Month: January 2020

When God made man in His image He created us with a fundamental sense of right and wrong. God wrote His moral code in our hearts. This is evidenced by the fact that all peoples of the earth have a similar recognition of good and evil; right and wrong. If we accept the premise there is a written moral law in the fiber of our being it had to come from somewhere. There would have to be a supreme moral lawgiver. I posit that would be our Creator, God Almighty.

Genesis 2:7 – The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Zechariah 12:1 – The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Most scientists accept the Big Bang theory, which tells us the universe had a beginning. This is consistent with the biblical account of creation. If the universe had a starting point it’s not eternal. Athiests believe the universe came from nothing on its own which is not possible. Christians believe there was a “beginner” to the universe, namely God. Scripture confirms God made the universe from nothing.

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 8:3-4 – When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him.

If you look at the heavens and the diversity of life on earth it’s obvious the universe has a highly complex design that cannot possibly have resulted from any random processes and chance. The universe isn’t old enough for that to be possible. Therefore, the universe had a Designer, who we Christians know as Jehovah.

Isaiah 44:24 – This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by Myself.

Psalm 102:25-27 – In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands, they will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.

Satan has ushered into our postmodern culture a new line of attack to fool the masses. If Satan can convince you absolute truth is a moving target, that truth is whatever you say it is, then he has won. Satan wants to convince you we are all free to do anything, there is no such thing as accountability and your personal pleasure is paramount.  When everyone has their own personal truth they will not believe in the absolute truth of God’s Word, which is what Satan has in mind.  A recent poll showed only 28% of respondents believed there was such a thing as absolute truth.   God’s Word is the “absolute truth” and it is essential to the Christian worldview. We cannot allow Satan to successfully attack our concept of truth.

John 1:14 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us….full of grace and truth.

John 8:32 – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Satan is the god of this world and humanism has taken over our school system from kindergarden to post graduate education. God has been stripped from all public education. Even if parents teach their children about God at home by the time they leave college the system will have turned them into perfect little liberal atheists by design. This is part of the problem we see in society today.

Romans 3:4 – Let God be true but every man a liar.

Ephesians 6:14 – Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Ephesians 1:13 – In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy spirit of promise.

Science and reason no longer rule the day.  Subjective truth becomes a mere political tool by which the powerful control the powerless.   Scripture tells us to beware in the latter days when people call good evil and evil good.  I see that happening today and others have said as much.

Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

If you’ve read the book of Revelation you knew this was coming.  What can we do?  Don’t be spoon-fed what to believe by me or anyone else.  Read, study and pray over God’s Word to make up your own mind what is truth and then follow the conviction of your heart.  The Holy Spirit has been given to you by God to assist you in this.

Some believe in God but can’t accept that Jesus actually lived and if Jesus did live that he was the Son of God. Christian and Jewish historical records confirm the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was also noted in Greek and Roman histories as fact.  Those who deny Jesus is God need to review the 36 fulfilled prophecies in the Bible that I’ve previously blogged concerning Christ.  The entire Bible is about the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem fallen mankind. There are many more prophecies concerning Jesus than the ones I reference.

Some people assert history disproves the Bible but again they are wrong. Archeological records confirm time after time the people and places of the Bible are correct. For example, the Hittites are mentioned over fifty times in the Bible but critics thought they never existed.  Around 1900 excavations in central Turkey uncovered their civilization. Naysayers said King David was a myth. In 1993 an excavation at Tel Dan in northern Israel confirmed the, “House of David.”  Another common criticism I hear is the Bible’s creation account was borrowed from an earlier myth from Mesopotamia called the Epic of Gilgamesh. These two accounts of creation are totally opposite.

In the Bible account of creation God loves His creation but indicates man needs God. The Bible records that man’s fallen moral state was the reason for the flood. In Gilgamesh it was just the opposite and so bears no resemblance to the Bible’s creation story.  Satan has blinded unbelievers to the truth of the gospel message of Christ. When challenged we must explain our reasons for what we believe with kindness and gentleness of spirit. Know what you believe and why you believe it.  Your passion will shine through.

Satan is methodical and predictable. If Satan can’t convince you there is no God, or lead you to a false god, he will then try to convince you the Holy Bible is not God’s Word. Be ready for that challenge when the unbeliever throws that back at you.  Respectfully disagree and ask the unbeliever to sit down and go over the proofs I sent you that the Bible is indeed the unerring word of God. Ask them what do they have to lose? Tell them they have nothing to lose and everything to gain if you’re right.

If Satan can’t refute the Bible is God’s Word he will try to convince you the Bible contains so many errors it’s impossible to know what God really says. That is not true. Bible scholars agree the Bible is 99.9% accurate.  No ancient writing has been so meticulously translated and copied as the Bible. There are many thousands of copies of ancient Scripture, many from the first century or earlier, that consistently present God’s Word.  The few errors found were very minor mistakes that did not affect any church doctrine of faith.

If unbelievers tell you the Bible contains errors refute that argument. Ask them to show you or tell you what the errors are. They can’t do it because there aren’t any and they are just repeating talking points they heard from somebody else.  For 2000 years critics have been trying to discredit the Bible to no avail. The Bible has withstood ever analysis and every test thrown at it. The authenticity of the Bible is well documented so we can safely say the Bible is God’s revelation to man.

Satan’s ultimate goal is to keep man from seeking God by first denying there is a God and if that’s not possible then guide man to a false god. Satan is the god of this world and he has sponsored all the fake religions out there like Islam, Buddism, Hinduism, etc. Jehovah is the only God there is so please don’t fall for the argument all gods are the same and there is more than one way to heaven; there isn’t.

1 Peter 5:8 – Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

God tells us in Scripture He put eternity in our hearts when He made us so that we would seek Him out to fill that void in our hearts. If someone tells you they don’t believe in God ask them why because deep down they know there is something out there greater than themselves. Once you know what their stumbling block is you can tell them you can prove God exists and then pull out the physical proofs of God I’ve provided earlier.  Expect them to fall back on the theory of evolution that the education system has crammed down our throat all our lives to the point where most people accept evolution as fact. Ask the unbeliever to provide proof that the theory of evolution is correct.  They can’t.  Let them know you do have proof and then go through your proofs the Holy Bible is God’s Word which I provided earlier.

Isaiah 40:8 – The Word of God stands forever.

John 10:35 – The Scriptures cannot be broken.

Isaiah 55:11 – My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish that which I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Remember, Satan is the god of this world and he has blinded the unbeliever to the truth of God. There is not one shred of proof that the theory of evolution is valid. There is no evidence of any species having evolved one bit in recorded human history.  Have faith in God’s Word which says the world was made by God in the span of one week.  Once you get someone to question their beliefs you have a chance to prove to them the truth of God’s Word.  Our job is to lay out the facts and the rest is up to the Holy Spirit.

We can’t reach out and physically touch God anymore like the disciples could. When Jesus ascended He left us the Holy Spirit as a helper and the Holy Bible as a guide. If we plan to live a life of service to God we must organize our life around God’s Word.  Not only is this common sense it’s God’s command. As the Chinese say, a long journey begins with the first step, so immerse yourself in the Bible immediately and read it every day and pray for enlightenment. Try your best to follow God’s commands.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Matthew 24:13 – But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.

Philippians 4:11 – I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Ask for forgiveness when you fall and then get up and keep on going. God will build up your character and make you strong enough to endure anything this world can throw at you. The Bible is the very medium of life and the gateway to an eternity in heaven with God.  When any man reads or hears the word of God in the presence of the Holy Spirit eventually they will be convicted of their sin at which time the Father is revealed, leading them to believe and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Romans 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

2 Timothy 3:15 – And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The power contained in God’s Word, our Holy Bible, makes a nuclear bomb look like a firecracker. This earth will one day be destroyed by fire but God’s Word will stand forever. We know our citizenship is in heaven, yet God saw fit to create us and drop us into this hellhole we call earth. Why? So we can seek God, find salvation and live our lives to the glory of God Almighty.

Luke 21:33 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.

Micah 6:8 – What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

We are weak and can’t succeed on our own and God knows it. In His mercy, grace and wisdom God has given us the only tool we’ll ever need to overcome; the Holy Bible. Think of the Bible as a spiritual Swiss army knife. There is nothing the Bible can’t do. It contains God’s wisdom and power and through it we are saved unto eternal life.  The Bible is Christ-centered and a historical record of the unfolding of God’s salvation plan for man.  When we get to heaven we’ll be amazed at how much power is in God’s Word and how little it was utilized here on earth.

Matthew 1:22-23 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Philippians 3:20 – Our citizenship is in heaven.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The second greatest command of God (after the Great Commission) is that we pray. Prayer unlocks the storehouse of God’s riches. God wants to bless us and it’s a spiritual truth we first have to ask God to receive His blessing. We do not have because we do not ask. God always answers prayers, but  in ways that will benefit us and on His timetable.

James 4:2 – You do not have because you do not ask.

John 14:14 -If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

James 5:16 -The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Psalm 6:9 -The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

We must pray to God out of obedience. Because God hears our prayers and answers them we have an ongoing conversation with God. We’re communicating with the Almighty! When we talk with God we’re building an intimate relationship with Him. Jesus has commanded all His disciples to pray to God and set the example for us by frequently doing so Himself.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.

Colossians 4:2 – Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

Matthew 6:6 – But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Ephesians 6:18 – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end and with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

We should be spending more time with God in prayer and asking for all things important to us because our prayers are not in vain. We should be praising God with our prayers. We become more Christ-like the more we pray which is a very good thing.  It is a divine privilege to be able to converse with the God of the universe anytime we want.  We learn to appreciate that by praying more it will strengthen our faith and our relationship with God. We were created to commune with God.

The word “fear” has a totally different definition in the Bible than we see in common usage today. It doesn’t mean to be afraid of God in the normal sense but rather to look upon God with “awe and reverence.”  All through the Bible we are told to “fear” the Lord which means it’s important,  It’s foundational in our relationship with God. We must never lose sight of the fact we are dealing with the all-powerful Creator of the universe.

Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 10:27 – The fear of the Lord prolongs life.

Proverbs 14:27 – The fear of the Lord is a foundation of life.

Psalm 2:11 – Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Job 6:14 – He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

Once Jesus is Lord of our life our entire life should be devoted to love, worship and obedience to God. “Fear” of the Lord is essential for us to receive spiritual knowledge, understanding and wisdom.  In order to deepen our relationship with God we need to cultivate an attitude of “fearing” God. Meditate about the attributes of God to increase your fear. Use your prayer time to stoke you awe of God. To “fear” God is to be in a right relationship with Him.