His Glory

 Isaiah 53:2-9

My Servant grew up in the LORD’S presence like a tender

green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. 

There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance,

nothing to attract us to Him.  He was despised and rejected—

a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief.  We turned

our backs on Him and looked the other way when He went by. 

He was despised, and we did not care.

     Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows

that weighed Him down.  And we thought His troubles were a

punishment from God for His own sins.  He was beaten that we

might have peace.  He was whipped, and we were healed!  All of

us have strayed away like sheep.  We have left God’s paths to

follow our own.  Yet the LORD laid on Him the guilt and sins of

us all.

     He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a

word.  He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.  And as a sheep

is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. From

prison and trial they led Him away to His death.  But who among

the people realized that He was dying for their sins—that He

was suffering their punishment?  He had done no wrong, and He

never deceived anyone.  But He was buried like a criminal; He

was put in a rich man’s grave.  (NLT)

     Praising the Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator, Redeemer, and the Lover of our souls should come with every breath we take.  I cannot imagine starting the day without acknowledging the glory and majesty, the mercy and grace, and the unconditional love and forgiveness that makes up the essence of our Great Sovereign God and Savior—the One who provided the Way for all of us to escape the decadence around us that is driving this fallen world into a horrible and terrifying end.  This gracious provision of unearned salvation gives witness to who our awesome God really is and all He has done.  Every morning when I sit in God’s presence, filling my heart with the warmth of the Son, it awakens my soul to bathe in the glory of His Light.   And I urge you, my dear brothers and sisters, to join in and bathe in the Son’s Light—for when you do, the fog will clear and you will be able to see and soak in the Son who willfully gave you an awesome reason to have joy and purpose in your life.

                                  A Whisper of Hope

Be filled with My Presence…when you sit quietly with Me, My child.  For in this fallen world you need the Light of the Son to lead you out of the darkness and into the Land of the Living.  And it is in My Presence that you will find the strength and wisdom and courage to face the uncertain day before you and the Hope for a glorious tomorrow.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Therefore, whether you eat or drink,

or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.  (NKJ)

        And let the whole earth be filled with His glory!

                             (Psalm 72:19)

           Seeing Eyes

Psalm 123:1

Unto You I lift up my eyes,

     O You who dwell in

               the heavens.  (NKJ)

     Because we are God created, finite human beings, we tend to look beyond ourselves for something or someone that we can look up to—someone greater with whom we can rely on to inspire or encourage us while we live in this difficult world that is getting even more difficult as the days go by. For those of us who have our Lord God and Savior Christ Jesus as that Someone we can look up to and rely on to inspire, encourage and give us hope, we are blessed with spiritual eyes—eyes that see through the darkness that this fallen world wants you to be trapped in—a darkness of lies that is created by the leader of Hell’s fallen angels.  Christians are utterly filled with thanksgiving and praise to the Lord our God, because there are billions of spiritually blind people in this world that cannot see beyond this world that they are trapped in and trying to make sense of. There are so many lost souls who, because of ignorance or pride, are more inclined to look inward for some hidden inner strength.  There are still other discouraged souls who look downward at the futility of it all and simply give up.  And what's left are people who will look everywhere they can, rather than looking upward to the Living God who knows and sees all things visible and invisible.

     If God is your last option, you may not see Him at first glance, but with persistent gazing upwards into the heavenly realms in search of Him, God will, in His own time and His own way, open the spiritual eyes of your heart and you will find the absolute Truth in the Living God—the only One who can rescue you from the hopelessness that we all face without God in our lives.  Our God is very real, my friends, and He resides in the hearts of all His believing people.  How blessed we are that our God is always Home, always watching, and always waiting for you to walk through His door.  He is always there where you are, because He is your Sovereign Keeper; the One who never sleeps and is always alert.  The Almighty, Sovereign God is the infinite Watchful One who has eyes that see it all and the powers to fix it all.

                                  A Whisper of Hope

I see it all, My child…nothing is hidden from Me.  When you look up to Me for truth and resolve, you are looking in the right place, for I Am your Creator and the Keeper of your soul.  You need only look up into the heavens to find the help and hope you need.  I Am always Home and ready to help.

Isaiah 55:6-7

Seek the LORD while you can find Him. Call on Him

now while His is near. Let the people turn from their

wicked deeds.  Let them banish from their minds the

very thought of doing wrong!  Let them turn to the

LORD that He may have mercy on them.  Yes, turn to

our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  (NLT)

   The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping

      His eye on both the evil and the good.

                     (Proverbs 15:3)

            Simple but True

Psalm 119:130

As Your words are taught,

               they give light;

     even the simple can

               understand them.  (NLT)

    Immediately after God’s words pierced the outer toughness of my hardened heart, the Light of His Truth began to brighten up the darkness that I had been trapped in all of my life, and it began to fill that empty space with love, understanding, and most of all, blessed hope.  For it was out of my deepest darkness and the hopeless desperation of my soul that my depraved heart and soul received the Lord and He forgave my sins, healed my wounds, took the burdens that I bore, and gave me some believable understanding about this life and what it all means—Truth that would comfort my weary soul and give me a life that was really worth living.  Anyone can read God’s Word, but if we fail to read it through the eyes of the Holy Spirit and let those God breathed words seep deep into our hearts, the light may flicker on for a while, but the power of darkness will raise its ugly head and blow it out cold. 

     When the Holy Spirit reveals the Truth to us, it penetrates our hardened hearts and softens it with His love and grace.  You cannot merely see or hear the Word of God in order to experience the transforming power that it offers.  We need the Light of Truth shining brightly on the pages of our lives, for without the Light, God's words will either fall of deaf ears or remain foreign and impossible to understand.  Mankind has proven over and over throughout the ages, that when we are disconnected from our Creator we are oblivious to the Truth, leaving us unprotected from the schemes of Satan that have deceived the world and killed many a soul.  Without the Word of God and His Everlasting Light, the world is a very lonely and hopeless place, my friend, for it was there from which I personally came.  Respond to the Word of Life and feel the power of His Truth and forgiveness.  Let the Light of God subdue the darkness, because it brings life to the fullest!

                                 A Whisper of Hope

I Am the True Source…for Light and Life, dear child.  I Am the Word of Life for any and all. I have given the world My Light so you could see through the darkness of this difficult life-journey.  My Light brings you hope and peace; the darkness brings you death and condemnation.

1 John 1:1-2

The One who existed from the beginning is the One

we have heard and seen.  We saw Him with our own

eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is Jesus

Christ, the Word of Life.  This One who is life from God

was shown to us, and we have seen Him.  And now we

testify and announce to you that He is the One who is

eternal life.  He was with the Father, and then He was

shown to us.  (NLT)

            Your word is a lamp for my feet

               and a light for my path.

                    (Psalm 119:105)

              Justice Reigns 

Psalm 89:14

Righteousness and justice are the

               foundation of Your throne. 

     Mercy and truth go before Your face.  (NKJ)

     Since the Lord God is the One who created us and then personally paid for our salvation, it is only right that we are His, because without our Creator and Savior we would be nothing and we would have nothing to celebrate.  We should celebrate that God is love, righteous, just, merciful and filled with amazing grace.  Our God refused to leave us to our own demise.  Instead, He gave us the wisdom that would give us a clear picture of how to live in this life so we could live in the glory of the eternal life to follow. Our God is also perfectly holy and just in all His ways, sovereign in all He does, and fully knows all things.   We can always trust in God's divine governance, because He is too right to be wrong, too powerful to be stopped, and far too wise to make mistakes.  The Lord Jesus Christ foreshadows who God is and how He will deal with mankind in the last days. 

     Sadly, there are many people who believe there are no afterlife consequences for what they do in this life.  But Scripture tells a different story, my friends.  Jesus has personally told us about the dark consequences awaiting those who die hanging on to their sin, and glorious rewards in Heaven for those who seek forgiveness and salvation from the Lord.  No one can survive in the Presence of God without the blood of Jesus covering our sins.  Because we are unable to refrain from sinning, the Lord became our sin and died our death.  We have a just God who judges fairly, and we have a merciful God who gives us the chance for salvation.  But for those who refuse the blood of Jesus to go their own way, they will justly end up where they belong.

                                      A Whisper of Hope

Do not believe…in the foolishness of manmade doctrine and the world’s philosophy on life.  Instead, believe in Me, your Creator and Savior.  You live in a world that hates Me and all that I Am.  Therefore, the world hates anyone who belongs to Me.  Rejoice, for My justice reigns.

Deuteronomy 32:4

He is the Rock, His work is perfect;

for all His ways are justice, a God of

truth and without injustice; righteous

and upright is He.  (NKJ) 

              And there is no other God besides Me,

      A just God and a Savior, there is none besides Me.

                                (Isaiah 45:21)

                   Saving Face

Psalm 80:3

Restore us, O God;

     cause Your face

               to shine,

     and we shall be saved!  (NKJ)

     Only the Savior can save us from the sinful condition that leads to eternal damnation.  Only the Redeemer can transform our sin-filled lives into God-filled lives that only get better and better—as in an eternity of living in the Presence of God, learning the mysteries of life and creation.  Because of the blood of Christ Jesus, we are blameless in the eyes of God, but we must live righteously before the Lord.  One of the most important areas in God’s restoration process is our sanctification, not so much our personal circumstances, because when the Lord restores the person their circumstances will almost always follow suit.  The divine restoration that we are blessed with upon receiving salvation comes from only One Source my friends, the Holy Spirit sent by our Savior, Jesus Christ.  And throughout our restoration, God’s face shines favorably upon our everyday lives, blessing us in ways that brings hope for the future, comfort in the present, and peace about our past and this dark world we must live in before we go Home. 

     It is actually the Lord’s favor that brings all people into salvation, because His love is unconditional and His mercies are limitless.  No matter how far away from the Lord you may be, His Light will shine favorably upon all who ask, ensuring both victory and liberty from the chains of darkness that hold you captive to this evil world that is head for destruction.  Only the Lord can save us from dying in our sin.  Our conversion from a godless life-style is as divine a work as creation itself.  And with the Holy Spirit as your Helper and God’s Word as your sword of defense against the evil powers of darkness, you will be redeemed; becoming a new creation and a child of the Living God.  When you have the Lord’s face shinning favor upon your life, you will be saved no matter how deep in the darkness you have been, because nothing can trump God’s favor. 

                                    A Whisper of Hope

My Face shines favor... on those who come to Me broken and ashamed.   Search diligently in the Word I have written, for with in its holy pages you will find the Truth about who I Am, who you are, and the deception this fallen world wants you to believe.  Without the Truth, your life will be wasted and it will end in tragedy.

John 8:44

Let all the world look to Me for salvation! 

For I am God; there is no other.  (NLT)

May the LORD show you His favor and give you His peace.

                                (Numbers 6:26)

              Chance

Galatians 1:4-5

He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order

to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.  That is why

all glory belongs to God through all the ages of eternity.  Amen.   (NLT)

     For every breath we take in, we should breathe out in praise and thanksgiving, because without the Lord; our God, our Provider, and our Savior, there would be no hope for anything, least another chance.  Without the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, we would be hopelessly lost in the darkness, deemed as unforgivable, and condemned for eternity.  Without the sacrificial blood of Jesus there would be no atonement for our sins and we would all be hell bound.  God created both the angels and mankind with free wills and the intelligence to make choices.  God did this because He didn’t want the heavens and earth filled with mindless beings that He had to control and manipulate in order to have them love and obey Him.  And much like the angels who chose to disobey God and follow Satan, man too, made the same fatal error. But unlike the rebellious angels, God has offered us complete forgiveness, and given us another chance to change our rebellious ways so we can escape the eternal condemnation that was created for Satan and his fallen angels. 

     Because God loves man above all His creation and because He is an honorable and just God, He has provided the Way for us to regain our right standing before Him.  But once again, God does not force us to accept His gift of forgiveness and salvation; instead, He gives us the freedom to choose His Way or not—to receive the Crown of Life or eternal condemnation.  You can choose living with the Lord God Jesus Christ in the new Heavens and Earth or you can choose to be thrown into the Lake of Fire with Satan.  Either way, the choice is yours to make my friend, because God will not choose for you while you are alive.  Time on this Earth is short and should not be wasted, because you never know what tomorrow will bring, or if there will even be a tomorrow.

                                                                  

                                   A Whisper of Hope

Take My hand, dear child…because there is no other way to escape the coming night.  When you choose to live in My Light, you will not only be saved, but you will find the peace to comfort your soul in any circumstance.  Remember child, this earthly life is but a moment.

Genesis 2:15-17

The LORD God placed the man in the Garden

of Eden to tend and care for it. But the LORD

God gave him this warning: “You may freely eat

any fruit in the gardn except fruit from the tree

of the knowledge of good and evil.  If you eat of

its fruit, you will surely die.”   (NLT)

     But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me.

                            (Psalm 55:16)

                     Fountain of Life

Psalm 62:1

I wait quietly before God,

     for my salvation comes

               from Him.  (NLT)

     It is in the Presence of our gracious God and Savior that awes our hearts into quiet submission, for it is here that we always find the peace that comforts our weary souls, and the Lord delights in the quiet times we spend with Him.  Charles Spurgeon, explained it this way: “It is an eminent work of grace to bring down the will and subdue the affections, so that the mind lies before the Lord like the sea beneath the wind, ready to be moved by every breath of His mouth.” It is when we quiet our hearts and wait patiently for His reply that we hear God's Still Small Voice drawing us gently into His Presence where He can touch our lives in just the right way.  There is neither a man nor a plan from this world that is able to offer us a perfect life that never ends—a life that so many of us long for—an eternal longing that God has put deep into the very fibers of our being.  Only the Plan of Salvation can deliver the promised gift of everlasting life, where every child of God will live perfect lives and be able to walk and talk with the Creator at any time.

    Whenever you wait quietly in the Presence of the Lord, you are silently telling God that you are faithfully trusting Him to do what is best for you; that you are confident He is who He says He is and will do what He promises He will do.  When you know that your salvation is secured safely in the nail scared hands of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, there is absolutely nothing that can take your life out of His hands.  Because the great minds of mankind tell us this life is an accident and it is all we have, people have always been searching for that fountain of youth that could keep them from getting old and dying.  And since these same great minds think this earth is our home, they are always coming up with new ways to save the planet from self-destruction.  But the reality, my friends, is we cannot save ourselves from death nor can we save this earth, because this earth and all those who belong to it will one day perish and be replaced for those who belong to God.  Jesus is our Fountain for life!

                                    A Whisper of Hope

Quiet your heart, dear child…and listen closely for My voice to be calling you into salvation.  When you are quiet and patiently waiting, you can be sure that I Am not doing the same, for My Plan is always working, and My Fountain is always flowing!

Zechariah 2:13

Be silent before the LORD, all humanity,

for He is springing into action from His

holy dwelling.  (NLT)

      But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength.

                                (Isaiah 40:31)

          Live in Light

1 John 1:5-6

God is Light and there is no darkness in Him at all. 

So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with

God but go on living in spiritual darkness.  We are

not living in the Truth.  (NLT)

     When you surrender your sinful life to the Lord, the first thing you do is nail it to His Cross and be resurrected anew, because from that moment on you are a child of the Living God—you no longer live just to satisfy the desires that once controlled how you lived—you are no longer a slave to the sins that this dark world embraces.  With God's Light shining upon the darkness around you, you will see the deceit and better understand the utter hopelessness it offers.  Just as light and dark cannot co-exist at the same moment in time, neither can we live in God’s Light while embracing the darkness of the world.  The apostle John goes on to tell us: “Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions.  These are not from the Father.  They are from this evil world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves.  But if you do the will of God, you will live forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

     It is certainly not a sin to enjoy the good things that God has given us to enjoy, but where we go wrong is when we make them our gods.  Our sinful natures crave the pleasures of the flesh that will pull us into darkness where we are fair game for the jaws of Satan.   Without the Light that the Lord has so graciously provided, you will journey into a darkness that will not only wreak havoc upon your present life, but will have horrific eternal consequences that never go away.  But living in the Light of God’s Truth is everlasting and God centered.  You cannot fool God my friend, nor can you hide in darkness of your sin, for it is either God’s Way or the highway to Hell.  You are either with God or without Him.  There is no gray area, just light and dark.  You are either in or you are not!

                                      A Whisper of Hope

Wake up, My child…and walk into the Light.  Avoid the evil traps found in the darkness by living in My Light of My Truth.  Although you are safe in the Light, you must be aware and look for the traps that come cleverly disguised as gray.  

Romans 8:7-8

For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. 

It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 

That is why those who are still under the control

of their sinful nature can never please God.  (NLT)

              I have come as a light to shine in this dark world,

             so that all who put their trust in Me will no

                     longer remain in the darkness.

                                  (John 12:46)

          Wanted Alive

Psalm 49:15

But as for me,

     God will redeem my life. 

He will snatch me from the

     power of death.  (NLT)

     Death is not a subject that most people like talking about, especially when it comes to their own death or the death of those they love.  But death is a reality, and at some point, it does require our attention, especially for those we leave behind.  But our earthly death is not the end, but the beginning of a very long eternal life.   Sadly, the vast majority of people in the world do not know the Truth about death or life, because the devil has poisoned their minds with his lies.  The only Truth there is comes from our Creator and He has graciously shared it with those who desire to know it.  Unfortunately, God’s Truth never has been nor will it ever be accepted by this evil world driven by secular humanism and many false gods created by the powers of darkness.  Manmade truth and wisdom is not only utter foolishness to God and those who know Him, but it is always changing with the times and is therefore, not always true.  In order to know and understand the real Truth that never changes, you must first believe that it is our Lord God Jesus Christ who created all things, and it is He who sets the true standards that we must live by and believe in.  

     Creation is a well thought out plan that has order and purpose with rules and consequences.  It is easy to do whatever you feel like doing when you believe that this life is all there is.  But when you know the Truth and believe there are eternal consequences for your thoughts and actions, it is not so easy to rebel against the holiness of the One who sets the standards.  It is much harder to live in righteousness than it is live in sin, because the world hates the Lord and all those who follow Him.  When you see yourself as a product of chance and evolution, living becomes nothing more than raw survival, grabbing what you can while you can and you become nothing more than a thoughtless animal with instincts only for survival.  When you live apart from our Lord God, Jesus Christ, you become self-centered, closed minded, hard headed, and dead, because without the Savior, the darkness of the grave will swallow you alive forever.

                                        A Whisper of Hope

Do not believe, dear child…the foolish mindset of this fallen world’s view on life and death.  Instead, know and believe the only Truth that is found in the inerrant Word of God, for your eternal life is at stake. 

Romans 14:7-8

For we are not our own masters when we live or when

we die. While we live, we live to please the Lord.  And

when we die, we go to be with the Lord.  So in life and

in death, we belong to the Lord.  (NLT)

                           For to be carnally minded is death,

          but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

                               (Romans 8:6)

                  Thirsty Souls

Psalm 42:1, 2

As the deer pants for

     the water brooks,

     so pants my soul for

               You, O God. 

My soul thirsts for God,

     for the living God.  (NKJ)

     Amid every human life there are always seasons of drought; times when it feels as if you are being scorched by hell itself and it seems like your life is burning out of control and you are desperately searching for even one drop of water that would ease the thirst and put the fire out.  We all have times when our efforts are never good enough and the options seem to run out.  No living soul is exempt from the fire storms that this hellish world brings.  And all it takes is one lone spark, one unexpected strike and your life is ablaze with fire storms that can take your life and burn it to the ground.  Even seasoned Christians who faithfully live in the Lord experience times of drought—somethings feeling defeated or discouraged or abandoned by God.  Whether you choose to follow God or the world, we are all destined to experience times of sadness, hopelessness, fear, helpless, and a longing to be refreshed and given a speck of hope.

    This thirst we have for something or someone greater than ourselves is really a longing for the Living God.  And the desire we have to hang on to this life as long as we can is because we do not want to die, for God has put eternity on every human heart He creates.  We all have it, we all experience it, and it is only the Living Water from Heaven that can quench the thirst you have for the Creator who gives you life—the Savior who saved your life—the Sovereign God who protects your life and provides everything you need for life.  When you drink the Living Water from the cup of God’s amazing grace you will find yourself refreshed, strengthened, and ready to put out the fire storms that are hot on your heals.  You are never alone my friend.  The Lord is always there to offer you His cup of Living Water.  Take it, put it to your lips, drink deeply from it, and it will give you eternal life!

                                  A Whisper of Hope

Come to Me, child… for only I can quench the thirst you have for life.  This life can often become one drought after another, but when you come to Me I will put My Spirit in your life and bring you hope.  This world cannot quench your thirsty soul with what it does not have.  But I can!  And I will!

John 4:13-14

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will

thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him

will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”  (NKJ)

       To all who are thirsty I will give the springs

            of the water of life without charge.

                        (Revelation 21:6)

                    The Cure

James 4:7, 8, 9, 10

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you. Draw close to God and He

will draw close to you.   Let there be tears for the

wrong things you have done.  When you bow down

before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him,

He will lift you up and give you honor. (NLT)

     To find any lasting peace in this life we must avoid the darkness of decadence that blinds us from the Truth and to escape the deadly and final wrath of God's judgment, we must first and foremost believe and accept that Jesus Christ is the Lord over all creation and humbly accept His gift of forgiveness and salvation.  We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God—that He was fully man and fully God—One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit, who created the universe and everything else that exists.  We must know about and believe in God’s ultimate plan for man and creation.  And if you want to participate in His glorious redemptive plan, you must live in Christ Jesus and follow the Way that leads to righteous living and everlasting life.  But if you decide to follow your own way, just as this fallen world teaches us to do, you will become a recipient of the unfortunate and deadly part of God’s Great Plan for man. 

     All of us come into this world as sinners who love to do whatever we want.  Most of us are shaped by the world’s view on life and death, and most of us spend much of our allotted time on this earth living the lie with a false sense of security.  And because of this, many of us have experienced the hope and joy of life sucked right out of our very being, leaving us miserable, hopeless, and wondering why we even try hanging on.  Without the hope we have in Jesus, we have nothing but more broken promises and more fear of the unknown until the light of our life is snuffed out.  Everything this world has to offer is at best temporary and the only real promise it can keep is death.  God has been more than gracious since the day the world fell into the darkness of sin, because He had the plan for man before the world was created.  Are you tired of being betrayed and lied to by this world?  Are you sick of always being disappointment and craving more from a world that cannot deliver enough?  Well, my friends, there is a cure for the emptiness and hopelessness that ravages our world, and that cure is found in the precious, sacrificial blood of Jesus, for in Him there is forgiveness and a glorious new life that lasts forever.

                           A Whisper of Hope

Be cured, My child…of the disease that leads to eternal death.  Let Me save your life, because living in the pleasures of this sin-filled world is a death sentence.  Living in Me is your life sentence.  You have the freedom to choose, but choose wisely while you have the breath of life.

Revelation 7:17

“For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be

their Shepherd.  He will lead them to the springs of life-

giving water.  And God will wipe away all their tears.”  (NLT)

                       Thank God for His Son—

            a gift too wonderful for words.

                             (2 Corinthians 9:15)

            Be Still

James 1:19-22

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 

Your anger can never make things right in God’s sight. 

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives and humbly

accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it

is strong enough to save your souls.  And remember, it is

a message to obey, not just to listen to.  (NLT)

     Because the world we live in is infected with sin, we tend to focus on ourselves and what we want.  This “all about me” way of living does not come from our Creator, but from the Destroyer.  We live under the domain of the Prince of Darkness, making us prideful, hard headed and very difficult to hold our tongues and listen, especially when it comes to the absolute Truth of who God is, who we are, and for what purpose we were created.  It is our nature to want to believe we are in charge.  But in reality, we know that we are in control of very little.  It is the Creator, our Lord God and Savior who is in control and our lives rest solely on His mercy and grace.  It is only by the blood of Jesus and the resurrection power of God that saves us from this wicked world that is decaying rapidly.  When we don't know the Truth, we are allowing the evil in this world to control the way we think and speak and act, and the results are anything but good and the consequences are even worse.  Following the world’s ungodly ways will take you into the darkness of evil where Satan reigns, and the deeper you go, the more enslaved to it you become.  You cannot escape on our own.  Without the saving grace of our Savior, we are all Hell bound and in very deep trouble, because we are born children of wrath.  Without Jesus, my friend, you are headed for Hell because the lust for living in sin is great and you get too busy with this world to hear the Voice of God.  And when you cannot hear the Voice of God, the only voice you hear is that of the Destroyer. 

     But Christ Jesus defeated the power of sin and death and we are now free to follow the Way that leads to better living in this world and eternal life in the next.  We can escape the prison of darkness that holds us captive to our sin and lusts if we so desire, because our Savior has been here and paid the price for our freedom, making it possible for anyone to find their way out of the darkness and into the Light.  So live quietly and be still, my friends, listening for the saving voice of Jesus.  Living in this dark world without God becomes miserably empty, extremely unsatisfying, and will eventually end badly.  When you listen for God's voice you will hear it and you will find everlasting peace and joy.  The only hope you have of escaping the death grip of the Destroyer is found only in the arms of God, the Creator and Savior of your life. Be still and listen for that still small voice whispering your name and calling you Home.

                                      A Whisper of Hope

Listen to Me…and I will lead you to victory, so you can wear the crown of eternal life.  For by hearing and believing the Truth will set you free from the darkness that enslaves our world.  Listen and escape! Listen and live!

Isaiah 53:3

Come to me with your ears wide open. 

Listen, for the life of your souls is at stake.  (NLT)

                        Be still and know that I am God.

                                    (Psalm 46:10)

              Mourning to Morning

Psalm 30:5

For His anger is but for a moment,

               His favor is for life;

Weeping may endure for a night,

     but joy comes in the morning.  (NKJ)

     People who believe in and follow Jesus Christ (especially those of us who have been so graciously rescued from the deep darkness of unending pain and shame, will never be able to thank God enough for His incredible mercy and amazing grace.  He has shown us who He is through the wonders of creation, through the shedding of His blood, and through the transforming power that gives us new life.  It is because of God’s great love and compassion for people that everyone should live in thanksgiving, because without God’s provision, protection, and His glorious Plan of Redemption, His wrath would have completely destroyed every man, woman, and child in this evil world a long time ago.  Instead, God choose to give this world another chance by saving Noah and his family from the flood that destroyed the rest of mankind. The Lord gave mankind a new start on an earth that was reshaped for our good pleasure.  Now we have the blood of Jesus covering our sins so we can live this life-journey in the Presence of the Living God, because when we accept the undeserved gift of salvation we become God's very own children.  We are blood bought, personally called, and divinely set apart for God and His eternal purpose.  

     But because we are not yet made perfect, we still fall short of God's glorious standard and suffer the consequences of our sins.  There will be times when we are personally disciplined by God because He wants us to learn from our weaknesses to grow strong in His righteousness.  But even though the Lord’s discipline is justly deserved and can seem rather harsh at times, we soon discover the peace in knowing that His anger lasts but a moment.  When the Lord’s frown is upon us, we are like a flower in darkness, but when the darkness is lifted and His favor shines again and our lives once again reflect the glory of who God is and all that He has done.  When you belong to the Son of Righteousness, He will rise up and shine His Face upon your life and you can be sure that your mourning will fade in the morning because the Son’s Light can never be snuffed out!

                                  A Whisper of Hope

In this fallen world…dear child, there will always be sorrow, pain, disappointment, failure, shame, and guilt.  And when your night is dark and your grief is great, know that the Light of the Son is greater.  For the darkness cannot exist in God’s glorious Light.

Jeremiah 31:13

I will turn their mourning into joy. 

I will comfort them and exchange

their sorrow for rejoicing.  (NLT)

                “I am the Light of the world; 

            he who follows Me will not walk in 

     the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

                           (John 8:12)