Promises Of God & Man

As we look ahead to 2006, it is usually right around this time that many people begin to make promises for the upcoming year. We call these promises "New Years Resolutions." A more appropriate name for these would be "New Years Intentions." The reason I say this is because most of the people that make these promises, (resolutions) never stand by them for more than a few weeks. There are many qualities that are necessary to succeed that are lacking in people today. Discipline has all but disappeared in many people. There is also that fact that the word promise has been so overused that it has lost its impact.

I remember when I was a kid, if you made a promise and didn't keep it, you would have a major problem. Today promises are broken far more than they're honored and people have just learned to accept this instead of correcting it. These are a couple of the fundamental faults in the world today. I know that when I personally make a promise, I still hold it in very high regard and I honor my promises. I also never make a promise I can't keep. So I don't make "New Years Resolutions" except for one and I make it every year. That is to be a better person than I was the year before. So far I have managed to succeed in keeping that one. In 2006 I expect to make even greater strides towards being a much better person, Christian, father and friend than I have in previous years.

I am so thankful that God stands by his promises. On New Years Eve 1992 I wanted to quit smoking, and Rosalie also really wanted me to stop. I was smoking two packs a day for about fifteen years and I was only 27 years old. Rosalie had been praying that I'd stop and on the morning of January 3, 1993 I woke up and felt paralyzed. I was face down in my bed and could not move. God was doing a work in me that would change my life. I was unable to get up for about thirty minutes. When I did get up, I had no desire to smoke and in fact couldn't smoke. That promise that God made to me that morning has lasted thirteen years as of January 3, 2006. God keeps his promises and we need to get back to using God as the model for our lives. When we do, the word Promise will once again have the impact it was intended to have. God has been making and keeping his promises since the beginning of time.

Imagine for a moment what the world would be like and how history would look if God didn't keep his promises. We would lose out on.
Forgiveness and victory over sin (Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 10:14-17 John 6:37 Romans 8:1 James 4:7-8)
Answers to prayer (1John 5:14 Acts 10:1-4)
Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39 John 4:14; 7:39)
Security of our souls (John 10:27-29 Matthew 28:18-20)
Resurrection from death (John 5:28-29)
Eternal life in heaven (John 3:16 John 14:1-3).

If God did not keep these promises we would all be doomed. Take a moment and thank him for keeping his promises. We not only have the obligation to keep the promises that we make to ourselves, God and others, but here's the best part. We can count on his promises to help us keep our own promises, here's how.

Repent for your sins and receive his forgiveness. Pray that God will help you to keep your promises. He will send the Holy Spirit to be with you and help you in your times of trial when obstacles appear that could prevent you from keeping your promises (resolutions). As long as we count on God and use him as the model, we will be successful always. Having total faith that God will stand not only by his promises to us but that he'll help us keep our own. How awesome is that?

Let us pray

Dear God I thank you for standing by your word and keeping your promises. It is your example Father that we need to follow in order to not only keep our promises, but have the discernment to know which promises to make and not make promises that are unrealistic that can't be kept. Father help us to have the resolve to stand by the resolutions that we make for this upcoming year and to be the beacons of light for others to follow. Thank you God for all of the blessings you have given us, promises you have kept with us and forgiveness you have handed out so generously. I give you all the glory God for all of my victories in 2005. My desire is to bring more glory to you in 2006.

I ask this in Jesus name.
Amen

Have a Happy and Safe New Year May God's Peace & Blessings Be With You All In 2006.









"The Sharpshooter"

Winds Of Change

When we pray for someone or speak life or health into someone's life, our words will become life as long as God breaths over what we spoke. Without the breath of God covering what we speak or pray, it cannot happen. By ourselves we are like sails on a boat, powerless without wind. When God breathes his mighty wind over our words, there is an instant transfer of his power to us. We go from being willing vessels for him with no power, to being anointed vessels full of his blessing and power to do his will. We are nothing with out his mighty wind in our sails.

There are many times when we pray for someone or we ask for Gods healing power to fall on an individual and nothing happens. The possible reasons that nothing happens are many, but most of the time it's merely because either the person administering prayer or the person that’s being prayed for has not put themselves in the right place spiritually to receive. Have they repented for their sins? Are they holding onto an issue they need to let go of? Do they not totally believe that they can receive what God has for them? If the mind, body or spirit is not cleansed by repentance, the breath of God will not come forth. So it is of utmost importance that we do several things on a routine basis. Keep our thoughts on good things, keep our bodies healthy and keep our spirits in tune with God always.

If we should go wrong in any of these areas, we need to be sure to recognize that we have faltered and repent immediately. With repentance comes forgiveness and with forgiveness comes God's breath on whatever we do in his name. His winds are mighty and full of power. They can transform the very landscape of our lives. 1 Peter 4:10-11 God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever.

God sends a mighty wind into our lives and it transforms the landscape entirely. These are called “winds of change.” How much he changes that landscape that is our lives, is up to us entirely. In some cases we yield a little bit and sometimes we yield completely. In both cases however we always want as much of his blessing as we can get. So we want it but are we willing to give our problems and cares over to him so that we become in a sense a clean canvas on which he can paint. He won’t just fix a problem half way. He’ll take it away like it never existed and wipe the slate clean. The question is, will we let him?

When we feel God blowing the “winds of change” in our lives what will we do?
Are we wiling to let go of all burdens and let him fill our hearts anew? Will we only give over some of the troubles in our lives in an attempt to retain some control over them? Though the thought of retaining control of our problems is an illusion, people still try to do this. They forget so quickly that it is their problems that control them, not the other way around. This is why we have to give these things over entirely to God. Only he can take the full burden away from us and restore peace, calm the storms in our minds. Worst yet, how many of us will deny him and not allow him to help at all? God help them

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for you grace. I thank you Father, for loving us so much that you will take all of our problems from the smallest to the biggest. I thank you, that you will restore our hearts, souls, minds bodies and spirits God.
My prayer Father is that you would blow your life changing winds into all of our lives and that we would have the fortitude to deny the evil one who wants to oppress us. So that we could be free of any illusion that we are in control, and that we would willingly deliver all of our problems to you God.

I ask this in the precious name of your son Jesus.

Amen

God Bless You All & Merry Christmas







“The Sharpshooter"

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Anti-Christians

Over the past several years, the Anti-Christian sentiment in the United States and the world has grown and with the power of the Internet, these unbelievers are spreading their propaganda like wild fire. I’ve seen so much of this that most of it can simply be summed up as “Anger Campaigns.” They are angry at God for something man has done. Its people that hurt other people and my father once said something that has stuck in my head since I heard it and that was, “Only hurt people hurt.”

These people have their reasons for feeling the way they do, but their anger should be at people or religion, not at God. Some have been hurt by a church leader or someone in the church body, and then there are those that have become very discouraged with all of the different religious factions claiming that their way is the right way, just to name a couple. Most of us know someone that has turned away from God because of pain or disappointment, but when they turn away from God it is because they have been sold a lie, something like, “If God really loved you, he never would have allowed this to happen to you.” At that moment the hurt person is so vulnerable that they believe it because it goes right along with how they already feel. The devil isn’t that smart, he’s just a really good opportunist.

Satan has been trying to destroy the cause of God since the day’s when Adam & Eve walked the earth, by using a snake to lie to Eve regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:4-5 (The Message) the serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil." Today he uses anyone and anything that’s available. His commentaries are heard by millions who will hang on his persuasive propaganda. The content as well as the form of his speech will attract, he will even be sincere and passionate, but he is a liar. He’ll add dashes of truth to the mix of things he tells people, so that his lie sounds like truth. He will use all the right catchwords, even using the language of the church, throwing in a Bible text or two. But he is the ultimate Liar, and he will deceive many.

The devil knows that to attack the Church is to attack Jesus and to do damage to the body of Christ is to inflict damage upon Christ. He also knows that, because the members of the church are the chosen of God, eternally loved by God. To destroy them is equivalent to defeating God. So the objects of his fury are the men and women of God. The Anti Christian sentiment continues to grow because it is so hard for people to look to the light of Christ when there is so much darkness and despair in their lives and Satan is taking the opportunity right when they are the most vulnerable, saying things that are very believable at that moment. We need to love on these people with extra care, compassion and understanding. We need to teach all of those that don’t know the truth that Jesus Christ came for relationships not religion. Man created religion, Jesus did not. Jesus loves each and every one of us, but requires that we go to him. We have to make the decision to call on Jesus for help because we were given a free will.

This is the message that the lost ones need to hear. They need to know that Jesus loves them right where they’re at in life. He may not love what they’re doing, but he certainly does love them and they need to know that. Through the delivery of this message maybe some will get their deliverance from the evil one who has stolen all the happiness in their lives. Let us always remember even in our darkest hours that Satan will always take even the smallest opening to influence us when we are hurting, desperate, or in a weakened state. He'll twist our perception when we're not focused on God, and sell us the lie that satisfying our own desires and pleasing ourselves is the way to go. Once he has had the opportunity to get into a persons heart, it is that much harder to bring them back to God, but when we win one back for Jesus the victory in seeing that persons life change before our eye’s is sweeter than anything else in this world.

Though it is true that we are all responsible for our own spiritual walk and that we're not responsible for anyone else's. We do owe each person the opportunity to have a divine encounter with God. What they do from there is totally up to them. We can only sow good seed and pray that the seed grows into a great tree of faith and love and bears great fruit. The people that have turned their backs on God are the ones we need to be the most sensitive to and understanding with. This is where we get to practice the love, compassion and understanding that we preach. We can lead these people back to God and there's absolutely no doubt about that. It just has to be handled in a non threatening understanding way though, they have been hurt enough. We need for them to see Jesus in us and love them as Jesus does, right where they're at.

Please pray this with me.

I thank you Father, for loving us and protecting us from all evil. Thank you for giving us the caring hearts to help others, and God I thank you mostly for the knowledge you’ve given me to help other people and the wisdom of knowing how to just plant a seed in the people that don’t want help right now, instead of passing them by. Father we can do all things in Jesus who strengthens us. May we always do our best to please you God, and to bring home the lost sheep to your flock.

I ask this in Jesus name
Amen

God Bless You All








"The SharpShooter"

"Thy Will Be Done"

As a rule I like to start each day the same way. I get in my car to go to work and on the way there I think about the day ahead. In thinking of the upcoming day, I think about how God wants me to handle things. I put my focus on him closely for a little while so I am aware if he speaks to me and then after that I will allow my own thinking to come in to play. I do this for one reason and that is because I want to be right where the lord wants me to be, doing whatever he wants me to be doing. If I am operating in my own thoughts and desires before his, it won’t matter how good or righteous my thoughts may be. If I’m not constantly striving to be what God’s vision is for me, then it is not likely that I will have much success...

It has always struck me as wrong when I see someone that knows the right way to do things but chooses their own way instead. Another way to put it would be doing what God want’s mixed with what they want, when they know or they should know that what they want can only lead to fulfilling their own desires and not pleasing to God. I’ve never seen anyone that had the same desires and goals for themselves as God would have.

If we do things that put our interests and desires first and have any success at it, we inevitably will become, arrogant, boastful, and full of pride and other emotions. Romans 12:6 let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else. Obadiah 1:3-4 you are proud because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. `Who can ever reach us way up here?' you ask boastfully. Don't fool yourselves! Though you soar as high as eagles and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down. I, the LORD, have spoken!

We need to know when the word of the Lord has come forth, whether it is through a song, a book or from the mouth of a friend. God won’t always give to us directly the words we need to hear, simply because he does not want us to become independent. God knows all to well, that if we can do something independently, we probably will. King David is a good example of God not speaking to him all the time but speaking to him through Gad. 2 Samuel 24:18-19 Then Gad came to David and said, Go up, rear an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. So David went up according to Gad's word, as the Lord commanded.

The human brain is a powerful thing and none of us really know its full potential, but one thing we do know is that without even trying hard we can convince ourselves of practically anything. That said, there are those that are doing what they believe God has anointed them to do, but it’s really just their own desires that they’ve convinced themselves is God’s will for them. A good indicator that it’s not of God is when we keep hitting barriers, resistance or other signs that we’re not having success.

If we’re doing what God wants us to be doing, nothing in this world could stop it from being successful, whether it be a ministry, leadership, or just reaching out and being rejected. Maybe we weren’t supposed to reach out at that time in that place. There have been many times when an entire church has almost come undone because the leadership was running on they’re own motives. How many times have well all seen an Evangelist on TV turn something wonderful (preaching God’s word) into a money making corrupt thing. Satan will have his way if we give him the opportunity.

Ultimately it needs to be God’s will be done, not our own. If we just pay attention to what and where he wants us to be, we’ll always do the right thing. We may still hit opposition at times but we’ll overcome any opposition because our mission is really from God and not our own desires deceiving us. Anytime we get a feeling we’re supposed to be doing something that God wants us to do, he’ll never penalize us for double checking and using discernment to really check our hearts to be sure it’s not ourselves we’re hearing.

Let us pray

Father God, I thank you for the ability and opportunity to serve you God. I ask Father that you would put within all of us a desire unlike no other to do your will your way and keep our own thoughts and desires quiet. We need to always stay focused; to be sure that what we’re hearing is you God. Father help us always to communicate more with you so that in doing so, we become so familiar with your voice that there could never be confusion between your voice we’re hearing or our own thoughts. If we do this Father, we would have a much clearer view of when we’re stepping out of your light and into the darkness of failure that comes from us doing things our way. May your will be done.

I ask this in Jesus name
Amen

God Bless You All
Adam

Christ is Christmas

***NOTE*** God spoke to me on 11/24/05 and told me to write this so that WE could right this.

Each year on the 25th of December, Christians celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we call it Christmas. It is also a secular holiday that was made a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1870 by President Ulysses S. Grant. The secularists are the ones who created Santa Claus and the exchanging of presents, but this secular tradition has nothing to do Jesus Christ. Christians also exchange gifts, but Jesus is always the focal point of this day. The gift giving and family time are all secondary things, a tradition that man created. Man has since made many modifications to Christmas and none of them have been good.

Where did Xmas come from? Some transliterations of Greek spell Christos (or Kristos) as Xristos. The "X" stood in for Christos. It was originally considered to be a perfectly respectful abbreviation, especially as it included a form of the cross in the shape of the "X". Despite popular belief, it was not an attempt to remove Christ’s name from Christmas. More recently however the use of "X" has been associated with irreverent commercialism, leading to the saying "Put the 'Christ' back into Xmas."

Christmas became Xmas and much of the focus went to the gift giving and other secular traditions instead of recognizing the gift God gave to us and Christmas was allowed to dissolve into a non Christian sensitive “Happy Holiday’s” and “Seasons Greetings: This has been allowed to happen for so long now that many stores and businesses will not allow their employees to use the word Christmas anymore. It’s all about not wanting to offend non Christians, but I guess it seemed ok to offend those that were Christians in the process. If there were no Christmas, these businesses would have about 30% less revenue. They don’t want to say the word Christmas yet their customers don’t go Holiday shopping, they go Christmas shopping. Unless Christians stand up and speak up, the next thing I fear we’ll see is a law abolishing Christmas. This is all because a few non Christians had the boldness that many Christians did not have. These are the same people that want God out of our government buildings and off of our currency which I wrote about recently. How far has our affection for Jesus waned, that we allow people to do this to Christianity as easily as we do.

God is not happy that this is tolerated by us. We must look like hypocrites in his eyes. We profess our love for him and our desire to be closer to him in the privacy of our churches or in our homes but in public; few Christians are speaking up defending the name of Jesus when these people come against it. Satan is always behind this; his influence on people that have no foundation with God is huge. He gets in the heads of these people and they do exactly what he asks. We all know that those who come against God will pay a price for doing that, but won’t we also pay a price for standing by idly while this was happening?

A fresh breath needs to be breathed into Christianity and more voices need to be heard to reinvigorate Christianity. We need to mount up and be suited up in God’s Armor.
Ephesians 6:14-18 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

We need to jealously guard our excitement in our spiritual walks. We need to stop letting people take cheap shots at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I doubt that we would allow people talk about our mothers the way we allow people to talk about Jesus. He’s been more protective of us than our mothers ever could have been. We now need to protect and take back what the thief stole from us while we weren’t paying attention. Last but by no means least; we need to put Christ back into Christmas and stop being so politically correct. It’s time we become politically incorrect and do the righteous Godly thing.

Let us pray:

Dear God: I pray that you would be with us all during this time as we work to improve ourselves and bring the importance of this day back to you Jesus. May we all walk in the light of your love and may that light beam from each of us into the hearts and souls of other believers and non believers alike, so that they might have a divine encounter with you Father. I pray that you would breathe a fresh breath into the souls of all Christians God, so that they would remember and reclaim the power and authority that they may have forgotten they had. Lord God, we need for you to once again send your holy fire down onto us so that we get fired up anew, so that we can break the strongholds that are in place and reclaim what’s been taken from us. Father I ask for your forgiveness for allowing others to make us stumble when we should have been standing on the rock of your salvation.

I ask this in Jesus name Amen

God Bless You All

Adam

"How Many Say I"

One of the many awesome things that God does is speak to us. It is so incredible to us that we don't believe it sometimes, thinking that it is our imagination. We say how could God possibly speak to me? This thinking is especially true of new Christians, but God is God and who are we to tell him what he can and cannot do. The fact is, he created us to hear his voice and the devil tries to tell us that the things inside that we hear are coming from our own imagination. Some say that God doesn’t speak to us because they think he is too busy. Also they don't feel worthy of God to talk with them. Well, in ourselves we are not worthy for him to have anything to do with us. But because of his son dying for our sins, we are made worthy to have an open communication with him.

Yes, the God that made heaven and earth as well as everything in it speaks to us, and he speaks to us individually at any time if we’ll give him the time and listen. So it’s not that God is too busy for us, but sadly enough we are too busy for him. There are times when if we don't give him the time during the day, he wakes us up in the middle of the night when there are no distractions to have a conversation with us. I speak from personal experience when I say that he loves to talk to us and often, so that he can communicate how he loves us and wants to uplift us. Once we've prepared our hearts to listen through prayer, we're more likely to hear the voice of God. Does he speak to us through an audible voice? Some claim He does, but usually that's not the case. We may not actually "hear" the voice of God, but He speaks to us in many ways. Here are some of them: God speaks through His Word. God speaks through our thoughts, God speaks through conversations with others, and God speaks through circumstances.

That said, When he calls on you to do something, how will you respond to his call? Will you say "Yes God I Will" or will you do what he asks only if it's convenient for you and doesn't require much effort, or possibly do nothing at all and deny him? Those of us that know Gods voice have a responsibility to do whatever it is that he asks. He expects those that know his voice to be so committed, that all he'd have to do is give us an idea and we'd run with it. I can only imagine how much he would love it if people would be even half as committed to him as he is to us. How many will truly say I God when called upon? God help us.

Galatians 6: 7-9 say’s (7 don’t be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sew! 8 Those that live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.

We all could really benefit from taking our focus off of ourselves and our own wants and desires. Humans will never be perfect but there's nothing wrong with letting that be our goal. So many people today operate in what I call I/ME mode. Simply put, if there’s nothing in it for them then they have no interest in it. These same people are the first to say that “God never talks to me”. Well, yes he does talk to them but they’re not listening. There are people that I’m sure have never heard the Lords voice and aren’t familiar with it, but there are others that have heard it but don’t want to hear it because hearing it forces them to make a decision, for or against. If they acknowledge God, then they are committed to abide in him.

We cannot live our lives in a selfish way and expect to be rewarded for it. We need to be more selfless and more like Christ for no other reason than the fact that he died for OUR SINS (not his own – He never sinned). Would you give up your life for your family or friend’s if you knew they would be guaranteed a better life? Christ died on the cross so that we could have back our relationship with God that was lost back when Adam & Eve committed original sin. So many people take what Jesus did for us for granted. That’s something we just can’t afford to let happen.

We are very fortunate that our Heavenly Father is very forgiving. His grace is beyond measure. He wants so badly for us to turn to him. He also looks for us to stand in the gap and pray on the behalf of others. God said “The soul that sins will die” Ezekiel 18:20. However, he would prefer to give grace, therefore he will always look for someone to intercede on another’s behalf. Halleluiah!

So if God should happen to call on you for ANYTHING. Please for your own sake say “Yes God I Will” without even thinking for a second what might be in it for you. I pray that we’ll go from being people that think I/ME to Godly and do the will of God as soon as we’re called on.

Please pray this with me

Father: I want to thank you for allowing me the privilege to be able to speak to you and be heard, but even more for the fact that you speak to me. I ask for your forgiveness God for those times when I haven’t been paying attention to you and also for the times when I’ve heard you and not responded. For this I ask for your grace Lord God. Please help me to focus less on myself and things of this world and instill in me an unquenchable thirst for you. Lord God I realize that on my own, I am not worthy of any kind of relationship with you at all, but because your only son Jesus died on the cross for us, I am able to have fellowship with you God. I ask you to guide me in all areas of my life, so that what I am doing daily will line up with what your will is for me.

I ask this in Jesus name
Amen

God Bless You All

Adam

"Are We Humans Being Or Humans Doing?"

Each one of us was born with a purpose. I think it's safe to say that not even half of the population of the world knows what their purpose in life is. That being the case, the majority of people (believers and non believers alike) spends most of their time just existing, serving no real purpose in life but living day to day content to just be.

Gods plan never intended for us to merely exist, and be satisfied to be just a human that’s being. He intended for us to do works of all levels, some great and some not so great but all serving him and serving a purpose on this earth. He wants for us to be or become "humans doing". He wants for us to be influential on the world around us. To be doing things that improve the lives of all we encounter bringing them to a better place in their lives and giving all glory to God.

In order to affect change on our immediate surroundings we need to become God pleasers instead of people pleasers. We need to put into action everything that we believe in and have faith in that is unseen. Saying that we Love God and have faith in him is reduced to mere words unless we live our words out in life. How do we treat other people? Do we leave people and things in better condition than we find them in on a consistent basis? Do we say things that build up or things that tear down? There are people that have great intentions when they say things and they think they’re doing the right thing, but they’re not. If you speak one thing and your actions speak another there is contradiction and hypocrisy. That in itself is a form a lying and is a SIN. That will drive people away, not win them over.

If we are to go out into the world and affect change on our environments in a positive way and tell people about the freedom that comes with having a relationship with Jesus, we have to walk our talk. We have to put into action what we preach. It’s hard yes, but nothing that is good in life is ever easy. This is why so many people are content to just be without getting involved. They are humans being instead of humans doing. How big we increase the size of God’s army is totally dependant on how we present God to other people. If we let the Holy Spirit that lives in each one of us work the wait it see’s fit we can win every time, but we have to be fully yielding to the Holy Spirit’s move and stay out of the way. Bill Johnson says it best when speaking of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit was put in us as a stream not a lake” what that means is that the Holy Spirit is supposed to flow through us like a stream to other people, so to change the world around us.

Unless we do that we are working in the natural which isn’t the wrong way as much as it is the hard way. God knows best how to use us, so it just makes sense to let him work through us to cause the changes that he wants to take place. That can only happen if we are yielding to him, and we are Humans Doing instead of Humans Being.

Heavenly Father I thank you for this word God. I thank you for showing us where we can improve and where our shortcomings may be. Lord God help us to be more sensitive to your desires and more yielding to your will. We want to impact the world around us in a positive way Father. We want to be Humans that are doing your will instead of Humans that are just being, watching the days go by without changing the atmosphere around us even a little bit. Father God you know what’s best and the best way for us to do things. I pray that you will instill in all of us, a burning desire to increase our prayer life God, to spend more time communing with you, so that we are more like you as a result, able to make positive changes in the world one person at a time.

In Jesus name I pray.
Amen

God Bless You All
Adam

In God We Trust

Do we really trust in God today? I know there was a time in this country where people trusted in, and depended on God for everything. Today we have a portion of people that do trust in God for everything. They're lives wouldn't be complete without him in it. However today there are groups of people that want any reference to God removed from society. They want prayer removed from our schools. They want the Ten Commandments removed from our courts and government buildings. Lastly they want the motto "In God We Trust" removed from our currency.

The people that want this don't want it removed because they don't believe God exists as much as they want these references to God removed because of the lifestyles they lead; they don't want constant reminders of God to be around them as they live life THEIR WAY. Having a constant reminder that God is with us, makes these people very uncomfortable and to that I say AMEN. It should make them uncomfortable. These people seem to have forgotten that you can't hide from God; he knows all and sees all. Furthermore if they take God out of their lives, they are setting themselves up for failure because they will be depending on man and not God, which no good can come from. The dependency America had on God from Civil war time’s right up until the 1950's was huge. An example of this is found in a letter that was sent to the Secretary of the Treasury in 1861 by Rev. M.R. Watkinson.

In his letter he wrote “One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean the recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins. You are probably a Christian. What if our Republic were not shattered beyond reconstruction? Would not the antiquaries of succeeding centuries rightly reason from our past that we were a heathen nation? What I propose is that instead of the goddess of liberty we shall have next inside the 13 stars a ring inscribed with the words PERPETUAL UNION; within the ring the allseeing eye, crowned with a halo; beneath this eye the American flag, bearing in its field stars equal to the number of the States united; in the folds of the bars the words GOD, LIBERTY, LAW. This would make a beautiful coin, to which no possible citizen could object. This would relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism. This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed. From my hearth I have felt our national shame in disowning God as not the least of our present national disasters. To you first I address a subject that must be agitated."

As a result, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto.
He wrote "Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition."

The phrase "In God We Trust" does not appear in the Bible. Nevertheless Biblical passages such as 1Timothy: 4-10 ("Trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe") and 2 Corinthians 1:9 ("Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.") are cited as scriptural inspiration. And just as the pleas of Rev. Watkinson and the National Reform Association had led to the inclusion of "In God We Trust" on coinage, similar religious sentiments were used to justify the mottos addition to the nation's paper currency. Evidence of this comes from an examination of the Congressional Record. On June 7, 1955 for instance, Congressman Bennett of Florida rose in support of H.R 619, a bill "Providing for the inscription of 'In God We Trust' on all United States Currency and Coins." Bennett declared:

"I sincerely hope that the Senate will give its prompt approval to this proposal. In these days when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and destroy freedom, we should continuously look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom. At the base of our freedom is our faith in God and the desire of Americans to live by His will and His guidance. As long as this country trusts in God, it will prevail. To serve as a constant reminder of this truth, it is highly desirable that our currency and coins should bear these inspiring words 'In God We Trust."

The number of people in this country that actually have morals has declined over the last forty years and there doesn't appear to be a turn around of any kind in the near future. The number of people that want God out of the picture are far less than the number of Christians in this country. The problem is that we Christians are not making nearly as much noise about this issue and the people that want God removed from everything though fewer in number are showing the boldness that we should be showing. There are not enough Christian people that will speak up and stand for what's right. It's sad to say, but unless we start mounting up and go to battle over this issue, the loud few can win this thing, then what will we do? I personally know many Christians and non Christians alike that want to win this battle, but they're afraid to speak up, they don't want to step on toes.

With our Father God watching our backs, what have we got to be worried about. We should have no fear, no trepidation, no trembling, and no worries because we're fighting for God, we have a very strong message. It's the people that don't want prayer in Schools, God on our money, and the Ten Commandments removed from all government buildings that should be trembling with fear.

Father God, help us to grow in our boldness. Help us to overcome the obstacles that Satan has put in our way to discourage us and instill fear in us for standing up for what's right. You did not give us a spirit of fear God, you gave a us a spirit of sound mind and understanding. Lord God I pray that you would fill us all with the Holy Spirit and give us the strength and right words to say to turn hearts and change minds. Lord we want to not only win this battle, but we want to win the souls of our opposition back for you God. Protect us in our coming and our going as we do your will. To you goes all the glory God.

I pray this in Jesus mighty name.

Amen

May God Bless You All

Adam