That I May Know Him

Lessons from a Housewife

2012-01-19T16:44:00.000-05:00

Most housewives like for their homes to be clean, and I, for one, am one of those who takes great pleasure in knowing that my house isn't just clean, but spotless! I love for our bedroom to be neat and tidy, for the bathroom to look and smell good, for the kitchen to be absolutely spotless and for our living room to be as tidy as one can hope for (seeming that it's mostly a man's domain).

The other day, as I was dusting our bedroom dresser, I knelt down to pick up I'm not sure I remember quite what, and I when I got back up on my feet, the sun had starting shining through our window and to my dismay, I noticed more dust on our dresser! I couldn't believe it. After all, I had just got done with dusting it and I had made sure to wipe away every spec! It was then that the thought came to me. God's word says the following:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags..." Isaiah 64:6

God's word also tells us that not any one of us is "good" (Psalm 14:3) and that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). We always want to measure ourselves up to man's standards, however, in God's standards, not anyone of us stands a chance, for He is a Holy and Perfect God. We sometimes think we are good because we haven't committed any of the "BIG" sins, such as adultery, theft or murder. But God the Father is a holy and righteous Judge and there is no such thing as "little" or "big" sins according to His Law. In fact, James 2:10 says the following:

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

The only one that can measure up and has measured up to God's holy standards is God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin and entered into this world through a holy birth and lived a holy life. You see, it was important and urgent for Him not to commit sin. The devil tried to tempt Him into offending God's law, but He endured it all and never once sinned. Our Lord Jesus came to live and die and offer Himself up as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Had He committed even the slightest of sins, He couldn't be a perfect sacrifice for us. But thankfully, He endured it all, even the mocking of man, and gave Himself up as a perfect sacrifice so that we could all be saved and justified in God's eyes.

So we know that we are no good and cannot keep God's law, but there is one that is good and has kept God's law, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. So what we must do is realize that we are sinners and guilty before God and repent and ask for His forgiveness. It's that simple! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and confess Him as your Saviour (Romans 10:10) and ask Him to give you eternal life.

Once you receive Him as your Saviour, God the Father looks upon you and sees His perfect and holy Son through you and in His eyes you are absolutely guiltless. It's just as though you are perfect - not that you are - but it is Jesus Christ in you who is perfect. And even though you will still come short of God's glory each and every day, you will always be God's Son but you will notice that now your sins will start bothering you and you won't like or want to live the way that you did before. That's conviction - it's God telling you "you shouldn't have done or said that!" Thankfully, we serve a good and merciful God and when we do come short of His glory, we can claim 1 John 1:9:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

It's amazing the things that God can reveal to us in the simplest of things to remind us of how good and how great a Saviour He is. I'm so thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ ransomed Himself for me and made eternal life so easy to obtain. Having eternal life is simple - it's just a matter of what you do with God's Son. Do you accept the Lord Jesus Christ or do you reject Him? Your answer to that question will determine where you will spend eternity.

Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord

2011-12-01T15:38:00.008-05:00

"...stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day...". Exodus 14:13

A simple verse. A most familiar Bible passage. Christians, as well as non-believers, most certainly know how that God brought salvation to the Israelites by parting the Red Sea and helped them escape the evil hands of Pharaoh and his Egyptian army. There is much power to God's words "stand still". In fact, one of my favorite Psalms comes from chapter 46, verse 10 "Be still and know that I am God". It seems to me that every time we need Him, all He requires us to do is to be still. How simple! We are to be still and to keep our trust in Him and He will do all the work and prove that His is the Almighty God and that nothing is ever too difficult for Him.

Recently, those words "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" seem to mean so much more to me. Not long after getting married in April to a most wonderful Christian young man, I found out that I was expecting. My husband and I couldn't be any happier, because we've both always wanted to have a family. But God willed to take the child home, and He did so early on. I was only about 4 weeks into the pregnancy. As much as it did hurt, I was still very thankful that He took the baby early on. As Job once said "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

In early August, I found out that I was pregnant again! My husband and I quickly fell to our knees and thanked the Lord for this wonderful gift of His. During the first few weeks into the pregnancy, I quickly started experiencing the common pregnancy symptoms and I was often getting sick. Then, eleven weeks into my pregnancy, on a Sunday afternoon, without any other prior symptoms, I started bleeding very heavily and we quickly assumed that I was having yet another miscarriage. My husband took my hand and prayed with me and then we both rushed to the hospital expecting the worst. Thankfully, a lot of people were praying for us as they were sharing our hurt. On the way to the hospital, my loving mom sent me a text message on my phone with the following words: "stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." As sad I was feeling, I knew that it was God's will to take the child home. After all, that had been our prayer from the very first day; we simply wanted God's perfect will for our lives. After reading my mom's message and knowing that she, along with our families and friends were praying for us, God gave both my husband and I peace.

Then, at the hospital, I was given an ultra-sound and as the technician was looking at the screen, I kept thinking "there's nothing in there for you to see". But just like that, there it was. A heartbeat. There was our child on the screen. As we heard that first little heartbeat, we couldn't but think "God is good". From the hospital room, I was able to talk to my mom on the phone and we kept thinking of the verse that God had put on her heart to send me. Out of all the things she could have said, and out of all the Bible verses she could have thought of, God gave her "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." I still get chills in my body when I think how that He saved our baby. We saw His salvation.

A few days later, one of my best friends, more like a dear sister of mine, Nadia, called me and told me to go back to Exodus 14:13. You see, that day, that very same passage was her morning Bible Reading and God showed her the rest of the verse. Not only did He say to stand still and see His salvation, but He went on to promise "which He will show you today". That is exactly what God did for us on Oct 2, 2011. He saved our baby boy on that very same day.

Now as we prepare for His arrival in late April, I can't but thank the Lord for our little miracle baby boy each and every day. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever. How very true! The same God that wrought a miracle by parting the Red Sea, has wrought a miracle by saving our little baby boy. I look forward to the day that he is old enough for us to tell him how that God saved Him and how that I consider him my little miracle and gift from God's own hands. My husband and I already pray that He in turn, will grow up and be saved and call on the name of Jesus Christ at a young age and that He will always have a tender heart for the Lord and for His word. Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, that you are and always be the God that brings Salvation to His people.

Abiding With Jesus Christ

2010-12-14T19:38:00.005-05:00

There are so many Hymns that I truly enjoy...one of them is Abide With Me. I just love its words...in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

The word "abide" means to dwell, to continue, to endure and to await. To abide pretty much sums up the Christian Life!! But what does it take for you and I to adibe with Jesus Christ, to fully dwell and walk with Him? Well I think the answer is rather a simple one. I believe that we must realize and understand that God is holy, and so, to abide with Him, we must clean up our lives a litte and get rid of the old ways; get rid of sin. If there is sin in your life, or in my life, than you and I must go to Him and confess it and ask Him to help us walk in righteousness. Never forget that we serve a merciful, longsuffering and loving God who is always willing and ready to forgive us all of our sins!

~ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

I have learned through my walk with God that to abide with God is to abide in His word. God's word can do so much for you and I, it's the only way we can learn about Him and the more we learn about Him, the more we love Him.

Jesus said in John 15:1-4
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."

If you want to be clean and live a victorious life over sin and temptations, then you must Abide With Christ. You must dwell in His word day and night. Didn't David say "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee". Psalm 119:11

It's so sweet to abide with Jesus Christ; it's so easy to fall in love with such a loving God. O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

But Whom Say Ye That I Am

2010-11-14T15:57:00.010-05:00

Passage to read: Matthew 16:13-17

The disciples of Jesus Christ had been walking with Hm for quite some time now. They've heard him teach and had even seen him perform many miracles, yet still lacked so much faith, that even the Lord Himself was baffled by their unbelief! Look at Matthew 16:5-11 (just a few verses above our passage). But let's give them some credit, after the Lord's rebuke, they finally understood that he was speaking concerning doctrine.

Now back to our original text. The Lord asks them an important question, "whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Verse 13...notice, that in a way, the Lord Jesus Christ gives away the answer (Answer: The Son of man). But they answered that some think he was John the Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the prophets. You see, many recongnized that Jesus was no ordinary man. And neither was He! But recognizing Him as "no ordinary man" is not good enough. Muslims will tell you and agree with you that Jesus was a "good man", a "prophet", and many in today's world say that he was a "good teacher with a good message". But that is not good enough. Thinking all these nice things about Jesus Christ will still land you in Hell. Beware!! You must give Jesus Christ the glory and honour due unto Him. He is more than just a good man...He is LORD OF LORDS, AND KING OF KINGS.

But going back to our text, after hearing their answers, the Lord decides to make it more personal, after all, they were his chosen disciples whom He loved very much. Verse 15 "but whom say ye that I am?" Verse 16: Notice that only Simon Peter jumps up to answer the question. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Amen!!

Read verse 17. Who revealed this important truth about Jesus Christ to Peter? No one else but the Father Himself. God the Father revealed to Simon Peter that Jesus was not just an ordinary man, but that He was and Is the CHRIST, the Son of the living God!! Read verses 20 and 21. After that truth was make known unto Peter, and the rest of the disciples, that is when Jesus was finally able to reveal his sole purpose of coming to earth - to suffer and to exchange His life a reason for our souls. You see, once you recongize the Lord Jesus as THE CHRIST, only then can you understand the plan of salvation. Only then can you understand what He did on the cross of Calvary. Only then can you be saved. You must know Him as the Christ, as the Saviour of your soul. After all, that is what His name means: Jesus - For He shall saved His people from their sins (Matt 1:21). And notice HIS people!!

Allow me to show you one more thing. You see, someone once told me a very important truth. In everything in life, we first must see it to believe it. But with God, it takes faith! You believe on Him FIRST, and then He'll reveal and prove Himself to you.

Now read Matthew 17:19. Imagine this. Six days after Peter puts His faith in Jesus and recognizes Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, He is taken, along with James & John, to the Mount of Transfiguration, and there, they witness something unimaginable. Remember, Jesus had no beauty that we shoul desire Him. Isaiah 53:2. He looked like an ordinary man (though he was no ordinary man). But He just took on the form of a man, but really, He was God!!! Oh the Glory that He left just to come and die for me!!! And on that day, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James & John got to see Him in all His MAJESTY!!! They got to see Him as KING JESUS!! Oh, one day, I too will see Him, my King of Kings!! Peter, James & John got to see Him in all His glory. He face shone like the sun, and his rainment was white as the Light...imagine...even His clothes changed and reavealed His glory! Look at verse 15. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye Him." Amen & Amen! You see, only six days after Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ (the King of Kings!), he got to see Him in all His Kingly Majesty.

My friends, have faith in Jesus. Take Him at His word, put your belief in Him. You've tried everything else. Now surrender and put your faith in Jesus Christ. He will without a doubt reveal Himself to you and you will get to know Him as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. And you know something, Peter, James & John never did forget that day!! (John 1:14 and 2 Peter 1:16-18). You will never forget the day that you meet the Lord. I encourage you (and I URGE you) to BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST. He is the ONLY WAY to Heaven. John 14:6. The desitny of your soul lies in "whom say that Jesus is".

Because He delighted in me

2008-11-25T10:29:00.003-05:00

In Genesis 1:31, the Bible tells us that “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good”. He looked back at all His creation and looked at it with delight. We are His creation; the work of His hands and thus, God takes special delight in us. We are so precious to Him that He even bothered redeeming us back!! If we were of no value to Him, He wouldn’t have bothered reconciling us back to Him. But He went as far as purchasing us back with His own blood. That’s a heavy price to pay.

~In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. 1 Cor 1:14

I still don’t really understand how we could bring great joy and delight to His Heart. But that’s a Bible truth, He really does delight in His creation. Even David understood that because in Psalm 18:19, he writes: “he delivered me, because he delighted in me”. That applies to us today – it applies to me. I can say that when my life was a chaotic mess and I was desperate, when sin had a stronghold on me, Jesus Christ came and rescued me, because He delighted in me.

~But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

I am basking in God’s love for me. While I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. While I was yet a sinner, the Lord Jesus Christ rescued me from the wages of sin, death and gave me a special gift, eternal life. And what did I do to earn this gift? Nothing. It cost me absolutely nothing, but it cost Him his own blood. And He did it all because He delighted in me, because He loved me. When someone delights in you and loves you, it’s easy to love that person back. That’s why today I delight in Him and that’s why I love Him. Because He first loved me…because He first delighted in me!

~We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Psalm 150

2008-11-13T22:01:00.007-05:00

Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbreland dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Ps. 150

So this is not very deep or anything, but I just realized that Psalm 150 begins with Praise ye the LORD and ends with Praise ye the LORD. It's mentioned in the beginning an at the end. Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega. The First and the Last. The Beginning and the End. I don't know how but this made me stop and think. How many times do I praise the Lord in the beginning of a situation and continue praising Him all through the end. Not too many times, I must confess. Psalm 150 is clear - God wants me to praise Him. He commands me to. But praising God should not be a very difficult commandment to obey. It should just come. Even in the darkest of times He can give us peace that passeth all understanding (Phil 4:7). We have great examples of such men all trhough the Bible (Daniel, Paul, Stephen...). They had peace during their darkest trials and never stopped praising the Lord. It's possible - all I have to do is spend more time on my knees. I have to keep in mind that He promised to never leave me nor forsake me. He'll be with me during the beginning of my darkest hour and will guide me through the end. I want to praise the Lord always. He is worthy to be praised. I have so much to praise Him for...I wouldn't know where to begin!

Jesus is coming SOON

2008-11-06T13:18:00.007-05:00

Isn’t it great knowing that Jesus is coming soon! Yep, He’s not just coming, but He’s coming SOON. “Behold, I come quickly”, Rev. 3:11. How do we know that quickly is not another 2000 years? Because the Bible teaches us to compare current events with the signs of His coming.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28

The verse doesn’t read “maybe, just maybe, your redemption will draw nigh soon”. Nope, YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH. From every Believer’s point of view, things are looking bad. Even from a lost soul’s point of view, the world is in a mess. Everyone is looking for hope. Many think Obama is that hope - that light at the end of the tunnel. But we know that there is no hope outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. “For thou art my hope, O Lord God”, Ps. 71:5. My hope is in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ – my hope is KNOWING that Jesus is coming soon.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. Psalm. 98:5-9

The theme is joyfulness! The King is coming!

Turn your radio on...

2008-10-27T22:28:00.011-04:00

On Sunday of October the 5th, Bible Baptist Church in Montreal, Canada, preached the word of God on the Radio for the first time. We now have a radio ministry that will be airing on Sunday mornings at 12:30pm on radio station WCHP 760 AM which airs out of Vermont.

Nowadays, for the most part, it's junk on the radio...junk that glorifies sin and pomotes wickedness. You know what I'm talking about... And of course, we ask "what's wrong with the world"... The world has rejected the word of God and its Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. The world has chosen to llive to flesh and die in sin than die to flesh and live in Jesus Christ. Mock the Bible if you want to. The word of God is so far ahead of you. Ephesians 2:2 calls the devil "the prince of the power of the air". Who controls the air today? The devil. He wants you to listen to his program in order to keep you away from the Bible and keep you in bondage of sin. My freind, sin is not cool....it's bondage and it pays you back. Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death". But thank God there is a Saviour that can make you free because the rest of the verse reads "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". Amen. I'm so glad I trusted Jesus Crhist as my Saviour and I have that eternal life. You can have it to. Believe on Jesus Christ! Put your trust in Him!

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts. 16:31

If you haven't trusted Jesus Christ as the one and only Saviour, your soul hangs in the balance. This is the MOST important decision you'll ever make. Don't die in sin. Turn your radio on every Sunday at 12:30pm and hear something pure and something true at once. Turn your radio on to heard the word of God and let the word of God work in you. Better yet, get you a Bible and lay hold of God's holy word.

Thy word is true from the beginning...Pslam 119:160
The word of God, which effectually worketh also in you...1 Th 2:13

The right time

2008-10-25T18:57:00.002-04:00

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…Ecc 3:1

A few years ago, the Lord burdened my heart to help my Pastor with the church secretarial work, however, I had just finished school and I didn’t feel ready to take on that burden. I was still young and had no experience working in an office. Instead, God took care of me and provided me with a good job working with attorneys. During that time, I still managed to do a few tasks from home for the church, but as the church kept growing, there was definitely a need for a full time church secretary. Last January, I started earnestly seeking God’s will. I’ll make a long story short, but after 3 and half years of working at the lawfirm, I finally quit my job in late august and started working at the church. The lord also worked it out with our school. There was a need for a French teacher, and since I studied in French, I also have the blessing of teaching our children French.

In the beginning, I really felt overwhelmed. There is so much for me to learn, and all of a sudden I felt like maybe I wasn’t the right person for the job. But God’s word is always comforting. I remembered Ecc 3:1 and how I had wanted to do what I’m doing now, but it just wasn’t the right time. I remembered all the circumstances during the year that led me to the church. Working at the lawfirm equipped me for the church work. Why would God not give me wisdom to do what He wants me to do? Doesn’t He promise that if we ask for widom, He would provide?

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

I’m also blessed in that my Pastor is very appreciative. In the short period I’ve been working for him, I can’t count how many times he’s told me he appreciates me. I know there is a need for a church secretary and I’m honored that God has chosen me. But I also know that there is a need in my heart to grow more in the Lord. I need to trust Him more, I need to obey Him more, and I need to love Him more.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for teaching me how to trust you more, to obey you more and to love you more.

True friends

2008-01-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

I simply wanted to thank Corry and KC for being what real Christian friends ought to be.

They have offered me true friendship over and beyond blogging. They both have a listening ear and a praying heart.

The Lord has filled them with His wisdom, and I am honoured in having them bestow some of that wisdom upon me.

~Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Proverbs 27:9

Corry and KC, I really appreciate your friendship, so much so, that I wanted to brag about you on my blog!! :) Thank you for being true friends!

2008…A NEW Year

2007-12-31T13:09:00.000-05:00

Eight is seven plus one, hence, the start of a new order. In Bible numerics, eight is for a new day. A new week. A new beginning. A NEW YEAR!!

And so, enter we into a new year.

What am I looking for in 2008?

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; ho gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:13-14

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20

Precious Faith

2007-12-27T14:46:00.000-05:00

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:1

I was reading 2 Peter yesterday and came across the word precious faith. I immediately flipped back to 1 Peter 1:7 which mentions that the trial of our faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

It struck me then that my faith is a very important part of my life as it ought to be. This is rather obvious in the very meaning of precious. Precious means of a high price or of great value, but it can also mean beloved. From 1 Peter 1:7 we can conclude that the trial of our faith is worth more than gold. When compared with gold, it is has more worth and value and is esteemed higher. Why is the trial of our faith compared to gold? Because men have died for gold, they have sailed across the ocean to an untamed land in search of it. But God tells us that gold perishes. In other words, it can and it will come to ruin, just like any other earthly “treasures” (Psalm 49:16-17).

We are reminded that worldly treasures are corruptible but God tells us that our faith, though it be tested by fire, is incorruptible. We are also taught in James 1:3 that the trying of our faith works patience in our lives. This patience will then perfect us in making our faith entire, wanting nothing.

This, then, must be why our faith and the trying of it is so precious. Though we are complete in Christ we must always be growing and perfected. We realize that even if we loose everything we hold dear on earth our faith remains untouchable. Precious faith in Jesus Christ is incorruptible, eternal!

Hymns...All about HIM

2007-12-26T15:13:00.000-05:00

To listen to a few precious hymns, please visit:

Pen of Iron

I promise you will enjoy listening to them!

On Forgiveness

2007-10-16T21:29:00.000-04:00

We all have times in our lives when we need a) to forgive or b) to be forgiven. For as long as we’ll be in this sinful flesh we will be hurt or hurt others. Forgiveness is the key to the healing process. Inner peace can never be reached until forgiveness takes place.

And yet, the process of it all is so complex, that I still can’t conclude which is easier: to forgive, or to be forgiven. Even when we think it’s done and over with, we tend to harbour feelings of bitterness. Once bitterness creeps in, it takes root and spreads like a vicious cancer. We continually think about it, reliving it over and over, until it completely destroys us – until it destroys our spiritual life. Bitterness takes away our joy and peace in the Lord and can ultimately put a stop to our Christian walk.

Dealing with forgiveness is difficult. But why?

Have not our sins been fully forgiven through the blood of Christ? How oft do we continually taste of God’s forgiveness!? We serve a most longsuffering God, and yet continually dwell on "what he/she did to me". Maybe if dwelt a little more on what Jesus Christ did for us, forgiveness would come a little more naturally.

~And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Col 2:13-15

Back to AWANA

2007-09-14T10:26:00.000-04:00

For those of you familiar with the AWNA program, our church kicks off its fourth year of Awana tonight.

We work with children ages 3 to 16 (although Awana offers programs for ages 16+). This year, I get to work with the teen girls once again. The Awana program runs through the school year, which means every Friday night at 7 pm. Much like school, they have homework: Bible verses to memorize and sections to complete! Leaders also have homework: lessons to prepare! Clubbers are awarded special Awana money for their work, which they spend when we open the Awana store, once a month.

Awana is a great program for churches to have. Awana is an outreach program to spread the gospel. It’s an investment in the children of tomorrow.

If you would like to learn more, simply visit the following link: AWANA

God’s book of remembrance

2007-09-10T21:06:00.000-04:00

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. Malachi 3:16

Verses 13 to 15 of Malachi 3 contain a complaint of God’s people about the difficulty of keeping God’s ways.

In verse 14, the people feel that serving God is vain and that even the wicked are being spared. We get a sense of discouragement in God’s people. They have turned their eyes away from God and have looked to the children of the world. The carnal and disobedient are getting ahead in life and God’s children have envied. "What good is it to be godly?" they ask. God replies to them with a promise in verse 16. Sure, He does not say that He would end the injustice right then, although we know that He will one coming day.

But rather, in verse 16, God shows that His ear is on our conversations. Even Psalm 139 teaches us that the Lord is everywhere and that there is nowhere that we can hide from Him. He sees and hears all! The promise of Malachi 3:16 is that God is keeping a book of REMEMBRANCE and will Honor those that fear Him and those that aren't afraid to speak His name.

It is all too wonderful to think that each time we speak His name, or even so much meditate upon His wonderful name, He records it in His book of remembrance. This means that every time Christian brothers and sisters talk about the Lord it is being recorded in a book kept by Him. I wonder if even every time we blog about His name, the Lord records that too.

I would like to conclude by pointing out how important it is then to get God’s words in our hearts for as Luke 6:45 mentions “for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh”. Let us, therefore, build consistent Bible reading habits that we may boldly speak the name of Jesus Christ. After all, as He has promised, for every time we speak His name, He writes ours in His book of remembrance.

Long winded absence (I know, I know…)

2007-08-18T19:14:00.000-04:00

I know I haven’t been around the blogsphere in a while, but that’s because it gets busy during summertime, and this summer has been no exception. I needed some time away with the purpose of focusing on a variety of priorities. And yes, I’m still enjoying serving my King, Jesus Christ, at home, at work and in His church. Serving Him has filled my heart with so much joy….I am so blessed!!!!

What can I say….I love HIM!!!!

What a Friend…

2007-07-02T21:05:00.000-04:00

~Pro 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

I think there’s a lot of depth to the Proverb mentioned above. Yes, it is honorable in the sight of God that we don’t go around propagating the sins of our friends. God has established a commandment as to dealing with the sin of a fellow Christian.

However, there’s also a different concept to the Proverb in question. It brings to though my best friend in life – the Lord Jesus Christ. As Proverbs 18:24 says: “there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother”, and we know, of course, that this friend is Jesus Christ.

In His love, He sought to cover the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They had tried to cover their sin by sewing fig leaves together, but their own works were unacceptable. The Lord clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skins, and thus, He covered their transgression. And there it is; Genesis 3:15 already reveals God’s plan of salvation. Genesis 3:15 already demonstrates God’s love.

The fulfillment of God’s justice, love and grace is found in John 3:16, and other such verses. Isaiah 53:5 tells us that Jesus Christ, God manifested in flesh, was “wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”. He demonstrated His love by shedding His precious blood for the remission of our sins (Matt 26:28, Eph 1:7). He even went over and beyond covering our sins – He completely blotted them out and Has done away of them, forever.

~Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Christians ought never take for granted what our Saviour accomplished on the cross. The battle He fought and the agony He went through to bring about His plan of salvation qualifies Him as our best friend. In His love, He covered our transgression. He purchased us by His blood, and oh, what a true saying "My beloved is mine, and I am his".

~Rom 4:7-8 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Back from Toledo

2007-06-25T19:48:00.000-04:00

We have made it back safe and sound from the 2007 Heartland Bible Conference, in Toledo, Ohio.

We were a convoy of 5 cars following one another from Montreal, all the way to Toledo. Even when we arrived in Toledo, we were all staying at the same hotel. Spending that much quality time with my church family was enjoyable and has truly knit our hearts one with another.

The conference itself was Heavenly! All in all, we heard 25 different messages in just six days!!!! It was truly something to see how the Holy Sprit worked through the men of God to minister to the saints of God. The messages we heard were timely and have given us all a certain burden to keep on keeping on for Jesus Christ. The singing and the fellowshipping with the saints was also out of this world. I can’t write everything that went on; you would have had to be there to understand what I’m talking about. I wish you could all have attended the conference; it felt like what Heaven will be like.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to meet Mrs. Rose Cole, as my time in Ohio was very limited. Time just flew by so quickly, and there was just too much to do.

I can’t wait to go back again next June to Toledo. This Bible Conference is the best vacation a Christian could ever spend! Even the children enjoyed it just as much as the adults did.

I thank you all for your prayers, and I only wished you could all have been there….there’s always next June!!!

Toledo, Ohio….here we come!

2007-06-15T21:37:00.000-04:00

Guess I’m about to get just a little busier, as I’m currently packing and getting ready to skip town!

That’s right…I am leaving Saturday morning, with my family (which also includes church family) to Toledo, Ohio to attend Pastor Sowell’s annual Heartland Bible Conference. It won’t feel like I’ll be away from my church too much, as about 20 other people from my church family are also attending this conference. I am beyond ecstatic! I will be away from June 16th to the 23rd.

Also, Lord willing, during my stay in Toledo, I will get a chance to meet the very reasonable Rose Cole, from the blogsphere. I really wish I could meet you all some day, and who knows, maybe the Lord will work out such an opportunity.

I will miss visiting your blogs!!!!

Blessings,
Sarah

So busy!

2007-06-09T15:54:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven’t posted in such a while, and for not keeping up with your blogs. These past few weeks have proven very busy.

The Lord has been good and has been answering quite a few prayers. He spoils us sometimes!! I have been busy with work, and with church, as usual. I love serving the Lord in His church; it brings about an unexplainable joy. My Pastor always repeats that we often forget to enjoy our salvation. I think he’s right. Christians have it best. We are eternally saved, we are the children of the Most High God and joint-heirs with His only begotten son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17).

That alone calls for a shout of AMEN!

Intimacy with Jesus Christ

2007-05-21T17:13:00.000-04:00

Being in the presence of God is what every Christian wants, but somehow, it can get difficult to keep it consistent. We often allow the troubles and distractions of the world to rob us of such sweet fellowship with our Father.

Occasionally we stumble into Him, and we are delighted. It’s a joy and a privilege to us to be able to spend time with Him. Time alone with Jesus Christ allows us to know Him, to love Him, and to grow stronger in Him.

I just want to encourage you (and myself) to pursue times of intimacy with God. He desires that time alone with us, just as a Father longs for intimacy with his child.

As Christians, our goal in life is to grow more Christ-like each day, and there is no other way to accomplish that other than spending time alone with Him. We ought be fully committed to Him in order to know Him intimately and to become more like Him.

I admit, I get such a joy from serving the Lord in church and from fellowshipping with other Christians. But that alone is not enough for my spiritual growth. I need time alone with Him where I can share my deepest thoughts and cares, and where He too can speak and comfort me. It’s important to even have a place (an altar) where we can be alone with God. Of course, mine is my room, my bed, especially. There, I have had the most intimate, one on one, times with the Lord. It is there that I have felt the most satisfied in life!

I am positive that you, likewise, as Believers, have experienced such intimate times and can vouch with me that there is nothing more satisfying in life than spending time in prayer and Bible reading with Jesus Christ.

James 4:8 says “draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” I take great delight in that. He really does draw nigh unto me each time I seek His face. Truly, there is nothing more satisfying than intimacy with Jesus Christ!

LYDIA

2007-05-07T22:25:00.000-04:00

In Acts 16:14-15, we have an account of one woman who was in the right place, at the right time, with the right heart, and with the right attitude. God can do amazing things through men and women who are prepared to seek Him, to follow Him, and to be obedient to His will.

In this passage, we see how the Holy Spirit guides Paul to Philippi and guides him to one particular woman - Lydia. That's challenging - am I, are you, the right woman, in the right place, at the right time, with the right heart and with the right attitude - ready for God to use?

I really like Lydia, because she was the first Christian convert in Europe – a Greek young lady, Amen! Although Lydia is only mentioned in Acts 16, we can put together a really neat profile:

She was a dealer in purple cloth, and as such was probably wealthy. Our passage says the members of her household were baptized along with her, so she might have had servants, and certainly had relatives living with her. Purple cloth was valuable and expensive. It was claimed to be worth its weight in silver. It was usually worn as a sign of nobility or royalty, which gives a new significance to the passage in Mark 15:17 where we read that the soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus, then twisted together a crown of thorns as they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
She worshiped God, although, at that point she may not have met the true God, Jesus Christ. However, we know that she responded to the gospel, and got baptized. She probably won her household to the Lord too, which is why we read that they too were baptized;
She was a woman of prayer. She went to prayer meeting (v13);
She listened and was eager to learn;
She was obedient to the doctrine of baptism;
She wanted to serve, and remained faithful to the Lord;
She had a love for the saints of God;
She opened her home and was hospitable, which leads to my last point;
Through her the door was opened for ministry in that region. She was a key person in the establishment of the church in Philippi. Philippi was the key city in the region of Macedonia (Northern Greece).

The result of Lydia's conversion led to the first church in Philippi. The church met in Lydia's house. We know this because of verse 40:

~And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. Acts 16:40

This was after the famous story of Paul and Silas in prison and their miraculous deliverance which led to the jailor’s, and his household’s, salvation. Isn’t it great that when Paul and Silas were finally set free, they had a place to go to – the house of Lydia.

It really is a remarkable story. We have an incredible account of a lady who met the Lord Jesus Christ and remained faithful to Him and to His people. Now that the Lord has given my mom and I a new home, my prayer is that the Lord turns our house into “the house of Lydia”, where Christian brothers and sisters can fellowship here and call this place their home too.

Spring Revival

2007-05-01T21:33:00.000-04:00

Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Psalm 85:6

This past weekend was just…great! Our church had its spring revival with Pastor Rick Sowell, of Hope Baptist Church, Toledo, Ohio. The preaching was solid, the music was great, and the fellowship was even greater.

These events make for wonderful opportunities to invite unsaved loved ones, which we did. Many visitors came over the Friday through Sunday services and heard the blessed gospel of our Lord. We know of one teenage girl who got saved. Tears ran down her face as she accepted Christ as her Saviour, especially when told that her friend had been praying for her salvation.

This revival was also good for us as Christians and for the Church. I know we all benefited tremendously from the preaching of God’s word.

I was saddened when the revival came to its end on Sunday evening. Even now, I kinda wish I could go back in time. But we can only look forward, which is a good thing, since this coming June our church is “evacuating” Montreal as it will be our turn to attend Hope Baptist Church’s revival (Heartland Bible Conference – June 17-22).

Our church services for the revival were Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday morning and evening. Pastor Sowell’s revival, however, is an entire week long! Each day of the week, there’s a service in the morning with THREE preachers, and TWO preachers in the evening, and a whole lot of Christian fellowship in between.

I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!! (only 7 weeks to kill….)

The Name of Jesus Christ

2007-04-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

Many people, including Christians, do not realize the power behind the name of Jesus. The devil, however, that subtil beast, is aware of such power and hates the precious name of Jesus. He wants to desensitize the world to His name and to His words.

The only name which is so used in vain is that which of Jesus Christ. And, if you think the English language is the only one which uses the name of Christ in vain, think again. The French language exceeds the English language in that matter. And why does the world use the name of God to “damn” things? It’s because there is POWER to His name. When a person is frustrated and feels loss of control, it’s almost all too natural to lash out at the person that is in control, and that is all powerful – Jesus Christ.

Believe me if Buddha had power, they'd use his name in vain. The same can be said of Muhammad and of Krishna. But nobody's yelling their names because buddha's dead, muhammad's dead and krishna is dead. Only Jesus Christ is alive and in control, and the devil is doing his best to desensitize the world to His name.

Our duty as believers is to SENTITIZE the world to the name of Jesus Christ. His name is so powerful that it’s only one that can save souls from the flaming fires of hell.

~Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

After all, as it is written in Philippians 2:10-11 it’s at the name of Jesus that "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

So might as well sensitize the entire world to the power behind the name Jesus Christ as of now, before it’s too late for millions of them.

What a lovely name, the name of Jesus

Reaching higher far, than the brightest star

Sweeter than the songs they sing in heaven

Let the world proclaim, what a lovely name.

Just a short update

2007-04-17T12:35:00.000-04:00

Thought I would write a small update on my life in general.

I am enjoying God’s goodness in the new house. We are still waiting to get our internet, but that should be fixed in the coming days, if not today.

I am also enjoying Mitchelle’s salvation. It’s really nice to see her grow in the Lord. She has been fellowshipping with the church family and now comes to church on her own, without me having to call her the night before.

I am anxiously waiting for the weekend of April 27 to the 29th, since our church is having a revival. Our guest speaker is Pastor Rick Sowell, from Hope Baptist Chruch, Toledo, Ohio.

Lately, the highlights of my weeks have been the sweet fellowships with my church family.
As Psalms 133 sums it up:

[1] Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren
to dwell together in unity!
[2] It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that
ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his
garments;
[3] As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended
upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

God’s wonderful works

2007-04-09T15:28:00.000-04:00

~Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done. Psalm 40:5

Amen. Mom, brother and I are finally settled into the new house. This past weekend has been altogether wonderful. Sure, moving is a lot of work and get can quite tiresome, but the Lord was with us every step of the way. He facilitated the move, and even made it FUN.

Even though Friday was everybody’s day off, mom counted 20 people from our church which came to help us out. There were even people that came to our new home the next day to help with the unpacking. In fact, even as I’m typing this post from my work, there are people with my mother and brother lending their continual help! This past weekend unveiled sweet fellowship with our Christian family (which, of course, includes a lot of food).

I cannot even put into words how thankful I am to my church family. I especially cannot put into words how thankful I am to Christ my Saviour for all the wonderful works He has done for me personally, for my family, and for my church.

It often seems that the Lord takes His time, but that is precisely why His works are always wonderful. He takes His time to perfect the things which He wants to bless us with. He also takes His time to perfect us!

As for me, I would like to take time to thank you all for your continual prayers, they are never in vain. Your prayers got us through the move. Thank you!!

Moving!

2007-04-06T00:39:00.000-04:00

Some of you may already know because of my mother’s post on Pen of Iron that we are finally moving into the new house the Lord has provided us with. We really appreciate everybody’s prayers in this. The Lord is so good. He has provided my mother, brother and I with a beautiful house to dwell in, but has also blessed us with a special church family.

Thanks to the love Christ has placed in the hearts of the brethren at Bible Baptist Church, we had no need to hire movers. What a blessing!!! MANY of our church friends volunteered their resources, services and time to come and help us with the move. My family and I are truly moved by their gestures and only pray we can offer them our help in return some day.

It’s quite late right now for me, but I just wanted to post about the move, because I may not be able to get on to the internet over the weekend. In fact, my mother informed that we may not have internet service at the new house for some time. I will, however, have access to the internet from my office, and will be able to visit all your blogs, which I truly love doing so, as of next Monday. I might even be able to get a few posts in.

Thank you all for your prayers and for your friendships. May the Lord bless each and every one of you. I love you all!!

“I’ll get to Heaven my way”

2007-04-02T22:32:00.000-04:00

No, you won’t, don't kid yourself. All manners of people do all kinds of things hoping to make it to Heaven.

You know what the Bible calls those people?

A THIEF and a ROBBER

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

When you want to get into somebody's home, basically, you've got one of two choices. You will either go in the proper way - invited through the door, OR you will break your way in. A welcomed person will come in through the door. If it is 4 a.m., and you hear a strange noise coming from the kitchen window, that ain't grandma comin' over to fix apple pie!! That’s a thief and a robber. And how will the owner of the house treat the thief and the robber? I can assure you He will not consider the thief and robber his friend - he is his enemy and the man of the house will seek to cast out the intruder.

Simple. You either come in through the door or you're a thief and a robber and, as such, will be cast out.

Heaven is God's dwelling place – it’s God’s home. Every home has a door. The door to God's home has a name – Jesus Christ.

John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Face it. You will not make it to heaven "your way". Your way leads to the lake of fire, but His way leads to Heaven.

There's Work to be Done!

2007-03-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

God did not save us just to warm up a pew bench on Sundays. Oh no, He saved us to have intimacy with Him and to work with Him in the beauty of His holiness. When He said, "Be ye holy" it was not a request, but a commandment. And God doesn't command us to do anything that He won't empower us to do.

He gave us Life that we may LIVE for Him. There’s work to be done.

The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Luke 10:2

Let us labour for our Master and, in due season, we will reap our harvest!

Praise report

2007-03-27T21:53:00.000-04:00

I do have a very exciting praise report, in case you can’t tell from my title!

Mitchelle was to come to church on Sunday morning, but she text messaged me while I was in Sunday school that she couldn’t come, because her mother needed the car. But Mitchelle had her heart set on coming to church (smart girl), so she made it for the evening service instead.

She was very happy to be in church that evening and really enjoyed the preaching. We closed the service with the Hymn When we see Christ and when I turned around, Mitchelle’s eye were teary and she was barely holding back those tears!

I will make a long “post” short, but later that evening, I had an incredible discussion with her. Mitchelle is concerned for the salvation of our friend / co-worker, Virginia!! I have to admit, I was just floored with her statement, but definitely thankful. We both agreed to pray for her salvation! In fact, we agreed to pray for Mario too, Virginia’s boyfriend.

It gets better. Mitchelle admitted that since she got saved she feels unexplainable joy in her heart, and that she’s also a lot more sin-conscious. She said she prays more often, and that it “feels different” – she now KNOWS her Heavenly Father.

It gets even better. I had been convicted for a couple of weeks that I hadn’t told Mitchelle about baptism. I laid my conviction before the Lord and He heard my prayer. Mitchelle told me that prior to her grandfather’s passing away he “turned protestant” and got baptized. She wanted to know more about baptism. I didn’t even have to open the subject, she brought it up herself. Amen!! I explained to her from the Bible that Jesus Christ gave us two commandments after salvation: Baptism and Communion. Lord willing, she just might get baptized this summer!

Mitchelle is one of my closest friends, and to see such a turn-around with her makes me look up to Heaven and cry “who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Ex. 15:11. Amen, Lord Jesus.

Don’t quit, keep on sowing

2007-03-22T21:40:00.001-04:00

One of the easiest things for any of us to do when it seems like nothing is going our way, is for us to just give up and QUIT on God. That's right, just "throw in the towel" and walk away. What is really ugly is that the enemy will always be there, ever ready to pat us on the back and console us with, "you have good excuse to quit, you did your best”.

The one thing giving up will NOT give you is peace. The decision to quit on God will haunt you till the day you repent. You will be plagued with what might have been had you only persevered and waited on the Lord.

We have a race to run and we are running for an incorruptible prize. If we are going to make it, we must ENDURE to the END. It takes great effort to be a winner. As Paul said “and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, IF we faint not.” Paul wanted those he was addressing in his letter to the Galatians to know he realized the struggles they would have to face, and that they might even get tired of living right. He, however, wanted to admonish them to "keep on keeping on" for God: he wanted them to "stick with it" and keep on sowing the precious word that they might reap and bring lost souls to Christ.

“Keep me as the apple of the eye”

2007-03-17T20:53:00.000-04:00

In Psalm 17:8, King David asks the Lord to:

"Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of Thy wings"

Doesn’t that make for a wonderful prayer? Asking the Lord to hide us as the “apple of eye!” To be the apple of one's eye is to be very precious or dear to that person. That is what we should be striving for, reaching for, to please our Savior above all else, so He will look upon us as the apple of His eye!

In Proverbs 7:2 we are told to "keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye." In other words, WE are to obey God's teachings in the right way and to keep His commandments as the apple of our eye. His commandments are to be precious and dear in our sight. If we heed to God’s word, He just might keep us as the “apple of his eye”.

Not to mention that the second part of the verse “hide me under the shadow of Thy wings” also makes for a beautiful prayer!

The sin of ceasing to pray for others

2007-03-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you. 1 Samuel 12:23

What an amazing statement! This quote is from Samuel as he was giving up his position as judge over Israel, now that the people rejected God’s reign. Of course, we know that King Saul had been anointed and confirmed as ruler over Israel, as per the people’s request.

Samuel's words are interesting: he considers failing to pray for others to be a SIN before God. Most of the time, we would consider failing to pray for others to be a slip-up when we get too busy. Our attitude towards prayer means that prayer is the first thing dropped when we are pressed for time, but suddenly remembered when we are desperate. Samuel had lived his entire life with God, and his attitude towards prayer is much more serious; failing it was a sin in his eyes.

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:1) is what the New Testament says, but how often do we miss the importance that people such as Samuel and, more significantly, our Lord put on prayer.

While we may not be called to lead a nation, keeping Samuel's seriousness about prayer for others is a good idea. That verse in Samuel has really struck a chore with me, needless to say, I have let down many people by ceasing to pray for them, and may have even sinned before God.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psalm 119:9

Praise the Lord

2007-03-08T20:38:00.000-05:00

Psa 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

That would qualify you and me! In fact, some people say that I have TOO much breath in me, because once I start talking, I can’t stop!

I read the last chapter and verse of Psalms today, and got really convicted that I waste so much of my breath on meaningless discussions, whereas, I could be praising the very God that put breath in me.

Why should I praise the Lord?

Of course, you mean other than because the Word of God tells me to (re-read Ps. 150:6), and besides the fact that Christ died for my salvation.

I want to praise my Lord because when I do so, I find it draws me closer to Him. It feeds my Sprit with joy and peace. I also find I smile more often when I praise and worship Him. It's even contagious. Ever noticed how when one person starts praising the Lord in church, it doesn’t take long before everyone starts talking about His goodness.

So question is, why NOT praise the Lord.

Ever the same all sufficient Savior

2007-03-02T23:11:00.000-05:00

2 Corinthians 3:5 ~ Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.

The word sufficient means to be adequate or equal to the task or need. In Jesus Christ, God has provided a sufficient sacrifice and Savior. Not only is Christ a sufficient Savior, but He is also "able to save to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:5) and to keep, "that which is committed unto Him" (2 Ti 1:12). Christ meets every physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of our life.

We have many incidents of God’s sufficiency in Christ recorded in the Gospels. Every miracle in the Gospels not only met an immediate need of the person but also speaks to us of God’s ability to aid and help us in our lives. As He was then, so is He now. Jesus has the same love and compassion today as He did for the suffering in His day. I love the words of our Savior in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

Christian, He’s ever the same all sufficient Savior. Try Him, won’t you.

Hebrews 13:8 ~ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Jesus Paid it All

2007-02-27T21:08:00.000-05:00

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Refrain

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Refrain

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Refrain

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
“Jesus died my soul to save”
My lips shall still repeat

Refrain

Listen to the music here

Update

2007-02-27T20:41:00.000-05:00

Mitchelle made it back safely from her vacation to Chili. It’s real nice having her back.

Our church is having a ladies’ meeting this Saturday evening, and Mitchelle will be attending. She said that during her time in Chili, she missed the “work girls” and missed the church! I’m floored with the way God is working in her heart.

Please pray that nothing gets in the way of her coming to the ladies’ meeting. I think this will be good for her. She needs to grow in the Lord. She needs to be faithful to Him and to His church!

Friday Nights

2007-02-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

I love all four of my J.V. girls at Awana. They mean so much to me, more than they could ever know.

Out of the four, only Nicole remains unsaved. She is a very difficult teenager. I understand she has family issues, school problems and suffers from a lot of insecurities. She also has an attitude problem and is very rebellious. Yet, underneath it, she is a beautiful person. I’ve come to know her really well and I care a lot about her.

Yesterday night was the second time that Nicole brought her friend to Awana, which is great, however, she gets even more rebellious around her. Last night was the first time I had to discipline Nicole the way I did. I reported her to the Awana commander and asked him to speak with her. Nicole and her friend didn’t come upstairs to the classroom and I had to go on with my lesson without them. But before I began the lesson, Ashley, Amanda, Adriana and I huddled around in a circle, held hands and lifted Nicole and her friend, Melissa, in prayer. The Lord is so good and I have tasted of His goodness countless times. I am supposed to be encouraging these girls but, last night, they encouraged me with their kind words. It was a beautiful moment. We laid all our burdens down at the foot of the cross, not just the Nicole situation.

When the Awana was over, I went to speak to both Nicole and Melissa, but then Melissa got called away and I had Nicole all for myself. I let her know that I did what I did because I love her and because I care for her salvation. Nicole apologized for the first time to me and promised to come upstairs to the class next Friday.

Friday nights are often tiresome, because all four of the J.V. girls need a lot of attention, and I often worry if I am doing them justice and if I am the right person to teach them. Maybe because we are approaching the end of they year, I am starting to feel a bit more discouraged, and tired. I just don’t want to lose Nicole. She isn’t forced to come to Awana; she comes completely out of free-will, but what if one day she decides not to attend anymore. She would have walked out the church the way she walked in, a lost soul. That wrenches my heart and I hate thinking like that. I need the Lord to give me faith that, in due time, Nicole will bow her head and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save her.

Please pray for salvation for Nicole and Melissa. Pray also for a continual growth for Ashley, Amanda and Adriana.

I already feel much better just having prayed for that whole situation and for having posted about it on my online diary!

Whiter than Snow has a whole new meaning

2007-02-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

When we are born again our sins are forgiven. We are washed “whiter than snow.” I’ve had that thought in mind for a while, especially since last week, when Montreal was literarily bombarded with tons of snow. I remember coming back from prayer meeting last Wednesday night in the midst of the snow storm. When the snow first falls down, it’s breathtaking. It’s pure white and almost reflects like crystal. I love watching it falling down; the very sight of it is peaceful.

Whiter than snow - that’s pretty clean. Can you imagine whiter than snow? Anything whiter than snow must have a touch of the glory of God upon it. And that is precisely it; the precious blood of Jesus washes all our sins away.

This concept applies even after salvation. Our lives can still get stained and dirty by sin and we aren't very pretty to look at. Some people try a lot of things to clean up their lives. Some think that if they will just go to church, they will get clean, but the stain is still there. Only the blood of Jesus can wash away even the worst stains in our life.

When we fall down, we can plead Psalm 51:7 and we will receive the promise of forgiveness of sins through 1 John 1:9. What a beautiful thought that Christ can wash us clean and make us pure again. Only He can wash us whiter than snow!

A perfect peace

2007-02-18T22:06:00.000-05:00

One of the most reassuring verses in the bible reads: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Is 26:3).

This scripture gives us a promise of peace, and gives us the way to obtain this peace. When our minds are stayed on the Lord and on the goodness of Him, no matter what’s going on around us, we have an assurance of peace. And not just peace, but PERFECT PEACE. A peace that will enable us to stand in the midst of any trial. A peace that gives us confidence that we can be still and know that He is God (Ps. 46:10) even when placed in the center of a storm.

A peace that assures us our God is always in control of all things, and if He can part the Red Sea and allow the children of Israel to walk through on dry land, surely He is able to take care of our daily needs. A peace that reminds us that we serve the great “I AM”, not the great “I was”, or the great “I’m going to be”! The Lord says, “I AM” the God that delivers; “I AM” the God who supplies your needs; “I AM” the God who heals; “I AM” the God of your salvation; “I AM” the God who forgives; “I AM” the God who loves; “I AM” the God who fulfills and “I AM” the God of peace which passeth all understanding (Phi 4:7)!

The walk of faith

2007-02-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

I heard this saying many years ago and it stuck with me. I hope it sticks with you also!

"If we walk by faith we will soon be walking on golden streets."

~For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor. 5:7

~And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. Rev. 21:21

Saved!

2007-02-11T17:01:00.000-05:00

I will just come right out and say it, although, I feel like shouting it. Mitchelle got saved in church today! Thank you, and praise you, Lord Jesus!

Right now, I am just in awe at the way God works. You see, Mitchelle was supposed to come back to church last Sunday morning, however, she ended up having to cancel. Mitchelle is taking a two-week vacation to Chili with her friend. They were to leave this past Friday, which is why she didn’t come to church last Sunday. She needed to go shopping with her friend in preparation for their trip.

Yes, I was a little disappointed, but if there’s anything I’ve learned by now, it is to leave everything up to the Lord. My only worry was that now that Mitchelle is leaving on Friday and won’t be back for two weeks, she will not be coming to church for quite a while. I took it to the Lord in prayer. As it turns out, it is much cheaper for both Mitchelle and her friend to travel on a Monday, than it is on a Friday. Monday morning Mitchelle announced to me that, in fact, she will travel on the Monday following, which would allow her to come to church this Sunday.

Praise the Lord, she came to church this morning! Right before the service began, she sat on the bench next to me, and my mom was quick to ask her if she was saved yet. Mitchelle smiled and said she doesn’t know. The problem is that Mitchelle believed in her heart that Jesus Christ paid the death penalty for her on the cross, but she didn’t quite understand what to do with that knowledge. Mom told her that it’s a matter of a simple prayer, and before you know it, my mom, Mitchelle and I held hands and prayed.

Mitchelle prayed and said the following (I don’t remember the exact words):

“Lord, I know that I am a sinner, I know that you died for me, and I ask you to give me eternal life and a place in Heaven.”

WOW!!!!!! Keep in mind that this is all taking place before the service had even began, and when it started, we opened with the Hymn I am thine, O Lord. We then sang In the sweet by and by, Whiter than Snow and Standing on the promises. Mrs Judi (Pastor’s wife) then sang a special. She sang about Heaven, and sure enough, Pastor’s message was about Heaven! Mitchelle listened intently and was all smiles. She had just asked for a place in Heaven and she now had proof from the Bible that Jesus Christ granted her request.

Like last time she came to church, she joined me and my church family for lunch. Everybody spoke to her, including myself, and I can assure you that Mitchelle KNOWS that is she ETERNALLY saved and knows and understands that she is now a born-again Christian. She kept repeating how she felt an overwhelming joy and that she really loved the church.

I told Mitchelle to write down today’s date in her Bible and to bring it with her on her trip to read it and to witness to her friend. She says she is looking forward to come back from Chili so that she could come to church again. Mitchelle even knows that she has to tell her sisters and mother about the Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray for a household salvation!

You see Mitchelle had come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in her heart and all that was left to do was to confess it with her mouth, which she did today, February 11, 2007, on her bench at Bible Baptist Church.

~For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10

All I can say is, thank you, Lord, Jesus!

A closer walk with God

2007-02-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

I believe most of you are familiar with the Hymn Just a closer walk with Thee. That is what I have been craving for these past few days. A stronger, more sincere and intimate walk with my Savior is what my soul is longing for.

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Whenever I think of that Hymn, my thoughts often turn to King David. There are several Bible passages which prove that David lived that day-by-day walk with Almighty God. I just love David. So what if he fell short of the glory of God, who hasn’t (Rom 3:23). David's heart was right with God and I love that he thirsted for righteousness. I believe he was a man that had a sincere longing for the Lord and thus, maintained a daily walk with Him.

First of all, he prayed daily:

~Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

Secondly, he meditated in God’s word daily:

~Psa 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Thirdly, David realized the benefits of God’s daily blessings:

~Psa 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

And fourthly, He praised God daily:

~Psa 72:15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

With these simple tasks alone, David equipped himself to meet his day. The second verse of “Just a closer walk with thee” is as follows:

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

David learned to daily rely on the Lord, and to rely on Him alone. Even though David had his share of “snares” in his life, he learned that the only person in this world who truly cares is the Lord. None but Thee, as in the Hymn.

The last verse of the Hymn talks about when this day-by-day life is over:

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Until then, may we all learn to walk just a closer walk with God. Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Waiting patiently on the Lord

2007-02-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

I think it’s human nature to want to rush through life, but human nature is sinful nature. God’s Word teaches us to wait on the Lord. However, studying God’s word has also taught me that it’s not only a simple matter of waiting, but of waiting patiently.

Psalm 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

I now understand that the Lord is teaching me to wait, and to wait patiently and on HIM. That is alright. I much rather trust God’s wisdom than trust my own.

Pro 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

A good verse to claim

2007-02-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

I often claim the above-mentioned verse when the Lord burdens me to pray for a friend’s salvation. It sounds so simple, because it is, but all that we have to do to win our family, friends and co-workers to the Lord is to earnestly pray for them. After all, God Himself cares for their salvation much more than we could ever possibly desire!

God worketh in us…through His Word

2007-01-29T21:03:00.000-05:00

Philippians 2:13 says it is God that worketh in us, but how can we know for sure that it is HE that is working in us? Well, it dawned on me that the answer is pretty simple, we can know by God’s Word. This is one reason why there has been such a falling away in Christianity these last days. Preachers have let go of sound teaching, sound doctrine, of studying and of reading the Word of God, and some have even let go of preaching altogether!

It is God's way of working in us. God works in us, but He works in us through His Word. We are living in a Christian world where "emotionalism" gives us assurance. It is going over so big, you know, “I feel this”, and “I feel that”, whereas “I KNOW this” and “I KNOW that”, because God’s Word says so.

True Christian living calls for daily searching and studying of God's Word. The flesh wants to work in us, the devil wants to work in us, and the world wants to work a work in us, but the only way we can keep God working in us is by the Word of God. The flesh has deceived us on the fact that God will work in us even if we do not read. How untrue!

We want God to work in us every way except, well, God’s WAY. We read in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." An thus we have assurance that God works in us, through His WORD!

I had to do this

2007-01-29T20:58:00.000-05:00

Blogger wasn’t allowing me to publish posts unless I switched to Blogger Beta. I’m not sure I like the new blogger, but I guess I will have to adapt.

The Gentleness of Christ

2007-01-25T22:03:00.000-05:00

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

My prayers are that the Lord would bear in me the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is an attribute of our Lord and Saviour. He is love, gives joy, is longsuffering, gentle, good, faithful, meek and temperate.

Of recent, I’ve been thinking a lot about gentleness. Gentleness is from the root gentle, which means amiable, moderate, soft, polite, tender and refined. Jesus Christ is gentle; He is a gentleman. We just have to read our New Testament to see how kind and polite he is towards women. How about to Mary, his (earthly) "mother". Or Mary Magdalene. Or even the woman that was caught in adultery, and the woman of Samaria. Gentleness is attribute of Christ, one that we should all possess.

Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2 Co 10:1

With His gentleness, we can impact those around us. How about being gentle with those suffering in the church? Or how about exercising gentleness with our lost friends and family, much like Jesus Christ treats the sinner. It's what Jesus showed his disciples as they asked him question after question. At times, they even questioned who he was! Maybe through our Christ-like gentleness we can win those we love to the Lord.

The word gentleness is mentioned four times in the Bible. Once in the book of Galatians, once in 2 Corinthians, and the other two passages are the following:

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. 2Sa 22:36

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Psa 18:35

WOW! Ever wondered what made King David a great man? The GENTLENES of God made Him great. If we, likewise, want to be great men and women, then we need to posses the gentleness of Christ!

One step closer!

2007-01-21T22:39:00.001-05:00

Praise the Lord; Mitchelle came to church for the first time! She even brought her Bible with her, very impressive! She really liked the people, liked the singing, and best of all, enjoyed the preaching.

The Lord never ceases to amaze. As most of you know, Mitchelle and I work as legal secretaries for a downtown firm. Anyone wanna take a stab and guess what Pastor Larry preached on this morning?

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

Pastor Larry preached on Jesus Christ as our Advocate!! It was a perfect message that spoke both to the saved, and to the unsaved.

Mitchelle even lunched with me along with some church family after the service. All the while, she was very interested in knowing more about Jesus Christ and asked a lot of questions concerning salvation. She hinted how much she wants to come back to church, and even wants her mother to come. Please continue praying for Mitchelle, she is thirsting for the truth…"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” John 7:37

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

DOUBLE WAMMY

My mami (Consecrated) has been praying for Mitchelle to come to church, and I’ve been praying for her friend Nadia to also come. Today, Mitchelle came for the morning service, and mom’s friend, Nadia, came for the evening service. AMEN!

I really need prayer for my friend’s salvation

2007-01-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

Mitchelle is my co-worker and my really good friend. I have been witnessing to her for just over a year, and although, they may have been but “baby steps”, the Lord has allowed me to place a tract in her hands, give her a Bible, and invite her to church numerous times. She’s read the tract, she’s read a little bit in her Bible, but she has not come to church yet. Every Sunday, there is an “obstacle” and se is unable to come.

She “almost” came to church last Sunday evening, and though I may have been discouraged that she didn’t, I quickly had to trust in God that He wants her to come on an appointed day that she may hear a certain message that will specifically speak to her.

The reason why I am so keen for wanting her to come to church is because she’s heard about Jesus Christ from myself only, and I want her to hear the Word of God preached by a Man of God, not just from some girl at work whose testimony is a bit shaky at times…I want Mitchelle to get SAVED, and I want her to be live for Christ. She’s my friend, and I don’t want her to be another case of “almost persuaded”.

I don’t know why I am so nervous about this. All I know is I am burdened for her. I am even burdened for her family. I want Mitchelle, her two sisters and mother to be born again.

All week, Mitchelle has been saying that she is determined to come to church this Sunday. I now just hung up the phone with her and she has confirmed that she will be coming in the morning. Please pray that she does show up! Maybe tomorrow is the day of her salvation. Please, Lord Jesus, may it be so.

~Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:2

A dirty ministry

2007-01-13T21:32:00.000-05:00

Our church has a “cleaning ministry”, that is, each Saturday a different team cleans the church. I had never done it in the past, because the church always had enough people to fulfill that ministry.

A few months ago, our associate Pastor announced that the church would need more recruits for the coming year. My brother and volunteered to help out, and today was our first time cleaning the church.

Let me tell you, there's something very humbling about having to clean your own church’s toilets!

My mami’s birthday :)

2007-01-09T21:43:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, January 10th, is Consecrated’s birthday. It’s a blessing for both my brother and I to have a mother that truly lives up to her blogger name, Consecrated. She is entirely devoted to the Lord and makes for a great female role model. I love her lots!

Happy birthday, mom.

~Her children arise up, and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:28

The thought of foolishness

2007-01-08T22:32:00.000-05:00

Think about it for a moment. God describes FOOLISHNESS as the WISDOM of the world.

~For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 1 Co 3:19-20

In contrast to Heavenly wisdom (James 3:14-17), worldly wisdom exalts self and trusts in the wicked deeds of the flesh. Even though, the schools, cultures, governments, media and religions endorse and promote this “wisdom of the world”, the Lord considers it to be nothing but foolishness.

In Proverbs 24:9 we read that “the thought of foolishness is sin.” And in Matthew 9:4 Christ says that man thinks in his heart (Matt 9:4). The thought of foolishness, therefore, is a heart problem. God also says that as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he”.

This really bothers me. This means that every time I have a "thought of foolishness" the Lord must think I am fool, not to mention that I have sinned against Him. I don’t want to think with my heart, and I don’t want to lust after the wisdom of this world. I want to be overcome by God’s wisdom!

~If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

When do Christians faint?

2007-01-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

[…And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.] Matthew 26: 37-43

Ever noticed how Christians tend to faint and quit on Jesus Christ at the time that they are needed the most.

Thank you, Lord Jesus

2007-01-01T14:06:00.000-05:00

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph 5:20

If the Lord taught me anything this past year, 2006, it is to give thanks always, and in all things for I serve a good God.

In 2006, the Lord Jesus accomplished many wonders for me and His mighty right hand was with me as a good shepherd protects His sheep from the roaming wolf.

It started out with the Lord blessing me with a significant raise at work, then with my first ever car, then with a brand new laptop, and so on, but those are just worthless physical possessions.

In the summer of 2004, the Lord had allowed me (and my mother) to be reunited with my brother aka my prodigal brother after a six-year separation. He spent a few weeks with us before going back to Lebanon. The next year, he spent the entire summer of 2005 with us before going back again to Lebanon to finish his studies. As I praised the Lord for having my brother back in my life, there was yet one thing that remained unsettled; an eight-year separation between my father and I. It was something that I was dreading and that I was greatly fearing.

Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matt 26: 39) was my prayer. God’s perfect will found me on the airplane on June 16, 2006 and on my way to Lebanon to be reunited with earthly father. Thankfully, my brother was with me the entire two weeks to strengthen me with God’s Word and with prayer, as it was a very intense and difficult time, for both of us.

To God be the glory, I got to see my brother graduate from University and on July 3, 2006, we both made our way safely to Montreal, not to mention less than 10 days before war broke out in the country! I now have my brother here for good, unless and until the Lord calls Him elsewhere. Nevertheless, He is in my life. He is also a faithful servant and a soldier of Jesus Christ for which I greatly rejoice.

Maybe this does not seem like much to you, but it is a special love story between Jesus Christ and me. The Lord has always watched, kept and preserved me all of my life. I have a lot to be thankful for and have learned to give thanks always in every thing because this is the Will of God. The least I can do is to give Him the glory. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you . 1 Thess 5:18

My strength and my peace

2006-12-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

~The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

This world is not our home! Lost people of this world are constantly seeking peace and looking for it in all the wrong places. Our God of Heaven provides for us all our need. Truly, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).

And if we truly love God, then it should be easy for us to keep our eyes on Him. There is a promise that He will keep us in perfect peace if our mind is stayed on Him (Is 26:3). It should also be easy for us to keep Him informed of everything that goes on in our life; that is to talk to Him as our Father.

I don’t understand why it’s so much easier for me to focus on the problems and trials of life. I am thankful for God’s Word because His Word reminds me that if I want strength and peace, then I need to seek His face and put my “issues” in His hands. I need to leave everything at the foot of the cross and trust that He will carry the burden.

Peace is worth a great price, and our God gives it to us freely. He promises a blessed peace to His people. He is our strength (Ps. 81:1). He is our peace (Eph. 2:14).

I have to rejoice that I have an Almighty, all powerful and an ever present God seeing to my every need. I will praise the Lord. Amen!

The hidden Man of the heart

2006-12-26T12:34:00.000-05:00

A simple morning meditation God placed upon my heart.

Far above rubies

A time to rest

2006-12-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc 3:1

Everybody calls this time of the year “holiday season”, but those who know me well know that I’m not big on christmas, neither is my family nor my church. To me, this is more like “resting season”.

I am off on Monday and Tuesday. I then work on Wednesday and Thursday, which will be very quiet days at the office, and get to have time off on the Friday, Monday and Tuesday after that! That’s some excellent resting time for me for which I am very grateful to the Lord. My plans consist mainly of reading my Bible and spending quality time with my brother and mother. I will also hang out as much as possible with good friends from the church.

I do pray and trust that the Lord will give all my readers and friends a good resting season as well!

I can do all things…through Christ!

2006-12-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

~I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

If you just read the first part of this verse, it may sound an alarm indicating arrogance: "I can do all things." Yes, this was the spirit that attempted to build the tower of Babel. This was the downfall of mighty men like Saul and the Egyptian Pharaoh. Unfortunately, that same spirit still lingers as many today are consumed by a false belief that they do not need God. They make the same claim: "I can do all things.

But the next two words in the verse take this out of the context of arrogance altogether. It is not a boast of self: "I can do all things"; but rather, I can do all things through Christ! There is a huge difference there. Arrogance is declaring "I can do all things”, but confession is "I can do all things through Christ."

To fully grasp this verse, one must stop and think about what he/she couldn't do without Christ. We could not effectively and thoroughly know our lost condition. Without Him, we could not have an adequate concept of God. Without Him, we could not overcome sin. Without Him, we would all be victims of the wrath to come. And without Him, we could not obtain eternal life. Jesus said to His disciples "without me ye can do nothing" (John. 15:5). Ephesians 2:12 teaches that outside Jesus Christ we have "no hope".

But through Christ and through our relationship of active faith in Him we find true inner strength! Strength to adequately evaluate ourselves. Strength to know the difference between right and wrong, that is, by faithfully applying His Word. Strength that comes through the remission of our sins.

And something that I have been beautifully experiencing all year, I have found inner strength in response to prayer I offer to God through Him. Truly, without Christ, I can do nothing.

A tract in the mail

2006-12-18T21:28:00.000-05:00

One of my co-workers is on maternity leave. Her husband and her had waited four years before finally having this first child of theirs. Incidentally, they named their son Benjamin…

I received in the mail a Christmas card from her, and I was very touched, since I found out that I’m the only one from work to whom she sent a card. Tonight, I also mailed her a Christmas card. I quoted Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD” and worked up courage to also include a gospel tract.

I’m very anxious in knowing what her reaction will be when she reads the tract, and even more so, her husband’s reaction. With a name such as Benjamin, it would be a shame not to train up their child in Godly fear.

Please pray for my friend Jenn!!

One of my many favorite Hymns!

2006-12-12T21:53:00.000-05:00

Tell me the Story of Jesus

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth.
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Refrain
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past.
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore.
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.

Refrain

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain.
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see.
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
Love paid the ransom for me.

Refrain

Click here for the music

Christ is Jehovah-Jireh

2006-12-10T16:14:00.000-05:00

The LORD commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as we read from Genesis 22. As they approached the place of sacrifice, Isaac was unaware that he himself was the intended sacrifice. He asked his father “where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” Then, as Abraham prepared Isaac to be sacrificed, God interrupted him just at the very minute he was about to slay his son with the sacrificial knife. Abraham was instructed to release Isaac.

It is at that moment that Abraham lifted up his eyes and understood that the LORD had provided a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s stead. Therefore, Abraham honored the sacrificial place by naming it Jehovah-Jireh, “The LORD will provide”.

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Genesis 22:13-14

Jesus Christ is Jehovah. He is co-equal and co-eternal with His Father. Jesus Christ is, therefore, Jehovah-Jireh, “The LORD will provide.” Like His Father, Christ is Jehovah who provides for all the needs of His people. The greatest need for humanity is the salvation of the soul, which can only be found through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

What is astounding is that Christ provided Himself as the offering and sacrifice for God’s people (Ephesians 5:2). Just as God provided the ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s stead, Christ provided Himself to be sacrificed in the sinner’s stead (read Isaiah 53). God has provided for our salvation.

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Romans 5:8-9

Have you, by faith in Jesus Christ, embraced Him as Jehovah-Jireh? If not, you have refused the only divinely ordained sacrifice for your sins to the eternal damnation of your soul.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27

A verse to always keep in mind

2006-12-07T20:16:00.000-05:00

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33

A Reasonable Service

2006-12-04T20:26:00.000-05:00

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

The believer is to present his body to God which is his reasonable service. But unless we distinguish between salvation by Grace and salvation by service (works), or discipleship, we are like to become confused when we read certain portions of the Holy Scripture.

We are not called to earn our way to Heaven, but rather, because we are already citizens of Heaven, we are called to present our bodies to God which is our only reasonable service. Because we are already saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ we are to abstain from every unholy thing that would hinder our progress and bring dishonor to Christ our Redeemer.

Notice, we are to present our body a LIVING SACRIFICE. . We know our body is the temple of God. The temple is the building in which God dwells. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Cor. 3:16. In a nutshell, we must die to our prior selves, that is to let go of all our prior wicked deeds. See Colossians 3:5-14

All such service will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. If it was a reasonable service for Jesus to leave His Heavenly glory, become a man, and as a man to sacrifice Himself unto death, then surely our little sacrifice is indeed most reasonable. We have very little to give, and when there is an opportunity for showing our appreciation to our great God and Saviour for His love toward us, we should make haste to use it.

The Heavenly Father set before His Son a great joy as a recompense for His obedience. The LORD does not invite us to sacrifice ourselves without any reward from Him. He has promised that if we do this He will make us joint-heirs with his beloved Son and partakers of the Divine nature.

I would say, not only is it a reasonable service for us to mortify the deeds of the body (Rom. 12:8) but thanks to our just God, it is also a most rewarding service.

Tract!

2006-12-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

It is rare for young people to be religious; however, Melissa is a 25 year-old Roman Catholic girl and very deep in her “faith”. She sings in the choir and has even appeared on television. She too, likewise, spends most of her free time in church.

Even though I see Melissa on a daily basis, she works with a notary who is not affiliated with our law firm but just happens to use our premises. It’s good for lawyers to know good notaries because legal documents often need to be notarized.

Going back to Melissa, I have always wanted to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with her, but never had the chance since I don’t work with her. But this week, Melissa has not been feeling very well; probably due to stress. She came in to work today but was feeling even sicker, so she quickly opted to go back home. I told her that she would be in my thoughts and prayers. I know Melissa is an avid reader, which is why I also gave her the French tract “Eternal life is a free gift.”

Please keep this young lady in prayer. May she come to know that is not by works, but by God’s GRACE!

~For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus Christ – The bread of life

2006-11-28T19:29:00.000-05:00

The Bread of Life is the spiritual food needed by man. Without the bread of life man cannot live spiritually. Just as man needs to eat physically in order to live, the bread of life gives nourishment for the soul. Unless one eats from the bread of life he faces eternal death and punishment.

In the Old Testament, the Lord provided the Israelites with manna from heaven. They were told only to take what was required for one day’s supply and had to trust that God would provide more the next day. The manna served as salvation for the Israelites’ physical need. God, however, knew of a greater need for the salvation of man's soul and met that need through His Son, Christ Jesus, who is your soul’s bread of life. The Israelites had to eat their manna daily. But with the Lord Jesus Christ, you only need to taste him once. Once you feast on the true bread of life, your soul is saved.

I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world […] Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: hethat eateth of this bread shall live forever. John 6:48-58

Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life. It is only through Him that you can have eternal life. He is the promised manna for your soul. You just need to call upon His name for salvation once in your life, and He will seal you with His Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13), after which your eternal destiny is absolutely fixed. Just as eating physical food is simple, there is also simplicity in Christ for the salvation of your soul.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35

Brother & I

2006-11-25T22:16:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, nobody was able to go tract passing today. However, early in the evening, my brother and I were feeling quite bored and so, we opted to go do some tract passing at the metro. In the car, we were both yawning and laughing at just how tired we both were. Nevertheless, we are very glad we held the fort. My brother was able to speak to a few individuals. One lady he witnessed to says she might come to church tomorrow morning. My brother and I stayed at the metro for two hours and distributed almost all the tracts we had on us.

…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Think upon Him

2006-11-23T21:26:00.000-05:00

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Psalm 112:1
As you go about your daily tasks, you will often get distracted and lose focus on Christ. Unexpected events can turn your day upside down, if you allow them.

To get through days as such, you must regain strength by meditating on the promises God has made you. He has promised to never leave nor forsake you.

Read the rest of the Psalm 112. It will bless and encourage you to trust in the Lord, no matter what is taking place. The 7th verse says “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD”. When your trust is in Him, the circumstances of life fade and are not that important. Your purpose should be to please and praise Him. If you know you are trying to live your life for His glory, circumstances are opportunities to strengthen your faith and to let Him reveal His loving grace and power.

One that knows the Lord Jesus Christ as His personal Saviour should never be defeated by this world. Remember His Words:

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Your desire should be to use each day to grow stronger in the Lord, to become more like Him. In Hebrews 12:2 we are told to look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Neither trials nor temptations were able to defeat Him. He understood the Father’s will and was faithful to say and live, “not as I will, but as thou wilt.” And in the end, Christ arose the victor!

When life begins to get you down, delight in the Lord. Rejoice! Think upon Him who has overcome the world.

Praise God from who all blessings flow.

Glory to God!

2006-11-21T21:24:00.000-05:00

My office manager is away on vacation all week and I am quite busy replacing her. As fun as it may be getting to play “boss”, it’s also a lot of work. Today, I also had to replace the receptionist and in consequence, I finished working at 5:30 instead of 5pm. I know it does not sound so terrible, however, adding to it all, I have an awful cold and I’ve lost my voice since Friday night. When I answer the phone at reception, I sound like a 500 year old receptionist. Not to mention that it’s been quite painful on my throat.

However, the Lord had a purpose for my having a cold and staying at work just a bit later. At 5pm, a client came in for his meeting with one of the lawyers who happens to be my boss, Jeffrey. I have witnessed to Jeffrey countless times. While Jeffrey was yet in another meeting, the client asked me about my cold. He then wanted to know if I was Italian. I replied that I was Lebanese, which led to political talk and which then led to discussing the Lord Jesus Christ. It turns out the gentleman is a Portuguese Catholic who has no faith in churches at all nor faith in the pope (no hope in the pope!!).

As the discussion flowed, he interrupted me wanting to know if I were “Christian born”. I corrected him and told him that the Biblical term is born again. As it happens, he was familiar with the term since his wife’s friend is saved and they had both visited her church once.

The Lord put words in my mouth as I shared with the client the simplicity of the gospel of Christ and that he ought to call upon His name for salvation. Being stuck at reception, my purse was at my desk and I was unable to hand him a tract before he left. I trust the Spirit of God to get a hold of him. Who knows, the Lord can use his wife’s friend to bring him and his family to salvation.

I have noticed that almost every time I end up staying late at work, the Lord gives me an opportunity to share the gospel to a lost soul. Had it not been for my cold, had it not been for my office manager being away and had it not been for my receptionist leaving early today, this Portuguese gentleman would not have heard the gospel of Christ Jesus. Glory to God!

Arrested for street preaching

2006-11-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

To find out how our Sunday afternoon street preaching went, please visit Pen of Iron. Certainly an experience that will always stay with me and with all those who stepped out to war that day.

Pen of Iron -At War

Drawing nearer to God

2006-11-16T21:39:00.000-05:00

The Lord has placed a Psalm on my heart, and it is the following one:

~But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works. Psalm 73:28

Christ Jesus has been my only hiding place all my life, but I want to draw near to Him not only in bad times, but at all times. I long to be with him and I thirst to spend more time in His Word.

It’s good to be involved in church activities, helping and serving, and it’s good to keep our responsibilities, such as our jobs, but I feel like I have failed Jesus in so many ways. Do I give to everybody else first, and then give to the Lord? I certainly don’t want to fall into that trap. I must put Christ first in my life and give Him my everything, after all, He laid down His own life for me.

I want to draw near to Him! I long to be with Him! I want the precious name of Jesus Christ to be on my tongue all day. I want to praise Him and tell the whole world what a wonderful Saviour He is. Sometimes, I really wish I could just fly away and truly be Nearer, my God, to Thee.

~Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:8

Paul’s joyful attitude

2006-11-14T19:45:00.000-05:00

The meaning of the word joy is cheerfulness and sincere delight. Joy is an emotion evoked by the feeling of well-being and happiness. The spiritual joy experienced by the disciple of Christ is elevated to a level above happiness. The scriptures often refer to "rejoicing" as an expression of joy and instruct the faithful to rejoice. The apostle Paul repeatedly reminded the Philippians to maintain an attitude of rejoicing in the Lord. "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord….Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 3:1; 4:4).

The scriptures have provided a beautiful example of a joyful attitude in the character of Paul the apostle. Though he was persecuted and suffered at the hands of unbelieving, preaching the truth and nurturing fellow younger brethren brought him great joy and strength. Paul says, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Phil. 3:8. Worldly possessions become worthless when compared to the opportunity and privilege of being called by the Almighty God. Paul trusted in God to be the supplier of all his needs. (James 1:17)

Paul remained without complaint, as we learn from 2 Corinthians 7:4 "Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation” even though we learn from the very next verse (5) that he had suffered greatly. In these verses, Paul is revealing a perfect example of suffering combined with a joyful attitude.

So much to learn!!!

Tract passing at a later time

2006-11-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

We ended up going tract passing much later today. We arrived at the metro at 4 p.m and stayed until nearly 6 p.m. Time went by so quickly because the metro was packed with people. I’m happy that we went and that we were able to hand out so many tracts. The tract passing made my day!

I’m also ecstatic that tomorrow is Sunday. I can’t wait to go to church. I love the preaching, the singing and the fellowship. I love the Lord!!

The Just One

2006-11-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers. Act 7:52

I know the Lord Jesus Christ has over an hundred titles in the Bible, but I hadn't thought of "the just one" until I read the above-mentioned passage today. What a fitly name for the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, Jesus Christ, THE JUST ONE!

How bright is our light?

2006-11-07T19:19:00.000-05:00

Far above rubies

Be STILL and KNOW

2006-11-06T13:04:00.000-05:00

~Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

Through these words of the Psalmist, God invites us to seek quietness and to become still. He then promises that this stillness will not be an empty experience. In the stillness He will strengthen us.

Be still and know boils down to two important truths: Prayer and Faith.

The "be still" part sounds difficult, but the Lord is just asking from us a time to be quiet. Instead of letting the cares of the world and the hurts of our heart get the best of us, we just have to commit all our insecurities to the Lord, and He will sustain us. We are to seek fellowship with Him, a time of prayer.

There is another very powerful message: not only are we to be calm, we are also to know that God is in control. He is almighty! The quiet time that we spend with Christ will humble us in knowing how great He is and how small a creature we are. He will equip us with the shield of faith.

If we can be still and know that He is God in whatever situation we are facing, whether a time of trial or a time of praise, the Lord Jesus Christ will get the glory and He will be exalted among the people.

~In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15

Resting in God’s presence

2006-11-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

I find it almost too wonderful that Jesus is my burden-bearer. I can allow him to take the burdens from my shoulders. Whatever these troubles of mine (and yours too) may be, whether worry, unconfessed sins, fear, etc., whatever they may be, the Lord Jesus has comforting and promising words to us all.

~Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

All these unnecessary troubles that we carry can be obstacles which prevent us from resting in God’s presence. We must remember that Christ Jesus dealt with everything on the cross and He only asks us to believe that He has done away with all our sins. He has also done away with all our sorrows. Isaiah 53:4 says that “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows”.

One of my favorite Psalms is chapter 91. I invite you to read it in its entirety, it’s quite short.

~ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1

Having found that place of rest, we then need to dwell in that secret place, under the shadow of the Almighty. This secret place, to me, is an intimate communion; a place where I can make known my heart, with its needs and wishes, its thoughts and feelings, its doubts and anxieties, its sorrows and its joys to Christ my Lord. It’s a place of refuge from the storms of the world where I can cling to Him.

If we abide with him and abide in His WORD we shall remain under his care. His outstretched wings of power and love cover us. This protection is ours if we abide constantly in Him. He is our refuge and we can fly to Him. He is our fortress. The Lord of Hosts stands between us and the enemy.

How do we come to dwell in this secret place and rest there? We make it ours by faith and prayer, "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” Psalm 91:2.

In times of trial and temptation, difficulties and problems, we can only fly into the secret place of God and we can rest in the shadow of the Almighty. When we're weak and struggling, striving against sin and sorrow, hurting from the attacks of the world, He then is our safe, quiet and resting place.

We have won the Lottery!

2006-11-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

Lost folks who do not have the Lord Jesus Christ as their hope are so caught up with earthly goods, it really breaks my heart. At work, most lawyers and staff participate in collecting money to purchase a lottery ticket. Each week, they hope for the best.

On the train tonight, on my way back home, a young lady sat next to me and the first thing she did was to pull out her lottery ticket and scratch it as fast as she possibly could. Terribly sad…I really should have given her a tract.

How privileged are we to have obtained eternal life through Christ. Our affection is set on things above (Colossians 3:2) and our inheritance is an everlasting one, reserved for us in Heaven.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

Praise God, for we have won the lottery, big! Our ticket is bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ who died for us that we might live and lay hold on eternal life. We have the ticket to Heaven, and it’s through Romans 10:13.

Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. Proverbs 8:18-21

The evil of Halloween

2006-10-30T21:08:00.000-05:00

Every Bible Believer, if not everybody, ought to know this. We should not be partakers of such evil. This is deadly stuff. Please pay attention and read carefully, for this is the truth behind the evil of halloween:

A covenant with DEATH and HELL

Our God is a Consuming Fire

2006-10-28T17:19:00.000-04:00

The inspiration behind this post comes from sitting in front of my fireplace on a rainy and cold Saturday. Watching the fire and its sparks got me thinking of Hebrews 12:29, For our God is a consuming fire.

I love that verse, our God is a consuming fire. He is so amazing that He consumes the hearts and the lives of those He touches. He first loved us; we did not love Him (1 John 4:10). He drew near to us; we did not draw near to Him. When we finally experience His touch and taste and come to realize that the Lord is good, we at last seek after Him. When we get hold of the depth of the cross of Calvary we experience the glorious joy of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Such is a heart set on fire for the living God, Jesus Christ.

To consume is to eat or drink-up; to use up, to spend; to devour; and to burn up. This is precisely what the Lord does to our soul when He reveals His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God melts our hearts with His goodness, which causes us to see the error of our ways and brings us to repentance.

And yet, as beautiful and fascinating as fire may be, fire is also scary and can be deadly.

For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24

Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face. Deuteronomy 9:3

Just as the Lord gets a hold of the meek and feeble soul and fills Him with His might, the Lord will devour and do away with the haughty soul who does not come to repentance and chooses the path of sin.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. Revelation 21:8

Fortunatley for the believer, the two last verses of Hebrews 12 read as follow:

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29

Those with godly fear receive Chirst’s salvation which was given to all men by grace (Ephesians 2:8) and rather than being consumed into everlasting fire shall be saved from such torment and will experience everlasting joy and peace with Jesus Christ their King.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4

I Need Thee Every Hour

2006-10-26T21:10:00.000-04:00

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain:
I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Refrain

Listen to the music here

The bondage of doubt

2006-10-24T20:43:00.000-04:00

Doubting is a spiritual conflict, it is rebellion on our side. Our fight is to be a fight of faith. The moment we give in to doubts, our fight ceases, and our rebellion begins. Just like all sins, doubting is displeasing to the Lord. Doubting can become a bondage of which deliverance is only from Lord Jesus Christ. Only He can free us from the bondage of doubt!

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Perhaps that bondage is due to a false conclusion that God has forsaken us and does not love us, and is indifferent to our welfare. We convince ourselves that we are too wicked for Him to care for us. We may not necessarily intend on blaming Him, or accusing Him of injustice, nevertheless, we are guilty of such for we have doubted His Word.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Matthew 6:30

Truth is, it’s is always sinful to indulge in doubts throughout our Christian life. Doubts and discouragements come from Satan and they are always untrue. Deliverance from such bondage must be by the same means as deliverance from any other sin. It is to be found in Christ and in Him alone. We must hand our doubting over to Him as we have learned to hand our other temptations. We must give it up to the Lord and pledge not to doubt any longer.

Like any other sin, the stronghold is in the will, and the will to doubt must be surrendered exactly as we surrender the will or purpose to yield to any other temptation. God always takes possession of a surrendered will. If we come to the point of saying that we will not doubt, and surrender our wills to Him, His Holy Spirit will begin at once to work in us and we will find ourselves kept from doubting by His overcoming power.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Doubting is a temptation from Satan. The moment the attack comes, we must lift up the shield of faith against him. We must hand the very first suggestion of doubt over to the Lord. We must refuse to entertain even the thought of doubt. When Satan tries to attack we can always remember Isaiah 59:19 "the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him," and our doubts will be put to rest.

We have to rely on His faithfulness, not on our own. After all, we have committed the keeping of our soul to Him and we should never again admit the possibility of His being unfaithful. We must believe He is faithful, not because we feel it, or see it, but because He says He is.

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24

4 souls, and counting!

2006-10-22T21:41:00.000-04:00

I can’t even describe just how amazing these past few weekends have been at church. Yesterday, for example, none of the usual Saturday tract passing people really “felt” like going to the metro. Nevertheless, the Lord placed it on all our hearts and four of us showed up for the tract passing. The metro was swarming with fishes! Four souls prayed and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Humm…four people went tract passing….four souls got saved!!!

Today, after the morning service, many of us hit the streets of downtown Montreal for street preaching and further tract passing. Let me tell you, the WORD was HEARD!

Tomorrow night, we are heading down to the Welcome Hall Mission. The Welcome Hall is a Christian-based shelter for the homeless of Montreal. Our church has the privilege of ministering there once every four weeks. The night consists of hymn singing, one in English and one in French, followed by preaching (English and French, also) and the rest of the time by passing out tracts and speaking to those who are interested in the Lord Jesus. After two amazing days such as yesterday and today, I can hardly wait to witness some more souls saved!

~He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

2 Corinthians 9:6

How to know you’ve got your Saviour on your mind

2006-10-19T20:39:00.000-04:00

I have been working on accounts this past week, as it’s billing time at work. We always type “Personal and Confidential” on all envelops. This afternoon, I distractingly typed “Personal Saviour” and printed out my envelop…

Decision-Making and God

2006-10-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

When it comes to decision-making, we often fail to consult the Lord Jesus Christ, or choose to consult Him last, whereas, we are taught otherwise by His Holy Book.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:5-8
We should know by now never to trust our own heart (Jer. 17:9) and should come to realize that understanding is given us by the Lord (Ps. 119.104). Bearing that in mind, Job 28:28 tells us that to depart form evil is understanding

Here, we see from Proverbs 3:5-8 that it is crucial to acknowledge the Lord in everything and in everyway. We want Him to be the one who directs our path. God doesn’t want us to make bad decisions; He already knows which way is best for us. He just wants to lead us in that right path.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psalm 119:9
Let us heed to His word and seek His counsel. The Old Testament is full of examples of men who did not seek the Lord’s counsel, such as Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, who consulted the old men, and then the young men, only to have failed in consulting the Lord (2 Kings 12). We want to be wiser than that!

What role does God play in our decision-making?

Singing Hymns

2006-10-14T11:17:00.000-04:00

~Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. Psalm 9:11

Last night was spent in blessed fellowship with my church’s young adults. We went to China town for supper, and yes, the food was great, but the fellowship was even greater.

After satisfying our bellies and paying our bills, we stepped out into the dark cold night and stood by a corner. We lifted up our voices in hymns, as a few others from our group passed out all the tracts we could scramble out of our pockets. We sung hymns such as “At Calvary”, “Nothing but the blood”, “I am resolved”, “We’re marching to Zion”, and so on, only to close the night with “I have decided to follow Jesus”.

We hadn’t planned none of this, it was done on the spare of the moment. I guess the Lord wanted a few people in China town to receive some tracts and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m really thankful for my church family. It’s all a bunch of young people who want nothing to do with the world, but just want to serve the Lord!

Delighted

2006-10-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

I love to meditate upon my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Just the very thought of Him gets me through my days. Only He gives me peace, strength and hope for tomorrow. When I feel “lousy” He reminds me that when I am weak, then I am strong (2Co 12:10).

Where else could I go but to King Jesus. His words soothe and comfort my soul. Each day, I realize more and more that He is my only source of true happiness. As I fixed my heart upon Him tonight, He reminded me of Psalm 37:4:

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

I thank Him for His standing promises. Of a truth, He has given me most desires of my heart, and I know of a certainty that He hath heard my requests. In due time, He will show forth all the riches He’d kept hidden for me, and I will praise Him and declare His goodness among the people.

Here’s another great verse:

~Psalm 145:15-16 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

There’s nothing like the Word of Lord to comfort the soul!

Pastor's Pen

2006-10-10T21:03:00.000-04:00

Each week in our church bulletin, there’s a section entitled “Pastor’s Pen”, which Pastor Larry publishes. I always enjoy reading what he’s got to say. Here’s this past Sunday’s entry which I thought might be helpful to us all, even the ladies!

The Servant of the Lord

2 Tim 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Paul the Apostle is giving some instructions on how to be a servant of the Lord to Timothy, a young man he evidently led to the Lord Jesus (2 Tim. 1:2).

Instruction #1

Study by rightly dividing the word of truth, verse 15.

Instruction #2

Shun certain individuals who are named in verse 17. People who are profane (ungodly) and vain babblers that eat away our faith as a pest (canker) so as to overthrow the faith of others by teaching false things (the resurrection is past), verse 18.

Instruction #3

Stress the great truth in verse 20-21 which will explain how these profane babblers can say they are saved.

Instruction #4

Sanctify yourself (set apart), from youthful lusts by fleeing (run from), following after righteousness, having faith in the Lord of whom you are to SERVE.

Instruction #5

Strive not: This seems to be contradictive to our seeking to obtain the position we desire (servant of the Lord), but the truth is we must avoid (verse 23) foolish and unlearned questions that gender (give birth to) strives: To obtain anything we must strive for this lawfully (2 Tim 2:5).

Instruction #6

Save some sinners from the snare of the devil (verse 25-26)

Give ear young man, Do you desire to SERVE the LORD? Paul’s instructions to Timothy are how he says this is to be accomplished.

The young man who truly seeks to SERVE the LORD will not immediately know all heresies that overthrows the faith of some, but if, and I do emphasized IF, he will continue to study and avoid things he doesn’t understand (resurrection is past) the Lord will use him to save sinners from the snares of the devil and will show him personally the false teachings and how to bring those snared to them to freedom.

Canadian Turkey Day

2006-10-08T16:14:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving Day! Other than having the day off, I am very thankful to the Lord for numerous things.

I’m a born-again Bible believing Christian (Glory, I'm Saved!) and attend an excellent Bible believing church. All my family on my mother’s side is saved and walking uprightly with the Lord. My father might be saved (...), but I know for certain that my uncle and his oldest daughter are saved. After many years of separation with my brother, I finally have him back in my life. Not only so, but He is truly a man of God, and his testimony alone fires me up. My mother, what can I say, she’s as bold as a lion and is a woman after God’s own heart. All my family (mom’s and dad’s) loves me very much.

The Lord has won many battles for me. Just this past summer...WOAH! I faced my biggest fear by reuniting with my dad after 8 years, and since then, it has been a victory after another.

I have good health, I have a great job, I have a car and possessions far beyond my satisfaction. I love my church family and I love Pastor Larry. I love my Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart, with all my soul and with every fiber of my being.

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalm 103:1

And this is only scratching the surface. My Heavenly Father has blessed me with so much more, and none of which could have been possible without the love He has bestowed upon me. I am forever grateful.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Psalm 30:12

A rare gem

2006-10-05T21:49:00.000-04:00

Far above rubies

Lunching in good company

2006-10-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

One of my dear friends from church came downtown to my work to have lunch with me. This is a sweet and Godly young lady, whom, though I’ve known her for three years, seems that we are now becoming closer and closer. Lunching with her was nice and loads of fun.

I then brought her up to our firm to meet some of my co-workers. I really wanted her to meet my closest friends from work, Mitchelle and Virginia, which she did. I thought this might especially encourage Mitchelle to finally come to church, as she always promises, yet never does. I know that the Lord is working on Mitchelle, and I just have this strange feeling that all this girl needs to do is come to church to hear a strong salvation message by which she will then yield her life to Jesus Christ. May it be so, O Lord!

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

The Armor of God

2006-10-02T21:10:00.000-04:00

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13:17

Loins girt about with Truth

There is but one truth, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is our salvation.

~I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate covers the chest. A soldier with his breastplate on goes out boldly into battle and full of confidence. Once we put on the belt of truth, which is Jesus Christ, we fall immediately into battle. Our breastplate of righteousness allows us to stand before men and before the enemy. Clothed in righteousness, we can also stand without spot or wrinkle before the captain of our army, Jesus Christ.

~But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled

Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

In battle, taking steps backwards is dangerous. This is usually caused when the seed of doubt is sown. When our feet are clothed with the gospel of peace, this seed quickly disintegrates, hence we can take steps forward. All fear is gone, and our hope is renewed.

~Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Shield of Faith

The shield moves with the attack. A skilled soldier will use the shield to hold back the darts of his adversary, no matter which direction they come from. As soon as this shield is down, the other weapons are exposed! Faith is the very essence of our Christian walk and we can’t afford to let go of it.

~For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Helmet of Salvation

The next piece of the armor is a helmet; something to cover the head. It covers our mind, reasoning and thoughts. A soldier can survive a broken arm and /or a broken leg, but the chances of surviving a head-wound is minimal. We have seen how our loins are girt about with truth, Jesus Christ, but it is crucial to keep the Lord on our mind constantly, day by day, lest the enemy gets hold of our mind.

~For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

Sword of the Spirit

This needs no further explanation than the verse itself (Eph. 6:17). The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.

God’s Word counters spiritual deceptions and accusation. This is the two-edged sword used for attack and for defense. Without the Word of God, we are not ready for battle, for what soldier in his right mind goes out to war without His sword?

~For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The armor of God brings victory for it is far more than just a mere protective covering. It is the very life of Jesus Christ Himself. That is why in Romans 13:14 we read “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ”. We must be clothed in His righteousness alone. Clothed in Him, we can count on His victory, for He not only covers us as a shield, He also fills us His life. Jesus Christ assures us VICTORY.

~But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

Fear Not

2006-09-28T22:07:00.000-04:00

I really do love all the “fear nots” in the Bible. Here are a few that are especially great.

~After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1

~And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. Exodus 14:13

~And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. Exodus 20:20

~And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 1 Samuel 12:20

~Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Isaiah 35:4

~For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41:12

~And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

~Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard. Luke 1:13

~Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. Luke 1:30

~Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. Luke 5:10

~But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. Luke 8:50

~Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Revelation 1:7-8

His delight

2006-09-25T20:57:00.000-04:00

~They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. Proverbs 11:20

They that have a forward heart are a people who lack complete modesty, have no regard for consequences and are lacking restraint and discernment. They tend to be of an arrogant nature. It is then no surprise that the Lord calls them an abomination. We certainly don’t want to be part of that group of people.

Our desire is to be a His delight. Hence, we want to be an upright man, or woman, that is to be honest, just and honorable, all of which are qualities which compose a strict regard for what is Godly. The Lord has delight in such a people, for He Himself is an holy God and His way is an upright way.

This should also be our joy and delight in that we serve such an upright Master!

Trusting Jesus Christ

2006-09-24T15:37:00.000-04:00

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8

Putting confidence in a man will never guarantee us success. If our own heart can fail us, how can another soul also not do the same. Jesus Christ my Lord has proven Himself over and over again to me that He is a trustworthy God. All His precious promises, I have claimed and have obtained. The Lord hath heard my requests, and though I may not hold them all in my hand currently, I know the Lord hath heard my prayers.

My trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Psalm 9:10

AWANA Night

2006-09-22T23:14:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was the opening night of Awana for the 2006-2007 season, but it was more like an “orientation day”. Tonight was the real thing. Once again, I have the blessing of teaching the JV, and this year it’s going to be even better…it’s all girls!

I was certain that Nicole would not return to Awana this year, and same goes for Ashley. But not so, they are both coming, and out of their own free will! I have four girls in all. Ashley (14), Amanda (12), Adriana (12) and Nicole (14). Ashley and Amanda are saved, but Adriana and Nicole are not. I am earnestly praying that the Lord would bring them to salvation before the end of the year, and that He would strengthen Ashley and Amanda’s walk with Him.

Tonight, we studied one of my favorite Bible verses for our lesson.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

We had an in depth look at how the Word of God is like an x-ray of our heart. More than just a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, the Word of God:

Is a fire and a hammer:

Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

Is a lamp and a light:

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

Is a mirror:

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:23-25

Leads people to eternal life:

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. John 20:31

Since all our lessons are backed up by Bible verses, it is crucial for the girls to develop a thirst and hunger for God’s Word, hence the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a good thing, even for me, since I can learn a lot just by teaching, and it brings joy to my heart to minister to these young girls. I had a wonderful time tonight and I am looking forward for the rest of the Awana year.

Starve the flesh

2006-09-19T20:36:00.000-04:00

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Rom. 13:14

To put on the Lord Jesus Christ is to assume His Godly character which implies living for the same end for which He lived.

But I never fully understood how to “make no provision for the flesh” until now. To make no provision for the flesh is to starve the flesh. Whatever temptation we face, we must force this sinful flesh to starve. When we start feeding this rottenness, it usually starts with just a little portion, which then quickly turns into a bigger one. That’s when the devil’s got us right where he wants us – Egypt.

Make no provision for the flesh = do not feed the flesh.

Some sound advice from the apostle Paul.

Thank God for…Overtime???

2006-09-18T22:02:00.000-04:00

Work has been very busy lately, which usually means really long hours. I was was very much hoping to avoid overtime tonight, but alas, I was trapped!

It wasn’t so bad after all, as I finished at 7:30 p.m. I was certain I wouldn’t get out before 8 p.m. On my way out the door, waiting for the elevator, the cleaning lady happened to pass by. She’s really “cute”, very petite woman, which put me at ease! I reached down my purse, handed her a tract and explained to her that it was concerning Jesus Christ. Maybe the Lord wanted me to stay working late so that she could receive His Word and I thank Him for that open door.

I was very happy on my way back home and my frown did turn upside down!