Good morning friends, God is so good. Amen? Think about it. He created all the good we see every day. He made all the birds, animals, trees, grasses, mountains, seas, lakes, rivers and you and I. He created all the beautiful sounds we hear by speaking, and they were. He loved what He made, and especially mankind. In fact, He loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to come to earth as a man to die a brutal death so that we can live. Someone hearing this who doesn’t know God’s Word may be saying, "Brother Jim, you say that we may live? How can you say that we may live? We all die, don’t we?" I would say that is what Satan said to Adam and Eve. You won’t surely die. They did. I say they did. By doing the very thing that God said not to, they died. We find in the beginning of Genesis that God’s only command was not to eat or touch the tree of life, and they did that very thing. Satan came into the garden that they were supposed to guard and convinced them in a subtle way to eat, and their eyes were opened to good and evil. Until that very command that separated them from God, He, God, walked with them in the cool of the day. After they partook from the tree of good and evil they died spiritually. It separated them from God. They didn’t die a physical death, but a Spiritual death. From that time forward women had birthing pains when having children. Now they had to work by the sweat of their brow. They had to raise and work for their food. Now they knew that they were naked. The list goes on and on. As we look through the Old Testament, we see that after the fall man continued to go against God. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel and we see that the first murder was committed when over jealousy Cain slew Abel. We see that mankind had become so perverse that God flooded the earth and all man was killed except for Noah and his family. And two of every animal and the animals that were needed for sacrifice were spared from the great flood. We can see how God was very unhappy in Genesis chapter 6. Genesis 6:5-6 KJV And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. I feel this may be the introduction to a series we are going to do dealing with heart issues. What I want to do today is take a brief look at how much God loves us and how He shows His love toward us...how we can get closer to God, and hopefully, if time allows, to touch on how to receive power from the most High. As I said, we are going to touch on these things, because to do a full research on these things would take months of Sunday services to dig deep into many scriptures. Maybe that is where He will take us as time goes by. Prayer. All week, the things we are going to look at have been en-grafted into my mind. It has been a very eventful couple of weeks...finding a friend who had fallen from her bed that had laid on the floor close to two days...keeping up with hospital reports and visiting her and trying to get hold of her husband who was on a trip up in Canada....dealing with medical issues of my own...truck and car problems that all of a sudden appeared...financial issues...persecution from some who don’t know Christ as their Savior on Christian communities. It has been a week full of things that could have pulled me into a dark place. Stress could have made me say things I shouldn’t, and would have at an earlier time. It could have gotten me depressed. Company that came unexpectedly...more company on their way. It was a year ago that Leanna found out that she had all these medical symptoms. A year ago last Thursday, my dad passed away. So many things could have happened. But God. I said, but God. I know He is guiding me. He is the Potter and I am the clay. Have any of you ever had these weeks? Weeks where the attacks just keep coming and coming? Weeks where you just want to stay in bed and pull the covers up over your head and hide from the world? Weeks where everything you touched broke, or it seemed like every time you turned around someone brought you more bad news? It is going to happen, but we can’t let it get us down. When we are God’s children and we are living our lives for Him, we can’t let these storms rule our lives. Amen? 1 Corinthians 10:9-13 KJV (9) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. (10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. (11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Look back to verse 9. Let us not tempt Christ. Should we be tempting the Lord? I can think of many times throughout the Bible where God had been tempted, but the one place in particular where we find that the destroyer was allowed to destroy was before and during the time that God took Israel out of bondage from Egypt. And these same words were used. "The destroyer", or "God allowed the destroyer to destroy". Turn, if you will, to Psalm 55. Here we are going to look at storms that King David was going through. I love looking into David’s life. We all know that the Bible says King David was a man after God’s own heart. So to me, I want to see just how he did that. What suff did he go through? How did he overcome daily struggles and how did God react to his prayers? David was a prayer warrior. He also knew how to Praise and worship. Psalms 55:1-5 KJV To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. (2) Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; (3) Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. (4) My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. (5) Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. We see that David was going through a storm. Maybe some of the things he was going through you might be experiencing now, or might soon be on it’s way. Maybe you know someone who is and you can use this message to help. What are some of these issues? Restless, the voice of the enemy, oppression, trouble, they hate me, pained, terror, fearful, trembling, overwhelmed. Been there? Let’s continue reading. Psalms 55:6-8 KJV And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. (7) Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. (8) I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Friends, I am going to start reading scripture and I pray that the Holy Spirit convicts every heart hearing or reading this. Some of these scriptures many of us have heard so many times, but let it sink in this time. Let us not be just hearers of the Word, but also doers. Amen? Romans 3:23 KJV For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Does everyone understand this verse? You and I, and every human that has lived other than Jesus have sin in them. Every one of us has gone against God. Do we get this? The wages of sin is spiritual death, which is separation from God. Being spiritually dead means that you are separated from God. Friends, If you were to die today without knowing Jesus as your personal Savior, you would find yourself in eternal hell. What I am saying is this...if you were to have a stroke and die, get hit by a car and die, or however you were killed and you had not repented from your sins and asked Christ into your life as Lord and Savior, you would not go to Heaven. I don’t care how good a person you are, or what great deeds you have done. Your deeds are like filthy rags to God. Keep your place here, but turn a few pages to Chapter 6 in Romans and verse 23. Romans 6:23 KJV For the wages of sin is death; but (I said but) the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Can I hear a Amen? Let’s turn back to Romans 3:24-31 KJV Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (27) Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. (28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (29) Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: (30) Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. (31) Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Praise Jesus for what He has done and seen us through. Please turn to Hebrews 11:6. Church, we have discussed in part the importance of faith, amen? We have seen in the last couple weeks where the Bible says it is impossible to please God without faith. Remember? Hebrews 11:6 KJV But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I want to please God, how about you? Do you believe the God is what the Bible says He is. Do you believe that He came to earth as man to save you from your sins and to give you eternal life? Hebrews 11:1-2 KJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (2) For by it the elders obtained a good report. We find out through the Bible that faith is so very important. By faith, by faith, by faith. Friends, I have a question. Can you see the wind? No. Can you see the wind blow? No, but you see the results. You see what it picks up and moves. You see it rustle the leaves. Now let me ask you this. Do you see God? No, but you see the results of what He has done and continues to do. Praise God!! Friends, believers know God by faith. You can’t see Him, but you know He is true. You know He lives in your heart. You know by faith that He guides you. Others can see that you have Christ living in you by your fruit. Jesus spoke of the fruit a Christian in Matthew 7 and we will start with verse 15. Praise Jesus!!! Matthew 7:15-24 KJV Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Are there false prophit out there? You bet there is.) (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Listen up friends at what Jesus says here) (24) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: Is that you? I pray so. Friends, I don’t know your heart. There maybe someone that has never made the decision to make Jesus Lord and Savior of your life. You may have heard this sort of message over and over and never have prayed a prayer to ask Jesus into your life and right now your heart is racing. Yield to the Spirit. Jesus is waiting and willing to come into your heart and wash the sins away and guide you in your new walk with Him. Today is the day of salvation, the Bible says. Will you? Matthew 7:7-11 KJV Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (9) Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? (10) Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? If God is talking to someone, ask Jesus into your heart. This is nothing to put off, because tomorrow may be too late. Not one of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Anything could happen today or tonight. If anyone needs help on how to pray to ask Jesus into your heart, I am right here to guide you, but it needs to come from your heart. Praise God!! This is scripture that I have had to cling to for the last few weeks. Please turn to Mark 11 and 22. Mark 11:22-24 KJV And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. (23) For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (24) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. In closing I want to touch on those mountains that are in our way. Do you have any? If not now, you will. We need to speak to them as Jesus says here. Not just speak, but believe with all our hearts. Friends, as we grow in our faith we learn key things that help us in our walk with Jesus. We have said that we cannot please God without faith. Our faith in Christ and His Word is what helps us overcome trials. In this passage, Jesus teaching His disciples shares things we need to learn. One is that faith is released by speaking words. Amen? He also commands us to believe that what we say will come to pass. Amen? We are to believe in the power of our words. Praise God. Church, Listen up. Failure to believe in the power of words won't keep this law of God from working. Do you want to see those mountains (problems) to come crumbling down? Then we need to have faith and not doubt. Jesus said "He shall have whatsoever he saith." When we get this in our hearts and we begin to speak words in faith that line up with God's Word, then we will see those things come to pass. But if we refuse to learn from this and continue to speak words of doubt, we will eventually believe them and have the negative things that these words produce. It is all about faith. Faith filled words can move mountains. I urge all of you to read the book of Hebrews, but on faith, chapter 11. Church, I pray that someone got a revelation from today’s message, but I hope all were blessed. Prayer Communion
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