Posts Tagged ‘Bible’

Is God on a Break?

Posted: September 14, 2025 in Inspirational
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There is no doubt that all of us have had a tough week. The list of events that happened in just these past few days are astounding and can literally bring us to our knees. Like you, I have heard so much conversation about how bad things are I am ready to explode. I can’t tell you how much I wish I had the answer. A message I could share with America to somehow take the pain away or make things better .

This country is hurting deeply and yet at the same time, many people are just angry. Like you, my reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk was one of profound loss and emptiness. I felt like evil won.

At the very same time, I saw pure viciousness spew from some people that really identified the level of hate many have towards one another by celebrating the death of someone they did not like.

I think when you look at these negative events added together it is easy to think that maybe the almighty God is on a break? In fact, I saw posts from people that basically said God doesn’t care because how could He? Look at what happened?

I read other people rationalizing God’s behavior or making excuses for why He allows these things to happen versus stepping in and squashing evil. In a week where so many horrible things happened one right after another, we are quick to explain what God is thinking and why He does or doesn’t do anything.

For me, I cannot, and will not put words into Gods mouth. I can only explain the “why” for anything He does or doesn’t do by using what the Bible says about Him or specifically about His character. So today’s post is short with my main emphasis on one point and one point only…

OUR GOD IS SOVEREIGN

  • I had the word sovereign explained to me this way that I think helps; Our God is 100% in charge of absolutely everything that happens in Heaven and on Earth. Period.
  • There is absolutely NOTHING on this Earth that can surprise God. EVER. He knows everything and works everything, bad and good, into His perfect will. 

After this week, I know that is hard to believe but keep reading.

  • God DOES NOT need our help to get Him off of the “bad news” hook. No matter what happens, bad or good, God does not need a public relations agency. Since the beginning of the world, God has made himself known to His creation…separating himself from what has been made. We have zero excuse…read this verse below.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20

  • As a believer, we look to God for answers during times like this because He has asked that we trust in Him. He is the only one with the answers to any situation even though on the surface it may not look that way. Look at this verse below, even though we don’t understand or…maybe what He is doing is not making sense?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding Proverbs 3:5

I want to remind you that God sacrificed His only Son for you and for me. My point here is that His ways are not our ways. If it were up to us, we know we would have failed so He took care of that, just like He will now.

So even though you may feel like we are operating in a world of darkness right now, again, I remind you that we are not alone. God is with us. Satan, on the other hand, our enemy, is operating on a very short leash. Soon, God will come and collect.

Our job is to HOLD FIRM and with faith, believe that God is 100% in charge…because He is.

Until next time Guys-

Does Jesus know you?

Posted: July 22, 2025 in Something to think about
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One of the very last messages preached by John MacArthur before he passed was titled “Why most Christians will miss the Rapture”. Now if that doesn’t grab your attention, I am not sure what will. We have never spoken about the Rapture on this blog before and today, I am proceeding as if you know what this is…but to summarize, The Rapture is when God will evacuate Christian’s before the beginning of the Tribulation. You can imagine there is a whole lot more to this topic but not today.

Now…I will tell you there is a great deal of debate about the sequence of events for what I am telling you. But, I am not an expert and I don’t pretend to be one… but I can tell you, as a Christian, you don’t want to miss the Rapture.

That said, here is the critical point you need to understand that as a Christian, you cannot love both Jesus and the world. You cannot have your feet on both sides of the fence simultaneously. God is very clear in the Bible that he is a jealous God and someone trying to live in both worlds will fail. Read this verse below:

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  1 John 2:19

The second point to understand is that this world is NOT neutral and if you think it is, you are very mistaken. I can take this statement a step further and say that if the world feels like home to you then maybe Heaven won’t. This world has no intention of helping you be a better Christian. Read this verse:

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  James 4:4

Simply put, rebellion against God are people with hearts that are married to the world. MacArthur said it this way, “Christians who have hearts that are captured by the temporary and not longing for the eternal”. 

The third major point for you to recognize is God is coming back for a people who have separated themselves from this world.  What does that mean for you and me? As the scripture says below, making every effort to be holy. You can never be perfect, but you can live your life trying. Read this verse:

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

MacArthur says, “Holiness is a requirement and not optional”.

Finally, and really one of the most important points I can make today is that without repentance, there is no salvation. I understand that is a tough, hard statement to hear but that is the truth. That is a significant part of the point above about working to be holy. Read this below:

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  Acts 17:30 

It is important to recognize that God is not fooled by appearances. You can’t fake God into thinking you are someone different than you really are. God knows your heart so we are back to the statement I made before, that you can’t keep sinning and keep Christ too. That is not a suggestion.

I will close with this statement from John MacArthur when he said, “Christ finds lukewarm christians nauseating”. If you are not pursuing God, you are running from Him. Plain and Simple. You may make an excuse, but that is a fact.

Guys I firmly believe you can do this. It will take your attention away from other stuff in your life but frankly, that is the point. Read this verse below:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age

Titus 2:11-12

I know this was a heavier topic but I can’t stress enough its importance and I have to ask this question one more time. 

Does Jesus know you?

Until next time guys-

Tribute to John MacArthur – 1935-2025

Posted: July 20, 2025 in Inspirational
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Many of you may have heard the very sad news this past week about the passing of John MacArthur, the Teacher-Pastor at Grace Bible Church near Thousand Oaks, California. He had been there for over 56 years. He became even more renowned during the awful Covid season when he stood firm against the State of California and Governor Gavin Newsom and refused to shut down his church. 

He literally defied what the State of California told him, deferring only to God, and in the end, Grace Bible Church won and held services throughout that difficult time.

It is very possible that you may never have heard of this man until the news broke this week of his passing, but I assure you that if you have read this blog before, then you are familiar with him because his influence is all over my IronManStrength blog and will continue to be. I have read 15 of his books and many of them twice and I found they are even better the second time. 

One of my regrets is I never got to see him preach in person, but thanks to YouTube, his sermons live on. 

I am the guy who likes to listen to him preach via his podcasts while I walk the miles I walk and in my opinion, his ability to speak biblical truth is exactly what this world needed and continues to need. His series of books titled:

The Gospel according to God,

The Gospel according to Jesus

The Gospel according to The Apostles,

The Gospel according to Paul,

…are extremely relevant and written in a way whereby he explains the theology of the good news of the gospel in an easy to understand manner. 

I learned this week through the media that he was a teacher that used the Bible to prove the Bible. He didn’t unnecesarily use lots of stories or personal anecdotes to help justify or emphasize sermons. He just used what the Bible says and that was enough.

Because of his influence on myself and this blog, I wanted to take just a few words and tell you that we lost a very important man in the Kingdom of God this week. In my opinion, he was the kind of man that doesn’t come along very often and from where I sit, I don’t see anyone now who can or will replace him. Why is this important? Because Satan knew John MacArthur as his enemy and one of his biggest adversaries on earth. John MacArthur reached millions of people throughout his lifetime using various media channels that broadcast his sermons. 

Guys, we need someone right now that isn’t afraid to speak Gods truth to a world that doesn’t want anything to do with it. We need another adversary like him to continue battling with our collective enemy.

John MacArthur said reading the Bible is like a lion, just open it up and let it out and it will do what its intended to do because Gods Word never returns void and will accomplish its purposes. 

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Guys, more than ever, we need more men to stand up and be committed to the truth of the Word of God. My commitment to you and the readers of this blog is that I will continue to bring you the truths of Gods Word wherever I find them and that will always include the very best of Pastor MacArthur.

We lost a great man of God this week and if you couldn’t tell, I am bummed.

But I will I leave you with some of his quotes from his books and sermons along the way.

Until next time guys-

  • We should not be entertained by the sins for which Christ died 
  • For some reason, we think of doubt and worry as “small” sins. But when a Christian displays unbelief…or an inability to cope with life, he is saying to the world, “My God cannot be trusted,” and that kind of disrespect makes one guilty of a fundamental error, the heinous sin of dishonoring God. That is no small sin.
  • The simplicity of the gospel gives what the complexity of human wisdom promises but never delivers.
  • There are basically only two kinds of religion in the world: those based on human achievement and those based on divine accomplishment. One says you can earn your way to heaven; the other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone.
  • All sin results from failure to act in faith.
  • The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with Him, the more the Spirit will make you like Him. The more you are like Him, the better you will understand His utter sufficiency for all of life’s difficulties. And that is the only way to know real satisfaction.

Why is it so Hard to Believe?

Posted: July 13, 2025 in Tough Times
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Much has been written and spoken about Abraham, the Old Testament patriarch—and far more than can be covered with a single blog post.

Abraham is not only important to the Christian faith, but also to Muslims because he was the father of Ismael, who as mentioned in Genesis 16:12 below, was against everyone.

This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; he will live at odds with all his brothers.

Interesting verse, isn’t it? But let’s get back to Abraham because he did something in his life that caused God to award him with status that I know all of us would give anything to have. God saw something very different in Abraham that gave Him confidence to know that He could begin the Jewish nation. 

Abraham was clearly very special in God’s eyes and that has always struck me…what made him different? What did he do that would cause the Creator to think in his mind, “that is my guy”? “He is the one I am going to work with”.

When you read about Abraham you can tell right away that he is a man of action. He was a complete doer when the situation called for it. He wrestled with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He rescued his nephew Lot and his family when they were captured. 

But what I found most intriguing about Abraham was that his “believing,” not his “doing,” is what moved God. This is the central verse of this post is exactly why I wrote it.

Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:12

Think about that verse for a moment…for the very first time in the Bible, we see faith and righteousness mentioned together. Why is this important? Because of this statement:

By Abraham simply believing in God, God gave him a right standing or a “different” standing with Him.

God performed a transaction: Abraham’s belief = right standing with God

Abraham’s heart was turned toward God in an enduring trust, obedience, and submissive relationship. Because of that rock-solid belief, that changed his status with the Creator of this universe. 

Abraham didn’t conquer the greatest army in the world or climb the highest mountain. All he did was believe, and that belief caused his position with God…to be BETTER.

In nearly every post I’ve shared on IronManStrength, I’ve highlighted the challenges of navigating this world as a Christian man. This isn’t meant to discourage you, but rather to inspire you as we are on this incredible journey together.

What’s truly encouraging about Abraham’s story is his unwavering belief, even when faced with what his physical eyes told him was impossible. Imagine: God promised him offspring as numerous as the stars, starting with his own son. And yet, Abraham was over 100, and his wife a ripe 95, when God made this statement and yet he still believed.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”  He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then the Lord said to him, “So shall your offspring be. Genesis 15: 4-5

Guys, hear me out for a second…how does this really apply to you and me? How does the story of some old guy who lived over 2,000 years ago make a difference to any of us right now? 

  • Abraham had problems – we have problems
  • Abraham had struggles – we have struggles
  • Abraham had family issues – all of us have family issues
  • God spoke to Abraham – God can speak to us

The HUGE difference:

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD

It all boils down to genuine belief, not just lip service—a true conviction inside of you that God is capable of fulfilling His promises.

When you believe God in your core that He can be trusted…your relationship with Him changes. When you are obedient and submissive toward God and not allow that arrogance inside all of us to show through…things will change.

I encourage you to take your own belief to the next level by trusting God.

Establish a “right standing” with Him…Do you Believe?

Until next time guys…

Pharoahs Hard Heart

Posted: July 6, 2025 in Knowledge
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Do you remember the famous biblical story in Exodus where the children of Israel, having been enslaved  in Egypt for over 400 years, then left in search of the promised land? Moses, one of the most famous figures in biblical history, was raised up by God to lead them out of not only Egypt, but into the desert where they instead experienced 40 years of their bad choices. But, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Before they could leave Egypt they had to get through Pharaoh…and he had his mind made up.

What we learn as Moses and God discussed how this exodus would happen is that God specifically told them that He would harden Pharaohs heart…to start. What in the heck? Why would He do that? If God really wanted Pharaoh to release His people, then why would He harden his heart and make that process more difficult to happen? Read this below:

Then the Lord said to Moses, See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your Prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt with mighty acts of judgment, I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. Exodus 7:1-5

As previously mentioned, why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart when it made more sense for it to be flexible, or at least easier for Moses to negotiate with him. This fact has always perplexed me. But as I looked further into it, I have come to realize that, as the Bible states clearly, when you or I make it clear over the course of our lives that we do not intend to serve God or repent, God will give us up to our own sinful desires. In other words, if we make the choice to choose the sin of unbelief, then He will let us/you ultimately have your way.

So let’s take that information and apply it to Pharaoh here… 

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as a punishment because his heart was already hard and opposed to God. In adding to the hardness of Pharaohs heart, God was also acting on a divine principle that applies to all the unrepentant. 

As I said before, when a person persists in rebellion against God and His word, God will ordain that (he or she) heart be hardened (yours or mine). 

Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Romans 9:18 – NIV

Simply put, this is God giving people up to their sinful desires and sending a delusion on those who refuse to love the truth of His word. As an example, you will notice that the judgments of the early plagues (in the Exodus story), softened Pharaohs heart just a little, however, when God removed each plague, his heart was hardened again. 

In other words, Pharaoh hardened his own heart whenever God showed mercy.

Like I said, Pharoahs mind was made up.

Guys, this is an incredible story but an even better lesson for all of us. 

The bottom line for you and me; God intends to show mercy to those who repent and believe In Jesus as their Lord and Savior while at the same time, hardening the hearts of those who refuse to repent and choose to continue in their sin and thereby rejecting the salvation in Christ. 

I know, that is a lot to unpack but you can do it. For you and me, we need to make good choices, stay focused on Gods word, and most of all,  remember to repent.

Until next time Guys-

It takes Real guts to say No

Posted: May 26, 2025 in Inspirational
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Have you ever heard the expression “if you give them an inch they will take a mile”? I am sure you have and it happens to be the phrase that illustrates what I wanted to talk about today. 

You see, the very expression “give an inch” implies from the outset that you gave in or you gave up something. But, in actuality, what you did was compromise. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. Compromise in a relationship is critical for it to last but remember, we don’t agree with our spouse or even our friends all the time. I am sure you have even “agreed to disagree” and maintained the relationship from there. I think that good debate is healthy and promotes independent thinking which is one of the keys to long lasting friendships. 

However, its that compromise in important areas of our lives that I am focusing on today.

I remember reading a book a few years ago by Dr. David Jeremiah called, The Handwriting on the Wall which talked about Daniel, who, while being held captive in Babylon for 70 years, never compromised his faith in God no matter what his circumstances ended up to being and this included facing sure death in the lions den.

His consistency was astounding and a model for all of us to follow. However, Dr. Jeremiah made a point that I wanted to illustrate to you which was simply that it takes guts…real guts, to say no to a terrible situation, even with God on your side. 

Daniel was resolute in his faith while in Babylon. For you and I, no matter where we are in life, we do not “have to bend the rules to be blessed of God. Our success is NOT dependent upon our compromise”. Our job is to trust and believe that He will take care of us because he has told us so.

From the very beginning in the Bible, we see compromises with very poor results:

Adam: he fell right in line with Eve’s sin by compromising and eating the forbidden fruit. 

Sarah :(Abrahams wife) her lack of faith in God caused her to compromise and send her husband Abraham to Hagar, her servant, who then gave birth to Ishmael. Life in the Middle East will never be the same.

Do you remember Esau who compromised his birthright because he was hungry?

King David: he was the man after Gods own heart, BUT, he compromised Gods morality by sleeping with Bathsheba and then killing her husband Uriah. 

The list goes on and on with Solomon, Judas and Ahaz who all compromised something significant in their lives and it cost them. 

Guys, think about this…all they would have had to do was to say NO…and then take a stand on faith and on what God promised them. After that, God is in charge of the situation.

I want to finish this post with a story Dr. Jeremiah shared in his book about a verbal exchange in a high school class between some students and a professor who was an athiest.

The professor stood at the lectern and began his lecture by saying, “will all of you who believe the myths of the Bible please stand.” Several stood.

Then he added, “now this semester I am going to free you from this religious Bible nonsense. I have read the Bible, and it is certainly written by a bunch of mixed up men.”

One young Daniel stood up and said, “Sir, the Bible is God’s letter to Christians, and if you are confused it’s because you are reading someone else’s mail.”

Guys, I pray that all of us can stand firm in our faith and NOT compromise in the face any adversity against you. You already know this, but adversity will continue to come. That is the way life goes.

I can also tell you with certainty that you are going to be in circumstances where you will be asked to “give an inch”. And after this blog, now you know why an inch matters. As Christians, it’s the difference between a life spent with God in Eternity or the alternative…

It is that simple and you get to make the choice…

My advice to you, be like Daniel…don’t compromise…

Until next time Guys… 

Jeremiah, David. 2020. The Handwriting on the Wall: Secrets from the Prohecies of Daniel. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

By NOT making a choice, you have made a choice.

Posted: April 19, 2025 in Something to think about
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You are either for us or against us. Have you ever heard that expression? You are either all in or all out and there is absolutely no gray area to work with. I completely understand this mentality, especially if we are speaking about a professional sports team or a military mission. You cannot have anyone sitting on the fence with indecision. And that is exactly where we as Christians find ourselves with our Lord. 

There is no gray area with God. We either decide to submit to Him or we don’t..

Then the next obvious step is that those who do NOT submit themselves to Christ remain under the influence of the enemy. I am going to try and unpack that statement a little bit.

The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  2 Cor. 4:4

As I’ve said many times before in this blog, Satan, or the god of this age, currently holds a great deal of power which was given to him by our God. We also know that Satan’s rule or his earthly kingdom is temporary and is conditional. Satan is allowed to operate only due to God‘s permissive will until the end of history. (Yes, God has a Permissive Will…which is whole other blog)

For you and me, that means a choice must be made. We can either submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for everyone so that we might have salvation and eternal life… Or… We can submit to the god of this age; Who only has empty promises.

I need to say this again because it is critical to grasp: Those who do not submit themselves to Jesus remain under the power of Satan. And as Paul says, he blinds their eyes to the truth to the glory of the gospel in order that they might not be saved. Satan is running defense to every single play in God’s offense. 

Satan intentionally puts up obstructions to keep you from moving in the direction of Christ.

The only solution to this guaranteed fatal situation is what a Pastor would tell you. One must tie-up the enemy’s activity through intercession or group prayer and then to preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is so people can hear and understand, and then choose for themselves whether to believe or not to believe. 

I know this is a lot to take in. I also know there are a whole lot of other things you would rather be thinking about right now than my words but at the same time, EVERYTHING about you is at stake. As I’ve told you before; there are no do overs or Mulligan’s in life. You and I must choose who we are going to believe. If we wait too long, then the enemy’s  influence can be overwhelming. Think of it this way;

By NOT making a conscious choice, you have made a choice.

Guys, I encourage you today to take this verse I shared into your heart. I challenge you to make decisions for you and your family. Dont’ just surrender because you are too busy. Dont take the easy path.

Until next time guys 

Why would a good God send people to Hell?

Posted: March 15, 2025 in Devotional
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I am not a theologian and for that reason, I get frustrated when I don’t know the answers to specific questions raised about God. The title of this blog post is, ”Why would a good God send people to hell’?  and I have had that question brought up many times and for years it has frustrated me. Why? 

Because it is a great question! How could God allow that to happen? Good people in hell make no sense. But, over time, I have begun to understand more about God’s character, which in turn has clarified some answers.

When I want to get to the root of a “why” question, I go back to the source to find the answers. How could God allow good people to go to hell? To me, we need to begin with God and who HE is to try and answer this question. 

A.W Tozer, a real theologian, said it this way, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”.

There must be reasons about His character and why He acts or behaves as He does rather than just what I see here on Earth. What I’ve discovered is some reasons cause God to be who He is.

Let’s start with Holy. If you really understand this word and how it applies to God, you will second-guess everything you do or say. I never really understood this word but yet when applied to God, our Creator, all the reasons are clarified. Here is what I mean; God is the most perfect and holy being in our universe and it is His perfect, holy, character that decides what is right and wrong. That perfection He puts forth into us is His morality and then into our world which is how humans are to behave. 

In other words, that is how inherently we know that killing is bad and helping our neighbor is good. It is in our DNA. Yet why is there so much killing in this world? The answer is simple… Satan is still alive and operating as the prince of this world…for a time.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

Satan is working just as hard to distract you from God as God is trying to get your attention.

Think of it this way: God’s absolute Holiness binds Him and compels Him to respond in a particular manner which means, simply put; GOD HATES sin. He hates to see it, smell it, or even be around it (read Mark 9:42-47). But yet you and I are His children and we absolutely reek of sin. We are born into it, and without the saving salvation of Jesus Christ, we actually stink to heaven.

Let me summarize quickly at this point:

    1. We learned God is perfectly Holy

    2. Holy means God must behave according to His perfect character.

    3. Holy means God can’t be around sin.

Now, for those of you who did not know, God did solve the problem of sin for us by sending His blameless son Jesus, to take our place as a sacrifice for our sin committed.

So understand things this way, because God is holy, He MUST judge everyone according to His perfect character and because He is perfect, His judgments are fair and right.

Let’s keep going. As mentioned previously, Jesus came to this earth to solve the sin sacrifice issue for you and me but He is also the most loving person who ever lived, yet it is He who teaches us the most about the reality of hell and the consequences. Why would He do this? 

Because Jesus knows Hell is a very real thing and He doesn’t want any of us to suffer the inevitable consequences of our rebellion against God. 

Rebellion? What am I talking about?  

Rebellion is having sin in your life and NOT doing anything about it…living in sin is rebellion against God…why? Because God is holy…

Do you see a pattern?

Heaven and Hell are or will be, defined by our relationship with God. Heaven means enjoying the amazing gifts of a Father and more importantly, being with Him. Hell is the absence of His blessings; love, communion, presence, beauty, etc.

Simply put; Heaven is being with our Holy God and Hell is being apart from Him.

Think about that for a moment. The closest thing to Heaven on earth is to have a relationship with Him and to feel His presence in our lives. 

Hell on earth is the opposite of everything GOD.

So now that we understand a little more about the God we serve I must make this statement to you and ask this question; 

Now that we truly understand how holy God is, we shouldn’t be asking the question why would a good God send people to hell…the real question should be…

How can God allow anyone into Heaven?

The bottom line…going to Heaven or Hell is a choice WE get to make while here on this earth. 

God doesn’t send good people to Hell…they get to make that decision for themselves…

Until next time guys…

Are you making Plans?

Posted: December 21, 2024 in Something to think about
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Guys, first of all, Merry Christmans and Happy New Year to you and your families. I wish you nothing but the best in 2025.

If you can, please take just a few minutes and read this story in the book of Acts. This is about the beginning of Christianity and how once Christ had ascended into heaven, the Apostles were treated very nasty by the Pharisees. 

Acts 5: 17-41

In the story, the Apostles angered the high priest because they kept preaching in the name of Jesus and this man was looking for a way to kill them. During this angry meeting of the Pharisees, another Pharisee leader stood up whose name was Gamaliel (the same man who the Apostle Paul studied under), and gave the council some very wise words which are summarized in the verses below:

…So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God! Acts 5:38-39

As Christian men, we encounter obstacles everyday. Unplanned problems rise up in front of us and seemingly work to destroy carefully made plans every time I turn around. Does this ever happen to you? The plans you spent all your time on get squashed in front of your eyes? 

What I found was a huge encouragement when I read these verses above is what I want to share with you today…the very simple realization of: 

If your plans are just YOUR PLANS, they will fail…

But if they are of God, NOTHING can stand in your way.

Guys, let that resonate for a moment here. How many times have you made great plans for a project or a vacation or for that matter, your entire life? You may be busy organizing your finances or changing directions because of information YOU have that matters or refinancing or getting a line of credit or whatever…I can go on and on.

You are probably planning right now.

Guys, Please hear my words today…planning is NOT a bad thing…in fact, it is a very good thing to plan and look forward to the future…what I am suggesting to you today is to make your plans WITH GOD INVOLVED. Look to Him for the guidance in those plans, because as was said above in Acts, if your plans are with God, He will be your guide and get you there in once piece.

Now there is one caveat to this conversation which is your understanding that God has plans for you too and if you get Him involved, He will want to guide you towards His higher plan for your life which trust me, is the direction you want to go…

My plans and God’s plans don’t always align. But, when I’m in the midst of God’s plan for my life, I always emerge stronger and in a better situation than before.

So consider what I am telling you today because God is very clear when He tells us this from Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Remember the image above says, “We plan, God Laughs” so as you make your PLANS for this coming New Year, remember these words above. God has plans for you and for me…

Until next time guys…

I know who I am…Because I know who You are

Posted: November 10, 2024 in Inspirational
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How you ever been pummeled with a lie and after a while you actually start to believe it? Whether in person or online you just begin to ask if that is really who you are? Is there a maximum amount of negative comments you can hear before you break the camel’s back? Will there come a time that you don’t recognize yourself anymore in the mirror? 

Finally and worse yet…Is there a tipping point where I might move backwards in how I feel about God or myself? How much is too much?

If any of that feels familiar let me say I was inspired by a song this week that reminded me about these exact questions because this issue is real. The world is a nasty place. I have told you before on this very blog about the activity of the enemy…especially now…

But this Megan Woods’ song hit me with exactly with what I needed it to… PURE TRUTH. In fact, the song is called The Truth and I highly encourage you to take a few minutes to listen to it and be inspired like I was. You can find it on Amazon.

Why do I share this with you today? I want you to listen to the words from her chorus so you know. Do you remember the question I asked you above? When you are faced with being told a lie about yourself over and over again, when do you start to believe it is true? Read these words below-

“The truth is I am my father’s child I make Him proud and I make Him smile

I was made in the image of a perfect king He looks at me and wouldn’t change a thing

The truth is I am truly loved by a God who’s good when I’m not good enough

I don’t belong to the lies I belong to you…and that’s the truth” (emphasis added)

PLEASE let that sink in for a moment…because it is exactly opposite of the message you will hear from this world. Everyday, the enemy tells you you’re not good enough. He whispers you’re a failure until one day, you think it may be true.

So today, I am drawing a line in the sand-

I wanted to give you an alternative opinion. I wanted to remind you instead that YOU are loved by a God that accepts you…just as you are…

He meets you right there…wherever you are with His grace…and not a body slam.

She closes this amazing song with what I titled this blog today and that is this message that I pray will resonate with you when you are finished reading and listening….

I know who I am…Because I know who You are

Remember – You are made in HIS image and therefore changed on the inside so you can be set free in knowing that you are a different person and that you make Him proud. I really want you to remember this fact the next time you look in the mirror…that reflection you see is pretty cool dude in God’s eyes.

Just in case you forgot…Because of HIM, now you know who you are…

Until next time Guys

  • The Truth, Megan Woods, Amazon Music, 2024

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