Tag Archives: Christ

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Alone You Came Into This World, and Alone You Shall Leave

My dad, Pastor James Catron used to always say, “You came into this world with nothing, and you would leave without anything.” Job put it like this, read in your Bible Job 1:19-21:

19 “And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Some people don’t believe that even on the day of judgement we all have to stand before the Lord, all by ourselves, and we have to give an account of everything said and done in this body. 

In the book of Matthew 12:31-37:

31 “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Also, in the book of 2 Corinthians 5:8-12

8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. 12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.”

We need to know that no one can speak for you on that Great Day, neither your mom, dad, bestfriend, nor your pastor; for everyone has to appear before Him singly. And since we know that we are the people of God, and that we came with nothing and will leave with nothing, and that we have to give an account for what we’ve said and done, why be tossed about with indecisiveness and confusion of our walk in Yeshua Jesus?

In my conclusion, turn to 1 Timothy 6:7-12

7 “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

In Jesus name, it is so.

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Isn’t the Price Too High for Living a Lie?

Has anyone ever seen a poker game or watched a poker player play their hand? Well in poker, one of the objects of the game is to not let your opponents know if you have a good hand or not. They call it having a ‘poker face’ and that will cause your opponent to play their hand hoping that they will win the pot. So you try to keep a straight face while playing your hand. The better hand you have, the more of a poker face you need to have so you don’t give your opponent the upper hand. Well, in life a lot of us use some kind of poker face, to hide the sin that we’re in to, or to hide the pain that is going on inside of us. Some people use a type of poker face even when trying to hide the truth from one another; even when looking into the mirror at oneself. When an individual wants to be free from any form of bondage, you can’t and I mean can’t, continue living a lie or keep lying to yourself. Because in one way or another your opponent will call your hand. 

In the word of God it reads in Romans 8:6-11:

6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

And even with so-called christians, there are so many people these days claiming to be christians, but you would never know it by their lifestyle these days because it’s getting so hard to tell the difference between who’s a christians and who’s of this world due to their lifestyle. 

It reads in 2 Corinthians 5:16-19:

16 “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.“

In my conclusion, I’ll share this 1 Corinthians 6:15-20: 

15 “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Also in the book of Matthew 6:24:

24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

So it is written, it is so!

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Don’t Conform, but be Transformed

Oftentimes we say we want to change our ways, but little know how to start the process of how to move in the traps of your own mind. One must understand first, that the process begins in your heart. 

In the word of God let’s read in the book of Proverbs 23:4-8: 

4 “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. 6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.”

You have to know and understand that there is a process that must begin in your mind first before any change can take place in your life. Some of us have heard these words before, but if your life is still the same as it was the last time you wanted to change and it didn’t then, you must have skipped or missed a step in the process. Know this, that true transformation will have occurred when the desire of those past things no longer have an effect on your soul or life. And the true effect of your transformation will cause conformation or an effect on others, and people will automatically notice a change in your outer appearance without you even having to do or say anything. You don’t have to fake it. 

Turn with me to Romans 12:1-3:

12 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

For those who forgot the process, listed below are the steps in the process for change:

  1. Know that you want or need change (Proverbs 14:12)
  2. Forgiveness of one’s self (Luke 17:3, Hebrews 8:12)
  3. Strong desire to change (Psalm 27:4-7) 
  4. Change in the mind and soul (Lamentations 3:21-26) 
  5. To initiate the renewing of the mind (Philippiansns 4:6-7)
  6. Faith to see it through to completion (2 Corinthians 4:16)

We cannot forget this process for the renewal transformation of our heart, mind, and soul. Too often, we start out on some process only to wind up either stopping, being inconsistent, getting distracted, and last of all, just giving up for whatever reason. 

In my conclusion, how long shall you fight against God? 

Read Acts 9:3-6:

3 “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”

Thank you and it is so.

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Why Hesitate with God’s Will, But Perpetuate Your Sin?

While walking in the ways of holiness, oftentimes, Saints sometimes find themselves in certain circumstances where they know what God’s will is for their lives, but they will hesitate before they begin to carry the task out. Why is that? Could it be due to the lack of understanding, or maybe the lack of confidence in one’s own ability to perform the task at hand? When faced with the situation, why not become more focused, loving, humble, and purpose driven.

In the Bible, let’s read Acts 7:51-60:

51 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Let’s read slowly and methodically Luke 23:27-46:

27 “And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? 32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This Is The King Of The Jews. 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. 46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”

We need to understand like Stephen; and that is, when people are in sin they cannot see the true deed of their actions, nor can they understand the repercussions of them. The devil and his demons will block the reasoning behind the act of the sinful deed until after it has been carried to its full execution. Then your eyes will see the full extent of the damage of what you have done or caused. Then only will you see the big picture of what you have done. Just as in the book of Genesis 3:6-9, when Adam and Eve’s eyes were open after they did their deed. Also, in this world today the same events are taking place; people are pretending that God doesn’t exist and that the Bible is just a book like any other. And people are pretending to be something they are not, but at the end when Christ returns, a lot of eyes will be opened. There are many people who are willingly blind today for the sake of living out the desires of their heart and a lifestyle for today’s lie. 

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 4:1-6:

1 “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

In my conclusion, I will leave you with this 2 Corinthians 13:5-8:

5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”

As it has been written, so let it be done in Yeshua/Jesus name it is so.

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What Are the Attributes of Life to Please God?

First, let’s look at the word ‘attributes’, what does that mean? 

Attributes: “A quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something.” 

Now let’s take a look at the attributes of pleasing God. In order to operate in the deed or participate in the act of an action of that understanding, one needs to comprehend the full meaning and understanding of that statement presented. So the statement “Please God/Yeshua/Jesus”, let’s also look at the first word ‘please’. The word please means to take ones own wishes into consideration in deciding how to act or proceed, where the word ‘one’ can be replaced with the word God, Yeshua, or Jesus. So, the word please in this sentence would refer to the object of the statement, which would be God. So the meaning of the word please would read as follows: “To take God’s own wishes into consideration in deciding how to act or proceed in life.” For example, let’s look at Enoch. 

Turn in your Bible to Hebrews 11:1-6:

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

So, from these verses, what are the attributes that we can gain? The attributes would be:

1. Faith

2. Belief on God

3. Hope

Now these are some of the attributes that we found first, now let’s turn in your Bible to Ephesians 2:7-10:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Out of these versus we get these attributes:

4. Grace

5. Kindness

6. Walk

Now let’s turn to Mark 9:22-29

22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

From these versus we can deduce these attributes:

      7. Compassion

      8. Prayer

      9. Fasting 

As we move on, let’s look at Matthew 15:22-28:

 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

So, from these versus the one key attribute worth a cause to action in Yeshua Jesus is: 

      10. Worship

So, now we have 10 of the most important attributes of how to please God/Yeshua/Jesus. 

In my conclusion, listen to the true voice of God, follow the attributes and you can please God. Thank you and bless the name of our God.

Extra reading: Matthew 17:16-21, Matthew 8:5-13