As Were in the Days of Noah

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 24:37-39 NLT

Those of us who know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior are intimately familiar with His immeasurable goodness. Day in and day out our Heavenly Father faithfully shows us that His love is perfect in every way. We testify to His goodness in small groups, at coffee shops, and through weeks long sermon series. Rightfully so. Jesus is truly sweeter than honey.

• He is love - 1 John 4:8

• He is the Lamb of God - John 1:29

• He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6-7

• He will not allow anything to separate us from His love - Romans 8:38-39

Jesus is everything He says He is in those scriptures. He is also everything He says He is in the rest of the bible. Since the entire bible is God breathed, that means He is also the God of the Book of Revelation. God never stopped being a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

We are living in the end times. He is coming back again. In our culture today and across the globe, people still don’t realize what is about to happen. Let’s use Matthew 24:37-39 as motivation to tell everyone about Jesus.

What are you doing to leave the 99 and go after that which is lost?

No Longer Slaves to the Fear of Dying

Watching the news rarely brings encouragement or hope. Most of the focus is on what’s broken in the world. Death and tragedy from disease, war, violence, and drugs are often the headlines. The sad reality is, we have all been exposed to death in some shape or form. For many, that subject hits close to home.

Over the years, many of my family and friends have slowly slipped away. I have spoken at and attended many of their funerals. I shed many tears and mourned their loss. As my parents approach their 80’s, I am now faced with what’s ultimately to come.

When anxiety and fear about death start to creep in, I look to the one who destroyed it. When God raised Him from the dead, the keys to death, hell and the grave were snatched away. For those of us who have given our lives to Jesus, we are no longer slaves to fear of dying.

Max Lucado states it simply – “Death, a new adventure in existence. No need to dread it or ignore it. Because of Christ, you can face it.”

Do you fear death? Have you been prisoner to it all your life? Take heart, for the bible assures us of the hope to come.

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had[a] the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT

Woke or Spiritually Awake?

Sadly, in the last year and a half, the nature of America’s mob mentality reared its ugly head. People filled with anger and rage were foaming at the mouth for any excuse to riot, burn, loot, vandalize, and destroy. Like blood in the water, the media strategically aired one divisive headline after another to keep the feeding frenzy going.

What’s happening in America, and across the world, also happened in the bible. In Acts 19:23-41, the bible describes what took place at the riot in Ephesus. Specifically in verse 32, we read Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.

Probably the most notorious mob event that took place is found in the book of Mark. In Mark 15:1-15, the bible describes what happened when Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. Verses 11-14 says, But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

As Christians, we need to be careful we are not operating with a mob mentality. Instead, we should be lead with the spirit of Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

So ask yourself, are you ‘Woke’ or ‘Spiritually Awake’?

Not Defined by Circumstances

I want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Although, I know many of you haven’t felt so merry or bright due to the challenges of 2020. Throughout this year, I have read many posts and spoken to friends and family who are flat out struggling. It’s heart wrenching.

What some of you are going through stirred up emotions of the personal battle I faced for years. And like many of you, I didn’t want people to see my struggle. I needed to show everyone how put together I was. I lived my life hiding behind a mask. Prancing around under the façade of everything is “OK”.

For those of you who are not “OK or in that place of perpetual hopelessness, maybe you will find some peace in my story.

Stay encouraged, don’t let the circumstances of 2020 define you!

www.heisfreedom.com/book

Who is My Neighbor?

The hatred and violence shown in the media breaks my heart. People are murdering each other with weapons and words. Some people are proudly uttering statements like “They got what they deserved” or “I hope they die”. Hatred and violence do not care one bit about race, color, class, gender, or anything else. Their purpose is to kill, steal and destroy anything good.

If we are not careful, those of us who love Jesus can easily get lured into that same destructive spirit. In Luke 9:54, when the Samaritan village refused to welcome Jesus and His travelers, James and John said “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Some manuscripts add “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

It is in our nature to want justice and revenge. But Jesus calls us to a higher way of living. He commands us to do what is not natural for us to do; love our enemies. His word says in Matthew 5:43-48:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Ask yourself today, “Are my actions and words showing love to my neighbor? Or am I destroying my neighbor with my actions and words?”