Listen to God' Voice

God, our Father gave us clear and distinct instructions as to how we are to do His Will. This message is rather lengthy but very important to know. The way to a true relationship with our Father starts with His unchanging and clear directions that was taught also by Jesus is also found in the Old Testament in Isa. 58
" Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don't be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous that would never abandon the laws of its God.

They ask me to take action on their behalf pretending they want to be near me.'We have fasted before you!'they say. Why aren't you impressed? We have been hard on ourselves,and you don't even notice it!'" I will tell you why" I respond "It's because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even when you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.  What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling?  This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting?Do you think this will please the Lord?

NO, this is the kind of fasting I want.  FREE WHOSE WHO ARE WRONGLY
 IMPRISONED, LIGHTEN THE BURDEN OF THOSE WHO WORK FOR YOU.  LET THE OPPRESSED GO FREE, AND REMOVE THE CHAINS THAT BIND PEOPLE. SHARE YOUR FOOD WITH HUNGRY, AND GIVE SHELTER TO THE HOMELESS.  GIVE CLOTHES TO THOSE WHO NEED THEM, AND DO NOT HIDE FROM RELATIVES WHO NEED YOUR HELP THEN YOUR SALVATION WILL COME LIKE THE DAWN, AND YOUR WOUNDS WILL QUICKLY HEAL.  YOUR GODLINESS WILL LEAD YOU FORWARD, AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD WILL PROTECT YOU FROM BEHIND.  THEN WHEN YOU CALL, THE LORD WILL ANSWER. 'YES, I AM HERE' HE WILL REPLY'.

REMOVE THE HEAVY Y0KE OF OPPRESSION . STOP POINTING YOUR FINGER AND SPREADING VICIOUS RUMORS!  FEED THE HUNGRY, AND HELP THOSE IN TROUBLE.  THEN YOUR LIGHT WILL SHINE OUR FROM THE DARKNESS, AND THE DARKNESS AROUND YOU WILL BE AS BRIGHT AS NOON  THE LORD WILL GUIDE YOU CONTINUALLY, GIVING YOU WATER WHEN YOU ARE DRY AND RESTORING YOUR STRENGTH. YOU WILL BE LIKE A WELL-WATERED GARDEN, LIKE AN EVER FLOWING STREAM.

SOME OF YOU WILL REBUILD THE DESERTED RUINS OF YOUR CITIES.  THEN YOU WILL BE KNOWN AS A RE-BUILDER  OF WALLS AND A RESTORER OF HOMES.

Honor the Sabbath in every thing you do on that day, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.  Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob." I, THE LORD HAVE SPOKEN"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Be0qJw9ZE

Peace in the misdt of a storm

When I was born this nation was in the midst of the 'great depression' . When I turned 7 yrs of age World War II began. I still remember the Roosevelt proclamation of the declaration of War with Japan. That war resulted in 2 million American casualties in the Pacific and Europe. Among those casualties was my Uncle Albert who I loved like a brother. He was 21 and I was 10. This gave me a personal knowledge of the horrors of war. Not long after, I lived through the Korean War, then Vietnam and the great fear of daily life in fear of nuclear war with Russia. Through the guidance and intercession of Pope John Paul the 2nd and President Reagan, Russian Communism was eliminated and a short time of peace followed. A relatively short period produced a temporary joy that came from relief from concern of nuclear war.

Do I need to elaborate?  Looking through the bible it is difficult to find a period time that  peace prevailed. War has plagued this earth since Adam  was ejected from the Garden of Eden.  Sin, which stems from mankind rejecting God is the root cause of all wars.  The seeking of pleasure is a world wide affliction. Nations seeking power over other nations, Greed for land, greed for dominance over all mankind, which is man attempting to be equal with God.
Here we are NOW in the midst of Evil men who are willing to sacrifice everything to destroy other nations in order to "please" their false gods in the quest of power over mankind.

Jesus died for those despots as well as for the whole world. He is in the world calling all mankind to follow Him to our Father God.

Only God Himself will bring true peace  to this world. Fear not dear friends, His peace is available to all who will follow Him. As for those who reject His Grace His justice will prevail. In a very short time He will return to us and He will make peace and destroy evil in whatever form it exists.

As we pray for peace let us do righteousness in an effort to lead as many as we can to Jesus. Always remembering His promises to establish God's righteousness here. We do not know the day nor the hour that the King of Kings will appear but, without a doubt He will Appear.  Rejoice in the fact of His promise to bring His Peace to earth. Maranatha  which translates to Come Quickly Lord Jesus. Fear not. He is here now in Spirit and will give us the strength to make it through any and all trials that may before us. Seek His comfort by reading His Word and putting into practice His teachings.

Jesus has brought me and many of you through a lifetime of living in fear of war. He will not leave us now.

I love you my brethren and Jesus loves us all with a love that only God can give.   MARANATHA!!!

A birthday

Today, this 26th day of February, 2012 I and my family are celebrating the 78th anniversary of my birth.

I rejoice in the Lord for His great love for us,  for life, for forgiveness of sins, for everlasting life, for my wife, our 3 children, 11 grand children, our great grandchild, and all that He has blessed our family with.  I give thanks for our prayer partners, fellow bloggers, and even our enemies. I pray that everyone in my life has already accepted our Lord for salvation. For those who are still seeking I pray for a real new-birth through faith in Jesus.

It truly is a "Wonderful Life".

Mardi Gras

Some time ago, even before my re-birtht in Christ , which was during Lent 1974, I was very curious about Mardi Gras. This was considered a time of revelry and self indulgence to a great degree, a time to sin to the max before Lent.    Lent is and was originally intended to be a period of time to reflect on the life of Jesus and His Great sacrifice for our sins.   A time to repent, not to indulge in sin. A time of thanksgiving for the gift of eternal life with God. A looking forward to the Resurrection  of Jesus that will guarantee our own Resurrection.

What was intended to be a seeking for Holiness and Righteousness has been made a time of worship of satan  by many. If this celebration time appears to be a harmless 'letting loose' for fun and release from the pressures of daily life, then we need to turn to God for a relationship with Him. A relationship that is intimate.  God's Grace is bestowed on the whole world though the suffering, death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus the Christ.  One cannot have a relationship with God our Father and at the same time be ignorant of the sin that surrounds us.

It is with great sadness that I see the great rejection of Jesus in the world today. It is a time to cry for those who claim to be Christian while living for the devil.

Let those of us who truly love God be in constant prayer for those who who do not accept 'The Light of Christ' Let us love them as God loves them. Let us weep with God our Father for those who live for themselves and are blind to the Truth, Jesus.  Mardi Gras is not limited to New Orleans it is an International event.   It is also a money making machine for a local theme park.

Acknowledging Mardi Gras as a legitimate, acceptable activity for Christians is a preachment of a 'false gospel' and a denial of Jesus and His teachings. There is so much moral fun things to do. Let us show our circle of neighbors, friends, and family how to enjoy this wonderful life in Christ.

HANG IN THERE

Have you ever prayed for something from God and haven't seen the request being granted? When I was a child I had a deep desire to own a bicycle and as you might guess I asked my parents for one, over and over again. I used many techniques to make my desire known to Mom and Dad. If you have seen the movie "The Christmas Story" Ralphie used a great deal of methods to make his dream come true. He wanted a BB gun and fantasized about owning one. But, his parents were no slouches at being caring parents. It wasn't because of meanness or finances that his folks seemed to have a "deaf" ear but rather, a desire to protect him from harm, like putting his eye out.  When he clearly made his desire known to anyone, he always got the same advice, "you'll put your eye out" from his teacher, the department store Santa his Mom etc.

Ralphie's Mom, the most vocal objector to his desire, had a deep need to protect him from harm.  She refused his repeated requests because she knew  the consequences that could occur if he got his gun. Even though she knew that she was hurting him, her love for him, while appearing to be insensitive to his feelings, was an act of love. His Dad had a human type of "love" for Ralphie and gave in and proved to be a fulfillment of "prophesy".  He gave the lad the gun and as you might guess. on the first try to shoot the gun he shot his eyeglass out.

In retrospect, my folks were protecting me. We lived in the City of Baltimore, in Little Italy. Much traffic to all the places that I would go. This was an act of love.  Later on my parents purchased a shore front property where I spent my summer vacations. The roads were dirt and stone with very little traffic, plus I was a couple of years older. I got my bike. YEA!!!

Matthew 7:9 "You parents--if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Of course not!  Or if they ask for a fish do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him."

We must not however, stop keep asking for that which is important to you. If the answer doesn't come on your schedule an  answer is there.  Remember, God Loves you and knows that which is good for you.  In time you will see the answer.

When I was a boy in grammar school, I served as an altar boy. One of the services on Mondays was novena for blessings and prayer requests. I was struck by the many testimonies of mother's who had prayed for years for the salvation of husbands and sons, some of those prayers lasted for 30 or more years. 
Matthew 7:7 Jesus says, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ".

God loves us. He listens to all prayers. He answers all prayers. He, in His infinite Love gives us that which is best for us.   Trust Him, for He is GOD.

OUCH!!! AAH!!

It is very, very difficult for kids to live their lives in a way that is a witness to the gospel.  Recently in a Bible class for youth at a Christian Church they were presented with a question “If you are not afraid to stand up in a crowd of your peers and admit that you are a Christian please raise your hands. Only one of the group of dozens raised their hand. The good part of this response is that they were being honest.  The sad part is that they are afraid of persecution.

“ God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” Matthew 5:10-11.

From my observations, many youth today want to please God but are afraid of being mocked by other youth who are not committed to Christ. Everyone wants to be accepted by their peers, especially vulnerable  youth.  We as Christian adults can greatly influence this generation of kids by openly living, and sharing the gospel, with joy and confidence. Not repaying evil done to us but by rejoicing, openly , that we are counted among true followers of Christ. Our actions and acts of love and kindness are more valuable than a  hundred sermons.  We actually are evangelists by our open love for Jesus. “You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed an a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matt.5:13-16.

Once, at a meeting with parents who were aiding in preparing their children for a rite of initiation into the church as adults, I asked why the conversation did not include the importance of living the Gospel.  From that moment on, I was excluded from the planning. I was stunned by the secular approach to a wholly Christian event. Then I came to realize that many youth of today are not receiving Holy guidance from their parents. We can clearly see what great influence our witness can be for the good of our young people. We can, by example show them the way to evil living by hiding the light of Christ, or we and lead them to a life of victory in Christ, free of drugs, sexual activity outside of marriage,  hatred, stealing,  even killing.

The prophets of old are now enjoying, for all eternity of rewards promised by Jesus. This is a solemn promise by GOD. Let us not forsake our own rewards by HIDING OUR LIGHT.

Whitney

"God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted" Matthew 5:4.

Let us rejoice in God's love for the whole world. May we be comforted by His justice and mercy.

I Wish You Enough

I received this story today and feel that it is a great message to dwell on.

     I RECENTLY  overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough".

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom".

They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?".

Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking,
but why is this a forever good-bye?".

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?".

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone". She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said , 'I wish you enough', we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them but then an entire life to forget them.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE.....

To all my friends and loved ones,

 I WISH YOU ENOUGH

GPS

Have you ever been on a trip ( local or distant) and found yourself lost? This was before gps. Usually this led to panic or fear until you saw a 7/11 where you could get directions.  Admitting being lost, for many men, is a disgrace, especially for the "macho" guys.  Seeking direction was a sign of weakness because we are leaders and know everything.  Then came gps which is a great help in keeping us safely to our destination.

Well, the original G PS has been available to us for 2,000 years and more.  the gps that most of us are aware of stands for Global Positioning System.  When Jesus was here on earth in the flesh He revealed to us His G P S (God's positioning system.) It begins with full directions to the way to heaven.

"Repent of your sins and turn to God for the Kingdom of Heaven is near"Matthew 4:17.  Whether you are 5 years old or 100 years old the Kingdom of heaven is near.  We are ALL subject to leaving our earthly bodies at ANY time.  Modern communications keep us aware of the certainty of death at any age.

We can give a start to our G P S by seeing the beginning of following the right path. Jesus started His ministry with the same message people heard John the Baptist say."Repent of your sins." The message is the same as when John gave it. Becoming a follower of Christ means turning away from our self-centeredness  and "self" control and turning our life over to Christ's direction and control.
"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs" Matthew 5:3
What peace and joy we receive when we KNOW Christ and follow His directions.  "AMEN"?

Thanksgiving

Just a personal note: Our first great granddaughter joined us today. 6 bl 6oz of pure joy. This was a tough pregnancy for our grand daughter The child's name is
Gabriella. She is an 8th month baby and is very healthy and I might add, beautiful.

We give thanks to God for His loving embrace of Maria and Gabriella. New scripture message coming soon.

Gabriella Fayth, " The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace "
~ Numbers 6:24-26

REPETITION

Have you ever tried to learn another language? Try this; listen to a teacher of some language who will teach you how to speak a word or a phrase., just once. Leave it alone for a while ( day or week) then try to speak what you heard or read. Ouch, that hurts, I can barely remember one of the words. This applies to anything we are learning. As to language learning, it is critical to repeat the new and old words out loud daily or they will eventually leave your memory. So it is with any new facts-truths we are receiving.

When we study the Word of God superficially, it bears little if any fruit. When we read or hear Jesus speak to us through His Word the Bible it is critical to re-read or listen again to His teachings over and over. Each time we review His Words we often see yet another layer of that verse or chapter being peeled away to reveal even more of His teachings. Never tire of Listening to God’s voice. As we hear Him speak to us through Hebrews 2:1 “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard,or may may drift away from it.”

It is a great blessing to us when we repeat God’s Word to us, and the whole world, often and with sincerity. When we do that we are strengthened in our own faith and grow closer to our Father plus we become effective evangelists to those whom are in our midst. Jesus died for the whole world. His Word is for the whole world. When we are observed to be living righteous lives we are actually “preaching”. We can only attain to righteousness by living in accordance with Gods’ commands to us. We can only know His will for us by KNOWING HIM through His Word to us. Think of the Bible as God’s Love letter to us and you will “devour” His Teachings.

OBSTACLES

Let us suppose that we are on a trip to a remote cabin high in the mountains somewhere in the U.S. This vacation spot is only reachable via one road with a mountain wall on the left and a sheer drop just 5 ft. off the road on the right.
We are tooling along at a comfortable pace when all of a sudden, just around a bend in the road appears a humongous rock blocking the road.

So much for a peaceful vacation experience. We cannot, on our own, navigate this formidable obstacle. There is no way to turn around, and attempting to back down is extremely dangerous.

As we seek to develop our intimate relationship with God, our Father we are faced with obstacles of many kinds. Most are not of our making but the Holy Spirit helps us navigate through those challenges. However a MAJOR obstacle to our goal is self imposed. Have you ever recited the Lord’s Prayer? Have you ever “prayed”
the Lord’s prayer? Big difference. Reciting scripture, prayers, etc. is of limited value. When we pray, we are concentrating on the entire content of the verse, prayer,etc.

Let us PRAY the Lord’s Prayer together as Jesus taught in Matthew 6: 9-14.TLB Jesus said, “pray like this. Our Father in heaven may your name be kept holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.Give us today the food we need. and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one.

If we examine this model prayer carefully we can find hours of study to the depth of meaning for us. A GREAT OBSTACLE to our intimate relationship with our Father lies in the line that says,”and forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
In verse 14 Jesus says ‘if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But is you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.’ That is a major obstacle to our relationship with God. This obstacle is of our own making and can be removed by OBEYING JESUS and forgiving any and all whom all who have “sinned” against us. When we “recite” the Lord’s prayer we most often fail to “hear” Jesus teaching. When we PRAY the prayer we “see” the truth that we are meant to believe. Remember, believing is not an intellectual exercise, it is putting into practice what we “hear”.

Most of us have been wronged by another person sometime in our lives. This “wrong” may be real or simply perceived. In either case it impacts our lives in a grossly negative fashion. In 1 John 4 we are told that it is not possible to love God whom we do not see, while we fail to love our neighbor who is “in our face”. Do it. If you have someone in life who hurt you, regardless of the severity of the sin, we must forgive in order to be forgiven. God loves you and wants your fellowship.

A great gift

Have you ever thought about the most valuable gift that you have from God? As we study the Word of God we constantly are urged to seek and do the Will of God. God's will vs. our will.

When God created us He endowed us with a free will. We are free to accept Him or reject Him. The greatest gift, of course is saving Grace that flows directly from our creator. The 2nd gift is Free Will. We can hear His will for us and obey, which leads to eternal life with Him, or we can choose to follow our own will and hope that He will accept our will.

When we seek to Know Him we are given choices to do that which we sometimes oppose due to natural inclinations that bring us a moment or two of earthly pleasure. When we are following Jesus and His Word our conscience is activated to remind us of His will. This is the point at which we decide to follow or reject God's will. To accept is to REPENT and quit the wrong activity. To attempt to justify the action is to reject His will. May we pray to yield to His Grace when tempted and begin to experience true peace. Consistently accepting His Grace produces wonderful Peace that will lead to a life of Holiness and righteousness.

"This is too much fun to be sinful". Ever experience a thought like that? I suspect that we all have at one time or another. This is a Red Flag that should move us see the truth by continuing to see Him through His Word. We could outline the multiple hundreds of sins that lead us away from God, but it is far better that we each do that on our own. We must not judge others but only ourselves. We must not justify actions because "everybody is doing it".

Brothers and Sisters this life is so short that it is not even a blink of an eye compared to all eternity. It's not smart to trade an eternity of inexplicable joy for a moment of earthly pleasure. The first disciples knew Jesus and truly believed Him and give up their lives to follow Him to Heaven. Let us choose now to follow Him.

Recognition

Have you ever felt a bit distant from the reality of GOD? This world offers many challenges to our relationship with our Creator. Things of this world at times seem so attractive as to the point of overwhelming our consciousness. Physical pleasure is sold to us 24/7 via every form of media. Mental and emotional pleasure is offered to us by numerous false "gods " through false religions. God's reality is sometimes obscured by all that glitters. How can we overcome these distractions? PRAISE!!!

Take a moment, often, to feel the presence of God. One powerful way to realize His presence in your life is to Praise Him. After all HE IS GOD. He is awesome. Psalm 150 is a prescription for remembering the Majesty of God. "Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heaven! Praise Him for His mighty works; praise His unequaled greatness!
Praise Him with a blast of the ram's horn; praise Him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him the the tambourine and dancing; Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flutes!
Praise Him with a clash of cymbals. Praise Him with loud clanging cymbals.

Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!

PRAISE THE LORD!"

Read, study and practice this prescription. Giving praise to God overcomes the distractions of this world by concentrating our very being on ALMIGHTY GOD.

When we attend church with the faithful brethren and praise is offered with music that may not be our style, Praise Him with your natural expression of awe and joy.

I can assure you that honest and humble praise will re-invigorate your awe of God. Your cares, fears, worries, depression will all fade when the focus is on our Lord.

"If you want joy, you must PRAISE for it"

Begin now, this moment to Praise Him for all that He is and all that He has given you.

YES, YOU CAN

On occasion we find ourselves discouraged by our own failure to follow our Lord. Our spirit tells us we are doing wrong even when we know it is wrong. We have repented, turned from our personal demons, and yet we find ourselves doing some of the unholy things that we have been delivered from. Our spirit and soul may cry out "Lord God, I have failed you again". It is important to continue to trust that Jesus is with you on those occasions, while He is hurt by our actions He nevertheless loves us, forgives us and continues to shower us with His grace to overcome. The very fact that we recognize our weakness and want to do better is a result of the Holy Spirit's prompting you to repent. Jesus, is still with us, holding out His loving arms to embrace us whom He has redeemed.

When we are week, He is strong. He imparts to us the ability to overcome sin and despair.

Look at and read Psalm 119.1-24

Don't just read the words of this blog but take the time to open your bible and read the Psalm that have been recommended. You can overcome. You will be comforted by God's own words. Let this psalm become a daily prayer.

You have the victory in your hands, take it and rejoice. Jesus loves you so very much. He stands before you with His arms wide open. Go to Him. He awaits.

Love? or Lust.

The Bible teaches us that God has blessed us with a good and healthy appetite for physical “love” and at the same time teaches us that this Appetite is given as a means for procreation. The fulfillment of this desire is a special gift for those who are married to share our total physical being with our spouse. St. Paul teaches that this is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest.

According to TV, Movies, Books and most media including computers, this attraction to the opposite sex is to be fulfilled at any time with anyone and they have brain washed modern society into calling lust, love.. What a tragedy. Sex outside of marriage is a serious sin against God and against our own bodies which are the temples of the Holy Spirit.

Looking to the Word of God let us determine the biblical definition of LOVE.

In 1 Cor 13 4:-7“ Love is patient and kind, Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1Cor 14:1 Let Love be your highest goal.


The above scripture passages can keep us totally occupied concerning our relationship with our neighbor and God.

I have been blessed with the knowledge of how joyful a relationship with someone whom you are attracted to can be when we bridle our”lust” and truly Love another by refusing to lead them to sin. If we live according to God’s design for us, we will truly have a happy life. Our study of His Word teaches the way to Happiness. The things that last are LOVE. Knowing what Love is leads to great joy. When two people who are attracted to one another are faithful to each other and to and to God they will have a lifetime joy and happiness together. My wife Carmelita and I will celebrate our 56th wedding anniversary on April 27, Through the trials of life we have always had the joy of our Lord keeping us joyful and witnessing that blessing in the lives of our children.

It is never too late to recognize our human weaknesses and turn to the one who loves us unconditionally. When we repent and trust our Lord Jesus for forgiveness Life begins anew. The past is gone, never to return.

A Major Promise

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14.26)

Jesus promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them remember what He had been teaching them. The disciples were eyewitnesses of Jesus' life and teachings. We, therefore, can be confident that the Gospels are accurate records of what Jesus taught.

We can trust Him to plant truth in our mind, convince us of God's will, and remind us when we stray from it.

Please read Cor.2:10-14.

Whenever we read scripture is is important to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the Word to us. God does not want you to be confused as to His Perfect Will for us. That is why He is with us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Seek His presence in your studies. Jesus, Our Father and the Holy Spirit are one. Jesus told us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. The Holy Spirit is Jesus, and our Father, with us now and forever. We should not allow loneliness to negatively affect our lives. We are not alone. God is with us. Embrace Him through His promises.

Intimacy with God

May we take this time to review the lessons that we have studied so far.

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father , and I too will love him and show myself to him". John 14:21.

Wow, the formula for intimacy with our Creator is in the above passage. The absolute joy of knowing God is available to all who will listen to His Word and follow the Word, Jesus. To follow Him is to accept His teachings, not intellectually, but in our inner being, and doing all that He has taught us.

As a child we received many rules from our parents and in many cases we refused to obey them. Those "rules" were teachings that were intended to keep us from harming ourselves. Yet because we wanted to do our "thing" we often ignored the love of our parents. I know of many people of my generation (including myself) who have paid a price for that disobedience. To love our parents is to obey them.

To obey our Father's will for us as taught by Jesus is to love Him. It is the ONLY way to LOVE Him. " If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching, My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23)

We MUST read, meditate and internalize Jesus' words. It is important to do so if we want to know our Father. When we KNOW HIM we do His will and a peace that surpasses all understanding fills us to overflowing. Then and only then are we able to bear much fruit for the Kingdom. "If a man remains in Me and I in Him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing". (John 15:5)

Meditate on His teachings and receive that great joy and you will lead many to a wonderfully rewarding intimacy with GOD.