Tag: Forgiveness

There is another section of Scripture that is widely misunderstood and misused to instill fear in people.  It is found in the Book of James regarding Faith and Deeds.  Before I get to that, please read the above verse.  You can see that any good works we do are done through Jesus, and God prepared them in advance for us to do them.

It is clear in Ephesians 2:8-10 that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and that any good works we do are done through Him:

“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.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

There is no boasting about good works.  The work we do for Jesus is done for His glory and it was prepared for us by God to complete.  We are not working for our salvation.  That was paid for in full by Jesus when He died on the cross for our sins.  If we could earn salvation, then He died for nothing.  He said, “It is finished,” for a reason!

With all of that in mind, let’s turn to the misunderstood and misused Scripture in James:

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James 2:14-17

That sounds odd doesn’t it?  I thought Ephesians says salvation is by grace through faith and not by works.  Yes, that’s right, James is not talking about salvation.  He is talking about putting your faith into action, and explaining to the new believers scattered everywhere that there is work to be done.

The New Testament was written in Greek, so let’s look at that word “dead.”  The Greek root of that word is nekrós.  In this context it means “unable, ineffective, powerless, or corpse-like.”  James is telling them to not be ineffective in their faith.  He is asking what good is your faith if you don’t act on it?

If you see a homeless man in need, but do nothing about it, what good is your faith?  That is what he is saying.  He is really saying, get up off the bench and get in the game!  He is not talking about working for your salvation!  Any good works we do are done through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit and all the glory goes to God for preparing it!

Yes, of course we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, but don’t just sit there.  Our faith is like a muscle that needs to be worked.  James is telling us to not let that muscle wear out!  God gave you gifts in the Spirit–go use them!

I pray we all complete the work the Lord has for us to do!  If God is for us, who can be against us?!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Grace and peace to you all!

Remember:

That verse is always a little hard for me.  Why?  Because I believe because I saw.  I came to Jesus because of a terrifying supernatural experience.  I know it is real!  Yes, I still had to take that leap of faith to trust that Jesus would be the One to deliver me, but after living with a demon for four years it was a much easier choice for me.

I know many of you have never had supernatural experiences with demons and angels.  Many of you have walked with Jesus longer than I have, and you might not have experienced anything like that.  I commend you for your faith, and you are blessed!  Listen to what Jesus says to you:

“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29

Granted, none of us have seen Jesus and there is blessing that we believe without seeing Him, but I experienced the spiritual realm and that is why I believe.  I didn’t even see Jesus when I stopped breathing.  I felt Him and heard Him.  He walked over to me and simply said, “It’s okay.”  I knew it was Him because I know His voice.  Just like I know it is my Dad when he calls me on the phone.  Those experiences have given me great strength throughout my walk with Jesus!  During my time of suffering, the memories of the angels comforted and strengthened me.  The memory I have of the incredible peace and painlessness when I stopped breathing is something I will never forget!  I was with Jesus, He kept me safe, and He let me live!  Glory to the Lord!

I don’t know why these things happened to me and not to you.  I bet you are glad you didn’t live with a demon through your High School years though!  Breathing shallow with the sheets pulled up over your face every night listening for any strange sound, any out of place movement, or any flicker of the lights!  Sleeping with your light on the entire four years.  Walking through your house not knowing if it is around the corner or right next to you about to do something terrifying!  Those fallen angels are horrific and it was terrifying, but Jesus delivered our family from it!  Testify, all of Heaven is watching!

I am responsible for the knowledge I have been given and I feel the weight.  Yes, His yoke is easy and His burden is light, but what I mean is that I feel very responsible for telling people the truth because of what I lived through.  No matter how nuts it makes me sound.  I have to tell people.  I don’t want to get to Heaven and have God ask me, “so what did you do with the knowledge I gave you?”, and not have a good answer.

He already knows of course, but I will tell Him, “I love Jesus and I preached the Gospel and warned the world with what I knew Lord, I hope you are pleased with me.”  I am going to do down preaching to my last breath folks!  Heaven is most definitely real and I am so looking forward to experiencing that peace and painlessness for eternity!

Yes, angels are big!  Yes, they have wings!  Yes, they are beautiful in sparkling snowing light!  I pray you get to see one someday!  If you believe in Jesus, then God gives His angels charge over you every day!  Don’t ever forget that, it is no joke!  They are here and they fight demons on our behalf!  You just can’t see them most of the time, that’s all.

If you are a believer in Jesus, then you also have His power to drive out demons.  I will never forget the fervor I felt inside my soul when I went back to my parent’s house and cast that filthy creature out of our house!  That is the Holy Spirit power and if you know Jesus, believe me, you have it too!

Jesus is alive!  Rejoice in the Lord today!  Rejoice!  He has saved your soul, given you His Spirit, and He protects you with His angel armies!  Be encouraged and take heart!

Grace and peace to you all!

Okay, if you have been reading my blog, then you know I like to confess things and get it off my chest.  I told you I would be real.  It is good for the soul and it brings us closer to God too.  I have been chatting with a real cool brother here on the WordPress blogs (what’s up Divine Masculine), and he got me thinking today.  We were chatting about trouble with our ladies and keeping a level head when the past is brought up and things get heated.  I was telling him about an argument I had last night with my wife.

Yes, news flash world, Christian couples have arguments too.  Sometimes they are even bad arguments that hurt the heart.  So that’s one confession I guess, but my main point was going to be about my hot temper that sometimes returns from a distant past and flares up burning down everything in sight.

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.  I am a very chill guy, like really chill.  It takes a lot to get me agitated.  I hate anger and I hate fighting and violence.  I was never that kind of guy.  I don’t even like watching boxing.  There is nothing cool about brain damage.

Sometimes though, given just the right spark, that sinful anger will be right back in my lap burning me and others around me.  When I was in the beginning of my suffering with Celiac and my brain was still on fire from the damaging gliadin protein, it felt like I was angry all the time in peak fight or flight mode.  It was awful.  Thankfully, that nightmare part of the disease is over and healed now!

I have learned to control anger through years of training and discipline in God’s Word, but I am not perfect.  I have made my mistakes.  Now at 40, I am feeling the strongest I have felt spiritually in my entire life.  This is after six and a half years of suffering Celiac!  He makes beauty out of ashes, I’m tellin’ ya!  I don’t feel angry about the disease anymore and I am finally coming to terms with it.  I still have rough days, but I am at peace and it feels great!

The other night I had an argument with my wife about our son.  Things from the past were brought up, and that is where I want to stop.  You see, that is one of the sparks for me.  People talking about past mistakes.  I hate it!  I hate it when its done to me and I hate it when I do it.  I hate it because in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul writes, “love keeps no record of wrongs.”  We are to forgive as Christ forgave us, and let it go.

I could feel that angry little guy rising up inside me wanting to go all buck wild and free!  But this is a story of victory!  You know what I did instead of freaking out?  I hugged that little angry buddy and he wasn’t angry anymore.  I prayed, calmed down, and gave it to God.  I have learned from my training in the Bible.

Now, my wife and I still had some “strong fellowship” regarding our disagreement, but we worked it out in love and peace.  We never go to bed angry.  Don’t do that.  Squash it before bedtime.

“”In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Ephesians 4:26-27

That is very wise advice!  Forgive before bed, so that in the morning the devil does not have a foothold as you wake up angry.  My good friend Roberto who I have known since college told me once, “every time you get angry, you lose.”  Those words have echoed in my mind ever since.  Anger=lose.  Remember that.  I’m not talking about righteous anger where you save somebody who is being beat up or something like that.  I’m talking about sinful anger.  I think we all know the difference.

Here are the verses that have trained me to be more victorious over sinful anger:

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

James 1:19-21

Humbly accept the word planted in you is right!  I have read those verses and prayed those verses for years.  That I would be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  I pray it all the time still to this day.  I don’t want to be a fool and get burned or burn others with sinful anger.  I want to be righteous!  Is that not what we all really want?  To be clean and whole and at peace?  Well, that is what Jesus does for us.  Amen!

My wife and I are doing great by the way!  I love her and she is my lady and my best friend!  We have been through more than you can imagine together.  She cared for me during my suffering so deeply with love, and I am so thankful to be with her!  I just wanted to give you an inside look at a real Christian marriage of 17 years, and how I deal with anger.  Yeah, sometimes we get on each other’s nerves, and sometimes arguments can be hurtful, but forgive, let it go, and keep marching forward together!

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:13-14

Thanks again Divine Masculine my brother for the great conversation today!  Always real brother!

Grace and peace to you all!

Hope.  That is something that is always in short supply all around the world.  No matter what country you live in, there is not enough hope.  The above verse in Romans tells us that we can not only have hope, but have it to overflowing when we trust in God in the power of the Holy Spirit!  That is not something the world can offer anybody.  That kind of hope is only found through Jesus!

I would like you to think about the context of the time in which this verse was written by Paul.  It is his letter to the church at Rome, hence the Book of Romans.  Christians were being persecuted in Rome.  They were being killed in the coliseums as an entertaining spectacle for the violent crowd that watched.  No, they didn’t make them fight like gladiators.  They tied them to poles and let lions attack and eat them.

The persecution was so bad that they hid in the catacombs under the city.  They had to create secret signs, so they would know who they could trust.  That is where you get this image from:

The Christians would use the symbol to tell each other they were Christian and it was safe.  Here is a great explanation from Author Matt Slick of Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (carm.org):

“The word “ixoye” is an acronym comprised of the first letter of five Greek words:  Iesous Xristos Theou Yios Sotare which means Jesus, Christ, Son of, God, Savior.

• Iesous (Iasoos) is Jesus.  The first letter is ‘iota’, Ιησους.
• Xristos (Christos) is Christ.  The first letter is ‘chi’, Χριστóς.
• Theou (Theou) is God.  The first letter is ‘theta’, Θεοῦ.
• Yios (Huios) is Son.  The first letter is ‘upsilon’, Υἱός.
• Sotare (Sotare) is Savior.  The first letter is sigma’, Σωτήρ.

The word is also the Greek word for “fish,” icthus, ἰχθύς which when spelled in capital letters in Greek is ΙΧΘΥΣ.  Remember, Jesus called the fishermen to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).  Jesus used the metaphor to represent evangelism in the proclamation of the gospel by which people are saved from their sins.  Christians began using the fish as a symbol of Christianity in the first century.”

Thank you Matt for that excellent history lesson!  I recommend checking out carm.org!

It was violent in Rome.  We all know this from history.  The Romans were brutal to the Christians.  So, for Paul to be writing about overflowing hope seems a bit odd because in their physical circumstances they were suffering terribly.

Why could Paul write that?  Because he was very familiar with the power of God through suffering.  He knew that God would fill them with all joy and peace as they trusted God through their violent circumstances.  Paul had been living through it too!  Many times the Jews and Romans tried to kill Paul.  Many times they tortured and imprisoned him, and he ultimately died for his faith.

He knew that the Holy Spirit would be the only strength that could get them through it with all joy and peace.  He also knew that would lead to an overflowing of hope in the Holy Spirit.  He knew the believers in Rome would need to dig deep into the hope that salvation brings!

Our hope is not in this world.  This world cannot offer us hope.  Only God can do that, and He did!  He died for you, so you can be free from sin and death!  Now that, my friends, is real hope indeed!

Remember the Christians who were tortured and murdered in the coliseums next time you see the “Jesus fish” symbol on somebody’s car.  Using that symbol was the difference between life and death for them.  Someday we will meet all of those who were killed for their faith in Heaven.  May we be as strong in Christ, and may we overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1 Peter 1:3-5

Boom!  That is real hope–a living hope that never perishes, spoils, or fades!

Grace and peace to you all!  May your hope in Jesus be alive and well always!

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2

It is hard being an outsider, isn’t it?  Nobody wants to be the outcast.  Just about every human being on earth enjoys being liked.  We all like are likes don’t we?  As Christians, we are not called to be liked by the world.  In fact, the world will hate us because we preach about Jesus Christ.  The world hates us because we have an enemy who “prowls around like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), and he causes that hatred to well up in the hearts of those in the world.

There are many nations in the world where preaching the Gospel can not only get you hurt, but it can get you killed.  Check out this list of restricted and hostile nations to the Gospel:

That is a long list!  If you live in those countries, then it is very dangerous to be a Christian.  It is actually just like the constant danger the Apostles, Disciples, and followers of Jesus lived through.

Listen to how the Apostle Paul explains it to the believers in Corinth:

“For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena.  We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.  We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ!  We are weak, but you are strong!  You are honored, we are dishonored!  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.  We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.  Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.”

1 Corinthians 4:9-13

Interesting imagery from Paul’s time speaking about how the Romans killed people in their coliseums.  The men at the end of the procession were the gladiators that fought to the death.  Paul endured many torturous beatings and imprisonment for the Gospel.  He was also killed for it.  He was a faithful soldier for Christ all the way to the end.  There are still Christians today going through the same things.

Christians here in America do not have to worry about any of that usually.  People might get mad or think we are nuts, but generally people just ignore us if they don’t like what we have to say.  We don’t hear about too many people getting hurt or killed because they are Christians.  We have had violence against us in recent years along with all the other madness in the world though.  My prayers are still with all the families of the horrible church shooting in Texas.

The Lord told us to expect all of this.  In John 15 Jesus is speaking with His disciples and He explains the hatred the world has toward Him and those who follow Him.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.”

John 15:18-19

The world hates us because we are not of this world anymore and people can see that.  We act and live differently because of the Holy Spirit inside of us.  We say things that sound crazy to the world, and they think we are foolish.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:18

It is foolishness to them because they don’t believe in the One who sent Jesus.  It makes people mad because they know they have no excuse for their sin now that Jesus has come.  People do not like being told they need to repent, and they hate us for it.

In verses 20-23, Jesus says:

“Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.  If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.  Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.  He who hates me hates my Father as well.

That is why the world hates Christians.  That is why I used to hate Christians before I accepted Jesus in 1996.  That hate comes from the evil one who is in the world.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

Ephesians 2:1-2

That is a perfect description of who I was and how I used to live!  Satan is the ruler that Paul is talking about in his letter to the believers in Ephesus.  He is the ruler of the kingdom of the air and the spirit of disobedience!  That is why people hate Jesus and hate us without cause.

“If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.  But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.  But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.'”

Jesus speaking in John 15:24-25

Yes, it is hard and sometimes deadly being an outsider to this world, but at the end of it all I would rather be an outsider in Jesus Christ than an insider in eternity without Him!  Amen!  There is nothing this world has to offer me that I miss.  Money, liquor, girls, popularity, parties–forget about it!  I lived that life and I danced with Satan, and all he ever tried to do was kill me!

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

Philippians 3:7-9

If you are a believer in Jesus that is feeling the pressure of being an outsider to this world, just remember, you might be an outsider here, but you are an insider of Heaven!  We are called to be outsiders while we serve Him here, but we have a home waiting for us that is beyond all we could ever ask or imagine!

Grace and peace to you all!  Stand up and stand strong in Jesus and don’t back down!

P.S.

Shout out to Lecrae for the “I’d Rather Be An Outsider” logo!

That is a very hard reality to deal with on this earth isn’t it?  Someday, no matter what, you are going to have a day on this earth where you stop breathing and you die.  I know, I am not trying to be depressing.  This is a message of hope!

None of us know how or when we are going to go.  Will we get old, will we die young?  Only God knows.  My Great Grandfather fell down the stairs one night and hit his head.  It is a very sad story for our family.  I emailed my Mom in Illinois about it before I did this post (thanks Mom!), and this is what she wrote:

“Jake was my Mom’s Dad, so your Great Grandad (we used Grandad for him).  He fell down the basement stairs and hit his head.  My Grandma Pearl said he thought he was opening the bathroom door, which was only a few yards apart.  He had bad eyesight due to cataracts.  Grandad read the Bible every day.  I remember him laying on his iron bed, with one leg hanging over the side, his foot touching the floor, and his Bible in his hands. He often would fall asleep with his Bible on his chest.”

My Great Great Grandfather was struck by lighting one night trying to put the horses in the barn during a storm.  This is what my Mom (thanks again Mom!) wrote about him:

“Your Great Grandpa Ward’s Dad, John, was struck by lighting when Ward was 17 or 18.  There was a very bad thunderstorm, so they both went to the barn to tend to the horses.  When John was at the barn door he was hit by lightning.  It struck his head and left a burned hole in his hat. Ward is Grandpa Ed’s Dad, so John would be your Great, Great Grandpa.”

If you read my book, then you know that I stopped breathing on April 28, 2012 due to anaphylactic shock I suffered from eating oats.  I have Celiac Disease, and at that time I did not know I could not have oats yet.  I am only here and alive today because I was with Jesus when I stopped breathing and He brought me back in the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit.  Yeah, you heard me right!  Why do you think I am on here preaching in the fire of the Spirit day and night!  Check out the “My Book” page for details about my published testimony regarding my very strange supernatural life!

Nope, none of us know when we are going to go.  I stopped breathing when I was 33 and that is when I should have died, but I’m 40 now and I’m still here!  Thank You Jesus!  I love You Lord!

We must take heed of the warnings in the Bible regarding our eternal souls.  We are living in a time of God’s grace when mankind still has a chance to repent and receive Jesus.  Do not waste it!

Paul said it this way to the church at Corinth:

“As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.  For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Today, right now, not tomorrow–today is the day of salvation!  Do not mess around with your soul any longer.  It is no joke!  I am not on here playing games folks.  This blog is not just some hobby or something I like to do for fun.  Heaven and hell are real and if you don’t know Jesus, you are not going to Heaven.  That’s a mouthful, I know, but I am commanded by the Lord to warn you.

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

John 14:6

If you have my book, then you know my family lived with a demon in our house for four years when I was in High School (’92 to ’96).  Yes, haunted!  That is why I came to Christ!  That is why I preach with urgency.  I accepted Jesus in college in 1996, encountered two angels in 1998, then 14 years later in 2012 I stopped breathing and the Lord saved me with a miracle!  That is why my book is called “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life.”  All the supernatural strange stuff started when I was 13 and it just kept happening to me throughout my life.  I never know what to expect from God!  The Lord urged me to write a book about it, so I did.  It is my testimony before man and God and I testified to it all!

Let me tell you something, when you are taking your last breath is not the time to be figuring out your eternal soul!  I cried out to Jesus as my breath was leaving me that night, and I was so very glad I was with Him!  You do not want to be dying without Jesus, please just trust me on this.  He is alive!  He was with me!  He told me “It’s okay,” and He protected and comforted me.  I am still here today and I conquered my heart stopping and my breath stopping because of Jesus!  I don’t care if people think I am crazy or not.  I am going to preach it!  I tell you all these things in love.

Make sure you are right with God before you go.  The way to do that is through Jesus Christ.  There is hope!  There is forgiveness in Jesus and He will forgive all of your sins!  That is why He died on the cross!  You could never earn salvation.  It is a free gift from God!  I urge you, receive it with joy and be saved!

“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

Remember, today is the day of salvation because we really never know if we will get a tomorrow.  God bless you all!

I want this post to serve as a warning for everyone on earth.  Revelation is a very serious Book in the Bible, and I am not going to try and tackle the entire topic of the end times in this post.  There are many disagreements within the church about the Rapture and the Tribulation, and I am not going into that here.  One thing we all agree on is that in the end the anti-Christ will come on the earth and he will force everyone to receive his mark.  This will be a worldwide event in every country, and you DO NOT want to take that mark!

The Apostle John received the amazing revelation of Jesus Christ, which became the Book of Revelation, while he was imprisoned by the Romans on the Island of Patmos.  John was later beheaded by the Romans for preaching about Jesus.

Here is the Prologue of Revelation:

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.  He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Revelation 1:1-3

So, by reading and hearing what is in the Book of Revelation and taking heed of the warnings, we will be blessed!  Okay, let’s look at one of the most serious warnings in it.  This section of Scripture is about the anti-Christ who will be empowered by Satan to rule the earth for seven years during what is called The Tribulation.  We do not know the time or date of this event, but it has not happened yet, and it is coming.  We can all feel it stirring, the world is going mad.  This is how the anti-Christ will obtain power and rule over every human being on earth:

“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

People, the governments of the world already have that kind of technology right now!  People are already getting chipped by having microchips implanted under their skin!  Please listen to me!  Do not ever, ever, ever do that!  You are not some animal to be chipped, tracked, and controlled by your government!  Flee from that!  Flee away from that evil and run to Jesus!

They already have the ability to put all of your information on that chip or on a bar code tattoo!  Your bank accounts, private health information, driver’s license, passport, and whatever else they want to put on it.  It is not so far fetched anymore is it?

Do you see now how an evil world ruler could say you cannot “buy or sell” without his mark?  If you don’t have one, or they turn off your chip, then you cannot be a part of society!  No food, no house, no job, no nothing!  That is what Revelation 13:16-18 is warning us about!

Some companies are already chipping their employees all over Europe and here in America too.  They receive their paycheck and access the office building that way!  Don’t let them chip you!  Do you see how they roll it out slowly over time to trick you, and they talk about it like it is a good thing?  It is not!  It is evil and sick!

Here is why you do not want to take that chip–and I mean ever!

“A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice:

“If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.  He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.  There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”  This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.”

Revelation 14:9-12

Yeah, big time warning!  I am telling you right now, do not ever take that mark.  Whether they do it on the forehead or the right hand, do not ever take it!  Repent and believe in Jesus, and no matter what happens in this world with all the governments, do not take the mark!  Even if they say you cannot buy food or work, okay fine!  God will provide for His people!  I don’t need Satan’s filthy mark to provide for me and my family!

It makes me sick when people get chipped like that!  They are advertising it like it so cool or it can help save lives.  That is nonsense!  None of us need to be chipped like animals ever!

Okay, deep breath Ryan.  I am passionate about this because the technology is here in our time, WW3 is always knocking on the door, and the end could happen at anytime.  No, I am not going to grow a beard and run around New York City half naked yelling about the world ending.  What I am telling you is to be aware of the times around you.  We all like and use technology, but not all of it is good, and I guarantee you that chip is going to be used for evil in the end!

You have been warned!  If it happens in our time, please remember what I told you!  Do not ever let them chip you with that sinful evil mark!  I don’t care if I have to go all “Red Dawn” Patrick Swayze style up in the Rockies–I am never taking the mark of the beast!  My wife and I and our kids can all hunt and fish and I know without a doubt in my mind that God will provide!  Wolverines!!!

Standing strong until He returns!  Grace and peace to you all!