Mistakes--God Turns Them Around

Today, I want to speak a word of encouragement to all of "us" who have ever made a mistake. Can I tell you that in the midst of any circumstance or trouble, God understands...and He can turn it around. In fact, God can take a mistake and turn it into a "miracle". We all make mistakes. There is not one of us immune from them, and at one time or another, we have all made a wrong choice or simply messed up. In these times, I'm sure we have even felt like we were trapped, when the solution to problem would seem worse than the problem. And yes, those mistakes we make may lead to circumstances that seem awfully hard...but, remember--God can turn it around.

Maybe today, you find yourself having done the wrong thing, made the wrong choice, done something you knew you shouldn't do and now, you are feeling the consequences of what you have done. Consequences that are all around you. It doesn't matter what mistake you have made, or what tragedy has struck, God is well able to take your mistake, your awful circumstances and turn them around. In the hands of God, your mistakes will be changed into a "miracle". God is on your side, and you can not lose. He will take whatever mistake you have made, and...turn it around.

The apostle Paul, in Romans 8:28, says "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose". Let me encourage you today, when I tell you that this verse tells us of God's ability to turn our "situations, circumstances and mistakes" around. "All things" include our failures, our shortcomings, our mistakes and our "mess ups". He will take them all and turn them around for good, if we will pray...love Him and seek to do what He wants us to do.

Today, know that God can turn any situation around---period. You must be totally convinced that He can take anything, any problem, any situation, any trial, and any mistake--and make it into a miracle. Know that He can "turn it around". You must also accept that God loves you unconditionally. Please know, that no matter what has come your way, that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you. You are an overcomer.

Take your mistakes to Him, surrender all...and watch God---"turn it around".

"I'm Free" by Lynda Randle

May the words of this song bring the truth of being "free" alive in your spirit today. There are no more shackles, we are free.

Knowing God's Love

One of the first songs I can remember hearing as a child began like this, "Jesus loves me, this I know". It was from an early age that I learned of God's love and how much he loved me. It's true even when you and I don't feel it. This love of God. How can I know for sure that God loves me? "Because the bible tells me so." John 3:16 says, "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 so loved...". Can you imagine the love it took for God to send his son to the cross? God loved us enough that He gave up His only son. Is it sometimes hard for you to believe God has a special love just for you? God doesn't see you as you see yourself, whether its feeling unworthy, feeling guilty, addicted, weak or a multitude of other things. When God looks at you, He only sees a beloved child, covered with His grace and mercy. I know, its easy to say God loves you and you've probably heard it a hundred times before. The question is how can you make it real in your life, so real that you are changed. You can't. But, God can. God can change the way we think, and change our lives, but you must seek Him and desire Him. You must draw close to Him, and ask Him to lead you.

No matter how you may feel, just remember, you are the focus of God's attention. He longs to love you, to be your friend. If there was ever a man who wanted to lavish his bride with love, or his son with many gifts, God longs for you to have only the best. Even in the midst of our struggles, we should expect great things from our God. With our Lord, the impossibilities are only playthings. Rise up!

How wide is God's love? Wide enough--to reach the broken, the empty, the prostitute, the abused, the rich, the poor and yes, even wider still.

How long is God's love? Beyond our most secret hiding place, beyond our foolishness, beyond our mistakes, beyond our faults and farther still.

How deep is God's love? Deeper than any feeling of guilt, deeper than our shame, deeper than our hurts, deeper than our unworthiness, deeper than any fear and deeper still.

In the darkest hours of our lives, when we are at our lowest and feeling so far from God...look up! The enemy will seek to keep you looking down, bound to your feelings, but...look up! When the world around us trembles, fear not...look up! The enemy will try anything he can to keep you defeated and bound, every tactic that he can employ. One of the devil's favorite tactics is to surround us and cut off our supplies. If he can, he will get us out of the Word, and to the place we no longer pray. He will do all he can to keep us out of church. If you no longer pray, if you no longer study the Word and you have drifted out of church--be prepared. You have created an opening for the enemy to lay siege on your life. You must awaken yourself, rouse yourself from this state and refuse to let the devil draw you away from God.

If you find yourself today lost in feelings of unworthiness, emptiness, or bound by the tactics of the enemy...humble yourself, be honest about your struggles before God and ask the Lord to forgive you. Ask Him to help you learn to forgive yourself. Yield yourself to Him, for his purposes and allow Him to flood you with His love. And remember, "It's never too late".

Permagos-Satan's Throne

I want to share some thoughts with you today about the country of Turkey and bible prophecy. I have posted earlier studies of why I believe the anti-christ will arise out of Turkey, today I want to talk about the city of Permagos. Permagos was one of the seven churches which Christ delivered seven special messages to in Revelation 2:12-17. The city of Permagos (Pergamum) today lies in the country of Turkey.

Let's go back to the time when Christ wrote the seven letters, to the seven churches, and capture a view of this city Pergamum. The city lay about 65 miles north of Smyrna, spread along the valley of the Caicus River. The city was not as commerically important as Ephesus or Smyrna, because of it's location and having no major roads passing through it. Pergamum did hold the official honor of being the provincial capital of Roman Asia. It was a city of great beauty and wealth, with a library of reaching almost 200,000 volumes. Pergamum was a city filled with temples to Dionysus, Athena, Asclepius and Demeter, the three temples to the emperor cult, a great altar to Zeus and its many palaces. The city had 2 dominant religions, the worship of Dionysus-the god of the royal kings (symbolized by a bull) and Asclepius-the god of healing (symbolized by the snake). It is said that the temples of Asclepius were filled with these serpents. A Greek traveller, Pausanias of Lydia, wrote of Asclepios as "sitting on a throne with...his...hand upon the head of a serpent". The serpent was in fact a totem of the god, but harmless varieties of these snakes had free run of the shrines. A christian living in this time, would have found himself confronted not only with cults, but by the symbol of satan--the snake, at every turn.

Pergamum was a city plagued with idolatry, statues and idols being widespread. The city celebrated a victory over the Celtic tribes by building an altar to Zeus, then a temple. It stood high upon the hill of Acropolis, and was visible to almost all the city and for miles away. The altar has been reported being 36m square with a height of 15m. (A meter is roughly 3 feet). This altar was engraved with the gods of Olympus battling giants who had snake-like tails. Again, the symbol of satan presents itself.

Pergamum is said to have exceeded all other cities at that time in wickedness. Its pagan inhabitants lived in luxury, but were steeped in great vice. It at this time, probably had in it more idols than any other place in Asia. In Rev. 2:13, Jesus said something very interesting in His Words to the Church at Pergamum (Pergamos). Jesus said, "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."

Here, Jesus states that satan has a throne, in the city Pergamum. Satan had his throne set in a city where he felt most comfortable, where most of the citizens were worshipping him. If satan had a throne, in a city, then--would he not still have a throne, in a city, today. Satan is the god of this world, this we already know from scripture and surely today, he stills sits on a throne of some type. In my earlier studies, I linked the anti-christ to the country of Turkey. There is no doubt that in Permagos, there was a great evil and that satan ruled from there. I believe that this same evil exists today, and will be that which brings the anti-christ into power, as he is raised up in the end-times. I believe the city of Pergamos will play a vital role in the rise of the anti-christ as well. Until the next time--God Bless.

"He Dropped The Charges" (Tareva Henderson)

I know that I often place videos of singing here on my blog, but I tend to believe that many times, a song can touch us when nothing else can. There are some songs that just reach out and minister to me in a way I can't explain. It feels like they were written, and are being sung just for me. I hope that one or more of the songs I post here on my blog, will find their way to your heart and minister to you in that time you need it the most.

Eliminating "Negativity"

Is it possible for you and I to open a door for "negativity" into our lives? The answer is, as you may already know, yes. There are in fact, many doors, for negativity to enter our lives if we will allow it to have a place. We are all receptacles--influenced by what we hear, what we see, the people around us, the environment we live in, and the circumstances we encounter. All these influences are doors into our lives, allowing either the positive or the negative to enter in. What are you opening the door to in your life today?

If we give way to negativity, before long it will begin to consume our thoughts, then flow into our words and eventually begin filling our lives. We will find that the things we don't want in our lives, we are drawing in. If we doubt, then that doubt will build on more doubt. If we fear, it will build on more fear. Worry, of course, builds on more worry. It is these type things that will pull more and more negative things into our minds, our speech, and our lives. We must commit to eliminating the negative influences in our lives.

I believe the first step begins with our mind, having the mind of Christ and thinking God's way not the way of the "world". We must be painfully aware of the influences of the "world's" way in our daily lives. How are you being influenced by the world today? The world is filled with negativity and it surrounds us everywhere we go. We must think in God's way to overcome it. Our speech will reveal the thoughts of our minds, and how we are thinking. We must speak God's way--not the way of the world. Our lives will come in line with our thoughts and our words, what type of life are you living today?

We should never, ever, allow the negative opinions, thoughts or influences of others to lead us away from living a "positive" lifestyle. When you hear someone tell you that you "can't"--you should rise up and know that you "can", that you were created as winner. There's no argument or debate, you "can". We are easily influenced (infected) by the negativity of other people. It is amazing how quickly negative thoughts can spread from one person to another. Hearing and receiving the "negative" is the easy way, in choosing to live for God and choosing a "positive" life, you have entered a battle. It will take effort, and we can not afford to let others influence (infect) us with the "negative". We must become either strong enough to live this godly life, filled with the positive, or shut the door on those that speak negativity into our lives.

If we allow the negative influence of others into our lives, then we open our lives up to defeat. I believe we should never leave a door open for defeat, only for victory. If David, when facing the gaint Goliath, had listen to those around him--David would have run in fear. David's own brother spoke negativity into David's life, and the door had to be shut on his brother's doubt filled words.
Everyone thought David to be just a child unable to fight the gaint. Yes, David in the natural (the world) appeared to be unbelievably outmatched. It seemed there was no way this teenage boy could defeat Goliath the giant. But, you know, isn't that the way our battles, struggles and trials should look? It's because they do look this way, that we have the opportunity to let the world see us exercise our faith and see God move as our faith takes hold. David was in covenant with God, and he knew that God would deliver him, no matter what the "world" said. You and I are in a covenant relationship with God, never allow the negativity to lead you to defeat.

The Trap of Mediocrity

The "Mediocre Life"...a safe, uneventful and ordinary life. A life in which we are attempting to do something, but of what quality. The world will tell you that a mediocre life is okay, that it is an average life and that there is nothing at all wrong with that. The average life. After all, aren't most people living an "average life". The world looks at us and asks us to choose...a life safe and ordinary or the exceptional life. The exceptional life filled with adventure and excellence. Which will you choose?

The problem with mediocrity is that we too easily become trapped. Once we settle for the mediocre, the average, it becomes easier to accept it in all areas of our lives. The life we have settled for isn't really a good or bad life, it is just an average life. It is a lower quality of life that has trapped our dreams, chained them and then locked them away. This life leaves us with no inspiration, as we find that we are "drifting"without direction or purpose. Inside, we can hear our purpose screaming out to not let go, to shake off the chains of the mediocre life and choose to live in excellence.

In choosing to live a life of excellence, we will embrace a life of freedom. It is deciding to do our best in all areas of our lives, in all things, large or small. It is a decision to free ourselves of fear and the burdens of past mistakes. This life of excellence is lived by choosing daily to live at our best, as we rise above the "mediocre" that surrounds us. "Life will pay you whatever amount you ask of it, if you demand enough of yourself to give only the very best". It is our decision to progress or remain in a life of mediocrity.