This is the information Age. We can have at our finger tips the news happening around the world. Our electronic devices are so advanced, we don’t have to be in an office to do business. When computers started to be available to the consumer, I had one in my home. I had the original 256 MB computer with screen. The kids and I would play games on it. This was before most people had even heard about a computer. Like most everybody we moved up the electronic line of computers, phones and tablets. My oldest son is an IT consultant. My youngest is a computer wise and a gamer. My youngest son and I took an old desktop computer and made it into a hotrod. It is so interesting that with all this technology people are talking with people all over the world. There are more government agencies recording more conversations than ever before. There isn’t a text or twitter that isn’t recorded somewhere. For what? Are people so afraid of what people say to each other? Several years ago, I was interested in a particular plant that was being grown at a University in the Negev desert. I called them to get information. Not really thinking that they were Israeli, he answered the phone in Hebrew. But I was wanting to communicate with him. I have always found it interesting to talk to people of different cultures and ethnicity. You know what the shame of it is, that with all the technological wonders man hasn’t advanced passed clubs and sticks.

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Where do you stand in this world according to your interpretation? Where do you stand in this world according to other people’s interpretation? What is the purpose of your life? Have you accomplished the goals in your life? Have you set goal to be accomplished in your life? What do people see when they look at you? Does your word mean anything in the world? Are you willing to listen to the truth about yourself? How do you judge whether or not what you think is the truth or the right way? How can you do what you believe is the truth? What is the right way? What is the wrong way? Questions, questions and more questions. Why are there so many questions to life? Why is everything so uncertain in this life? Why can’t we have the questions answered before we go out into this world? Why do we have to answer everything ourselves? Isn’t there a better way to get the answers we need for this life? Why does it take 20 to 30 years to learn what we need? Why can’t the learning curve be just a few years? Who put me on this earth to be so confused about life? Doesn’t He know that I am in need? Does He care what happens to me? Again, what is the purpose of my life? Who am I that I should receive this life on this earth? Questions about life are important. You have to ask to find out what is really going on. I didn’t understand why it took so long to learn what to do. But as I learn I saw the reason why and understood. Sometimes it takes a while to learn. But I did discover who I am and my purpose for this life. I know now and believe in the truth about life itself. You see I am in this world, but not of it.
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You have heard the expression that Ignorance is bliss. It refers to not knowing what is going to happen in your life. Some people don’t want to know what is ahead of them. So they live by another expression that says eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. To live that way means that you aren’t in control of your life. You can and will be toss about by everything that comes your way. I know that there are bad things in life that will never go away. But I don’t have to let them dictate how my life is going to turn out. Before I walked with God, I was pushed around by anything and anyone. I hated it. It hurts just to think about how I lived. I have always wanted to be decent toward everyone and them toward me. But it doesn’t work that way. Everyone has issues in their life. When you begin to deal with issues sometimes you become hard-hearted. This doesn’t make you very social able. When I came to the Lord, He gave me power to control my life. My life became consistent and actually very good. I have been basically free from diseases, poverty, alcohol and most things that would control my life. I asked the Lord for wisdom to live in this world. God gave me an understanding of how the world worked. With this knowledge, I have circumnavigated this world to my family and I’s benefit. I am not alone in this. My brothers and sisters in the Lord do the same thing. The benefits of God outweigh any life I would have had by myself. All you have to do is call upon God and ask for forgiveness. That is the beginning step into a world that God designed for us in the first place. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.
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Everybody has a name and every name means something. In the bible names have specific connotations. It is interesting how parents choose a name for their children. My 4 son’s names mean the innocent gift of God, the covenant with God, the joyful father and the healing power of God. They are specific according to God’s directions. My in-laws in Mexico named their children with Jesus and Mary’s names. It is important what you call your child. When Moses went to Mount Sinai and saw the burning bush, God spoke to him. Moses didn’t know who was talking and asked what is your name? God replied and said, My name is I Am that I Am. It is the name Jehovah. Jesus’ name is Jehovah is salvation. A name will always tell a story and many times define a person’s life. You should always be careful what you call your children. Some people have many names. All these names refer to who they are. Jesus is called Emmanuel, the bright Morning Star or the Pearl of great price. God says call unto Me and I will show you great and mighty things. He also says that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord of all. God highly exalted the name of Jesus above all others. It is a name that should be on our lips at all times. At the name of Jesus our world can change. All we have to do is call on His name. Names, it is interesting how they work and what they mean.
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The day of the Lord is when Jesus will return to this earth. First He will gather all the saints, past and present, with Him in the clouds. Then Jesus will return to reign and rule on this earth. Of course there is going to be a battle, where man thinks he can defeat God. The name of the battle is Armageddon. It will take place in the valley of will rule from Jerusalem. He will reign on the earth for 1000 years because the devil and his crew are locked away in hell. But God will release the devil at the very end and many people will join his side. After knowing Jesus for a 1000 years and being able to walk up to and talk to Him, they will chose the devil’s side. And they will die in their sins. At which point the devil and his followers will be cast into the lake of fire. It has always astonished me how many people choose the wrong side. After knowing about God and His mercy, they still choose sin. God didn’t make it impossible to come back from sin, but there is a cut-off point people can reach. It is the point of no return. God wants all people to come to Him. God loves us more than anyone ever could or would. Let’s face it there are some really unlovable people in this world. I know because I was one of them. I wanted what I wanted, not what other people said or did. God loved me back into the fold. It took years, but I just couldn’t resist God’s love for me. You know what is the most ironic thing of all? It is that God loves everyone including the ones who choose hell. It is time to make your choice. You have to choose one or the other. Even if you don’t make a choice, you have chosen. So get off the fence and join God in His life for you. Then when the day of the Lord comes you will be on the right side.
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As I was growing up I read stories in the bible about what God did for man. People who were rescued from lions, bears and any natural disaster that happened. I would think about the power it take to perform those miracles. When I was 12 years old, lightning struck a tree about 6 feet from me. It was 10pm and the sky became like daylight. I wondered about the power it took to make that bolt of lightning. I know of a preacher that was in Mexico and a bandit held him up. The bandit pointed a gun at his face. The preacher told him no and the bandit fired. He emptied his gun and all the bullets went between the preacher’s feet. The bandit handed the gun to the preacher and asked how he could meet Jesus. The power of God is very real. It is important in the work God has for us to do. When I began to walk with God, I wanted the power too. I saw how God gave His power to man to use in all kinds of situations. I definitely wanted this power in my life. God said if you want the power, you will have to be put into the situation before I give you the power. Elijah lived in 31/2 years of famine. He had to keep moving because most of the people wanted to kill him. David had to flee for his life because his father in law, King Saul wanted him dead. They killed Jesus because of the miracles He performed. You see God doesn’t give His power to just anyone. But when He does miracles happen. I held my 6 month old son as I walked into the hospital. He had spinal meningitis. The doctors if he lives, he will probably be a vegetable the rest of life. I had to be in the middle of the trial to see God’s power work. In 3 days God healed my son. The doctor didn’t know what had happen. But I told him it was a miracle from God. It is an awesome thing to move in the power of God, but remember it is for circumstances that need His power.
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Here is one subject most people don’t want to discuss. Being humble isn’t in our DNA. That’s an understatement. There are more I’s running around than you can shake a stick at. I was one of them. I’m not talking about self-esteem. I am talking about Ego. When you look at children, you will see this trait in them. It is part of who we are. We are born with it. We want to be #1 ahead of everybody else. And most of the time at the cost of everybody else. This is a very destructive form of human nature. That is why our parents tried to teach us to control this urge in our lives. But some people live by it and destroy the world around them. This is a trait fueled by the fires of hell. It is the exact opposite of what God wants us to do. God says it plainly that pride goes before a fall. We are social beings that are meant to work with and help other people. And the only way we can do this is by humbling ourselves. That is a mouth full. You have heard the expression of eating crow. But what God does is the show you who you are and what you can do in this world. He doesn’t knock us to our knees unless it is the last resort in our lives. I have been humbled before God and it isn’t fun. It is very much like getting your teeth kicked in. Today I chose to be humble before God. This is what God wants and it is how to stand before God. You know what has surprised me the most is that humility has drawn people to me. They see that I am accessible and they walk up to me. Then they ask me questions about God. Humble is who God really is. Walk up to Him and ask Him a question about your life.
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How do things change? It is said that a person has to repeat an action for 30 days before it becomes a habit. Undoing a habit is just the same but in reverse. So man has to learn to do anything. He has to repeat an action for it to become part of him. After WWII, China wanted a way to reach the masses and teach them their doctrines. So they looked for a successful way of doing this. Guess what, they saw how much comic books affected American children. They began to publish their doctrine in comic books and it worked very well. The process always begins with a thought. To capture someone attention, you must show them something they have never seen before. Once you capture their imagination, it is easy to teach people. Then you need to get them to talk about it. When the conversation begins, people come to an understanding of what it really is. With the understanding, the next step is the doing part. If you ask man who invented this, they will say they did. This doctrine became popular in the 20th century. You want to guess how old this doctrine is. It is a fundamental principle of God. He put it together in the beginning of time. It is very simple. What you do is put forth a principle or commandment. Then you preach this principle to everyone. Then get them to talk about, which products faith. Then faith works on you to believe what God is saying. Then once you believe it is time to put the principle into action. Which in God’s realm produces a positive outcome. For without faith it is impossible to please God. And faith without works is dead being alone. So the process is read the God’s word and think about it. Then talk about what you read with other people. Then do what the word is saying. This is how miracles are done. It is in Thought, Word and Deed.
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You know what is really strange is that the Christians of the 1st century didn’t have a bible in their house. This is why Paul and the other preachers went to the local synagogue. Each one had a bible on hand. The bibles were expensive and hard to come by. Back then the Preachers had to talk about what God was saying. Today the bible is the most published and purchased book of all time. There are at least one bible in every home. Most homes have several. The beginning of Western Civilization started with the printing of the Gutenberg Bible. This one book has impacted more people than any other book. It is divided into books, chapters and verses. The Old Testament was one continuous scroll. Today’s bible is writing in every language. It is also written in many versions. So we can read for ourselves what God is saying to us. What is even stranger is that we have the bible laid out before us and most people don’t want to read it. In the 1st century Paul wrote letters or epistles to different churches to reinforce the truth. People were coming behind the preachers and trying to stop people from being Christians. Paul wrote many letters. He wrote to one church 3 different times. They weren’t doing so well. Today you don’t have to take any bodies word. You can read it for yourself. Once we have read these things, God wants us to think about them. What are we talking about, well the truth. I not talking about our truth. What I am talking about is God’s truth. Think on what is just or right. Think on what is pure and lovely. Think on what is of a good report. God say that if we think on these things, that the peace of God will keep our hearts and minds.
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It always amazed me how that Jesus went to the cross freely. He wasn’t made to take on the suffering of a lifetime. Jesus chose to bear the death on the cross with joy. Joy and happiness aren’t the same thing. Joy is the comfort in your heart of knowing that what you are doing is right. Happiness is just momentary pleasure. It is why God said that the joy of the Lord is my strength. As you well know that life isn’t fair. Bad things happen to good people. As well as good things happen to bad people. God says that rain is a blessing and it falls on the just and the unjust equally. How we can walk through this world is for the joy that is set before us. I can’t say that I have been happy walking through this world all the time. But I can say that I have had warm blanket covering my heart as I walked through trouble. I have has people fuss me until they were blue. Then I told them thank you and be blessed of God. They didn’t know what to say after that. It was because the joy of the Lord kept me safe. I smile and laugh at trouble. People have looked at me sideways and said he is crazy. I would turn around and say no, I am a fool for Christ. I always ready to give answer to anyone who asked why I believe. God saved me from death. He raised me up and made me a son of God. He blessed my life with a wife and family. He has kept my family and I from disease and death and destruction. I am on my way home. My home isn’t this earth. My home is heaven with my Father, my old Brother and the Holy Spirit. And I am homesick and very tired of this world. It has nothing in it that is worth my life with God. For all the plans of mice and men, everyone will die and stand before God in judgement. What you do here will determine what will happen to you on the other side.
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