I have never liked to go to funerals. I have been to quite a few. It always reminded me of my mortality. Even though I am immortal, my physical body will die. Death is a part of life on this earth. God has showed me how to communicate with people who are dying. My grandmother was dying and I stood outside of the hospital room looking in. I said to myself, I hate seeing you, my grandmother, like this. She was in the last stages of death and was not coherent. I walked into the room and sat next to her. She turn me and said, don’t say that, don’t say that. She had heard everything I said. The immortal person that we are doesn’t die. We will go on to the next world. Our spirit, our mind, will and intellect, is immortal. You don’t lose your 5 senses when you move into the next world. Everything is intact. So what is it about death that is so frightening? It is the fear of the unknown. What will happen to me when I move into the next world? When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I settled that very question. I know where I am going. There is no more discussion about my future. If I die I go home to be with my Father.
1 Cor. 15:54(KJV) “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Hebrews 2:14-15(KJV) “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
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There isn’t one person on this earth that hasn’t been betrayed. It is a hard subject to talk about because I have had experience with it. What do you say about the other person? My life has been altered because of it. I would like to have never experienced it at all. The pain sometimes may see unbearable. As if your life will end because of it. I assure you your life will not end unless you take it. Learning how to cope with heartache is part of life. It seems that it is almost a rite of passage. It is not something that has to happen to you on a regular basis. You have to choose what you are going to do and where you are going? Choosing a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a career or backing into an opportunity that winds you up in jail. Life isn’t that complicated. It is simple if you allow it to be. Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, man has believed that he is the creator of hisown destiny. The only problem is that man has no power to do anything. We are gods yes, because we have the right of free will. I did says god with a little g. We can choose the right way and have all of heaven working for us. But if we choose God and walk away from God, He will do the same. God feels the same way we do about betrayal. Because we are the image and likeness of God.
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After a forest fire in the 1950’s, forest fire fighters found a bear cub up in a tree. The cub survived the fire barely. He had climbed in the tree to escape the fire. It was badly burned but survived. The little bear recovered from his wounds and eventually ended up in the National Zoo in Washington D.C. They named the bear Smokey. The US Forest Service took the bear as mascot. They began advertisement to prevent forest fires. And in the commercials Smokey would say, only you can prevent forest fires. Because of the large amount of fires in the western US, they have revived the Smokey the bear commercials. This time he says, only you can prevent wildfires. Yet I know people that start fires daily just by what they say. The unfortunate thing about that is that they can’t take it back. A person asked how they could take back what they said. The answer was take a small box of feathers to a mountain top and release them in the wind. Then go and get all the feathers back in the box. It is impossible.
Jas 1:26 (KJV) If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Jas 3:5-6 (KJV) Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
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Matt.5:43-45 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
How to do you know who is a Christian? Can you tell by the way they look? Or can you see inside the person like an X-ray machine. God is very specific about us showing the world that we are Christians. The world says an eye for an eye. Which actually is an Old Testament scripture. But hate is the world’s defense against abuse. You would think people would have enough of hate and get rid of it. It not so. They stockpiled it. God has a different way of handling abuse. As long as man will not listen to God there will be abuse in this world. God’s answer is to love you neighbor. He wants you to do good to people. By this way you might reach some of them. This is the only way to prove who God really is.
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Years ago I worked in Real Estate. I sold property but mostly did Appraisals. There was a friend of my younger brother who wanted to buy a piece of property to build a house. I found a nice piece in the country on a lake. It was a very nice piece of land. He had been in the US Army and was going to use the VA to build his home. The VA turned him down because I made a mistake. The property was a gated community. It had a locked gate at the entrance. He was had spent his life saving on the property. He wouldn’t speak to me. One Sunday morning I was on my way to church and the Lord spoke to me. He said go to this man and asked for forgiveness. He wouldn’t hear of forgiveness and cursed me. I had done what the Lord had said. I prayer that the situation would be corrected. God helped him sell the property for more money. The bible says if you are bringing a gift to God and remember that your brother has ought against you. Leave the gift and go to your brother and be reconciled. We are responsible for our actions. If they caused our brother to stumble it is our job to fix it as best we can. God will do the rest.
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So why does God want to give us the opportunity to know Him and have the power to live the life he has for us? This all goes back to the beginning, asking why God formed the earth and put people on it? This is a question you will have to answer for yourself.
As I began looking for the answer to the question, I went to the one place I knew had the answer, the Bible. I have studied the Bible for 32 years. Each day, God reveals himself to me. I have seen and heard Him in so many different ways. I look for God everywhere, and guess what, I find Him. God gave us His word to reveal Himself to us. In John 20:31, It says, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” The Study that I am presenting is the result of my quest, which isn’t over yet, to know God and walk in His way.

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There is a story in the bible of the prophet Elijah. He was a big burly man from the country. He was not a highly educated or sophisticated priest. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Elijah was a Prophet of the Lord. In the story, two specific articles of clothing are spoken of, Elijah’s camel hair prayer shawl and his leather girdle. When Elisha had taken Elijah’s place, these two pieces were given to him by God. After Elisha’s death, the priest brought the camel hair prayer shawl and the leather girdle into the temple to ask God who was the next prophet. The Lord told them to place the prayer shawl and girdle at the Altar of Incense until He would show them the next prophet. In the economy of Israel, a man could be a priest and a prophet at the same time. On the other hand, a prophet didn’t necessarily have to be a priest. Just before Jesus was born, Mary’s cousin husband, Zacharias was performing his duties as high priest. He was burning incense before the Lord, in the Temple. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him in the Holy of Holies, and said to him that Elizabeth, his wife, would have a boy. He, John, would be a Prophet of the Most High God. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair and a leather girdle about his loins: and his meat was locust and wild honey.” Matt.3:1-4.
Now you know why Jesus said this of John the Baptist, “But I say unto you, that Elias(Elijah) is come already, and they knew him not.” Luke 17:12. John came before Jesus preaching repentance for sins, preparing the coming of Jesus in his ministry.

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God didn’t establish a religion. He wanted to have a relationship with mankind. Knowing what is in the heart of man, God didn’t leave the rules and regulations up to mankind. God established His word so we, as His people, have a place to go to learn who God is. In Mark 1:27, it says, “and Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Seeing that man knows nothing and has no power to live the life that God has for us, what do we do? In John 1:12, it says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” So when we received, believe and trust Jesus, God will give us the power we need in our lives. We become part of God’s family, namely his sons and daughters. There is another effect that this process has on our lives. In 1 John 5:10, it says, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.” God puts his Spirit in us to be able to understand, to know about God.

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What person knows anything about God? The Bible says in 1 Cor. 2:9 “But as it is written, eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” So man really doesn’t know anything about God. When Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, all he knew about God was what he had learned. Adam handed it down to his sons, grandsons and so forth. It wasn’t until Moses, that God actually had man write down what was required. This is the first five books of the Bible. It showed mankind how to act toward God and man. Many people followed after God, but no one had the power to live the life of God. When Adam and Eve fell from grace, God had to have a way for mankind to learn about Him. The Spirit of God has been on this earth since the beginning. Showing man who God is and what is required to do. In Cor. 2:10, it says, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God.” God began to reveal Himself to individuals, but He wanted to reach more people. God chose Abraham to begin to reveal Himself to the world. He made a covenant with Abraham to show His salvation for mankind. God promised a savior. God said through Abraham the world would be blessed.

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God showed Ezekiel a valley full of dried bones. He said to Ezekiel speak what I tell you. God had Ezekiel to speak back into existence the nation of Israel. God performed His word. He did it so that people would know who God was and is. How many times has God showed himself to you? Where God has done miracles in front of your face. It has been so many times, I can only give you a few examples. My third son had spinal meningitis at 6 months old. God healed him in 3 days. God loved me when I was unlovable. He brought me from death’s door to life. He had healed my family. And why would He do that for me? For God so loved the world that He gave. Can you think of things that God did in your life? Even when you weren’t following the Lord. God will show Himself to everyone on this earth. He said He would do just that. This is to give everyone an opportunity to come to the Lord. You must first believe that He is. And when you do come, He will provide for us. When God becomes real in your life everything changes. So people will know that He is the Lord.
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