldn’t take it anymore and he jumped out of a window to his death.  Richard talked about the love and compassion of Christ and how his brother in Christ was forgiven.  The brother is not in hell.  He is in Heaven because He overcame by the Blood of Jesus through his faith in Jesus!  Is it your right to judge the man’s pain and how he reacted?  Is it your right to judge his devotion to Jesus and doubt his salvation?  No, it is not.

The true heart of the question regarding Christian suicide and hell comes down to whether you trust Jesus for your salvation or you trust yourself and your own effort to save you.  Legalistic false preachers who preach a works based salvation are never secure in their salvation because they are not saved.  Your works will never save you!  I have said it before and I will say it again, you either believe in Jesus or you don’t.  If you believe in Jesus, then trust in Him 100% with all your heart and take Him at His Word when He tells you nothing can snatch you out of His hand!

Nothing can separate us from Jesus once we believe.  Nothing can snatch us out of His hand once we believe.  Not even death.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life and He will raise us up at the last day just as He promised!

Grace and peace to you all!