In Hebrews 13:2, it says that we should show hospitality to strangers, because some people have entertained angels unaware. It has happened to me twice. Right after I was saved, my brother and cousin were going to city 20 south of my home. I stopped and picked up a hitchhiker. A young man who was headed to work in the Gulf of Mexico. The Holy Spirit prompted me to share the gospel with him. I was hesitant, but eventually did. We stop in the place we were going and let the young man out and walked in the building. The Holy Spirit prompted me again to speak to him. I turned around to go talk to him. when I walked outside, he was no where to be found. Immediately I knew who he was. The second time happened on a trip to Mexico to visit my wife’s family. We stopped in a gas station in Texas near the border of Mexico. This guy came up to me and asked for money. We offered him food and drink, but he refused. He started walking away. My wife said go after him and give him the food. I was 10 steps behind him. He rounded a corner of fence that lead to an open field. I rounded the corner and there was no one. It was just an empty field. Again I knew who he was. God uses angels to help us work out our salvation. The Bible says that we were made a little lower than the angels. The angels are at the beckon call of God. They carry out God’s will on this earth. Some people have entertained angels unaware.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

I like to listen to Christian worship music. It has changed over the years. I was a music director for a Christian radio station. It was the best job I ever had. I would listen to all the music that came into the radio station. I would choose the songs with the strongest anointing of the Holy Spirit on them. Not only could I feel the anointing but could hear it also. When I left that job, I could hear the music changing. It wasn’t getting better. It was getting more worldly. The anointing was leave the music. I stopped listen to what was being played and only listened to what I had. It took twenty years before I heard the change in the music. God invented music for worship, not to sell to the world and make money. Christian music came back to worship because of the fire of the youth. As in all things, not all Christian music has the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But the worship music of today has the fire that I saw and heard and felt years ago. It’s all to the glory of God, who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

In the garden of Eden, Adam saw God as He is. God walked and talked with Adam. He was the last man to see God’s glory face to face until Jesus came. Because of Adam’s sin, no man could stand in the presence of God without dying. Abraham saw God’s glory when God made a covenant with him. Moses, when he saw the burning bush, fell on his face and didn’t look up. On mount Sinai, Moses only saw God’s glory only as God was walking away. And all the saints of God that lived and died before Jesus, all wanted to see God and His glory. The thick veil in the Holy of Holies in the temple was there to prevent people looking upon the glory of God. And yet when Jesus died on the cross, the veil was rent in two. It was torn by the hand of God to signify our way back home. God not only wants to see us and for us to see Him, He want to talk to us as our Father. God wants to abide in us. Our flesh can’t enter into the presence of God because it is cursed. But our spirit can enter into His presence. The Bible says that as we are changed into the image and likeness of Jesus, we will see Him when He returns. The bible says by reading, praying and doing the word of God, we will be changed into His image. Then we will see the glory of God.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 KJV).

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Waiting on the Lord isn’t always easy. In this world of instant gratification, we want it now. We don’t want to wait for anything. But God isn’t bullied or coerced. The gospel has given us hope that God’s word is true. And we can believe in something greater than ourselves. We don’t have the power to change anything. In the this new year, how many resolutions have you broken already? We want something real and powerful enough to help us live this life. With our hope we have expectations. Our faith grew out of our hope. And with our faith, God is changing our lives. We still have hope in Jesus, because without it we wouldn’t believe in God anymore. Hope is so fragile. It can be broken if we don’t take care of it. How do we take care of our hope, by reading the word of God. It is the word of God that changed us in the first place. As we hope in the mercy of God and Jesus, we believe that we will not be ashamed for believing. Because God will defend us to protect this hope we have in Him. Our hope shows the world that God is alive and real. That He is working in our lives and can work in others. Hope is an important part of our life with Jesus in the kingdom of God.

“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death” (Philippians 1:20).

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Our lives come and go at a breakneck speed. It was just yesterday that I was a child. But I still live one day at a time, no matter what happened. When I began my life with Jesus, most of the Christian music was either Southern Gospel or Hymns. Then came Contemporary Christian music. The older Christians thought we were going to hell listening to that music. And yet we still lived day by day. I was music director for a Christian radio station and introduced Contemporary Christian music to South Louisiana. I listen for the anointing in each song. When I knew it was there, I played the music. It was knowing and listening to the Spirit of God speak through the music. Music is still a great part of my life in God. And I still live one day at a time. After I left the radio station, the music changed. I kept listening for the anointing. Finally after a while I heard the anointing in the music. It was today’s Adult Contemporary Christian music. The young people sought God and received His anointing for the music. My wife likes the old music. I still do like older music, but I excited about what the young people are doing with the music. None of this happened over night. It was one day at a time seeking God for inspiration. God gives to anyone who seeks His face the anointing. And with the anointing of God, we can live one day at a time. This is what God waits for us. We can’t live in the past or the future. We live each day, one day at time. Then we fulfill the plan of God for our lives. We are to live as if this is our last day on earth. This way we are ready to go home to be with Christ. It all happens one day at a time.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

In John 20, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus to finish burying Him. It was the third day since Jesus’ crucifixion, the beginning of the week. Because the Jesus was crucified right before Passover, they had to bury Him in a hurry. When Mary got to the tomb, the stone was rolled away. She did look in the tomb and an angel told her that Jesus had risen, but she didn’t believe. She ran back and told Peter and John. They ran to the tomb. John looked in and Peter went in. Then John went into the tomb. Peter and John saw the grave clothes folded on the tomb. Peter left not believing and John believed. Two disciples both saw the same thing and one believed and the other didn’t. Peter and Mary didn’t believe until Jesus appeared to him. But John believed what Jesus had said. What would you have done? Would you have believed without seeing? That is just what Jesus requires of us. We don’t lived by sight, but by faith. Even in the hard times, God requires us to walk by faith through this world. We can’t see the future, but God still requires us to keep on walking in faith all the way home. Jesus died and rose from the dead over 2000 years ago. We need God to work in our lives, because we don’t have the power to change our lives. But God requires faith in our lives. What do you use your faith for? If you have trouble believing, remember where you started. And how to came to Lord Jesus and begin again. Stretch out your faith and move a mountain in the name of Jesus. So, what will it take to do this?

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

In 1 Timothy 2:1-3, God calls us to prayer. He wants us to pray for everyone. As the Bible says for all men, including kings and all in authority. God wants us to pray for people to forgive anyone we have ought against. Then God will forgive us as we pray. Prayer and forgiveness go hand in hand all throughout the Bible. In Psalms, King David is praying. David always prays for a quiet and peaceable life. It is a product of our prayers and forgiveness. Even though, man has done something against us, it isn’t our job to seek revenge. God says that the battle is His, not ours. And again, God wants everyone to come to Him and repent of our sins. Jesus died for every human being on this earth. And everyone has the opportunity to accept God’s offer of salvation. God is fair to all mankind. God is also patient and will wait for us all of our lifetime. But once it over, it is over. The real reason that God wants us to pray for everyone is to be close to God, to see Him do for us and to change the world starting with us. For God to hear us, we must be right before Him. When we get right before God, our heart is set free from sin. Then we are able to stand before God and fellowship with Him. Then we will see God for who He is. God is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joaeph1637.com

We struggle in this world because it is a foreign land. This isn’t our home. We are walking through this world to get home. But because we are strangers in this world, the world doesn’t want us. This is common to most every aliens that walk through any strange country. I remember after the Vietnam war, many Vietnamese were relocated to South Louisiana. The government did this because the Vietnamese spoke French and many were Catholic. They are a hard working people and had just lost their country through a brutal civil war. It took a long time for the people of Louisiana to accept the Vietnamese. And still today after 50 years, many still consider them foreigners. We as Christians are just as peculiar. Some people even hate us. But that isn’t the deterrent the will stop us. We struggle to provide an opportunity for people to accept Jesus and the forgiveness of their sins. We are in this struggle because we found someone who loves us more than life itself. We gave our lives for this love that is everlasting. And it is this love that will lead us home. The Love of God is more powerful than any devil. This love proved itself on the Cross at Calvary. God raised Jesus from the dead to make Him Lord of lords and King of kings. Because this love of God is everlasting. Submit yourselves therefore and let this love bring you home.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Righteousness of God is a choice. We have to choose to live God’s way. This is what glorifies God. All throughout history, people have chosen to follow God. It isn’t just repeating words and coming to church. It is a commitment from our heart, that we will live as God says. When we do live God’s life for us, the world sees that God is real and alive. Job in the middle of the hell he walked through, never lost his faith in God. Noah followed after God, to see the world destroyed in front of his face. Moses lost his position as prince of Egypt, to serve God and help deliver God’s people from captivity. David, anointed to be king over Israel, had to run for life. He did until God installed him as king over Israel. Daniel was taken captive in Babylon. He served 4 kings until his death. Daniel never returned home to Judah. I look around at the church and see people that want to leave as soon as they can. In my early years as a Christian, all I heard about was the rapture. How we were leaving before any trouble started. Yet when I read the Bible, I see people who went through the trouble of the world to get to the other side. There is no escaping the plan of God for our lives. We can go kicking and screaming or we can walk with Jesus through God’s plan. We can walk out God’s plan all the way home. Jesus talked about doing God’s plan in a parable in Luke 19. He said to occupy til I come. He meant that we were to do God’s will until He returns. In this time of trouble, it is important that we as believers do all we can to occupy until we go home. How do we occupy, by reading the bible, praying and doing the word of God. This is how we occupy this earth.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

In Revelation 6:10-11, the scripture says, how long, O Lord before You judge and avenge our blood upon those on the earth. These people are the ones who were killed for the gospel’s sake. God’s answer is until all things be fulfilled. God’s judgment is swift and complete. No one guilty of sin will escapes the judgment of God. Although, people think that they can get away with sin, because God doesn’t strike them died when they sin. But God says that His mercy triumphs over judgment. God has completely destroyed many nations because of their sin. But He always gives them an opportunity to repent of our sin. Even though many nations have fallen, God has saved people out of them. God is interested in people not the nation. He does want the nations to acknowledge Him and to live peaceably among men. But people are God’s main concern. I was reading the little book of Obadiah about God’s judgment of Esau or the nation of Edom. God’s judgment came 80 years after Edom helped the Assyrians capture Judah. Esau was (Jacob’s) Israel’s brother, the firstborn of Isaac. They had left God and worship some strange god. God had no choice in the matter. God has to obey His own word. God doesn’t change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Any one who sins falls under the judgment of God. This is the law and commandment of God. But God will give mercy and forgiveness to all those who ask and repent of their sin. So that God’s word is fulfilled on this earth.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com