Showing Compassion

It is important for all of us to take the time to slow down and not always walk past those who need a helping hand. It may be an elderly person who cannot open a door they are trying to enter because it is too heavy. It might be a mother to get all her kids in the car or in a cart to shop for groceries and does not notice she dropped something important.

We being a supposedly civilized human race need to put our self-center wants aside and do something for others. Help your neighbor by mowing their grass while they are at work all day. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter you could even make sandwiches to hand out to the ones who you see everyday as you go about your busy schedule. You may see them sitting on the side of the road or in a park with all their worldly possessions in an old grocery cart, old baby stroller or just a garbage bag.

It would only take one act of kindness to make you want to do more. When we stop looking at our lives in a way of what I can get from you but rather what I can do for you we all would be much happier. The principle is the same as the movie “Pay it forward” You do one good act and then that person doe's one good act and so on, and so on. We could never give as much as God did. He gave us His son for our sins and that was the ultimate gift of giving to others. Just as God’s selfless act changed our lives (His children) so can a selfless act from you change another’s person’s life. So give a helping hand you might actually enjoy yourself.

Luke 10:30 (NKJV)

30. Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

Luke 10:33-34 (NKJV)

33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.
34. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Romans 16:1-2 (NKJV)

1. I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,
2. that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.

Begging on the street corner

Poverty, homelessness and begging or what we call panhandling is something that is pushed aside and forgotten about either on purpose or not. I believe society thinks if we cannot see them, hear them, or smell them then they do not exist. Well the sad thing is they are there and just like in our day and age, the poor and the beggars in Bible days were ignored just as much.

I do understand that one person by themselves can’t change the whole world concerning these three topics but if each one of us reaches out to one of these so called, “undesirables”. Do you know how many people would be helped? In no way are we saying give money to everyone you see that is needy because we all know you cannot give an alcoholic or drug addict cash money because they will never buy food or the things they need. There are some that are just conning everyone. You could on the other hand buy them a couple items from the value menu at any fast food place and just hand it to that person you want to reach out to. On the other hand, give to a food bank or you can give clothes you do not wear any longer to a clothes closet, even if it’s just a couple of cans of vegetables or a few pieces of clothing. It all adds up when you put it all together.

It all comes down to one thing. You being just one can give a lot when there are all together thousand’s of just ones like you. Everyone has the potential to be in a situation when they need help. So when you have abundance and you give, hopefully others will do the same and there will be help for when or if you may need it.

Not all panhandlers want to get off the streets but we can show them by our actions that some people really do care about them. If we all put it off and say, “Someone else will do it.” There will not be very much helping. Won’t you be one of them that shares what you have with others even if it is just smile or a hello. Those will go a long ways. And be honest with them and say you don’t have what they need right now. And most will be polite and say, Thank you anyway. Have a nice day. If we all could be like that?

I Samuel 2:8 (NKJV)

8. He raises the poor from the dust

And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

And He has set the world upon them.

Proverbs 6:30 (NKJV)

30. People do not despise a thief

If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.

Proverbs 14:20 (NKJV)

20. The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,

But the rich has many friends.

Proverbs 19:4 (NKJV)

4. Wealth makes many friends,

But the poor is separated from his friend.

Proverbs 19:7 (NKJV)

7. All the brothers of the poor hate him;

How much more do his friends go far from him!
He may pursue them with words, yet they abandon him.

Mark 10:46 (NKJV)

46. Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.

Luke 16:19-21 (NKJV)

19. "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
20. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 

21. desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Acts 3:2 (NKJV)

2. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;

Acts 3:10 (NKJV)

10. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

I Corinthians 4:11 (NKJV)

11. To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.

All they do is complain

Complaining is something we all do, some complaints are legitimate but most often we complain about most everything in our daily lives and a lot of those things we complain about are small stupid stuff. Like, waiting too long in line for coffee (make it at home), Traffic is too jammed up (leave a little earlier), the kids won’t get up for school (don’t let them stay up until midnight), gas is too high (only drive when you have to), there’s no milk (plan ahead and get it while you are out) after working all day now I have to cook (eat leftovers or get pizza), my cell phone is dead (make a note to charge it), the internet is too slow, (then go read a book).

The biggest complaint right now is the President (of whatever country you live in) is not doing what they said they would do (then go vote or campaign for a better one). There are ways to help stop making things to complain about.

If we all stopped complaining and look at these things as normal everyday occurrences, we all would be much happier. And watching the news hour upon hour does not help the situation. It will just make you more angry and stressed. Then you watch more the next day. It is a big continuous cycle.

Some people complain about their jobs so much that they end up not having a job. Sometimes you just need to keep your words to yourself. No employer wants to hire a grumbling, complainer with a bad attitude. Now if there are problems that are bothersome enough to stress you at work then say something.

It all comes to this we complain about everything no matter what it is, and they were doing the same thousands of years ago. Maybe not about the exact stuff, but maybe some things were the same. If you want some peace in your life, think about what is important and what is not and focus on those things that are. We all have bad days but try your best not to complain to others about it they probably have just as many complaints and then you just bring each other down. Life goes on and things go wrong, that is life. So think of the best way to handle the situation. 

Exodus 14:11-12 (NKJV)

11. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
12. Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

Exodus 15:24 (NKJV)

24. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

Exodus 17:2-3 (NKJV)

2. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”
So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?”
3. And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

Numbers 11:1-6 (NKJV)

1. Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.
2. Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched.
3. So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.
4. Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?
5. We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
6. but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

Psalm 106:24-25 (NKJV)

24. Then they despised the pleasant land;
They did not believe His word,
25. But complained in their tents,
And did not heed the voice of the Lord.

Psalm 142:2 (NKJV)

2. I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.

Micah 6:2 (NKJV)

2. Hear, O you mountains, the Lord’s complaint,
And you strong foundations of the earth;
For the Lord has a complaint against His people,
And He will contend with Israel.

Malachi 3:13 (NKJV)

13. “Your words have been harsh against Me,”
Says the Lord,

“Yet you say,
What have we spoken against You?”

I Corinthians 10:9-10 (NKJV)
9. nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
10. nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

Philippians 2:14-15 (NKJV)

14. Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15. that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Colossians 3:12-13 (NKJV)

12. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13. bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Jude 1:17-18(NKJV)

17. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18. how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.

Whirling, Swirling Winds

These are all words and definitions of the same event or occurrence. There is not much that can be said about the after math of a tornado, it is a very devastating event for many people. We know it is such a common thing to say but when you go through that and you are still here to tell about it, you are blessed beyond words. Sometime there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to what is destroyed and what is not. Tornados seem destroy a city or neighborhood block and one building or house will be left standing. It is completely uncomprehend-able as to why!

 Living in the South, we see our share of tornados. We truly believe that if those who are serving Jesus and pray for protection for their families and property God will send angels to stand in front of that destroying whirling wind and send it in another direction.

Whether it has called a dust devil, whirlwind, tornado, or a waterspout they all pretty much have the same out come. We as humans can never fully understand why some are injured or killed and others are not. We are unable to answer that question for you only God knows the answer to that question.

The one thing we can say is if you are, a child of God’s you can have the assurance to know if this terrible wind were to take your life here on earth your life would continue in Heaven for eternity. When our lives are in the hands of God we should not fear the things we cannot control. In addition, we cannot control the weather. We must take precautions, prepare, and do what we can to be safe. And listen to the weather reports they are there for a reason, to save lives. And remember Jesus is also there to save lives, but when He saves, lives its forever.

Job 1:18-19 (NKJV)

18. While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
19. and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

Job 37:9 (NKJV)

9. From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
And cold from the scattering winds of the north.

Proverbs 1:27 (NKJV)

27. When your terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

Proverbs 10:25 (NKJV)
25. When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

Isaiah 17:13 (NKJV)

13. The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters;
But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away,
And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind,
Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

Isaiah 40:24 (NKJV)

24. Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

Jeremiah 25:32 (NKJV)

32. Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, disaster shall go forth
From nation to nation,
And a great whirlwind shall be raised up
From the farthest parts of the earth.

Nahum 1:3 (NKJV)

3. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.
The Lord has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.

Zechariah 7:14 (NKJV)

14. “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”

Hebrews 12:18 (NASB)

18. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,

Dust Devil - Small whirlwind containing sand or dust.

Whirlwind – A destructive force.
Tornado – Violent destructive whirling wind.
Water Spout – A cloud of spray picked up by the whirling winds from the surface of an ocean or lake.

A Time for War, and A Time for Peace

We have all had war affect us it does not matter what country you live in there has been a war. What does it matter which side started it the outcome is the same, death, tragedy, and destruction. Here in America we have had the War with Mexico 1946-48, American Civil War 1861-1865, and the Spanish-American War 1898. And these are just a few that are mentioned but the ones that most people remember is when we were attacked without warning in 1941 in Pearl Harbor then again on Sept 11^th. That began a completely new kind of war that has caused us to fight against the Taliban/Terrorist. And that will be one fight that will be continually fought not just in America but also in all countries across the globe to keep everyone safe. We can never let our guard down not ever, not now.

If you think of the war history for your country it probably goes back, a lot farther then you realize. However, did you ever think just how far back wars go in the history of humankind? Wars have been fought ever since there were people who thought they needed something more then someone else, be it power, land, and control of a society or country. War goes back thousands of years. It is amazing that in God’s word He warned us of the upcoming wars in our time and generation.

There are so many stories of wars in the Old Testament and they are better then any book or movie could ever portray. But if you are a child of the one true God we do not have to worry, He will protect us. We are writing this just to show there has been and always will be those who want everything and will do anything and stop at nothing to get it, even start a war!

Joshua 5:13-15 (NKJV)

13. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
14. So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
15. Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Judges 4:6-9 (NKJV)

6. Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun;
7. and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand’?”
8. And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!”
9. So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Judges 7:3-7 (NKJV)

3. Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
4. But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.”
5. So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.”
6. And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
7. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.”

Psalm 46:6 (NKJV)

6. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

Ecclesiastes 3:8 NKJV)

8. A time to love,
        And a time to hate;
A time of war,
     And a time of peace.

Matthew 24:6-7 (NKJV)
6. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Acts 4:24-26 (NKJV)
24. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
25. who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
26. The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.

Revelation 6:3-4(NKJV)

3. When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”
4. Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one, who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Earth Shattering Quakes

Earthquakes are a very devastating event. There have been so many and so often in recent months that it makes you wonder, why? We believe that the recent earthquakes are so tragic and destructive now because we have built so many buildings, skyscrapers, multilevel overpasses, etc. that when an earthquake happens it falls on top of other things and on top of people.

Countries that do not have the modern construction as some other countries are just as devastated maybe more so because the equipment is not available to help in the recovery and rebuilding. What we are trying to get everyone to see is that no matter what year or century we lived in or live in now we all have had to deal with earthquakes to some extent. It may not happen to us directly but it does affect everyone who hears or sees it on television or the internet.

In some of the verses we used the earthquakes were used by God to get the attention of people. And all the ones that have been occurring and the places they occur make us wonder is God trying to get everyone’s attention for something bigger that is going to happen. No, it is not the end of the world, only God knows about those matters. And no human can say when the end is coming.

We have had earthquakes in places that normally should not have them. We need to start paying more attention to the things that are happening around us. Check this out at the bottom of the page.

1 Kings 19:11 (NKJV)        

11. Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

Isaiah 2:19 (NKJV)

19. They shall go into the holes of the rocks,
And into the caves of the earth,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.

Zechariah 14:5 (NKJV)

5. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley,
For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Yes, you shall flee
As you fled from the earthquake
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.

Thus the Lord my God will come,
And all the saints with You.

Matthew 27:54 (NKJV)

54. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Matthew 28:2 (NKJV)

2. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

Mark 13:8 (NKJV)

8. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.

Revelation 6:12 (NKJV)

12. I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

China: https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/china.html 

California: http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/AAKJOit?ocid=se

(Actual News Headlines) from Youtube Videos

1/1/2012 -- TWO (back to back) 7.0 magnitude earthquakes in Japan -- NO tsunami warning issued

1/23/2012 -- 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Chile = movement picking up

1/25/2012 -- Europe Earthquakes -- 5.1 magnitude and 4.0 strike North Italy

1/31/2012 -- Earthquake Northwest of Chicago

2/2/2012 -- 7.1 magnitude earthquake north of New Zealand -- Vanuatu

2/14/2012 -- 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Soloman Islands -- OBVIOUS global unrest

2/21/2012 -- 4.0 magnitude earthquake New Madrid Seismic Zone -- Midwest be prepared

2/26/2012 -- Global unrest = 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Siberia Russia

3/14/2012 -- THREE LARGE Japan EQ's = TWO 6.8M earthquakes and ONE 6.2 magnitude

3/20/2012 -- 7.9M and 7.6M (back to back) earthquakes in Mexico

3/23/2012 -- Large Earthquake Australia 6.1 magnitude

3/25/2012 -- 7.2 magnitude earthquake Chile....earthquake in Chile..

4/3/2012 -- Oklahoma 4.0 M earthquake = US Army Ammo depot SURROUNDED by frack wells

4/11/2012 -- BREAKING NEWS!!! M 8.9 EARTHQUAKE INDONESIAN ISLAND OF SUMATRA

4/11/2012 -- BREAKING NEWS: Major Earthquake Hits Oregon and Earthquake Hits Mexico

4/12/2012 6.2 - 7.1 Earthquake in the Gulf Of California

  

Approaching Your "Final Destination"

Your final resting-place will be the same as everyone else, in a grave six feet under. Or your ashes may be buried or scattered. But where will your soul go, to Heaven or Hell. Everyone has heard the term “born again”. Well what does that really mean? It does not mean that you have to go back to being, as you were when you were born as a baby. It means you want to make your life new, like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. New life without all the junk from your past, all the stuff that you did that was not pleasing to God.

All you have to do is ask Him to forgive you of your sins. And sins we mean all the things you do that would make you feel ashamed and guilty when your are doing them or even afterwards. Just because you cannot see God physically, does not mean He is not there to help you find your right path in this world. He says this about you, “He knows the thoughts He has for you, to give you peace not evil, to give you a future you can hope for”.

We want to leave you with this thought. What if we were right and don’t accept Jesus as your Savior? You will be going to Hell. And if you think this is all a big joke. Then when you are standing in front of God you can tell Him you heard it from us about having to be, “born again”. If you do not change your wide destructive path to go through the narrow gate, which leads to Heaven, you do not want to know what waits for you on the other side of this life. So please heed these words you must be “BORN AGAIN” to enter Heaven.

Proverbs 5:21 (NKJV)

21. For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD,

And He ponders all his paths.

Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)

12. There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.

Isaiah 38:17 (NKJV)

17. Indeed it was for my own peace

      That I had great bitterness;
      But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,
      For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
     

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV

11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV

13. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Luke 13:24 (NKJV)

24. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

John 3:3 (NKJV

3. Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:16-17 (NKJV

16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Acts 17:30 (NKJV

30. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NKJV)

20. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
21. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2. Corinthians 6:1-2 (NKJV

1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 For He says:

“ In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV

1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV
6. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Choose Your Friends Wisely

To be or not to be different, that is the question we are asking you. Our society has become cookie cutter people. No one thinks for himself or herself, no one asks questions for himself or herself, and no one speaks for himself or herself, anymore. It seems as if everyone is saying, “they do it, why can’t I?

Stand up for yourself and be different, what is it going to hurt. You may actually find that people will give you respect and consideration, listen, and love you like you have never known. It truly takes a bigger person to go against the flow of the river, then to float along with the rest of the crowd. Do you realize that when the salmon struggle against the water they eventually make it to where they wanted to be?

We are not going to lie to you and say it is all easy, when it is not. It is a daily struggle to not be like the world. Partying is fun, drinking is fun, and sleeping around is fun that is until you see that it exactly what Satan wants from you, your life. The slogan for Nike says, “Just do it”. Well, what is that really implying? You can do what you want, with whomever you want and wherever you want. Do not make this world and what is in it your best friend, it will fail you in the end. If you choose not to be different, you will have to deal with the results in the end. It only takes one to make a difference, whether it is good or bad. Which will you contribute to by your actions?

Proverbs 12:26 (NKJV

26. The righteous should choose his friends carefully,

For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

John 6:66 (NKJV)

66. From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV

2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)

33. Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NKJV)

14. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV)

17. Therefore "Come out from among them

And be separate”, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
and I will receive you.”

James 4:4 (NKJV)

4. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

2 Peter 2:20-21 (NKJV)
20. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.