You must believe in the authenticity of the Bible.

There is no greater hope for a believer than knowing where you will be spending eternity. God did not want anyone to wonder but to know without a doubt. He made it perfectly clear. Of course, you must believe what Scripture says to be 100% assured of your final destiny.

Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit; if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

We have a choice to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we do, the Holy Spirit gives us a new sense of life. According to this verse, and a number of others, anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit in his or her life is not a Christian. That would mean they have not sincerely trusted Christ in their salvation and acknowledged Him as Lord, even though they may have spoken the words. Accepting Christ requires a repentant heart and a desire to go a completely different direction in life. There can be no relationship with Christ if the Holy Spirit is not in your life.

Salvation is not necessarily a feeling. It is God’s promise that if we accept Christ, we commit and surrender to Him; He will allow the Holy Spirit to enter into our lives. Once we receive the Holy Spirit we may experience an immediate or a gradual change to become more like Christ in our disposition, kindness, gentleness and love. Everyone may not recognize having acquired the Holy Spirit the same way. My personal experience was that I wanted to change so that I could please God. Tremendous changes took place in my life almost immediately.

Changes I had tried to do on my own and did not have the will power to do so. For example, I smoked for four years while I was in the navy. After about three years in the service, I planned to go to college on the G.I. Bill and participate in sports. I tried for a year to stop smoking and couldn’t. The day I was saved I never had another urge to smoke. To me that was Christ’s way of telling me I had received the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:12–13 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Just because we have the Holy Spirit in our lives does not mean we will automatically follow God’s will. Yet, we must discipline ourselves and give up selfish control, trust God and allow the Holy Spirit to give us guidance. In most cases God will block or check us, open or close doors, whenever we are tempted. We must be careful not to think that God is going to make every decision for us. He has given us free moral agency to make decisions based on Scripture. There is not a specific spouse He has picked out for you. However, in His Word He gives us directions in what we should be looking for. He does not determine our careers or how prosperous we will be, even though He can. Again, He provides the information that if we follow Scripture it will help determine our direction. I do believe in praying for my grandchildren that God gives them a purpose and direction in life and I believe He will. They have the free moral agency to reject whatever direction He may lead them. That does not mean they will become failures if they go a different direction. God can use us regardless what way we decide to go.

It is difficult for many not to live as the world lives. Our desires come from our sinful, self-centered nature. Salvation requires that we develop a new attitude, create a new identity and live a new life. If you are focused on what the world offers it is hard to change. This is why it is so important to focus on Christ and love God with our total being so we can live as believers are told to live. It is not going to be easy. There will always be a struggle between our self-centered desires and the guidance from the Holy Spirit. If we allow the Spirit to control, we will have the power to say no when tempted to sin.

Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Any earthly problems or displeasures we may encounter are nothing compared to the rewards we will receive in heaven. Christians should be able to handle our sufferings better than a non-Christian. Not because we have a high tolerance to pain or because we enjoy being hurt, but because we have the ability to see the big picture.

How should a spirit-filled, mature Christian deal with pain and suffering? We must realize it is the result of the curse placed on the human race for man’s disobedience to God. It is not a personal consequence to anything we may have done, except we may receive what has been sown. Sickness, misery and continuing problems are not a punishment; they are part of the curse.

Always keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is a down payment given with a seal and a guarantee that we are heirs, with Christ, waiting to receive a glorified body so we can live in eternity with God, the Father, Christ, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God provides all of the evidence we need to know as to where we will spend eternity. If you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit you will be heaven bound.

Ephesians 1:13 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,”

Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

II Corinthians 1:22 “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”

John 6:40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

John 11:25–26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Scripture does not say how transactions will take place but it says that unless one has taken the mark of the Beast, they will not be able to buy or sell. If you have cash, you could buy & sell. Therefore, we know that we are headed toward a cashless society.

Revelation 13:16–17 “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

The world is preparing for a cashless economic system. In Sweden, many bank branches no longer accept or dispense cash. Thousands of ATM machines have been permanently removed. Many stores will no longer take cash. In Denmark, the government’s goal is to go to a cashless economy by 2030. It is possible Australia will be a cashless society by 2022. India is progressing toward a cashless economy. Cash is being used less and less in most countries today. Russia, China and other countries want to do away with the U.S. dollar as the world’s currency and go to a new world currency where cash is not needed.

Governments like the change because it gives them the ability to trace and monitor what a person is spending on. Going to the use of plastic or phones in paying, will cause a tremendous amount of lost freedom and liberty.

When this all takes place, what is going to be needed to have adequate identification? I believe it will require a RFID chip the size of rice that will be imbedded in one’s right hand or forehead. This would give the government control over who could use the system and who could not. If you do not take the chip, you cannot buy, sell or get a job. If you take the chip, Scripture says you will go to hell.

What a choice?

A black market will not be allowed to exist. It appears the Christian will either be killed for not worshipping the idol or die from starvation by not having the mark. For those believers who remain truly committed and faithful to God, through all that will go on, will be truly special Christians and fit for God’s kingdom. A person willing to die for his or her Christian principles are people I would like to be in heaven with. My prayer is that I am worthy, considering what these people must go through to be a child of God. Will we be able to pass the test?

Revelation 13:18 “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.”

The Greek and Hebrew alphabets have numerical values attached to the letters. The numbers 666 spells out the name of the Antichrist. John Hagee writes, don’t worry about who this number stands for because the church will be in heaven and he will be revealed to the church when he takes control.

Since the writing of Revelation, man has tried to determine the name that fits those numbers. Some believe it to be the name of a Pope. Some thought it was Nero. It is believed those who are true Tribulation Christians will recognize him by the number of his name. We know that the Antichrist will control the world. There will be a one-world government, economy and judicial system. He has all of the technology needed to have complete control.

Many Christians are fast asleep living like people lived prior to the time of Noah’s flood. Those that study Bible prophecy can see the end-time signs. God promised that when the end-time was near, we could see the signs and we could be prepared for the Rapture. Churches must prepare their members for the Rapture. Some reports indicate that only about 50% of their members are Holy Spirit filled Christians.

Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

For 5,800 years you could not travel any faster than a horse could run. In 1800s, the steam engine changed the speed of travel. This started the industrial revolution. Now we can travel faster than the speed of sound. Knowledge has increased as a result of computers, Iphones, Google and others. Can you not see these as signs or does the average Christian just ignore them?

I Thessalonians 5:2–6 “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.”

We must not be caught off guard. We must live holy lives and win everyone to Christ that we can. This was a vision given to our church in the early 1990s. This is when Central Church Henderson changed from being a traditional church to become a missionary church. Our God-given mission was to win souls for Christ before it was too late. Once the church is raptured and the Holy Spirit withdrawn, few can be saved during the first 3 ½ yeas of the Tribulation.

During the Tribulation, God sends Moses and Elijah as witnesses. From their death and resurrection 144,000 Jewish young men will be converted and spread the gospel until the last day.

It should also be noted that this is the first time in world history that one man is capable of ruling the world. With communication and technology everyone can be tracked. We are seeing experimental implant of RFID chips in people’s hands for identification purposes. In a short time it is possible that everyone will be mandated to have a chip implanted in order to buy or sell. Could you have believed this was possible forty years ago?

Scripture tells us that the Antichrist will make a seven year peace treaty with Israel and allow them to build their Temple. They have everything ready to go and it could be built in a few months.

1. They have found the anointing oil needed to anoint the high priest. It had been hidden under ground for over 2000 years.
2. They now have a Red Heifer to be sacrificed.
3. There is a dam in place on the Euphrates River that could stop the flow of water to allow an eastern army to cross the river toward war.
4. All furniture and utensils are ready for use once the Temple sacrifices begin.

Matthew 24:5–8 “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Verse 33 “Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”

Russia has 10,000 ICBMs aimed at America. There are enough nuclear weapons to destroy every nation on earth. Christ comes the second time to put an end to all wars and to rule for 1000 years. Otherwise, man would destroy the world.

2 Peter 3:3–4 “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

A number believe we are close to man having been created 6000 years ago. Some indicate 2017 is a strong indication of the Rapture year if the Jewish calendar is correct. The next 1000 years is a time of rest for God’s people under the rule of Christ. For God, one day is as a thousand years. God worked six days and rested on the seventh. Man struggled with sin for 6000 years and then he receives 1000 years of rest because of being redeemed by Christ.

Are you ready for the Rapture?

There are many things that Scripture tells us about the Rapture. We know it is imminent and the signs indicate it will come soon. We just do not know the day or the hour. We also are told that only those who have the Holy Spirit in them will be raptured. Those missing the Rapture will live in a very ungodly world. Are you prepared and ready?

2 Thessalonians 2:1 – 8 – “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”

Paul says: “Let no man deceive you.” First, there must be a falling away. Every place this term is used in the Bible is negative. They fell away because they had no root. This means a departure from the faith in the lives of the saints and of the church. We are told things will get worse and worse as we enter the end times. Matthew 24:10 – 12 tells us many will turn away from Christ. Many false prophets will appear. Sin will be rampant everywhere.

2 Timothy 3:1 – 5 – “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

This describes the world’s attitude and those who have fallen away. In Revelation 3:14–18 describes the type of churches that will exist in the end times. “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

There is only one thing that is holding the Antichrist back and that is the Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit filled Christians. Some believe that Satan has had an Antichrist ready through every generation, such as Hitler. However, it has been spirit-filled believers that has held him back. Once the Rapture occurs, the Antichrist becomes a world leader for seven years, during the time of the Tribulation. Imagine a world without the Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit filled Christians. Presently, a number of churches have fallen away and have little influence in the world any longer.

Here are reasons for moral corruption:
a. Boastful, proud – An inflated self-importance.
b. Abusive – People who speak disrespectfully to others.
c. Disobedient to their parents – Behavior that breaks the fifth Commandment.
d. Ungrateful – Cannot appreciate others or give gratitude for favors.
e. Unholy – Disregard God in order to live only to please themselves.
f. Without love – People who love only themselves.
g. Unforgiving – Cannot allow for other people’s mistakes or weaknesses.
h. Slanderous – Enjoy spreading gossip and malicious reports about others.
i. Without self-control – Cannot restrain the feelings or actions
j. Brutal – Live like untamed animals
k. Not lovers of good – People who hate anything good
l. Treacherous – Ready and willing to betray anyone
m. Rash – People who act foolishly and carelessly and normally head-strong
n. Conceited – Narcissistic, very high opinion of themselves
o. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – People who are so misdirected that they can think only of themselves.
p. Having a form of godliness but denying its power – People who practice a form of godliness and used godliness as a cloak of respectability while denying God’s power over their lives.

Does this describe what will happen in the later days? Yet, many Christians will be deceived that the Rapture is years away. They believe they have many years to repent and get right with Christ. If you knew the Rapture would be within the next few months would it make a difference in your spiritual life? Is it time to be preparing to meet Christ?

Have you ever felt the need to work and a need to accomplish some particular task? The Bible says that God created man to work. Confidence and self-esteem can come from the way we work or the way we work can create confidence and self-esteem. This includes school, at work, home or in relationships. God created us to be achievers and if we aren’t, we may miss life’s opportunities. So whatever you do, do it with a desire that it will please God and you will be productive and accomplish God’s plan for your life. God gives us gifts and many are anointed to do certain tasks. We are to be ministers in the work place. Is it possible God placed you where you are for a specific purpose? If He has, are you fulfilling His will for your life doing your very best?

Genesis 2:15 – “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” This was before Adam and Eve had sinned or God had cursed the earth. It is my belief that God created every one of us to work and be an accomplisher.

Genesis 3:17 – 19 & 23 – “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 23 – “So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”

As punishment for Adam and Eve’s sin, Adam was required to work harder than ever before to produce food for survival. In fact, the work would be so difficult that you would sweat to accomplish getting your food. God did not plan that work was going to necessarily be easy.
It took Noah and his sons 120 years to build the ark. Nowhere in the Bible does it talk about retirement. It only tells us that we need to take one day a week to rest and worship God. The other six days we are to be available to work. Statistics indicate that many who retire early die early. There is something about work that prolongs one’s life.

I do not understand how a person can have a high self-esteem without accomplishing something in life. This is the nature God created into us. This is a wife, mother or anyone who does not have a purpose to make life better for others, will possibly suffer from low self-esteem. Work is a part of worship, thanking God that we are able to provide for ourselves. My own experience is I have worked since being in the 8th grade. My confidence is a result of my work and what I was able to accomplish. What kind of confidence would I have had if I never worked or accomplished anything in life? Some allow their achievements to make them arrogant. The Bible says this is unacceptable. However, it gives an example of what great achievements can do to one’s confidence.
Ephesian 6:7 – “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,”

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Many of our young people have never been taught or required to work. As a result, many live a life with little confidence or a feeling that their life is fulfilling. Fifty years ago, many of us either worked or were raised on a farm. We knew how to work and we depended on God to provide the rain and the sunshine. If our crops failed we were in serious trouble. However, we learned to can food in case of emergencies. We had cellars to store potatoes, onions, etc. We were always planning ahead and how well we lived depended upon how hard we worked and managed our responsibilities.

God gave Americans a wonderful country. We were provided with a capitalistic economy. Many jobs depended on incentives. The harder we work, the more proficient we were and given our ability to produce, depended on how much we were paid and the opportunity for advancement. Many are now suggesting that we go to socialism, an economy that takes away one’s incentive and they rely on the government to take care of them. Socialism has two classes: the very poor and the very rich. It has a tendency to do away with the middle class. The elite realize it is easy to control the poor, harder to control the middle class and hardly possible to control the rich.

The majority of people believe that the world is becoming less evil. Most of them deny that there is a God. Scripture points out there will be a great falling away in the later days. At the same time there will be a great revival and hundreds of thousands will accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. Scripture promises, in the end time, that the world will become much more evil. If you can’t see what is happening in the world today and the political situation in America, you may not be convinced that these are the later days.

Colossians 2:8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

We must be constantly on guard as some will try to lure us away with deceptive ways for living. We must always seek the truth that the Bible presents. The tactics of false teachers often seduces believers and we must see to it that we are not intellectually captured by their teachings. We are advised not to allow the world’s ways to take the place of Biblical truth. You will hear, we have always done it this way or this is what my parents taught me.

Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we need not look anywhere else for fulfillment. Some say we cannot be fulfilled unless we speak in tongues. Others may look for something that will give their lives a boost. Some feel they are not getting fed. Too many believers just don’t seem to be content with their lives. To fill life’s vacuum requires nothing more than a commitment to Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide one’s life. How can we have an abundant life if we fail to live as the Spirit directs?

II Thessalonians 2:3 & 4 – “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

A war occurred in Heaven and the devil and his angels were casts out onto this earth. Demonic influence is causing a massive rebellion against God. This will cause many to abandon God or give up their faith. During this rebellion there will be many false teachers promoting immorality and anarchy. A time is coming when the Antichrist will be allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to overcome them. They will try to destroy everything that is related to God.
These demonic spirits would like to see us live a Christian life so demanding of rules and laws that we would become burned out, fed up and quit. Although we have a new nature, we do not automatically think all good thoughts and have all pure attitudes when we become believers. Change may come slowly, but if we trust God and the Holy Spirit, our life will become more Christ-like.

Scripture asks why we would even think of submitting to the old traditions, regulations, worldly concepts and the ways of the world. We are being warned not to allow demonic spirits to defeat us. Human made religions focus on human effort. Christianity focuses on Christ and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We must depend on Christ for our salvation not on our discipline and rule keeping. We may appear wise and spiritual and live in an empty shell.
Is the world becoming more evil because Christians are unwilling to stand up for Judeo/Christian principles? When we elect worldly leaders who do not practice Christian principles, are we allowing the demonic spirits to influence the world’s standards? Can’t we see that the world is more evil today than it was just 50 years ago? As it gets worse, will we accept that the world is full of evil and it was predicted in the Bible? Are we doing anything to change the world’s behavior?

The greatest sin is unbelief and the second is disobedience. Some have a heart which is so hard that they cannot believe regardless of what evidence is given to them. We have a self-centered nature that deceives us into believing sin isn’t that bad and trusting in Christ is not important. Most believe becoming a Christian is too costly, too demanding, too restrictive, too unexciting and unnecessary.

Jewish Christians had a problem that was similar to those who had been freed from Egypt waiting to enter the promise land.

Hebrews 3:15-19 “As has just been said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to who did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? They were not able to enter because of their unbelief.”
Would you believe in God if you saw what the Israelites witnessed after their ancestors had spend 430 years in slavery?

1.​Aaron’s staff turns into a snake.
2.​The water in the Nile turns to blood.
3.​The plagues of frogs, then gnats, then flies, then a plague on all livestock occurs.
4.​The plague of hail, boils, locusts and finally the death of the Egyptian’s first born happened.

Scripture says as the Egyptians were burying their death, “The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people and they gave them whatever they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.” They then left Egypt free people with tons of silver, gold, jewelry, livestock, etc.

1.​They see the parting of the Red Sea and the Egyptian Army being destroyed.
2.​Moses turns undrinkable sour water into sweet drinkable water.
3.​A pillar of cloud led them in the day and a pillar of fire by night.
4.​God provided manna six days a week and sent millions of quail for them to eat.
5.​God told Moses to get water out of a rock.
6.​Ex. 23:20 Says God sent an Angel to prepare the way.
7.​God gives the Ten Commandments.
8.​He tells them to build a tabernacle and gives complete description.
9.​The 250 leaders who rebelled against Moses, God allows the earth to swallow up all of them, their families and their tents.
10.​Ex. 20 – God speaks from the mountain; they see the mountain engulfed in smoke, lightning and thunder. They became extremely fearful and asked Moses to intercede for them.

They finally reach the land God had promised them. He asks that they go in and defeat those living there so that they can live in the land He promised to Abraham and all the Israelites. It is a land with milk, honey and rest. They send out 12 spies. Ten come back saying there are giants and we will never defeat them. After all God has done, He becomes angry because they refuse to accept His protection. The fact is they refused to accept Him. All those 20 years old and over are to die before the Israelites can enter the Promised Land 40 years later.

Is there much difference today with all of the information and facts that we have concerning Christ, there are many who still fail to take Him seriously? Are we like the Israelites, living for today or are we preparing for life after physical death? Scripture tells us Christ will return and rule this earth for 1000 years. With Him will be those who believe and accept Him as their Savior. We are told there will be a new world similar to what God had planned for Adam & Eve prior to their fall from grace. It will be a perfect place to live. We will live as God had intended for Adam and Eve to have lived.

The author of Hebrews is making a comparison. You know what happened to those in the desert who had a hard-rebellious heart? You Jewish Christians do not allow a hard-rebellious heart to separate you from God as your forefathers did.

Hebrews 4:2 “For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.”

They did not trust God to bring them through the difficulties that lay ahead; and, therefore, they never enjoyed the rest they could have had. The Old Covenant Jews received the promise from Moses and the New Covenant Jews received their promise from Jesus. To both, the message they hear may be of no value to them because it must be combined with faith before it becomes effective.

Hearing must lead to believing. Believing requires accepting as truth and action requires accountability.

A person can read the Bible, hear the Word and fail to respond in faith. In fact, it could even cause an indifference to God. Belief without obedience to God is of no value. Hell will be populated with people who will say, “Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your Name cast out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?” Jesus will reply, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matt 7:22&23 – Luke 13:26&27)

Some Jews believed that being descendants of Abraham saved them. But Jesus warned that true descendants believe and acted as Abraham did. No matter how familiar the Jews were with the Laws of Moses, knowing them and obeying them was very different. A person may know a great deal about Christ and still not know Him personally. They don’t combine their knowledge with faith.

Mark 3:28–29 “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

Christ tells us without the Holy Spirit in one’s life, they cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Do you believe God has no plan for your life? Is it because of your background or how you were raised? Why did God allow His Son to be raised by a blue collar working family as a carpenter for His first 30 years? Why were all of His Apostles from working families rather than from religious families or Jewish Rabbis? Does God like to take individuals from insignificant families, like King David and make them special leaders?

Your family, your background does not determine what God has planned for you. In our book, “God and the Bottom Line” leaving room for faith at work; God has a plan for each one of us and that includes whatever work or career we may have. Our work requires our very best as an example of being a Christian. How we work and our attitude tells others about what we believe. Do others see us obeying the Commandments of God to love Him with all of our might and others as ourselves? How we treat others is vital to worshipping God at work.

Proverbs 3:5&6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight,”

We are not to lean on our own understanding. We are to daily read and study the Bible so we know what God wants us to believe. The more we study the Bible the more guidance we receive from the Holy Spirit. John 16:13 – “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
As Christians we are expected to be different from those who live by the world’s rules. We are told by Scripture to be conscientious and loyal, and we are to be positive and encouraging servants. We are to do our best by being dependable and considerate of others. Employers and other employees can easily tell the difference between an excellent employee and a so-so employee. Guess who in most situations get the raises and promotions and set examples for others?

We should never be intimidated by our supervisors or bosses. As Christians the only one we are to fear is God. By not showing respect for those in authority and slacking off in doing our job, we must be afraid of displeasing God.

The apostle Paul says we are to do our best not only when we are being watched but to remember that God is watching us through the Holy Spirit that is within us. We are not to waste time conducting personal business when we should be working. We should not extend our break periods. We should always arrive early for work and not leave until our time is up.

It is not unusual to work for someone who rarely gives due recognition or added rewards or praise; however, Scripture promises that many of our rewards will be waiting for us in heaven. So be patient; we are continually storing up treasures for eternity.

Paul instructs us as supervisors or leaders that God is not impressed with a person’s position but what we do in that position. Don’t you think God is aware when we abuse our leadership role or cause injustice to be done? God always knows what is going on. The day will come when He will settle up all accounts. God will have the last word!

When I became a Christian and a new person in the Lord, my entire life was changed. God wanted me to hear His message and put it to use. What a surprise I received when those in authority saw the new me. I was treated differently and better. Once I was promoted and became an employer and leader, I could tell who was working for a paycheck, who was a team member, and who followed the same advice I had been given. They were the ones I gave the extra raises and the promotions.

Do you want to improve your chances for success in the workplace? Make God your supervisor and then do whatever you can to please Him through your work and your attitude toward authority and others. God’s promises never fail for those who put into practice what He asks!

It is possible that as many people become converted because of the witness of a co-worker. Have you ever thought that God provided a job for you that you could witness to others? If you are doing your best, treating everyone kindly and doing whatever to help others, do you think they may want what you have? Everyone we come in contact with on the job could be a person put there by God for us to witness to? I am not talking about high pressure salesmanship. If we are to witness, God will open the door and the Holy Spirit will nudge us to respond.

I found that they will ask a question requiring a Scriptural answer. That is God opening the door. Then the Holy Spirit will give me information to respond. But I emphasize, I have to realize that it is God’s plan for my life that I am placed on the job to witness to people. But do not try to witness to a co-worker that God has not opened the door to. Once you have the opportunity to witness then invite them to church. I believe this is God’s plan that ordinary Christians have a mission to share with others.

Many non-believers do not like standards. They hate moral standards, artistic standards and cultural standards. The reason they do not like standards is because standards cause judgment. Most non-believers do not want to be judged. I agree with an article in Investment Business Daily by Dennis Prager. He suggests that if some art it is better than others, your art may be judged inferior. Therefore, all art must be equal. The same is true of people. Thus equal income for everyone.

As I read the article it made me realize why non-believers and many progressives do not want the Bible, Judeo-Christian principles or the original constitution of the U. S. They do not want to believe in a God, because, if they did, that would bring judgment and no one wants to be judged for anything they do. If everyone is doing it; it must be okay to do it.

Romans 12:3 – “ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
The Bible gives us standards to live by. No one wants to feel inferior and no one should. However, many will not tolerate free speech. If you disagree with them, they may believe you think you are smarter or just not informed. They do not want to hear what a Christian thinks or believes.

The Bible tells us that we are to have a healthy self-esteem but we must not over estimate ourselves. The Bible tells us the importance of being humble because of our commitment to Christ. We must never allow ourselves to become self-righteous.

God has given each believer a standard of faith to measure ourselves and that standard is Christ. We are to measure ourselves according to our relationship to Christ. If Christ were our standard we would never have to worry about being humble.

Many believe that the standards Christians live by are in a way is judging how they live. This is a major reason the world hates Christians. John 15:18–21 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”

The Bible says a person was either of the world or of Christ. There was no in between. When John was writing this Gospel, Christians were being persecuted because of the name of Christ.

Authorities could only ask if you were a Christian and if you answered yes, you could be punished by death. Jesus told His followers what they might expect. He told His disciples that the world would hate them. We are seeing more hatred toward Christianity than we have seen in centuries. A mature Christian replaces hate with love. It is a love than only God can give. The world suspects people who are different and non-conformists. A true Christian does not conform to the world’s way.

You may have no idea how hateful many people are who do not believe in Jesus Christ. Under no circumstance do they want to be judged for what they do. If they believed there was a God who promises hell to the sinner, they would absolutely not believe it nor would they change their life-style.

Most of our schools have taken God, the Bible and Judeo-Christians principles out of the class room. They realize that those three require an obedient life and standards to live by. Thus, they create standards and judgments. Rejecting standards there is judgment and a need for punishments. They think no one should be judged or punished. Everyone must be treated equally. They have replaced God with government. With governments help, why would they need a God?

John 7:7b – “but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.”

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” NLT John 10:10 – Satan’s plan is to keep you from having a rich and peaceful life. Christ’s purpose was to give us a rich and satisfying life. Whose plan are you following?

Jesus says that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we should expect a new vitality of life. For many, it is a new life worth living. However, too many Christians find their life is extremely stressful. Either they do not understand God’s promises or they do not trust that He will answer our prayers.

Philippians 4:6–7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Too many people become Christians and mistakenly believe they do not have to study Scripture or pray that they can live a godly life on their own. Sadly, they are just professing Christians without the power from God, struggling each day and wondering why living a Christian life is so difficult. They question where the promised joy, peace and love is? They must come to the understanding that the Bible instructs us to surrender our old nature and let the new nature control, which God gives us when we receive the Holy Spirit. God will not force Himself on us. For the power to work, He must control but only with our permission. Are you ready to let Him have that control so you can walk in the Spirit?

We are told to rejoice in the Lord. No matter how bad life becomes or how bleak everything looks, Scripture always says to focus on God. The Lord can restore anything. He asks that we have a heart that is selfless. Do not be anxious about anything and pray, with thanksgiving in your hearts. God will answer giving you a peace that only He can give.

True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict or in good feelings. It comes from knowing that God is in control. Peace comes from knowing we are citizens of God’s kingdom; we know what our final destiny will be and we can have victory over sin. What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. We are to program our minds with thoughts that are inspiring, encouraging, true, noble right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. We must replace harmful input with wholesome spiritual material.

Christ came to restore us to a life God created uniquely for each of us. That life is to be positive, a meaningful life free from negative fears. He came that He might destroy Satan’s hold on us and freed us from the slavery of sin and the fear of death. Christ, through the Holy Spirit, released us from restrains that hindered our potential and allows us to become what God created us to be and to live the life He planned for us. Satan attacks by providing us with problems that can become tremendously stressful. Chances are stress comes from demonic influence. It is a lack of trust in God and what Christ promised He would do in our lives if we were to trust Him. We need to continually be focused on Christ and know what those promises are.

Doesn’t most stress come from fear? 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” It isn’t unusual for a Christian to be stressed out. If you realize that most times stress results from fear which is based on guilt, a feeling of unworthiness and a belief that we probably deserve punishment. Scripture tells us that if we are fearful and stressful, we probably have not come to the point of having unconditional love in our hearts for God and others which we learn from the Bible.

When God says that Christ died that our sins could be forgiven, wiped clean and no longer remembered, can we trust God to really mean what He promises? Perfect love cannot coexist with fear. Negative fear has to do with death, failure and punishment; it should not be a part of a Christian’s experience. Too many Christians are unwilling to take on certain tasks because they fear failure. If the Holy Spirit leads us to do certain things, why are we fearful to accept the assignment and then get stressed when we do them?

Finally, fear and stress are optional. Scripture tells us that Peter, John and the Apostles feared for their lives when Jesus was crucified. Peter was jailed and he expected to be put to death within days. He was chained to guards when an angel woke him and they together walked out of the prison. The Book of Acts tells us that it was Christ’s resurrection that took away his fear and he became bold in spreading the gospel. When they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, their boldness allowed them to teach Christ’s resurrection to thousands upon thousands. Their witness of seeing Christ being raised from the dead and receiving the Holy Spirit, relieved all stress and made them fearless.

Is there an example in their lives that can apply to ours?