Tag: Love

Good morning everyone and God bless you all!  Guess what?  Today is my one year blogging anniversary!  I am so excited and grateful I can hardly write!  On August 10, 2018 I wrote my very first blog post ever and published it to the world.  At that time I had just published my testimony on Amazon just five months earlier in March.  I was coming out of years of terrible suffering and the Lord was lifting me up and calling me to preach the Gospel and testify to the amazing supernatural things He has done in my life.  I love Jesus with all my heart and I am not ashamed of Him!  This blog is all about Jesus and helping people come to know Him!  It’s about hope and new beginnings in God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love and sharing His love with the world!  The salvation of your soul is the most important decision you will ever make and Jesus is the only One who can save you!  I invite everyone to keep drawing close to Jesus and learning about Him.  He loves you and He wants to give you eternal life!

First, I just want to say thank you to all of you around the world who have spent time reading my blog and communicating with me daily!  Twelve months and you are still with me and I appreciate it!  All of the conversations I have had with all of you are special to me!  I have made so many good friends that I can’t imagine not having you in my life!  I want you to know that I pray for all of you!  I read through your blogs every day.  I pray over your hurts and troubles and I pray over your hopes and dreams too!  I pray blessing and protection over you and your families and lift you up to the Lord!  I love you all in the love of Jesus and I am very thankful that you allow me to be a part of your lives!

After my very first blog post, there were three people who liked my post and one person who commented.  A year later there are almost 8,000 approved comments from awesome conversations I have had with you all and there are 790 people reading about Jesus on my blog in 113 countries around the world!  This will be my 386th post today!  God is so good!  Thank You Jesus!

If you are just starting out with your blog and it hasn’t taken off like you may have hoped, don’t get discouraged!  Anything worth doing takes effort and dedication.  It takes time for people to get to know you and to build trust.  I always tell my kids, “Salvation is a free gift of God, but you have to earn respect.”  I encourage everyone to build those positive relationships and help each other!  There were many people who came alongside me to give me good advice and encourage me when I first started blogging and it was a huge blessing.  Thank you all so much!  If you ever need help, need prayer, have any questions, or just want to talk, please let me know!  I am here to minister to folks as an Ambassador for Jesus!

The photo above shows the big map of the world in my office.  The pins represent all of you from around the world!  From poets, artists, lifestyle bloggers, and political commentators to chefs, cartoonists, preachers, and authors, I am so thankful to know you all!  What an eclectic range of ideas, cultures, and beliefs!  Your writing has challenged and inspired me this year and I respect all of you for having the courage to write your hearts and minds to the world!

We are living in dangerous times where people are being persecuted for speaking the truth.  Do not be afraid to stand up!  Keep writing and never give up!  Do not be afraid to communicate with people who are different from you.  This world desperately needs love and we need to be able to talk with each other openly and respectfully.

I want to thank all the people who are on my blog from nations that are hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know you may have been reading my blog for a long time, but it is too dangerous for you to leave comments.  I understand and I am praying for you all!  It is a great honor and blessing to be sharing Christ in countries like China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, U.A.E., Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan!  I understand that you read my blog and learn about Jesus at potentially great risk to yourself and I commend you for your bravery!  I pray my site is a place of rest and comfort for you to learn about God’s Word and come to Jesus without fear.  God loves us all and He does not want any of us to perish!  God desires that all of us are reconciled to Him through faith in Jesus!  God protect and bless all of you!

“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 there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

The Lord has not told me to stop the blog, so I am going to keep obeying the Lord and write for Him.  There are still 82 countries that I have not shared the Gospel with and I am real serious about fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:18-20, so there is still much work to do.  I have been praying that my blog goes into North Korea too!  Just the other day I prayed for more people in Central and South America to find my blog and this morning I saw Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, and Paraguay listed!  Praise God!  It also went into Morocco, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Bhutan recently!  God has been answering all my prayers regarding sharing the Gospel worldwide and it is awesome to see how He moves in power through the world!

Jesus died for all of us!  We are all from different countries and come from different cultures, but salvation through faith in Jesus is for everyone regardless of race or culture.  Jesus did not just die for one people group.  He died to bring forgiveness and salvation to the whole world!

“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.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16-17

From east to west and everywhere in-between, God loves us and He has made the way for us to be in Heaven with Him forever!  That is the good news of the Gospel!  God has shown us grace and mercy by offering salvation through faith in Jesus!  He is reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus and offering eternal life!

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God.”

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

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

Romans 6:23

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

John 14:6

God wants to forgive you, He wants to heal you, and He wants to save you!  He does not want to condemn you in your sins.  He wants to set you free!  Come to Jesus today!  He is our only hope of deliverance from sin and death!

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8:1-2

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

When you put your faith in Jesus, He fills you with His Holy Spirit, which seals your salvation through Him and gives you power to live a holy life that pleases God!  Right now, this very moment, no matter what country you are from, you can accept Jesus by faith and He will fill you with His Holy Spirit!  You will be born again spiritually and reconciled with God!  You will be made new and your old life of sin will be defeated!  You will be empowered to die to sin and live for righteousness!  You will no longer be a slave to sin, you will be free and forgiven in Christ!

“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

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:22-24

“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

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of your salvation!  Jesus is the only One who ever died to forgive our sins and make us right with God!  There is no other name that can save us!

“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

If you do not know Jesus, I pray that you come to Him today!  He loves you and He is waiting for you with open arms!  There is no fear in His love and you can approach Him with confidence knowing He will receive you with His love and forgiveness!

Thank you all for sticking with me for a whole year!  Many of you know my testimony now of the supernatural way I came to know Jesus and the supernatural life I have had following Jesus.  Thank you to all of you who have left such great reviews of my book on Amazon!  If you have not had the chance to read my book, please check it out.  It’s called “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life.”  It is free on Kindle Unlimited and I can also give away free eBooks to people in the United States.  If you would like a free book, please go to my contact page and send me an email.  I will email you a free eBook directly from Amazon.

I also wrote about the supernatural experiences with the demon and angels, and the miracle God did to save me when I stopped breathing in these posts:

Remember that time when…

My Lazarus Moment

Jesus loves you, Jesus is alive, and Jesus is Lord, and I will continue to share that great truth until my very last breath!

Grace and peace to you all!

P.S.

I would like to give back and use what God has given me to help you!  Please help me celebrate by leaving a link to your blog in the comments section and telling everyone what you are all about!  Whether you are brand new to blogging or have been doing it for years, please take this opportunity to introduce yourself to the world!  The love of Jesus be with you all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning everyone!  I have been up since 5 a.m. due to Celiac issues, but the Lord gave me strength and I am doing just fine now.  I had the window open in our bedroom this morning because I was feeling nauseous.  It rained real good yesterday and it was still raining lightly when I got up.  The cool breeze made me feel better while the Lord comforted me and lifted me up as I prayed quietly in the dark stillness of the new morning.  As 6 a.m. approached I was feeling better and a soft glow of orange pinkish blue light began warmly blanketing our neighborhood.  I pulled back the blinds to take a peek, and it was like God was smiling at me saying, “I love you and I am with you.”  I pray you feel the same when you look at this sunrise because that is exactly what the Lord is saying to us when He paints the sky so wonderfully!

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

This truly is a brand new day the Lord has made and through Jesus we can rejoice and be glad no matter what trials come our way!  The troubles of this world don’t have to ruin your day, even when they start at 5 in the morning!  Give it all to God and ask Him for the strength to endure.  Ask Him to deliver you and lift you up and He will!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Jesus speaking in John 16:33

Another blessing I received this morning was a phone call from my kids calling me from my wife’s classroom.  They get to school early every day with the teachers since my wife is a teacher.  My wife usually has meetings in the morning, so the kids just hang out in her classroom until school starts.  My daughter called because she just wanted to hear her Daddy’s voice.  The kids are not used to not seeing me all day now that summer break is over.  I love my kids so much!  It is awesome when they call me and I get to hear their voices and encourage them!  I was able to pray for them, speak encouragement and blessing over them, and read Psalm 100 to them.  It was such a blessing!

The Lord took what started out as another rough morning and turned it into something beautiful!  That is what Jesus does!  He cares about us and loves us deeply and we can trust in Him!

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

Embrace this new day and give it to God!  Tell those you love that you love them!  Wrap them in a big hug and speak encouragement over them.  Turn off the negativity and fighting on TV and just pray about everything going on.  Believe me, they will still be fighting if you ever want to tune in again.  The Lord is in control and He knows what needs to be done.  Get in God’s Word and soak it up!  Let His love wash over you and make you new!  His mercies are new every morning and He loves you more than you can imagine!

Give the Lord the praise He deserves today!  Lift up your cares and anxieties to Him and let Him comfort your heart!  He is good, and loving, and faithful and He is worthy of our praise!  Thank You Jesus!

May He fan into flame the gifts He has given us and may His will be done!  In the Name of Jesus, Amen!

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7

Grace and peace to you all!

“Shout for joy to the Lord,

all the earth.

Worship the Lord with

gladness;

come before him with

joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and

we are his;

we are his people, the

sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with

thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and

praise his name.

For the Lord is good and

his love endures

forever;

his faithfulness continues

through all generations.”

Psalm 100:1-5

Here is one of my favorite TobyMac songs to help get your praise on!  Let the Spirit flow in your heart and soul!  God bless you all!

“Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.  And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 3:24

Yesterday (8-7-19), I received a tweet from Twitter that I had been on their social media platform for one year.  Just wanted to give praise to God for empowering me to survive one year in the arena of the Twitter Games!  I just about left Twitter several times, but my wife encouraged me to stick with it and I’m glad I did!  I have been writing tweets and communicating with people on Twitter all morning, so I thought I would share the Gospel sharing tweets I did today.

Twitter definitely compliments the primary full time ministry the Lord has given me with my blog (AuthorRyanC.com) here on WordPress and my book on Amazon, but anybody who has been on Twitter knows it can get downright mean.  Hunger Games mean, with words as weapons.  It is a whirlwind of ideas, opinions, and beliefs and it can get a little crazy at times.  Blogging is much more peaceful despite the variety of different thinking.  I get tired of the fighting tweets, so I steer clear of the arguing and negativity and stick to preaching God’s Word.

I have been attacked by a few atheists and I’ve had to block numerous scammers and vice peddlers (watch out for that on Twitter), but the Lord always takes care of that and delivers me.  I have met a lot of brothers and sisters in Christ too, which has been a blessing.  Even had TobyMac (one of my favorite Christian music artists) like one of my tweets once, and Wande (also a fave) with Reach Records has tweeted me back several times.  That is one cool thing about Twitter.  It gives you access to speak directly to anyone in the world, even if they are famous.  You can even talk with rulers of nations (we know our President checks his Twitter)!  It is an awesome opportunity to help fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)!

I see many of you on Twitter, but if we are not connected there yet, please check me out at: @AuthorRyanC

I would love to see you over there as well!

This is what the Lord put on my heart to tweet out this morning.  God bless you all!

I am very thankful for the opportunity to share Christ worldwide through the internet!  May we use the social media platforms for His glory!

“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

Jesus is Lord and He loves you!

Grace and peace to you all in the Name of Jesus!

P.S.

My one year blogging anniversary is coming up soon, so please stay tuned for that!

 

Good morning everyone and God bless you all!  Today is the first day back to school for the kids, so I’m back to the normal stay at home Dad routine.  Back to spending the days alone, yet never really alone, in a quiet house with the Lord.  Summer break always goes too fast.  I have been reading the Book of Romans this morning and I was struck by the power of the introduction.  The very first chapter of Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome could have been written to my country, the USA!  Matter of fact, my fellow American brothers and sisters, it would be awesome if everyone in our country would read the entire Book of Romans!

I am speaking specifically of verses 18-32 in chapter one.  Those verses make me think of the depravity and madness that has spread like a cancer throughout my country.  You can’t kick God out of everything in society and expect that your nation will be peaceful.  The more people go down the wicked road of twisting God’s order, the more suffering there will be.  My nation and all the nations of the world must turn back to God and invite Him back in to every part of our societies!  Trusting in man is not going to bring peace.  The governments of man are a sad spectacle of the spiritually blind leading the spiritually blind.  What people are missing is a relationship with Jesus, the lover of their souls!

Take a look at these verses and see for yourself if they remind you of the immorality and depravity we are seeing in America and many other nations in the world today:

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised.  Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.  They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.  They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

Romans 1:18-32

That is what the whole world has done; exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and now we have shameful lust and every kind of wickedness running rampant in the streets!  Our societies will not be at peace as long as people refuse God and His Word.  You cannot kill babies, invent more ways of doing evil by passing even more laws to kill babies right up to birth, approve of, glorify, and promote the abomination of homosexuality (including promoting the abomination of gender confusion even to little kids, which is child abuse), and expect there to be peace.  You cannot pump society (especially our children) full of pharmaceutical drugs that make people depressed, suicidal, and murderous and expect peace.  You cannot degrade and persecute the holy union of marriage between one man and one woman and expect there to be peace.  You cannot worship creation and shun the Creator and expect peace.  You cannot hate God and expect there to be peace!

God created us to be in a relationship with Him.  The further we get from that relationship, the darker the nations of the world become.  This is evident on the news every day all over the world.  People do not want to be told that they are sinful and they need forgiveness.  People do not want to repent, so society continues to suffer under the weight of justifying sinful desires.

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”

Romans 2:4-5

There will come a time when God will no longer put up with the arrogant display of depravity around the world and He will bring justice to the earth in great power and glory.  Praise God that He loves us and He offers us forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus!  He does not want us to suffer the wrath that will come upon the whole earth in the end.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the salvation of the whole world!  Turn away from the depraved thinking of our time!  Do not exchange the truth of God for the lies of this world.  God’s eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen in His creation and we are all without excuse.  Just look at the above photo I took while flying over the Grand Canyon coming home from California!  There is a God, One True God, in Heaven who loves us all!  He wants all of us to come to repentance and receive eternal life!  He does not want any of us to perish in the coming judgment!

“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

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.  That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.  Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”

2 Peter 3:9-15

God’s kindness is leading the nations toward repentance!  Turn away from the maddening lies of the evil one and turn to God and live!  Through faith in Jesus alone, we are forgiven of our sins and saved!  Through faith in Jesus alone, God reconciles and redeems us from the godlessness and wickedness of this world!  When you believe in Jesus, you stand justified before God!

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

1 Thessalonians 5:9

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:1

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:22-24

My prayer for my country and all the nations of the world is that the Lord would spread holy revival on the whole earth and billions would be at peace with God through faith in Jesus!  May all the nations flee the wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity of our time and may we all retain the knowledge of God and live to please Him!

The old bumper sticker is true:

NO JESUS NO PEACE

KNOW JESUS KNOW PEACE

Because you can’t kick God out and expect peace.

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

In Matthew chapter ten, Jesus sends out His twelve disciples to begin their ministry in His Name.  He gives them very specific instructions along with warnings, advice, and encouragement for the dangerous road ahead of them.  The words Jesus spoke to them are just as relevant and important in the perilous times we find ourselves living in, and they give us great hope and courage to press on despite the dangers.

“He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”

Matthew 10:1

In verse 17, Jesus begins warning His disciples to be on their guard against men and He foretells what will happen to them.  It must have been very difficult to hear and I’m sure the men were fearful of what they would suffer, but they kept following Jesus.  They stood up courageously and refused to live in fear despite the violence of their time.

“Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.  On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.  At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

Matthew 10:17-20

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Matthew 10:21-22

Jesus was sending His disciples out into a very violent world that hated them, and He wanted to brace them for what was coming.  Jesus continues with an encouragement and exhortation to live without fear despite the threats they faced.  The Lord’s words still hold true for us in the violent times we live in, and we find great comfort in His truth.

“So do not be afraid of them.  There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.  What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Matthew 10:26-31

Jesus does not want us to be afraid.  We live in a world of constant threats, but we do not need to be afraid of those that kill the body.  If you believe in Jesus, then your soul is safe and secure!  Jesus wanted His disciples to remember that truth as He sent them out like sheep among wolves.  He wants us to remember it too!  Do not fear man, fear the Lord!

“Fear of man will prove to

be a snare,

but whoever trusts in the

Lord is kept safe.”

Proverbs 29:25

Jesus is the lover of our souls and nothing can snatch us out of His hand!  No matter what happens in this world, remember that Jesus does not want us to be afraid.  There is great hope in Jesus!  He is the greatest hope of all mankind!  May we always be able to say, the Lord is our helper; we will not be afraid!

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:28-30

Grace and peace to you all in the Name of Jesus!

“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

 

Yesterday, I wrote a post asking for prayer for El Paso.  This morning, I was disturbed in my spirit regarding all the violence in my country and I spoke to the Lord about it.  I talked with Him again about the people who lost their lives in California, Ohio, and Texas and I lifted all of the families up to the Lord.  As I prayed, the first thing that came to my mind was this: “Jesus already won the war.”  That gave me a lot of hope and peace today and I wanted to share that great truth with you!  No matter how many battles we face, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is victorious forever as King of kings and Lord of lords!  He won the spiritual war when He set us free from sin and death at the cross and He has given us great victory over the evil one!

“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Revelation 19:16

These spiritual battles of chaotic violence we see are the work of a defeated enemy who knows his time is short.  The enemy knows he will be thrown into the lake of fire for all eternity and he knows Jesus Christ is Lord!  Jesus is exalted to the highest place and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  That includes the knees and tongue of the evil one!

“Therefore God exalted him to the

highest place

and gave him the name that is above

every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee

should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under

the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus

Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11

“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.  They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Revelation 20:10

The times are getting darker as we see the end drawing near, but take heart!  Jesus will return very soon and we will lift up our heads and see Him coming on the clouds with great power and glory!  May His will be done in all things and may He strengthen our hearts to endure and stand firm to the end!  Soon, very soon, Jesus will crush satan under our feet!

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

Jesus speaking in Revelation 22:7

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

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Romans 16:20

We fight this war with God’s love.  Keep standing up for Jesus and sharing His love with the world.  Only the Light of the World can pierce the darkness of evil that is upon the whole earth.  If you don’t know Jesus, come to Him today and receive the victory He has for you!  There is no greater gift than the free gift of salvation that God offers to us by His grace through faith in Jesus!

“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

“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

“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

This world desperately needs the light of life in Jesus!  We all need forgiveness for our sins and forgiveness of sins is only offered through faith in Jesus.  You do not need to fear death any longer!  Jesus defeated the devil almost 2,000 years ago!  God does not want you to perish and He does not want to condemn you!  God is offering you eternal life!

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

Romans 6:23

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:23-24

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

John 14:6

Take hold of that precious gift today before it is too late!  Please consider God’s offer with all of your heart, mind, and soul and turn away from the darkness of this world.  Receive forgiveness and eternal life and be at peace with God.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8:1-2

“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

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Jesus is our only hope of escaping the darkness of sin and death.  Jesus is the only One who ever died to forgive our sins and reconcile us to God.  Our sin separates us from God and there is nothing we can do to earn or work our way into Heaven.  Only Jesus can end that separation.  Salvation is a free gift from God that must be received by faith.  This world needs salvation and light, and God has offered that to the whole world through Jesus!

“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.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:9-13

Don’t ever forget that God loves you and He wants to be with you in Heaven forever!  There is still hope in this dark world and His Name is Jesus!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

 

I am praying for my fellow American brothers and sisters in El Paso, Texas today.  I am asking the Lord to bring healing and comfort.  I am also asking the Lord to stop the hatred and violence that plagues our nation.  Please join with me in praying for healing and revival for our nation and the world.  We are living in dangerous times and we need to trust in Jesus with all of our hearts.  We must stand firm in His love and not give up!

If you are not familiar with what happened, there was a 21 year old man from Allen, Texas (about 30 miles north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area) who drove down to El Paso yesterday because he wanted to kill Mexican immigrants.  Those are the first reports anyway.  I don’t trust the news, but it looks like he wrote an anti-immigrant rant online before he committed the crime.  What we do know is that he killed 20 people and wounded 26 more.

This is going to be a hot button issue in the news.  If you are not familiar with American geography, El Paso is located at the farthest western edge of Texas right on the border with Mexico.  Juárez, Mexico is literally about 300 feet across the border.  It has been run by the drug cartels for a long time and the people of Juárez suffer from poverty and violence.  We have a friend who grew up in El Paso and she has some stories to tell about the scary crime that goes on along the border.  My wife also went on a mission trip to Juárez to build a house for a family when she was in college and she saw the poverty and suffering firsthand.  There are many American Christian groups who minister to people in Mexico.  Americans and Mexicans do not hate each other as the media tries so desperately to portray.

The left will of course blame Trump for the tragedy in El Paso and continue to say it is his fault and that he is a racist and that protecting the border is racist and on and on they will go.  They will also blame gun owners like me and say it is our fault and that all of us should be rounded up and all guns made illegal.  It is a sad and tired game of politics in this country and none of the left’s blame holds any weight and nobody with a sane mind is listening to their hateful rants.

The fact is people are sinful.  We all are.  We live in a fallen world full of sin, and real evil exists on this earth.  What that man did was sinful and evil and it was of the evil one.  You could ban all the guns in the world and criminals are still going to get guns.  The only thing banning guns does is disarm law abiding people leaving them defenseless against armed criminals.  There would still be crime and murderers would still murder.  The problem is with the fallen state of man on this earth.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 3:23

“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

As much as I can’t stand the constant race baiting from the left, we all know there are actual racists out there.  Can I just say, enough with it!  Those divisions of the flesh are straight from the pit of hell!  We were all created by God and we were all fearfully and wonderfully made in our mother’s womb.  It doesn’t matter what color your skin is or what country you are from.  God loves you and He died for you to save your soul!

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:22-24

I live in Colorado, which is real close to Texas.  We could drive straight south through New Mexico and be to El Paso (and Mexico for that matter) in about 9 hours.  My sister and her family live in Fort Worth now.  I am all for protecting the border to keep dangerous criminals like the drug cartels and gangs out of our country.  In my experience, most of the folks that come to Colorado from Mexico are just normal families that want a better life with more opportunities.

I grew up working landscaping jobs with a lot of guys from Mexico.  I speak pretty good Spanish, so it was always fun.  The guy who just came to stain our fence was from Mexico.  I spoke with him for a little bit in Spanish just like I would talk with one of my neighbors in English.  He appreciated me telling him “Dios Te Bendiga,” which means God bless you.  Most people don’t have any problem with the folks from Mexico and we have all gotten along just fine for many years.  Colorado has that name because our state was actually first settled by the Spanish.  Mexican and Spanish culture are evident and appreciated throughout Colorado and the entire southwest.

Our country’s southern border has been a volatile political issue since the Alamo and Santa Ana’s subsequent defeat.  Protecting the border of your country is not racist.  I am all for people coming over legally just like my Irish ancestors did when they came through Ellis Island in New York.  We need our borders, they need to be protected, and there needs to be a legal process for immigration.  The new world order (NWO) controllers are desperately trying everything they can to break down every nation’s sovereignty and remove our borders because they want a one world government.

Don’t believe me?  Do some research on the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group, the Committee of 300, the Club of Rome, the Illuminati (Scottish Rite Freemasons), and the Tavistock Institute and that is just for starters.  Yes, there really are a group of people who serve the evil one and they are actively building a one world government that the anti-Christ will rule during the 7 year Tribulation (the time of Jacob’s trouble).  In order to do that, they cause chaos in our current order, so that all the nations will give up their sovereignty and freedom, lay down their arms, and willingly agree to be absorbed into a totalitarian one world super power.  Their motto is “order out of chaos” and they are deadly serious about achieving their wicked goals.

The attack in El Paso could be a crime committed by a deranged man who has nothing to do with the NWO.  There have also been times where crimes like these are staged by NWO traitors in our own government as a false flag designed to cause more anger and chaos in our country, so that they can take our guns and our rights.  Believe me, they will use this tragedy to attempt to do just that either way.  Do not let them take your freedom, your rights, or your sovereignty!  Do not be tricked into giving up and just walk right into their trap of slavery they have planned for the whole world!  You don’t want to be a part of the evil one’s one world government and you do not ever want his mark (spoken of in Revelation 13:16-18) put on you!  Don’t let them ever put a microchip or any kind of RFID tag on you!  They want to control us all like animals.  Run to Jesus and be free!

I know I have said a lot here, but it needs to be said.  We are in a spiritual war between Heaven and hell and we are seeing it heat up exponentially in our time.  Hold onto Jesus!  Cling to Him!  If you do not know Jesus, now is the time to come to Him.  We need to love the Lord with all of our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves like Jesus said!  We are in a time when the love of most is growing cold.  Don’t let His love grow cold in you!  Pray for His love to increase and overflow in your hearts for each other and for everyone else just as the Apostle Paul prayed (1 Thessalonians 3:12).  Love each other!  No matter what color or culture we are from, we must love each other!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Ephesians 6:10-13

I pray Lord that You open the eyes and hearts of every person in this entire world and You reveal Yourself to the nations!  Thank You for dying for us Lord!  Thank You for setting us free!  Pour out Your Holy Spirit on all the families who lost loved ones and all those who were wounded in El Paso.  Please pour out Your Holy Spirit on us all Lord, deliver us from evil, and spread revival through the whole world!

The love, grace, and mercy of Jesus be with us all!

“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

 

 

This last week has been Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.  Our family loves Shark Week and we record just about every episode we can.  Today I was watching one of the new episodes that I really liked called “Isle of Jaws: Blood Brothers.”  Emmy Award winning cinematographer and conservationist Andy Casagrande goes back to the Isle of Jaws to confirm research he did last year on two Great White shark brothers, and what he discovers is awesome.  The research Andy and his team are doing is crucial to understanding shark behavior, but they do so at great risk to their own souls.  This episode was intense at times and the risks they take made me think about life and death and testing God.

The Isle of Jaws sits 80 miles southeast of the coastal town of Esperance, Australia, and the waters surrounding the island are full of Great White sharks.  Most people would not dare go in those waters even in a cage, let alone dive in open water with the sharks, but Andy and his crew do just that.  When they got out of the cage to film the sharks, I was saying, “Get back in the cage!”  I felt like praying for their protection right in that moment, but of course the show is not live.  I do pray for God to protect them though and I pray they are never attacked by a shark, especially a Great White.

It is so crazy when they get out of the cage!  I am always sitting here thinking, “What are these guys thinking?!  Are they crazy?!  Why can’t they just film the sharks from inside the cage?!”  It makes for good TV and it has us on the edge of our seat holding our breath, but at what cost to the people in the water?  I don’t want people risking their lives to make exciting TV shows.  Human souls are far too precious to be put into danger like that.

At any time Andy and his crew could be killed.  In a flash, with a quick strike, those Great White sharks could kill them.  What is stopping those sharks from killing them?  I say God is protecting them, whether they give Him glory for it or not.  How far is too far and when does research become testing God?  Some might say even being in a protective cage in shark infested waters is testing God.  More might agree that it is testing God when they get out of the cage and swim with the mighty killers in open water.  I would not want to do either, but I definitely would not trust my life to the whims of a Great White!

I see nature for what it is.  Great White sharks eat meat and when we are in their waters, we are meat.  It’s just that simple.  I really can’t stand it when they say sharks don’t eat people.  Sure they do!  As we have learned in this season of Shark Week, there have even been times where sharks are actively hunting people year after year as evidenced by the 22 attacks and 11 deaths in 8 years in the waters surrounding the island of Réunion.

Most of us will never dive with Great White sharks.  Those who do have stared death in the face and I truly hope they consider their eternal souls.  Life and death are not a game.  Most people go about their day without giving a single thought to their soul or what will happen when they die.  Many people take life threatening risks.  Some take risks for research, some for money and fame, and some do it just for fun.  I am not saying live your life in fear.  I had my times taking risks doing things like climbing a 14,000 foot mountain and snowboarding from 12,000 feet.  What I am saying is please consider your soul and what it is worth.

Our souls are so precious to God that He died for us to save us from sin and death!  He does not want us to perish!  He wants all of us to come to repentance and receive His free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus!

“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

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

“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

It’s very easy to become caught up in our lives and the busyness of the every day grind.  How often do you stop and consider your soul?  We go to work and come home and watch our shows and the routine can make us numb to the serious reality of mortality that we all face.  Watching people risk their lives swimming with sharks makes for entertaining TV, but let us remember just how fragile the line between life and death truly is.  We will all take our last breath someday and that is nothing to play around with.

The Bible says now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).  Now, not later!  Today is the day, not tomorrow, because we might not get a tomorrow.  Do not become complacent with your soul!  There is a God in Heaven and He loves you and He is offering His salvation to you!  Forgiveness of sins and Heaven are only offered through faith in Jesus and mankind has no other Savior.  God sets before each of us life or death every day.  What will you choose?  I pray with all my heart that you choose life in Jesus Christ!

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

John 14:6

“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

How do you choose Jesus?  By faith!  As the Apostle Paul said,

“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

Whether you swim with sharks or not, please consider your eternal soul with all of your heart and remember, none of us are immortal.  We will all face our Creator someday and He offers His free gift of salvation to everyone…and that includes you!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought I’d let everyone know that our home state of Colorado turned 143 years old today.  Colorado became a state on August 1, 1876 and we have come a real long way since the old gold mining days.  I grew up in this state as a kid in the 80s and I have lived here for almost 34 years of my 41 on earth.  It is a beautiful place to live and raise kids and I hope to see our kids raising children here someday.  To celebrate the Centennial State’s birthday, I figured I would show some of the scripture pins I have made over the last year using photos of Colorado.

Enjoy and please feel free to use these pins on your social media accounts!  Sharing the beauty of God’s Word with the beauty of His creation is always a good match.  God bless you all!

 

Happy Birthday Colorado!

Grace and peace to you all in the Name of Jesus!

 

 

Hello everyone!  It’s just the kids and I for the last week of summer break, so I’ve been pretty busy running around getting things done before school starts.  After they go back next Wednesday, I will be blogging more consistently again.  In the meantime, I wanted to share a book with you that I read while on vacation.  It was written by a blogger here on WordPress named Thuam Siam Ngaihte and it is a very comforting and encouraging book for those who have endured or are enduring suffering.

I met Thuam last year when I first started blogging and we have been reading each other’s blogs ever since.  Thuam has suffered epileptic seizures for many years.  Many times the seizures are so severe that he is hospitalized.  His book “Unconsumed: In His Abiding Grace” is a beautiful testimony of a man trusting in Jesus through the pain.  The biggest thing I can say about Thuam is that he is a man of hope!  He is a humble man of God who loves his wife and children dearly and his hope is fully in Jesus.  He is also a stay at home Dad like me, which is cool!  We are both home due to a chronic illness doing our best to serve and protect our families as we walk with Jesus despite the thorn.  His blog posts have been very encouraging to me over this last year.

I read his book on both flights to and from California.  His book was so comforting and encouraging to me that at times it made me tear up.  As many of you know, I have Celiac disease and have suffered and fought this horrible autoimmune disorder for the last 7 1/2 years.  Thuam encourages those who are suffering to not give up hope as he gently introduces us to Jesus, and inspires us to trust and rest in Him.  Thuam’s heartfelt and loving words are comforting and he helped me see my suffering in a fresh and better perspective.  I am very grateful for that.  Anyone who has suffered chronically for years knows how hard it is to keep a positive outlook on the suffering.  If that’s you, then you will be blessed reading the hope filled words written from the heart of a man who understands your pain.

Please show brother Thuam some love in Christ and check out his book.  You can find his book on Amazon right here: Unconsumed: In His Abiding Grace

Please check out Thuam’s blog too at: www.abidings.com

Thank you brother Thuam for your comforting and encouraging words.  They are a great blessing to me!  I pray the Lord uses “Unconsumed” to comfort those who are suffering and lead people all over the world to Jesus!  God bless you and your family brother!

Grace and peace to you all!

“Because of the Lord’s great

love we are not

consumed,

for his compassions never

fail.

They are new every

morning;

great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23