EVERY MAN AND WOMAN WILL GIVE AN ACCOUNT TO GOD

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Every man is made by God, every man will give an account to God, and that truth will outlast any human power to defy him. God is righteous and holy and He will judge evil and wickedness. How many people in the world are living in accordance with this truth? Sadly, not many, so let us that know the truth, do our best to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead to alert those to this truth, to whomever He takes us. Just follow His lead. Don’t try and do anything in your own strength that is wasted time. God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell every believers spirit so we can once again be the lamp of the Lord as stated in Proverbs: “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27. A lamp cannot function without oil which is the Holy Spirit.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” 2 Corinthians 5:10-11

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GOD AT WORK IN OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

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A huge move of God broke out at The Ohio State University last weekend with hundreds of college students showing deep hunger for God as the new school year kicked off. A team of student reporters from The Lantern newspaper reports the event was led by the school’s football team members who preached the gospel before 800-1,000 people. Some campus ministries and churches helped to organize it. Throughout the evening, football players shared their testimonies as the crowd grew larger and larger. “I was just doing my thing because it was fun, and I’ll tell you this: I was on High Street, and I enjoyed it,” former Buckeyes wide receiver Kamryn Babb said, according to The Lantern. “I had fun. But at the same time, I didn’t recognize my condition. I was spiritually dead. I was spiritually dead. I could go out there, and I could smile and laugh. I can return to the {Woody Hayes Athletic Centre}, smile, and laugh. But on the inside, I was broken. I was broken.” By the night’s end, an estimated 60 students chose to get baptized into the Christian faith in four tubs of water near the stage.

Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka shared his excitement for what God is doing. “We were praying for years and years for an event like this, and we were praying with expectation — we serve a miracle-working God,” he said. “So, we definitely had an expectation when it came out, but God did increasingly and abundantly more than what we thought. So, we’re just so blessed and thankful.”   Ohio State offensive lineman Luke Montgomery also recently used his platform to tell reporters about Jesus. “I never didn’t trust the Lord’s will and His path for me, if that makes any sense,” the sophomore athlete told reporters during a press conference “When I got here, I was blessed with the opportunity to have Scripture-based Bible studies with … guys that are moving on to the next part of their journey.” As he steps into this new season, Montgomery said the responsibility of making faith central to what he and his teammates do has fallen to him and his other Christian peers. “It’s the Lord’s way; it’s not mine,” he said. “Things go His way, and you’ve just got to trust in His plan.”

Source: CBNNews

GOD RAISES UP THOSE IN AUTHORITY

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There is no doubt that God is in control of history. Nothing happens in the Cosmos He created that He does not initiate or allow. However, often God allows people to elect the leader they want so they get what they deserve. Gay marriage, destruction of the family, etc.

By a slim majority, the Republicans have elected Mike Johnson, a devout Christian as House speaker, and in his opening speech, he spoke strongly about His belief that God is in control of history.

A devout Baptist, Johnson said that he does not “believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this,” saying that “the Bible is very clear that God is the One that raises up those in authority.”

“He raised up each of you, all of us,” Johnson said to his Republican and Democrat colleagues. “I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time.”

“This is my belief. I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today to use the gifts that God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of this great country and they deserve it.”

Johnson said God called Congress to help “ensure that our Republic remains standing as the great beacon of light and hope and freedom in a world that desperately needs it.”

Johnson spoke about the national motto “In God We Trust” and how the words were placed in the House chamber as a conscious rejection of communism during the Cold War.

He stressed the value of the Declaration of Independence and its statement that “all men are created equal” by God, quoting Christian writer and apologist G.K. Chesterton, who once said that “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.”

Johnson said that while he believes that right now is “a very dangerous time” and “the world is in turmoil,” he declared that “a strong America is good for the entire world.” “We are the beacon of freedom, and we must preserve this grand experiment in self-governance,” he said. “We’re only 247 years into this grand experiment; we don’t know how long it will last.” “We are in a time of extraordinary crisis right now, and the world needs us to be strong; they need us to remember our creed and our admonition.”

Johnson touched on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, vowing that “the first bill that I’m going to bring to this floor in just a little while, will be in support of our dear friend, Israel.” “We’re going to show not only Israel but the entire world that the barbarism of Hamas that we have all seen play out in our television screens is wretched and wrong,” he said. “We are going to stand for the good in that conflict.”

He also spoke of the dangers presented by the wave of illegal immigration and the ongoing fentanyl crisis, declaring that “we must come together and address the broken border.”

Johnson acknowledged that Americans “live in a time of bitter partisanship” and “it has been on display here today” in the House of Representatives. “When our people are losing their faith in government when they are losing sight of the principles that made us the greatest nation in the history of the world, I think we’ve got to be mindful of that,” Johnson said.

“We’re going to fight; we’re going to fight vigorously over our core principles because they are at odds a lot of times now in this modern era. We have to sacrifice, sometimes our preferences, because that’s what’s necessary in a legislative body.”

Johnson noted that while “we will defend our core principles to the end,” noting that he considered the “core principles of American conservatism” to actually be “the core principles of our nation.”

“I boil them down to individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity,” Johnson listed.

“Those are the foundations that made us the extraordinary nation that we are, and you and I today are the stewards of those principles.”

Knowing what the Bible has prophesied about the days we are living in, I doubt Mike Johnson will be able to change the trajectory of the USA as it continues to cast God out of all aspects of its life. Nevertheless, in His opening speech, he challenged the government’s representatives about the consequences of their decisions before God.

KNOWING GOD

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Believers are usually pretty comfortable with revering God for his immortality, power, and perfection, and so we should be. He is the Creator, in whom we live and move and have our being. He is the Great I Am. But our connection with God will always be unfolding. If a person only focuses on the immensity of God, and on reverence for him, they will know little intimacy. If a person understands the great freedom we are promised in Christ but knows no reverence, they will be without foundation, To walk closely with God, we must be ever journeying, getting to know facet after facet of the divine nature. It is madness to think of him as less complex, less finely calibrated than ourselves.

God has sovereignly chosen to make himself vulnerable, in that he experiences difficult and negative emotions, along with great joy and delight, in response to earthly events.

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-7

Divine regret is a difficult concept, as it challenges our understanding of infallibility. We relate regret to either poor choices, bad luck, or lack of knowledge – ‘If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have done it.’ But God was fully cognizant of every one of his actions and choices, and still found himself regretting some of them. For God to feel regret, he must therefore be vulnerable to our choices. Free will must actually be free, and poor choices on our part can cause divine pain. The Lord gets upset and frustrated, just as He is pleased and delighted by us in turn. The only way I can make sense of this vulnerability is as a deliberate, sovereign choice. The Lord of All could have placed himself above such feelings, but instead, he chose a version of creation in which the choices of his children affect him.

We can see the breadth of God’s emotions at work in the life of Jesus. What do you make of the following passage?

‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!’ Matthew 23:37

Compassion, for example, drove him to acts of kindness and mercy, such as healing the sick.

‘And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.’” Matthew 14:14

Jesus knew ordinary, everyday emotions too, such as pleasure and friendship. There was a particular disciple he was closer to than any other, on a human level. John is referred to as ‘the disciple that Jesus loved’ on several occasions and was depicted leaning back on Jesus’ chest at the last supper to ask him a question. On the cross, Jesus charged this same disciple with looking after his mother, and his mother with looking after this disciple.

“When Jesus, therefore, saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.’” John 19:26-27

How human! How relatable! On the day of his death, he was concerned about those he was leaving behind, providing for their emotional needs by calling them, mother and son. How dear, how important, this must have been to Jesus, at that moment.

There was no time when the emotions of God were stretched like they were in the Garden of Gethsemane.

‘And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ Luke 22:41-44

At that moment Jesus was a man in torment, able to prevent his own suffering but choosing to embrace it anyway. He was desperate to escape the agony of the cross – not just the physical pain, but the spiritual horror of becoming all human brokenness, for our sake – and yet he bowed his head. This total mastery of self serves as a supreme example to us. If Jesus were not a deeply emotional person, mastery might have been easier, but being torn up inside and still submitting to God? That is staggering, to me, what about you?

Adapted from an article by Duncan Edward Pile, October 27th, 2021 “Hold Me Closer Cosmic Dancer” http://www.patheos.com

FUTILITY OF THEIR MINDS

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“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” Ephesians 4:17

It is a modern futility of the mind that sexual identity is now a matter of personal preference and is disconnected from the body God has given us as demonstrated by our sexual organs, chromosomes and DNA.

The problem is not just mental or cultural but spiritual. They believe the lies, the falsehoods of the evil one, having no knowledge of the spiritual battle that is taking place. They are literally under the control of Satan and his demons. Satan hates us because we are the image bearers of God. and he will do his utmost to destroy us.

“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.” Ephesians 4:18-19

These are harsh words: because of the ignorance in them, they are darkened in their understanding, have hardened hearts, and are alienated from God. Thereby they become callous and given up to every kind of impurity.

What is to be our reaction? This scripture makes it clear our response is to be twofold.

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Ephesians 5:11

Christ must be our model of how we expose and address gender and sex issues. Invariably they will call us bigots and haters but others who know us will say, “No, they disagree with us, but I think they love me and want what is best for me.”

“Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:10-12

Jesus healing the sick. Jesus must be our model for how we treat others

YOU TOO CAN ENCOUNTER GOD

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What it takes to encounter God is complete surrender, nothing less will do. Glennys Hyland a single mum (mom) from Honduras discovered this critical truth. Like all of us Glennys struggled with the questions “Is God Real?”, “Can He, Will He help me?”

Struggling with these questions Glennys Hyland risked everything leaving her home country of Honduras. A single mom with two children immigrating to a new land, Glennys heard God say to her on the plane to America, “tell everyone that you get in contact with that I AM real”.

Sharing the real and vulnerable experiences of a woman’s daily walk with the Lord, Glennys shares in her book, “I AM REAL” how real God can be in life’s most challenging times. Through detailed recollections of the unexpected and disappointing seasons of life, Glennys tells of her struggles dealing with a spirit of fear, the sudden loss of loved ones, scars of rejection, the weight of homelessness, and overcoming sickness.

Encountering God and the practical instructions He gave her to live life in complete surrender to Him, Glennys discovered obedience resulted in constant interventions of God’s supernatural provision.

From healing for her soul, to a strong and healthy marriage, and experiencing countless souls converted to Christ Glennys shows us God is real and He wants to be real to you too.

Testimonies are powerful, make sure you use yours to good effect in the place God has put you.

IS GOD REAL?

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This is probably one of the most important videos I have seen on the arguments for a theistic world view versus an atheistic world view.

John Lennox is always a delight to listen to and I am now a fan of Dr. Stephen Meyer. Both men have Ph.D. qualifications from prestigious universities, Lennox, Oxford, and Meyer, Harvard. What has to be a first, Oxford University Professor Dr. Lennox in Mathematics and Philosophy. Both men exhibit a humility that is only evident in devout Christians.

Intelligent design proponent Stephen Meyer sits down for a conversation with Oxford mathematician, and debater extraordinaire, John Lennox. Both have explored the intersection of science and faith, and challenged the atheistic materialism pushed by many scientists and scholars. Here they discuss the science that leads them to believe in a purpose driven universe from the origin of life to biological evolution to the fine-tuning of nature and the universe. The conversation comes in advance of the forthcoming one night only film “Against the Tide: Finding God in an Age of Science.” The movie stars Oxford University mathematician John Lennox and actor Kevin Sorbo, and highlights debates between Professor Lennox, arguing the case for theism, supported by science, against prominent atheists including Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens. You can see it on November 19, for one night only, in theaters across the US. Be sure to reserve your tickets here: https://againstthetide.movie/.

CAN WE KNOW GOD IS REAL?

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Nabeel Qureshi, ex-Muslim turned Christian apologist, died in 2017 after a year-long battle with stomach cancer. The 34-year-old left behind a wife and two-year-old daughter.

Qureshi published three books, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, and Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward, and No God but One: Allah or Jesus? A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity.

Qureshi made the official announcement of his cancer diagnosis August 2016.

“This is an announcement that I never expected to make, but God in his infinite and sovereign wisdom has chosen me for this refining, and I pray he will be glorified through my body and my spirit. My family and I have received the news that I had advanced stomach cancer and the prognosis is quite grim,” he said in a Facebook post.

Qureshi continued to share the gospel and updates on his treatment through videos on his social media page.

In the last video before his death, he said he hoped he leaves behind a legacy of love.

“As you consider my ministry, I hope it leaves a message of love, of peace, of truth, of caring for one another,” he says. “Our God is a God of love.”

Listen to Nabeel on “Can We Know if God is Real”.

DO YOU BELIEVE GOD SPEAKS TO US?

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Read Bill Yount’s story of how God broke through his doubts, to speak to Bill, and how it changed his life. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice. His sheep spend time in His Word, they spend time in prayer and they spend time in praise. 

What’s keeping you from hearing God’s voice clearly? This is part 1 of Bill’s message on listening to God. The second part is what Bill believes God wants us do in this “crucial hour” we are in, leading up to His second coming. 

“As a new Christian, out of the gate running, hell took its best shot at me to abort the innate desire to ever hear God’s voice. A wedge of contention drove deep between my Bible teacher and me the moment he said, “God spoke to me.” Those words were alien to me. Immediately, my whole being was flooded with doubts as the enemy unleashed those infamous fatal words: “Indeed, has God said?” (Gen. 3:1). Surely this man had a big ego problem, thinking God Almighty would take the time to speak to him personally among the billions of people on earth.

I left the Bible study in frustration that evening, thinking he was certainly out of his mind. That crazy teacher kept me awake. An hour later a question walked into my bedroom, “But what if you could? What if you could actually hear God speak to you?” As I began to faintly consider the possibility of an answer, that question lit a fire within me that has never gone out. I thought to myself, if God could actually speak to me, I would be willing to wait 30 or 40 years to hear him speak one word: not a whole sentence but just one word.

God wants to speak to you. Two hours later, the Lord Himself walked into my sleepless night. He said, “Son, I want to speak to you more than you want Me to.”

From that moment, my journey began listening for His voice. Now you know what I live for. I live to hear God speak. My worst days have taught me:

When God speaks, you live. When God speaks, you’re healed. When God speaks, you’re delivered. Storm clouds scatter. Dead dreams thunder with life. I’m not talking about man speaking, but when God speaks, you live. His voice has brought me through hell and back, changing doctors’ reports and adding years to my life. The devil’s best shot missed me.”

Bill is a member of Bridge of Life in Hagerstown, Maryland, where he is an elder and a home missionary for the past 40 years. He faithfully served in prison ministry at Mount Hope Inc. for 23 years and now travels full-time, ministering in churches and Aglow circles. Bill has authored several prophetic books. His latest book is The Power of Real / Transparent Prophetic Encouragement. Visit Bill’s website at billyount.com.

 

GREAT TESTIMONY BY CHRIS PRATT – TIME TO BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS

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“Jurassic World” actor Chris Pratt accepted the Generation Award at this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards which aired Monday night and used the platform to share nine points of advice that were humorous and offered strong Christian guidance.

“This being the Generation Award, I’m going to cut to the chase and I’m going to speak to you, the next generation. I accept the responsibility as your elder. So listen up,” Pratt declared before listing the “nine rules from Chris Pratt, Generation Award-winner.”

Below are the important six points of advice Pratt offered in his list of nine:

1. You have a soul. Be careful with it.

2. If you’re strong, be a protector. If you’re smart, be a humble influencer. Strength and intelligence can be weapons, so do not wield them against the weak. That makes you a bully. Be bigger than that.

3. It doesn’t matter what it is. Earn it. A good deed. Reach out to someone in pain. Be of service. It feels good and it’s good for your soul.

4. God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that, I do.

5. Learn to pray. It’s easy, and it is so good for your soul.

6. Nobody is perfect. People will tell you that you are perfect just the way that you are; you are not! You are imperfect. You always will be. But there is a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you are willing to accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift. Like the freedom that we enjoy in this country, that grace was paid for with somebody else’s blood. Do not forget that. Don’t take that for granted.

He ended the epic speech with a “God bless you” to everyone as the crowd cheered.

Hear Chris yourself and be encouraged to share your own testimony and witness wherever/whenever you get the opportunity, to bring glory to your Heavenly Father and your Saviour Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will give you opportunities if you are available and listening.