How important are words? We speak over 10,000 words daily. That is a lot of words. So, how important are the words we speak each day? Or, do you remember all the things that you said. I have always been taught by my parents and others, that there are words that are more important than others. Words like honor, duty, integrity, honesty, valor, compassion, mercy, tenderness, love of family and country are just a few that I can think of. I strive to live with honor, to do my duty with integrity, to be honest in every situation. I believe I am a compassionate man with both mercy and tenderness. I love my family and my country. I never said that my life was easy. But I have always said that my life was simple. These words seem to be out of date and old fashion. But I don’t know any other words that are more important for today. There are other words that are important. Those words are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. If they sound familiar, they are the way that the Holy Spirit wants us to live. And interesting fact, the US Congress passed a law declaring that 1983 was the Year of the Bible. It was an amazing year. The GNP rose to over a 100%, higher than it had been in previous 20 years. Gallup took a poll and asked what were the three most important things in people’s live. The answer was just as surprising. People responded and said that love, joy and peace were the most important things in their lives. God said that life and death are in the power of the tongue, words to live by.

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The bible is quite specific about God listening to prayers. God doesn’t hear the sinner, except for the prayer for salvation. All God has ever wanted is fellowship with man. Adam walked with God in the garden of Eden. Cain and Abel both talked to God, until Cain killed Abel. When God chose the Israelites as a people, they could if they would, talk to God. Most people don’t want to talk to God. Because it means shining God’s light on our lives. This is where you see everything, including all the flaws. But God has had a people, who would talk to Him no matter what. These people, we would call prayer warriors, because they have God’s ear. The bible says that we first must believe that He is and a rewarder of them that diligently seek God. it also says that if we believe that He hears us, we have the petitions we ask of Him. But, if we harbor unforgiveness in our heart, it will block our prayers. The bible says that if you are going to church and your brother has ought against you, go to that brother and be reconciled. Then come to church and offer your prayers and gifts. It also says that if a husband is angry with his wife or the wife with the husband, it will cancel out their prayers. No one who is in sin can approach God with any prayer, unless it is the prayer asking for forgiveness. There are many ways to hinder your prayers, but only one for God to hear you. That is the prayer of repentance from sin.

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The blind leading the blind, you have seen it more than you want to recognize it. There are people who can’t see anything because all they want is what they want. Everything else is just irrelevant. I feel sorry for those people. They have no grasp of what is really happening in the world. Sometimes these people can be very dangerous. Because they get to a point where the only way they can achieve their goals is to destroy everyone else. And they will burn the world down just to get their way. You would think that only in this century do we have these kind of people. The Apostle Paul ran into these characters in the first century. Hate starts when a person is afraid or disgruntled or is jealous of another person. When it takes root, it becomes bitterness. Do did you know that hate causes cancer? So does anger. It is a spiritual condition that moves into the physical realm. We are spiritual beings that can bring things from the next world into our own. Unfortunately people don’t take that into consideration when they hate people. The Apostle Paul talk about this very condition and how to deal with people who live in their own reality. He said that you can’t fight them with their weapons. You have to fight them with truth, God’s truth. How can we fight ideas or people in this world with God’s truth? God said if you want to change a situation, then pray. What you need to do is ask God to change the situation, then believe and stand. Standing in the knowledge that God has heard you and is answering your prayer. What happens when you do that? The world changes. It is time to do the will of God and change the world.

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It seems that I am always talking about what man is doing on this earth. It is because man is always trying to burn this world down. I have never seen so many people try so hard to destroy everything that exist. Shall I delineate? Let us take the last 50 years. In the 1960’s, there was the counterrevolution, the Vietnam War and the Israeli war. The Israeli war went into the 1970’s. So did the Vietnam War. Then there was the plane hijackings. The bombing of embassy’s. Let’s see, oh yeh, Grenada, Panama, the Cubans in South America, Desert Storm, the Iraq war and of course the Afghanistan war. Let’s not forget the war in Syria. You may look at the world and think, why even try. They are all going to hell in hand basket. Well God sees it differently. In 1967, the Israeli’s took Jerusalem back. It was over 2000 years since the Jews owned Jerusalem. What did God do? He began to have revivals all over the world. The baptism of the Holy Spirit began to be prolific. Everyone who wanted could be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Missionaries went to every country. In the 1980’s, the United States had in 1983 the year of the Bible. Not since the times of Jesus, had a nation declared such a year. The GNP increased over a 100% in the United States. Churches began to fill up and enjoy peaceful times. When Elijah was running from Jezebel for his life. He said to God that there is no one serving God that they had all gone astray. God told Elijah that there were 7000 people in Israel that remained faithful to God. So even though you don’t see God working in your life or ours, don’t believe it. God is there before you even get there and He won’t leave until His job is done.

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When Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians, they were in captivity for 70 years. The number isn’t random. God had set up agricultural laws to benefit the Israelites. Every 7^th year, the ground wasn’t to be tilled. It was to lay fallow, so the nutrients could return to the soil. But the Israelites didn’t listen to God for 490 years. So, God removed them from the land and only left shepherds. There are such examples of looming disasters throughout the bible. Do you know why there is such a great debate over global warming? Because this is a looming disaster. God destroyed mankind, once before by water. But He promised that He wouldn’t do that again. The rainbow is the sign of His covenant. God did say that He would destroy mankind again but by fire. God is telling people that it is coming. Just like the Israelites of old, knew that a disaster was coming. Since the year 2000, there has been a disaster after disaster. It has been nonstop. God is speaking to mankind, telling them to prepare the end is coming. And whether it is tomorrow or in a 100 years from now, it is time to prepare for the end. One of the signs of an end to a people is immorality. This country is rack with immorality. People are excepting it as normal. When in fact, it will kill you both physically and spiritually. Then it will cast you into hell. There is a looming disaster of which no one will escape. We will stand before God to answer for this life. Then what will you do?

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When I started walking with God, I was just like everyone who believed that God doesn’t talk to us. He answers prayer, but not in a conversation. As I looked at the Old Testament, I saw that God spoke to the prophets. But that was a select few. The disciples talked to Jesus, but He was standing next to them. I must confess that I really hadn’t read the bible before I started with God. All the religion classes that I took were about me being as good as I could. It was never about how much God wants to fellowship with us. So, I began reading the bible, as fast as I could. I had a bible at home, one in the car and one at work. I would stop at a red light and read a verse or two. I have never read the bible through as a book in 40 years. Whenever I began to read, God would stop me and explain a verse. It took a while for me to trust that it was God talking to me. God began by quoting scripture to me. I have always like the KJV bible. I like the old English and how flowery it was spoken. I went looking in the New Testament for a scripture that said that God speaks to us. In 1st John, chapter 5, the discussion is about the Holy Spirit bearing witness of Jesus in our life. In Luke 12:12 and John 14:26, Jesus said that He would send a teacher to instruct us in the ways of God. So, God does talk to us. But most people don’t recognize His voice. You remember when you were young and want to do something bad. There was a voice inside of us that told us not to do it. Who do you think that was? God Himself talking directly to you. To answer the question, yes, God does communicate with man.

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Football season in South Louisiana is as big as it gets. People support their teams come hell or high water. At a regular LSU game in Baton Rouge, there are at least 85,000 people in the stands. This doesn’t not count the people outside tailgating. Also, this weekend in Baton Rouge is the Hot Air Balloon Festival. They say the traffic is backed up for hours. Then there is the New Orleans Saints, a NFL team. When they are in town, most of the hotels are booked solid. My wife is a fanatical Saints fan. There is nothing better for her, than to go to a Saints game in the Superdome in New Orleans. Unfortunately, this year has been a losing season for most football teams in Louisiana. They say, it is a building season for them. But it doesn’t dampen the fans spirit. Like with the Saints, during the many losing seasons, fans would go to the game with a brown paper bags on the head. But they would go to the game anyway. If only, people would have that kind of enthusiasm for God and His kingdom. Where they would want to be in His presence. What a church that would be. Unfortunately, the only time that happens is when there is a major disaster. After 9/11, churches across America were filled for about 3-4 weeks. Then, well not so much. God deserves our passion, as much or more than any football team. He gave us everything, including football season.

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There is so much talk about aliens and foreigners in our countries. Not only are they talking about people from other countries, but the ones from outer space. America is a nation of immigrants. Everybody came to this country from another or their parents or grandparents or so on did. Except for the native Americans, everybody immigrated. Eleven generations ago, my family immigrated to this country in 1637. I was born in this country. So, I’m considered an American. But still I am an alien or foreigner to this country and this world. God set in motion everything when He created this world. He placed us on this particular planet to live. But this isn’t our home. We are just traveling through. We are citizens in another world. A world that exists side by side with this one. We can from that world and were born into this one. But this is temporary. It will eventually disappear when time runs out. We were placed here to prove that God is real and intervenes in the affairs of man. History is replete with how God changed man’s world over and over again. God showed man how to live and he refused to do so. Man got into trouble bigger than himself and God intervened. Then He sent His son, Jesus, and man killed him to prove that he was god. All God is doing is trying to get us home with Him. So you see, we are actually aliens in this world. Who would have thought? All I want is to go home to my Father.

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It seems that I am always talking about what man is doing on this earth. It is because man is always trying to burn this world down. I have never seen so many people try so hard to destroy everything that exist. Shall I delineate? Let us take the last 50 years. In the 1960’s, there was the counterrevolution, the Vietnam War and the Israeli war. The Israeli war went into the 1970’s. So did the Vietnam War. Then there was the plane hijackings. The bombing of embassy’s. Let’s see, oh yeh, Grenada, Panama, the Cubans in South America, Desert Storm, the Iraq war and of course the Afghanistan war. Let’s not forget the war in Syria. You may look at the world and think, why even try. They are all going to hell in hand basket. Well God sees it differently. In 1967, the Israeli’s took Jerusalem back. It was over 2000 years since the Jews owned Jerusalem. What did God do? He began to have revivals all over the world. The baptism of the Holy Spirit began to be prolific. Everyone who wanted could be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Missionaries went to every country. In the 1980’s, the United States had in 1983 the year of the Bible. Not since the times of Jesus, had a nation declared such a year. The GNP increased over a 100% in the United States. Churches began to fill up and enjoy peaceful times. When Elijah was running from Jezebel for his life. He said to God that there is no one serving God that they had all gone astray. God told Elijah that there were 7000 people in Israel that remained faithful to God. So even though you don’t see God working in your life or ours, don’t believe it. God is there before you even get there and He won’t leave until His job is done.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Everything changes every day. Nothing ever remains the same. You can remember what you think are better days. Sometimes they really are, but for the most part it is just lack of conflict. It is unfortunate that we grow physically and spiritually through conflict. It is all about how we learn to deal with our changing life. As a child, the conflict is mostly borne by our parents. They try to teach us how to deal with life, but not always. The first time that your parents see that you have grown up, is when you understand and bear the weight of our own life. It is a real epiphany for each of us. it doesn’t mean that we like it or not. It is just a part of life. Now flash forward 40 years and start to change your life. You would think that the heavens had crashed down on you. But sometimes it is necessary for you and your family. it doesn’t mean that it will be any easier, even if they understand. As you get older, your lifestyle becomes more sedentary. And movement become more difficult. Losing weight is almost a herculean task. But God says that a person who is 70 years old is just a child. People use to live for 100’s of years. Now if they can reach 60 years old, they are doing good. It all depends on the lifestyle of the person. But it is true that the older you get, the more you long for your home as a child. They is a real reason for that. The home that we are longing for isn’t on this earth. The place of no conflict isn’t your parent’s house. It is God’s house in heaven. And the answer to the question is yes. You can go home to heaven to be with our Father.

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