Saturday, April 3, 2010

Bible Study: Am I In The Will of God? 04.03.10

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Saturday April 03, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of I Samuel, chapters 8-11. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-april-3

Title: Bible Study: Am I In The Will of God?
While every nation has some kind of leader, there is only one true leader and that is God. No matter how many people try to deny the fact that God is in control of all things, He is was, still, and always will be in control of everything here on earth as well as in heaven. I just found this quote, “Your will be done online as in heaven” Think about it. How often are you in the will of God in the things you do? We need to ask ourselves this question in all we do, from the clothes we wear, to the route we take, to what we do on the internet, we need to ask ourselves, “Am I in the will of God?” If we do everything in our power to follow God's will, He will not only bless us, He will bless us abundantly.

Samuel, was one of the most godliest men of the Bible, in Israel's 400 years in the promised land, and out of all the men and one woman who served as judge during that time, no one had served as judge, priest, and prophet, but Samuel faithfully served God in all three positions. Now he was getting up in his years and because of this he placed his two sons as judges, sadly they had no interest in serving God and this caused them to fall right in the hands of worldly lusts. Now, the people were in search of a new leader. “And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.” - I Samuel 8:1-6. Samuel did all he could to train his sons in a godly way, to see his sons living out of the will of God had to be the part that displeased him more. When a child gets in trouble it is the parents that are judged, sometimes, it is the parent, but most often it is the individual. “We are to, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6. Sadly, it does not always work out this way, many children of men of God fall into worldly lusts and away from God. When we have done all we can as a parent to raise our children up to follow the will of God, then it is only in the hands of God that he can return should he fall.

Now, a king is to be chosen, “Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.....Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.” - I Samuel 9:1,2,15-17. God chooses all who will become men and women of God, the second we are born, He has a plan for and position for us. Now, He sets some as preachers, some as teachers, and some as prophets, but unless we are in the will of God we will not know what we truly are to be doing for God.

Incidentally, many women fall or will fall because they have become leaders of men when the Bible clearly states that no woman is to be a leader of a man. “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.” - I Corinthians 11:3-7. The woman is to be in subjection to the man, this does not mean that she is to be a slave to the man, but it does mean that she was made to be of help and comfort to the man and not head of the man. If we see that he is doing something questionable we are to speak to him in private, not out in the open, doing so signifies that the woman is above the man. Women are not in any way to look like a man, she is to either cover her head with a veil or keep herself shorn (groomed) as to distinguish herself from man. Now, women can be ministers of the Gospel, teachers, prophets, leaders of a women's ministry, but they are not to be leaders of the church.

We all have a choice, to follow the world or follow the will of God, following the will of God means that we need to do all that God commands, not just what we want to pick out of the Bible as being true. Do you know why there are so many different versions of the Bible? It is because people do not want to follow all of God's will, so they re-write the Word of God to make it look as though they are in the will of God. Just choose the version that suits what looks best for your needs instead of what God really wants. The sad thing is so many Christians are unaware of this and are being deceived. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” - Revelation 22:18,19. This is why I only read and teach from the King James Version, it is the closest thing to explaining what the Hebrews wrote. You say you can not understand the King James Version? When you have the Holy Spirit inside you He will help you understand it. It is not difficult, it was actually written on the level of a fifth grader, it just contains all of God's Word. Do a comparison for yourself and take a look at the important words that are taken out of some versions, even hell is taken out of some of them. We have to be very careful of what we allow ourselves to do, if we want to follow the will of God, we need to know the truth and all of the truth. Now, ask yourself, “Am I in the will of God?”

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Friday, April 2, 2010

Bible Study: How To Win The Battle 04.02.10

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Friday April 02, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of I Samuel, chapters 4-7. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-april-2

Title: Bible Study: How To Win The Battle
You may not realize it, but as a Christian you are feared by the world. Why? Because you are a child of the living God. Praise God! The world fears God because they know just how powerful He is, regardless of how many people try to prove that God does not exist, they know deep down inside He does so they will do anything to try to come up with some other theory to prove God wrong because they know where they are going when they die. Since they can not mess with God, they mess with God's people and because we hold this great honor and are feared we can expect many battles while here on earth. Sadly, many false Christians will be at the heart of the battles and cause many people to lose their lives over it. The way in which we handle these battles will determine whether or not we truly have faith in the Son of God or we are just trusting in ourselves to win a battle that can not be won without God.

Eli, the high priest, had two sons, named Hophni and Phinehas, they were both wicked men who knew who God was, yet never did anything to serve Him. Now, the Israelites are in battle with the Philistines and being defeated fiercely, the people realize they needed God's help, however, instead of making things right with Him and seeking His guidance, they took the Ark of God with them, since only a priest could cart the Ark, Hophni and Phinehas carried it. “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.” - I Samuel 4:1-4. The first thing the Israelites do is blame God for being defeated. Then, they foolishly put their faith in the Ark of God, not God Himself. The first thing faithless people do when battles come their way is blame God, then they destroy God's image by coming up with these foolish ideas to make people afraid of Him. Although the Ark of the Lord held the presence of God, it was not the ark itself that held the power, it was God that gave it that power. Every Christian who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior receives the presence of God within them, through the Holy Spirit, but that does not mean that we are invincible if we do not acknowledge that God is the source if that power. If we want the power of God we need to ask Him for it all day long.

Now, when the Philistines heard that the Ark of God was in their presence they became afraid, they too thought of the Ark of God as the Israelites source of power that would defeat them. “And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.” - I Samuel 4:7-11. Okay, the Philistines had one thing right, they could be defeated, because they knew what the power of God did to the enemies of God's people. What they did not realize was that God allowed them to defeat the Israelites once again and even take the Ark of God with them. Why did God allow this? To make them over confident in themselves and to get the Israelites to see that the power of God did not come from the Ark, it came from Him and all they had to do was go to Him. God will allow us to lose a battle or two for that very same reason, if we are defeated we will learn what is needed to do to get back up and fight. The sooner we realize we need God to help us with the fight, the quicker we will win it. Praise God for His patience! Because we would all be joining the devil in hell if He had none.

Once the Israelites figured out that they needed God Himself, they built an alter and offered up sacrifices to Him for forgiveness and then the Power of God was upon them to allow them to defeat the Philistines. “And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.” - I Samuel 7:9-13. The power of God will only shine if we acknowledge Him, if we do not say one word to Him and do things that defile our mind, body, and soul, He is going to ignore us and no amount of church or worshiping will get Him to hear us until we put away all our false gods and seek His forgiveness and guidance first.

You know, even though the Philistines had the Ark of God for a time, they did not do one thing to change their lives, probably assuming that the Ark was just as that false god of theirs. However, when they realized that the presence of the living God was still in that Ark, they wanted it away from them real quick. Did you ever notice that the friends you once had in the world are no longer your friends? People who live wicked lives do not want to be in the presence of those who are living godly lives. Oh, they may even pretend for a while, but deep down it is all a front and they eventually get away from you because they can not handle the conviction of the Holy Spirit trying to get them to see the truth. I lost family members, and friends because I chose to live my life for Christ and not them. They did not want to change so they remain miserable and facing one battle after another, yet fail to realize they need Jesus. You know, we may face many battles as Christians, but we have the best coach and director and that is Jesus Christ. “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:12,13. I know how to ask for help when I need it, because I can do all things through Christ and so can everyone reading this.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Want to Learn The Truth About Easter?
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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Bible Study: Actions Speak Louder Than Words 04.01.10

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Thursday April 1, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of I Samuel, chapters 1-3. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-april-1

Title: Bible Study: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
The Book of I Samuel is the ninth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains thirty-one chapters. The author of the book is Samuel and it was written to the Israelites. The book records the history of three people, Samuel, the last judge of Israel, Saul, the first king, and David, who succeeds Saul as king. The purpose of the book was to continue to record how God dealt with His people. What we are to learn from the book is the importance of being obedient to God than giving a sacrifice for repentance. We can all rejoice in the fact that through the sacrificial blood shed of the Lord Jesus Christ anyone who calls on Him is saved. Praise God! This is the great gift from God and one that can not be bought. You see, Jesus paid the sin debt for you, that means He paid the price of your sin debt for you with His life. When your physical body wears out, your soul goes to heaven, that is a gift that you can not buy or have taken away from you. Praise God! Now, once we ask Jesus to save us we make a commitment to Him, but that does not mean that we all follow through with it. God knows our hearts and our actions speak louder than words.

Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, she was unable to have a child and this grieved her, every year they would go up to Shiloh (Jerusalem) as commanded to worship and give sacrifices to the Lord. This year she made a vow with God. “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.….And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” - I Samuel 1:1-5,10,11. Hannah made a commitment with God, if He gave her a man child, she would give him to God. When we make a commitment to God, He expects us to keep it, but that does not mean that He does not love you or will take away your Salvation should you mess up. It just means that it will take you that much longer to see blessings from God. God blesses us through obedience, not sin.

Now, God did bless Hannah with a child and she named him Samuel, “Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.” - I Samuel 1:20. After she had the child she praised and worshiped God, “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed......The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” - I Samuel 2:1-3,6-10. When we know we have done a good work for the Lord, we rejoice. We learn that the blessings of life are the good and the bad and that all things work together for the glory of God and for our own good. Praise God! God will not leave nor forsake anyone who fulfills their commitment to Him and He will bless us for it. God blessed Hannah with five more children after Samuel. She grieved for a season, but she grew closer to God and was bless with children because her actions were worth more than her words.

While our works do not get us to heaven, our actions speak louder that words and what rewards we will receive when we get there are based on those actions. Jesus Said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” - Matthew 16:24-28. When we make a commitment to follow Christ, the life we use to have is slowly replaced by a new life, one that stays committed to God and shows through our actions. Sadly, many people that think they are going to heaven will not because they have not committed to follow Christ. Unless we speak with our mouths, confess our sins, and ask Jesus to save us, we are not going to heaven. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:9,10. We should all be praising God right now for the fact that no matter how many times we mess up, we are still going to heaven because we have confessed with our mouths that we believe in and accept Jesus. What better way to thank Him than to do the things we say we are going to do for Him. We may grieve for a time, but the rewards in heaven can not compare to what we will receive here on earth. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and take some time to reflect on what Jesus did for you today.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bible Study: Turn Bitterness Into Blessings 03.31.10

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Wednesday March 31, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Ruth. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-31

Title: Bible Study: Turn Bitterness Into Blessings
The Book of Ruth is the eighth book of the Old Testament/Bible, the author of the book is unknown, but it was first written to the Israelites. The purpose of the book was to show that even Gentiles who are faithful to God become a part of His People. She became the great grandmother of David. It also illustrates the kinsman-redeemer relationship of Jesus Christ. What we are to learn from the book is that God can turn bitterness into blessings for all who come to Him, Jew or Gentile.

It is amazing when an entire family is devoted to Christ, there is no strife between each other and when there is it is quickly resolved. Sadly that is not the case for many families, I remember a time when my father and aunt did not speak to each other for years over a house that belonged to my grandmother after she passed away. Why? Bitterness. My aunt thought she deserved the house because she was the oldest child, she became bitter when she did not get what she wanted and caused all kinds of problems for the rest of the family. Bitterness can really destroy a relationship, including our relationship with God as well.

Ruth and Orpah, Moabite women, were daughter-in-laws to Naomi, by her two sons Mahlon and Chilion, who were Jews. “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.” - Ruth 1:1-4. This is an example of marriages that God really does not approve of, we should not be yoked with non-believers, but He does give us a choice and once in a while it is a good choice. However, we must be willing to bring God into the marriage or it will not survive, my parents divorced because they did not have God in their marriage and brothers and I suffered because of that as well.

While we can not choose what family we are born into, we can choose how to live our lives, even if you are the only one devoted to Christ. Mahlon and Chilion died and now Naomi was left with her daughter-in-laws, she urged them to go back to their parents homes. Orpah did, but Ruth did not, she made the choice to follow God. “And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.....And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” - Ruth 1:8,14-17. Ruth could have gone back to her roots, instead she chose God. We are all faced with the decision to choose the world and it's gods or choose the One True God. Her story should give encouragement and hope to the most despondent, helpless, defeated person. God can always bring something beautiful out of the most miserable circumstance when we turn to Him with our whole heart.

The Book of Ruth highlights our Lord's loving-kindness to the Gentiles in selecting Ruth, a Moabite woman, who became the great-grandmother of King David. For the third time God united both Jew and Gentile in the ancestry of David and of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, proving that all who choose Christ are a part of the kingdom of God, both Jew and Gentile. “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” - II Corinthians 4:13-18. God uses every circumstance to our good and for His glory. We may suffer for a time, but when we choose God He will help us endure the pain and see the blessings beyond what we can not see. Praise God that all who believe in and seek Jesus Christ receive eternal rewards.

It is time to turn any bitterness into blessings. We have a choice, we can be bitter about the situation we are in have been in or we can move forward knowing that Jesus is with us. He truly is the truth, the life, and the way, and as long as He is with us we can overcome any bitterness that we have, even from years ago. If we let go of any bitterness we have deep inside we will see joy, my aunt still can not get over the bitterness, even yesterday she reminded me of something that happened 15 years ago. What a waste of life, to be so bitter that life has no joy at all, if she would only go to Christ she will find joy in her life, before it is too late. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” - Romans 5:10,11. We are reconciled with God for every sin and find joy through all our pain, including any bitterness we have, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Visit: I'm Following Jesus!
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Bible Study: Choose Who You Will Serve 03.30.10

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Tuesday March 30, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Judges, chapters 20-21. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-30

Title: Bible Study: Choose Who Will You Serve
Did you ever wonder why the entire world is in such chaos? We can blame it on God, or the country, or the economy, or the president (ruler), but the truth is this, every man did that which was right in his own eyes . We have all these people making the decision for us as to how we are to live our lives and every one of them wants to every man did that which was right in his own eyes, not taking one second to look at what it will do to the rest of the country. Who starts wars? We do, not God, we do.

All through out the Book of Judges we read the phrase, every man did that which was right in his own eyes, and the result, war against the tribes. The tribe of Benjamin refused to allow justice to be done to the homosexual mob that gang-raped a defenseless Israelite woman causing her death. Now, all the other tribes of Israel united to execute judgment against them, “Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh. And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness? And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.......And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.” - Judges 20:1-5,12-14. Brothers, fighting against brothers, because each one thought they were right, but wickedness is never right and one way or another justice will be served.

Wickedness will always try to triumph over good and for a while it seems that it has, but through all the defeats God is teaching us something. We need Him! It was only after two disastrous defeats at the hands of the Benjamites that the children of Israel sought guidance from God. “Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD......And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.” - Judges 20:26,35. It was not until the people humbly went before God wholeheartedly that they were able to triumph over the wicked Benjamites. There is a growing indifference to immorality in our society that is similar to what existed in the tribe of Benjamin. Adultery is now called "having an affair." Homosexuality is replaced with "gay and lesbian" or "alternative lifestyles." Fornication is referred to as "live-in lovers." The purpose of this new vocabulary is to remove the sense of guilt for violating God's moral Law and to make the sinner feel more comfortable. We can not hide sin with words, God knows the heart and sooner or later all wickedness is defeated.

All sin is abominable to our holy God, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” - I Corinthians 6:9,10. However, all sin that is truly repented of and forsaken will be forgiven through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” - I Corinthians 6:11. Sin always becomes progressively worse, lust eventually becomes action and its wages lead to death. The only cure is repentance and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. He will cleanse us from all, even the wickedest sin. Praise God!

It is time to become as the children of Israel became, one united with Christ, I am not just talking about knowing the name Christ, I am talking about living for Christ. The One and only begotten Son of God who gave His life to save us all from death and hell. In the midst of all the chaos and unbelief, God always has a faithful remnant who will withstand the pressures and pleasures of sin and live to please Him. Everyone lives to please someone ourselves, other people, or the Lord. Who will you choose today? As Joshua said, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve;…... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15. We all have a choice, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Monday, March 29, 2010

Bible Study: One God, One Truth 03.29.10

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Monday March 29, 2010, and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Judges, chapters 17-19. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-29

Title: Bible Study: One God, One Truth
As Christians it is very important that we not be yoked with non-believers. To be yoked with means to have a relationship with, this includes some that say they are Christians. Just because a religion has the name Christ in it or says Jehovah it does not mean that they know Christ or God. We can not keep infusing our minds with all these different beliefs because sooner or later we are going to be so confused that we make up our own gods. The fact is this, we do not want to live by the truth of God's Word so we make up our own truths and others will follow because they are lost and searching for someone to appeal to them. No matter how strong a Christian is, if you get around one that is not you will fall to their level. We can not allow ourselves to be yoked with those who have different beliefs than we do. Doing so will cause us to lose sight that there is only One God and One Truth.

There was a man named Micah, he stole sliver from his mother, which was cursed, but he returned it and asked to be released from the curse. His mother released him of the curse, but then took the silver and had a graven and molten image made out of it. “And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son. And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee. Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes......And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.” - Judges 17:1-6,12,13. Micah and his mother knew of God, but they failed to learn the truth, and in their eyes they thought they were doing something good for God, but in reality all they were doing was making up their own god. Why? Because they did not want to take the time to truly know God, had they learned His truths they would have known that it was a command not to make any graven or molten image of God. Then they thought if they got a Levite, God's servant, to accompany them then God will be with them. They were wrong and would soon learn that the hard way. We can not choose to worship God the way we think is best for our lifestyle, we must worship God the way He commands.

When the promised land was distributed by Joshua, considerable territory was allotted to the tribe of Dan, but submission and obedience to the will of God was missing. As a result, they did not succeed in defeating the inhabitants as God had commanded them to do. Now, they were out to find land of their own and came upon Mount Ephraim, “In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.........And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. …..And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? ” - Judges 18:1,2, 16,17, 22-24. Micah's response, they took the gods which I made. When someone stole his gods, he thought he had lost the most important thing in his life. This points out that whatever or whoever a person allows to be his supreme love becomes his god. Nothing on earth which can be stolen or destroyed can take the place of the One True God.

Do you know why people go from church to church? Because they want to serve God their way, not by the truth and they will keep searching and searching until they find one that is on their level. This is sad because they are not only destroying their own lives, they are taking their family and friends along with them. There is only One God and He is in the form of three people, God, the Father, God, the Son (Jesus), and God, the Holy Spirit, three different persons, but One True God. They are not separate from one another, they are not three different individuals, they are all One God. Think about it. A woman can be, a daughter, a wife, and a mother, three people with different roles, but one person. God is three different people, with three different roles, but is One True God. “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” - I John 5:6-8. Incidentally, Jesus is the Word made flesh, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God......And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” - John 1:1,14. If we stay in the Word of God we know who God is because we know who Jesus is, He is God in the flesh. Praise God! No one has to be ignorant to the truth, and by the way, ignorance does not get you to heaven. If you do not know Jesus you are not going to heaven, no matter how good you try to be. If people truly want God's blessings in their lives they need to stop creating their own image of who God is and start living the truth, which is only found in the Word of God, not some book claiming they know the Word of God. Do not let the world convince you what the truth is, there is only One God, and One Truth and it can only be found in the Word of God. Praise God For His Truths!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Bible Study: The Source of Our Strength 03.28.10

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Sunday March 28, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Judges, chapters 15-17. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-28

Title: Bible Study: The Source of Our Strength
As Christians, we are to be separated from those who live in the world, that includes family members, while we really can not choose our family we can choose how we live, even if some of them are not Christians. God will give us the strength to overcome every situation we are in as long as we are faithful to Him. It is sad for godly parents to raise up their children as best they can for God and see them not living in for Him as they grow up. However, sooner or later they will realize just how important it is to have God in their lives, even if it is the last thing that they will ever do while here on earth.

Even before Samson was born he was called to serve God, he knew this, yet his heart was not at all on God, he chose to live and commune with those who were in the world and that was his biggest downfall. Even his own people turned on him. Samson made enemies with the Philistines and now they were out to get him, at that time the Israelites were under rule of the Philistines so the tribe of Judah did not take too kindly to Samson hiding out in their territory and fighting with the Philistines there. Now, they are after Samson and turn him in to the Philistines. “ Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.” - Judges 15:11-13. The Judeans were afraid that the Philistines would seek revenge, therefore they turned him in for their own safety. They are an example of Christians who are afraid to take a stand for God because they do not want any conflicts with their family or friends. The truth is that these people know who God is as well, yet He is not permanent in their lives so they forget that He will deliver and protect all who seek His guidance. How different the outcome would have been if they had united with Samson in defeating the Philistines instead of turning him in.

Although Samson was a judge, He rarely sought God in helping him lead the people, oh, he was very strong and powerful, but he failed to realize that his strength came from God and this was proved when he fell for a woman named Delilah. “And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.........And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.” - Judges 16:4-6,16-21. Not only did he suffer the gruesome torture of having his eyes gouged out, but he was forced to take the place of an animal and waste his life turning the mill to grind corn into meal. Regardless of who were are or how strong we are we become who we hang around, get around the world and you become one with the world. Did you know that the world does not care who you are? They will sell you out in a second if they could prosper from it.

Yet through all the ignorance and sin God is still merciful and forgiving and when we call on Him with all our heart He will respond. “And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” - Judges 17:28-30. Samson called on God one last time and this time he knew that all his strength came from God. God gave him the strength to knock down the house and killed all the people praising and worshiping their false gods. We can not wait until what we think is the right time to serve God, the time is now. It is not easy dealing with people who are living in the world, especially when they live in our own house, but as long as we are faithful to God He will give us the strength to handle the situation and either take you out of it or bring them to God. Remember, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and the Lord's Day.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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