Category Archives: A Form of godliness?

Jesus, The Word, Used It??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #306

23 Monday Dec 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, Believing God's Words, Bibe Study, Biblical Boundaries Matter!, Jesus IN You!, Jesus Is Alive, Jesus Is Coming Again., Jesus IS Lord--bow before Him!, Jesus is our peace, Jesus IS The Gift!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus Is Truth, Jesus Knows YOUR Storm, Jesus Saves!, Jesus-Wonderful Counselor, Study to Show Yourself Approved Unto God, Subtle Dependence

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Jesus, The Word, Used It???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #306

This precious baby whose birth we celebrate with joy, gratitude and hopefully faith and devotion for His wonderful work of salvation for you and me, paid the price of salvation at Calvary—it’s why He came.  So, I’d like us to ponder Jesus’ example of using His Word as our strength, shield and defense against the “roaring lion” who is ever against us.  Peter gave us some good advice about being aware of our enemy.

“Humble yourselves therefore

under the mighty hand of God,

that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him;

for he careth for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant;

because your adversary the devil,

as a roaring lion,

walketh about,

seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith,

knowing that the same afflictions

are accomplished in your brethren

that are in the world.”  1 Peter 5:6-9

We are loved and cared for by our Father God, The Son Jesus, and the indwelling Holy Spirit our gift from Jesus to empower us to do His will.  And Jesus gave us one of the greatest examples of how to win the victory as He encountered the enemy, Satan, face to face.  Consider this principle of knowing and depending upon The Word of God in all things, for if you don’t get into it—you won’t have it inside you when you need it.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God,

a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God,

and is profitable

for doctrine,

for reproof,

for correction,

for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect,

thoroughly furnished

unto all good works.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17

So, let’s look at Jesus’ example—then follow it—at Christmas time and all year through!  And while this is a lengthy passage, I wanted us to see it in its context.  I pray that you will take some time this week to ponder these things.

“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit

into the wilderness

to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights,

he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said,

If thou be the Son of God,

command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said,

It is written,

Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word

that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city,

and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him,

If thou be the Son of God,

cast thyself down:

for it is written,

He shall give his angels charge

concerning thee:

and in their hands

they shall bear thee up,

lest at any time thou dash thy foot

against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him,

It is written again,

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up

into an exceeding high mountain,

and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world,

and the glory of them;

 9 And saith unto him,

All these things will I give thee,

if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him,

Get thee hence, Satan:

for it is written,

Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,

and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him,

and, behold, angels came

and ministered unto him.”  Matthew 4:1-11

May we follow the example of our Lord Jesus and dig into His Word and hide it in our hearts so that upon the conflicts with the enemy we will be “loaded for lion”!  Remember, We Win!!!

“And, behold,

I come quickly; and my reward is with me,

to give every man

 according as his work shall be.

13 I am Alpha and Omega,

the beginning and the end,

the first and the last.

14 Blessed are they that do his commandments,

that they may have right to the tree of life,

and may enter in through the gates into the city.”  Revelation 22:12-14

Amen and Amen!!!

He Lives Within My Heart??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #287

13 Wednesday Nov 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Call To Look Unto Jesus!, A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, He lives in my heart., Jesus is able, Jesus Is Alive, Jesus IS Lord--bow before Him!, Jesus is our peace, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Jesus lives today!, Jesus Saves!, My sheep hear my voice..., Who's in your heart?

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He Lives Within My Heart???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #287

I grew up singing the old song “He Lives” written by Alfred Ackley, and I encourage you to look him up on the internet and read the story behind this song.  The last line of the chorus is what I want us to think about today, “You ask me how I know He lives; He lives within my heart…!”!  Amen to that—it’s how I know. How about you?

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write;

These things saith he

that hath the seven Spirits of God,

and the seven stars;

I know thy works,

that thou hast a name that thou livest,

and art dead.”  Revelation 3:1

Jesus’ words to a church, a group of professing believers who claimed to know Him, yet He goes on to call them to repent!  I encourage you to read the seven letters this week and ask Jesus to reveal what is in your heart; who is in your heart.

I want to share God’s Word today and ask you to peruse the passages and let God examine your heart.  Stop, look and listen!

“Search me, O God,

and know my heart:

try me,

and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me,

and lead me

in the way everlasting.”  Psalm 139:23-24

Jesus also makes it clear in the Sermon on the Mount.

“No man can serve two masters:

for either he will hate the one,

 and love the other;

or else he will hold to the one,

and despise the other.

Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”  Matthew 6:24

If I might make an observation; we often relegate “mammon” to money, and it does include money, but the deeper meaning is anything that we allow to stand between us and God; be that money, fame, popularity, power, success, social standing, ladder climbing, you name it!  We are called to submit to Jesus as Lord and King of our life, not to put him in some back closet until we have a prayer request, or an illness or some other crisis.  There’s an old saying, while not out of scripture, it does lend itself to consideration, “If Jesus isn’t Lord of all, He isn’t Lord at all!”  You decide.  We can all be deceived, I was for many years—but Jesus is the only way, and if we are His, He is ours and the difference should show.  Let’s consider another part of this ‘sermon’, we’ll consider Jesus’ own words and call it a day!  Remember, saying so doesn’t make it so, and Satan is the “father of lies” and he does his job well.  Don’t believe everything you hear or even see—liars will go a long way to convince people of their stories!  Beware and listen to Jesus—and dig into The Word for yourself.  (If you want to see a most specific and truthful picture of false teachers/preachers/prophets read 2 Peter 2—the whole chapter!)

“Beware of false prophets,

which come to you in sheep’s clothing,

but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Do men gather grapes of thorns,

or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree

bringeth forth good fruit;

but a corrupt tree

bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree

cannot bring forth evil fruit,

neither can a corrupt tree

bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit

is hewn down,

and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits

 ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me,

Lord, Lord,

shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth

the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day,

Lord, Lord,

have we not prophesied in thy name?

and in thy name have cast out devils?

and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them,

I never knew you:

depart from me,

ye that work iniquity.”  Matthew 7:15-23

May we heed the words of Jesus!  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test.  Calling wrong right doesn’t make it so.  Be sure you’re standing on God’s Word not man’s!  Please?

“My sheep hear my voice,

and I know them,

and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life;

and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them

out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me,

 is greater than all;

and no man is able to pluck them

out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and my Father are one.”  John 10:27-30

Amen & Amen!!!

Which Mirror Are You Using??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #286

10 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, A Witness--Good or Bad???, All Sufficient God!, Faithfulness, Perseverance, SIN, Sin IS the issue

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Which Mirror Are You Using???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #286

We all like to check our appearance in the mirror, making sure everything is straight, and nothing out of place.  There’s nothing wrong with that, but when our attention is on the glass mirror, we may be forgetting to check the spiritual mirror to be sure we are walking with God, for God and in the way God wants us to go. We are living in a culture that wants to camp out on God’s “love” without taking into consideration that God has a standard, and it hasn’t changed.  In fact so often people will ask, “Where does it say that in the Bible?” (that I can’t do such-and-such) as an excuse for their inappropriate behavior.  Well, it does say this in the Bible:

“Jesus Christ

the same yesterday,

and to day,

and for ever.”  Hebrews 13:8

God has never changed, and He never will, nor will The Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; and usually the things that people don’t think are in the Bible, are simply undiscovered by them, because they want no accountability to God.  But we will all give an account, either to The Lord Jesus before the Judgment Seat of Christ to answer for our deeds done or undone for Jesus, or we will stand before the Great White Throne judgment, where the lost will bow before the God they have rejected and receive their fate with no opportunity of grace.

James gives us a good picture of this.

“Wherefore lay apart

all filthiness

and superfluity of naughtiness,

and receive with meekness

the engrafted word,

which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers

of the word,

and not hearers only,

deceiving your own selves.

23 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:

24 For he beholdeth himself,

and goeth his way,

and straightway forgetteth

what manner of man he was.

25 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.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious,

and bridleth not his tongue,

but deceiveth his own heart,

this man’s religion is vain.

27 Pure religion

and undefiled

before God

and the Father is this,

To visit the fatherless

and widows in their affliction,

and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”   James 1:21-27

How do we stay “unspotted from the world”. It ain’t easy, but it is doable.  But only God’s way!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh…

…. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,

faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:

against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s

have crucified the flesh

with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Portions of Galatians 5:16-25

It takes commitment, devotion and a reliance upon Jesus to keep walking in The Spirit (the indwelling Holy Spirit imparted to all who are born again); and we are to be a doer of the word, not just a hearer—as my mom used to say, “in one ear, and out of the other…” or will we live what we claim to believe?!  Scripture talks about presumption, so let’s consider our lives in that mirror of God’s truth.

“Who can understand his errors?

cleanse thou me from secret faults.

13 Keep back thy servant also

from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me:

then shall I be upright,

and I shall be innocent

from the great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth,

and the meditation of my heart,

be acceptable in thy sight,

O LORD,

my strength,

and my redeemer.”  Psalm 19:12-14

Being “acceptable in thy sight” is the key—pleasing to our Lord!  Looking in His mirror of The Word!  Peter writes about presumption.

“But chiefly them that walk after the flesh

in the lust of uncleanness,

and despise government.

Presumptuous are they,

selfwilled,

they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.”    2 Peter 2:10

In closing, just a couple of questions.  If we were to be judged solely by our speech, would people know that we love Jesus and are born again?  Does our speech draw people to our Redeemer or do they wonder why we speak and behave in the way we do.  Are we being true testimonies of Jesus or presumptuous imitators?  Food for thought for our week.

“Let your speech be

alway with grace,

seasoned with salt,

that ye may know

how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6

Amen and Amen!!!

Sacrifice Or True Obedience??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #267

02 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Form of godliness?, A heart of faith, Obedience, Obedience Or Sacrifice?, Obedient or NOT?, Saul's dilemma.

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Sacrifice Or True Obedience???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #267

I want us to take some time today and consider our choices and behavior; yes, our choices are important, and sometimes we try to appease God rather than obey—in our own wisdom rather than walking in the Spirit and obeying what God has clearly spoken.  King Saul made a tragic mistake in this area, and I think it worthy of our consideration, for many of us today are faced with the same kind of situations—do I please God or seemingly keep the peace around me?

“Now go and smite Amalek,

and utterly destroy all that they have,

and spare them not;” 1 Samuel 15:3a

God gave a specific command to King Saul, and he seems to obey; like we often do. (And without going deep into the context this may cause us to question, but you’ll need to go back to Exodus 17.)

“And Saul gathered the people together,

and numbered them in Telaim,

two hundred thousand footmen,

and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek…

…7 And Saul smote the Amalekites

from Havilah until thou comest to Shur,

that is over against Egypt.”. 1 Samuel 15:4-5 & 7

But then the king decided that he had a better plan; oh how often, I’ve tried to exercise that better plan.  How about you?  We think we can walk with God in intimacy and do things our own way!  Not!  Let’s see the outcome of King Saul’s decision.

“But Saul and the people

spared Agag,

and the best of the sheep,

and of the oxen,

and of the fatlings,

and the lambs,

and all that was good,

and would not utterly destroy them:

 but every thing that was vile and refuse,

that they destroyed utterly.”  1 Samuel 15:9

Yet even before King Saul and the people returned God spoke to the prophet Samuel (and just FYI, Samuel was a priest and a prophet.). As God told Isaiah.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways

higher than your ways,

and my thoughts

than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

Oh, that we would learn the lesson of humble obedience, and Paul gives us the key.

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,

and the Spirit against the flesh:

and these are contrary

the one to the other:

so that ye cannot do

the things that ye would…

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16-17 & 25

Like the King we often think, “I’ve got this!”, when we are simply walking in the flesh, in blatant disobedience to our Lord!  Saul found out how costly this could be.  I pray that we will ponder the message that God spoke through Samuel.

“Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king:

for he is turned back from following me,

and hath not performed my commandments.

And it grieved Samuel;

and he cried unto the LORD all night…

….13 And Samuel came to Saul:

and Saul said unto him,

Blessed be thou of the LORD:

I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

14 And Samuel said,

What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep

in mine ears,

and the lowing of the oxen

which I hear?

15 And Saul said,

They have brought them from the Amalekites:

for the people spared the best

of the sheep

and of the oxen,

to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God;

and the rest we have utterly destroyed…

…18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said,

Go and utterly destroy the sinners

the Amalekites,

and fight against them

until they be consumed.

19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey

the voice of the LORD,

but didst fly upon the spoil,

and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

20 And Saul said unto Samuel,

Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD,

and have gone the way

which the LORD sent me,

and have brought Agag the king of Amalek,

and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil,

sheep and oxen,

the chief of the things

which should have been utterly destroyed,

to sacrifice

unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.”                                      Portions of 1 Samuel 15:10-21

Saul had a ready answer, but God’s reply was not what he expected; and like Saul we are often surprised when God is not pleased with our way!  God’s answer is one that we need to heed today; we must see that God’s ways are worthy of our obedience-in full not in partial.  Partial obedience is disobedience!  Ouch!

“And Samuel said,

Hath the LORD as great delight

in burnt offerings

and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the LORD?

Behold,

to obey

 is better than sacrifice,

and to hearken

than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion

is as the sin of witchcraft,

and stubbornness

is as iniquity

and idolatry.

Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD,

he hath also rejected thee

from being king.”  1 Samuel 15:22-23

We could go on and see that while God didn’t take the kingdom from Saul immediately, when you read the rest of 1 Samuel, you’ll find that he was tormented in his heart and mind for the judgment that he knew was coming.  I encourage you to read the rest of this story, it’s worth your time.

May we truly learn to walk in The Spirit and not our own way.  There is great reward in obedience:

“Hath the LORD as great delight

in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying”!

May we ponder God’s judgment and take it to heart today!!!

‘Nuff said!

Amen and Amen!!!

Hindering Revival??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #224

26 Sunday May 2024

Posted by in 'Come unto me, A Form of godliness?, A Witness--Good or Bad???, Choices And Consequences, Choose Gratitude and show it!, Choose Wisely, Choose You This Day!, Choosing Jesus or The World?, Christ IN YOU, Confidence or Presumption?, Conformed or Transformed?, Conformed to HIS image, Fickle or Faithful, REvival, Revival or Recycle?, Righteousness exalts a nation, Transformation, Transformed life, Trendy Or Truth

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Hindering Revival??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #224

“Wilt thou not revive us again:

that thy people may rejoice in thee?

7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD,

and grant us thy salvation.

8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak:

for he will speak peace unto his people,

and to his saints:

but let them not turn again

to folly.

9 Surely his salvation

is nigh them that fear him;

that glory may dwell in our land.”  Psalm 85:6-9

So what is revival?  Revival is a renewal of the living, not a raising of the dead (in other words a renewing and restoring of God’s own people, not the saving of the lost; but by the same token when God’s own get right with HIM, great and mighty things will draw the lost to The Living God!). We seem to have skewed what revival truly is; we have quoted parts of 2 Chronicles 7:14 so often, yet more often than not we leave out much of the important part.  We want God to heal our land, but we don’t really want Him to change us, or draw a line against our “pet sin”!  I’d like to simply share some things for us to consider in our desire for true revival:

       Are we willing to abandon our pride?

       Are we willing to draw near to God rather than self?

       Are we willing to submit to/obey God and His Word?

              (popular or not…and it won’t be!)

       Do we see our sin as sin?

       Are we mourning over our sin/the sin of our nation?

       Are we equipped to resist the devil?

              (in other words do we know the Word of God, so that

                we can recognize the devil, his wiles and temptation?)

       Do you prefer to laugh at sin, or have a burden over it?

Peruse what James has to say to us, and may we truly hear the voice of God (via the Holy Spirit) speaking to our heart and respond accordingly.  Our life choices matter not only to us, but also to others watching to see if we live what we say we believe.

“But he giveth more grace.

Wherefore he saith,

God resisteth the proud,

but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God,

and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands,

 ye sinners;

and purify your hearts,

ye double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn,

and weep:

let your laughter be turned to mourning,

and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,

and he shall lift you up.”  James 4:8-10

God’s message to Solomon is so important, but we often want to pick and choose the parts we want to accept, pursue, and obey.

“And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night,

and said unto him,

I have heard thy prayer,

and have chosen this place to myself

for an house of sacrifice.

13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain,

or if I command the locusts to devour the land,

or if I send pestilence among my people…”

God heard Solomon’s request for His provision and acceptance of this house which he had built, and God told him that he would accept the Temple, but He also told Solomon that He would still judge sin, and if He chose to discipline His people there was a remedy.  Oh, that America would realize that we have abandoned God Almighty and His Son, Jesus, by our choices, our behavior, and our negligence of His Word and prayer, and then wonder why we are reaping the present “perilous times”.  May we heed the remedy that God gave to Solomon—all of it. (See 2 Tim. 3:1-5)

“…14 If

my people,

which are called by my name,

shall humble themselves,

and pray,

and seek my face,

and turn from their wicked ways;

then will I

hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin,

and will heal their land.

15 Now mine eyes shall be open,

and mine ears attent

unto the prayer that is made

in this place.”  2 Chronicles 7:12-15

Jesus gave us the most important parameters of prayer, that so many miss today; knowing that our place is “in Jesus” not a building!

“After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6:9-10

Jesus instructs us to be focused on God’s will, God’s kingdom—hence we need to study God’s Word as Paul instructs as as well.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God,

a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15

Why study God’s Word?  It is our plumbline of truth, for sure, not the world!

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God,

and is profitable   for doctrine,

for reproof,

for correction,

for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect,

throughly furnished

unto all good works.”   2 Timothy 3:16-17

Boiled down, Paul is saying God’s Word IS God’s Word; it is profitable for—what we know to be truth—reproving (revealing to us) us when we err—correcting us back to the right—and teaching us how to avoid temptation.  The result is, we will be able to behave with spiritual maturity, equipped unto “all good works” which (as Paul says in Eph. 2:8-10) “God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Do we have a heart for the spiritual things of God, or have we binged on the junk food of the world so much, that we have no appetite for God?  Have we dulled our appetites for God’s things inadvertently, or by neglect?  As Jesus mentions in Matthew chapter 7, are we choosing the “straight gate” or the “broad way”?  It’s your choice but choose wisely, there is a test.  As for revival, I think scripture teaches us that unless we are willing to see ourselves as we really are, humbling ourselves before God, and seeking the change that only His Holy Spirit can achieve, it’s not near.  As James teaches us, being a successful child of God takes some effort—in fact a lot of effort!  And while I’ve only included part of the chapter, I encourage you to spend some time in the book of James this week.

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:

for when he is tried,

he shall receive the crown of life,

which the Lord hath promised

to them that love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted,

I am tempted of God:

for God cannot be tempted with evil,

neither tempteth he any man:

14 But every man is tempted,

when he is drawn away of his own lust,

and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived,

it bringeth forth sin:

and sin, when it is finished,

bringeth forth death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brethren…

…22 But be ye doers of the word,

and not hearers only,

deceiving your own selves.

23 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:

24 For he beholdeth himself,

and goeth his way,

and straightway forgetteth

what manner of man he was.

25 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.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious,

and bridleth not his tongue,

but deceiveth his own heart,

this man’s religion is vain.

27 Pure religion

and undefiled before God and the Father is this,

To visit the fatherless

and widows in their affliction,

and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”                           Portions of James 1:12-27

We could call this a prescription for preparing for true revival!  Are we caring for those in need—widows and orphans—AND keeping ourselves “unspotted from the world”!  Let’s not be leopard Christians, but faithful servants of our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ!  I’m praying for you and for revival.  May God hear our cry and see the earnestness of our heart.

“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.

2 And be not conformed to this world:

but be ye transformed

by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove

what is that good,

and acceptable,

and perfect, will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me,

to every man that is among you,

not to think of himself more highly

than he ought to think;

but to think soberly,

according as God hath dealt to every man

the measure of faith.”  Romans 12:1-3

Amen and Amen!!!