Ecuador blessings! Free from sins hold!

Well I returned from Ecuador late Thursday night. Once again God blessed the team in a mighty way. To be able to share God's Word and be the hands and feet of Jesus is such a blessing from the Lord. The Lord used us to plant many seeds and to help the Fly family accomplish some work around their home. I want to give God all the glory and praise for a safe and fruitful trip.



During my bible studies a verse was shared that has come back to my mind many times and I want to share it with you this morning. Here it is:


Micah 7:19

19 He will again have compassion on us,And will subdue our iniquities.

You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.



Such an incredible verse for us to meditate on. God has such compassion for us. Do we really understand that? He knows we make mistakes but he still loves us, matter of fact He loves us so much that He sent Jesus for us!!! The nest part of the verse confirms that God knows we make mistakes because it tells us He will subdue our iniquities (sin). God has done that through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Go not only subdued our sin, He takes it away!!! What's God do with that sin? He casts it away into the depths of the sea and remembers it no more! That is important to understand! He forgets about our sin after we repent of it, so if it keeps coming back to your mind it is not coming from God but the devil!!! Don't let the devil get in your mind like that, your repented sin is gone and forgotten by God! Look at this verse:



1 John 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.



We have a responsibility with our sin, to confess it to God! God wants us to realize our sin, admit it to Him, ask for forgiveness. He then takes it throws it into the sea, forgives us, and cleanses us from that sin, we are then to move on and sin no more! No condemnation for us! Wow is that freeing or what?



God forgets your confessed sin, so move on! You are forgiven, it is gone!



Tom

Get off that long black train!

Josh Turner's testimony spoke to me this morning...check it out here:



http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/josh-turner/



Here is the video for the song "Long Black train"....really listen to the words:






So true! The devil wants us to jump aboard his train of sin and destruction...look at the scriptures:



John 10:10



The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.That thief is Satan himself!!! Jesus gives you true life.



Jesus even warned about the path or gate that leads to destruction:



Matthew 7:13-14



13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.



Our victory over the devil and this life can only be found in Jesus!



1 Corinthians 15:57



But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.Makes me want to shout!



Thank you Jesus for helping me jump off that long black train!



Tom

Give....not an option!

From the mouth of Jesus:



Matthew 6:2



2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.



Don't miss this: "when you give" ! Jesus expects us to give from what He has blessed us with to others. Let's examine ourselves and see when is the last time we helped the needy? From what I see from the bible it is not an option, we are commanded to do so!



When we do give it is to be kept quiet. It is not something to brag about because as we have seen it is our duty. God will reward us for our good deeds not man so we our pride in check, after all everything we give is God's anyway, right?



This is very simple teaching from our Lord, let's not let it slip by us.



Thank you Lord for your many blessings, help us to share them with others!



Tom

More Jesus, less me!

John 3:30

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.



When John the Baptist said these words above he was making a statement not only about himself but also for us to grasp on to in our following Jesus. In the context of John's life he had prepared the way for Jesus as God has called him to do and now Jesus was fulfilling what He came to earth to do. So John was to take a back seat and Jesus was taking over.



For us it has a similar meaning only in a different way. Jesus has finished what He came to earth to do, but He left us with a job to do. Our job is to die to self, follow Jesus, and to tell others about Him. Do you see the increase/decrease in that? When we die to self to follow Jesus we decrease, so that when we live for Jesus and tell others about Him, Jesus increases!



So this brings us to examination time. When you look at your life who is increasing....you or Jesus? On the other hand, who is decreasing you or Jesus? In the Jesus followers life it should be abundantly clear who is on the throne in ones life!



Oh Lord Jesus help me to make much of you today, to get myself out of the way, and to proclaim your goodness to all. For you alone are worthy of honor and glory.



Tom

Kids Camp-purpose #3

Once you become God's you have a purpose. Read these verses:


2 Corinthians 5:18-20

18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.



Of course you first purpose is to glorify God with you life and live for Him each day. You second purpose is told in the verses above....to reconcile or bring others to Jesus. That is part of your purpose as a follower of Jesus! To bring to others what you have already got....JESUS!



So are you fulfilling your purpose? If you haven't there is no better time to start than now!



God bless! Have a great day!



Tom

Kids Camp-reconciliation #2

The Israelites were expecting a Messiah only not the ONE who came! They wanted a Messiah who would be a political and military leader. God sent one much greater...One who can take away the sins of the world!!!!



Read this:


Isaiah 53:1-11

53 Who has believed our report?And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,And as a root out of dry ground.He has no form or comeliness;And when we see Him,There is no beauty that we should desire Him.3 He is despised and rejected by men,A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefsAnd carried our sorrows;Yet we esteemed Him stricken,Smitten by God, and afflicted.5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities;The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed.6 All we like sheep have gone astray;We have turned, every one, to his own way;And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He opened not His mouth;He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,So He opened not His mouth.8 He was taken from prison and from judgment,And who will declare His generation?For He was cut off from the land of the living;For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.9 And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death,Because He had done no violence,Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;He has put Him to grief.When You make His soul an offering for sin,He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,For He shall bear their iniquities.



OH what a Savior we have! One who bore our sins for us! Jesus reconciled us to God, what more could we ask for?????



Thank You Jesus!



Tom

Kids Camp-captivity #1

No I am not in captivity at kids camp! Ha. I am at kids camp this week in Cambellsville, KY with my 3-6 graders. They are having a blast so far. I want to share todays lesson with you and it is titled "God rescues from Captivity".



Read Psalm 106. It tells how Israel was in captivity, rescued by God and then sinned over and over again against God. They would repent and come back to God only to rebel once again. Many times it led them to captivity but God would rescue them again and again.



This is also the story of our life. We sin over and over again. God offers us redemption through His Son Jesus.


Romans 10:13

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”



Have you called out to Jesus? He is your knight in shining armor just wait for you to call upon Him to rescue you out of the captivity called sin! Maybe you called upon Jesus once but fell back into the ways of the world, I have good news....Jesus will set you free again, just cry out to Him and repent of your sin.



God loves you so very much, shed the captivity of the devil and follow Jesus today!



See you tomorrow!



Tom

Indicators of a follower of Jesus

For anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus we have been given indicators to prove if we are actually followers or not. Once we give our lives to Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in each believer we then are to develop these traits which we can do immediately by the power of God....Here they are:



Galatians 5:22-24



22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.



Does this describe you? Now you will have days where you fail, we all do, but the overall traits of your life should reflect these traits which are also the traits of our Lord, Jesus. If these traits are not a steady part of your life one must take a close look at their life to see if they truly have surrendered their life to Jesus. These traits are to be evident in God's people, the church.



Think about these today...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, an self-control. Is this you? Is this your church? If not some serious soul searching needs to take place! If it is praise be to God!!!! Keep spreading the fruit brothers and sisters, so folks can see Jesus!



Tom

Can you defend your faith?

We are in the middle of Vacation Bible School right now and the main verse for the week is from 1 Peter 3:15:


1 Peter 3:15

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;



Can you give a defense of your faith? When you are challenged can you tell what you believe and why? If you can awesome! If you can't you need to get to studying!!! This is a clear instruction from the Word of God that we are to be able to defend our faith in the right attitude...love and humility....meekness. For if we don not have the right attitude the person whom we are talking to will not listen!!!



Another reason to be able to defend your faith is so you can detect false teaching! For if you do not know what God's Word says then you will believe anything taught to you! Be in your bible and learn!



So can you defend what you believe? It is of utmost importance!



Tom

"THE" Life

 

So the last two days we have looked at Jesus being the way and the truth from this verse:

John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Today let's finish up by looking at the third part of who Jesus said He was.....The Life.

What is life all about? If you took a survey you would get many many answers. Such as partying on the weekend, all the sex one can get, money to get what we want, relationships, and the list would go on. What does the dictionary say life is?

life: the general or universal condition of human existence

Well true life is much more than that definition and the definitions man gives life. Jesus said He is LIFE! So we are basically dead until we discover who Jesus is, what He has done for all of mankind, and give our lives to Him. We may be breathing and existing day by day but we are not living without Jesus. Jesus came to be life for us to the fullest:

John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Ultimate life = Jesus

To find this life in Jesus you must lose your life by giving your self completely to Jesus:

Matthew 10:39

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Let me give you a serious warning here...giving you life to Jesus is not easy and Jesus plainly warns their are few who will actually do it:

Matthew 7:14

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

So now you know where Life is! Have you found Jesus? Have you gave your life to Jesus? Maybe you have been searching for Life for a long time in many different ways. Life is here waiting for you to follow Him! I can tell you from personal experience nothing satisfies like Jesus, give Him your life today and start living for real!

Jesus is LIFE!

Tom

"THE" Truth!

As we look at this verse again today let's look at the second part of it:



John 14:6



6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.



What is the definition of truth? This is what the dictionary says: the true or actual state of a matter.



So when we apply it to God or Jesus what does it mean? It means they are TRUTH. They are the definition. That is exactly what Jesus is telling us in John 14:6. So in life everything must be evaluated through Him.



How do we get the truth from God? His Word...the bible. Look at what this verse says:



John 1



1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.



Who is this Word talked about here? Jesus! He is the Word, He is truth, and He reveals Himself to us through the bible. The bible is absolute truth and until on comes to that conclusion he will not understand complete truth. What God says is right is right and what God says is wrong is wrong...there is no debate! Sadly today man thinks he is smarter than God and knows more than God and well you see where that has got us!



So today know the truth...Jesus! Believe the truth! The truth will set you free, nothing else can!



John 8:32



and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.



Tom

"THE" Way!

My favorite verse in the bible is this:


John 14:6

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.



This verse popped in my head this morning on the way to work. I want us to look at it very closely the next couple of days. Today I wan to the look at what Jesus says to us in the first part of the verse..."I am the way". Now don't let that just fly through your brain without any thought. Meditate on that for a bit.



What is Jesus the way of? The simple answer would be everything that is good and right...everything. Let me list a few things that come to mind that Jesus is the way of:



Eternal life...matter of fact as this verse claims there is no other way!



Good choices

all decision making

relationships...with God and with mankind

jobs

school

hobbies

wholesome talk

thoughts

honesty

marriage

sex

children

and the list goes on and on!



You see Jesus is the way in every area of life for a follower of Him. He is the right way in everything we say, do, think, and wanna do!!! All things in our life must go through Him to be defined as right or wrong for followers. You see it comes down to this for the follower...I have given my life to Jesus so He is the WAY if I take any of my life for my self them I have made myself the WAY! That my friends is not where we want to be!



So who is the WAY for you today? YOU or Jesus?



Tom