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  It’s a clever play on words…if you ask me. And while I’m no word meister, I do appreciate the English language enough when the use of so few words can say so much, just like the saying on this image I shared today. “No Jesus – No peace. Know Jesus – Know peace” It really is that simple. Peace is what He came to offer us (John 14:27), but it was ‘HIS’ peace and not the temporal or artificial ‘peace of mind’ that the world claims to offer; and believe me – there is a difference. Quoting the prophets of old, the indictment was clear when Paul reaffirmed: “The way of peace they (we) have not known.” (Rom. 3:17). And guess what Jesus came to do- ‘to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death…and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79). And here’s the really good part- it was to be the means in which Jesus (via the Holy Spirit) would not only remain with us…but continue to lead and guide us. It is the peace of God that resides in our hearts (Ph...
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  For all this “Bible talk’ we hear regarding the ‘end of the age’ and ‘last days’ or the ‘end of time’… has it ever occurred to you that every single generation faces their own ‘end of the age’ and ‘last days’? No, really…think about that for a moment. If you are one of those Bible students who reads the ‘good book’ through the lens where much of its content is directed at one specific ‘generation’ of people who will just happen to be around here for the final …’final days’… then you might be missing out on a lot of pertinent information that actually applies to any and all of us today…regardless of if/when God finally ‘pulls the plug’ and the lights go out. Obviously it’s a question that folks have pondered and discussed since God began communicating with us, where He would often speak of the ‘latter days’, which is mentioned frequently throughout the scriptures. Even those closest to Jesus came to Him privately and asked: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be t...
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  So just how are Christian ‘believers’ supposed to respond to rising ‘concerns’ that can appear to be ‘threats to a way of life they have known’, as I was asked privately yesterday after sharing my message. And just where and how does ‘spiritual warfare’ come in to play? My post had more to do with identifying who our real ‘enemy’ is, as opposed to our ‘perceived…enemy’. I knew it would hit a nerve with some, if not many who read it. All I know to do is look to scripture and trust the leading of the Holy Spirit to bring clarity to such questions, so let’s take a look at how Jesus taught and even demonstrated how we are to deal with our ‘perceived enemies’. When He first arrived on the scene, we know he was The ‘answered prayer’ of a nation of people who were desperately in need of a ‘deliverer’. And who was the perceived enemy at that time? The Roman Empire. What was the strategy that Jesus suggest we employ when with dealing with them? I believe He taught that we should ‘love...
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  I don’t know who needs to hear this, but let me again…shout it from the rooftop: Islam and Muslims are NOT… your ‘enemy’. The ‘left-wing-liberal-media’…is not your enemy nor are ‘communist and democratic socialist’ or the LGBQT+ community. And if you find yourself trusting in some president, or any political party for that matter…to ‘protect’ you from an enemy who wants to ‘destroy’ you and your family/country…your state of deception is showing in a bad way. I’m speaking now to those who claim or profess to be ‘believers’ or followers of Jesus. The Apostle Paul could not have been more explicit when he wrote to inform us that our conflict or struggle is NOT…with flesh and blood…rather with ‘spiritual forces of darkness and wickedness’ (Eph. 6:12). Peter tells us rather plainly who our ‘enemy’ is and calls him out as the ‘devil who goes about like a roaring lion seeking to devour’ (1 Pet. 5:8). That would be the same ‘devil’ whom Paul said we are to ‘give him no place or foothol...
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  “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby…” (1 Peter 2:2) What many people fail to realize when it comes to the Bible… is you can be well versed and acquainted with the writings on multiple levels…and still ‘not get it’. You can memorize and quote scripture all day long, name all 66 books contained in the Bible, as well as recite stories and historical accounts woven through those pages; but if you have failed to ‘come to Jesus’, as in place your heart and trust in Him…the book will remain a ‘closed book’ to you, if not a ‘dead’ one. But….but…but…”to those who do ‘receive Him (the Word)…to them He gives the power or the capacity to become children of God” (John1:1,12). In the same way that a woman must ‘receive the seed’ in order for conception to take place and for life to begin…so is it with any of us when it comes to receiving this ‘abundant life’ that Jesus came to offer us (John 10:10). He even told some devoted students of the scriptu...
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  Take a seed, any seed of your choosing…but preferably a seed that came from some fruit you had or might have grown in your garden, like tomatoes, squash, peppers, etc. Or, feel free to buy a package of seeds from a local shop that sells packaged seeds for gardening, and then take out a few, perhaps 2-3 individual seeds and set them on a table top, maybe a desk where you study/work; just set them aside but make sure they are visible to you…and then leave them alone. Care to guess what those seeds will look like over time as you observe them in that same spot, maybe a few weeks later? It’s a pretty safe bet that they will remain unchanged. Why do you think when you purchase seed from a seed store, packaged or not…that they remain as seed…until you do something with them? But now take those same seeds and get yourself a small Styrofoam cup that has some soil in it…and ‘plant’ those seeds just beneath the surface, adding a bit of water/moisture and then set that cup back where you ...
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  So what do you do when you come across any number of passages when reading your Bible that just kind of ‘kick you in the gut’, and you’re not sure what to make of them because clearly that’s ‘not the way you were taught to believe’? Do you simply ignore them, read past them, or maybe go find some commentary to ‘explain them away’ so you don’t have to deal with the discomfort you might be feeling at the time? Or do you silently pray: “Jesus…how have I never seen that verse before? Can you please explain this to me so I might better understand what I’m reading, because I sure don’t want to be guilty of rejecting what you have shared here!” ? And suppose someone is reading here this morning and you are admittedly, somewhat skeptical …and have no logical reason to even believe that the Bible is actually God’s ‘word’ for us today. You may admit it is widely read (or at least widely owned) by many, and has lots of good, interesting stories and lessons in it; but God’s actual word to...
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