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    Hurry Up, and Wait

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    Most of us are impatient. We hate to wait. We're used to minute rice, instant pudding, fast food, and movies on demand. We quickly ask, "How long?" We even ask it of GOD Almighty in a bitter and self-pitying tone!
     
    "How long?", asked Abraham, who, when he was seventy-five years old and childless, was promised, "I will make you into a great nation" (Genesis 12:2). He waited twenty-five years before the child of promise, Isaac, was born (Genesis 21:5), and there was still more to wait for! How did he manage it? Well, "he staggered not at the promise of GOD through unbelief; but was strong in Faith, giving Glory to GOD; being fully persuaded that what HE had promised, HE was able also to perform" (Romans 4:20-21).
     
    "How long?", asked David, who, when only sixteen, was anointed by Samuel at GOD Almighty’s direction to be king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:1-13). He did not immediately ascend the throne, but waited some fifteen years while serving King Saul despite danger and provocation and spending years in the wilderness, running from place to place like a hunted animal, as a jealous Saul tried to kill him. David waited many years before he received what was promised and, like Abraham, did so by Faith (Hebrews 11:32-33).
     
    "How long?", asked Paul, who, for a quarter of a century served The CHRIST despite great deprivation and suffering only to be arrested, imprisoned, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death for the crime of proclaiming JESUS The CHRIST as LORD & SAVIOR! See him sitting in a dark prison cell awaiting the headsman who is to execute him. Is he disheartened? Has he given up on GOD Almighty? He has not!
     
    Hear Paul! "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the Faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which The LORD, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that Love HIS appearing" (2Timothy 4:6-8).
     
    And what about you? Will you Trust GOD Almighty while HE works HIS Good, Acceptable & Perfect Will in you until HE has formed your soul to HIS plan, or will you turn your back on HIM?
     
    Dear FATHER in Heaven, My GOD! My GOD! Please forgive my impatience and weakness of Faith at times. Please give to me the Grace to persevere and Trust YOU, I will experience the fulfillment of all YOUR promises when YOU know I am ready to do so. Please help me to gladly accept YOUR timetable rather than sullenly demand mine. Thank YOU for all YOU provide every single moment of every single day. I Pray to YOU, in The Name of YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST. Amen.
     
    Reading Luke 8:1-15
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    Prepare Ye The Saints

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    When we speak of that 'golden rule' of doing unto others as we'd have others do unto us, let us not look at it as being 'offensive', or 'judgmental', because The Truth is neither of those things.

    We owe it to the lost, to those who remain in bondage, to speak The Truth, in Love, allowing the same opportunity that we had, to that Promise of the Hope of Eternal Salvation.

    Truth, in Love. Let's discuss the "in Love" part. This is not a Love that tiptoes around anyone's emotions or feelings, but a Love that is bold and brave to reach into the flames, at any cost, even if it causes the person to hit you, hurt you, walk out of your life or vow to never speak to you again, and yank them out! Screaming the Truth if need be to be heard!

    The Truth is offensive to those who do not live in it. When pride is present, Truth is most definitely offensive. But that doesn't mean we don't tell it, boldly and bravely, because we Love the individual, which is only possible because we were first Loved while still in our own bondage.

    If I am living in sin then I want you to tell me that what I am doing is wrong, that it is sin, it is dangerous and that no matter how deep into that sin I may think I am, that there is a way out. That there is no such thing as "too far gone"! That there is Hope and that Hope is The Truth of JESUS The CHRIST!!

    Tell me that I can change. Show me!

    Tell me that I can be Forgiven & washed clean! Show me!

    Tell me that I can become a new man in JESUS The CHRIST! And show me! Show me testimonies of those who have the very Freedom I need! 

    Tell me all of that. That is what I want others to do unto me because that is what I will do unto others! That is what The Bible says. That is the 'golden rule', not allowing me to live, and remain, in bondage, not allowing me to burn in hell for eternity because you had the wrong idea of what being 'offended' is, or because you didn't want to hurt my feelings or maybe just because you didn't care enough to do what GOD has charged you to do!

    Tell The Truth, but do so in Love. Tell me that homosexuality leads to death, because it does and I am going to need to know this if I am going to have a chance of being brought to repentance.

    The lost need to know this! And they need to know this not so we can save our country, or our planet, but so we can save souls! Not so we can win a social or political battle, but so we can win a Spiritual War!

    Proverbs 4:14-15 "Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on."

    Do not walk in the way of evil. Do not walk with them, do not go down that path with them no matter who they are, no matter what you feel! This is not about how you feel, it is about what is right and what is wrong. It is about what GOD'S Word says!

    I want to encourage each of you that when the time comes, and it will come, that you are faced with with this issue, to keep in mind that transgenderism is not only a mental disorder, but that confusion is Healable! Same goes for homosexuality! Mutable! Forgivable! Keep in mind that each sinner, regardless of their sin, is someone who is not only Forgivable, but in need of Forgiveness!

    We need to know and understand this before we can go out and teach it, before we can bring HIS Message to others.

    When I lived as a homosexual and a transgender there were some frightening moments when I was approached by "Christians" that had no clue how to reach me or what I believed, and their efforts did more damage than good and this is what I want to prevent from happening.

    This is what GOD has charged me with, bringing this message, HIS Message, to the Saints to equip them for the battlefield.

    Because there was also an approach that did reach me, that did touch me, that did minister, edify, teach me and penetrate my heart! There was an approach that planted a seed and it was welcomed by myself because of 'how' he approached me. Because of 'how' he taught me. Because of 'how' he told me the Truth, in Love.

    And I know that GOD placed that man in my life for a reason, and here I am fulfilling that reason, doing my part as a Child of The One, True GOD.

    Will you do your part?
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    Love...

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    Some find it difficult to come to believe the Love of GOD because they have known so little Love in this world, and that which has called itself 'love' was a pathetic distortion of the real thing. 
     
    Maybe as children they were only 'loved' when they pleased and then they were pushed away when they were not pleasing. Desperately trying to be the best little boy or girl in the world, but somehow not getting a hold of the Love that was conditioned on performance. Growing up hungering for Love, but never finding it, never keeping it, until giving up in bitterness, fearing further disappointment and rejection, and said, "Love is only an illusion, a delusion!"
     
    Well, some of us did not give up, but became compulsive pleasers, ready to do anything for anyone who said they did, could or would Love us. This made some of us vulnerable to physical, mental and/or sexual abuse. The abuser said he would Love us, we did what he wanted, despite knowing intuitively something was wrong, and then, he disappeared. Others were not exploited until they were older, but the result was the same.

    In time, giving up on Love, settling for the empty husk of lust and sex, condemning self to a life based on thoughts & feelings. For years we wandered alone, without Hope. We dissociated from ourselves and became someone else. We put on a false identity. Hoping our charade would be believable. 
     
    Then we hear that "GOD is Love." We are afraid to Believe it. We feel we cannot face one more disappointment. We dread the pain of being disillusioned again. We draw back and put up our wall. And yet, by GOD’S Good Grace, something stirs in our hearts. We sense that this is somehow different, and it is our last chance, our only escape from the dark pit into which we have fallen, our only way out of the cesspools of this world that we have become so comfortable in.

    ​And so, looking to YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST, focusing on HIS sacrifice for our sins, we press on into the Love of GOD Almighty. It does not disappoint! At last, we have found Love; True and Pure Love, because Love has found us! I Belong, Amen!!

    The problem? We are not being given the Truth in its entirety. While living in sin I heard "GOD Loves you" so many times that when I had any contact with a Christian I could always reiterate that "GOD Loves me". Period! Like that is the end all. It's not. 

    ​GOD Almighty does Love each and every one of us with a Love that is incomprehensible and a Love that we cannot be separated from. What we are not hearing, learning and being told is that HIS Love doesn't get us into The Kingdom of Heaven. We are not being told that it is not HIS Love we have to obtain to get into The Kingdom, but that we must obtain HIS Mercy to get into The Kingdom. 
     
    Dear FATHER of Lights, I admit I am afraid of one more disheartening letdown. Please, be patient with me as I learn to trust YOUR Love. Bear with my hesitation. Help me to remember that YOU have demonstrated YOUR Love in deed at Calvary, and to see that proves it is safe to trust YOU. The others gave me only tempting but false promises; YOU gave YOURSELF. YOU are Real! And I Thank YOU, FATHER, for all of the many Blessings YOU so generously pour out upon each one of us on a daily basis. I Praise YOU and Glorify YOU in The Mighty and Precious Name of YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST. Amen.
     
    Reading John 16:1-33…
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    Don't Let Negativity Cheat You Any Longer

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    Are you ever tempted to mumble or grumble?

    Do you ever allow self-pity to whimper, "Things would be so much better if only..."? Of course you do. We all do. However, we must learn to deal with such thoughts & feelings or they will ruin our fellowship with GOD Almighty, strengthen our distrust of others, and leave us thinking we are helpless victims instead of men and women made strong by our own weaknesses because of GOD’S Grace to Triumph over anything this world can throw at us.
     
    I read somewhere that Theodore Roosevelt was very nearsighted. Since bifocals were unknown at the time, he always carried two pairs of glasses with him, one for near vision and one for far. While he wore one, he kept the other in a steel case in his vest pocket. During his last political campaign, a man shot him. The surgeon who examined his wound handed him the steel spectacle case, stating that its presence in his vest pocket had saved his life by breaking the force of the bullet and deflecting it from his heart.
     
    "Well, now, that's strange," Roosevelt said. "I've always considered having to carry those two pairs of glasses a burden and a handicap, and here at last they have been the means of saving my life."
     
    As GOD Almighty used that steel spectacle case to save the life of Theodore Roosevelt, so HE can use the fires you have been through to save your life--not physically, but spiritually.

    HE did not cause the evils you suffered. HE grieved over them. Those who did them to you were disobeying HIS Will. HE hated what they did, but, wonder of wonders, HE determined to take it and use it to Bless you and make you a Blessing in ways that would have been impossible without that pain!

    Out with the mumbling and grumbling! Out with self-pity! Praise HIM for HIS Marvelous Grace & Mercy, HIS Great Love, HIS unsearchable Sovereignty, HIS Mighty Power, and HIS perfect plan! Don't let negativity cheat you any longer! Rejoice! GOD Almighty Reigns!!!
     
    FATHER GOD, Please forgive me for my "poor me, woe is me" folly! I have suffered, but YOU have promised to transform that suffering into Goodness! Help me to Trust YOUR Promise and deliver me from those thoughts & feelings that blind me to what YOU are doing. Teach me to rejoice by Faith, so that I will see all the GoOD that YOU can bring out of pain. Thank YOU, FATHER, for this day. I Praise YOU, and lift YOUR Name on High. I Glorify YOU! I Pray to YOU in The Precious and Powerful Name of YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST. Amen.
     
    Reading 2 Corinthians 1:1-11...
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    The Beast!

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    I used to fight strong, seemingly uncontrollable urges. I used to fight a beast; a monster; an addiction called lust. This 'lust' is an appetite in which GOD never intended for us to have. This appetite is insatiable and no matter how hard we try, it will never ever be satisfied.

    Did GOD Almighty Create the beast? No. If I will, by GOD’S Grace, not be intrigued by it, the beast will not only remain under control, but will grow weaker every day until it eventually and virtually disappears.

    What is your beast? Fantasy? Homosexuality? Drugs? Pornography? Masturbation? Violence? Pedophilia? Transgenderism? Promiscuity? Adultery? And the list goes on and on and on...

    If you will stop toying with the deception and look to YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST, you will find yourself able to conquer the beast. After all, next to HIM, that beast is a wimp! It is an absolute nothing!

    Dear GOD Almighty, Please forgive us for toying with sin, playing with the devil, and thus allowing it to grow ever stronger in our lives. Help us to put it to death as we look to YOUR Son for Grace, and to Your Spirit for Comfort, and please FATHER, help us in time of need.

    FATHER, help us to remember that whenever sin looks safe to play with, we are being blinded by the enemy. Grant that we may always see how far we can stay from sin and not how close we can get to it. Thank YOU for the many Blessings YOU bestow upon us all. I Praise YOU, Glorify YOU and Pray to YOU in The Powerful and Mighty Name of Your Son, YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST. Amen.
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    Conquering Fear

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    There is another kind of hangover which we all experience whether we are drinking or not. That is the emotional hangover, the direct result of yesterdays, sometimes today's and even the worry of tomorrow's excesses. If we would live serenely today & tomorrow, we might eliminate these hangovers. This requires an admission & correction of errors.
     
    I met a man whose life is riddled with fear. He is always running away from problems which usually get worse through his neglect. Rather than face the people he has offended and make the amends that might restore the relationships, he hides from them. Is there any hope that a man like this will ever become fear-free?
     
    The Truth is that there is a great deal of Hope for him. The antidote to fear is Faith in GOD, and the Truth which is the foundation of the Trust that conquers fear. Since our sins, addictions, vices & strongholds are often the dirt in which fear grows, taking a moral inventory; confessing what we find to GOD, our-selves, and other human beings; while humbly asking GOD to remove our defects of character can help cleanse the soil of our life so that fear will be unable to take root. If we sincerely seek to make amends to those we have offended, many will forgive us and receive us back into their hearts as soon as they are assured that we are sincere.
     
    The question we must ask ourselves is, "What do I need to do about it starting today, and will I do it?"
     
    Dear FATHER in Heaven, Will I ever learn that the "easier, softer way" is always a blind alley? Please help me to walk a solid & grounding walk which takes no shortcuts, but does an honest job looking to YOU in Faith. Grant that as I do this, fear will be overcome so that healthy friendships & relationships may flourish as I am healed of those defects & fears. Don't let me put this off one more day! Thank YOU for all the YOU are and all that YOU have always been, but most of all, Thank YOU for what YOU shall always remain, my LORD, my GOD. Praising & Glorifying YOU always! I Pray to YOU, in The Precious & Mighty Name of YOUR Son, YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST. Amen.
     
    Reading Matthew 25:1-30 this morning….