Casting Pearls- Wanna promise?

Do you know who you can trust to make the rough places smooth and keep all the promises He makes, Who always tells the truth? There are over a thousand promises in the Bible and all of them are true. Any of God’s promises are in his word and God never lies. If God promises something, you can take it to the bank, it is guaranteed.  God made a promise that Abram would have a son by Sarai his wife, and even though they had both gotten to old to have children, God gave them a son (Isaac), though by the time they had Isaac Abram had another son by Sarai’s handmaiden Hagar because of Sarai’s disbelief of God being able to overcome their physical shortcomings. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sara because of their unbelief. 

This is some of the promises God makes in the Bible. For those who wish to know God answers their prayers; Isaiah 58:9 ‘Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am.’ Or in Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call unto Me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.’

Matthew 7:7-8 says ‘ Ask and it shall be given to you; seek , and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. So anything we ask, believing we will receive it, it will be ours. God wants us to have the confidence that He will always be with us, whatever we may have to face, we should have the confidence that God knows our situation, in fact he knew we were going to be in it, and will listen to our prayers and move on them in His time. 

Many of us think we should have God move to resolve our problems on our timeline. God only moves quickly on things that are out of His will for us. If the situation is within God’s will or God’s plan can still be made to work with our decision to do something, then God will move on it after we learn from it.

Speaking of confidence, we are promised to have confidence in our Savior Jesus, in 1John 5:14-15 the Bible states; ‘This is the confidence that we have in Him, that,if we ask anything according to His will. He heareth us: and if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.’ Also in the vein of confidence is the verse in Ezekiel 28:26 that states; ‘And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plat vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.’ Also in 1 John 3:21-22 it says; ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’

These are only a few of the many promises in God’s Word. God has never lied or broken a promise, so I encourage you and everyone to read the Bible every day so you can too read and claim the promises in His Word.

Casting Pearls- Do we talk to much?

There is ample warning in the Bible for those who talk all the time, to keep your mouth shut. A wise person does not talk a lot, they let others show how they fail to understand. The Bible states in Proverbs 10:19- In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin; but he that restraineth his lips is wise. 

In the New Testament it is the same. 1 Peter 3:10 states;For  he that love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.Or in James 1:19 the Bible says; Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, and slow to speak, and slow to wrath. 

There are many verses in Proverbs devoted to this topic because the tongue is the only muscle not connected to a bone, that can do such damage. In Proverbs 17:27-28 it states; He that hath knowledge spareth his words, and a man of understanding is of excellent spirit, Even a fool =, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise, and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed of man. So we are told to hold our peace and even if we are not that smart, we will at least appear to be.

In other books we are told not to speak to much too. in Ecclesiastes 5:3 it says; For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. Back in the New Testament we are exhorted to ‘But shun profane and vain babblings; for they will increase unto more ungodlyness.’ In 2 Timothy 2:16. Then in 1 Timothy 1:6, it states; ‘From which some haveing swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling. 

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:36-37, ‘But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ So, even Jesus Himself warns us not to speak too much. Listen and be quiet while you do.  There is ample warning in the Bible for those who talk all the time, to keep your mouth shut. A wise person does not talk a lot, they let others show how they fail to understand. The Bible states in Proverbs 10:19- In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin; but he that restraineth his lips is wise. 

In the New Testament it is the same. 1 Peter 3:10 states;For  he that love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.Or in James 1:19 the Bible says; Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, and slow to speak, and slow to wrath. 

There are many verses in Proverbs devoted to this topic because the tongue is the only muscle not connected to a bone, that can do such damage. In Proverbs 17:27-28 it states; He that hath knowledge spareth his words, and a man of understanding is of excellent spirit, Even a fool =, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise, and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed of man. So we are told to hold our peace and even if we are not that smart, we will at least appear to be.

In other books we are told not to speak to much too. in Ecclesiastes 5:3 it says; For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. Back in the New Testament we are exhorted to ‘But shun profane and vain babblings; for they will increase unto more ungodlyness.’ In 2 Timothy 2:16. Then in 1 Timothy 1:6, it states; ‘From which some haveing swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling. 

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:36-37, ‘But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ So, even Jesus Himself warns us not to speak too much. Listen and be quiet while you do.

Casting Pearls-Do you know the Ten Commandments?

Many people know what the Ten Commandments are but how many really know more than one or two of the actual commandments or can even quote correctly one of them. The answer is, not many, if you have not studied them or studied the Bible, you probably don’t know what they are. This article will discuss each of them, where they can be found, and what God was attempting to tell us in each of them.

The first of the Ten Commandments is found in Exodus 20:3, and states, ‘ Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.’ (KJV) This was especially for the Jewish people since they had just come out of Egypt, where they had gods for almost everything, where they worshipped the god of earth, god of water, god of air, god of fertility, et-cetera, et-cetera. They even fell back into that when waiting for Moses to return with these commandments. The Israelites made a calf and covered it with gold, as they had in Egypt, and worshipped it, as they had when in Egypt. By their own actions, and our actions now, we show that we need too be told ‘have no other gods’. You might say , “ I don’t have a golden calf I pray too”, but we put our job, our children, our spouse, our life, as more important than God. Anything we allow to be more important to us than God is something that is now our god in our life. 

The second commandment of God is ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image’(KJV). This, as previously described with the golden calf was in part for the Israelites. You might say how does that relate to me, I don’t have a golden calf? Well, do you think money is more important than God? Do you think your car is more important than God? Do you think any of your things are more important than God? If God wanted you too give up anything you have for His use, would you gladly give it? Anything you would not give up for God is a graven image, wither it was engraved by you or someone else for you, it is a graven image.

The third commandment is ‘Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them’(KJV). Again this was in part for the Israelites due to the golden calf, but anything that we find more important than God and work to make it better for us then we bow down to it. Maybe we bow down to wash the car, or maybe we bow down to do our jobs, or maybe we metaphorically bow down to our boss, or maybe we bow down to someone we love, or something we love, or something we worship. 

The fourth commandment is ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God’s name in vain’(KJV). the Bible says that the Lord will not find one who does this guiltless. You might say I don’t cuss and take the Lord’s name in vain, and maybe you don’t, but do you ever say “Oh my G**” or “Good G**” without thinking? You are guilty of using the Lord’s name in vain. 

The next one is the Fifth commandment, ‘Remember the sabbath day and keep it Holy; six days shall thou labor and do thy work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God’(KJV). Technically the sabbath day in Bible days before Christ was Saturday, but Jesus was raised from the tomb on the First day of the week and the disciples began to gather together to commemorate that day on Sunday, so we carry on that belief today. We keep our Sundays as the Sabbath day spoken of in this commandment. 

The Sixth Commandment is ‘thou shalt not kill’(KJV). Killing is looked upon as sin by God, but some people might argue that God calls for the Israelite people to kill the people in various places throughout the Old Testament. God had His hands tied by us and our sin nature. Adam brought death into the world with his sin and the killing goes on through history due to the continued sin of man. 

The Seventh Commandment is the one we have a lot of problem with today ‘Thou shalt not commit Adultery’(KJV). The reasoning behind this was the Lord wanted to have people to make a promise to each other and to Him to do this so as to make a difference between us and the animals we had dominion over. God also wanted to keep the marriage Holy because it was to be a shadow or type of Christ and His Church.

The Eighth Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not steal’(KJV). Theft of things is not really important to a true Christian as these are just things, but these things are God’s things and we are only given them for a short time to care for them until He returns, so we are upset at theft since it is like unto stealing from God.

The Ninth Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. This is regularly broken by us as we try to get others to take the blame for our shortcomings. The truth is that no one here on earth can take our place for what we have done or said. We are guilty and even if man doesn’t know God does.

Finally we have the Tenth Commandment, ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s’(KJV). This is the one we have the biggest problem with. Every time we see something that someone else has whither it be a car, or money, or celebrity, or even voice or ability of someone else and want it for ourself then we have coveted. I must admit even I have broken this one. 

All of these are too easy to break in one way or another. we are tempted by this fallen world to do things all the time that will cause us to break these. Luckily for us Jesus came to give Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, past and present and future, so that we can be justified and sanctified before the Lord. All we need do is accept it and begin to profess Jesus to men. Colossians 2:13-14 says ‘And you,  being dead in your sin and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.’(KJV)

Jesus took all our sins and made it as though we never sinned. Jesus made the Ten Commandments no longer condemning to us. He made us free from the burden of our sin and the Holy Spirit which now inhabits us should help us to attempt to keep those commandments, summed up in two commandments by Jesus for us ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.The first part covers the first five

commandments and the second part covers the last five. Jesus didn’t do away with the law, He only made man able to understand it and get closer to living by it.

Casting Pearls-Are YOU the follower that Jesus Loved?

The Apostle John often referred to himself as ‘the apostle (or Disciple) that Jesus loved’ . Why do you think he did so? If I was to go out to eat lunch with John Hagee and Billy Graham, I would refer to it as John Hagee, Billy Graham and the man that Jesus loved went out to eat lunch. So it was not really strange for John to refer to himself in that way. The real meaning behind that phrase is much deeper for us.

Love is what God wants us to show others and what He wants to show us as His love is unfathomable. When a High Priest presented the blood of the sacrifice for their sin to God in the Holy of Holies, God did not judge the people based on their sin or their sacrifice, He judged the High Priest who represented them. The good news for us is that we are being represented by the most perfect and Holiest High Priest it is possible to be represented by; the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His blood and His sacrifice that God judges for us.

This, by no means, is an excuse for us to sin. Jesus has already paid for everything we have done or are going to do, but this is not so that we could go on living our sinful lives, It is so we could have a second chance, a new start to get it closer to right. When we got ‘saved’ we were indwelled by the Holy Spirit that influences us to do what is right in all circumstances. We have to train ourselves to listen to the Holy Spirit and not the world around us, as it says in Romans 12:2, ‘be not conformed to the world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ 

Paul tried to explain this to the believers in Galatians 2:17-21 that they were not found to be acceptable before God due to their works in the flesh. You can’t pray, read the Bible, feed enough poor people, or heal enough sick people to make yourself acceptable to God. You have to be DEAD to the flesh and alive in Christ Resurrected with Him and letting the Holy Spirit live inside you. We are dead to being judged under the law, we are made acceptable to God by Jesus.

The Bible, God’s Word, says that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. We have to accept his forgiveness to get that forgiveness. In Luke 15:3-10, Jesus told His followers and those who listened, the parable of the lost sheep, Saying that if there was a shepherd who had a hundred sheep and just One wandered away, would the shepherd not leave the ninety nine alone to go look for the one, and having found it would he not put it on his shoulders and carry it back? The shepherd would then call all his friends together to have a big party to celebrate the one being found and returning to the group. Did the shepherd not go look for it, find it, carry it back, have a party for it’s return? What did the sheep do to get itself back to the flock? All it really did was agree to return. It did not run away from the shepherd when he came up to it. He consented to be picked up and carried back. We are the sheep and Jesus is the Good Shepherd who brings us back, all we have to do is accept that He will take us back to being able to have the relationship we want with God. The Holy Spirit indwelling  us leads us to do the good works and profess Jesus to the world.

Casting Pearls- Do you listen to your conscience?

Though it may seem as though Jesus has given us a free will to go ahead and sin, the Holy Spirit inside you when you are saved should prevent you from sinning. Some call it the prick of conscience, but the conscience can also be a bad thing. 

Conscience can lead someone to feel something about something that is God’s will to happen. If someone you know gets sick with a terminal disease, your conscience may make you feel bad for that person. God could be using that person , and their sickness to reach another. Let me give you an example; 

A pastor told me that there was a very faithful member of his Church that suddenly got sick with a terminal cancer. She asked that the pastor would come visit her at the hospital. This was relayed to him by someone who went to see her on Sunday. They had taken her a tape of his sermon to listen too. The hospital she was in was a Catholic hospital and did not normally have protestant faith literature in it for the patients. The pastor came to visit the woman in her shared hospital room on Monday morning. The woman said she listened to the sermon and wanted to have him meet the Churches newest convert, and introduced him to the woman in the other bed. The Lord had used the woman’s sickness to let her be a witness to the woman in the room with her. Later that day, the woman was tested and her cancer was suddenly gone! She was no longer dying!

We must be careful not to stop God from fulfilling His plan in whatever manner He sees fit. We can allow our feelings to get in the way of God’s will.  The most important thing we can do is to be in God's will. If we want to move mountains, we must make our wants for us the same as God's wants for us. When we are in God's Will, He can move anything out of our way.

Casting Pearls- Are we crossing into the Promised Land?

In Joshua 3:2-5, the people of Israel were about to cross over the river Jordan into the Promised Land. This was the land promised some time before to Abraham as his descendants. This land had been promised to them some years before and they had just spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness ( desert ) before arriving there. All the people who had come out of Egypt with them had died off except Joshua and Caleb. 

Moses himself was not allowed by God to enter the Promised Land. He had sinned against God and his punishment for it was not being allowed to go into the promised land with the rest of Israel. Joshua had replaced Moses as the Leader of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. In verse 2 Joshua had led the people of Israel to the edge of the Jordan River (which at the time was at almost flood stage) and they had camped there three days. The leaders of each tribe of Israel went throughout the people saying to follow the Ark of the Covenant, being carried by the Priests, and they would see where to go, the Bible narrates in verse 3. 

This is another shadow, or type, of how we should follow our God and know which way He would have us go. God wants us to keep our eyes on Him and His Word so we will know the correct way to go. It is only by following behind Him like a sheep does with a shepherd that we can find the way He would have us go. It is only by reading God’s Word that we can hear from God and know the direction He would have us go.

Later in verse 4 we read about the warnings they received from their tribes leaders. They were warned to stay behind the Ark of the Covenant at least two thousand cubits, that they might know the way they should turn and go before they get there, because they had never gone that way before. Though God wants us to follow Him, He wants us to follow with enough room between Him and us that we might know the direction in which He wishes us to turn, before we get there.God also wanted them to be far enough back that they could clearly see Him clear the obstacles out of their way and give God the glory for it .

As God’s children we need His Word and the leaders He provides for us to clearly see the way He would have us go. In the next chapter the Lord shows the people and us that Joshua is His chosen Leader of Israel to replace Moses. He stops the flooding river from flowing and lets all Israel pass across on dry land. There are times in life that we wonder if God is going to work in our case. If God wants us to go there, he will make a way. All we need do is, as the Israelites, Stay back and watch until God opens the door for us.

The key to being the kind of Christian Jesus wants is to be willing to praise God even as we sit and wait for Him to open the door. God works at two speeds. Slowly and suddenly. God slowly opens the door in Hid time not in ours, so it appears that God is not working in our case. Everything seems to go so slowly, then suddenly the door opens. We wait and wait for something to happen, then suddenly it does. So God works at two speeds. 

Casting Pearls- Are you of the order of Melchisedec?

Let’s look at the way God told Moses to dress Aaron and his sons, as High priests and regular priests of the Israeli people and why. In Exodus 28:1-42 God told Moses in detail how Aaron to dress and Aaron’s sons. First, in Chapter 28, Moses is directed by God to dress Aaron both to be beautiful to the people and to God, but also to represent to the people the glory of God. Aaron is to have been consecrated into God’s service, he is to represent God’s forgiveness of sins to the people. To do such he must be of great position, cleanliness and honor among the people, and among his friends. They are all to deal gently with the people, and those who are ignorant and going astray. Moses is instructed to make a breast-piece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash.

These pieces of Aaron’s outfit as the high priest each had a meaning to the people presenting the sacrifices. They also had a meaning to us today. Let’s go down the list first a breast-piece, decorated with twelve precious stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel, each of the stones have one of the tribes names engraved in it. The breast-piece represent to the people that the tribes of Israel are close to the heart of God, and that Aaron is the representative of the people to the Lord. 

The breast-piece is also to show authority over the tribes to make decisions. It is to be made of Gold and Blue, and purple and scarlet yarn and of finely twisted linen. It is to be square, a span long and a span wide. The stones are in four rows of three, the first row of ruby, topaz, and beryl, the second row of turquoise, sapphire, and emerald, the third of Jacinth, Agate, and Amethyst, the forth row of Chrysolite, Onyx,and Jasper. Under the breast-piece were the Urim and Thummim, used to help make decisions in very trying times.

These bright and shiny stones represented the tribes of Israel in the same way that we as Christians are supposed to represent Jesus like when you shine a light on a precious stone it gives off the light in the same color, in as many different directions as it has faces. A diamond in a Jewelers shop is shown on a black background under lights that show straight down on it so it shows off the brightness and reflectivity of it to it’s maximum extent. If the Jeweler does not want to show it to you on a black background it probably has some obvious flaws, or is to small to matter, in my case.

Then the priests are to wear Ephods, made of Gold,Blue,and Purple and Scarlet yarn as well as finely twisted linen, the work of skilled craftsmen. It is to have two shoulder pieces of Onyx, polished and engraved with six of the twelve tribes to go on each shoulder.They as the stones on the breast-piece are to be in gold filigree settings. The sons of Israel are to be in the order of their birth on the stones, Aaron wore the Ephod to represent the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and to show the Lord carries the tribes on His shoulders. 

The robe is to be under the ephod to be of entirely blue cloth with pomegranates all around hem of the robe in blue, purple and scarlet yarn with gold bells in-between them,The robe is also to have a hemmed neckline so as to keep from being torn. The sound of Aaron’s tinkling bells were proof that he had not died in the presence of God from sin, and at some point the other priests even tied a rope to the High Priest’s ankle and trailed it outside the Holy of Holies so that if the tinkling of the bells stop, they could pull on the rope to see if he had died. 

The head is to be covered with a turban like hat with a Gold plate on it that says HOLINESS TO THE LORD and is to be worn by the High Priest at all times to make the children of Israel acceptable to the Lord. The tunic and the turban are to be made of fine linen and the sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. The sons of Aaron are also to have tunics, sashes, and headbands so that they might also have dignity and honor in their positions. 

All of them are to have undergarments made of linen, from their waist to their thighs, and are to wear them whenever they are in the Holy place, so they can represent without sin.  

The whole thing is summed up in 28:29 where the High priest that represents the people to god, is to ‘bear the names of the children of Israel before God’ and God looks upon the priest as a holy representative of the people. Thank goodness we have a High Priest in Jesus who can without sin, represent us to God so that we are acceptable in His sight.

All this was done so that Aaron could be the clean representative of the children of Israel before God. The children of Israel were not judged, but Aaron was judged in their place, cleaned of his sin by the blood of the sacrifices. 

We have a High Priest that is stated as in Hebrews 4:15 ‘He cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all ways tempted as we are, yet without sin’ He represents us. God sees his cleanliness not our sin. He covers me from my sin, He is the perfect representative who is fully acceptable to God, so that despite my sin, I can go in to Heaven.

Casting Pearls- Are you following or leading?

In Joshua 3:2-5, the people of Israel were about to cross over the river Jordan into the Promised Land. This was the land promised some time before to Abraham as his descendants. This land had been promised to them some years before and they had just spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness ( desert ) before arriving there. All the people who had come out of Egypt with them had died off except Joshua and Caleb. 

Moses himself was not allowed by God to enter the Promised Land. He had sinned against God and his punishment for it was not being allowed to go into the promised land with the rest of Israel. Joshua had replaced Moses as the Leader of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. In verse 2 Joshua had led the people of Israel to the edge of the Jordan River (which at the time was at almost flood stage) and they had camped there three days. The leaders of each tribe of Israel went throughout the people saying to follow the Ark of the Covenant, being carried by the Priests, and they would see where to go, the Bible narrates in verse 3. 

This is another shadow, or type, of how we should follow our God and know which way He would have us go. God wants us to keep our eyes on Him and His Word so we will know the correct way to go. It is only by following behind Him like a sheep does with a shepherd that we can find the way He would have us go. It is only by reading God’s Word that we can hear from God and know the direction He would have us go.

Later in verse 4 we read about the warnings they received from their tribes leaders. They were warned to stay behind the Ark of the Covenant at least two thousand cubits, that they might know the way they should turn and go before they get there, because they had never gone that way before. Though God wants us to follow Him, He wants us to follow with enough room between Him and us that we might know the direction in which He wishes us to turn, before we get there.God also wanted them to be far enough back that they could clearly see Him clear the obstacles out of their way and give God the glory for it .

As God’s children we need His Word and the leaders He provides for us to clearly see the way He would have us go. In the next chapter the Lord shows the people and us that Joshua is His chosen Leader of Israel to replace Moses. He stops the flooding river from flowing and lets all Israel pass across on dry land. There are times in life that we wonder if God is going to work in our case. If God wants us to go there, he will make a way. All we need do is, as the Israelites, Stay back and watch until God opens the door for us.

The key to being the kind of Christian Jesus wants is to be willing to praise God even as we sit and wait for Him to open the door. God works at two speeds. Slowly and suddenly. God slowly opens the door in Hid time not in ours, so it appears that God is not working in our case. Everything seems to go so slowly, then suddenly the door opens. We wait and wait for something to happen, then suddenly it does. So God works at two speeds. 

Casting Pearls- Are we waiting for God's promise?

One of the things we all must remember is that there is someone in control of everything we go through and if we ask for the trial to stop and it doesn’t, then God has plans for us that include us continuing down that path. God’s plans are even better than our best plans and if we have to wait, it is for something even better than what we planned. I have been waiting for God to deliver me from the trials I’ve had to face. It seems that God has something even better than I thought in store for me. I don’t think you started to read this to hear about me though, so I’ll change the subject. I only mention myself so that others may see the situation at hand.

We face things to learn from them. I for one learn the most from the mistakes I make. It is said that a smart man will learn from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. I want to be a smart man, but even more I want to be a wise man. I face the problems of life with this in mind; To continue to follow Christ is much better in my mind than to succumb to the belief that we were all created in some cosmic big bang, and slowly became what we are today due to external pressures we went through. It takes more faith to beleive that load of @*# %$#@  than to believe that we must put our faith in Jesus who, there is documentation in artifacts and scrolls, died on the cross, rose on the third day, and ascended in to heaven to be our intermediary between us and God, and sits at God’s right hand.

It dosen’t matter who the President is, or who is your representative in congress, or who your pastor is for that matter, God is still in control. God let those people have the seats of power over you, and they are in God’s plan for everyone. If you look back at Abraham in the Bible. You will see a man, just like you or me, who had a promise from God of a son that would be the father of a great nation. When after some time had passed, and nothing had yet happened, Sarai, Abrams wife, his name was still Abram at the time, decided that she would help God along with His promise and had Hagar, her servant, sleep with Abram and get pregnant by Abram so Abram would have a son and heir, and God’s promise would be fullfilled. All of this is recorded in Genesis 17:16 - 21:2. We think, just because God does not work in our timeline that He must need our help. The son born to Abram by Hagar was named Ismael and became the father of the Islamic nations. The son Abraham, which God changed his name to when God had to renew the promise after Ismael was born, named Isaac was the Father of the nation which later became known as Israel. We get tired of waiting for God to change things, take matters into our own hands, and usually thoroughly screw them up. 

If we could just have the Peace of God and wait for God to move, then we would get the blessing that God has in store for us.A good example for us is Joseph, in the Bible in Genesis as well. Joseph sat back and waited for God to deliver him from the slave traders, who his brothers sold him to, and then from the jail that Potifer the captain in Pharoah’s army put him in, and then from being just a servant to the Pharoah, to the point that Joseph became the second most important man in Egypt, just beneath Pharoah, and had the power to reunite his family and help them to survive the drought. He sat back, so to speak, and let God’s plan work itself out in his life, never once losing the faith in God to deliver him from the bad times he was facing. The entire story of Joseph is found between Genesis 37:2 and 50:26 with the exception of chapter 38.

How do we know when something is from God, and not from our own plans? First we must pray and fast. If we still feel like God is leading us in that direction, then we read God’s Word and get revelation from it as to what God would have us do. If all these things agree, then God must be in it and we should go ahead. If God doesn’t want us to do it He will let us go ahead and make the mistake, hopeing that we will learn from it. We should not be so stymied by wanting God’s Approval that we are kept from doing anything. If we feel that God has given His approval over something, then we should be Quick in following up and doing what God would have us do. The door will only be open for a short time then God’s plan will change to adapt. Don’t wait so long that you get out of God’s will by waiting. 

Sometimes we despite the seemingly lack of chance that we will be able to do something without God’s help, we are kept from doing things. God wants us to be willing to step out on faith as Peter did when he walked out to Jesus on the waters. Peter could no more walk on water than you or I, but he steped out on faith and began to walk to Jesus. The only problem was that when he failed to keep his eyes firmly on Jesus and looked instead at the storm around him he began to sink. Notice, he only began to sink. Jesus will never let any of us sink to deeply into the waters of sin that surround us. Jesus will always reach out and grab us before we sink further than God wants us to in His plan.

Casting Pearls- Are we fighting over Dirt?

When watching an episode of Duck Dynasty lately, I was struck by how most of the world puts more value in material things than living things. Willie, the CEO of Duck Commander,  the family business, was explaining how his son had recently been in an accident and how he had yet to seethe damage done to the truck. As they came around the corner, with Willie’s son saying the damage to the truck was minimal, he saw the truck, with at least $8,000.00 dollars worth of damage. The truck had obviously rolled several times in the wreck. 

Willie’s wife was continuously stating that it was amazing how the boy had survived the wreck and that it was a miracle he was not hurt. Anyone with a child can relate to the situation. The problem was that even though it was obvious that the boy was not hurt, he did not thank God and praise Him for the boy’s salvation, instead Wilie complained that the truck was almost totaled.

How often in life do we ignore the miracles around us and instead focus on the material loss to ourselves? Don’t you think God is disappointed by our lack of giving acknoledgement to Him for working na miracle. Willie gave the props to belt inventors and air bag inventors, not to God. How often do we do the same thing? We see a situation resolved in front of our eyes and give everyone but God the credit for the results.

Human or animal life is more important than the most expensive thing that we own. Ultimately, we don’t really own anything as God is the real owner of everything and we only have it temporarily. All our money, cars, houses, and everything we have really belongs to God, we are just given it to use for a short time. It all was created by God Just as we were and it all comes from dust of the earth as we did. We are just fighting and argueing over Dirt. This is especially true when it comes to lands or countries. 

Casting Pearls- Does God have a plan for this?

One of the things we all must remember is that there is someone in control of everything we go through and if we ask for the trial to stop and it doesn’t, then God has plans for us that include us continuing down that path. God’s plans are even better than our best plans and if we have to wait, it is for something even better than what we planned. I have been waiting for God to deliver me from the trials I’ve had to face. It seems that God has something even better than I thought in store for me. I don’t think you started to read this to hear about me though, so I’ll change the subject. I only mention myself so that others may see the situation at hand.

We face things to learn from them. I for one learn the most from the mistakes I make. It is said that a smart man will learn from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. I want to be a smart man, but even more I want to be a wise man. I face the problems of life with this in mind; To continue to follow Christ is much better in my mind than to succumb to the belief that we were all created in some cosmic big bang, and slowly became what we are today due to external pressures we went through. It takes more faith to beleive that load of @*# %$#@  than to believe that we must put our faith in Jesus who, there is documentation in artifacts and scrolls, died on the cross, rose on the third day, and ascended in to heaven to be our intermediary between us and God, and sits at God’s right hand.

It dosen’t matter who the President is, or who is your representative in congress, or who your pastor is for that matter, God is still in control. God let those people have the seats of power over you, and they are in God’s plan for everyone. If you look back at Abraham in the Bible. You will see a man, just like you or me, who had a promise from God of a son that would be the father of a great nation. When after some time had passed, and nothing had yet happened, Sarai, Abrams wife, his name was still Abram at the time, decided that she would help God along with His promise and had Hagar, her servant, sleep with Abram and get pregnant by Abram so Abram would have a son and heir, and God’s promise would be fullfilled. All of this is recorded in Genesis 17:16 - 21:2. We think, just because God does not work in our timeline that He must need our help. The son born to Abram by Hagar was named Ismael and became the father of the Islamic nations. The son Abraham, which God changed his name to when God had to renew the promise after Ismael was born, named Isaac was the Father of the nation which later became known as Israel. We get tired of waiting for God to change things, take matters into our own hands, and usually thoroughly screw them up. 

If we could just have the Peace of God and wait for God to move, then we would get the blessing that God has in store for us.A good example for us is Joseph, in the Bible in Genesis as well. Joseph sat back and waited for God to deliver him from the slave traders, who his brothers sold him to, and then from the jail that Potifer the captain in Pharoah’s army put him in, and then from being just a servant to the Pharoah, to the point that Joseph became the second most important man in Egypt, just beneath Pharoah, and had the power to reunite his family and help them to survive the drought. He sat back, so to speak, and let God’s plan work itself out in his life, never once losing the faith in God to deliver him from the bad times he was facing. The entire story of Joseph is found between Genesis 37:2 and 50:26 with the exception of chapter 38.

How do we know when something is from God, and not from our own plans? First we must pray and fast. If we still feel like God is leading us in that direction, then we read God’s Word and get revelation from it as to what God would have us do. If all these things agree, then God must be in it and we should go ahead. If God doesn’t want us to do it He will let us go ahead and make the mistake, hopeing that we will learn from it. We should not be so stymied by wanting God’s Approval that we are kept from doing anything. If we feel that God has given His approval over something, then we should be Quick in following up and doing what God would have us do. The door will only be open for a short time then God’s plan will change to adapt. Don’t wait so long that you get out of God’s will by waiting. 

                Sometimes we despite the seemingly lack of chance that we will be able to do something without God’s help, we are kept from doing things. God wants us to be willing to step out on faith as Peter did when he walked out to Jesus on the waters. Peter could no more walk on water than you or I, but he steped out on faith and began to walk to Jesus. The only problem was that when he failed to keep his eyes firmly on Jesus and looked instead at the storm around him he began to sink. Notice, he only began to sink. Jesus will never let any of us sink to deeply into the waters of sin that surround us. Jesus will always reach out and grab us before we sink further than God wants us to in His plan.

Casting Pearls- Are we crucifying Christ again?

The people of Israel had been murmuring and complaining to Moses all along, they had ignored the miracles God had already done for them, they chose to focus on the problems of the here and now rather than think of all God had done for them up to this point. All of us are guilty of the same thing, we think only of where we are right now, not where we have been. We ignore the things God has done before in our lives and focus on where we are. 

As the old quote goes, to have a testimony, you must first go through a test. People are proud to tell others what they have gone through, they just don’t think of witnessing to others when they are going through the test. God allows us to go through troubles and tests so we will learn and so we will have a reason to be able to witness to others. The question is often asked, why does god allow these terrible things? This is often the reason why. 

In Exodus 17:1-7 The people of Israel had been in the desert for only days, when they began to run out of water for themselves and their livestock. they complained to Moses that he and God had only brought them out of Egypt and into the desert to let them die of thirst.  Moses prayed to God and he received an answer to go and take with him the Elders of Israel and go to the rock at Horeb. When you get there, ‘strike the rock’ and water will come out for you and the Children of Israel. Moses did as the Lord had told him and water did come from the rock to quench the thirst of all Israel. 

The rock is a shadow, or type, of Christ to show the Israelites and the Gentiles later, that Christ must be struck and from him living waters will flow. Christ was struck once for all men, past and present, who believe on Him. It says in 1 Corinthians 10:4, ‘and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.’ 

For many years they wandered around that desert never allowed to enter the promised land that God had promised to them. Why did they just wander? God kept them in the desert wandering making a 11 day long trip into one that lasted 40 Years, so that God could attempt to teach them to rely on Him for the needs they had. Some years after their wandering had begun, Israel had again run out of water, Mirriam, the sister of Moses had just died, and buried in the desert there. Moses was tired and upset at the loss of his sister, yet even then the burden of leading Israel continued. The people rose up in opposition to Moses and his brother Aaron who God had appointed the High Priest of the people. They were out of water again and instead of calling out to God or asking Aaron to ask God for water, they chose to rise up against Moses. 

The people of Israel said the same things again, and murmured against God and Moses. They complained that Moses and God had brought them into the desert to leave them without water and let them die. Moses then asked God for them to provide water for them. God told Moses to bringing his rod with him , gather the congregation together along with his brother Aaron in front of the rock at that place and ‘speak to it’ and water will flow out for all the people to drink. 

Being tired and aggravated with the peoples murmuring against him God and even his brother Aaron, Moses was a bit angry when he gathered the people together there. On top of all that, he had recently experienced great loss in his sister Miriam dying. Moses said to the people, when he gathered them together, in Numbers 20: 6-13, that they were ‘rebels’ and did they want God to provide them water, well here it is, and struck the rock twice with his rod and water came out. 

The Lord then spoke to Moses and said he was  to speak to the rock, not strike it, Because of his disobedience he would lead the people to the Promised Land but would not be allowed to enter it himself. The Lord wanted Moses to let Him show His power to the Children of Israel, by just speaking to the rock and not by striking it as Moses did.

The Rock here is also a shadow of Christ. It also flows the living water for the Children of Israel, the difference here is that God wanted to show it did not need to be struck as before. Christ was struck down once for ALL sin, both what happened before, and what is yet to happen. We don’t need more forgiveness, we already have it. The Rock represents Christ's body and as the Bible says it was broken once for all men. By striking it again, he was striking the body of Christ again, and we do the same thing as WE are the body of Christ in this world. 

Whenever Christians are persecuted, whenever Christians are slandered, whenever Christians are even chastised by the supposed  preachers of the Gospel without good reason, when we beat ourselves up for a sin that has already been confessed to God, the world is crucifying Christ again. The devil takes joy in making Christ suffer again, but because God knows all things and has already forgiven all things, there is nothing Satan can do that Christ has not already paid the price for. 
                 This is not an excuse to be able to go out and sin, Christians should feel the urging of the Holy Spirit not to do anything that is a sin and if we find ourselves in a situation that is questionable, we should ask the Lord for guidance.  He will reveal to us which way we should go. Trust in the Lord, and place all your plans before Him. 

Casting pearls- Who wants to win something free!

Ever want something for nothing? Ever want to be the winner of a great lottery, or sweepstakes? God is offering that right now! He has a gift for anyone who is willing to believe on His Son, Jesus, Profess Jesus’ name before men, and that is all you must do. It is simple and it is free. It costs you nothing, only your willingness to receive.

The Christian religion is different from all the religions out there because it does not ask you to give anything to receive something. All other religions ask for something to prove yourself before you receive. The Christian religion doesn’t. It is really not fair to call Christianity a religion, it is more of a relationship. That is also one of the differences. 

  God desires a relationship with all believers, He loves them and wants them to return that love to Him. When you have a relationship with someone, you wish to spend a lot of time with them. Since there is no way to physically spend time with God, the Lord has provided the chance to spent time with His Word, The Bible. The Bible says in John 1:1 that Jesus was the Word in the beginning, He is the Word now, and the Word is God. Speaking of the Word of God which is the Bible. The Bible also says in 1 John 5:7 that there are three which bear witness in Heaven, The Father God, The Son Jesus, and The Holy Ghost.; these three are One! So, reading God’s Word is the same as spending time with Him, and Jesus, and The Holy Ghost.

  As believers in Jesus we should attempt to spend time with God every day. I personally spend time with God every morning to start my day off right. I also pray to Him every morning as God wants not only to speak to us, but to hear from us as well. We speak it in faith, knowing that the Lord already knows the things we need to pray about, we only need to show God our faith that He will move on these requests. Faith was how Abraham was able to show his righteousness, and it is how we show God our righteousness as well. It may be more to your liking to read God’s Word in the evening, It doesn't matter what time of day you spend with God, only that you do.

One of the Commandments of God is to Tithe to God a tenth of all you have. Do you give God a tenth of your time? Many people think that if they just give ten percent of their income they have given all that is required. They would be missing the real meaning. We all need to think about the time we have been given and the family we have been given, and the things we have been given, and anything we have been given by the Lord. We are required to give ten percent of it ALL. The Lord wants us to give up all control we think we have, to Him, and let Him take us where we need to go. Just as the ship that Paul was in on the way to Rome, we must not try to fight the storm, just allow it to blow us where He would have us and praise His name the whole time we are on the way there. 

You might say, well, that is asking something from me. I would tell you that if you have the Holy Ghost living inside you, you will want to do these things and more for The Lord. Spreading the Gospel to the people who need to hear will become important to you. What is truly sad is someone who has said ,well I am saved and thats enough. They have the Holy Ghost living inside but have ignored the calling of it to the point they are a detriment to God and His Church. They are so tied up in the things around them and the world that they don’t feel the urgings of the Spirit or help the Church to spread the Gospel of Jesus. 

  What all people must decide is wether they want to be in the world or to influence the world for Jesus. The world is watching you, are you wanting them to see everything about you? The programs we watch on TV are tracked, the sites you go to on the computer are tracked, the phone calls you make are tracked, the visits you make to the store are tracked, every time we do anything where a piece of electronics is involved is tracked. Our entire life can be tracked by the people, what kind of example are you? What do others see? Do they see what you want them to see? What kind of example are you setting for the world around you to follow.

The entire thing is that we are a example to the world in the life that we live. To be a good example and receive the free gift that Jesus is offering is what God desires us to do. The world says we have to give so much up to be a Christian but the truth is that you will gain so much more if you only will. 

Casting Pearls What abomination are you now?

                            My former pastor used to joke around that other groups like the Catholics, or the Methodist, or the Lutheran, were all off in left field, so to speak, because their theology differed from ours. They must be teaching their people wrong, so instead of denominations he would call them abominations. The truth is that beliefs like his are an abomination in God's eyes. We are told in the Bible to love one another and help edify one another. How is name calling helping anyone?
                            When it comes down to it, what should make you a member of the church built on the Rock that is Jesus, is believing that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected from the dead, and will someday return for His children. We don't have to agree on what happens when we die, or what baptism is acceptable, or if you go on to Heaven right away or to a waiting area. None of these things affect the ONE way we have to be saved. All the different groups that believe that the Bible is God's Holy Word, and that there is only One way to Heaven, Through the saving grace of Jesus Christ are all my brothers and sisters in Christ.
                            If someone feels led by the Holy Spirit to go to another group or Church and they are correct in the way they leave the church they were in, then that is fine. If someone leaves a Church just because they are mad or disappointed with someone or because of any other reason other than being led away by the Holy Spirit, they are wrong to go. In my case, I was led away from the church group I was in because of the Holy Spirit's leading and fiscal constraints. The Lord led me to where I needed to go. God put me where I could be a blessing to others and spread His Gospel. It has opened up new doors of service to me and allowed me to be an even greater servant.
                           What it ultimately come down to is that the petty squabbles of man amount to nothing in God's Eyes, and if we really believe in Jesus, we are part of His Church of believers. As the bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19 What, know you not that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? If the Holy Spirit has inhabited someone and manifests itself by producing good works in spreading the Gospel, they are my brother or sister in Christ and a part of the Church I belong too.

Casting Pearls- Have you been arguing with an ass?

If we look in Numbers 22:20-36 we will see Balaam a wise seer who speaks the word of God as it comes to him. He hears the Lord speak and tells you God’s words. He had been sent for by Balak and those with him to put a curse on Isreal so they wouldn’t take over the land he was in and destroy his little kingdom. Balaam told Balak repeatedly, God will not curse them. Balak would not listen though. He thought maybe if I had Balaam right here in front of me,  he would have to go ahead and curse them. Balak then sent some of his men to have Balaam come to him.

When we get to the passage starting in verse 20, God speaks to Balaam and tells him if the men come and ask you to go with them to Balak, go with them. The men had already asked him to go, and as Balaam was willing to go with them and had permission from God, he went. God was angry with Balaam for going and Balak for asking him to come, but Balaam went anyway. God sent an angel to stand in the way of the Donkey, and it gave the angel a wide berth. It even left the road and went into a field to get away from the angel. Then the angel stood in a place where the road was walled on both sides and the donkey crushed Balaam’s foot trying to give the angel as much room as possible. Each time the donkey tried to get away from the angel, Balaam got angry because he couldn’t see the angel and he beat the donkey for disobeying. 

Finally, the angel stood in a spot in the road that was too narrow for the donkey to get around him, and the donkey just stopped and would go no farther. Balaam was very angry and began to beat the donkey with a stick. God then began talking through the donkey. The donkey[or ass] says to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you,Why have you beat me these three times?’. The ass continued, ‘ Am I not your ass, that you have ridden for a long time? Have I ever acted this way with you?, No.’ Balaam then spoke back to the ass saying, “ If I had a sword or a spear in my hand I would kill you.” Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he was suddenly able to see the angel, who had a sword drawn in his right hand, and he heard the angel speak, “ I was to block your way and kill you if you tried to pass, but these three times, the donkey saw me and shied away. If she had not turned away, I would have Killed you.” 

If we ever find ourselves arguing with someone that will not see the our opinion of the truth, no matter what we say, we should just stop. God may have placed them in our way to help us see ourselves and the real truth. Or they could be teaching us something we need to learn, about being humble and forgiveness. Not that they need to be forgiven because they are wrong, but we might need to be forgiven for the pride of thinking we are not wrong. We should see them as being a teaching tool that God is using to teach us the right way to act. 

Casting Pearls- Television, bad, Internet, Bad,

Television, when it first came out was said to be a evil influence on our children by many Christians.  As the devil loves it when we leave a vacuum for him to fill, he loved it when Christians left television free for him to influence. When radio became a viable thing for people to listen and be influenced by, Christians supported it fully and started many Christian radio stations that are still around today. We did not leave it to be open for the Devil to attack.

Just like back then with television, we now are dealing with another new form of information source, the internet, through computers, ipads, cell phones, etc. Again we have started out shunning this new information source. We have a choice, do we want to be a good influence on this new medium, or do we want to continue to leave it open to the devil.  By doing nothing, we make it to be open for the devil’s influence. I am  doing all I can from where I am to make it something that is a good influence on those who read what I put online for them to read. 

Ultimately, the individual user has the choice of my good information, or the bad information you can find out there. With television there is a rating system that we have started as an attempt by Christians to slow down the evil influence of television. I believe we should do the same thing on internet posts so that users could know before they go to a site if it contains something that would offend some people, or if our children should stay away. This would be simple for some people to make. Many web surfing programs can show a small preview of a site before we go to it, so how far fetched is it to think of something that would ‘broadcast’ a warning, if a site has questionable content,that the program could pick up. 

We can, right now, prevent internet surfers from going to sites that we know are bad, but we cannot block sites that are unknown to us prior to visiting them. Also some perverted people out there have took normal random misspellings of sites that children would go to and make sites that they will stumble on by misspelling their site. The evil one and the ones he controls have very much filled in the vacuum we left open for them.  As Christians we should continue to use what the devil has meant for evil for good, so that every day we get up the devil will say oh no, not him again!

Casting Pearls- Have you cleaned out your temple?

Our bodies are temples in which God lives. Not only are we supposed to be living temples of God, and a representative of God to the world around us. In 1 John 3:24 we see this proof. God dwells in us who dwell in Him. The Holy Spirit reveals to us whenever we begin to stray into things which will make our temple defiled in the sight of God. The Spirit’s conviction lets us know God lives in us. 

We all become agitated with others in some way or another in our lives, we talk meanly to our children, to our co-workers, to our neighbors, to our family members. We are god’s temple and representative in this world, and we may feel as though we are justified since we are told by the Bible to be righteously angry at sin, and to not ‘spare the rod’ with our children. 

What we must remember, is that as we are temples in our bodies, the other people we are agitated with are temples of God too. Our children are temples as well. Everyone is a temple in some state of being built just as we are not yet built. The temple of our lives is still under construction. We need to fight not to be overcome with pride or selfishness that our temple is further along with construction than someone else's. The devil will use any opening we give him to attack us. we must always stay under the protection of The Lord. 

As we are temples, and they are temples, what are we to do? Well as always I refer to the Bible for all the answers. In Romans 12:1-2 the Bible tells us to present yourself both to God and to man as a Holy Acceptable temple, not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the Word of the Lord, so that we may be acceptable to the Lord. We only have control over ourselves. We cannot make anyone else do what we think is right. 

The key word in the previous sentence is ‘think’. In our minds, we see things one way, in their minds they see things another way. We are responsible only to do what is right in our minds, not their minds. If we feel we need to excuse what we have done, it probably is wrong. If we feel that what we want to do is wrong to our own conscience it is probably wrong. Everyone sees things in a different way, they will react differently. What we must do is be willing, as God is, to be understanding of others seeing things differently and act accordingly. 

What we need to do is to ‘crucify the flesh’ as is spoken of in Galatians 2:19-20. We need to be dead to the flesh and the desires of the flesh. The flesh is controlled by the Law of God that can never be lived up to. The Lord gives us the Holy Spirit to live inside us when we are saved so we will be acceptable to  the Lord and to others as a representative of God. The problem comes when we have more than one face we show to the world. We come to Church and say ‘God Bless You’ and ‘Praise the Lord’ but when we go home, we are totally different. A ‘poor at best’ representative of Christ. It is common in people to be this way. We put our best face on when in public, but our real face when we think no one is looking. That is why a persons true character is shown when no one is watching. The whole world would be better off if we all realized that God is always watching, He sees everything we do and knows everything we think. We can hide nothing from God.

We also need to take into account how our representation of Jesus will appear to other people or our children. Will we influence others or our children to be good temples for God to inhabit in the future? That is exactly what God wants us to do. Make them acceptable vessels for God to inhabit. The best way to make others an acceptable vessel is to make ourselves an acceptable vessel and show them how wonderful it could be.

Casting Pearls- Are you the Temple Of God?

Our bodies are temples in which God lives. Not only are we supposed to be living temples of God, and a representative of God to the world around us. In 1 John 3:24 we see this proof. God dwells in us who dwell in Him. The Holy Spirit reveals to us whenever we begin to stray into things which will make our temple defiled in the sight of God. The Spirit’s conviction lets us know God lives in us. 

We all become agitated with others in some way or another in our lives, we talk meanly to our children, to our co-workers, to our neighbors, to our family members. We are god’s temple and representative in this world, and we may feel as though we are justified since we are told by the Bible to be righteously angry at sin, and to not ‘spare the rod’ with our children. 

What we must remember, is that as we are temples in our bodies, the other people we are agitated with are temples of God too. Our children are temples as well. Everyone is a temple in some state of being built just as we are not yet built. The temple of our lives is still under construction. We need to fight not to be overcome with pride or selfishness that our temple is further along with construction than someone else's. The devil will use any opening we give him to attack us. we must always stay under the protection of The Lord. 

As we are temples, and they are temples, what are we to do? Well as always I refer to the Bible for all the answers. In Romans 12:1-2 the Bible tells us to present yourself both to God and to man as a Holy Acceptable temple, not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the Word of the Lord, so that we may be acceptable to the Lord. We only have control over ourselves. We cannot make anyone else do what we think is right. 

The key word in the previous sentence is ‘think’. In our minds, we see things one way, in their minds they see things another way. We are responsible only to do what is right in our minds, not their minds. If we feel we need to excuse what we have done, it probably is wrong. If we feel that what we want to do is wrong to our own conscience it is probably wrong. Everyone sees things in a different way, they will react differently. What we must do is be willing, as God is, to be understanding of others seeing things differently and act accordingly. 

What we need to do is to ‘crucify the flesh’ as is spoken of in Galatians 2:19-20. We need to be dead to the flesh and the desires of the flesh. The flesh is controlled by the Law of God that can never be lived up to. The Lord gives us the Holy Spirit to live inside us when we are saved so we will be acceptable to  the Lord and to others as a representative of God. The problem comes when we have more than one face we show to the world. We come to Church and say ‘God Bless You’ and ‘Praise the Lord’ but when we go home, we are totally different. A poor at best representative of Christ. It is common in people to be this way. We put our best face on when in public, but our real face when we think no one is looking. That is why a persons true character is shown when no one is watching. The whole world would be better off if we all realized that God is always watching, He sees everything we do and knows everything we think. We can hide nothing from God.

Casting Pearls- Is America like Jezebel and Ahab?

The King of Isreal,  Ahab was seeking the help of Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, in going up against the Syrians in Ramoth-Giliead and the King of Judah said he wanted to check with his prophets for the Lord first. The King of Isreal said that was fine, only that the prophet Micaiah always prophecied bad things to happen to him. The kings both met with all the prophets who were around Jerusalem at the time and they all prophecied that the Syrians would be delivered up into their hands.

The only one who disagreed was Micaiah, who said the Lord revealed to him that when called upon by the prophets, one Angel( or spirit) came to Him and said he would be a lying spirit in the mouths of all the prophets, to get Ahab to attack the Syrians and lose. Not only would Ahab lose, but he would be killed and lose his life. Because Ahab hated the prophet Micaiah and what he said, he ignored the warning and had his troops and those of Jehoshaphat go up against the Syrians. This was the only known case of an Angel (or spirit) ever lying to men on God’s behalf. 

What was so bad about Ahab that God would lie to him? Ahab had been one of the worst kings of Isreal, he had raised up alters and temples to many different gods and refused to follow the other laws of God the Creator as well. Ahab had been the husband of the Queen Jezebel, who had openly defied God and tried to kill the prophet Elijah who took on some 450 of her priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, and killed them all after the true God had brought fire down from Heaven to burn up his sacrifice. Jezebel had done all she could to work against God and His plan for Isreal. She eventually met her end by being thrown out of a upstairs window, trampled by horses, and her broken flesh devoured by dogs before she could be buried, just as prophecied by the prophet of The Lord. 

If we continue to go against all the things that have been proclaimed as abominations to God, we to will face the final destruction of a angry God. We kill our children before they are even born, like the Molech worshippers sacrificed their children to their god. We acknowledge a lifestyle choice as being alright, if not acceptable in our eyes, that God calls unnatural and an abomination to Him. We raise up idols in our countries from moneys to film stars to even preachers of the supposed gospel. All these things are a direct slap in the face of God. Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, and I believe God is, but I am not sure He will continue to forever. 

The Lord is very forgiving, however, as with humans, He has a memory, and remembers the way we have ignored and abused the gifts He has given us. God will not always forget the wrongs we have done. Eventually God will grow tired of protecting us from ourselves and remove His protective hand. Are we ready for that?

Casting Pearls- Have you received or taken?

                         There are many different words in the Bible, and some are written in Hebrew, some in Arabic and some in Greek. Most of the New Testament was written in Greek. One of the reasons was that in the time the Old Testament was written Hebrew was the most descriptive and common language that was used, and most of it's authors were Hebrew. When the New Testament was written the same was true of Greek. Now some words were written in Hebrew or Arabic to get the true meaning across. One of those words was ABBA, it was written in Arabic because there was no word in Hebrew or Greek that expressed the same meaning. It means Daddy.
                         There is a word for Father in Hebrew and in Greek but no word for Daddy. Just like that there was a word that in Greek was used more than once, but was translated into English differently each time. In Mark 12:8 it is translated took "And they TOOK him and killed him and cast him into the vineyard" and in John 19:6 "you TAKE Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him" In both of these situations the Greek word LAMBANO which that you have "actively" received something. The idea here is that when you receive grace from the Lord, you must take it not just sit back and complacently receive it. God wants us to have an active relationship with Him, not a stagnant religion.
                        As Christians we must evidence our salvation by good works not by sitting back and receiving salvation. The works will not get you into Heaven, but any true salvation is evidenced by good works. If you have true salvation through the blood of Jesus, you will show it by your works and wanting to spread the gospel of Jesus. The greek word for 'gospel' by the way is 'Good News'.

Casting Pearls- Milk or Meat?

A child, when it is first born, craves the milk from it’s mother. Just as a baby, the children of God first crave the knowledge of the milk of the word of the Lord. If the Lord was to give them meat to eat at that age, they would only get sick. As we grow in  our relationship to Christ, we are able to take more solid parts of the word. Only after some time are we able to partake of the meat of God’s Word. Just as a child must grow older to be able to eat the meat it is given. Just as with early man, who did not have the baby food and formula we have today, who had to teach their children to eat of the meat when they were still very young, we must teach very young Christians the meat of what is in the Word of God, before they are really ready. 

Some of these people are still young Christians, because they have been tied up in the things of this world for so long that they haven’t taken the time to learn the truth. Others are still like newborns, because they have never tried to take their faith any farther. I do not know or pretend to tell anyone where they are in their faith. I only attempt to show everyone the truth of the meat of God’s Word while there is still time.

If we look in 1 Corinthians 3 the whole chapter Paul is trying to teach the Corinthians, who were very much like us today, who lived in a port town and were surrounded by peoples who lived very worldly lives, about the things of Christ and how through Jesus they could overcome the various temptations they were faced with. Corinth was a very wicked place where people were taught from a very young age to care only for themselves and not to worry how their actions affected others. This was much as it is in America today. Whatever I want, I must have, even if others are affected, as long as no one else is hurt physically by it. At least to my knowledge. 

  There are some things accepted in this world that hurt others, and even kill others, without my knowledge. So, these things have become acceptable.As Christians, we should be outraged by these things, but as with Eve, in the Garden of Eden, the truth has been spun by the master of spin, Satan, and made acceptable to most baby Christians. We have brought about a time when the babies in the faith must begin to eat the meat of the Word at a very young age. It is imperative that we teach the truth to as many as possible, while there is still time.That is what I am attempting to do.

Now, if we look at 1 Corinthians 3:4-6, the Corinthians had divisions in their church, much as we have different denominations in our church today, and are through our own squabbles and disagreements, doing Satan's work for him. We should not let our differences define us, rather let our agreements bind us together. One of the most important things I have learned is, that if it does not affect our salvation, it is not worth arguing about. We can argue over whether Sunday or Saturday is the sabbath, or if we should sprinkle or dunk someone in baptism, the disagreements of these things do not change our combined belief that we must have a personal relationship with Jesus if we are to be saved.

Ultimately each of us has the responsibility to God for what we do with this knowledge once we have it. Some will attempt to tell their neighborhood about Jesus, others will reach out to surrounding neighborhoods, others will reach out to the world with the gospel. I am attempting to reach out to as many as possible in the most efficient way I have available to me, this Blog. Whatever we have in our hands, it is a gift from God, and with some imagination can be used to spread the word of salvation. In the next part of the chapter, 1 Corinthians 3:8-15, we see this spoken about. Each man’s work will be rewarded to him, and whatever we build for the Lord, will be rewarded. Each man’s building for God will be refined by fire, the part that is not for God and is only for ourselves will be burned away, The part that is built for God’s kingdom will remain and be stronger for it.

The next part of the chapter, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, tells us that our bodies are the temple that God resides in now. we are responsible to the Lord for caring for it and making it as an acceptable a place for the Lord to live as possible. Ultimately, we are responsible for the things we do with His Temple, God will destroy the temple if it is defiled by what we have done with it.We should hold to ourselves the responsibility to care for God’s Temple, and make sure that it is never defiled.

Then in 1 Corinthians 3:18-20, Paul warns us to not be fooled by the arguments of men, they are wise in the ways of this world, but foolishness in the eyes of God. Whenever we see the phrase, ‘as it is written’ in the New Testament,It refers to a passage in the Old Testament. Paul was a very learned person in the scriptures, which refers to the Old Testament books as they were the only thing they had back then, In verse 19, it is referring to Job 5:13, Which states, ‘He takes the wise in their own craftiness; and the council of the wily is swept away’. Paul had a way of connecting his teachings in the New Testament to the teachings of God in the Old Testament. The people who appear to be wise in the things of this world, are considered by God to be foolish in the things of The Lord. 

Next in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, Paul exhorts us do not be proud of the things the Lord has revealed to you through the spirit. Whoever, as man you follow the teachings of, do not be led astray by their teachings or their beliefs. Everything is ours through the adoption into the family of God by the blood of Jesus. We now hold part of the inheritance of Jesus and are co-heirs with Him in Eternity.