Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Tuesday September 07, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 22-24. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-7

Today's Message: Being Faithful To God
As we read the Word of God, the Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and enables us to live in the will of God, accept the chastening of God, and to give up the things in our lives that defile our minds, bodies, and souls. Satan is constantly seducing us with things that corrupt us and wreck our relationship with God. In order to keep from being seduced we must allow Christ to be the only Lord of our lives, then in the midst of all the destruction that is taking place we can be safe, secure, and protected knowing that Christ is always there to strengthen us and do His perfect will. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:1,2.

For years Ezekiel had prophesied about the final destruction of Jerusalem. The time of judgment was now set and the destruction of the Holy City would be brought about, not by fate, as the world would see it, but as the result of their unfaithfulness to God. “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed.” - Ezekiel 22:1-5. What God is saying here is that they (Israel) have been unfaithful, by worshiping the false gods that the heathens worshiped. The blood shed, man made idols, and the abominable acts they have committed were all an abomination to God. In addition their destruction they will be publicly known and mocked by all the heathen nations. Today, we too are being mocked by heathen nations as we continually defile our own, shed innocent blood shed, and worship man made idols. (e.g. Virgin Mary, Buddha). God is the God of the living, not the dead, therefore, we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, not a dead one. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” - Romans 12:1

God often explains things in parables, a parable is a short story that teaches a moral lesson. You will often hear of God using parables of adultery as describing unfaithfulness to Him. You see, the second we accept Christ as our Savior we enter into a relationship with Him, a spiritual marriage so to speak. Just like a husband and wife say vows that join them together as one, when we pray and ask Jesus to save us we say a vow to Him that joins us together as one. If you were ever in a relationship and found out that your mate was unfaithful to you it devastates you, you feel angry, ashamed, and betrayed. Well, this is how God feels whenever we do things that break our vow with Him. Now, once you are saved you are always saved, but that does not mean that you will not suffer the consequences for being unfaithful to God. No one escapes the consequences of being unfaithful. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” - Hebrews 12:11.

Ezekiel's message was illustrated by a parable of two unfaithful sisters, Aholah and Aholibah, who were prostitutes. They were representing the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel. “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,...Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women. And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.” - Ezekiel 23:2-5,44-46. These two women represented the nations that seduced heathen nations and are now defiled by them. Aholah, which means, her own tabernacle, represents Samaria and Israel, these were man made places of worship devised of their own thinking. Aholibah, which means, my tabernacle is in her, represents Jerusalem and Judah, and these were place of worship which God himself had chosen to put his name there. America is supposed to be a nation under God, yet we are playing the harlot and falling right into Satan's trap each time we align ourselves with heathen nations.

Soon, the people realized that those who prophesied of prosperity and their soon return to Jerusalem had deceived them. The Israelites acceptance of false gods and indifference to their own sins had brought upon them the slaughter of their sons and daughters, just as it had been foretold by Jeremiah in Jerusalem and by Ezekiel in Babylon. They had been cast into "the furnace," so to speak, in order to purge them of idol worship and bring them into recognition of and submission to the Word of God. “ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.” - Ezekiel 24:9-13 . Silver must go through the refiner's fire several times before all impurities are removed. God's people are described as silver taken from the ground. It is only precious and valuable after worthless elements of the ground are removed.

Today, Christ is lovingly purifying His people and removing all the worthless elements from us as we remain faithful to Him. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” - Hebrews 12:6,7. Now, God is not saying that we have to worship Him 24/7, although from time to time that would be a good thing, but He does want us to remain faithful and worship only Him. Every time a game, hobby, or even a career is chosen over God we are worshiping it over Him. We do not have to stop doing these things, but we need to let God know that He comes first. “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” - Psalm 37:4. God blesses faithfulness. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have and awesome week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Monday September 06, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 20-21. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-6

Today's Message: God's Grace
God tells Christians over, and over, and over again to cast away the abominations that keep them from needless pain and suffering, yet many will continue to follow the sinful lives they are leading and wonder why they are having such a hard time in life and start blaming God. We are children of the living God saved by His grace through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. We are going to suffer some affliction from time to time because Satan is always on our backs, but as long as we hold on to God's grace than we will endure them and see blessings through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, no one can expect to endure affliction and God's blessings as long as they continue to live in sin. It is time for all backsliding Christians to stop blaming God and everyone else for their problems, fess up, get over it, and start serving God again. “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,...By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ” - II Corinthians 6:1-4,7.

On three occasions the elders went to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord (8:1; 14:1; 20:1). On the first occasion, Ezekiel exposed their sins and foretold Jerusalem's destruction because of idolatry. At the second meeting, God revealed to Ezekiel that the elders were not sincere and had no desire to do His will. The third time, Ezekiel told them that the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation was certain. God declared that the real reason for the Israelites' failure, rebellion. “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God; In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.” - Ezekiel 20:5-8. It was out of pure rebellion, disregarding His Word, and falling into the corruption of the heathen nations that God let them suffer. To inquire of the Lord without a sincere desire to put Him above all else in your life is foolish for God will not listen to anyone who rebels against Him.

Israel did not just volunteer to be God's people, they were chosen by Him personally. That alone should have been a blessing to them, but that fact never seemed to grasp their attention. God let it be known to them while they were in Egypt, that He was their God, loved them, even when they rebelled against them, but He was not about to let them get away with their disobedience. God showed them that love by the miracles He performed in bringing them out of their captivity there, yet, they continued to rebel against Him. “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” - Ezekiel 20:33-38. Morally, the Israelites had sunk to the corrupt conduct of the heathen nations around them. Because they disregarded His Word and lived like the world, God could not bless or protect them. God will not bless evil. However, He will bless those that repent and return to Him. God extends forgiving grace to every sinner who sincerely repents and turns to Christ as Savior and the Lord of his life. Praise God!

As Christians, we are not just volunteered to be God's people either, Jesus said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” - John 15:16-20. We are chosen by Christ Himself to not only be witnesses, but and example to follow to show the world God's great grace. Because we are chosen we are going to suffer as Jesus did, but we should count all suffering as blessings because, “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - Galatians 1:3-5. Praise God! Hold on to God's grace, never let it go, He has plenty to give those who are willing to receive it.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have an awesome week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Sunday September 05, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 17-19. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-5

Today's Message: Bring God's Blessings or Judgment
There is no better reward than the gift of eternal life as we believe in and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Amazingly, once we get saved we are always saved, no matter how many times we sin. If you were to walk away from God right now, you would still see Him when you die because you are saved by grace not by works. Praise God! However, eternal life does not mean that a person living in sin will not face the consequences of those sins while here on earth. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” - I Peter 4:15-19. It seems that many people think that if they accept Christ into their lives it makes them exempt from suffering the consequences of their continued sins. Just as obedience brings God's blessings, sin brings His judgment, no matter how many think they have escaped the consequences, they are always accountable for their actions.

During the final days before the destruction of Jerusalem, the people of Judah endured much suffering before they were taken as slaves into Babylon. They were bitter with God and could not understand why they were suffering and why He was not protecting them. Through Ezekiel, God answers their questions, “What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” - Ezekiel 18:2-4. The House of Israel was putting the blame on everything that was happening to them on their forefathers, yet refused to justify their own actions. God is telling them that He is the creator and father of every living soul, even our children, and when a soul sins it dies. A soul is the core of a human being, without a soul we are dead, even though we may be alive physically, we are dead spiritually. However, when we repent and return to God the soul comes back to life.

The House of Israel are the Christian nations of today and many are bitter and angry with God. They are putting the blame of everything that is happening to them on God, churches, father's, mother's, or others instead of taking responsibility for their own actions. God addresses this as well, “Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, ….As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” - Ezekiel 18:14,18-21. Often we see other Christian's living in sin and never seem to suffer, yet whenever we sin, we seem to have endless suffering and are left with the question of why. However, no sin goes unpunished, we are accountable for all our actions. Things one thinks he/she has gotten away with, even forgotten, somehow always resurface and he/she will end up suffering for them. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” - I Corinthians 6:9,10.

My family just went through something similar to this, my father has three sons from another woman, all of them have been saved, but can care less about serving God. My father seems to always be there for them, yet we can go months without even talking to him. Last weekend he showed up driving a truck that I have been wanting and one of my half-brothers came along as well bragging about all these things that they have. When they left I felt a little discouraged and wondered why they were always getting blessed with the things that I have worked so hard for yet can not seem to get. A few days later my half brother was arrested, he was a fugitive and tried to impersonate himself as my younger brother (same father and mother). While we think that God may be allowing those who live in sin go free, He is not. He waits for just the right time and still protects those who remain faithful to Him. Praise God!

No one can escape the consequences of disobedience to the Word of God. God is the God of love, but He is also the God of perfect justice. The Israelite's suffered many horrible months of famine and pestilence before the city and Temple were destroyed. God said Himself that He does not want to see anyone die, but the truth is this, no one who lives a wicked life will live. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.” - Ezekiel 18:23-27. Genuine repentance, turning to the Lord for mercy and forgiveness of all sins, is a sincere desire to faithfully do His will according to His Word. God is pleading with us here. He is telling us that He finds no pleasure in destroying our souls, and causing us to die. He is begging us to turn form our sins, to repent and to seek His ways. God offers us all eternal life and all we have to do to receive it is to accept Jesus Christ. It's that simple. Regardless of what state of wickedness anyone has lived, God has stated in these verses they are all forgiven, every last one of them and all we have to do is repent of them in Jesus Name. Jesus Christ's blood paid the price, and there is nothing that you can do except take what has been offered to you and in return, God offers us, by His Word, eternal life. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? http://www.godsprice.com

Visit The I'm Following Jesus Website http://www.imfollowingjesus.com

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Friday August 20, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 23-25. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-20

Today's Message: God's Warning To The False Teachers

I was watching a movie the other day and there was a quote that was said that came to mind as I read today's chapters, “God don't care what church you go to as long as you show up” This is the mentality of most people, including many Christians. The truth is, God does care what church we go to, the number one reason being, the wrong church can literally send a person to hell. There are churches deceiving people into thinking that they will get to heaven, even if they have to pay for it. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ, He paid the price already by dying for us and it is only by confessing and accepting Him personally as your Savior that you can go to heaven. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23. One time and One time only is what it takes to receive eternal life, yet millions of people will end up in hell because they refused to heed the warnings and ask Him personally to save them, all because they chose to believe in their church instead of God.

God has a warning for all the false pastors and priests, this is not something that has only happened in this present day and age, before the destruction of Jerusalem God warned the people of what was to come if they continued to ignore His warnings. Now, it is too late and Jerusalem is headed for disaster. Through Jeremiah, God said, “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD....For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.”- Jeremiah 23:1-4,11,12. You know, we think of a church as a place that is safe, secure, and of God, but sadly, that is not always the case. Often people will get such a bad experience from a church that they assume all churches are the same and the majority of the time they not only walk away from the church, but God as well. We can not let one bad apple ruin the whole bunch, the important thing to look for when choosing a church is to look for one that bases it's authority on the Bible.

God warns those who continue to trust the false pastors and priests, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.” - Jeremiah 23:16-20. There is a warning here, do not believe their lies, Jesus is the church, if a church does not preach the true Gospel of Christ than it is not of God.

There is also a blessing here to those individuals who heed the warning, God assures all who follow Him in the midst of the destruction will be saved. “The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad....Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” - Jeremiah 24:1,2,5-7. God was sending the chosen figs into captivity to protect them from the crushing destruction coming on the bad figs. The Lord proclaimed hope for a future kingdom when the Israelites as well as Christians would be regathered from all the ends of the earth.

You have the right to know and understand the truth, and all you have to do to find the truth is to read His Word. God has told all in the pages of His Word, and everything will happen exactly as He has stated. A church or religion does not take anyone to heaven, Jesus does. Jesus is coming and those whom have not asked Jesus to save them will not be saved when He returns. It does matter what church you attend and God is telling all that remain faithful to a church that they have one more chance before it is too late. You never know when you last day on earth will be, once you die it is too late to save yourself. Instead of living in fear wondering if you will make it to heaven, be assured that as long as you have personally accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior than you have eternal life ans will be in heaven. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:10. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and your weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Thursday August 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 19-22. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-19

Today's Message: Importance of Words

Words are essential in life if we want to learn anything or communicate with someone, while anyone can use some kind of sign language to show what they are trying to say, you still need words to interpret what it is that they are implying. Did you ever wonder why words have so many different meanings? I think that is a question that no one can answer, but it can be confusing at times. When reading the Bible one can interpret a word for a different meaning and this is where many people think of God's Word to be contradicting or even worse, that God is not the forgiving, loving God that we as Christians know, but someone cruel and punishable. For this cause it is important that we read all of God's Word and not just bits and pieces of it. Jesus Said, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” - Luke 4:4. It is only by learning every Word of God that one can interpret the true meaning of the word. Of course, we will never know everything that God has to say, but as long as we keep reading and studying all of His Word we will be all the more wiser and knowledgeable in guarding ourselves against Satan's deception.

To prove my point, the word, “cause” is in the Bible 449 times, but it does not always have the same meaning. For instance, one meaning of the word is defined as a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result. God sent Jeremiah to warn the people in Jerusalem that God's judgment was upon them and what to expect if they did not heed His warning. “Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.” - Jeremiah 19:4-6. Tophet the place that these people offered human sacrifices to their gods. God is warning them that because they ignored Him and worshiped the false gods and burned their children for them that they were going to fall into the hands of their enemy and the result will be devastating.

Jeremiah continues and tells them what the result or cause would be because they refused to listen to the warnings given to them.“And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.” - Jeremiah 19:7-9. Now, if we take the meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying if the people do not listen to my warning to forsake the false gods the result will be a city so desolate that the surviving people will be eating other bodies in order to survive. Now, this is a prophecy of what is to come if they continued walking in their wicked ways and the result of what they were doing. This prophecy did come true and in order to know how this came about you would have had to read the Book of II Kings chapter 6 as this is explained in further detail, including how their sin caused the people to start eating the flesh of people that had already died. We tend to think that none of this applies to us, but the truth is, it does apply to us. God is warning every nation, if they do not heed His warnings to put away the false gods, they will suffer just as Jerusalem did.

Another meaning of the word “cause” is, to be the cause of or bring about, Jeremiah has another warning for the false priests and pastors who continue to deceive the people. “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion....As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.” - Jeremiah 22:13,14,24-26. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying, if they continue to deceive the people they will cause or bring about judgment not only to the people of Jerusalem, but they will be carried away and held captive by the Babylonians. This is also a prophecy and is more detailed in the Book of II Chronicles chapter 36. The same applies to us as well, God is warning the false priests, and pastors that they better stop deceive His people because they are going to suffer dearly for it.

Perhaps one of the most compelling meanings to the word “cause” would be defined as, a movement to which a person or group is dedicated. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - I Timothy 1:15-17. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, this would be none other than the cause of Christ, in other words a person or group of people who are dedicated to live by faith, all of God's Word, and telling the Gospel to others. Those who believe in the cause of Christ have eternal life and will not only tell others about Him, but not be ashamed to show His belief. No matter what suffering they face.

The entire Bible is centered around One person and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” - Luke 24:44-47. It all started in Jerusalem, and carried on over through the nations and generations and here we are today. If we want to understand what God is trying to say we need to learn exactly which of the meanings of the word He is trying to tell us. The only way to even figure it out is to first call on Jesus, God's Word made in the flesh. Once we develop our relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will explain things to us that we never realized. Then we can truly know what God is saying instead of assuming it because we happened to pick up the Bible and read some random chapter. That is why I do my studies from the first to the last book so people can see exactly what God is saying. Just imagine the blessings as well as the lessons we will learn a little each day as we keep forward in learning some of God's amazing mysteries. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

P.S. I apologize for not being able to post these for a couple of days, there has been so many problems with the servers and my internet connect, but all should be back to normal now. I apologize for any convience, you can read any of the days you missed by going to http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study.php Thank you and God bless you.

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Tuesday August 17, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 11-14. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-17

Today's Message: A Strong Christian

Reading through the Book of Jeremiah one can not help, but think that many of the prophecies given are so true today. You will hear so many people try and say that the Bible is outdated and not for today's generation, but they have no clue what they are talking about. You could swear that God is speaking about today in these chapters. The false churches, gods, religions, and prophets are no different than they are today, in fact, today there are even more, but all of them have been predicted. These are all the product of Satan and since he is the master deceiver it is not surprising that many people fall into his deception, it takes a strong Christian to be able to decipher God's truths from Satan's lies, but it can be done.

Most of the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom turned from God and sought the false gods created by people still inhibiting the land. The Southern Kingdom was the center of God and where His Temple was so, you would think that they would have remained faithful to God since He was right there. Yet right under His nose they were doing the same things that the Northern Kingdom was doing. This angered God more because while all the Israelites were His chosen people, the Southern Kingdom were the ones who stood by God the most so, when they began following in the footsteps of the Northern Kingdom God did not take it very well. Speaking with Jeremiah, God reveals His anger toward the Southern Kingdom and that they too will face His judgment. “Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.” - Jeremiah 11:11-14. Do you know someone who has bounced from religion to religion? They are in constant search of a god that fits them. Let me tell you something, there is only One God and the Christian life is not, have it your way, it's God's way. If people would just realize that, it would save them a lot of pain and suffering. And you know what? God will give you anything you want just by being faithful to Him.

Okay, so you are faithful to God and it seems the more faithful you are to Him the more you suffer. At the same time you see those who continue to live in sin prosper and seem to have everything going great for them. It can seem that way at times, but it will all catch up to us eventually. Jeremiah asked God these same questions, here is God's response, “Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people. But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.” - Jeremiah 12:14-17. God is saying here that He will not forget those who remain faithful to Him. He is going to remove anyone that tries to corrupt His people, including those who seem to be prospering by their wickedness (swear by Baal). Only those who remain faithful (know Christ) will be saved. There is also a prophecy here, when Jesus returns all of God's people of all nations will return to Jerusalem to their promised land. God places the wicked among the good so that they can see that what they need is God, but if they never learn, He will take them away. A strong Christian will, in the midst of suffering, remain faithful to God, knowing that he has a wonderful inheritance awaiting him.

So, how to do you become a strong Christian? First of all you need Jesus, without Him you are wasting your time praying or doing anything for God because He will not hear or see you. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” - Matthew 7:21-23.

Secondly, you need to be praying, praying keeps our mind on God and increases our faith, the more you pray the more you want to learn about God's will, the ore you want to know God's will, the more you will read the Bible and follow it. It is a win win cycle. No one is perfect, but if you try, and if you care to live your life through His will, there is forgiveness, and a great inheritance awaiting you. Friend, God has promised it to you. As long as you care, and repent in Jesus name, you will not be judged for any sin, and God has said that if I have forgiven you, then it is forgiven, and there is no need to bring it up again.

Perhaps the most important thing in becoming a strong Christian is to remember that you can not get through life alone and you do not have to. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13. Jesus Christ is our strength, while we all get a little weak in our faith from time to time it is good to know that Jesus is always with us and He is all we need to be a strong Christian so that we can know what Satan is up to and how to stand up to him. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Saturday August 14, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 1-3. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-14

Today's Message: Let God Handle It

As Christians we can be pretty hard on ourselves, especially if we get caught up in sin. The great thing about God is that even if we get caught up in the messiest of sins we can be forgiven. All the guilt, shame, and sleepless nights can be eliminated simply by asking for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9. Praise God! You say it is not that simple? Of course it is, we have a choice and there comes a point in our lives where we need to just stop trying to fix it all on our own and let God handle it. No one escapes chastisement for their sins, so, if one is caught up in sin, he needs to just accept it, take the punishment, and move forward, chastisement does not last forever and the longer one tries to avoid it the more he will suffer. The chastisement is actually a blessing and once it is over more blessings are to come.

The book of Jeremiah is the twenty-fourth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains fifty-two chapters. The author of the book is Jeremiah and it was written to Judah to warn of the coming judgment of captivity and call for repentance. What we are to learn from the book is that national disasters and deterioration is often due to disobedience to God, but like all storms when we call on God and repent, He will restore what has been lost. Jeremiah was actually very young when God called on Him to warn the people of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. “Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” - Jeremiah 1:4-9. There is an assurance from God listed in these verses, no matter how young or old a person is they can be used of God. In fact, before we are even thought of God has a plan for us and when He calls us we need to answer Him. Often a person will face lots of pain and suffering before they realize God's call, but once they do they realize just how much God loves them and wants the best for them.

I remember before I got caught up in a mess that God was calling me, I knew He was because I had the urge to start reading the Bible again and while I was out of town my brother called me to tell me he was going to church. I ignored it and it took a few years for me to completely commit to God, and I suffered for it too, but once I did I knew God had a better path for me than where I was going. Did you ever take a wrong turn and get lost? Sometimes it takes a long time to get back on the right road, but once you do you are relieved, even if you are a little late. I always imagine two paths in life, of course, one being God's path, the other our own. Sometimes we take a wrong turn and get lost for a while, but God always directs us back on the right road. Of course, it is usually affliction that directs us, but how else is He going to get our attention. If you were a child of God at birth and remained that way praise God that you never fell into the lusts of the world, if you were a backslider like I was praise God that He got you back on the right road. If you are a backslider or never even known God, praise God that you are reading this because He is calling you right now. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” - I Corinthians 6:9-11. Praise God!

Through Jeremiah God illustrates our backsliding as an adulterous woman. “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.” - Jeremiah 3:8-12. God does not stay angry forever, we can all praise Him for His mercy and grace. If it were not for His grace we would all still be offering up animal sacrifices to seek forgiveness for our sins. He is telling all who have backslid, “You are forgiven, but in order to be forgiven you must return to me.” Until I with my mouth asked God to forgive me I suffered deeply, the guilt and shame of what I allowed myself to get involved in alone made me suffer, but when I finally made that choice to let God handle it I was set free. Yes, I was chastised a bit, but it was all worth it because as I look back now I realize God was always there trying to get me to get back on the right road. Praise God that He did. He can do the same for anyone else who let's God handle it.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and the rest of your weekend
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Friday August 13, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 64-66. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-13

Today's Message: Give Them The Opportunity

As Christians we can rejoice in the fact that Christ will return and when He does it is only the beginning to our wonderful journey, no more pain, suffering, or remembrance of anything that we had to endure here on earth. Whether we just come to know Him, forgot about Him, or were faithful servants, all who have called on Jesus to save them will escape the horrible fate of every person who rejected the Lord, eternal separation not only from God, but everyone as they spend the rest of eternity burning in the lake of fire. “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”- Revelation 20:14,15. Yes, it is a scary thought to think that there is such a place, but it is real and anyone who has not called on Jesus to save them will end up there. It saddens me to think that I have family and friends that I will not see in heaven because they did not know the truth or ignored it. “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”- John 3:33-36. Everyone in their lifetime on earth will have the opportunity to be saved, it is up to them to accept it, we can not dwell on those who did not heed the warning, but we can do what we can to try and tell the rest so they have the opportunity as well.

A lot of people think that all we read in the New Testament is new news and that it has no impact from the Old Testament, but the fact is, it is nothing new. All throughout the Old Testament these things have been told already. When God inspired Isaiah to write his book, the prophecies given to him about Jesus coming were given over seven hundred years before his birth. Isaiah also prophesies about Christ's second coming and the destruction that will take place. Isaiahs prophecies deemed true when he warned the Northern Kingdom and later the Southern Kingdom of their destruction. Eight years after the fall of the Northern Kingdom the Southern Kingdom began to take a fall that would lead to it's destruction and the Israelites being taken captive by the Babylonians. The majority of the people had abandoned the Lord and had turned to the false gods of neighboring countries. In a desperate plea Isaiah began praying to God, “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?” - Isaiah 64:8-12. Just like today, they rejected the prophecies as well, but that did not stop them from happening. Through Isaiah, God is giving us a warning and is preparing us for what is about to come of our own nation, which ever one that may be, like Isaiah, we too need to be praying and pleading to God for our nation.

Regardless of what we have gotten ourselves into, God is forgiving and although we will suffer some chastisement when it is over we will be blessed through it. God assures us that although we have sinned He will save us from His wrath, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” - Isaiah 65:13-17. Jesus is the bread of life, unless we receive His offering we will always be hungry and thirsty for more, never satisfied. Jesus Said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” - John 6:35.

When God's people have the bread of life they shall want nothing good for them, but those who forsake the Lord, shall be ashamed of vain confidence in their own righteousness, and the hopes they built thereon. Worldly people bless themselves in the abundance of this world's goods, but God's people bless themselves in Him, recognizing Him as their strength and will. They shall honor Him as the God of truth. They shall think themselves happy in having Him for their God, who made them forget their troubles. The former confusions, sins, and miseries of the human race, shall be no more remembered or renewed. In the grace and comfort believers have in and from Christ we look forward to the new heaven and new earth awaiting us. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have an awesome and blessed weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? Visit God's Price
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Thursday August 12, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 58-63. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-12

Today's Message: Fasting God's Way

When most Christians think of the word fasting they think of Fat Tuesday, Lent, and Easter. The word fast is defined as to abstain from food, or limiting of one's food or certain kinds of food, especially when voluntary and as a religious observance. I remember growing up and only eating fish on Friday's and the forty days of fasting during Lent when we would take a food we enjoyed the most and not eat it the entire season. Another meaning for the word fast is a period of such abstention or self-denial. You would often hear of people during the Lenten season use that time for abstaining from fleshly desires as well. While it is good to have times of reflection and restraint, it is important to remember that living the Christian life is not about taking forty days out of the year to do what is right, it is about a lifetime commitment to living your life as Christ did. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” - Romans 12:1.

Through Isaiah, God addresses people who fast in vain, “Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” - Isaiah 58:2-4. As I said earlier, living the Christian life is not about taking forty days out of the year to do what is right, and this is what God is talking about here. You can not live immorally and seek God and expect His blessings. Often Christians will abuse God's good graces to continue to live in sin, although God is a forgiving God, He is not a gullible God, He knows what we are doing and if we are sincere.

Isaiah continues and through him God addresses what we are to do when we fast, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;...Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. ” - Isaiah 58:6-9,14. Fasting is not to impress the world of how religious we are, but is to seek the will of God through intercession. We are blessed when we truly seek the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, it is only then can we forget about our own burdens and desires and focus on others, who have much more to deal with then we do.

God assures us through Isaiah, “For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” - Isaiah 62:1-5. Hephzibah means Jerusalem will be restored and Beulah means a land of peace. That new name for the Gentiles are Christians, that is all who have called on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. We sing a song at my church called, In Beulah land, it is a vision of what is to come as Christians and Jews come together to a land of peace.

So many people make the assumption that if they are a particular religion that will save you from hell. This is wrong, whether Jew or Gentile the only way to escape hell is through Jesus Christ. “And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” - Isaiah 61:9-11. Alee who accept Jesus Christ are saved. Praise God!

Fasting is perhaps the most intimate relationship you can have with God, fasting is more than refraining ones self from eating food and doing things we love, it is about using that time for prayer, getting in God's Word, and helping others not only come to know Christ themselves, but see that they can find peace through their burdens. Jesus Said, “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” - Matthew 6:16-18. Spiritual fasting is something between you and God and no one else. We are to go about our day like every other day, for instance, instead of eating at lunch time you would be praying or reading the Bible.

At times it is necessary to fast, while God answers all prayers, some requests take more than just praying, and this is where fasting comes in. You know, the disciples did not always have total confidence that Jesus could do and make anything happen. They doubted Him from time to time as well so, we are no different from His first twelve disciples. When questioning why they could not heal a boy possessed by the devil, Jesus Said, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” - Matthew 17:20,21. Prayer and fasting combined can truly move mountains. Think about it, a mountain is just a rock, it can not grow, it has no life to it, but a seed, as seed has live to it and when it grow it can literally break through that mountain and it will tumble. Ever see a flower or piece of grass pop through a driveway or sidewalk? That is the power of a tiny seed. Just that much faith can increase ones faith, especially through prayer and fasting, so much so that it can show God you truly believe in Him. If just a little bit of faith can move a mountain imagine what more faith can do? Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Wednesday August 11, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 52-57. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-11

Today's Message: Our Redeemer

Out of all the people in the world who consider themselves Christians, how many actually know what it means to be a Christian. Being a Christian is not about going to church, trying to be good, and helping others less fortunate than us. The key word within the word is Christ, to be a Christian, one needs Christ. If you from the bottom of your heart believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and confessed to Him that you are a sinner and asked Him to save you than you are a Christian. If you have never asked Jesus to save you than you are not and all that work you have been trying to do is getting you no where.“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:9,10. This is nothing new, it has always been in the Bible. False religions and doctrine try to change this, but no matter what they try they can not hide the truth and are deceiving all who believe them. It is sad when I get people telling me that they believe by their religion they are going to heaven or that heaven and hell do not even exist. The truth is, heaven and hell are real, Jesus is the only way to heaven, and anyone who has not personally called on Him to save them, if they died today, would be in hell. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7,8.

You know, the sad thing about all this is that good people truly do think that if they do enough good that it will save them, but being good does not save us, Jesus saves us. We think that Jesus is someone who just came around a couple thousand years ago, but the truth is, Jesus was around before God created the heavens and earth and He is still around. Even the Israelites knew of Jesus, known by them as the Messiah. Jesus was, is and will always be our Savior. Through Isaiah God reveals to all, not just Israel, that He was making a way for us to be redeemed without paying for it. “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money....The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” - Isaiah 52:1-3,10. When God speaks of Zion and Jerusalem, He is speaking of all nations. Jerusalem being the holy city, while Zion is the hill where the Temple was built and will be the final destination for all believers .

Isaiah continues and reveals the coming of Jesus and how He would be rejected, persecuted, and suffer for the sins of everyone, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed....Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” - Isaiah 53:2-5,10-12. Jesus became our intercessor, the one who would sacrifice His life, just as a sin offering was given to redeem a person, to save us from our transgressions (sins). Jesus was perfect and sinless and God allowed Him to die for the sins of all of us, people think that God would not send a person who tries to be good to hell, but no matter how good one tries to be we have sin in us, therefore, unless one knows Jesus personally they will end up in hell when they die.

God is not trying to send people to hell, He loves everyone and wants to see all of us in heaven, but He will not save anyone who does not want to be saved. “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer....And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee....No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” - Isaiah 54:7,8,13,14,17. A redeemer is someone to make amends for, to pay off, or to recover possession or ownership of by payment of a price or service. Jesus is our Redeemer, He paid the price for our sins by dying for us. Before Jesus, Satan has possession of our soul, but the second we call on Jesus he no longer owns our soul, it is free and on it's way to heaven when the body dies. Praise God!

Christ suffered and died on the cross in our place and conquered death by His resurrection. It was on the cross He revealed His love and made the supreme sacrifice so each one of us could receive forgiveness for our sins. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” - Isaiah 55:1-7. All we have to do to be free from our sin and go to heaven is call on Jesus. He is our Redeemer and the only one who can save us and pardon us. Think about it. If a person was drowning and did not call for help the lifeguard would not see him drowning until it was too late. It is only by yelling and calling for help that he would be saved. The same thing applies to eternal life, if we want to be saved from hell we need to call on Jesus. He is our only life preserver. Praise God that He loved us so much that He sent Jesus and gave Him up to save all of us, but to be saved we must first call Him.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Tuesday August 10, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 47-51. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-10

Today's Message: God's Free Will

Perhaps one of the most amazing gifts we can ever receive from God, apart from sending Jesus, is the gift of free will. While God knows already who will and will not follow Him from the time we are conceived, He still gives us the choice to choose Him. Now, often you will hear the world, especially people we use to hang out with, say something like, “You are brain washed” Believing in God is not being brain washed, it is predestined, we are all born with the knowledge of God, but we allow circumstances and false doctrine alter our perception of Him. People are more willing to believe that they evolved over billions of years rather than believe the truth. In fact, no matter what people go through they are more likely to believe the lie that the truth. Did you ever have someone accuse you of something that was not true? This is the same situation. Instead of trying to hide your faith, embrace it. Who cares what people think? It is God that we have to please, not people and if they are any kind of friend they will respect that and see that we are not brain washed, but free. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” - John 8:32. Praise God!

God is not forcing anyone to believe in Him and that is why some people will only remain as God's creation while others will become His very own children. Yes, there is a difference. God created everything living, but only those who believe in and accept Him and His Word can become His children. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,” - Ephesians 1:3-5. When we believe in and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior we become one of God's children. Praise God!

God's free will allow us to test the spirits, He says, go ahead, seek help from all the false gods, idols, and astrologers out there and see what they will do for you. Through Isiah God addresses those who believe in all of these things, “For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.”- Isaiah 47:10-15. God will not share Himself with any other god. If you are going to choose God He expects you to commit only to Him. He will not take anyone away from their choice, but He will welcome all who come to Him, even if they followed other gods for a while.

I will tell you there was a time in my life when I was so far from God that I tested those spirits one time, I use to read tarot cards and often recited chants to them. I even convinced myself that it was from God, in reality it was from the devil. All it took for me to see that it was evil was for one of those chants to come true. I was so scared that I threw everything away and vowed to never recite anything, but a Bible verse ever again. And now, I not only am forgiven and a child of God, I am also a testimony proving that only God can change our lives in a positive, good, and prosperous way. You see, God may become angry with us from time to time and we will suffer for our actions, but it is through the affliction that we learn we need God and just how loving and forgiving He is. God continues through Isaiah, “And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.” - Isaiah 49:5-7. God will bring blessings out of suffering and triumph out of tragedy for every child of God, but the key is to go to Him and ask Him for forgiveness.

Jesus Said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” - John 15:13-16. Jesus assures us that all who believe in Him and call on Him are not servants, but His friends. What better friend to have then our Lord, Savior, and Brother, Jesus Christ. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Monday August 09, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 43-46. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-9

Today's Message: Abide in Christ

As Christians, no matter how strong we are in our faith we still underestimate the love and power of our Almighty God. God truly wants the best for us, often we just do not know what that is and confuse our own will with God's will. This is where God will bring affliction and we think it is a punishment, but in reality it is only Him trying to show us what is best for us. Jesus Said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” - John 15:7. To abide means to remain or dwell with, in other words Jesus is saying, “If you remain with Me, My Words (God's Word) will remain with you and you will receive what you are asking. As we abide in Christ, we learn what God's will is and as we learn God's will Jesus will teach us what to ask for and we will receive it. Think about a child asking a parent for something, some things the child is just not able to have because it is not good for him. God is the same way with His children, He is not going to give us anything that is bad for us, but be careful, if we use our own will to get it, we can be sure affliction will come our way.

Abiding in Christ means that you are to live by every Word of God, this is where many people fall, no matter how many times it is stressed that we need to live by Every Word some one always tries to make an excuse as to why it is not necessary. While we are no longer subject to some of the laws given before Jesus came, the same morals and commands still apply. We are God's creation, formed in His image, therefore we are to honor and respect Him and everything He has to say to us. Through Isaiah God says, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” - Isaiah 43:1-7. This is a vision of the coming of Christ, His seed that would be the One who would give His life for all. What are Egypt and Ethiopia, with all their lives and treasures, compared to the blood of Christ? True believers are precious in God's sight, His delight is in them, above any of His creation.

Just yesterday I was thinking about how people were saved before Jesus came and gave His life as a sacrifice to save us. An unblemished (without defects) animal took the place of the sinner and that animal was killed on the spot upon the altar and offered as the sacrifice. “And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar: And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.” - Leviticus 4:33-35. Jesus took the place of all that and we do not need a priest to assist us, we can make an atonement for our sins simply by calling on Jesus (who is our high priest) and asking Him for forgiveness.

Even though God has control over all matters, every soul that is born and lives in the flesh has the free will to chose for themselves whether they will serve God, or Satan. He already knows our choice, He also knows who is true to Him and who is not. He made each and everyone of us and regardless of whether or not we choose to follow Him, He uses each person in some way to get His true and faithful to acknowledge Him, no matter how long it takes. “This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.” - Isaiah 43:21-26. When God forgives, He forgets. It is not for any thing in us, but for His mercies' sake, His promise' sake and especially for His Son's sake. We can do things the easy way, by accepting Christ and learning how to live our lives according to God's Word through Him. Or we can do things the hard way, by ignoring God's Will and suffer needless suffering until we realize we need Christ in our lives.

Of course, there are some things that God does that we will not understand, but this is where we have to follow our faith and trust in His judgment. Jesus said, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full...Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” - John 15:10,11,16. As long as we keep abiding in Christ we will find joy, even though we do not always understand God's will. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Sunday August 08, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 38-42. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-8

Today's Message: Our Guard From Thieves

Did you ever stop to think just how cunning and organized thieves are? They appear helpful, blend in with everyone, yet the entire time they are planing their scheme to take whatever it is they are after. Thieves steal more than just material things, they can steal identities, lives, and even ones innocence. It aggravates me, and I am sure others feel the same way, when the media and government tell all the world about the weapons we have and our strengths and weaknesses as a nation, whatever nation it may be. That's like parking a car in a bad neighborhood, leaving the keys in it, and wondering why the car was stolen. It is very important to watch who we tell our information to and just how much information we tell. The Bible says, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night....Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” - I Thessalonians 5:2,5-8. We need to be awake and sober to what is around us, who we talk to, and what we tell the heathens, they are constantly out there to destroy us. Of course, we are to tell all about Christ and what He has done to us, but we need to be very careful of whom we reveal more than the Gospel to.

About 13 years had passed since Isaiah brought Hezekiah, king of Judah, the exciting news that the southern kingdom would be miraculously saved from the invincible armies of the Assyrian Empire (Isaiah 37). Now, Hezekiah is gravely ill and about to die when he gets a visit from Isaiah. “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.”- Isaiah 38:1-5. Hezekiah reminded the God how he had served Him faithfully and had not departed from the Lord's Commandments. He had sincerely lived to please the Lord, he just made some dumb decisions when things were going well. God heard his prayer and added fifteen years on to his life.

Now, here is where Hezekiah messed up, after his miraculous recovery he began telling all, even his enemies what God had done for him. Now, the error was not in telling the people about what God had done for him, it is who and what he told them.“At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.” - Isaiah 39:1-4. Hezekiah accepted gifts from the enemy and on top of that he disclosed secret information to them. The warning here is to watch out what you show and tell to anyone who does not know God or His Word, for that is what shall be used against you in due time.

Christ is the good Shepherd; he shows tender care for young converts, weak believers, and those of a sorrowful spirit. By His word He requires no more service, and by his providence he inflicts no more trouble, than he will strengthen them for. “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young....Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:9-11,28-31. The glad tidings of the coming of Christ are to be sent forth to the ends of the earth. Satan is a strong man armed, but our Lord Jesus is stronger; and He shall proceed, and do all that He purposes. Where God had begun the work of grace, he will perfect it. He will help those who, in humble dependence on him, help themselves.

Many of the circumstances in the world, regardless of whether it is war, disease, or poverty, comes from the decisions we make. Many people wonder if there is a God then why all the war, why all the suffering, why all the disease, but in reality, none of these would have even come into play had we listened to God in the first place and that means all of us and all of His Word. “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.” - Proverbs 13:18. God has given us every warning and instructions on how we can avoid the thieves in the night. “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” - John 10:9-11. Jesus Christ is the only one who can guard us from the thieves. He is life and all who allow Him to guide them will be prepared and able to discern whether or not a person is an enemy. Trust in Jesus and He will keep you safe. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Saturday August 07, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 32-37. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-7

Today's Message: What is The Truth?

It is incredible and ridiculous to see all the different religions, churches, and books created to look like a Bible out there. All you have to do is get a group of disgruntled people together and a new religion, church, and book is created, claiming that what they are telling you is the truth. It is no wonder people avoid the truth because they do not know what the truth is. Jesus Said, “And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.” - Mark 13:21-25. We are only at the beginning of the great tribulation. The false prophets are here, they know just a little bit of the truth to get people thinking they are telling the whole truth. Don't believe me? There are several, Jehovah's Witness, Mormons, and Church of Christ to name a few, I am not picking on any religion, just stating the truth.

So, how do you know the truth? God's Word. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” - I John 4:1-3. The only way to know the truth is to learn it from God's Word, the Holy Bible, not some book or version written by a man trying to tell you what the Bible says. Any religion, church, or book that denies that Jesus and God are one, meaning Jesus is God in the flesh then your book, religion, and or church is deceiving you.

Jesus will return and when that happens every person left here on earth will have to figure our for themselves which Christ is the True Christ as they will not have the Holy Spirit to show them the truth. This was prophesied by Isaiah, “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.” - Isaiah 32:1-6. A covert is a place to hide from the storms. Whereas "the rivers of waters in a dry place" are the waters that come from the throne of God, which is the truth of His Word. When you drink from that water you will never thirst again. That water is what is taught from the Word of God by a true teacher, and not a mixture from the traditions and doctrines of men. It will be filling like a fresh drink of water to a starving man. Jesus Christ is that great Rock that stands in this weary land with all of its many problems, and when we stand upon that Rock we have a covert from worldly problems and learn that no matter what we see through this great tribulation we are covered. Praise God!

God is mad and He is warning everyone that they better get on His good side before it is too late. “Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.... For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion....Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.” - Isaiah 34:1-5,8,16. God's judgment is coming and one day all nations will be face His wrath. This is a prophecy of the wars of the Lord, all which are both righteous and successful. The description of bloodshed suggests tremendous ideas of God's judgment upon the false prophets. Idumea here illustrates nations at enmity with the church, known as the kingdom of antichrist. There is a time fixed in the Divine counsels for the deliverance of the church, and the destruction of her enemies.

God's Word is the only defense we have against the false prophets and scholars claiming they know the truth. Jesus often talked in parables (short stores containing truth) He explains how people see and handle the Word of God. “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” - Luke 8:11-15. Only those who believe in and accept Jesus Christ, will be saved and those who are saved will not allow any adversity to change their mind about Him.

Those who stand by God's Word will see joy through all tribulation, through Isaiah, God confirms this, “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” - Isaiah 35:1-6. Assurance is given of the approach of Messiah, to take vengeance on the powers of darkness, to recompense with abundant comforts those that mourn in Zion; He will come and save. He will come again at the end of time, to punish those who have troubled his people; and to give those who were troubled such rest as will be a full reward for all their troubles. Praise God!

Now, I know some will try to say that the Holy Bible was written by men, but the word written actually means to put language down on paper, meaning to record something on paper with a writing instrument. God choose forty men to record His Words on paper for all to understand and learn His language. Just yesterday I was looking up something on the internet and saw this debate going on about the Bible not being suited for our world today. I know this debate has been going on for years and that is their excuse as to why all we have all these different versions, but did you know that every time a new version is produced at least 20% of God's Word is removed or changed to comply with copy write laws? Now, these versions are written by men, in fact, they are by Satan. You think he does not know the Bible? He too, knows just enough Scripture to deceive people. And these people wonder why the world is in such chaos? Satan knows and so do these false prophets. You do not have to believe me, it is all in the Bible. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” - Proverbs 30:5. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Friday August 06, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 27-31. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-6

Today's Message: From Babes to Adults in Christ

As Christians it can be hard to stand your ground and stay in the will of God, especially when adversity comes your way, but when you do, you realize just how awesome and mighty God is as He turns that adversity into triumph. Praise God! But all too often, this is where many Christians fall, they are just so ignorant to the Word of God that it keeps them out of the will of God. Why would that make a difference? If you do not know God's Word you will not be in His will because you would not know what His will is. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” - I Peter 2:1-3. It is God's Word that teaches us the will of God, it helps us grow from babes in Christ into adults in Christ. Think about it. It would be pretty silly to see an adult in diapers because the parents did not train him when he was a baby. Therefore, if we want to grow as a Christian and stay in the will of God we need to drink the milk of God's Word and be trained by God Himself, who is our heavenly Father, to know His will.

We are not the first generation to be in ignorance to the Word of God, since God created Adam and Eve all generations have been ignorant to His Word. All it took was one man to disobey God and look at where we are today. God even chose to pick one nation that would represent Him and show the world how blessed they were by being obedient to Him, but that did not work either. Sometimes I envy the Israelites, they saw God do things that were so miraculous, yet were always complaining about something. Then again, He does the miraculous every day and yet I still complain as well. It is no wonder God is so angry with us? Isaiah prophesied about nations that would slowly come apart because of their ignorance, the first Jerusalem. “When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” - Isaiah 27:11-13. The northern kingdom of Israel was enjoying great prosperity when God led Isaiah to prophesy its coming captivity by Assyria. Sometimes we all think that if we avoid something it will prevent us from getting hurt, while this works to avoid walking into danger it does not work when trying to avoid something that is inevitable. For instance, I allowed some people to stay at my house once, it was a mess and I went out of town thinking if I avoid them everything would be back to normal when I got back. Three months later I cam e back to a destroyed house and sleeping on a back porch. Of course, God did not take first place in my life then either. The only way to avoid the consequences of our actions is to avoid those actions in the first place.

As we grow from babes in Christ to adults in Christ it is important that we never stop obtaining the knowledge that is contained in God's Word. Of course, we will never learn everything the Bible has to tell us, but that should never stop us from trying. Like I said earlier, we are not the first generation to be ignorant to God's Word, God addresses this through Isaiah. “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.” - Isaiah 28:9-11. A Christian grows little by little, reading God's Word over and over and over again. The King James Version of the Bible is the only translation available in languages for 90% of the world population and is counting. So, it is God's intention for every person to have a the knowledge of His Word at some point in their lives in their own language.

As adults in Christ we are to be teachers of God's Word, the main doctrine is of course, the Gospel of Christ, even babes in Christ can teach others about the Gospel. In fact, just last night a couple at my church who are new converts went soul winning last night and the husband led a man to Christ. As we learn more of God's Word we can teach more of it. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” - Hebrews 5:12-14. God's Word helps us discern the good from the bad and allows us to teach it to others. This is the reason why I have been doing these Bible studies for the past three years, it keeps me learning and teaching others.

Christ is coming and whether we are Christians or not adversity will come our way, but as long as we have Christ we can see triumph through the affliction, we just need to keep walking and growing in the Word of God. “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” - Isaiah 30:18-21. For all who have not heard the Gospel and don't possess a Bible, it is our responsibility to let them know what God has said. We can praise the Lord that while there is life in us here on earth that we can at least present the Gospel to our family and friends, if they do not accept than at least we did our part. Remember, God will never leave nor forsake those whom have trusted Christ and are obedient to all of His Word. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and your weekend
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Thursday August 05, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 22-26. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-5

Today's Message: Perfect Peace

Did you ever notice the waves of the ocean coming on to the beach? It is such a beautiful sight, and amazing when you think about just how wonderful a God we have to create such beauty. God's peace is illustrated by the waves as they go back and forth on to the shore, carrying them back into the ocean, never to be seen again. “He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.” - Psalm 55:18. Now, think about your salvation, when you got saved all the sin in your life was carried away like the waves, never to be seen again. Praise God! True peace only comes from the Author of peace, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the midst of all joys, trials, and difficulties we can live in peace through Jesus Christ. We have to face the fact that many of the prophecies of Isaiah have and are coming to pass as we speak. It is only a matter of time before we see the return of Jesus and all the destruction that will take place upon His arrival. However, “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 11Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” - II Thessalonians 1:6-12.

Isaiah's prophecy was first directed to Judah, then to Israel, then to the surrounding Gentile nations, and finally to all the world. Just as surely as many of the prophecies were fulfilled in ancient history, we can also expect that the Messiah Jesus will return as Christ the King. Isaiah 22 starts out with "The burden of the valley of vision"; it is not a warning, but an oracle written to and about Jerusalem. An "oracle" is an Divinely inspired writing of inspiration and revelation. Jerusalem is called the "valley of vision" because of the hills that it is built on, and around. It is a city of valleys, of Kedren, Megiddo, and so on. So what this chapter is talking about is the city of Jerusalem, and an inspiring revelation that will be given about her. “The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far. Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people. For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.” - Isaiah 22:1-5. This means that these people will be taken in a spiritual death by believing that Satan, who will be playing many roles including the role of Messiah, and they believe him to be God. In history, when both the Assyrian army came against the house of Israel, and the Babylonian army came against the house of Judah, their leaders ran. They snuck through the wall at night and ran from the enemy. Those that gave the commands to fight had fled afar. After the battle when the fighting is over, these so-called leaders will see what they have done, and will weep bitterly for the shame that they have brought upon themselves. When the spoiling takes place after the war, after the battle is lost and the leaders are gone, the people will see what they have done to themselves, and they will not want anyone to look at them because of the shame that they feel about themselves. This is why the prophet says there will be great shame on all of them.

It is a bit scary to see the many prophecies of the “sign of the times” taking place, but we have nothing to worry about because we are God's elect, those whom have accepted the true Christ into their lives. We can rejoice in our Salvation knowing that none of us have to face that horrible day. “O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall... He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” - Isaiah 25:1-4,8,9.

We often forfeit peace by choosing to disobey His Word. Disobedience causes guilt and guilt robs us of His peace. However, no matter what one has done, he can find peace again, perfect peace. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.” Isaiah 26:3-5. If His perfect peace is to be experienced we must trust in Jesus and be born again. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” - John 3:5-7. All who believe in and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior are born again and will find perfect peace.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven?
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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Wednesday August 04, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 15-21. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-4

Today's Message: Walk In The Light

I just spent the last two days on a mini vacation and went to a couple of theme parks, it is amazing to see how much and how sincere these places are in trying to teach everyone about conservation of the earth. They are trying so hard to get people to see just how important it is to respect the earth and take care of dwelling place of our physical bodies as well as all of God's creation. Yet even in a place that strives on taking care of the environment there are selfish, disrespectful people who can care less and continue to destroy the earth. Think I am exaggerating? Take a look at all the trash left behind in places after people leave a show. While we can all be a little more respectful to the earth that God created for us to dwell on, it is sad to see all their efforts to conserve the earth when it's destruction is inevitable. They are ignorant to the fact that God's judgment is taking place as we speak and those who do know are afraid to speak up so they do not offend anyone. Speaking of offending people? Have you ever noticed how differently people act when it gets dark outside? My goodness, the wicked sure love darkness. The Bible Says, “The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.” - Proverbs 4:19. I am not trying to judge anyone, but I watched people instantly turn from good to wicked as soon as it got dark, drinking, dancing, and acting like fools on a video camera for all to see how ridiculous were acting. On top of that, the camera man replayed some of them, boasting their foolishness even more.

After watching how foolish some of those people looked I could not help, but say a prayer to God and thank Him for forgiving me for being one of these fools. As Christians we can rejoice in the fact that we too were once fools and may have been ignorant to the truth, but now are wide awake and sober, awaiting the glorious return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” - I Thessalonians 5:5-8. We should be all grateful that we no longer walk in the dark, but are protected and guided by our light, who is Jesus Christ. Praise God! Of course, it is scary at times to realize that the world we call home will one day be no more, but as Christians we do not have to fear the inevitable because we know that even though we are going to suffer a bit we have the Lord Jesus Christ protecting us and guiding us with His wonderful light. Praise God!

As we read through the Book of Isaiah we learn of great prophecies, some of which came true already, some are of Christ's reign when He returns and becomes King over all. In today's reading, the prophet Isaiah was led to turn his thoughts from the glorious future reign of the King of Peace to proclaim the judgment of God upon the unbelieving. “The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off. In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly. And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him. My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.” -Isaiah 15:1-5. Those who are eager to get abundance of this world, and to lay up what they have gotten, little consider how soon it may be all taken from them. While we warn our enemies to escape from ruin, let us pray for them, that they may seek and find forgiveness of their sins and too come to see the light.

When the Christian looks out upon the world, he sees himself surrounded as by a dark night of unbelief and sin. It is only when he allows the light to shine on him that he will live by the truth and not get caught up in the world's corruption. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” - John 3:19-21. God's children alone have a glorious light within them and as long as we walk in His light we can not fall into the darkness. The entire time we were in the midst of all that darkness I was praying to God to block my mind from any corruption until we were able to get out of there. When one walks in the light they no longer want to stumble over what is in the dark.

There was nothing for Judah to look forward to except a long and dark night of Babylonian captivity. Many times, God's people have had to face a crisis before they would humble themselves and repent of sin, turning to the Lord with all their hearts. If we are to gain the most out of our short lives, it is of utmost importance that we do not allow anything to keep us from following the light lead by Christ. Jesus Said, “And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” - John 12:45-47. Jesus does not force anyone to come to Him, He judges no one, but saves all who do come to Him to walk in the light. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

P.S. I apologize for not posting for a couple of days, all will resume to normal, thank you.

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Sunday August 01, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Isaiah, chapters 1-4.
If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-1

Today's Message: God's Judgment

God has declared that all true worship, sacrifices, and offerings are a delight to Him, but they all become an abomination when offered by those who have no desire to love and serve Him with all their hearts, but use Him to fill their pockets with money. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.... And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” - Revelation 21:7,27. God is referring to all the false prophets, preachers, teachers, and religions deceiving the people. Did you ever wonder why every part of the world is in chaos? All over the world you are hearing about bad economy, wars, natural disasters, and diseases. Yet, all of our leaders are clueless to the fact that we are all facing God's judgment and it is just the beginning. Those of you that are bringing your children up in a Christian home I commend you, it is not easy with all the corruption and wickedness in the world today, yet you endure it all and keep going by your faith and trust in God. So, why is all the world facing God's judgment? Rebellion is the number one cause of all the destruction that is taking place. You know, if these people would just pick up a Bible and read the Old Testament they would see that we are facing the exact same judgment that Israel faced when they turned their backs on God. We as Christians have a lot of work to do, we can not stop God's judgment, but we can be prepared and let others know what is going on so they too can be prepared.

The Book of Isaiah is the twenty-third book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains sixty-six chapters. The author of the book is Isaiah and it was written to Judah and all believers. The purpose of the book was for correction and reproof. What we are to learn from the book is that rebellion leads to retribution (punishment), but repentance leads to restoration. The book of Isaiah is actually a mirror to the entire Bible. The Bible has 66 books. Isaiah has 66 chapters. The Old Testament has 39 books covering the history and sin Israel. The first section of Isaiah has 39 chapters on the same subject. The New Testament has 27 books describing the ministry of Jesus Christ. The last section of Isaiah has 27 chapters describing the same subject. The New Testament begins with the ministry of John the Baptist. The second section of Isaiah begins by predicting his ministry. The New Testament ends by describing the new heavens and earth. Isaiah ends by describing them as well.

Isaiah recorded how the Lord had chosen and provided for the Israelites, only to have them turn against Him by worshiping idols. The Lord lamented that even the animals He had created knew who their Master was, but the sinful Israelites refused to recognize their responsibility to their Master. “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.”- Isaiah 1:2-4. Many godly parents are heartbroken when they see their children turning from the Lord. Like our Heavenly Father, they too feel grief over children who are uncommitted to the Lord, to reading the Bible, or to regular worship in a Bible based church. Whether or not our children succeed or fail in their earthly goals, by comparison, it is of little eternal consequence, for only their spiritual achievements will bring true success and eternal rewards.

God has provided His Written Word which guides us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and teaches us how to experience the joy of forgiveness and deliverance from the guilt and condemnation of sin. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” - II Timothy 3:16,17. There is everything in the character of God, in the ministry of Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit to inspire and confirm our confidence in His Word. God is willing to forgive all sinners who will confess and forsake their sins. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” - John 6:37-40. All who accept Jesus as their Savior enjoy everlasting life and will one day get to see Him face to face. That alone is one of the most exciting things to look forward to.

Isaiah prophesied of a coming King who would reign in righteousness and peace over children who had returned to Him. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” - Isaiah 2:2-4. Of course that person is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. There will be a time when Jesus comes and this prophecy will be fulfilled. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” - Proverbs 30:5. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and an awesome week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Saturday July 31, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Song of Solomon. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-july-31

Today's Message: A Soul Mate

Perhaps the most intimate relationship anyone could have here on earth is one between a husband and wife. When God created man He said that it was not good for man to be alone so He made a woman to complete him. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul....And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him....And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” - Genesis 2:7,18,21-24. When a man and woman become husband and wife they become one flesh, two souls joined together as one flesh, in other words, soul mates. So, when one soul is away from the other it feels alone and disconnected from the other. Did you ever wonder why some marriages just do not work out no matter how hard one tries to keep them together? In my opinion it is because one soul was disconnected from the other the whole time and never wanted to become one flesh in the first place. Here is a hint, if the person wants to get intimate with you on the first date he/she has no intention of becoming one flesh. Sadly, many marriages fail because one soul is not completely devoted to the other. Most of us long for a soul mate and blessed are those who have them, but more important than having an earthly soul mate is having a spiritual soul mate.

The Book of Song of Solomon is the twenty-second book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains eight chapters. The author of the book is King Solomon and it was written to Israel and all believers. The purpose of the book is to show the intimate relationship between Jesus and the Church as demonstrated by the intimate marriage relationship between a man and woman. What we are to learn from the book is that the divine model of love between a man and his wife is the pattern for the relationship between Christ (Man) and the Church (His Bride). Jesus Said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14:26,27. Our relationship with Christ is to be so intimate that it looks as though we hate everyone else. Before a soul finds Jesus it is lost and a lost soul will go searching for any one or thing that finds it. However, the whole time Jesus is calling, “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” - Song of Solomon 2:10-14. Jesus is calling and wants all to know that it is a new season of hope, He wants to hear all calling on Him, it is sweet music in His ears.

Jesus is our bridegroom and those who accept Him are His bride, I use to think that this sounded a bit odd, but when I looked up the meaning of the word marriage it became a little clearer to me, Besides being a man and woman becoming husband and wife by legal commitments or religious ceremonies, a marriage is a relationship in which two people have pledged themselves to each other, or any close or intimate association or union with another. So, when we accept Christ as our Savior we join Him in a marriage by accepting His pledge (believing in Him) to be with us for eternity. “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” - II John 1:8,9.

As Christians, we sometimes enjoy a very close sense of the presence of Christ, but all too often, His presence seems far away. Yet our love for Him continues to grow as we wait expectantly for that first glimpse of Him when He welcomes us home. “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go,” - Song of Solomon 3:1-4a. Christ will return and as we await His return we have the comfort of Holy Spirit to keep us connected to our spiritual soul mate, it is comforting to know that our bridegroom is still with us, even though we can not physically see Him. It is amazing to stop and even imagine what the world would be like when He returns, but thank God that all His brides will be protected and safe upon His arrival. I guess there are many things that we will have to wait patiently to see, but that just makes it all worth the wait. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Friday July 30, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapters 9-12. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can click here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-july-30

Today's Message: True Pleasures

It is amazing to learn of the things that one treasures, some people treasure what the world can give them, such as wealth and riches, and are usually hoarded. Some people treasure little things that are given to them, something that is precious to them and will never let go of them. Some people treasure what is in their mind and keep it safely retained in there until the day they die. Jesus Said, “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” - Luke 12:33,34. What we treasure the most is determined by what the heart desires. Perhaps one of the most deceptive things that we carry around with us is our hearts. The heart is what keeps the blood pumping, not only the physical blood, but the spiritual blood as well. I always tell my Sunday school students that when we call on Jesus to save us that we get an invisible blood transfusion that takes away all our dirty blood and gives us fresh clean blood from Jesus. The things the heart longs for can either pump dirty or clean blood into our souls. However, only we can make it long for them, if we are seeking godly things the heart will long for those, likewise, if we are seeking worldly things the heart will long for those. Interestingly enough though, when we give our hearts to God He places new desires upon them and gives us treasures that nothing here on earth can compare to.

No one recorded in the Bible or history has as much experience about this matter as King Solomon. He was the wisest and richest man of all time, yet time and time again he got himself into more trouble by following his heart rather than giving it all to God. “For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” - Ecclesiastes 9:1-6. The Holy Spirit led Solomon to warn us of the consequences of seeking the desires of the heart when God is not in it. He reminds us that whatever wealth, knowledge, or possessions we have here on earth become meaningless to us when we die. We can not take any of it with us and we will forget all about them in heaven, so there is no point in holding on to them. When Solomon says, done under the sun, he is referring to what is done here on earth, not in heaven.

When we begin to seek the things that are in the world, our heart turns away from God and turns toward what it finds pleasure in, but there comes a time in our lives when we must grow up and stop seeking pleasure in something that will never truly satisfy, only when we give our hearts completely over to God will we find true pleasure. “A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” - Ecclesiastes 10:2,3,12-15. A fools heart is never happy and always looking for secular things to give it pleasure. Did you ever get around someone who loves to talk a lot, but you never get anything out of what he says? They have all these ideas, yet never get anywhere with them. That is a fool who is looking to please himself by wasting his time getting others to do his work for him because he does not know what he is doing. I have a customer that asks me to create a website for him every year and every year it is something different that he is trying to do to make money on. I cringe whenever he contacts me because he is cheap and always has something to complain about, whether it was something he asked me to do or someone else. People like that are never happy and are always wasting precious time (yours and theirs) trying to get rich instead of just doing the work they need to be doing.

In our youth, it's easy to fall for the things of the world because we are learning and growing, but as we grow we learn that life is not all about having fun, and I am talking about the worldly kind of fun here. There is a difference between being satisfied physically and be satisfied spiritually, physical satisfaction is only temporary, we feel great for the moment, but afterward we are longing for more. However, spiritual satisfaction is eternal, we feel great even when things are not. Therefore we need to seek to satisfy the spirit and the only way to do that is by giving our heart completely to God. “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.” - Ecclesiastes 11:5-10. God knows our hearts, He knows every little thing that we secretly desire, whether it's good or evil and we will be judged according to them.

Solomon spent his lifetime searching for pleasure from every worldly source, he used the word vanity over thirty times in the Book of Ecclesiastes and concluded that ignoring the Word of God was the vanity of vanities, we need to fear God and keep His commands if we want the true desires of the heart. Solomon concluded, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13,14. True pleasure in life results from giving one's time, talents, and resources to fulfill the will of God. This is the only true source of happiness, peace of mind, and genuine enjoyment in life. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a wonderful weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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