How Did You Celebrate?

I had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords with my family. I hope you did, too. But the best part of the day was when I was able to slip away from it all and meditate on what Christmas really means. You see, Christmas is not about family, friends, or the exchanging of gifts; Christmas is the celebration of the beginning of the miracle that Christ came to perform in you. And I am so glad He came all those many years ago!

I have many wonderful Christmas memories of my own, but there is one Christmas memory that I heard shared a few years ago that just really stuck with me. It was the story of Mandisa’s favorite Christmas memory. She said that there was one Christmas when she was unable to go home to be with her family, so she spent the day in her apartment by herself. She said that she spent the day reading the Christmas story and just praising Jesus. How wonderful! I think we all need that time alone to reflect on just who He is to us.

If you have not already, find a quiet place a just spend some time praising Him and thanking Him for the miracle that is your life. And if you do not yet know Him as Lord, I pray that you will come to do so before the day comes to an end. I can promise you upon the authority of the Word of God that, if you will repent of your sin and trust Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

Merry Christmas!

But I am so thankful to be able to say that it does not end there. Christmas is not just a celebration of the birth of Christ; Christmas is a celebration of the reason for His birth. Jesus came so that He could pay the price for your sins and for mine. He lived a perfect life, and then died on an old, rugged cross for the sins of the world.

I love these lyrics:

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorns
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

I pray that this Christmas you will choose to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. If you will repent of your sin and trust in Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

Thought for Today: The Family Unit

Dale Evans, who was the mother of nine children, said the following: “I think big families are wonderful and together can withstand fire, flood, anything. We need more big families in this nation—where people band together in a common good.”

I wholeheartedly agree with her. The family unit has disappeared in America, and words cannot describe how unfortunate that is. This nation truly does need more big families who love one another and care for one another the way families should.

Political Rant

I planned on using a different commercial to illustrate my point; however, this one will have to do. It really, irritates me to see politicians bashing one another like this. But before I get any deeper into this “rant,” I want you to know that I am just using Rick Perry’s commercial as an example. This is not a personal attack on Rick Perry. I just felt the need to write something to get us all thinking about what really matters when electing the new president, whoever he may be.

It may just be me, but if someone wants my vote, he must tell me more about himself than he does the other candidates. I want to know about why he thinks he would be a good president; not why he thinks the other candidate would not be good a president. To me, the ideal presidential candidate will tell me all he can about himself, and forget about all the other candidates in the race.

This behavior also says something about a candidate’s character. I want to see a man of impeccable character in charge of this great nation. The ideal presidential candidate does not see himself as being worthy of being the president of the United States. The ideal presidential candidate esteems others more highly than he does himself. We should think twice before electing a man who does not respect the other candidates.

Lastly, the way a presidential candidate runs his campaign shows how he truly feels about the American people. If he truly believes that it is about “we the people,” he will allow the people to decide who the better candidate is. But a fair and balanced decision can only be made if each candidate is open and honest about himself. So presidential candidate, you worry about you, and let the people decide who they want to be the next president of the United States.

The former pastor of our church used to say, “Boldness is not rudeness.” When a candidate resorts to bashing the other candidates, he is not showing his strength; he is showing his weakness. In the end, the most courageous candidate is the one who admits that he is no more worthy to be elected than any of the other candidates. This is what I truly believe. And this is what I will keep in mind when considering who to vote for come November 2012.

Thought for Today: Molded By Trials

For the last several days, I have been reading The Cowboy and the Senorita: A Biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. It really is a fascinating book because it was written about two fascinating people. A couple days ago, I came across a very interesting quote contained in the book that I thought was well worth sharing.

Dale Evans, who had recently lost her two-year-old daughter, said these words: "God's love, His compassion, and unfailing kindness do not prevent Him from shaping us in ways that at the time are painful indeed. But the pain of the shaping is always matched by the Master Potter's skill in healing the wound."

My Yearly Seasonal Rant

Everyone who knows me knows that I simply cannot stand Santa Claus. And my children—when I have children—will never receive so much as one gift from him. They will never sit upon his lap in the mall, or send him so much as one letter. You will never find a replica of him in my house, either. As you can imagine, I have had many people ask me why I have such a bitter hatred for the mythological man with rosy red cheeks who wears a large red suit and travels around the whole world in one night to bring every child great joy, so I thought I would take the time today to explain to you the answer to that question.

Simply and very bluntly put, Santa Claus is a lie straight from Hell that was designed to confuse children about the true meaning of Christmas. Sadly, many parents—including many Christians—have never come to this realization. I grew up receiving gifts from Santa. But after a conversation with one of my high school teachers, I began to question whether or not Santa is really as harmless as he seems. That was when I thought long and hard about the song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” After all, everything there is to know about Santa Claus is written in that song; therefore, if I was going to find anything wrong with Santa Claus, that is where I would find it.

My teacher explained that “He sees you when you’re sleeping/ He knows when you’re awake/ He knows if you’ve been bad or good” makes Santa equal with God. He made a very good point. After I got to thinking about it, I realized that Santa Clause is not just an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas; Santa Claus is an attempt to do away with a higher moral being altogether. Santa Claus is an entirely atheistic idea, really. I was able to come to that conclusion by reading the last part of that verse of the song: “So be good for goodness sake.” Did you get that? Santa Claus is teaching children to be good just for the sake of being good. But who is to say what is good without God? If it is humanity that defines right and wrong, what is right and wrong can change. However, God never changes, and neither do His standards.

We need to be teaching our children that they should be good because God said so. Our children need to know that they are to obey their parents because God said so. They need to know that it is wrong to lie and to steal because God said so. Fornication, adultery, murder are wrong because God said so. Our children need to know that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We are all one hundred percent morally accountable to God, and that is what we need to be teaching our children.

I love Christmas! Christmas is the celebration of the birth of my Lord, my Savior. When I have children of my own, I want to use this time of year to teach them that Jesus was born to live a sinless life and then die on an old, rugged cross for their sins. I look forward to teaching my children that—despite what everybody else says—Christmas is not a time for family, friends, or giving; Christmas is a time for honoring the One that gave His life for us.

I pray this post has provided you with information you needed to know what Christmas is all about. And I earnestly pray that this post will cause you to reconsider whether or not your children should receive any gifts from Santa Claus this year. I am here to tell you today that your decision will impact their lives forever.

As always, if you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, I pray that you will come to do so today. If you will repent of your sin and trust Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

A Stable Influence

One of my former teachers posted this to facebook a few days ago, and I thought it was well worth sharing.

Mercy and Justice for All

God exercises His mercy by upholding His justice.

-Michael Ramsden

Today, I want to address a verse that I think is vastly misunderstood. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” If you are a born-again believer, you no doubt love that verse. But do you know what it means? Isaiah 53:5 is not a verse about grace; it is a verse about justice.

It astounds me how many people—even in the church—do not understand what the cross truly means. Jesus did not die on the cross just to prove His love for you. However, that is what many people think, and it is sad. Isaiah 53:5 is all about Jesus taking your place. Let’s just say He became you. The modern church teaches that Jesus died because He loves you; and because of that, you can go free. No. God is a holy, just, and righteous God, and He will not, cannot allow the guilty to go free.

Yes, the cross was an act of love, but the cross was also an act of justice. At that moment, Jesus became you, and God poured out His wrath upon your sin. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” We say Jesus died “for” us, but that word “for” could have many different meanings. Perhaps a better way to say it is this: Jesus died in our place. Justice was paid for your sin on the cross.

Adrian Rogers used to tell a story about the about the first time Robert G. Lee visited Calvary. The guide asked if anyone in the group had been there before. Dr. Lee raised his hand. The guide asked him, “When were you here before”? Dr. Lee replied, “Two thousand years ago.” He understood the true meaning of Isaiah 53:5. My friend, don’t rest in mercy; rest in justice. You no longer have to pray for mercy, because your sin has already been paid for. When you slip up, just say, “Father, I was wrong. But by the blood of Jesus, my sin has been forgiven. Thank you, God!”

If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord, justice has not yet truly been paid for your sin. You can go free, but you have to choose to go free. Until you admit that you have sinned against God and truly do deserve to go through what Jesus went through on the cross two thousand years ago, you cannot be saved. But if you will repent of you sin and trust Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

Thought for Today

It matters not what religion a presidential candidate is a part of. If he is not trusting in Jesus and he does not let his faith in Him lead this nation, he is not worthy of being the president of the United States.

Not Just TVLand

Every now and then I enjoy reading the blog of one of my former teachers. A great majority of her posts are entirely random, but she always has something interesting to say. Here is something she wrote today that I have been talking about on this blog for a good while now:

I realized this weekend how much I miss the old-fashioned TVLand station. Was home alone a good bit, and sometimes like to just have something on in the background - it used to be that if nothing else was on, you could always catch an old episode of Andy Griffith or Leave it to Beaver or Gunsmoke. Now, it's just become a station like any other. Kinda sad.

I'm afraid it's not just TVLand. Most of the shows that I grew up watching and find myself quoting and looking back on are gone for good...as far as television goes, at least. The shows that she mentioned and others like them were family shows. People used to sit down and watch television as a family. Children today don't know what that's like. The kids have their shows, the adults have their shows, and they all watch them in separate rooms on separate televisions. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the modern-day entertainment industry is tearing the family apart.

I think she used the word "old-fashioned" well. That word is used negatively nowadays. But oh how I miss the way things were even just twenty years ago. People wonder why the "good old days" are referred to as such, especially since there was no technology as we know it today. My answer would be this: The best things in life are not always convenient. Those days were good because there was family. Everything you needed in life came from your family. We need to get back to a family mindset in America.

Don’t Pass Up the Opportunity

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men…

Galatians 6:10

I was reading in a devotional book this morning when I came across the above verse. While there are many things in the Bible that I believe many people overthink, I believe that Galatians 6:10 is a verse that many people don’t put enough thought into. I may be guilty of overthinking this verse, but I want you to know that I do not believe that this verse is simply talking about kindness. I believe that this verse is talking about something much greater. And I believe that, if you will get a bulldog grip on the truth of this verse, it will change your life and it will change this nation.

James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” That is what I believe Galatians 6:10 is referring to. Whenever you have the opportunity to share your faith, whenever you have the opportunity to help someone in any way, it is only because God has given you that opportunity. Therefore you should take that opportunity and use it for the glory of God. If you don’t, you are sinning against Almighty God.

If you have an opportunity to do good, know that God is the One who has given that opportunity to you. You should also be aware that, if God has given you an opportunity, He expects you to use it. If everyone would do the good that they know they ought to do, this nation would not be in the moral crisis that it is in today.

Jesus Taught That Love Really Can Change the World

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Matthew 22:37-39

Did you know that there are two commandments that, if you obey those two, you will automatically be obeying every other commandment written in the Bible? To help you better understand this concept, let’s take a look at the Ten Commandments:

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.”

2. “You shall not make for yourself any idol.”

3. “You shall not take the name of God in vain.”

4. “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.”

There is a reason why Jesus answered the question, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” the way that He did. You see the Ten Commandments are broken up into two parts. The first four are regarding our relationship with God, and the last six are regarding our relationship with our fellow man.

5. “Honor your father and your mother.”

6. “You shall not murder.”

7. “You shall not commit adultery.”

8. “You shall not steal.”

9. “You shall not lie.”

10. “You shall not covet.”

Jesus’ answer is really self-explanatory. If I love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, I will not worship any other god, I will not commit idolatry, I will not use blasphemy, and I will use the Lord’s Day as a day of rest and worship. Likewise, if I love my neighbor as myself, I will honor my parents, I will not commit murder, I will not commit adultery, I will not steal, I will not lie, and I will not covet my neighbors possessions. It really is as simple as that.

Having said all that, the moral crisis that we are in as a nation today is a direct result of the breaking of what Jesus said are the greatest commandments ever written. Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “Why can’t we just obey the last six and forget about the first four”? The reason is simple—the last six and the first four go hand in hand. Take the first commandment for example—“You shall have no other gods before me.” To obey this commandment is to obey the last six commandments. If I serve the god of self, what is keeping me from dishonoring my parents? What is keeping me from committing murder? What is keeping me from committing adultery? What is keeping me from stealing? Lying? Coveting? In order to obey the last six commandments, I must love God and realizes that breaking any of the last six commandments is wrong only because God said so. Simple as that.

Now, let’s apply this to the days in which we are now living. Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” If we as a nation would put God first in everything we do, I really do believe we would receive blessings like you wouldn’t believe. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” When we neglect God, we deprive ourselves of His greatest blessings.

Today, we are killing our unborn at a rate that you would not believe. My friend, your unborn child is your neighbor. If every mother’s child loved his neighbor as himself, every abortion clinic in this world would go bankrupt. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. If everyone truly loved his neighbor as he does himself, the murder rate would go down, the divorce rate would go down, and the overall crime rate would go down. There would be no lying. There would be no stealing. Every home would be a happy home.

As you go about your day today, let me challenge you to ask yourself this question before you say or do anything: By doing this, am I honoring God and am I treating my neighbor the way I would want my neighbor to treat me? I truly believe that asking yourself that question will make a great change in you and a great change in our nation.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, I beg you to do so today. You cannot truly love God with all your heart soul, mind, and strength until you come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Likewise, you cannot love your neighbor as yourself until you realize how much God loves you. If you will repent of your sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

On The Box: Yes, Jesus Claimed to be God

On The Box: Yes, Jesus Claimed to be God: One of the many "cut & paste" objections unbelievers levy against God and His Word is this: "Jesus never claimed to be God." Truth: The Bi...

It Starts With You

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 33:12

This nation is in a moral crisis. Notice I didn’t say that I believe that this nation is in a moral crisis. This nation is in a moral crisis, whether we believe it or not. Last week I wrote about the role of the president of this great nation; however, today, I am writing about the role of the people of this great nation.

In America, it is all about “we the people,” isn’t it? Then what must we the people do in order to take back this nation for Almighty God? The answer is in the above passage of Scripture. Every individual must acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of his life. If every red-blooded American would do that, this nation would be unstoppable. However, like I have always said, whether this nation rises or continues to fall is left up to God’s people. If Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life already, my friend, you must start living like it.

Let me ask you a very important, very personal question: What dictates the decisions that you make? Or should I say who dictates the decisions that you make? Is it you? Is it your family? Is it your friends? Is it the general public? Or is it God and His Word? This nation is in a moral crisis. You want to know how I know? I know because I have read God’s Word and it tells me that murder is wrong (Exodus 20:13), yet we as Americans have legalized the murder of our own unborn children. In many states, it is legal for two men or two women to come together in an immoral relationship and call it marriage, even though God said in the beginning that marriage is to be between one man and one woman, for life. America is in a moral crisis, and it is all because people have allowed someone other than God to dictate the decisions that they make every day.

Billy Graham once prayed this prayer, and it describes the condition of America today perfectly:

“Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.”

So what must we do to fix the problem that we ourselves have created by becoming silent? If you are a born-again child of God, I suggest you start listening to your Heavenly Father and stop listen to your fellow man. As Adrian Rogers used to say, “Get a bulldog grip on the truth of the Word of God.” Speak up for His truth and speak out against all evil. If it means you have to stand alone, stand alone. But never compromise the Word of God.

Fellow Christians, we are going to have to change this nation one person at a time, and it starts with you. We must be changed as individuals before we can be changed as a nation. Have you acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord of your life? If you have, obey what He says and tell everyone you can about Him. If every born-again child of God would do what God intended him to do, I have no doubt that we could set this world on fire for Jesus Christ in a record breaking amount of time.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, I beg you to come to do so today. Simply repent completely of all sin and trust Christ alone to save you. If you will do that, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

A Bit of Wisdom from the Past

"A man can't rest on the reputation he's made. He has to keep on making it every day of his life." -Roy Rogers

"A reputation is just like wallpaper. It can be pasted on, but it has to have something solid underneath to make it stick." -Dale Evans

A Moral Crisis Calls for Godly Leadership

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 32:12

It seems that all we hear about on the news nowadays is the 2012 presidential election. So what exactly is it that you are looking for in a presidential candidate? Most people are mainly focused on the economy. They want a president that can reduce unemployment and help stabilize our economy. There are also a lot of people, however, who would just be satisfied with anybody other than Obama. But what is it that you are looking for in a presidential candidate? I’ll tell you what I am looking for and what every born-again child of God ought to be looking for. As followers of Christ, we ought to be looking for a man who fears God, loves God’s people, and obeys God’s Word.

Just this week I have made a commitment to God that I will not vote for the lesser of two evils. Even the lesser of two evils is still evil. I will only vote for a presidential candidate who fears, loves, and respects God. I believe that this nation is in a moral crisis, and the only way to get out of that crisis is to elect a godly leader. Someone who does not believe that the issues we face today are directly  related to the fact that we as a nation have fallen morally does not have what it takes to lead this nation. And we need someone with a backbone, someone who is not afraid to look at an issue and say, “That is morally wrong!”

This nation needs a president who can see the difference between discrimination and moral judgment. Racism is discrimination. Treating someone differently because of the amount of his income is discrimination. Treating someone differently because of his age is discrimination. Saying that it is wrong to kill a baby in the womb is a moral judgment. Saying that it is wrong to redefine what God defined in the beginning is a moral judgment. If someone broke into my house and stole all of my possessions, you would not tell me that it would be discriminatory for me to press charges against him. If I saw someone brutally beat and murder my elderly grandmother, no one would say that it would be discriminatory for me to press charges against that person. God has given us a moral standard to live by. It is the God-given responsibility of the leaders of this nation to hold the people of this nation accountable to that standard.

As a nation, we need a president who is not afraid to stand up and say, “Homosexuality is wrong because God said so!” We need a president who is not afraid to stand up and say, “Abortion is wrong because God said so!” Not only do we need a president who really believes those things, but we need a president who will do something about it. We need a president who will say that it ought not to be up to the states to decide whether or not homosexual marriage should be legal or whether or not abortion should be legal in their particular state. We need a president who will say that this is the United States of America; therefore, what is legal in one state should be legal in all fifty states, and what is illegal in one state should be illegal in all fifty states. Both abortion and homosexual marriage are morally wrong; therefore, both of them should be made illegal in all fifty states.

I know what you are thinking. “But there is not a presidential candidate out there…” Oh ye of little faith. God can do whatever He wants to do. Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” As Adrian Rogers used to say, "We cannot do it without Him, but He will not do it without us." If every born-again child of God will rise to the challenge, turn from his prideful ways, and earnestly seek the face of God, I am telling you today that God will send us that man. I believe that there are enough Christians in this nation to take this nation back for Jesus Christ. The question is, are we willing to do what God says in order to make it happen?

What We Are Teaching Our Children Through Television

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8

Yesterday, someone posted a quote on facebook, so I looked it up to see where it came from. Lo and behold, it was from Pocahontas—the Disney version, of course. That caused me to stumble upon another YouTube video of Pocahontas which caused me to think seriously about something. What are we as a nation teaching our children through television?

Before I go any further, please take the time to watch the video so you will be able to better understand what I am talking about.

 

 I stopped supporting Disney a few years ago. However, what I discovered in this short YouTube video gives me a whole new reason for doing so. Disney knows how to influence children, and they knew how to do it in a way that is so subtle that very few people will ever question it. I believe that this particular scene in Pocahontas was designed to teach children two very specific things. It teaches children to worship the creation rather than the Creator and it teaches them to trust in their own human intuition rather than trusting in God.

Grandmother Willow in and of herself is a symbol. Grandmother Willow was the wisest “person” around. In reality, however, she was not a person at all; she was a tree. Whenever Pocahontas was in trouble or did not understand something, she ran to Mother Earth instead of Father God. Grandmother Willow is nothing less than an attempt to convince children to deify nature and forget about God.

Just look at the holidays that people celebrate nowadays. Instead of Easter, they celebrate Earth Day. Instead of Christmas, they celebrate the winter solstice. This is exactly why Grandmother Willow existed in the Disney movie Pocahontas. She was designed to promote the idea of worshiping the creation rather than the Creator.

This entire scene is about trusting one’s own heart. However, this is far from biblical. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (emphasis added). And if we look further into Scripture, we will find even more reasons not to listen to our own hearts. Matthew 15:19 says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies…” Mark 7:21 says basically the same thing, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders…” This is exactly why Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”

As a nation, we need to be teaching our children that they are not equal with nature. Our children need to know that they were made in the image of God. Our children need to know that they do not know everything, but God does. Our children need to know of the One who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Our children need to know that Heaven is real, Hell is real. Most importantly, our children need to know that it is only by the blood of Jesus that they can be saved.

I believe that a nation is no greater than its future generation. Right now, I see children who are being taught to shake their fists in the face of God. As of now, I have no children of my own. However, I am begging those of you who are parents to “train up [your] child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).

Jessy Dixon: March 12, 1938 - September 26, 2011

Yesterday, at the age of seventy-three, the famous Gospel singer Jessy Dixon passed away in his Chicago home. I know very little about Jessy’s personal life. However, that is quite alright. He had a presence on stage that simply could not be faked. When he sang, it was obvious that he loved the Lord and wanted others to know Him too.

Jessy brought an energy and liveliness to the gathering that no one else could. He and Lillie Knauls are the two that stand out in my mind as being the "screamers" of the Homecoming crowd. If you have ever heard Jessy Dixon sing, you know that there is no doubt that he believed the words that he sang.

I hate that I never got the chance to meet this man who has greatly influenced my life with his music. I also highly doubt that I am the only one who feels that way. Even so, I know I will get to meet him one day in Heaven where I am sure I will find him singing God’s praises louder and with more energy than he ever did here on this earth.

I thank God that Jessy Dixon allowed Him to use him to impact countless lives for Jesus Christ through music. He will no doubt be greatly missed.

Watch 180!

I have been knowing about and looking forward to the release of 180 for quite some time now, and now it is finally here! I watched it for the first time last night on YouTube. I am writing this today to suggest that you do the same.

I had seen a few trailers about the movie that talked about how Ray Comfort caused people to change their view on abortion in only a matter of seconds. I wanted know to how he did that. I have always thought that it was near impossible to convince anyone who was pro-choice to become pro-life. After all, people have been using scientific proof to try to chance people’s views for years, and even that has not seemed to work all that well. However, when I finally watched the short documentary, I found that we have been over-thinking it for years.

Ray Comfort’s argument is overly simple, but it works. When you watch the movie you will see that the people he interviewed were actually forced to really think about why they believe what they believe. 180 is a short documentary about the truth about abortion in which Ray Comfort does what Ray Comfort does best—using the biblical principle of bypassing the intellect and speaking straight to the conscience.

Please visit 180movie.com to watch it today. Then after you have watched it yourself, pass it on to everyone you know.

It’s Been Awhile

It has been quite awhile since the last time I posted anything to this blog. To be honest, I have wanted to write something, but I never seemed to be able to settle on one specific topic. So I thought that today I would just share some things that have been on my mind. And I pray that my ramblings will be helpful to you.

Life is…well…not easy, to say the least. Knowing how to use correct discernment in order to live the lives that we have been given in a way that is pleasing to God in the utmost is even harder. It is not hard to live and fail. It really is not that hard live and succeed in the eyes of this world. However, it takes courage, strength, and wisdom to live a life that is pleasing in the sight of God. But it is not our courage, our strength, or our wisdom that we need. In order to live a life that is truly pleasing to Him, we need the courage, strength, and wisdom that God gives.

A few weeks ago, I spent a week reading through the book of Ecclesiastes. I would think that those who do not know the Lord would see the book of Ecclesiastes as being very depressing. After all, Solomon begins the book by saying, “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). In order to fully understand the book of Ecclesiastes, one must first understand the meaning of this word “vanity.” If you do not understand the meaning of that word, you will miss the whole point of the book of Ecclesiastes.

Often times people associate the word “vanity” with one’s outward appearance. We call someone vain when they are constantly looking in a mirror, worrying about the way that they look. However, that is not at all what Solomon meant when he said, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” When used here in the book of Ecclesiastes, the word simply means “worthless,” or as Adrian Rogers put it, “Emptiness. Futility. Confusion. Nothing makes sense.” Remember this as you continue reading.

In Ecclesiastes 1:14, Solomon says, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” This is a phrase that he repeats quite frequently. But why? Did Solomon just find it pleasurable to tell people that nothing they ever do will ever matter? That is indeed what he meant, right? Not at all. Take a look at the last two verses of the book of Ecclesiastes: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, emphasis added).

I love that phrase, “For this is man’s all.” Do you know what that means? It means that we were created to fulfill the first part of that sentence: “Fear God and keep His commandments.” If at the end of our life we have fully obeyed that command, we will have lived a successful life in the sight of God.

There are many commandments given by God throughout the Bible; however, Jesus said that there are two that are greater than all others. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” Jesus said that these are the two greatest commandments because, if we will obey them, we will automatically be obeying all of the others.

Adrian Rogers used to say, “You’ll see how rich you are when you add up everything you have that money can’t buy and death can’t take away.” Think about the story of Lazarus and the rich man for a moment. While on earth, the rich man was only concerned about himself and his earthly possessions. However, when he had died and gone to Hell, his only concern was for his family, that they might not end up there too. I also remember hearing Adrian Rogers say in one of his messages, “…but I’m going to take all four of my children to Heaven.”

I know the Bible makes mention of how beautiful and glorious Heaven is and of the rewards that we will be given—which none we will deserve. However, let me ask you this: How many people will you see in Heaven because you stepped out of your comfort zone and selflessly begged them to come to Jesus? Nothing matters but the truth of God’s Word. Do you love God enough to love people enough to share that truth with them?

God’s way is the only right way. There are many who have been deceived into thinking that they are living their lives for God; however, they are really just as lost as they can be. All is vanity if we know not the truth of God’s Word. All is vanity if we share not that truth with others.

Do you know Christ? I mean, do you know Him in a saving way today? If you do not know Jesus as Lord of your life today, please turn completely from all sin and trust in Jesus alone to save you. If you do that, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

The Greatest Miracle of All

A couple months ago, I found a YouTube video of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on a religious television program many years ago. Before Roy joined her on stage, Dale said something like this: “We talk about miracles. And Jesus did many wonderful miracles. But the Holy Spirit coming into your life and borning you again, that is the greatest miracle of all.”

You see, it is good that Jesus made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk again, but those are just physical things. Those things are worthless once a person departs from this world. The Bible says in Matthew 18:9, “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” That is why the greatest miracle of all is indeed salvation.

I am astounded when I think about who I am compared to who God is. The fact that a just and holy God would come to earth in the form of a little baby to live a perfect life and then die on an old, rugged cross for my sins is nothing short of miraculous. I know my heart. I know the things that I have done. I know that I come far from deserving His infinite love. Yet the cross was nothing but love. The greatest love of all was displayed on that cross.

I love the verse from Bill and Gloria Gaither’s song “I Am Loved” that says, “I said if You knew You wouldn’t want me, My scars are hidden by the face I wear, He said My child My scars go deeper, It was love for you that put them there.” He knows, yet He loves. There is no greater miracle than that.

If you have not personally felt the love of Christ, you can. Right now, turn completely from all sin and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. If you do that, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

Uncompromising Entertainment

Yesterday, I wrote a post urging the people of God to wake up and take responsibility for what they have allowed the entertainment industry to become. Today, I am here to explain to you a little bit more about why I feel the way that I feel about modern-day television and so on and so forth. I feel that the church has grown lukewarm about this thing we call entertainment. Sadly, what I feel is quite frankly a satanic mindset has been infiltrated into the church. This mindset says that it is alright for Christians to participate in worldly entertainment because it allows us to see how the world views God and humanity, thus allowing us to be more effective witnesses to them. This mindset is sadly mistaken and I think it comes straight from the devil himself.

If you are one of these people that believe the lie that I just told you about, I am not here to condemn you today. I could not do that even if I wanted to. However, I am here to tell you the truth that the Bible says has the power to set you free (John 8:32). If you have believed this lie, you fit into one of two categories. Either you have been misguided and truly believe that such a thing really is biblical, or you believe it because you want to believe it because it seems to justify the fact that you just plain enjoy wallowing in what you know to be sinful behavior. If you are in category one, which I believe very few people are, you need to ask God to wake you up to the truth. And if you are in category two, you need to beg God for mercy because you have known the truth but yet chose to live in willful rebellion against God and His Word. After all, 2 Peter 2:21 says, “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”

Having said all that, I can now explain to you why this mindset makes no sense. People who have this mindset obviously have never seriously thought it through. If they had, they would realize how erroneous it really is. My entire point is to keep from compromising one’s relationship with Almighty God. That is the whole point of this post. I do not want you to compromise your relationship with God by watching a certain movie or television show. And I do not want the actors in that movie or television show to compromise their relationship with God by making that certain movie or television show.

When you say that you can drown out or filter out the blasphemy, profanity, and immorality in a movie or television show and just see the good stuff, you are doing yourself a huge injustice. You cannot filter out that filth. Satan has specially designed it so that it is impossible for it not to stick with you. In watching such things, you will find yourself laughing at such heinous and dreadfully wicked things that, if you were to go back and think about them, you should be appalled. And Adrian Rogers used to say, “What the devil can get you to laugh at, you will never take seriously again.” And you cannot take those things seriously apart from the grace of God. If you find joy in such things, you need to get on your knees and pray with David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

Secondly, not only does such entertainment cause you to compromise your relationship with God, but it causes the makers of that entertainment to compromise their relationship with God, as well. Do you know what a kissing scene in a movie really is? It is glorified adultery. You say, “Well, it doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just for a movie. And it’s just a kiss.” Oh, yeah? Then why do so many actors and actresses end up leaving their spouse for someone they costarred in a movie with? There is something real going on there, and I am telling you that it is something the Bible says we are to flee from. And the same thing goes for every word of blasphemy, profanity, and every other sinful thing those people might be required to do for a certain movie.

We can have good, wholesome, godly entertainment. We once did, and we can have it again if God’s people will wake up from their slumber and stand up for the truth. God has put me here to tell you today that this is something worth fighting for. I honestly believe that, as long as we continue to saturate our lives with the kind of entertainment that we see on our television and movie screens today, this nation and this world will continue to crumble.

Adrian Rogers called the devil a “master of media.” Satan knows how to twist and bend and pollute your mind in a way that will desensitize you to the truth of God’s Word. And I honestly believe that he uses the attractive images of television to do just that. Watch out! Am I saying that every Christian ought to throw away every television in his household? No. But what I am saying is that each and every one of us ought to get down on our knees and ask God to make it real to us. We need to ask Him to guard our hearts and our minds so that we may keep ourselves pure before Him.

If you do not know Jesus Christ personally as the Lord of your life today, please turn completely from all sin and acknowledge Jesus Christ alone as Lord. If you do that, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

What God’s People Have Allowed Entertainment to Become

Several months ago, I rediscovered Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and their movies. Since that rediscovery, I have watched just about every one of their movies that I have been able find on YouTube. Something that is quite interesting to me about those movies is this: To my knowledge, there is not one word of blasphemy or profanity to be found in even one of Roy's more-than-ninety movies. Out of the large number of his movies that I have seen, I have only counted four kissing scenes, and they were very short and almost hidden. As if this were not interesting enough, there's more.

Roy and Dale did not come to know the Lord until sometime within the year of 1948. Roy started making movies in '38. By the time they came to know the Lord, they had already made the majority of their movies. In fact, I just counted and Roy had made sixty-nine movies before that time. It is obvious that all of the immorality was not left out because of some conviction Roy or Dale had, but because of the convictions of someone else. And no doubt, most people back then would not have even considered for one split second watching a movie like the ones we see today.

So why is this generation so much different? I personally think that it is because at some point in time, God's people sat down, so to speak. When are we going to get back up? When are we going to again start letting our convictions mold society, instead of letting society mold our convictions?

I believe that there are enough born-again believers to make a complete change in the entertainment industry. But how do we do it? There are three things that one must know in order to fix a problem: Who created the problem? How did they create the problem? And what has allowed the problem to exist?

First of all, who did create the problem? Was it Hollywood? No! It was God’s people. That leads us into our second question.

Now that we know that God’s people are the ones who created the problem of ungodly entertainment, we must ask ourselves how they did it. Well, they simply let their guard down. If I have a dog in an invisible fence, there is a device attached to his collar that will let him know when he is about to cross over a certain boundary. But suppose one day I turn off the power to the invisible fence. Sure, the dog will stay in the fence for a while. That is until he realizes that nothing is going to happen when he crosses over the boundary. One day that dog is going to accidentally cross over the boundary line and nothing will happen. Although he may not wander far that day, he is going to get out again. And eventually when that dog feels like that fence will never again be turned on, he is going to roam all over the place. This leads us into our third question.

What has allowed the problem to continue? God’s people have failed to speak up for the truth. We learned in the above paragraph that the problem was caused by God’s people letting their guard down. What has allowed the problem to continue is what happened after that as a result of that. Because God’s people let their guard down, Hollywood eventually made a mistake. And when no one corrected that mistake, Hollywood made more and more and more mistakes until the whole thing spun out of control.

There is but one way to fix it all: God’s people need to wake up! Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” There is a healing, folks! There is a healing for this nation. There is a healing for the family. And there is a healing for you. Will you wake up and stand guard?

In order to truly fix the problem, however, one must first want to fix it. And it order to want to fix the problem, one must realize the severity of the problem. What will happen if this problem is not resolved? Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death.” The ways of sin can only bring death and destruction. The ways of Jesus can only bring life eternal.

Satan has designed the entertainment industry of today to defile and destroy the soul. That is his sole purpose. As Adrian Rogers used to say, “what the devil can get you to laugh at, you will never take seriously again.” If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, you cannot take this issue seriously. Jesus is the only one who can give you a new heart and new desires. And if you are a child of God and you have saturated your life with the things of this world, you need to get on your knees and beg God for mercy and ask Him to change you and help you to live a life that is pleasing to Him in every way.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord of your life today, please turn completely from all sin and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. If you do that, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

“Four Lies That Ruined the World” by Adrian Rogers

I just watched one of Adrian Rogers’s messages entitled “Four Lies That Ruined the World.” I want you to watch it too. I also made an outline as I always do when I listen to Adrian Rogers, and I will post that below.

You can click here to watch.

Four Lies That Ruined the World

Dr. Adrian Rogers

Genesis 3:1-5

•  Satan’s whole system is built on a lie. (John 8:44)   
• “Satan’s goal is murder. His method is a lie.” A. Rogers 
• "You have to look beyond the surface to see the lies of the devil.” A. Rogers 
• “The best lies are the ones that sound the most like the truth.” A. Rogers 
• The thought is the father of the deed. (Proverbs 23:7)
• Satan’s Four Big Lies
•  God is not good. (Genesis 3:1)
• Satan tries to get us to believe that God is withholding good from us.
• God is not truthful. (Genesis 3:4) 
• The devil wants us to think skeptically about God. 
• “Anyone who cases skepticism regarding the authority, accuracy, acceptability, impeccability, infallibility, and authenticity of the Word of God is doing the work of the devil.” A. Rogers
• What we have substituted for the Word of God.
• Relativism- no fixed truth.
• Subjectivism- feelings and experiences.
• Rationalism- logic.
• Pragmatism- does it work?
• Postmodernism- truth is subjective and individualistic.
• The devil does not want us to have a fixed standard of truth.
• God is not righteous. (Genesis 3:4)
• The devil wants us to believe that there is no God of judgment.
• The devil knows that people fear death. That is why so many people believe in reincarnation.
• God is not gracious. (Genesis 3:4-5)
• Satan tells us that we can be our own god and have our own way.
• Revelation 22:4
• 1 Corinthians 2:9
• Satan tells us that we can never be fulfilled until we do our own thing.
• “Those who know the least about sin are those who are deepest in it.” A. Rogers
• How do we overcome the lies of the devil?
• Revelation 12:9-11
• By Calvary’s conquest.
• By the word of our testimony—courageous confession.
• Bring the Word of God against the lies of the devil.
• By complete commitment. (Revelation 12:11)