Sin Brings Forth Death

(Jas 1:15) "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." In the above verse the warning is the same regardless of our sin, "sin bringeth forth death." In the Garden of Eden, Satan planted into the mind of Eve the temptation of lust, but it was Eve that decided to bring sin into her life. 1) Sin begins in the mind. When we give ear or sight to any temptation, we reason with the idea of disobeying God. Eve chose disobedience, therefore she brought upon herself the judgment that God warned her about. 2) The result of sin is always destructive. Both Adam and Eve immediately hid themselves from God and His "voice," both lost their fellowship with God, both began to cover up sin, and both lost their joyful relationship with each other and God. 3) Sin is damning. The serpent lost its beauty and ability to walk upright, the woman gained multiplied sorrow, Adam hard labor and toil, the whole creation became cursed, and both Adam and Eve received a death sentence. When sin is finished it brings forth nothing but sorrow, and pain, and death, but worst of all it caused our beloved Savior Jesus Christ Jesus to have to die. Yes, sin destroys, but thank God Jesus Saves!

Adam & Eve Fell Into Sin Differently

(1Ti 2:14)"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." As we continue to look at the origin of sin, it's important to see that Adam and Eve fell into sin differently. 1) Eve was deceived. Satan deceived Eve, meaning that he tricked her into responding contrary to the commandment of the Lordthrough deception. Satan is a master at deception. He possessed the body of the serpent, disguising himself as something good rather than evil. He also got Eve to doubt God's Word through the use of semantics. Satan loves to twist scripture, or to leave out parts of it, or he will even take it out of context. Eve was tricked and fell after believing Satan's deception. 2) Adam fell by simply following Eve. Another way that we fall into the trap of sin is by simply following others that are wrong. People do it all the time today. For example, take salvation. Many follow blindly religion, or what's popular, or charismatic men, not really studying for themselves what the truth really is. The Bible says that there is only one way to be saved, through Jesus Christ. Following others blindly will only lead to the judgment of sin and death, which is exactly what happened to Adam .

He is God!!

Was the earth created in six literal days, and if it was does God really need our help to explain this simple truth to mankind when it's specifically stated in His Word? I think not! (Genesis 2:1-2) "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." It's amazing to me, how many Christians think that somehow God hid between certain scripture verses some type of secret that only the intelligent mind can understand. As if we without their help cannot fully understand God's simple words, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Or even the words, "and the evening and the morning were the first day, or 2nd,3rd,4th,5th, and 6th." God created the earth just as He stated in His Word, in six literal 24 hour days. Why, because He is God, and with God all things are possible. It ought not to be a shock to anyone that with just His spoken word, God created the earth!

Strength For Our Journey

(Numb. 13:28) "Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great:" These were the last words that God wanted to hear after leading the nation Israel out of Egypt and to the edge of the Promised Land. The problem with Israel was that they looked on the impossibility of God's will, instead of on the capability of God to keep His Word. Unbelief is a terrible sin. It removes all the possibilities that faith can achieve, and replaces them with the certainty of fear and failure. Trials and tests are God's ways of strengthening us for our journey in life. Life is one battle after another, and unless we learn that our true strength is not found in our own abilities but rather in God, we will never see the many blessings and victories that God can give to us. This first generation of Israel wanted God, His blessings, and His help, but they missed it because they couldn't quite believe God for the impossible. It's not enough to just read about God's promises, by faith we must learn to trust them. The difference between the Israel of failure, and the Israel of victory 40 years later, was in their faith. The later Israel was strengthened by experience, and by learning that their strength came from God, and not themselves. Faith can only be matured as we obey and trust in trials

Why A Generation Forgets God

As we come to another memorial day it is important once again to remember those that have fought and died to ensure our freedom here in America, lest we forget and lose our respect as did Israel of old. In Judges (1:10) God said, "… and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." This statement was made after Joshua and the elders died that that fought to win the promised land. You might ask, why did the next generation fall away? 1) The Godly men died. If Godly men fail to pass on their godliness and their heritage, then it will die with them. 2) Freedom comes with a price. Things that are not earned are not always appreciated by those that inherit them. The elders fought the wars, and were witnesses of God's power and faithfulness, but their children failed to honor God and remember the victories of the past. That's why God is big on memorials, and days of honor and remembrance. God forgive us when our battlefields become just playgrounds and shopping malls, and the graves of our brave are allowed to be grown over & forgotten. 3) Israel forgot that God was her strength. Let us never forget our true strength. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Motherhood

One of the greatest stories in all the Bible concerning motherhood is the story of Hannah (1 Sam. Chp.1). Hannah was one of the two wives of an Ephrathite man called Elkanah. Now, as the story goes Hannah was barren and the other wife blessed with children, and so Hannah prayed to the Lord for a man child, promising God that she would give him back to him once he was weaned. Well, God heard her prayer and answered it by the birth of Samuel the prophet, and as she promised she gave him back to the Lord at the young age of 3 or 4yrs. Hannah was a perfect example of a godly mother, in that: 1) She saw her child as a gift from God. The Bible says,"Children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb his reward." 2) She was obedient herself. She was a demonstration of faithfulness. The only Bible that a young child can know before they can read, is mom. 3) She devoted the raising of Samuel to the Lord. One of the purposes of God giving us the ability to procreate, is to train up a "heritage for Him." Having children is good thing, but training them to serve the Lord isa great privelage.

Fisher of men

(Mark 1:7) "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." There is a prerequisite in the above verse to becoming a fisher of men, and that is to "Come after" Jesus first. Only Jesus can give you the power and ability to catch men. For he said, "without me you can do nothing." Therefore we must surrender to being his servant first. How? 1) Forsake the past. In context here Jesus commands these apostles to leave their nets, to leave their past. Jesus doesn't mean here that all men are to forsake their jobs, but what he means is for each of us to leave the old way of life so that we can be effective and not hypocritical as we fish for souls. 2) Follow Him. This means to follow his lead, to learn of him, and then do likewise. The problem with most of us is not that we don't know what to do, we're just afraid to do it. You see, we can't truly follow until we surrender to his lead. Then, 3) Fish for men. Jesus said, if you first "come after," then he will make you a fisher of men. The reason that most of us do not win souls is because we haven't fully surrendered to the call of being a servant first. After that, fishing for men will be a normal part of our daily life.