We are about to get the first major snow storm of the year in Tulsa OK were my wife and I live. What amazes me as we mentally prepare  for this event,  how easy it becomes for us to panic. Rather than dealing with it as it comes. The same can be true about every issue we face. We can overreact or  decide to walk in the peace that God has for us. 

As we have seen in the Book of Mark the reality of how Jesus the Christ went about doing good healing all that were sick and oppressed by satan.   We should also be aware that we have the privilege due to His grace to talk to God about everything (prayer) We do understand in the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ that; God hears all our prayers. See Revelation of Jesus Christ chapter 8. He does not always answer them the way we think, He does Hear them and will respond to them.. The  thing that is hard to deal with is, God uses time as a part of the healing process.

I have shared many of frustrations that has happened when I first came to the Lord the main point I want you to understand is the importance of developing relationships. Always, do what you have to do to take care of family, if you do not work you do not eat. Do not break the Law in doing so. Talk about you faith within the liberty that you have using wisdom in doing so. In addition, ask permission in talking to other's about the Lord no needed to force yourself.

When we talk about why I became a Christian. It is because Jesus is Lord and God. What He offers is life to its fullness. We as Christians do not run away from life we take full responsibility for what we do. For we serve a God who offers grace for all that we do. But we do not willing go out and do things that are against the word of God. For example did you know that as a Christian we are in Christ and we are the temple of God. Take a look at John 10, as well as the book of Ephesisans in seeing what God offers and who we are as Christians. 

The amazing thing is how that Jesus does as we see in Mark go about doing good and healing ones who are oppressed by satan. This is done by us coming to a place of trusting in Him alone, with the understanding that all the promises of God are for us today. Just as we are held accountable to the promises of God for the blessing that are ours. In the same fasion we are held accountable to the word of God in not obeying the promises as well.

The hardest point is understanding that know matter who we are, God is always with us. We do have a enemy called satan, he will always try and use natural events in our lives. Making them bigger or impossible to deal with. One simple truth of life is if we have to deal with the issue rather job loss, sickness, now is the time we have to deal with it. We also have the faith to deal with it. Or it would not be happening this time.

When we talk to God we are talking about prayer. Do not worry about the methods just talk to Him. He will speak through us in nature as well as the Old and New Testaments. But do not get into a rush take your time ask questions if it seems to good to be true then do not trust it.

Since we have asked Jesus Christ into our hearts. The first thing we need to know is each of us has the faith to believe. Its that simple I would start with the book of Mark in the New Testament a group of books that talk about who Jesus is. If you do not have access to the word of God please check out YouVerison  and have fun enjoying your new life.

Asking the right questions Evangelism is telling others about Jesus. I start by asking one Question. If you were going to come to a place of sudden death right now, would you have the assurance of Heaven. Heaven ,being in the place where Jesus is for eternity. This is done by asking Him into your heart and making Him Lord of your life. 

As I have been praying about the new year several questions come into play and they are open ended but I would like to share them with you. Is the time of prayer and fasting being done out of tradition or being lead by the Spirit? Tradition is not a bad thing but  are we doing this because its a fad, fear or faith.

Secondly, are we depending upon Angels to do the work of His Spirit or depending upon His Spirit to do the work of Angels.

One of the simplest truths of scripture is that God see's us as if we have never sinned. Yet as I was growing in my relationship with the my Lord. I started hearing about the word Rapture and the taking away of the Saints. Mostly reading the book of 1 Thess. Also my Pastor was teaching on this at the time as well, by the way the word Rapture is a biblical concept from the Latin Vulgate yes the word is not found in most English translations. But as the summer of 1976 moved on many times I thought  the Rapture had taken place. At one point I even called Christians that I knew and I could not find them, which created even a larger fear but as we know the Rapture has not taken place. As I studied the word of God I found out that this fear can be healthy bringing us to a place of holiness, and teaching us who we are in Christ.

What are we crying for-fitted for?

What are we crying for – fitted for?

Last year I reread Jonathan Edwards “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon. As one who teaches that signs and wanders are for today.  I am reminded that there is no limit to the power of God in casting the wicked man into hell at any moment.

In addition; I am asking myself the question what I am crying for. Since “God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment”. We know Hell is hot and a place of torment. Yet are we praying for the Holy Spirit to convict us. Giving us understanding that there is more to the power of God than the fluff we see.

Romans 9:22 “what if God, Will to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?”

As watchmen, when have we seen the need of rescuing people out of Hell?

Today has been kind of rough I have been asked a tough question on sickness. The core of the issues is friends saying to this friend that the reason why this happened is because of personal sin. I agree that sickness is do to sin but never due to personal sin unless one abuses his own body. To much parting and not taking care of oneself. But sickness does happen on the just and the unjust alike. Another part is that Satan always destroys and you never praise God for what Satan does. You do everything you can for your healing. Let God heal never take for granted that He does not heal or who He uses in the healing process.

What will not change in 2011.  This will be a season of contrast. Signs and Wonder's will follow the believer. If not developing relationships with family friends, coworkers souls will not get saved. If we do not hear, obey God; the appearance of God not answering prayer not change. Unless we understood repentance God will not see our accept our sacrifice of prayers. As this season takes hold, we will want to pray more rather than trusting in God using prayer as a place of panic and denial, instead of faith. We know God always hears our prayers. He will fulfill his word. As one Pastor said wanting the Sons of Eli to minister to us rather than hearing the voice of God.

At the age of 12, I became apart of the Assemblies of God in Madisonville Ky. My pastor at the time was teaching on that faith is Now From Heb 11:1. As I tried to apply Gods word to my life instead of applying or Father's word to Godly character. I became bold and brash, some may think that I still am. I came knowing the don't s of the Church rather than the dues. Some times I wander if doing nothing is worse than doing something. For example messing out on prom and other rights of passage by choice thinking that it was the Godly thing to do. Yet operating in the Gifts of the Spirit; asking people if they had received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit willing to give a prophecy at any time.Yet not listening to others which is still a bad habit to brake over the years. I learned allot about healing, being slain in the spirit but the bottom line is, God honors character as a means of praise more than anything else. Experiences will come and go, will take place as needed. But God always looks at the heart seeing who we reflect, His Son or those who are not like Him.

As I keep praying about the New Year several issues keep coming to mind.  I prayed this at the start of 2010. Are we doing this now. 

The first is quiet time development, how are we doing? Another is applying our Father’s word to our own heart. See Ps 119:18. Are we looking for a City - are we walking in Baptism with the Holy Spirit, being filled His Spirit on a daily basics.  Are we dealing with our personal debit are we paying it off? In addition, are we developing relationships with none Christians? Do we have compassion and skills to reach the lost?

National issues – are we willing as a nation to fight 1000 year war with Islam? I know this is tough but this is the real issue. Are we using our citizenship too address issues that we have compassion for.  Praying for the blessing of God for the cities that we live in? Are we praying Ps 133 and Ps 91 for the President and His staff? Our is the frustration we are feeling leading us to want to go in a different direction? FYI, always be careful as too what we wish for. 

Ps 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. 7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity

Has the Church become what we worship? In forsaking sexual sins, putting away things that are pagan, taking care of the poor and widows.

Jesus is Lord and God always.