Saturday, February 10, 2018

February 10

The Holy Spirit gave me clarity on something I have always had trouble understanding - the unforgivable sin. Maybe it’s just me, because I sometimes have a hard head and fail to learn the simple things, but I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who didn’t get it. The Word of God is not complicated, we just make it that way by reading more into it than we should. Calling the Holy Spirit, by which Jesus was casting out demons, an unclean spirit is blasphemy! Jesus and the Holy Spirit are of the same house! Without the Holy Spirit, there is no forgiveness of sins, whereas calling Him unclean would mean you have no way to wash them away. It makes perfect sense in light of this section of scripture. You must believe in the works of the Holy Spirit or your sins cannot be forgiven. This is why Jesus says that a house divided cannot stand. I hope this sheds a little light on the unforgivable sin.


"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"— for they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." Mark 3:28-30

Friday, February 9, 2018

February 9

I’m not sure how it happened, but I’ve gotten wrapped up in my church more than I’d ever planned. Seeing the inner workings and the time it takes to get things done, makes me realize why we were told to take a Sabbath rest. Rest is not just from your daily job, but sometimes you need rejuvenation by spending quality time with the Lord. The Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around. I’ve seen people take the Sabbath so strictly that important tasks were neglected which caused undue hardships on others so that even kingdom work was ignored. Jesus had to school the Pharisees on this point by making it clear that important things were not to be ignored and that grabbing a bite to eat while walking through a cornfield was okay! Taking a day of rest should not be a penalty, but a pleasure, so don’t make it into a ritual or neglect real life issues.


And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27-28

Thursday, February 8, 2018

February 8

Many view following Jesus as a religious, and overwhelming hardship. If that’s your view, you’ve made it into something it’s not. Jesus has never put a burden on you. During the early part of Jesus’s ministry, John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees were fasting while Jesus’s disciples were just enjoying His company and learning. They asked Him why they weren’t fasting; He told them that you don’t fast while the bridegroom is with you. He then told them the parable about old wineskins and new wine. We must remember that Jesus disciples were not religious men and to place the burden of fasting on a new follower would have been too much for them and may have caused them to run away; thus causing the old wineskins to burst. We must be careful not to place too many religious burdens on new believers; loving Jesus should be easy, sweet, and pleasant.


And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins." Mark 2:22

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

February 7

There are days when I feel that it's important to remind you why you're saved at this particular time. God could have left you to wallow in your sin until right before your very last breath, but He chose to save you now for a reason. We have no need to fear "the day of the Lord". We will be caught up before the impending wrath of God takes place. But, if you want a sobering reminder as to why we need to evangelize and bring others into the saving knowledge of Christ, just do a quick search on the internet for "the day of the Lord". The wrath of God is not something we should take lightly. If you think that what's going on now is bad, just take a look at what's looming for those who do not know or have rejected our Savior. The devastation and the eternity that awaits them is quite overwhelming. If you truly have the heart of Jesus then you will want to save them from that wrath by telling them about Him. 

For the saved: And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:5

For the unsaved: I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Zephaniah 1:17


From my book: Jesus Will Meet You In The River Swamp - A daily devotional for the followers of Christ - January 6

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

February 6

As I was getting ready to go to a conference with a few people from my church, I decided that I would spend some time in prayer before I leave. I started my prayer as usual, “good morning Father.” Those words were fine, but the next words out of my mouth were, “what do you want me to gain from this?” They should have been, “how can I please you today.” Just like the quote from President JFK, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!” The same goes for the Lord, but more so! We must get beyond asking God for gifts and focus on pleasing Him. Offer Him your worship, He deserves it. What have you done to deserve His gifts? I don’t know about you, but I haven’t done anything to deserve them. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t ask for what you want, but get it right, focus on Him and everything else will fall into place.


But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

Monday, February 5, 2018

February 5

I know you’ve heard it said that the roots of a tree run deep. When a tree is uprooted that saying doesn’t seem to hold true because most of the roots are broken off and left in the ground. As we grow in our faith, our roots are becoming established so that what is unseen is bigger than what is seen. We are reaching down deep, being watered by the Word and becoming stronger as we reach the nourishment that can only be found in Jesus. When the storms of life blow all our leaves off, because our roots run deeper than what is exposed, we will continue to stand tall. Our beauty may be diminished for a time, but as the seasons change, we will produce new leaves and become more beautiful than before. Don’t lose hope as you go through trials; a new day and a new season are just around the corner. Your roots will hold you firmly in place because they are established in Jesus.


He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:8

Sunday, February 4, 2018

February 4

As a part of my freedom maintenance, I trek into the woods away from my everyday routine to have some quiet time with the Lord. It’s amazing the details He will show you when you open your eyes and observe the things around you. As I walked to the area I felt Him calling me to, I noticed many things along the way and I will be sharing them throughout the next few days. The most obvious thing I noticed was roosters crowing. They were quite obnoxious! The message in this is very obvious; I felt like He was saying wake up! This was not just a warning for me, but a warning for all to be vigilant and make the best use of our time. We must be careful not to waste it by becoming a partner with the unfruitful works of darkness, but expose it to the light of Jesus. If you’re toying around with things connected to the dark side, it’s time to acknowledge it, and expose it to Jesus to get rid of it.


for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."  Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:14-16