Faith, hope & love.. but the greatest of these is love

"There are not thousands of religions in the world, but only two", states Dr. Robert Jeffress in his book titled 'Hell? Yes!' He continues on to say: "All of the other religions of the world are spelled 'd-o'. Regardless of its label, every other religion tells us what we must 'do' to earn God's favor. But Christianity is spelled 'd-o-n-e.' The foundation of the gospel is not what we do for God, but what God has already done for us in sending His Son to atone for our sins."

Yes, our salvation is a gift from God because of God's unconditional love for us. Only Christianity makes that claim!

I'm listing only a few of the 400+ Bible verses on 'love':

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."

Luke 6:27-28 Jesus said: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

John 8:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Romans 12:9 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."

Romans 13:10 "Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

1 John 4:7 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."

Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

Ephesians 5:33 "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Colossians 3:14 "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your rewards will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."

For more on "love", read the "New Testament" of your "Bible" :-)

God Bless,
Lucine

A beacon in darkest times...

Time is short... What are we doing for God's Kingdom? Are we being a beacon or idling in our comfy zone?

Acts 20:35 "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

John 9:4-5 Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world," Jesus told His followers in the Sermon on the Mount. "A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

We should get out of our complacency and reach out to people just like Jesus did! Let's not be content with where we are in our comfy-zone and our own cirlce of friends! Let's reach out to the helpless, hungry, deceived, poor, sick, hopeless, confused, lonely, tired and torn. Let's be Jesus' hands and feet and share the good news wherever we go... and let's do it all in love and compassion one person at a time.

We have it a lot easier than Jesus' disciples. They had to walk from town to town to share the free gift of salvation. We on the other hand, are the privileged generation. We can reach people within seconds. This has been made possible by TV, radio, missionaries, Bible offerings and translations and other high-tech communication systems. So what is our excuse? Is it because we are too busy or we don't know what to say or is it because we are ashamed to claim Jesus? We can come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid doing what Jesus instructed us to do, however, our excuses are worldly excuses based on our emotions and fears of what people might think or say. We need to start looking beyond feelings and emotions! We need to focus on facts! This is about our salvation! Based on the choices we make here on earth, we'll set the future! We will be either in heaven with Jesus or in eternal darkness separated from Jesus (the Light of the world). The choice is ours!

Jesus said that the end won't come until the gospel is preached to every corner of the world. It's a big possibility that this could happen in our lifetime considering the high-speed communication tools we have. Also, the Bible prophesies are being unfolded one by one. Although we may not know the exact day and time of our Lord's return, we need to prepare ourselves and others. God wants ALL His children to be saved!

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Romans 3:10–11 "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned."As followers of Jesus, we get the urge to tell people about Him because there is no higher motive to do so than the love of God. Let us daily saturate ourselves with Biblical wisdom so we know how to share our faith with others openly and wisely. There is a way which seems right to man, but it leads to death and darkness. People ignore the fact that the love of God, His ways and His standards are pure and higher than ours!

1 Peter 3:15 "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

2 Corinthians 5:14 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."

Proverbs 14:12-13 "There's a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again, it leads straight to death. Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in grief."

Let's share the truth with people and let's educate them. Being good and doing good deeds, volunteering, being ethical, and morality are all good, but not knowing Jesus or not accepting Him as our Lord and Savior is not going to get us to Heaven! The Bible makes it very clear that no amount of good works will save us! If we could get to heaven based on our good works alone, then Jesus' crucifixion was in vain! It is God's unconditional love for ALL His children that lead Jesus to that cross! Christians celebrate Easter every year, but how many people actually know or remind their children the 'true' meaning behind Easter? More emphasis is placed on coloring eggs, candies and bunnies rather than the cross, and when I say "cross", don't focus on Jesus' death, but on HIS Resurrection - because that's the Hope of eternal life with Jesus!

John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of Jesus."

The cross should be our everyday reminder that we were not created to live for ourselves, but to live for Him!

Jesus said: "The one who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out. Come now, and let us reason together... Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool."

Romans 10:13 "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven: "Write this," it said. "Blessed are the dead who die as believers in the Lord from now on." Yes, says the Holy Spirit. "They will rest from their labor. What they have done will not be forgotten."

God is not asking too much from us. He knows that we're all sinners and He knows our limits and capabilities. Unless we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there's no way we can make it to heaven. The only things that God requires of us is to confess our sins, to ask for forgiveness, to believe that Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and the Life and that there's NO other way to God except through Jesus. That's it!

We need to reach out and share the good news with everyone we come in contact with and make a difference for God's Kingdom. We can affect our everlasting destiny by learning the Bible and teaching it to others. God wants 'ALL' His children to be saved. So it's up to us, we can continue to live for ourselves or we can become a beacon to a dark world!

God Bless,
Lucine

Nothing happens unless God authorizes it!

I am amazed at how during this presidential campaign, our mainstream media and the entertainment industry folks are getting uglier and uglier with the way they're reporting the news about the candidates. They are out to destroy anyone and everyone without any concern about the consequences of their actions. They somehow seem to forget that their job is to report the news honestly by being fair to both parties. However, their ratings seem to take priority over country and the American people.

For instance, a responsible journalist, as part of his/her job, should report the ‘truth’ from both sides and let the public make up their mind. Unfortunately, that's not how it works these days. The journalists are very bias. A good example of this is what I heard on CNN the other night. It's a good thing that I had watched the entire debate that took place in Alaska between the Alaskan governotorial candidates. The CNN reporter chose to show only a 'selected segment' of what Sarah Palin said during this debate and told the viewers that 'what she said at the debate was contradictory to what she said on VP nomination night.'

That was not good journalism! That's called manipulation of the truth! The CNN reporter should have showed the whole debate to the public so they could hear what actually was said and why. The reporter deceived the public by manipulating the content of the debate and imposing his own personal opinion on the viewers. I'm not trying to get into politics here. This is not about promoting McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden, I'm talking about "where is the fairness?"

This is about the journalists, entertainment industry, politicians, CEO's, lawyers, etc., who are lying and manipulating the system to promote their own agenda and raise their ratings by hurting their country and deceiving the American public.

The entertainment industry and the media don't know the meaning of "integrity" anymore! They anapologetically take sides and they don't care if they destroy that person and that person's family. Fairness, truth, and respect are no longer popular values in our society.

When I try to analyze why all this is happening, I seem to always come to the same conclusion. I truly believe that the reason people become mean, carless, and selfish is all because they have distanced themselves from God. If they still respected and loved God, they will do their best to please God! Yes, this is a free country and we have freedom of speech, but that freedom is a privilege and it comes with a big responsiblity! The Bible says: 'Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone...'

The Bible is full of wisdom and guidelines to help us live a life of integrity, but somehow we prefer to look at worldly sources for guidance. I truly believe the reason we are in this big mess is because we have forgotten our Maker and we rely too much on our own strength. Somehow we have let our big ego and arrogance get in the way preventing us to have an intimate relationship with the Lord. Nowadays, being a Christian and claiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior is no longer considered 'cool'. Folks are influenced by the rising popularity of the new age movement, eastern religions, meditation, and belief in past lives and reincarnation, thus forgetting their Maker. Also the departing of certain Christian denominations from the original teachings of the Bible has not helped the situation either.

Not admitting the existence of an omnipotent God makes it easier to live life without guilt and to be part of the crowd. However, the truth will be revealed sooner or later and whether we like it or not! Soon, every nation and every knee will bow down before the King of kings and Lord of lords and everyone will see "Truth" and realize they've been decieved by the world.

We think we are somehow smarter and wiser than God and we look at the contents of the Bible as foolishness or something of the past. It is easier to nullify God in order to keep on doing what we are doing. Some of our entertainment industry folks make a comfortable living out of mocking Jesus, the Bible and its followers. They think Bible believing folks are 'dilusional, fanatical or freaks'. I heard one comedian on Larry King say he believes "Billy Graham and mother Theresa had mental issues." Mental issues? Give me a break! It is obvious, we (CHRISTians) are easy targets. After all, we turn the other cheek and we don't blow up people. They don't dare ridicule other religions because they're afraid of them! However, no matter what goes on around us, how people treat us or may percieve us, let us not lose heart. Let us remain strong in our faith and let us put all our trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Let the Words of Jesus give you comfort and strength when you feel misunderstood:

Matthew 10:16 "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

Jude 1:8 "In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and slander celestial beings."

Jude 1:16 "These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage."

Matthew 10: 26-31 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

1 Peter 2:13-21 "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover–up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, and honor the king. Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps."

Romans 13 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

Nothing in this world is a "coincidence", God authorizes everything! And yes, even the next president of the United States is authorized by God. God will do what He has to do to work His plan! If we follow God's ways and be truthful to ourselves and to others, we will win no matter what. Therefore, during this critical election period, let's vote for what's right and what's just. Let us focus on the important issues, such as what's best for the country and the American people instead of focusing on making our party win. Let's do our homework and find out from various 'reliable' sources about each and every candidate, instead of relying solely on what we hear from our bias mainstream media or what we read on the internet. Because not everything we hear or read is always right. But most of all, let us pray so God will guide us in making the right decision. God bless America - One Nation Under God!

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

God Bless,
Lucine

Why Pray for Israel?

Let's see what the Bible says about the importance of praying for the Jews and Israel; (God's chosen people and His Holy land).

As more and more Christians are becoming familiar with the Bible, they are realizing they have a Biblical mandate to share their faith with the Jewish people and to pray for them.

Genesis 12:2-3 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Psalm 121:1-4 "I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

Romans 11:11-12 "Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!"

Based on the above, we can say that we are reaping God's blessings due to Israel's unbelief and denial of her Messiah. This is God's way of provoking the Jews to jealousy so they will envy us and desire what we have; 'the blessings of the new convenant through Jesus'. However, our God is a good God and He keeps His promises! He has not forgotten His chosen people! He wants us to pray for the Jews daily so they'll turn away from their sinful ways and accept Yeshua as their Messiah.

Unfortunately, our actions in the past and even now have not made us trusthworty in the eyes of the Jews. Israel has suffered persecution after persecution under the hands of many, including Christians. Therefore, we need to pray for Israeil and re-introduce them to Christ by showing them love and compassion so we can win their trust.

When we study the Bible diligently, we gain knowledge and realize the importance of defending Israel and praying for her. God says "I'll bless those who bless you". As we truly pray for the Jews, God will intervene and create in them a spiritual awakening like never before.

The Bible says: "all peoples on earth will be blessed through Israel".

Romans 11:21-24 " And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

Romans 11:25 "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

Ezekiel 39:22 "From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.

Ezekial 39:29 " I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD."

Zechariah 2:8-9 "For this is what the LORD Almighty says: "After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you - for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye. I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.

Some scholars argue that the contents of the Bible are not applicable to the present times and they chose to ignore the prophecies. The Bible is God's Word and we should not twist its meaning. It is what it is! God is the same yesterday, today and forever!

When we hear about the persecutions of Christains and Jews just like the prophecies have predicted, we should not get overwhelmed. Instead we should pray and ask the Lord to give us strength and courage so we can face anything that comes against us. The Bible prophecies are not meant to scare us, but to prepare us. Although the media may be one-sided in reporting only the bad news, there are a lot of good things happening around the world that we don't hear about. God is raising up a whole new generation of radical Christians who are winning souls everywhere and who are making a difference for God's Kingdom.

God's chosen people, His holy land and all His believers will live through it all no matter what. Even if Israel's enemies claim they will wipe her off of the face of the map, Israel's future is in God's hands and no one can snatch her out of God's hand. What Israel's enemies do not realize is that the war they plan to have against Israel will be a war against the Mighty God of Israel and God will win that war!

The United States has prospered and has been blessed because of the support and prayer she has been providing Israel in the past. However, if we keep trying to negotiate with Israel's enemies for the sake of politics, peace and safety, and try to divide her land, we will anger the Lord and His curse will come upon us. We are already seeing some of the consequences of those negotiations that the U.S., UN and EU are making with the corrupt Palestenian and Jewish officials for the sake of peace and safety.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 "While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."

Joel 3:1-2 "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (the Mount of Meggido). There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land."

Ezekiel 24-26 "No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."

Jeremiah 16:14-16 "However, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when men will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers." But now I will send for many fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks."

Ezekiel 37:21 "and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.God will gather the remnant of His chosen people to the Holy land again. He will breathe new life into them and the whole world will recognize who the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is once and for all!

Ezekiel 37:3 "He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live? I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

Ezekiel 37:5-6 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

Ezekiel 37:6-8 "So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them."

Jesus gave us lots of hints to prepare us for end times. Most of the Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled. The greatest one that amazes theologians is Israel is back in the land and Jerusalem is once again under the rule of the nation of Israel, just like the prophets had foretold! A thing of impossibility with men, but possibility with our great God!

Luke 21:28 "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Luke 21:32-33 "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

Although we may not know the exact day or time of our Lord's coming, the Bible clearly states that what we are going through now is "labor pains". When Noah started building the ark out of obedience to the Lord, people were teasing him and labeled him as 'crazy' - they saw it as foolishness. Noah chose to ingnore the critizism and remained obedient to the Lord. When finally Noah had finished building the ark and the animals started coming, Noah and his family knew that the time of the deadly rains was nearing. For the other folks, it was business as usual. They were too busy with their worldy things and were not concerned about anything else. The flood took them by surprise and they all perished. God is not a mean God, He gave them plenty of warnings to turn away from their wicked ways and to repent, but they chose not to. In the end, we are responsible for our actions and we reap what we sow because of our disobedience.

Matthew 24:36-37 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

Thesselonians 5:2-3 "For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape".

Other major signs, which are rampant in the U.S. and throughout the world are self-centerdness, materialism, addictions of all sorts, hatred, pride, anger, divorce, persecutions, self-righteousness, etc. Natural disasters are on the rise as well. This is what the Bible says:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 and John 17:21-23 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

In addition to all the above, multi-belief system is growing too (i.e. new age, scientology, universalism, etc.). These folks claim to be 'open-minded' and 'free-thinking'. They cling to any belief system that would make them feel good. They pick whatever quinches the fleshly desires and feeds the inner cravings.

Idols such as money, material possessions, friends, status, etc., are all temporary and short-lived. No matter how much of these things we have, we will still feel empty, lonely and unhappy if we don't have Jesus. Jesus is the Living Water and only He can quinch our thirst. True joy and contentment comes only through Jesus Christ!

Exodus 20:3-7 "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

Matthew 5:19 "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

When we pray, we are showing God that we are obedient and we are totally depending on Him. God will do wonders when we pray. The Bible predicts that during the latter days, a lot of unbelievers will turn to Jesus in alarming numbers through visions, dreams and other venues. A major revival is taking place as we speak all around the world and the Lord is lifting off the veils from the eyes of many so they can see "Truth". All this is happening because of the prayers and obedience of God's warriors throughout the world. Prayer is a powerful tool and it works!

The gospel is being preached to a lot more people and at a lot faster rate than ever before due to high-tech systems. God is raising up a new generation of young, radical warriors who are hungry and thirsty for God and who are willing to go the extra mile without intimidation and despite satan's efforts to stop them. At the same time, God and His army are busy in the spiritual realm helping people to come to Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

For instance, with all the attacks that Israel has encountered, Israel should not even exist! Consider her size; approximately the size of New Jersey with a population of less than 6 million, also, she is surrounded by enemies from left and right whose population exceeds 300 million, but Israel still stands and stronger than ever! God has supernaturally protected her.

It is amazing to me that not only Israel exists, but Israel is reborn and thriving! Israel is a wealthy nation and has some of the highest technologies in the world. Israel has also given birth to numerous Nobel Prize winners for their inventions. This is not a coincidence, it's the hand of God, fulfilling what the prophets have foretold us. So let's stay encouraged because God is still in control and He will never leave or forsake us.

Yes, days of persecutions are still ahead for Jesus' followers, but He will be right there with us to give us strength, courage and wisdom to do what's right. We just need to pray daily to strengthen our faith so we don't grow weary and give up.

The Bible says: "...and you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved".

So why does the world hate Israel? Why do the Arab nations want to wipe Israel off of the map? There is real evil in this world! Satan is well and alive and he knows that the promises of God will not be accomplished if Israel is destroyed and annhiliated. Satan also knows that his time in this world is almost up and God will come to take over and reign forever. The devil is fighting with all that he's got to destroy God's people and God's plan!

No matter what the devil and his followers do, we should not lose hope because the glory of Zion and the glory of all God's children is drawing near! Jesus has aleady won the battle and we have the victory, but because of God's mercy and grace, He is willing to give us a chance after chance after chance to repent and to turn away from our sinful ways while we're still alive, but once we die without accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then there would be no more chances. We will be in eternal darkness, separated from God (the Light of the world). God wants 'all' His children to be saved, not just some. However, the choice is up to us; we can follow the world's way or Jesus' way.

Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." (the Old Testament is talking about Jesus long before His birth... but Israel didn't see it - they chose to be blind to the truth)

Revealtion 12:12 "Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

Isreal will come to the realization of what she's done to her prophets and Messiah and she will repent. The restoration of Israel is near! The Jews are regathering in Israel from every corner of the world just like the Bible has prophesized. The Jews have an undying desire to return to their homeland without realizing that their actions are fullfilling Bible prophecy.

Acts 3:19-21 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus - He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets."

Isaiah 60:1-3 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brigthness of your dawn."

Zechariah 12:3 "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

Those nations who vow to annhiliate Israel are not aware that their war will be against the God of Israel. Israel's enemies will be the ones who will be wiped off the face of the map while the whole world will watch in amazement, and because of that, a lot of people will come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Zechariah 14:2-3 "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle."

As we near to the Lord's second coming, our troubles will escalate for sure. Believers in Jesus will be faced with tribulations, anguish, afflictions, sufferings and persecution. It will become clear that the battle is between "good" and "evil". Satan and his army will be fighting ferociously, but they'll lose and harvest will come for God's people.

The future is bright even if it seems dim right now. We should not waste our time and energy on the temporary things of this world, instead we should focus on what is unseen; the promised eternal life in heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, where there will be no tears or suffering! But in the meantime, we need to continue to be responsible, hard working, honest, kind, and compassionate Christians so we can win more souls for God's Kingdom!

Hebrews 12:1 “Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back.”

1 Corinthians 7:31 "Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Matthew 13:30 "Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

1 Thessolonians 4:13-18 "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

The blindness is coming off of the eyes of Jewish people in greater numbers since the first century. If we want Jesus' return, we need to do our part to reach out and spread the gospel to as many people as we can and that should include the Jewish people!

Isaiah 1:18-19 "though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient,you will eat the best from the land."

Isaiah 11:10-13 "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth."

Matthew 23:39 "For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

If end-time prophecies interest you, you may also want to read Psalm 83, Ezekiel 37 and 38, the book of Zachariah, and Daniel, etc.

God Bless,
Lucine