Need God's Grace to grow in Faith...

Couple of days ago, I blogged about a plea to God to strengthen me on my journey of Faith.  I concluded the blog with the reason why I had written that post. For God reminded me of His promise when I had made the decision of trusting in His grace for a healing.

Recently, I visited a cousin of mine from my father's side, a priest, who from a young age felt the calling of God upon his life and accepted it.  I think he could have been anything he wanted to be - he could have excelled in any profession - he has the intelligence, the look, the charisma, to put it succinctly, a total package for success.  But, he chose to be a priest.

In the last few years, he has been beset by all kinds of physical ailments, complications resulting from diabetes.  He had a major heart attack, requiring bypass surgery.  While dealing with it, his kidneys failed, requiring him to have dialysis regularly.  But, I have never heard him complain. Every time I have seen him, I have not seen him worried. He speaks of God's grace in his life and how God continues to lead him in all difficulties. He is still an active servant of God despite his ailments.  As a little boy, I looked up to this older cousin of mine and admired him.

Getting back, I had not been feeling well myself for the past few weeks, my blood glucose levels have been high. Fear had crept in as I started feeling and seeing some of the side effects of diabetes. After praying to God about my fears and worries, I read the book of Daniel, chapter 3.  The chapter talks about the trials and courageous actions of three young men - Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego - in the face of death.   As I had time on my hand I started reading the Book of Hosea.  I couldn't help but notice the unquestioning obedience of Hosea to God, no matter what the personal cost.  God used Hosea and his family as a canvas or medium to send his messages to his disobedient people of Israel.

God told Hosea to marry a prostitute to send a message to Israel that they were like that prostitute, untrue to their God. The Bible says, When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, "Go and marry a prostitute, so some of her children will be born to you from other men.  This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshipping other gods." (Hosea 1:2)  Hosea, unquestioningly married a prostitute - Gomer. [ I asked myself, would I have accepted God's conditions and sacrificed my pride, malign my family name and take on public ridicule to obey God?].

Then God asked Hosea to name his first born - a son, "Jezreel," a name that would signify the great slaughter that God was going bring on the house of Jehu because of the violent acts Jehu had committed (2 Kings 9).  Hosea unquestioningly obeyed again.  Following this, a daughter was born to Gomer and Hosea.  God asked Hosea to name that child, "Loruhamah," meaning "Not loved," for God wanted to send the message to the people of Israel that He will no longer show them His love nor forgive them for their sinful ways.  Again, Hosea unquestioningly obeyed.  After Loruhamah was weaned, Gomer gave birth to a third child - another son. God asked Hosea to name that child "Lo-ammi," meaning "Not my people" for God wanted to send the message to Israel that they were not his people.  Time and again, Hosea unquestioningly obeyed God's each and every instruction no matter what the personal cost.

I am a father of two, a daughter and a son. They are precious and I love them dearly. Would I in Hosea's position name my children names that will hold them up for public ridicule, shame and pain, naming them names that have no tenderness, care, nor reflects a father's love, pride and joy!  My children would probably grow up hating me for the rest of their lives. I had to ask myself, if I would be obedient to God if there was a personal cost!

Finally, in Hosea's life, his wife, who had been unfaithful to him, left him for other men.  God asked him to forgive her, bring her back to his house and love her, as a symbol of what God was going to do for Israel.  We read in Hosea 2:1-2 (NLT), " Then the LORD said to me, "Go and get your wife again.  Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery.  For the LORD still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods, offering them choice gifts."  Hosea unquestioningly obeyed. He even had to pay the man who had her for her freedom.

Would I forgive the one who betrays my love and trust? Would I love my God regardless of whether my prayers are answered or not?

The Holy Spirit started ministering to me from the books of Hosea and Daniel.  As I continued praying, the question that was posed in my mind was, "What have you sacrificed for me? I have given you all that I am."  David says in Psalms 23:4 (NLT), "Even when I walk through the darkest valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me." I realized that this verse will become meaningful to us only when we have lived out the darkest moments of our lives and see God's sustaining hand. My cousin, the priest, he continues to be an inspiration! It's amazing how God's Holy Spirit orchestrates events in our lives to answer our questions and calm our fears.

Isaiah writes, O Israel [children of God], how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? How can you say God refuses to hear your case? Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary.  No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength.  They will fly high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will  walk and not faint... (Isaiah 40:27-31)

May the good LORD give us his grace to grow in Faith!


PS:  (click here for the blog on Daniel chapter 3 - If you believe you will see God's glory!).

Everlasting God - Chris Tomlin

making of the Everlasting God...

Powerful Prayers from the Bible...

There are three prayers in the Bible that have influenced me a lot that I want to post here: prayers of Kings Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat for protection, and Daniel's intercessory prayer for his people - the Israelites.


But first, Jesus taught...
Matthew 6:9-18 (King James Version) 

After this manner therefore pray ye:

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

King Hezekiah's prayer upon receiving King Senacherib's threatening letter...
Isaiah 37:14-20 (New Living Translation)

After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord.  And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord:

“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.

“It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God."

King Jehoshaphat's prayer upon hearing that the kings of Moab, Ammon and Edom had formed an alliance and were marching to attack his kingdom - Judah...

2Chronicles 20:3-15

Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord.  He prayed,

“And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them.  Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance.  O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

Daniel's prayer for his nation...
Daniel 9 (New Living Translation)

"... I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.  So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. [and came with an attitude of humility] I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.  But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations.  We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land."

“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you.  O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.  But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.  We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice."

“So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin.  You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth.  Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him."

 “O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness.  In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors."

 “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary."

 “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy."

 “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”

I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain."

Paul advises in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18,

Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

God answered all three prayers! Click on the referenced chapters, and read the scriptures for the details. There are many other powerful prayers in the Bible that I intended on posting here.  While searching the web, I came up on an article published by the Bunyan Ministries on great prayers from the Bible, so thought I would give you a link to it Click here for the insightful study outline from Barry E. Horner. Read the Bible, it's God's word for his people. Be blessed from it and prosper.

Brooke Fraser - Arithematic

 

Need God's Grace to be strong...

I need your grace Jesus on this Journey of Faith!

I was 36 years old when I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. Though one may say, thank God it wasn't some other more serious illness, the news was devastating to me. As you know there is no cure for it, you may try and control it with medicine, diet, and exercise. It is also one of those silent killers that destroys other organs in your body and causes various complications.  My doctor put me on medicines, but that didn't seem to do much for me as it was causing other side effects: dizziness, slurring of speech, confused thoughts, muscle cramps, etc.

One Sunday, November 16, 2008, during worship service, I started pleading with God (in my mind) to give me deliverance.  My God had healed me overnight from central retinal vein occlussion in the left eye, He had healed me overnight from a very painful left hip through prayers.  That Sunday morning I thought back to God's healings in my life and decided to completely put my trust in the one who formed me in my mother's womb. I decided to quit taking medicines and just trust in God's grace for a healing.  When we came back home from the worship service, I shared with my wife the decision I had made.  Well, she flipped out, called me selfish, uncaring as a husband and a father, one who puts my own wishes ahead of the family's. She asked me if I knew the ramifications of my decision and she started sharing (or yelling) the complications that could result from this decision of mine. You see, she is a registered nurse who on her job sees the complications resulting from diabetes. I know it was out of her great love and concern for me.

That evening I was totally down, stressed out, scared of what I had done - my decision to forego medicines. I prayed to God to speak to me, tell me he was going to take care of me, I don't know, do something... His answer to me came the following morning as I was reading the Bible.  Hebrews 6:18 mid sentence on, it caught my eye, "...Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.  This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.  It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary.  Jesus has already gone in there for us.  He has become our eternal High Priest in the line of Melchizedek."  The Holy Spirit ministered from these verses to me in the following manner, "In the Old Testament time, the temple high priest offered blood sacrifices on behalf of the people, for their sins, for favors, etc.; in the New Testament time, Jesus is your High Priest, seated besides the Father, and he - our High Priest - offers our Faith - the replacement sacrifice for the Old Testament blood sacrifices - as the sacrifice pleasing to Father God.  For our faith is more precious to God than fine gold. If you believe, have confidence, have faith, you will see God's glory!"

It is also important to note the verses prior to what I quoted above from the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 6:15-18, "Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.  When people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it.  And without any question that oath is binding.  God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.  So God has given us both his promise and his oath.  These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.  Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence."

Why am I writing all this today?  I've been off the medicines for the last two years. For the most part, I watch my diet.  My blood sugar level goes high and low. I can feel it in my body when it's off, but I have not since my decision felt dizzy, slurred my speech, or had any other physical issues that I had experienced during my time on medicine.  Recently, over the last three weeks I have been suffering from a cold, allergies, sinus (whatever one wants to call it) and I've been feeling weak in my body.  My wife took my blood glucose readings and it has been elevated, even the fasting glucose levels.  Fear had crept in, felt down in the dumps, and God reminded me of his promise! I need your grace LORD to continue strong!!  You are the author and finisher of my faith!!!

(PS: the blog I wrote two days ago from the book of Daniel, chapter 3, I realize now is for me to continue in this Faith Journey...)

Jeremy Camp - Walk by Faith

If you believe, you will see God's glory!

The title to this blog was Jesus' words to Martha, Lazarus' sister, just before he called out to a dead Lazarus, who had been in the grave for  four days, to come out of his tomb (John 11:40).  Faith is hard to keep up though I have seen God's glory in my life, time and again! Today as I sit by myself in our home, my wife is at work, children are at school, I want to post my thoughts (prompted by the Holy Spirit) from the Book of Daniel, chapter 3...

A real challenge arises in the lives of God fearing people...

 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ² Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. ³ So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

 ⁴ Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! ⁵ When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. ⁶ Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

 ⁷ So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The enemy lays his trap to destroy the children of God...

 8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! ¹⁰ You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. ¹¹ That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹² But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up."

A certain threat to their lives...

 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? ¹⁵ I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

Words of Faith in the face of danger...

 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your majesty.

Actions of Courage...

 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” ¹⁹ Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. ²⁰Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹ So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments.


the Trial...


 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. ²³ So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.

Faith unlocks God's deliverance to the amazement of their enemies...

 24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”

   “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.

 ²⁵ “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

 ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

   So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire.

You are secure in God's hands as you walk in faith through your trials...

 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

Promotion comes from the Lord out of the trap laid for you by your enemy...

 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

 ³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

The life of a christian is full of challenges, but amidst those challenges when you put your trust in Jesus, your hope will not be in vain.  For Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith! (Hebrews 12:2)


PS: Lazarus came out of his tomb...

Kutless - What Faith can do

Can we lose Salvation?

I don't know the answer to it, but I believe that if you misuse, disrespect, and act presumptuously with the anointing God has poured out on you in his mercy and kindness, you stand to loose it and pay a steep price for it. My caution would be that we need to continuously pray for God's Saving Grace to keep us on course in a manner that would be pleasing to Him.  This is what the Bible says...

Apostle Paul writes in Romans 11:17-23 (NLT),

But some of these branches from Abraham's tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off.  And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in.  So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God's rich nourishment of his special olive tree.  But you must be careful not to brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off.  Remember, you are just a branch, not the root.  "Well," you may say, "those branches were broken off to make room for me." yes, but remember-those branches, the Jews, were broken off because they didn't believe God, and you are there because you do believe.  Don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.  For if God did not spare the branches he put therein the first place, he won't spare you either.  Notice how God is both kind and severe.  He is severe to those who disobeyed, but kind to you as you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the Jews turn from their unbelief, God will graft them back into the tree again.  He has the power to do it.

Ezekiel 18:24, says,

"However, if righteous people turn to sinful ways and start acting like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their previous goodness will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins."

Such a seemingly harsh stance of God was softened on Calvary's cross, where Jesus Christ the only begotten son of God, took upon himself the wrath of God towards man's sins. Isaiah prophesied of this Saving Grace, when he said in Isaiah 53,

"...Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighted him down.  And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded  and crushed for our 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...

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 it was the LORD'S good plan to crush him and fill him with grief.  Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs...

And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins...

He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners."

In Mathew 27:45, we read that Jesus bore it all for us on his own, as he cried out before giving up his ghost, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Father God laid it all, the burden of the entire mankind's sin and the punishment for it on his son.

Even so, we should take to heart the lessons from the Bible regarding folks who were anointed by God, but lost that anointing because of their sinful ways; people who started off well,  but the end was less than glorious or was full of turmoil and pain.  There was Saul, anointed king over Israel, but because of his selfish pride ended his life in failure, taking his life by his own sword; there was Solomon, whom God called Jedidiah - God's beloved.  He was the wisest among all men, the richest king in the whole wide world, whose reign was one of the most peaceful in Israel's history, but his sinful ways resulted in God taking away 9/10ths of his kingdom and giving it to one of his servants during his son's reign (God kept his word to keep the kingdom together during Solomon's reign!).  There was the anointed Sampson, the mighty warrior, whose sinful ways led to his capture and humiliation at the hands of his enemies.  There also was David, Solomon's father, whom God called a man after God's own heart, whose sins though God forgave, as a truly repentant David would fall at God's feet for mercy, was punished by continual strife in his family all through his lifetime.  God loved him, yet he punished him for his sins!

Paul warns us about deliberate/presumptuous sins in Galatians 6:7-8, "Don't be misled.  Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it.  You will always reap  what you sow!  Those who 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." He further writes in Hebrews 6:4-6, "For it is impossible* to restore those who were once enlightened -- those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come --and who then turn away from God.  It is impossible to bring such people to repentance again because they are nailing the Son of God to the cross again by rejecting him, holding him up to public shame.

Let us not deceive ourselves, but pray as in David's Psalms 19:12-13, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.  Keep me from deliberate sins! [presumptuous sins - knowingly committed expecting God's forgiveness] don't let them control me.  Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin."

God understands our shortcomings and in Mathew 6:9-13, the Lord Jesus teaches us how to pray to the Father in Heaven - the Lord's Prayer. I want to emphasize vs. 13, where the Lord teaches us, "And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Ask God for his grace, for he is the LORD of all, to strengthen us in our weakest moments, help us not to fall. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes, "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it."

In conclusion, let our prayers be as David's in Psalms 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  May God bless you and keep you strong until the very end!

* I want to post here a message from J. Vernon McGee on Hebrews 6:4-6

Here with Me by Mercy Me

a great song by Mercy Me...