"Looking Unto Jesus!"

 "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 KJV)

  "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy." (1 John 1:1-4 NLT)

 If you didn't already know by now, the reason that I say we are never alone, is because we have Jesus in our hearts! He also has given us the Holy Spirit to be our Helper and Comforter; so that have ability to withstand temptations and the knowledge to share the Good News. Sometimes we tend to forget that we are never alone; especially when we have more focus on the things of this world, and less focus on Christ. 

 As I was waking up this morning, I couldn't help but hear a still small voice, saying, "Pardon Me," ever so softly. You have got to understand that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, meaning that He does not force us, but encourages us and works in accordance with our readiness and consent. What is harder to understand is His patience! Again and again, He lights the fire; and sooner or later, we let it go out! 

 You must never forget that you are not alone! Just something to think about...

"Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT)

"So Great a Cloud of Witnesses" - Too

 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," (Hebrews 12:1 KJV)

  "With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn't what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy." (Ephesians 4:17-24 NLT)

 On a much more serious note, the things we think that we do in private, which nobody can see, are really not private at all! We might think that they are, mostly because we have done exactly what Paul is saying: We closed off our mind to God's presence and hardened our heart against Him! If you don't think that is a real thing, think again! You are never, ever alone!

 Happy is the man or woman that does everything as if God is watching! As for those that might have the ability to see us, as if there is a grandstand of people watching over our lives, I pray that isn't so, because there have been things I have done that I am very ashamed of, and I won't have wanted anyone that I have known to see some of the things that I did.

 But who am I kidding!!! Just because we close our mind and harden our hearts, does not mean that God, or even anyone else, does not see what we are doing! We are always surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses; so, keep reminding yourself about that, and live as though you are being watched; because you most surely are...

"I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD; who made heaven and earth.! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever." (PSALM 121 NLT) 

"So Great a Cloud of Witnesses"

 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," (Hebrews 12:1 KJV)

  "I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all walked through the see on dry ground. I the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness." (1 Corinthians 10:1-5 NLT) 

 To think that we have thousands of people that know us, who passed on, and who now can look down from heaven and see everything that we do, is really gut-wrenching to even imagine it is a possibility! It would be more than we could stand, if that was truly the case; yet there must be something to this that is a little less shocking to even think about. 

 Having said that, there is quite a few instances when we experience the thought of a loved one that has gone to be with the Lord, and when we do something good, as they might have done, we think of them looking down on us, and saying, "Good job!" It really is not hard to imagine it, and there are many people that express the possibility that it is true, saying, "They are looking down on us, right now, from heaven."

 Regardless of whatever it means, I truly believe that God and His angels can see us any time that they want...

""You have said terrible things about me," says the LORD. "But you say, 'What do you mean? What have we said against you?' "You have said, 'What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the LORD of Heaven's Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.'" Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name." (Malachi 3:13-16 NLT) 

"Jesus, the Example"

  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people, then you won't become weary and give up." (Hebrews 12:1-3 NLT)

  "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8 KJV)

 Having been through several storms, it is still hard to compare anything that I have went through with that which Jesus did for us! Everything that we have to deal with, no matter how bad it might seem, doesn't even come close the overwhelming punishment that Jesus endured, on so many levels! 

 As it was, Jesus could have stopped the punishment, with just a word; but He endured everything that was done, willingly, taking on the punishment for each and every one of us, all at once! The heaviness of what He bore was more than anyone could have endured, having taken on the sins of the entire world; being mocked and looked upon as a sinner, while actually suffering for the sins of those who mocked Him. 

 And to top that off, He actually asked the Father to forgive them, even though it was very apparent that they hated Him. The thing that makes it seem worse of all, is the actual cause of His death, which many believe was a broken heart...

"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." (Isaiah 53:3-5 KJV)  

"God's Perfect Order"

 "God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:40 KJV)

  "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus." (Romans 3:23-26 NLT)

 If you didn't figure it out, the whole point of yesterday's post was about love; loving and forgiving one another, just as we have been forgiven because of God's love towards those who believe in His Son! That whole thing about the credit card verses the debit card, might seem strange to some; but Jesus went down into the belly of this earth to pay off the debt of those who were waiting ever since they went into the grave. While we, those who are alive after His death on the cross, are given forgiveness for all sin, now and into eternity!

 If that isn't enough, there is a third wave of believers that get saved, as no card is given, but they will 'wash their own robes', as they will be killed just for their testimony of believing in Christ Jesus. These will those who were left behind after the Rapture, them that might have been lukewarm, having known the truth, but not living as though they truly believe it. 

 I have heard several Pastors say, "If you can't be willing to receive Christ into your heart now, and declare Him Lord, as you are living in freedom; how would you be able to make Him Lord of your life, then, if you are going to be killed for declaring that He is Lord!" This is a very real thing, and the mass of those who will be willing to die for the sake of confessing that Jesus is Lord, will be many!

 I truly hope and pray that I am in that second waive, and not the third...

"If anyone claims, "I am living in the light," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness." (1 John 2:9-11 NLT)

"A Good Report" - Too

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:" (Hebrews 11:39 KJV)

  "Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached to tomb first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in." (John 20:1-5 NLT)

 Whatever you might think about the difficult challenges you must face, nothing compares to the difficult challenge Jesus went through, suffering and taking on the pain that He must have felt, on the dreadful day! As I have shared before, several times: The challenge He overcame was His power, as He had the ability to make it all stop, any time that He wanted! 

 We don't even know what that feels like, seeing that we are mere mortals who must depend for miracles, if we were going to stop something like Jesus had to go through. Yet, He took every bit of it, without even trying to stop any portion of the punishment. Every portion of His punishment was meant to represent all of our challenges and pain; everything that we suffer through; even our labor that was part of the curse, it too was dealt with, with that crown of thorns. 

 Not that it matters a whole lot, but there is something different that John did, which I believe was done for Peter's sake, and that was letting Peter go into the tomb first. It was John who made a way for Peter to come into the courtyard where Jesus was being judged. Basically, I believe it was probably because he had contacts with those who bought fish from him and his brother. 

 There was always a little competition them both, but in this case, John was letting Peter go in first...

"A third time he asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep. "I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don't want to go." Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, "Follow me." Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved - the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, "Lord, who will betray you?" Peter asked Jesus, "What about him, Lord?" Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me."" (John 21:17-22 NLT)  

"A Good Report"

 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:" (Hebrews 11:38 KJV) 

 ""My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn't see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it."" (Luke 10:22-24 NLT)

 Although it might not flow down the same stream, there is surely a connection and something to make us remember how blessed we are, not only to have the words written for us to read, but also to have the Holy Spirit living in us to give us understanding and comfort to trust the goodness God! We really are blessed to be living in this time; even though this world might be trembling and things seem to be spinning out of control: God is still on the Throne, and any time He will give the command, "Son, go get your Bride!" 

 I was listening to part of a message yesterday that was all about the Rapture of the Church. If you have been following this blog for any amount of time, then you know what I think about the timing of that event; that it will happen before the biggening of the Tribulation. As most who believe the same, we know that the Tribulation will involve God's judgement on a wicked world; so catastrophic will be the events, that the bride of Christ will be taken up before they happen. 

 There are some who think it will be in the middle of that Tribulation; and then there are some that think it will be at the end of the Tribulation: but the first half of the Tribulation will be reaction to the event, that event being the Rapture of the Church! Interesting enough, there is something becoming more and more evident to many people about the reality of things from other planets; which I believe is what will cause the world will become a One-World Order, based upon the people that have been, so called, taken by beings from another planet.

 It might all sound crazy and hard to believe; but those who get saved during that first half of the Tribulation will be killed, most likely beheaded, for not denying God, and for not getting the mark...    

""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. "Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. "So you, too must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."" (Matthew 24:37-44 NLT) 

"The Navigator"

 "(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." (Hebrews 11:38 KJV)

  "Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die." (Isaiah 57:1-2 NLT)

 As much as I love to read the Bible and learn what Scriptures are saying, I get more excited from discovering what is written between the lines; as it is, it the space between the lines that make us wonder and search for hidden treasures! Much like what I was sharing yesterday, which looked into the reason Jesus went out into a deserted place after John was beheaded. 

 My firm belief is that Jesus was truly God, manifested in flesh; and because He had certain abilities, such as walking on water, vanishing out of sight, turning water into wine, raising the dead, and being a perfect sacrifice for our sins; He also had the ability to know what people would do and even know what they were thinking. When He went into that wilderness, as if to be alone, just as fish were caught in the net when He told the disciple to cast their net to the other side, He caused thousands of people to follow Him out into a deserted place, where no food could be found. 

 I know it isn't written within the story, at least not in ink; but it is truly something I believe He meant to happen! As I was praying about this last night, I envisioned the stoning of Stephen, as he saw Jesus, saying, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!" (Acts 7:56 NLT) As the Bible says, that Jesus would be seated at God's right hand; yet He was standing, not in anguish, but as a Captain admonishing His warrior!

 We must know that this life is temporary; for some, they don't even get a chance to breathe the air that we get to share! But for those of us that believe and follow Christ, death is not really something we fear but is the doorway to Heaven! Jesus might have made it look like He was going away to mourn, but I am 100% certain that He knew for a fact that John was perfectly fine, and that He would be seeing him again, soon enough...

""I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and I will tell you plainly about the Father. Then you will ask in my name. I'm not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God. Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father." Then the disciples said, "At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. Now we understand that you know everything, and there's no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God." Jesus asked, "Do you finally believe? But the time is coming - indeed it's here now - when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."" (John 16:25-33 NLT) 

"Overcomers"

 "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;" (Hebrews 11:37 KJV)

  "For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy." (James 5:10-11 NLT)

 This could be something about those who endured and withstood punishment, destruction, and death; yet my heart felt something different, as these were those who left a mark, leaving behind examples of what it really means to count the cost! Some things might look as though they are upsetting and totally wrong; but the Lord uses certain things for reasons unknown, most of which, many believers stumble over, thinking that God really doesn't care. 

 There was a message I heard the other day, which, I as always, I only hear portions of; but this particular message was about what Jesus did after He heard that John had been beheaded. The way it was said, is that Jesus retreated to a certain place, possibly to mourn the death of His cousin. When I heard that, I was wondering if that was really why Jesus wanted to be alone. 

 As it turned out, there was a multitude of His followers that found out where he was, about 5,000 of them, who came out to see Him. If you know the story, it was about Jesus feeding all of those people with just a few fish and a couple loaves of bread. But, if this makes any sense, whatsoever, I believe that Jesus was overcoming the pain of John's death, by satisfying the needs of others.

 Those who overcome the death of loved ones, mostly overcome by serving God more! They reject the whole notion of blaming God; as if He didn't answer their prayers or didn't care about the loss they were going to suffer. Instead, they focused upon the good: where they are now, what affect there dying could have done, and the testimony they are able to give, knowing and showing that God is always good...

"Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, 'Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I - and I was talking about things I know nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, 'Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.' I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance."" (Job 42:1-6 NLT)  

"Comfort and Joy"

 "And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:" (Hebrews 11:36 KJV)

  "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT)

 Seeing that this title might not seem to be the fit for the verse, it is important that we remember that we are servants of Christ. Jesus clearly said, "No servant is greater than his master," so if we go through trials of any kind, we must always remember that our Master took on much more than we ever could! 

 There will be great comfort and joy, whether you believe it or not, if we just focus on the salvation, we have waiting on the other side! We are made for more, the more we pick up our cross and follow Christ; because every trial we are given is an opportunity to shine, letting our faith come alive, as we trust and believe that everything will work for His purposes! 

 The real difference is that His purposes are most important; we can only be a servant, which means that we do not tell the Master what to do; nor do we get discouraged when it doesn't work out the way that we wanted it to happen...

""I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me."" (John 12:24-26 NLT)  

"For Better or Worse"

 "Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:" (Hebrews 11:35 KJV)

  "Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."" (Daniel 3:14-18 NLT) 

 As I was praying about this message, I was reminded about our relationship with Christ, as we are the bride of Christ! That may not be something we don't already know, because it is pretty well known to almost every believer. As it is with must marriage ceremonies, the term, "For Better or Worse," is meant to be a commitment, as if to say, "No matter what!" 

 Something to think about, as we are dealing with any sort of trial or circumstance, that no matter what, we will be perfectly fine, because He loves us, no matter what...

""Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows - one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."" (Matthew 10:28-31 NLT)  

"Facing the Giants"

 "Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of aliens." (Hebrews 11:34 KJV)

  "Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke mem as though I had been asleep. "What do you see now? he asked. I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl." Then I asked the angel, "What are these, my lord? What do they mean?" "Don't you know?" the angel asked. "No, my lord," I replied. Then he said to me, "This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force or by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies."" (Zechariah 4:1-6 NLT)

 It is hard sometimes to put this into practice, mostly because we forget that it is by His Spirit, not by our own might or strength! This is not just something that we put into practice; this is what we must believe and make it a reality, which can only happen by faith, not in ourselves, but in the Spirit of the Living God!

 I believe I might still have a shirt from a retreat I went to, probably 30 years ago, which had this same Scripture on it, "Not by might, nor by strength, but by my Spirit." It is interesting that Zechariah says the angel woke him you, as if he was sleeping, because that is the case for many of us today! 

 No matter what we are facing in this life, be it cancer, challenges with finances, or a failing marriage, we must die to ourselves and give everything to God! Again, I will share the illustration given by Pastor Gary, which he taught us about learning how to drown. If you are flailing around and the lifeguard is coming to save you, he will most likely wait for you to either relax or drown. That way he doesn't get hurt or get knocked out, then you both might drown. 

 If we try to do the things we face, that seem overwhelming, instead of giving it all to God, then we are going to be like that person who is drowning, flailing their arms all around, out of control. Like that lifeguard, God will simply wait for you to drown, and then pull you out of the water...

"In that day you will sing: "I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory."" (Isaiah 12:1-2 NLT) 

"For This Cause"

 "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness. obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions," (Hebrews 11:33 KJV)

  "Praise the LORD, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me. O LORD, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them? For they are like a breath of air, their days are like a passing shadow." (PSALM 144:1-4 NLT)

 As much as I would have like sharing about some of those great saints, I wanted to focus on this one character, King David; mostly because he fits all four of these examples, each one, even the one about stopping the mouths of lions! If you don't know where that comes in, it was his testimony to King Saul, when he wanted to take on Goliath.

 When we take a good look, David was just a man, like any other man. What made David special and able to do mighty things, was his faith and trust in the LORD; because he believed that through God, all things were possible! Much like taking on Goliath, who was most likely twice his size and even King Saul was afraid to confront him!

 David ended up being mighty in battle, so much so, King Saul became jealous of him and wanted to kill him; but God was always protecting him, and he was already anointed to be the next King, so it was just a matter of time, and King he would be! When God makes a promise, it will happen, one way or another!

 Several times David had almost given up the idea of becoming King; hiding and running from Saul, he became a little less certain that he was meant to be the one; even though Samuel had anointed him and told him that he was the one. This PSALM that I posted above is a psalm of David; who shares the way God trained him and protected him; yet he also knew how weak he really was...

"I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD'S greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!" (PSALM 34:1-8 NLT) 

"A Space of Time"

 "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; and of David also, and of Samuel, and of the prophets:" (Hebrews 11:32 KJV)

  "Then he said, "When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.' You are witnesses of all these things."" (Luke 24:44-48 NLT)

 When I tried to think of a way to start this morning's post, my number one thing I do is to search out the Cross-References for the particular Scripture that I am sharing about; unfortunately, my tablet is still doing that little spinning thing, so this Scripture is what we are dealing with! 

 Before I get too carried away, let me remind anyone that doesn't know or has forgotten, the prophesies that are written about Jesus that were fulfilled, the probability of one person fulfilling eight specific Old Testament prophecies is estimated to be 1 in 100 quadrillion! If you really wanted to take the challenge, try to figure out what those odds would be and how long it might take to challenge them with any kind of argument.

 This last evening as I was headed home from church, I heard Pastor Chuck sharing about Jonah and the type of fish he might have been if for three days. As many might know, in the King James Version, it says Jesus referred to it as a whale; yet there are several different ways the story is told; some of which are just flat-out lies! 

 Having very little time this morning, I will make this short: I believe Jesus is right, it was a really big fish... 

"One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority." But Jesus replied, "Only an evil adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign: but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights."" (Matthew 12:38-40 NLT) 

"The Hall of Faith"

  "How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. There weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.

 "But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed by the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

 "All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us." (Hebrews 11:32-40 NLT)

  ""Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."" (John 5:25-29 KJV)

 This might not make sense to everyone, but it is just an example of what the difference is between those before the cross of Christ, and us that lived after Christ paid the price for our sins: Those that were before had their salvation given in the form of a credit card, charging up their many sins, with credit to be forgiven; and we that lived after, received a debit card, with unlimited cash in our account, that has endless forgiveness...

"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? harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." (Isaiah 55:1-2 KJV)