WHY WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE:

We as Christians believe the bible is the Word of God. I want to give a few explanations why we believe. Of course we have the historical facts to support the bible. But I want to explain the undeniable truth of our unchangeable God, interacting with humans throughout history up unto this very day. The same God that changed lives in the old testament and the new testament, is still changing lives today. As we read how God interacted with His people throughout the bible, we see Him doing the same today. What doesn't change between those times and today is our testimony of who God is. As we read what people praised God for then, we still praise Him for today. As we read what people did in service to God and others then, we do the same today. We today have the same testimony about our God as our fellow believers did back then. As times change, God does not and niether does our testimony of who He is from generation  to generation. We also have eyewitness acounts. How can so many people from different times of history and all walks of life, having never met one another have the same testimony about God? Because we worship the one true God. Their is no inconsistency in Him. I want to leave you with what John had to say about Jesus:

1 John 1:1-4 NLT : "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,  whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. [2] This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. [4] We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. "

May God continue to change lives with His unchanging truth.

ONE GOD, NOT THREE GODS

Some think that Christians believe in three gods. I just want to share what we really believe. Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 28:19 to baptize in the Name, not names. Meaning one name, not three. Some are having a hard time understanding One God in Three Persons. The best way I have heard it explained is in the three forms of water. Whether it is solid, liquid, or gas, it is still water. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One God in Three Persons. If I were a king and I were to have a son, he would be a prince. He would also be a king. It will be very hard to understand what is from the Spirit of God with the natural mind. Praise God, we have His Spirit and we can understand these things. Even what we can't understand, we are able to believe by faith.

HEARING FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT

How are you hearing from the Spirit of God? Does He speak to you in a significant way? When God wants to get through to me personally, I get a warmness in my chest and my eyes water like I am ready to cry. I will get a thought or a strong feeling to do something. For example, before I left Texas for Massachusetts, I asked the Lord what Job I should apply for since I couldn't transfer from my current job because there was no company in the state of Massachusetts. I got that warmness of heart and watery eyes. I kept getting a thought to apply at Coca Cola. Because I was familiar with how God speaks to me, I told my wife I will be working for Coca Cola.  I had applied for the job six months before I left Texas as a trial. They called me back the same day for a full time job. I informed them that I was only inquiring if they were hiring but I wouldn't be moving to Massachusetts yet. So when I moved to Massachusetts six months later, I applied for the job. They again called me the same day. I have been there ever since. We all have a certain way God speaks to us. Listen to His voice even if what you  believe doesn't make sense to anyone else. 

IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?

There are things we all are struggling with. Some may seem easier than others to get a handle on. What about those things we can't shake no matter what we try? I was addicted to tobacco for twenty years. From age 14-34, I was a smoker. Ten years into my habit, I continued finding ways to quit. Nothing worked. It wasn't until I surrendered to Christ and trusted in His power to do what I was powerless to do. As I focused on Christ and believed He was able to deliver me, I stopped trying to deliver myself. I made the decision not to pick up a cigarette and to focus on what God wants for me. Today I still can't completely understand how it happened. I do know that as I focused on Christ and the healings and deliverance He did in the bible, I started believing He wanted to do the same for me. As I focused on that, my desire to smoke was gone. Today, it has been just under seven years of me being smoke free. Praise God. I want to encourage anyone struggling with anything to place your trust in the power of Christ to heal you. Believe in His power and focus on and pursue that. Jesus will deliver you.

TO BE "CONTENT"

What does it mean to be content? The definition of content is: the state of satisfaction. Are you satisfied with what you have? Are you able to enjoy what you have now? Being content with what we already have causes us to appreciate and be grateful for where we are now. It will be hard for us to be grateful for what God has already provided if we are focused on what we don't have or what we haven't received yet. I want to encourage you to spend some time thanking God for what you have right now. When we are constantly aware of what God has already provided, we are able to enjoy where we are.

LOVING OUR ENEMIES

How do we love those we don't particularly care to be around? We may all have someone we wish to avoid either in the workplace or some other setting. Enemy may be a strong word, but there are people that do attempt to oppose us who belong to Christ. How do we love such a person? Jesus, in  Luke 6: 27-36 lays out some commands for us to follow. While these may be easy to read, they are much harder to do. We are to love those who hate us by doing and not saying, by actions and not words. This is one area in life that our true love for God and others will be tested. To do good to someone who hates us or tries to harm us,or takes from us is unthinkable  by the world's standards. But those of us that belong to Christ are capable of loving those who hate us because God's Spirit is in us to transform our hearts to be able to do so. The key for me  comes in verse 36 where Jesus commands that we be merciful as our Father is merciful. Let us always seek to glorify God by loving everyone and be willing not just to help those we know and like but also those who don't like us.

What Will You Choose To Listen To

There are many things we hear through the course of our day. While we may not be able to control what we may hear, we do control what we choose to listen to. What will it be for you today? Will you listen to doubt, worry, bitterness, or any of the other negatives out there? Or will you choose to listen to what lifts you up? What gives you hope? What gives you joy? Paul says in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is praiseworthy-- think about such things." In other words my friends, think about the things of Christ and what He says about you. Jesus will not make you feel defeated. He will give you true joy and peace.

We Are A Work In Progress

We all become upset with ourselves when we fall short of what God expects of us. It is because we expect better of ourselves now that we belong to Christ. At times we feel we have to make things right with God when we fall short. Let us not be hard on ourselves. The good news is that God loves us no more when we do right and no less when we do wrong. He will love us no more than He does right now. So we don't have to try to make things right with our heavenly Father because Jesus has already done that. Let us remember during those times that we are on the Potter's wheel and we are not a finished product of God yet. As we look back, we are farther away from who we used to be and we are closer to becoming who Christ is shaping us to be.

Is there is a hole in your life that seems to remain after trying everything to fill it? I want to share some amazing news. God created us to worship Him. He wants a relationship with us. Prayer is simply talking to God. Did you know that God has made a promise to everyone that if they will call on Him that He will answer? Try putting g God first place above anything else in life and He will reveal Himself to you. It is a guaranteed life changing experience. You will not lose anything by doing so. You will gain a fulfilling life with a peace this world cannot give.