February 15, 2025

The Lord will not hear the cries of those priests, prophets, and seers who lie and predict peace when the truth is that God's wrath is coming. They will be the first to feel the weight of His anger. They will beg for mercy and receive none. He will bring darkness upon them, and they will no longer hear his voice or see visions. I'm convinced that God sends true prophets to give warning of His anger and wrath that is about to come down on the people; I don't recall Him sending prophets to give them good news. No wonder they hated the prophets; when they came around speaking for God, it was always to warn them to straighten up because they were sinning. Even now, people are making predictions, calling themselves prophets, and telling sinners what their itchy ears want to hear. Run from those people! They are liars trying to make them feel secure when the truth is that the only ones who will see goodness are those who are saved by the blood of Jesus; all others will be tormented. It is not too late for them to turn their lives over to Jesus; the clock is ticking, and time is short. You, as commissioned by Jesus, are allowed to share the bad news about where they are headed, like the old-time prophets. However, we also have the good news about the free gift of salvation. When God puts it on your heart to share the gospel, do not hesitate and obey Jesus' command. 

Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Micah 3:5

February 14, 2025

Surely you have felt the love of the Lord? We recognize His true love through the sacrifice of Jesus, our only Savior. But what do we have to offer him? What is a sacrifice we can give Him? In Malachi, God is admonishing Israel for bringing offerings that dishonor Him because their sacrifice was blemished and not as required by law, and the priests were accepting them for their own gain rather than rejecting them on behalf of God. It is Malachi who predicted the doing away with the priesthood, ushering in the acceptance of Gentiles into the family of God through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. It would change the way of worship from strictly physical to spiritual. I think God had had enough of their imperfect offerings and devised a way for all of us to turn our hearts toward Him. Our love comes from the heart; rather than working for God’s love, He gifted us Jesus as the perfect sacrifice; there is none better. Now, we show Him our love through our heartfelt praise and worship, our time basking in His presence, and our pouring out our love to Him through thanksgiving. You cannot out-give God, but you can try. God’s love for us is true love; you should increase your worship time if you don’t feel it. 

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 1:11

February 13, 2025

As a parent, we discipline our children to correct their bad behavior. God does that to refine us by fire, clean us up, and make us like pure gold. However, when someone threatens us or comes against us for harm, He stands beside us and punishes the wicked. So when Edom, Esau’s family, sided with the enemy of Israel and inflicted punishment on Jacob’s family, God’s chosen, rather than helping them, God assured us of his recompense. God promised to give all the land possessed by the enemy to His children and remove the wicked from that land, and because Edom stood by, watched, and participated in trying to take out Israel, they, too, will receive the wrath of God. We shall take over and own the land to rule and reign with Jesus. We can rest assured that when someone mistreats us or harms us in any way, we can count on God’s vengeance, even if they are family! God has given the enemy warning, but they don’t believe the Bible, so when the wrath of God comes down on them, they probably won’t know that it was because of their poor treatment of His children. Praise God that we are on the right side of history. He is going to give us more than we could ever imagine for us having to put up with the oppression of the enemy. Hold on to what you’ve got! Jesus is coming!

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. Obadiah 1:15

February 12, 2025

In the days of Moses, God gave him instructions on how the Israelites should offer their sacrifices. Though it may seem ritualistic to provide an animal for their sacrifice, it was the only way they could have their sins forgiven, so God set the standards for them. He also clarified that the sacrifice should not be made out of obligation but because they felt compelled to honor God. Another provision he made through His instructions is that everyone, rich or poor, should have the opportunity to have their sins forgiven. If you were rich, you gave out of your wealth; if you were poor, you gave out of whatever means you had. It was similar to the tithe of today: it was voluntary then, just as it is now. Now, every time you sin, you are offering Jesus as a sacrifice. Thankfully, he willingly went to the cross on our behalf and poured out his blood to cover our sins. He was a perfect sacrifice, more than any animal could ever be. However, our goal is to refrain from sin and have a good reputation for bringing others to know Christ. We don’t want our actions to deter anyone from receiving the most perfect gift of Jesus. Think about the way you speak and act and do your best not to sin so you are a good representative of Jesus. People are watching, and God sees everything you do. 

If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. Leviticus 1:3

February 11, 2025

I’m sure you remember the story in Acts where Paul is shipwrecked. He told the centurion that he perceived that it was a bad time to sail to Rome and that they might lose the ship and their lives. However, the centurion believed his master and the owner of the vessel more than Paul. When the sea got rough, and they feared for their lives, Paul, being gracious, said, I told you so and admonished them for not believing him. However, he assured them they would all live because his angel told him so. When the storm worsened, some people wanted to jump off into smaller vessels, but Paul told them they needed to stay onboard if they wanted to live, so they stayed. 

Things may get worse before they get better, but abandoning the ship will risk your life. We must stick together with other Christians. Heed the warning not to take the mark, as we may be nearing the beast system. I hope that we are raptured, as many believe, before being forced to make such a decision but remember, Paul faced tribulation and was one of the greats, and we are no Paul.

The ship Paul was on ended up running aground, and the ship broke into pieces, and they all escaped with their lives. Even though the earth seems to be running aground and breaking up right before our eyes, because of our salvation in Jesus, we will escape with our lives. Though it appears that we are watching a movie, the end is close, and things are becoming exciting and fun, we don’t know what is coming in the next scene. Stay vigilant and armored so you are ready for what may come next. 

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Acts 27:22-24

February 10, 2025

When Paul was standing before the council, he offended Ananias with the truth by saying he had lived in good conscience before the Lord, so Ananias had him smacked in the mouth. Things became heated between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, so the chief captain removed Paul, and he ended up spending the night in the castle. There, Jesus visited him in his dream, stood by him, and said: “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Acts 27:11

If you ever have to defend the name of Jesus or your actions on his behalf, you can be sure he will stand beside you. I find that so comforting since we are entering a time when the name of Jesus offends so many people. As Christ-followers, our ways are often looked down upon because so many people are jealous of our freedom, even though, like them, we are slaves to government authorities. 

A faction of forty people had determined to take Paul out of existence, but a young man heard of their plot and reported it to Paul. The young man was sent to report it to the chief, who called for two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to accompany him to Caesarea to deliver him to the governor. Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said he was there with him. He ensured he would eventually make it to Rome to testify for him. Set your mind to remember that if you are ever faced with persecution, Jesus is right there with you. You can rest assured that whatever happens, you are in the hands of the Lord. 

February 9, 2025

Paul had one of those instances where, when standing before his accusers, he did not rehearse his answer to them but allowed the Holy Spirit to guide him. It made the Jewish people furious that he was associating with the Gentiles. When they were getting ready to beat Paul for his testimony, he reminded them that he was a Roman citizen and was born free and asked them if it was lawful to scourge a Roman citizen. The centurion immediately stopped the chief captain from what he was about to do because if they had harmed him, they would face the same penalty they had placed on him. In this instance, God worked out the details for Paul, as I expect He will for us if we ever face trouble in our testimony about our salvation in Jesus. 

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Acts 22:25-26

Keep your eyes on what is happening and the things being stirred up in countries worldwide. We will not likely remain at peace, which may increase the possibility of our faith being tested. We have nothing to worry about because we trust Jesus to get us through any trying times. 

Side note: Today, if you watch the Super Bowl halftime show, pray for a force field of protection around you and your family. Some of the celebrities are wicked and into casting spells. We want to keep our wits about us, not lulled to sleep by demonic activity. 

Even though this picture looks similar to the sun, it is of the moon as it was about to set at 5:06 am this morning.