All my life I have tried to tell the truth. I learned young that being caught in a lie was sometimes worse than telling the truth. When a person is born they instinctively know how to lie, cheat and steal. Every baby has done this. And no one can say otherwise. A child will cry to get what he wants or take toys from other children. This behavior can be corrected in a child’s life. The bible says that the rod of discipline will drive foolishness from the heart of a child. Man is born corrupt. God doesn’t attribute sin to a child until he reaches the age of reason. The age of reason is about 12 or 13 years old. That was the age when I started talking to my sons and not spanking them. Why is a child like that? What is the reason? When a person is born, they are born into sin and corruption. It is because of the sin of Adam and Eve. God makes a way for us to be redeemed. We are redeemed out of the sinful nature and into God’s family. Did you know that God considered lying as wrong as murder? You see the devil is the father of all lies. When you lie you serve the devil. Since I came to God, I have been very careful about talking. I have sometimes not talked to people just because I am judicious about my words. When I first got married, my wife would have to pull the words out of me. It is not that I don’t talk. It is that I speak carefully. I don’t ramble on about the color of my shoes. That is how my saying came about. The whole saying is say what you mean and mean what you say. Then no one will misunderstand you.
http://www.joseph1637.com

What is going to be your legacy? What are you going to leave behind that is worth something? Many people plan for an estate to be given to their children or whoever. It could be land or whatever you think is worth something. What about your prayers or your wishes for your children? Could it be as simple as your values you try to pass on to your children? Every parents wants the best for their children. They work all their lives to provide food, clothing and shelter, but an opportunity to do better than they did. My parents not only paid for college, they also said if I graduated they would give me a car. I didn’t finish. Girls and Vietnam got in the way. I tried to go back, but it never really worked. So I went to work after my time in the US Air Force. When I did marry I wanted more for my children. 2 of my sons graduated from college and the other 2 are working. I have dedicated my life to God. I pursued Him with a whole heart. I taught my children God’s teachings and how to live a good life. I never gave up on my values. God says to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is older he will not depart from it. I’m counting on it. My sons have chosen to live their own lives. I keep praying for them. And I’m believing God that His word will work in their lives as it did in mine. I believe a legacy can be your prayers and wishes for your children as well as other people. I know that the prayers of my ancestors are still working in me.
http://www.joseph1637.com

Many people have heard the old saying to tickle one’s fancy. It is an expression that says we become interested in something because it is new and bright and shiny. There are always new ideas, some are intelligent and some are half-baked. There are some that are both intelligent and half-baked. There are some that are 1000’s of years old. In the first century, Paul had to correct many radical ideas about Christianity. Some of the Christians wanted to take the direct approach and run the people out of town on a rail. Paul said the best way to dispel the heresy was to tell the truth. This is why it is so important to study the bible and learn what God say. You know the bible hasn’t changed in over 4000 years. To the scholar’s amazement, when they began to study the Dead Sea scrolls, the book of Isaiah was verbatim. You would think over 1000’s of years, it would change with different scholars. But God has not allowed man to change His word. The bible is the most published book ever. When the devil spoke to Jesus during His temptation, he always spoke in half truths. That is another reason to know what God says. There are so many self-help teachers and books to fill a library. If you can do it yourself why do you need God? Again people are trying to prove that there is no God. The bible says that people will heap to themselves unreliable teachers because we have having itching ears. God says for as many as receive Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God. Look to God and read His word.
http://www.joseph1637.com

What is wisdom? I have written about this before. Wisdom is knowledge with experience. This doesn’t mean that your knowledge is the truth. There are people who claimed they were abducted by aliens. Their wisdom is untrue. As man has tried to prove that there is life on other planets, they haven’t. I think the most they have found is some dead algae. There are many theories in this world. Most can’t be proven. That still makes them theories. Man isn’t unintelligent. We didn’t start from protoplasm in the big bang. What is unfortunate is how far man will go to prove that God doesn’t exist. I was talking to an in-law about the scientific achievements of the Inca people. He said it was aliens for outer space. I laughed at him, then I saw he wasn’t joking. We started talking about what he saw as truth. He believed that the Inca people had to have help to achieve such greatness. Man has always been fully developed from the beginning. The people who developed the tower of Babel were as intelligent as we are today. They didn’t have all the technology we have. But they figured out how to build the tower on their own. I found the way, the truth and the life. It changed everything that I had believed before. I saw clearly the reason why we were put on this earth. And best of all I found the way to go home. Do you know why written laws were invented? It is very simple. They were invented because man wouldn’t listen to God in the first place. Let me site examples, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Nimrod of Babylon, the tower of Babel, and Noah and the flood. This is in the first book of the bible. Shall I go on and on? The bible is replete with stories of man’s disasters. God said call unto Me, and I will show you great and mighty things which thou knowest not.
http://www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

What do you dream about? That illusive place or possession that you dream about. Growing up I always wanted a Jaguar sedan. I thought it was the best automobile around. As I grew my dreams changed. When I became a man my dream was to serve God. I knew I had a calling all my life. I didn’t want to serve God half-hearted. I was going to commit myself and all that I had. I didn’t care what level of commitment I had to make. I gave my life to God and if I perished, I perished. But I am going to see God. Some people’s dreams are nightmares. They find it hard to see any good anywhere. Before I met God it was hard to see good in this world. All I could see was the evil in it. I didn’t want to believe there was anything else. God had to show me the way. When He did, He sent people to me to help. After I found God, a certain person took me in and taught me the ways of God. I am forever grateful for that family that accepted me as a member. I learned who I was in God. I also found which way to go. It was always a smooth ride. Sometimes I got into trouble, but God was always there to help back to the way. My dream began to unfold in front of my eyes. I have seen many miracles performed by God and accounted to me. This blog is one of those parts of the dream. It took a while and I finally caught on. Things fall into place as God goes forward with His plan for you. All of those dreams start to come true in your life. The only way I know to fulfill your dreams is to start with God Himself. You must commit yourself to God and He will bring it to pass. John1:12 “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:”(KJV).
http://www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Did you ever notice that the Apostle Paul begins and ends all of his letters with prayers? Why do you think that Paul prayed so much? Also the majority of his letters were written from prison. The roman emperor imprisoned him for 2 years. I guess he had more time to write letters in prison. The letters I am talking about is the New Testament. He stayed in an attitude of prayer. What does that mean? It means that Paul stayed in God’s presence. Did you know that his prayers are still in effect some 2000 years later? Prayers don’t end until God says so (Rev.5:8). I mean that all the prayers of my family for 100’s of years still affect me today. There are prayers for your wellbeing or health, and prayers for your prosperity. These prayers are automatic. They work by themselves. Then there are prayers that require our participation. We have to personally get involved with the prayer. These prayers are for salvation or the baptism of the Holy Spirit. All the prayers of the saints will stop at the end of the world. How can we get into an attitude of prayer? I just finished a series on prayer on my blog. Starting with “Developing a skill” unto the last part “Where to begin, Part 11”. If you follow along and ask God to show and help you, you can get into an attitude of prayer. I hope and pray that you reach that point and stay there. Fellowship with God is the reason we are on this earth. I have wanted this more than anything God could give me. And I still do. Give God the opportunity He deserves and let Him bless your life. Let me know what happens.

http://www.joseph1637.com
Joseph1637@juno.com

1) Waging the war.
My second son join the Army National Guard, after the events of September 11, 2001. He wanted to serve his country. He was deployed to Iraq in October 2004. His brigade spent a month in Kuwait acclimating to the desert and the heat. He said that all the soldiers were talking about how well they would do in battle. They spoke like that because they had never tasted the sting of battle. Veteran soldiers know the taste of battle. It is never the same for anyone. Some are successful and some aren’t. Each person deals with it differently. Waging a war demands commitment. Each person must be whole-hearted in the battle. It is because lives depend on it. Spiritual battles aren’t different from physical ones. People’s lives are at stake. Though we don’t fight against flesh and blood, it has eternal consequences. The Roman soldier trained for 5 years before entering battle. The American soldier trained for 1 year before entering battle. The Christian soldier goes into battle every time they learn a new scripture. We don’t fight in our own strength, we go in God’s power. The first time I went into battle, all I said was God do something and God did. As we have prepared all along the way, everything falls into place as we believe and trust God.
Luke 14:31 “Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.”
2 Corinthians 10:3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
I Timothy 1:18 “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:”
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

http://www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

1) Standing in the gap.
God had blessed Abraham and his nephew Lot. Their flocks were getting big and competing for the grassland. Abraham told Lot they had to part company and he could choose any place to go first. Lot choose the valley of Sodom and Gomora. Those two cities were evil and wicked. Jesus and two angels came to visit Abraham to tell him that God was going to destroy them. Abraham began to intercede for them. He asked if God would find 50 righteous people would He spare the cities. God said He would. Then he asked if God would find 10 righteous people would He spare the cities. God said He would. What Abraham was doing was standing in the gap for them. Those people in Sodom and Gomora couldn’t ask God for mercy, but Abraham could. The problem was that there weren’t 10 righteous people in Sodom or Gomora. The cities were destroyed. But God honored Abraham’s prayer. There are times when God can’t find someone to stand in the gap and people are destroyed. We are the watchman on the wall. You will find yourself asking God to stop something. If you are persistent, God may change His mind. Because we have a relationship with God, we have confidence to approach the throne. And if we have faith and staying power, God will move on our behalf.

1 Corinthians 14:8 “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”
Ezekiel 3:17-21 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand……”
Ezekiel 22:29-31 “….. 30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none……”

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.com

1) Defending the faith.
The bible says that we are to sanctify God in our hearts and have an answer to everyone that ask about the hope we have in our hearts. On this earth it is our job to do the will of God. What is the will of God? Jesus said to preach the gospel, heal the sick, deliver the bound, and to show that the kingdom of God has come. He also said start in Jerusalem and then go to the world. It seems that defending the faith is going out and doing the will of the Father. This means outside of the church building. I saw the power of God in people before I came to God. They showed me that He was real and alive in this world. Where are you going? And what are you going to do? I have seen so many twist and turns in human behavior. People seems to go with the flow. Defending the Faith isn’t a small thing. Everything you believe will come into question. You have to believe for the right reasons or you could lose everything. It is never about you and it is always about God. Your power to defend the faith comes from God. Trusting and relying on God is the only option there is. I’m talking as a soldier of Christ. I have served on the front lines of battle for many years. I know what it requires. It requires total commitment to God.
2 Timothy 2:1-5 “…… 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier…..”
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.com

1) Putting on the armor of God.
Paul always talk about things that the people of the day could understand. The Romans ruled the known world in Paul’s day. A Roman soldier was trained for 5 years before he was assigned to any battle. The soldier had armor given him to protect him in the battle. Paul wrote about being soldiers in Christ army. He talked about putting on the armor of God, your loins gird with the truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. The sword of the spirit is the Word of God. I have become very adept with the sword of the spirit. I can use it at will. I have learn the word and have memorized much of it. I have been trained in warfare. I have fought in many battles. I have won most of them. When I started God asked me if I would die for him. I didn’t want to die, but I wanted what God wanted. I made my decision and became a warrior. That was 37 years ago. I had to learn to use the armor of God. it took training. Sometimes I didn’t want to train, but God said now is the time and today is the day of salvation. I’ll tell you the biggest battle I was in. I was in a small church and God separated me from it. God wanted to get to the pastor. God sent the morning of the battle a minister to the pastor’s house. God wanted this pastor to repent of his sins. I went to my parent’s house. No one was home. As I stood in the kitchen a cold feeling came upon me. I felt strange and began to pray. I felt the blood drain from my face and arms. They turned an ashen grey. I was praying intensely as I shook my arms to get the blood back into them. I was afraid and prayed by myself for 3 hours. Then I went to a friend’ house because I was afraid. Praying all the time. As I enter her home, she became afraid. She called pastors and preachers who didn’t understand. I was standing against death itself. He was coming for the pastor to take him. After 7 hours of pray, the pastor repented and death left me. God wanted me to stand not knowing what was going on. Even though I was afraid, I wasn’t going to let some stupid devil destroy people in my life. God knew I would stand. Put on the armor of God, stand up and be counted.
Ephesians 6:10-18 “…… 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places…..”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

http://www.joseph1637.com

Joseph1637@juno.com