News you won't see in controlled mainstream media.

--GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
--Psalm 103:19-22 - (rec'd reading)
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--Do you believe that the Lord has absolute control over our universe--including all the people in it? The best way to know the truth about the Lord is to see what He has inspired men to say about Him in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16). God declares He is sovereign over....

**NATURE- Psalm 135:6 says, "Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps." God causes the rain to fall, the grass to grow, and the land to bring forth food. There isn't a single aspect of nature over which the Lord lacks control.

**NATIONS- "He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away" (Job 12:23). God's rule is certain and sure. He keeps watch over the nations (Ps. 66:7), knows all that is happening, and maintains His authority over both good and evil governments (Rom 13:1).

**NATURAL MAN- God has control over unbelievers as well as believers. "He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else" (Acts 17:25 NIV). He forms us in our mother's womb, knows the number of hairs on our head, and determines the appointed times and places of our lives (Ps. 139:13; Luke 12:7; Acts 17:26). Spiritual life as well as physical life is under His complete control (John 6:44).

When we believe God is sovereign and experience this truth in our lives, we will be filled to overflowing with peace and joy. We will rest secure in the knowledge that no matter what is happening in our world, our God reigns. His will shall be accomplished. Does your life show trust in God's sovereignty?

--In Touch

---God's Sovereignty
--By: Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?" (Exodus 4:11)
-
-----
This divine rebuke to Moses was occasioned when Moses complained of his inability to speak eloquently for God before Pharaoh. It is also a rebuke to each of us who would dare question God's wisdom in making us as we are--even with all our innate defects and handicaps. With our very limited knowledge of God's purposes and our very short range view of eternal priorities, we are ill-equipped to prejudge His ways with us.

To those who questioned why a man should be born blind, for example, Jesus answered: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him" (John 9:3). As another example, when certain believers complained about the lethal illness of a loved one, Jesus replied: "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby" (John 1:4).

The steadfastness of Stephen's faith as he was stoned to death led to Paul's conversion, though at the time it must have seemed difficult for his Christian brethren to understand and accept. In another context, but stating a principle highly relevant to such questions, Jesus reminds us, "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7).
God is not capricious, but He is sovereign. Whatever He does is right, by definition, and whatever He allows is for a holy purpose. "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?" (Romans 9:20).

It should be enough for now to know that He knows, and that when suffering comes for His sake, it is "for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10).

--ICR/HMM/http://

-THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD:
-REASON FOR OUR ASSURANCE~~
--Romans 8:28 -(rec'd reading)
--
-Since eternity past and throughout history, almighty God has ruled with supreme authority. Nothing is hidden from His knowledge or beyond the scope of His control. Because of His sovereignty, we who by faith in Christ are part of His family can live with assurance that:

**God works for our good./ Scripture declares that God has the power to work every circumstance in our life into something that is beneficial in His eyes. He has the knowledge and power to accomplish it, as well as the desire. God promises to do this for those who love and belong to Him. Our part is to believe.

**God protects us every day./ Scripture declares that "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him" (Ps. 34:7) Apart from His permissive will, nothing can touch God's children. When our Father allows painful things to happen, we must trust in His unchanging nature and enduring promises. People and circumstances change, but the Lord's good and loving character does not.

**God has control over our future./ He's fully worked out a plan for the body of Christ and each of its members--a plan so good that it is beyond imagining (1 Cor. 2:9). We can entrust our future to God because His character and plans are perfect.

Resting in the Lord's sovereignty will free us from fear and anxiety. If you lack assurance about any of the points listed above, confess your unbelief to the heavenly Father. Ask His forgiveness, and commit to meditate on His character and promises. Then you will experience the strengthening of your faith. ~~

--In Touch

--Doxology To The King
--By: John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (I Timothy 1:17).

In this stirring doxology to the One who allowed him into the ministry (vv.12,13), whose grace “was exceeding abundant” (v.14), who “came into the world to save sinners” (v.15), who showed mercy and longsuffering, and who grants “life everlasting” (v.16), Paul uses several majestic descriptive terms. Each deserves our attention.

The King eternal. God’s sovereign kingship is in view here. The phrase literally translates, the “King of the ages.” “But the LORD is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting King” (Jeremiah 10:10). He is the King, and we must stand in submission to Him.

-Immortal. The Greek word used here implies more than mere exemption from death. A fuller meaning would include total incorruptibility; i.e., the inability to be stained by either decay or death. What a comfort to realize that the believer’s crown in glory will be likewise incorruptible (I Corinthians 9:25) as will his resurrection body (I Corinthians 15:52).

-Invisible. God is a Spirit, and as such cannot be seen. He has chosen to appear on numerous occasions, most notably as Christ, but is usually unseen, the primary meaning of the word. Christ “is the image of the invisible [same word] God, the firstborn of every creature”(Colossians 1:15). Seen or unseen, He merits our praise.

The only wise God. God is unique in His existence and wisdom, “God only wise” (Romans 16:27). He stands alone, solitary, apart from all others.

Surely to this eternal, incorruptible, unseen, unique, wise, sovereign King belongs “honor, and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

--ICR/JDM /HOLY IS THE LORD-
<http://youtu.be/FIwMYktdBg8>
------

--GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY~

--The Names Of God
--By: John D. Morris, Ph.D.
----
“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in” (Genesis 7:16).

Many stirring books have been written on the general subject of the names of God. Most of the names make use of one or two of the three primary names. The first is Elohim, meaning “mighty one.” It is a uni-plural name—plural in form but singular in meaning and verb usage, suggesting the uni-plural nature of the triune Godhead, appearing in most English translations as “God.”

[Elohim = Mighty One] is most often is used when worldwide events or attributes are discussed, including creation, judgment, sovereignty, transcendence, and salvation.

The second is Jehovah, meaning “the self-existent one,” which appears as “LORD” in English translations. It stresses God’s holiness, nearness, concern for man (especially Israel), hatred of sin, love of sinners, and His revelatory nature and communication.

The third is Adonai, a more general term meaning master and used of both men and God. It appears as “Lord” in English Bibles.

For example, the name Elohim, the transcendent, uni- plural, Creator God is appropriately used exclusively in Genesis 1:1–2:4, the account of creation from God’s perspective. Throughout the rest of Genesis 2, the account of creation from man’s perspective, the combination name Jehovah-Elohim is used. Man was at this point without sin, in full accord with his Creator, and experiencing the fullness of His love and communication. The curse, as related in chapter 3, changed things forever, and in chapter 4, Adam and his offspring, painfully aware that their sin has broken God-established relationships, relate better to Jehovah, the Savior.

In our text for the day, we see Noah obeying the orders of Elohim, the sovereign judge, to enter the Ark, but Jehovah, the loving Savior, making them secure.

--ICR/JDM

--God's Promises
---Sovereignty

-"The LORD shall reign forever and ever."
Exodus 15:18

-"The LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment."
Psalm 9:7

-"The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD'S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men."
Psalm 11:4

-"The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved."
Psalm 93:1

-"The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad."
Psalms 97:1

-"There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this." -
Isaiah 9:7

-"Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker -- an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'"
Isaiah 45:9-10

-"Thus says the LORD, 'Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?"
Isaiah 66:1

-"'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land."
Jeremiah 23:5

-"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David."
Luke 1:32

-"'Heaven is my throne, and earth is the footstool of feet; what kind of house will you build for me?' says the Lord, 'Or what place is there for my repose.'"
Acts 7:49

-"For it is written, 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.'"
Romans 14:11

-"Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.'"
Revelation 19:6 -

--"... Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left."
1 Kings 22:19

-"Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.'"
Psalm 96:10

-"The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!"
Psalm 99:1

-"The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!" -
Psalm 146:10

-"You, O LORD, rule forever; Your throne is from generation to generation."
Lamentations 5:19/ INDESCRIBABLE By: Chris Tomlin
<http://youtu.be/qF9aY49oQTs>
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<http://youtu.be/0M8XK2w7wmw> / GOD OF WONDERS/ THIRD DAY

--Christ At Creation
--By: Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“When He prepared the heavens, I was there: when He set a compass upon the face of the depth: When He established the clouds above: when He strengthened the fountains of the deep” (Proverbs 8:27,28).

This chapter contains a beautiful description of some of God’s works during Creation Week when God, in Christ, was creating and making all things. Christ Himself, personified as the divine wisdom, the word of God, is speaking.

Verse 27 speaks of His pre-existence before the creation of the space/time universe itself. At first the “earth” matter was “without form,” with only a great “deep” of water. Then God “set a compass” on the face of the deep, activating the gravitational forces which brought it into spherical form. The Hebrew word for “compass” means “sphere.” It is the same word used in Isaiah 40:22, where it is said that God “sitteth upon the circle [i.e., ‘sphere’] of the earth.”

Then God “established the clouds above.” The word for “clouds” means “thin mists,” undoubtedly referring to the great water canopy “above the firmament” (Genesis 1:7). Finally, He strengthened the fountains of the deep, locking them under the “foundations of the earth” (Proverbs 8:29). The same strong fountains of the deep would later be broken up at the time of the great Flood. When the earth was finished, He “rejoiced in the habitable part of His earth” (i.e., Proverbs 8:31).

In all these and the other mighty works of creating and making all things, the Lord Jesus Christ assures us “I was there!” That further assures us, of course, that through all the ages to come, He will be there.

This remarkable eighth chapter of Proverbs concludes with the following exhortation, more relevant today than ever: “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:35,36).
--ICR/ HMM / ABOVE ALL~~ Michael Smith
<http://youtu.be/SzOgA2RV6Hs>
---------

--GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY~~

---PSALM 93 ~

-The Eternal Reign of the LORD~

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
The flood have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
The LORD on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.

Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O LORD, forever.~~

-BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!
<http://youtu.be/PnWKehsOXu8>
-------

---The Name Above Every Name, MY SAVIOR-GOD
---by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).

-There are three primary names for God used in the Old Testament, Elohim, Jehovah, and Adonai. In the New Testament, both Jehovah and Adonai are translated as “Lord” (Greek, Kurios) and applied to Christ. This word is also applied occasionally to human “lords,” but is specifically used as a name or title of God or Christ no less than 663 times.

His human name, of course, was Jesus (“Jehovah is Savior”), but this name is used by itself only 22 times in the epistles-always with special emphasis on his humanity. Although it was the common name used repeatedly in the gospel narratives, it is significant that the disciples and other believers almost always addressed Him personally as “Lord,” never simply as “Jesus.” Unbelievers and demons, on the other hand, never addressed Him as “Lord.”

The name “Christ” means “anointed one” and is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew, 'Messiah'. Thus, “Christ” is His divine title, as God’s “anointed” prophet, priest, and king; “Jesus” is His human name, as our example and Savior; “Lord” is His title of spiritual relationship to those whom He has saved. All three names are of paramount importance; thus, Peter said: “God hath made that same Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). His “full name,” so to speak, is therefore, “the Lord Jesus Christ.” This complete name is used over 100 times; “Christ” and “Lord” are used even more.

In the great testimony of His coming exaltation, Paul says He has been given “the name” (the definite article is in the original) above every name. At this “name of Jesus” (with the “of” indicating the possessive-that is, “the name now belonging to the man Jesus who died on the cross”), every knee must bow, and every tongue must someday confess “that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10,11).

--ICR/HMM
-HOW GREAT THOU ART! <http://youtu.be/Cc0QVWzCv9k>
------------------

--WHEN GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY MEETS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY~

-"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."
---1 Corinthians 3:6–7

A farmer bought a brand new piece of land that was nothing but dirt and weeds. He worked it for years, weeding, plowing, fertilizing, and planting. Then one day, his work paid off as he began to harvest an abundance of crops that he was going to sell.

As he was on his tractor, a fellow church member stopped by. The farmer stepped down and walked over to greet his friend. They talked awhile and the church member said, “Well, the Lord sure has given you a great crop here.” And with a twinkle in his eye that farmer said, “Yeah, but you should’ve seen it when the Lord had it all by Himself!”

When it comes to the work of the ministry, it’s important to understand that while God is the one who ultimately gets the glory, He’s invited us to actively participate in His sovereign plan. That means we can’t just sit around and say, “God will take care of it all.” He’s called you to play a key role!

Don’t let the sovereignty of God be an excuse for passiveness. Actively engage the ministry God has given you, knowing that while He’s the one who ultimately gets the glory, you’re a crucial part of that equation as well!

-GO ALL IN WITH THE MINISTRY GOD HAS GIVEN YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE A KEY PART OF HIS SOVEREIGN PLAN.

--PP/JG
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---Important update on America's Perilous Path~
-DECISION / October 2013
-Please, if you do not get the 'Decision Magazine' (A Publication of BGEA), call and get a copy, especially for this month. 1-877-247-2426 (Mon-Fri 8:30-11p.m; Sat. 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Eastern Time)

Our Country is on "A Perilous Path",- President Devaluing Biblical Principles, Christian Liberties, Constitutional Ethics / By: Charles Chandler
There are several wonderful articles in this October 2013 issue, "The Need for Strong Christian Leaders", by: Billy Graham. "A Word to Kings and Presidents" /By: Jonathan Cahn (An excerpt of this article is in the Bytes Forum on Herb Allure website).

"The Role of Government--And Christian Citizens-By: John Stonestreet / Some quotes: "The stakes are too high for Christians to ignore. Our loyalties and courage are being tested. We must clarify our responsibility to God and our fellow citizens. Christians should be alarmed by the promotion of evil . Christians are also being increasingly asked to join in the promotion of evil, or else risk the loss of religious freedom. We must avoid what the French thinker Jacques Ellul called "the political illusion." Politics, as has been often noted, is more often "downstream" of culture. If we focus on politics while ignoring the larger cultural shifts that drive political decisions, we will find political victories to be temporary at best. Our efforts for the public good must take seriously politics, as well as all else that shapes our society.

We are Christians. We are Americans. Now, as ever, passivity is not an option for the church of Jesus Christ. "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil," wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer. "God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

[--Thank you Russ and Laura for permitting articles regarding our USA and it's perilous times on your website. May God Bless America! In God We Trust! ~~]

---GOD'S PROMISES~~

---SOVEREIGNTY ~~

--The Supremacy of Christ
-------
---Colossians 1:15-20
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the Cross." ~~~

--"The LORD shall reign forever and ever." (Exodus 15:18)

--"The LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment." (Psalm 9:7)

--The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men." (Psalm 11:4)

--"The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved." (Psalm 93:1)

--"The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad." (Psalm 97:1)

--There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:7)

--"Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker--an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'" (Isaiah 45:9-10)

--"Thus says the LORD, 'Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?" (Isaiah 66:1)

--"Behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land." (Jeremiah 23:5)

--"Heaven is my throne, and earth is the footstool of feet; what kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord,' Or what place is there for my repose.'" (Acts 7:49)

--"For it is written,'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me; and every tongue shall give praise to God.'" (Romans 14:11)

--"Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.'"

--"...Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the hose of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left." (1 Kings 22:19)

--"Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.'" (Psalm 96:10)

--The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!" (Psalm 99:1)

--"The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 146:10)

--"You, O LORD, rule forever; Your throne is from generation to generation." (Lamentations 5:19)~~~
---<http://youtu.be/reN-3g-myJM>
-----------------

---God's Final Word

“The LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” (Zechariah 14:9)
- -----
God cannot be defeated in His creative purpose for this earth and its people. In the beginning, there was only God. In the ending, there will be one Lord, and His name one.

In the meantime, He is working out His great plan of reconciliation, as revealed in His Word. In the magnificent book of Revelation, especially the last two chapters, we are carried forward in the Spirit into the never-ending glories of the renewed earth, with the great Creator and Redeemer dwelling there with His people eternally.

But in that final chapter, there are some final words from the Lord to guide and warn us until He returns. There is one final invitation, for example: “And let him that is athirst come” (Revelation 22:17). Then there is a final warning. This completed book of Scripture contains all that man will ever need to know concerning salvation, the Christian life, and God’s great plans, so let no man “add unto these things,” or “take away from the words of the book of this prophecy” (vv. 18-19). There is no salvation, except through His Word.

Next, there is a final promise. “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly” (v. 20). Of all the promises of God, there is none more “exceeding great and precious” than this (2 Peter 1:4). In response, there is a final prayer, teaching us that this should be the climax of every believing prayer: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (v. 20). This is our greatest need!

Lastly, there is a final benediction, the same as the close of each of Paul’s epistles, and the most wonderful of all the words of a holy, yet loving, Creator, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (v. 21). It is fitting that God’s Word, which began with His creation, should end with His saving grace!
-"Without a Vision my people perish." -Proverbs 29:18~~
--ICR/ HMM
<http://youtu.be/UKByTfiHOFE>
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--No Merit of My Own

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” (2 Timothy 1:9)

Scripture often emphasizes that our salvation comes not by our own actions but through the outworking of God’s grand plan. A favorite memory verse for Christians is: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This concept dominates the second verse of the hymn “My Hope Is in the Lord.”

'No merit of my own
His anger to suppress.
My only hope is found
In Jesus’ righteousness.'

All men are guilty before a righteous God and all come under His condemnation. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But through it all, we have a certain hope: Christ died and rose again for our justification, which means being “declared righteous” in the Judge’s eyes. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” (Romans 3:24-25).

Because of God's Sovereignty, we are justified by His grace and will be clothed in His spotless, righteous garments as we stand before our Lord, who promises to reward us as He would reward His own dear Son. “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). Our hope is in the Lord.
--ICR/ JDM / = Power of Your Name/ Lincoln B & Darlene Z
<http://youtu.be/I3adFUYibqk>

--- Our God And Savior
--By: Paul G. Humber, M.S.

". . . to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 1:1).

In this half-verse, note first that Jesus Christ is God. The original Greek supports the following word order, "the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." Jesus is both "our God and Savior." Thomas addressed Him as "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).

Second, the only way we can get to heaven is "through the righteousness of" this God and Savior. Our own righteousness is filthiness. The Lord not only cleanses us from sin, He gives us His perfect righteousness. "There is . . . no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Those "in Christ" wear His perfect robe of righteousness.

Third, this righteousness is a gift. It is not something we earn; we receive (obtain) it from the One who removes our hearts of stone and gives us hearts of flesh. With such hearts, we humble ourselves in faith before the holy God and say with the publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Faith is a gift and is "not" of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8).

Fourth, Christian faith is precious. Other religions say, "Do this and do that if you want to go to heaven," but Christianity is the only "finished" religion. The work of salvation was finished two thousand years ago when Jesus cried out from the cross, "It is finished" (John19:30). Jesus paid it all; all to Him we owe.

Finally, in saying "with us," Peter acknowledges himself to be a sinner like us. He needed to place his faith in the same Person as we do. He wrote "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us." We should not, therefore, idolize or worship Peter. Particles of grace do not flow from his hands down to us. A saint he is,...
.. but his and our only hope is in the preciousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
--ICR/PGH
<http://youtu.be/96P0bwvpbk4>
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----My Advocate

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Remembering that “there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalm 53:3), we are relieved to find that Jesus Christ Himself stands before God and declares that He died for our sins, that justice has been served. No more punishment remains.

He has the nail scars in His hands, permanently visible even in His resurrection body. He showed them to doubting Thomas as an encouragement to believe. God needs no reminder, but in God’s courtroom they make a legal point: Our sin penalty has forever been paid. The third verse of the hymn “My Hope Is in the Lord” echoes this blessed truth.

And now for me He stands
Before the Father’s throne,
He shows His wounded hands
And names me as His own.

There are two judgments coming. Those who died without Christ will have no advocate pleading their case. For them, only righteous judgment remains. But Christians have the promise that “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more,” and we have access “into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:17, 19).

The day will come when our “hope” becomes fully realized, and “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). We will gather with the saints of all the ages and sing, “Thou art worthy . . . [for thou] hast redeemed us to God by thy blood” (Revelation 5:9). What hope we have!

--ICR/ JDM = / BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD ABOVE

--GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY~~~
---Ephesians 1:11-14

--"In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."
--[vs.13-14]="And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of His glory." ---- (NIV)~~
---------
-Some people question whether the Lord is truly in control. They learn about tragedies in the world and wonder if perhaps God isn't powerful enough to overcome all evil. Or they encounter what seems like an insurmountable obstacle in their own life and come to the conclusion that His power is limited.

My friend, we certainly don't understand everything that happens in this life. But we know from Scripture that God has ultimate authority. As Psalm 103:19 says, "The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all."

Consider the far-reaching implications of that verse: God has total control in all the universe. He reigns over everything and everyone, and His power surpasses all other strength. The terms 'omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient' are often used to describe Him. In other words, our God is all-powerful, He exists everywhere, and He is all knowing. This means there is nothing beyond His knowledge or His ability to direct.

And this limitless, unfathomable God, who is unhindered and fully in control, adopts us as His children. What an amazing thought! As we begin to grasp this truth, peace and rest will flood our souls.

If you believe in an all-powerful God, is that idea simply "head knowledge," or does it affect the way you think and feel? When you realize that nothing happens apart from His awareness, direction, and loving purpose, it becomes possible to lay down fear and truly experience His peace. ~~~~~~~~
--IN TOUCH~~ / There Is None Like You~~
<http://youtu.be/KnhUh2tt97Q>
--------------

--WHAT IS YOUR
--PERSPECTIVE OF GOD?

-Job 3:3-5; 42:5-6
------
-We often wish for blue skies instead of storm clouds. But cloudy skies may reveal God's faithfulness.

At the beginning of his terrible suffering, Job lamented: "May the day perish on which I was born...May a cloud settle on it" (Job 3:3-5). His experience of despair continued for a long time until God spoke. Then Job exclaimed, "I have heard of You...but now my eye sees You" (42:5). Job had encountered the Sovereign Creator, and that changed his perspective on God's purposes.

Do clouds of trouble fill your skies today? Sooner than you think, God may use these clouds to help you gain perspective on His faithfulness.

-God, give us wings to rise above
The clouds of trial that block the sun,
To soar above gray skies and see
The love and goodness of Your Son.
------
Often the clouds of sorrow reveal the sunshine of His face. Everything that Has Breath Praise the Lord!
--ODB
<http://youtu.be/zA7i7SYKIQE>
-------------

--WHO'S AT
THE CENTER?

-Psalm 33:6-19
----
The counsel of the
LORD stands forever,
the plans of His heart
to all generations.
--Psalm 33:11
----
-EVERYTHING revolves around the Lord. In Psalm 33, we read that all nature revolves around Him and His control (vv.6-9). He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the ocean in the vast reservoirs. Everything in nature operates in accordance with the laws He has set.

The nations also revolve around the Lord (vv.10-12). No plan or scheme can stand up against God's. Ultimately, it is the Lord's plan that will stand forever. His intentions can never be shaken.

Finally, the lives of all humanity revolve around the Lord (vv.13-19). No plan or scheme can stand up against God's. Ultimately, it is the Lord's plan that will stand forever. His intentions can never be shaken.

Finally, the lives of all humanity revolve around the Lord (vv.13-19). God sees the whole human race. He made our hearts, and He understands everything we do. And He has the power to intervene in our lives and deliver us from situations spinning out of control.

Our life is created to be centered on God, not self. How thankful we can be to serve such a powerful God, who has every aspect of our lives under His control.
-----------
--When we die to all about us, we live to God above us.~~

--ODB/PFC -/ INDESCRIBABLE = Chris Tomlin ~
<http://youtu.be/7-zJHgaoVa4>
-------------

--THE POWER
OF A NAME ~~

--'The name of the Lord
is a strong tower.'
--Proverbs 18:10
----
-NICKNAMES are often descriptive of some noticeable aspect of a person's character or physical attributes. Growing up, my elementary school friends brutally called me "liver lips" since at that stage of development my lips seemed disproportionately large. Needless to say, I have always been glad that the name didn't stick.

Unlike my nickname, I love the names of God that describe His magnificent characteristics. God is so wonderfully multifaceted that He has many names that communicate His capabilities and character. To name just a few, He is:

-Elohim, The God above all gods
-Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides
-El-Shaddai, the almighty God.
-Jehovah Rapha, our healer God

-Jehovah Shalom, our God of peace
-Jehovah Shamma, our God who is present.
-Jehovah Yahweh, our loving, convenant-keeping God.

It's no wonder the writer of Proverbs encourages us to remember that "the name of the Lord is a strong tower," that in times of need God-fearing people run to it and "are safe"(Prov. 18:10). When unwelcome circumstances threaten you and you feel vulnerable, reflect on one of God's names. Be assured--He will be faithful to His name.
--------
-God's names, which describe His character,
can bring comfort when we need it most.

--ODB/JS / Jehovah Jireh /- Don Moen
<http://youtu.be/y9h-LPV3h2Y>

---The Names of Christ
--Philippians 2:5-11

-The Bible ascribes many different names to Jesus, all of which provide great insight into His character and person. Here are some from John’s gospel that I find particularly revealing:

**The Good Shepherd (10:11) protects his sheep at all cost from predators. They know His voice and follow Him.

**The Door (vv. 7-9) is the only way to enter Heaven.. Whoever enters through the “gate” of Christ will be saved.

**The Vine (15:1-10) is the source of our spiritual life. When we stay intimately connected to Jesus, we bear fruit. If we do not remain in Him, we wither.

**The Bread of Life (6:25-35) the only one who can truly satisfy our hearts. Jesus feeds our souls with sustenance that never leaves us wanting for more.

**The Light of the World (9:5) shines His light through our countenance as a ministry and testimony to a dark world.

**The Way (14:6) to happiness, peace, joy, and eternal life is Jesus Christ.

**The Truth (14:6) of His revelation, as recorded in the New Testament, is the reason we can know as much as we do about God.

**The Life (14:6) Jesus imparts to believers is powerful, effective, and fruitful, not only in eternity but here on earth as well.

In biblical times, Israelites would choose a baby’s name based on the child’s characteristics or a hope or prayer of the parent. The names given to Jesus tell a great deal about His ministry on earth 2,000 years ago. The scriptural names describing Him reveal who He was and is and will be for eternity.
--IN TOUCH~~
-Jesus said, "I the way, and the truth, and the life; No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)~~
<http://youtu.be/SWo23EouUNw>
----------

--Son Of God
--By: Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"[God] hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:2).

The unique divine Sonship of Jesus Christ is emphasized here in Hebrews 1. The above text, for example, introduces the Son as the Creator, then as the revealing Word, and finally, as the appointed heir of all things.

This chapter also demonstrates that God's Son was recognized even in the Old Testament. Verse 5 quotes Psalm 2:7: "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," and I Chronicles 17:13: "I will be His Father, and He shall be my Son." That this Son is none other than God Himself is confirmed in verse 8 quoting Psalm 45:6: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." That He is the Creator is asserted in verse 10 referring to Psalm 102:25: "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth." That He is now at God's own throne is stressed in verse 13, citing Psalm 110:1: "Sit on my right hand." Thus, He is to be worshipped as God. "Let all the angels of God worship Him" (verse 6, taken from Psalm 97:7).

Furthermore, Hebrews 1 notes a manifold description of the meaning of the divine Sonship. He is Son of God by eternal generation, as the "brightness |or 'out-radiating'| of His glory, and the express image of His person" (v. 3). He is Son of God by miraculous conception (v. 5), also quoted in Acts 13:33 (note Romans 1:4) as referring to His Sonship by bodily resurrection. Verse 6 refers to the divine proclamation of the Sonship (also Matthew 3:17; 17:5). Verses 8 and 9 stress the testimony of His uniquely holy nature. "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity."

Finally, as the Son, He is promised universal inheritance from His Father (vv. 9, 13). From eternity to eternity, Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son! And yet God "gave His only begotten Son" that we might have everlasting life! (John 3:16).
--ICR/ HMM--INDESCRIBABLE -- Chris Tomlin~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWXdA3nooRY#t=24
---------

--GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY~~

--God's Sovereign Perfect will

--Question: "What is the difference between God's sovereign will and God's perfect will?"

--Answer: When speaking of God’s will, many people see three different aspects of it in the Bible.

The first aspect is known as God’s decretive, sovereign, or hidden will. This is God’s "ultimate" will. This facet of God’s will comes out of the recognition of God’s sovereignty and the other aspects of God’s nature. This expression of God’s will focuses on the fact that God sovereignly ordains everything that comes to pass. In other words, there is nothing that happens that is outside of God’s sovereign will.

This aspect of God’s will is seen in verses like Ephesians 1:11, where we learn that God is the one “who works all things according to the counsel of His will,” and Job 42:2, "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” This view of God’s will is based on the fact that, because God is sovereign, His will can never be frustrated. Nothing happens that is beyond His control.

This understanding of His sovereign will does not imply that God causes everything to happen. Rather, it acknowledges that, because He is sovereign, He must at least permit or allow whatever happens to happen. This aspect of God’s will acknowledges that, even when God passively permits things to happen, He must choose to permit them, because He always has the power and right to intervene. God can always decide to either permit or stop the actions and events of this world. Therefore, as He allows things to happen, He has “willed” them in this sense of the word.

While God’s sovereign will is often hidden from us until after it comes to pass, there is another aspect of His will that is plain to us: His preceptive or revealed will. As the name implies, this facet of God’s will means that God has chosen to reveal some of His will in the Bible. The preceptive will of God is God’s declared will concerning what we should or should not do. For example, because of the revealed will of God, we can know that it is God’s will that we do not steal, that we love our enemies, that we repent of our sins, and that we be holy as He is holy. This expression of God’s will is revealed both in His Word and in our conscience, through which God has written His moral law upon the hearts of all men. The laws of God, whether found in Scripture or in our hearts, are binding upon us. We are accountable when we disobey them.

Judas was fulfilling God’s sovereign will in betraying Christ, just as the Romans who crucified Him were. That does not justify their sins. They were no less evil or treacherous, and they were held accountable for their rejection of Christ (Acts 4:27-28). Even though in His sovereign will God allows or permits sin to happen, we are still accountable to Him for that sin.

The third aspect of God’s will that we see in the Bible is God’s permissive or perfect will. This facet of God’s will describes God’s attitude and defines what is pleasing to Him. For example, while it is clear that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, it is also clear that He wills or decrees their death. This expression of God’s will is revealed in the many verses of Scripture which indicate what God does and does not take pleasure in. For example, in 1 Timothy 2:4 we see that God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” yet we know that God’s sovereign will is that “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

If we are not careful, we can easily become preoccupied or even obsessed with finding the “will” of God for our lives. However, if the will we are seeking is His secret, hidden, or decretive will, we are on a foolish quest. God has not chosen to reveal that aspect of His will to us. What we should seek to know is the perceptive or revealed will of God. The true mark of spirituality is when we desire to know and live according to the will of God as revealed in Scripture, and that can be summarized as “be holy for I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Our responsibility is to obey the revealed will of God and not to speculate on what His hidden will for us might be. While we should seek to be “led by the Holy Spirit,” we must never forget that the Holy Spirit is primarily leading us to righteousness and to being conformed into the image of Christ so that our lives will glorify God.

Living according to His revealed will should be the chief aim or purpose of our lives. Romans 12:1-2 summarizes this truth, as we are called to present our “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
<https://youtu.be/Cl3og-fPwPk>

--Sovereign God In A Changing World
--By: John D. Morris, Ph.D.
--(Evidence for Creation)

--Our thoughts, we are told, should always be focused on eternal things, but unfortunately, the affairs of life often crowd in and wrest our attention away.

--War in the Middle East and terrorism on our shores likewise demand our attention, but these too are driving many to prayer. Our nation's security comes only from the Sovereign Creator of nations, and His mighty plan is unfolding. What a joy, what a stabilizing factor to know we are safe, no matter what happens, in His mighty hands. What an impetus to further ministry. What an incentive to let all know.

On what basis does God allow the birth and blessing of a nation, or its death? I'm so glad we have the perspective of God at our fingertips.

We can find our refuge in Him and His plan. A mind fixed on Him and a mindset firmly planted in truth will get us through difficult times. We must keep our eyes on His Kingdom.

In the beginning, the Sovereign, transcendent Creator called the universe into existence, for His glory and according to His will. He fashioned the earth as His handiwork, and fitted it for man. Lastly He created man in His own image, male and female, and gave them stewardship over His creation which was originally "very good"—deathless and sinless. Mankind was in perfect fellowship with God and each other.

But man rejected God and His authority over them, bringing upon themselves the just "wages" of their sin, spiritual and physical death, and upon creation, the "bondage of corruption." Separated from God by our sin and locked in death throes, we are unable to help ourselves.

The Creator, however, desires fellowship with man. His holiness demands sinlessness in His presence and His justice demands sin's penalty of death be paid. So, in the fullness of time, He took upon Himself the form of a man, lived a sinless life for whom no sin penalty was necessary, and died a sacrificial death for sinful man. The wages of sin was paid as Christ died for our sins. God's holy justice was satisfied by this fully sufficient, substitutionary Sacrifice. When all was accomplished, He rose from the dead in victory over sin and death, offering eternal life to all who believe.

This same Creator, Jesus Christ, (see Colossians 1:13-22), now represents us before the Father as our advocate, and energizes us with His Spirit to live a life pleasing to Him. Daily He accepts into His family those who come to God through Him and welcomes into His presence His children who suffer the indignities of physical death.

One day soon He will return to Earth to bring to fruition His eternal plan, and creation will be what He intended it to be, before it was ruined by sin. We will join Him forever in the new heavens and new earth, "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:13). There will be "no more death, neither sorrow, no crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
--ICR/HMM -- YOUR LOVE OH LORD~~ Third Day
<https://youtu.be/0OBRvxrzhqs>

--YES! GOD IS HOLDING US ACCOUNTABLE!

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled,
even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments.” --Daniel 9:5

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
--Daniel prayed, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and Thy judgments.” You ask, “Did Daniel do all that?” No, Daniel simply included himself in his prayer for his nation.

Does God hold me accountable for the abortion in America? Yes! Does God hold me accountable for the pornography? Yes! For the drug addiction, alcoholism, materialism, humanism? Yes, He does. Friend, if the church had done what she ought to have done, and if we would do what we ought to do, then these problems would be healed. And while we may not commit these sins, they are still our sins. Verse 20 of this same chapter makes it so clear: “While I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel….”

Now, people who don’t know God aren’t going to confess the sin of this nation. Like Daniel, we must set our face and pray with reflection and repentance, confessing our sin and the sin of America. Only sin that is confessed is forgiven.

--ACTION POINT:
Have you ever set your face to prayer? So much of our prayer, I hate to say, is casual prayer, prayer that comes with almost a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. When are we going to set our face before God with fasting and determination?
"God have mercy on us, for we have sinned against You and You only. Our Country has turned it's face away from you, the Holy and Righteous, Yeshua Hamashiach. Forgive us Lord! Have mercy, our Redeemer, Lord and Savior."
--Adrian Rogers~~

--SOVEREIGN OVER SIN ~~

---(Isaiah 14:24-27)

---GOD IS SOVEREIGN. This means that He is the supreme authority over everything, including sin and its consequences. Yet He doesn't 'cause' anyone to sin--to do so would violate His righteous and holy nature. The Lord does, however, 'allow' temptation to enter our lives. And since we have free will and the Holy Spirit, we can decide how to respond and are fully equipped to resist. Thankfully, He retains ultimate control and weaves the consequences of our actions in accordance with His purposes.

Sometimes God permits our sin to run its full course. For instance, when the Israelites refused to turn away from their disobedience, He "gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices" (Psm. 81:12).
Without divine protection, the nation succumbed to corrupt influences and ultimately was overrun. The Lord could have sheltered them, but the consequences drove the Israelites into repentance, which was His original plan.

Conversely, God will sometimes put an immediate halt to sin. Such was the case when King Abimelech took Abraham's wife to himself. The king had been misled by the couple and was not aware that he was about to commit a sin. But the Lord knew of the deception, and He intervened (Genesis 20:1-6).

-Of course, the wisest plan is to obey fully so God never has to use either of these tactics. Temptation is inevitable, but sin is not. The Lord's sovereignty over our life means that any temptation must first pass through His permissive will. In this way, He makes sure His children are never tempted beyond what they can resist.
---(1 Corinthians 10:13). ~~

--IN TOUCH~ /<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rR_Rdb1CTE>

--WITH CHRIST ~~

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2-3)

The apostle Paul, looking forward to the time when we shall “ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17), wrote: “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23-24).

The fact is, however, that we can be “with Christ” even while still abiding in the flesh, as Paul himself emphasized. This is the great principle called positional truth. “Positionally,” we are already “with Christ,” for that is where God sees us and how He relates to us. He has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

Before we could be raised up with Christ, however, we first had to die with Him. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). God even saw us as buried with Christ when He was buried, and this is the great truth symbolized in our baptism. “We are buried with him by baptism into death” (Romans 6:4).

“Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more” (Romans 6:8-9). He died for us, so our deserved death became His substitutionary death, and His victorious resurrection becomes our own unmerited deliverance from death in eternal resurrection life. This is our position now, and our assured everlasting possession then, for we are with Christ, who “dieth no more.”

This truth is not only a wonderful doctrine, but as we see in our text, a focus for our thoughts, and real incentive for godly living.
--ICR/HMM-Crucified With Christ / Phillips, Craig and Dean
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0_1jazh454>

--THE FIRSTBORN OF EVERY CREATURE~~

“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” (Colossians 1:15)

--A widespread cult heresy based on this verse claims that Jesus Christ was not eternal but merely the first being created—perhaps an angel—before becoming a man. Note that the verse does not say He was the “first created of every creature” but the “first born of every creature,” and there is a big difference. In fact, the very next verse says that “by him were all things created” (v. 16).. He was never created, for He Himself is the Creator. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).

He is “born” of God, not “made,” the “only begotten Son” of God (John 3:16). “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). The eternal Father is omnipresent, and therefore invisible, inaudible, inaccessible to the physical senses. The eternally existing Son is the “image” of the invisible Father, the One who declares, reveals, embodies His essence. Although He is always “in the bosom of the Father,” yet He is eternally also “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:3). He is the eternal, living Word, which was “in the beginning with God” (John 1:2), and which “was God” (John 1:1).

Thus, **the phrase “firstborn of every creature” in our text can be translated literally as “begotten before all creation.” The eternal inter-relationship of the Persons of the Godhead is **beyond human comprehension in its fullness, and the terms “Son” and “begotten” are the best human language can do to describe it. Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, is the only begotten, eternally generated, Son of the Father, forever shining forth as the image of the otherwise invisible God.
--ICR/HMM
[Jesus said, "I and my Father are One." -(John 10:30)
They are inseparable. In the book of Acts we read that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers and speak the Word of God until Jesus' return. He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, until the fullness of time. He is coming back.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You must be born again." (John 3:3,5-6)
"Be ye ready at all times for no one knows the day or hour the Son of Man will return." (Matthew 24:42)

--GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL~~
---(Please Read: Isaiah 45:5-7)

I admit that I often don’t understand why bad things happen. Even so, I believe that God has a purpose for everything He does or permits. My faith is rooted in the biblical principle that says the Lord is sovereign (Ps. 22:28). He is in absolute control of this universe, the natural and political climate of this earth, and my life and yours.

When we are in the midst of a trial, it is hard to resist crying out, “God, Why is this happening?” Sometimes we get the answer and sometimes we don’t. What we can be sure of is that nothing happens by accident or coincidence. He has a purpose for even our most painful experiences. Moreover, we have His promise to “cause all things to work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28).

Seeing in advance how the Lord will work evil or hurt for our benefit is very difficult, if not impossible. My limited human perspective doesn’t allow me to grasp His greater plan. However, I can confirm the truth of this biblical promise because the Father’s good handiwork appears all through my pain, hardship, and loss. I have experienced Him turn mourning into gladness and have seen Him reap bountiful blessings and benefits from my darkest hours.

As believers, we must accept that God won’t always make sense to us. Isaiah teaches that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own (Isa. 55:9). He sees the beautifully completed big picture. We can rely on the fact that God is in control, no matter how wildly off-kilter our world seems to spin.
--IN TOUCH~~
<https://youtu.be/JMTG13qVY3g>

--DAVID: A PICTURE
-OF GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY~~

--(Please Read/ Psalm 103:19-22)
----
-SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND God's purposes for adversity. In the midst of a personal tragedy, the Lord's sovereignty may seem like impractical and unrealistic theology. But the truth is, God works all things together for the believer's good (Romans 8:28).

David's writings illustrate the importance of trust that the Lord is in control, no matter how difficult the situation. Sometimes it's easy to think of the biblical writers as perfect, almost Christlike figures. But David's life was full of adversity, temptation, sin, and forgiveness.

When he was running for his life from King Saul, God spared him. When he yielded to temptation with Bathsheba, God spared him. When his son attempted to take David's throne, God spared him and kept him as king.

Through all of these unfortunate circumstances, David discovered God was protecting and guiding him every step of the way--and using him for extraordinary purposes, despite his human failings. These experiences taught David to trust wholeheartedly in the Lord's sovereignty.

For those of us in similar situations, the question is, 'Do we believe God is in control?' If He's not, then who is? In other words, if life events are random and without purpose, then to whom do we turn in trials?

In 1 Chronicles 29:12, David says that God rules over everything and His hand strengthens everyone. Have faith in the Lord's ability to strengthen you with His sovereign hand. Though you may not always understand His reasons, you can surely trust His purposes.
--IN TOUCH~~
["Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come." ---(John 16:13)

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." ---(Psalm 32:8)

"For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me." --(Psalm 31:3)

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understand.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths." --(Proverbs 3:5,6) ~~]-/ You Are My Hiding Place ~~/ SELAH
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElVC6rfX3Z8>

----THE EXALTED LORD ~~
---(Please Read/ Revelation 1:9-17)--

--Revelation may be the most ignored book of the New Testament simply because it can be difficult to understand. But to avoid the treasures found in its pages is to miss some of the richest descriptions of our Lord that Scripture offers. We love seeing Him as the baby in the manger, and we recognize the importance of His death and resurrection, but the story doesn’t end there.

John was given a dramatic vision of the exalted Lord as He is now in heaven. Even though the apostle had shared an intimate friendship with Christ on earth, the sight of His Lord in this glorified state caused him to pass out in fear (Revelation 1:17).

In the heavenly scene, Jesus is portrayed as the Lord of His church, which is represented by the seven lampstands surrounding Him. He watches over them, preserving, protecting, and admonishing when necessary.

A few chapters later, Jesus is shown to be the Lamb of God, who, as our High Priest, sacrificed Himself on our behalf (Revelation 5:1-14). His blood purchased redemption for people from every place and time, so that they could become citizens of His kingdom. All heaven erupts into praise and worship when Christ is found to be the only one worthy to end this age and set up His righteous kingdom (v. 13).

-If you believe in Christ, these chapters are about your future. Picture yourself in both scenes, seeing Jesus as the exalted Lord and Lamb of God. The praises described in Revelation 5:9-14 are coming from your mouth! Let this glimpse of the future shape your worship and focus every time you worship our King above all kings and Lord above all lords, JESUS CHRIST.~~
--IN TOUCH~~-[SPEAKERS NEEDED/ NO LYRICS ON SCREEN]--/'GOD YOU REIGN' -Lincoln Brewster~<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_RN3nZMSJE>
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--GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY/-Jehovah God is Always in Control!
--What About Satan's rule?

**Question: "What does it mean that Satan is prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2)?"

**Answer: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1–2, emphasis added). In this text the apostle Paul describes Satan first as a “prince” with power, because he has authentic power in the world (1 John 5:19). This power has been given him by God (Luke 4:6). Satan has power over some illnesses (Luke 13:16; see also 2 Corinthians 12:7—it’s unknown if Paul’s “thorn” was an illness or something else). In some sense, Satan has power over death (Hebrew 2:14). The reason Satan is called a prince rather than a king is because there is only one King—Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:15).

Satan also has power over some people. The “sons of disobedience” referred to in Ephesians 2:2 are those who have not trusted Christ as Lord and Savior (cf. Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 13:12). The demons are also under the rule of Satan (Matthew 12:24), and one of his titles is “prince of demons” (Matthew 9:34). Satan has a kingdom (Matthew 12:26) and a throne (Revelation 2:13). Satan is called a prince because he is a ruler and possesses power to manifest evil in the world through influencing people and commanding demons.

“The air” in Ephesians 2:2 may refer to the invisible realm above the earth where Satan and his demons move and exist. This space, of course, is the location of the earth’s atmosphere or “air.” In Ephesians 6:12, Paul writes, “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.” This evil realm called the “air” could be an actual locality, but it could also be synonymous with the “world” of John 12:31. This whole world is Satan’s domain (Matthew 4:8–9).

Although Satan has power and authority in the current world system in which we exist, his power is limited, always under the sovereign control of God (Job 1:12), and it is temporary (Romans 16:20).

God has not revealed all of the why’s and when’s concerning Satan’s rule, but He has made it clear that there is only one way to escape the power of Satan’s dominion, and that is through His Son, Jesus (Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13–14).
It is Jesus who, speaking of the impending Cross, declared victory: “Now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31)
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[ We all have questions. Why do we have chemical trails? What is happening to our atmosphere? We must remember that Jehovah God is in control. He allows bad things to happen for many of the reasons mentioned above. BUT Jehovah God is still on His Throne. He is still in control over everything. What we forget is He never makes us do anything. We have 'free-will'. So regarding the chemical spraying and other happenings in our atmosphere, man is causing the harm. We simply must obey God. "All things work together for the good to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose." -(Romans 8:28) Keep your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. ~~~
--"Sovereign" ---By Chris Tomlin~~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52SZo0QADSQ>
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---SOVEREIGN INTERVENTION / REST IN HIS SOVEREIGN, LOVING PROVISION ~~

---"God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them."
----(Exodus 2:25)

--(Please / READ EXODUS 3:1–9)--

---Barbara grew up under the care of the British government in the 1960s, but when she turned sixteen, she and her newborn son, Simon, became homeless. The state was no longer obligated to provide for her at that age. Barbara wrote to the Queen of England for help and received a response! The Queen compassionately arranged for Barbara to be given a house of her own.

The Queen of England had the right resources to help Barbara, and her compassionate assistance can be seen as a small picture of God’s help. The King of heaven knows all of our needs and sovereignly works out His plans in our lives. As He does, however, He longs for us to come to Him—sharing our needs and other concerns—as part of our loving relationship with Him.

The Israelites brought their need for deliverance to God. They were suffering under the burden of Egyptian slavery and cried out for help. He heard them and remembered His promise: “God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them” (Exodus 2:25). He instructed Moses to bring liberty to His people and declared that He would once again release them “into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (3:8).

Our King loves it when we come to Him! He wisely provides what we need, not necessarily what we want. Let’s rest in His sovereign, loving provision.

--ODB

---GOD KNOWS ME ~~GOD IS SOVEREIGN~

--“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.” (Psalm 139:1)--

----Perhaps the most frightening attribute of God is that He knows everything about us. Everything! He has “searched” (literally “penetrated”) us and “known” (“understood”) us. And since God is both omnipresent and omniscient, it obviously follows that nothing escapes His conscious knowledge about us.. He observes our ordinary activities (v. 2) and our innermost thoughts. “Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways” (v. 3). The Hebrew word translated “compassest” suggests that He actually sees the formation of the words in our tongues before we begin to speak them (v. 4). That means that we are transparent to Him; we cannot deceive Him in any way. He knows what we are going to think; we cannot hide anything from Him. God knows what only we know about ourselves and those things we won’t even admit to ourselves.

Furthermore, He is everywhere around each one of us (vv. 7-10), wherever we are or could be. He fills all space, and there is no escape. We cannot hide from God. He is wherever we go. The apostle Paul once observed: “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This very intimate and complete knowledge about us is what makes God’s salvation such a marvelous matter.

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). God loves us in spite of what we have become.
Yet, since He knows what we could be, He gives us eternal life through His Son so that we will realize, one day, what He knows we shall be.

--ICR/HMM

--WILL MURDERERS ENTER HEAVEN?

~~"Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation" - -[Psalm 51:14]

~~Murder is sin! Murder is contrary to the will of God! The Lord commanded in Exodus 20:13, "Thou shalt not kill." In the New Testament Jesus said, "Thou shalt do no murder" (Matthew 19:18). God's plan is clear! Man is not to destroy the life of another. However, the first person born on earth became a murderer. After Cain killed Abel, God told him, "Thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" (Genesis 4:10). The New Testament sets a high standard in 1 John 3:15: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

King David was a man whose heart was filled with the evil intent to destroy another man. There was no love for Uriah, but hatred. He succeeded in his plan, and Uriah was killed. David had become a murderer! In today's Bible reading, we find David suffocating in guilt because of his crime. He no longer had sweet fellowship with God, and he wanted that relationship to be restored. David did not want to be a murderer! Notice his feelings: =1) there was no joy, 2) there was no gladness, and 3) there was such a heavy sorrow that David felt as if his bones were broken.

"My sin is ever before me," David wrote in Psalm 51:3. Also note his desperate cry in today's key verse. Was there no release? Consider Nathan's response after David confessed his sin: "The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." Later David testified, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Psalm 32:1). Will murderers enter Heaven? They can, but only if they repent, confess their sin, and find deliverance from hatred, in the LORD. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" [1 John 1:9]

--Beside Still Waters/ JK~
--"CONFIDENT"// Steffany Gretzinger (feat Bobby Strand/lyric video)<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvLWBB6hgJk>
~~~~~~~

--An Easter Message of Great Hope ~~
--[Family Institute/ James Dobson]


---Over 2,000 years ago, God the Father sent His one and only Son to bear the sins of all mankind on the cruel cross of Calvary. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ transcends life's circumstances and represents a historical marker that lies at the center of everything we believe.



During His earthly ministry, Jesus walked the roads of Galilee teaching a message of repentance and performing miracles. People were desperate just to touch the hem of His robe. They gathered in small and large groups to hear His words, and with open arms, Jesus received young children, tax collectors, the infirmed, the curious, and the criminal.


As Jesus' time to be tried and crucified approached, the disciples were fearful and confused. Was this really the purpose for which the Messiah had come? The future looked bleak and frightening.


While Jesus' mother and the disciples witnessed His brutal suffering on the cross, I can only imagine that they also experienced waves of fear and uncertainty. Yet beyond the darkness that veiled their skies, God was carrying out His plan of redemption. And three days later, light overcame darkness and hope conquered fear as Jesus rose from the dead! Fast forward to today, and God is still on His throne weaving His redemptive threads through our lives. He loves you and has a unique plan for you.


This is the magnificence of Easter—the same hands that were pierced by our rebellion now reach out to us in compassion and forgiveness. God sent His Son to become one of us to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Truly, we can say with the prophet Isaiah, "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).


To those of you who are overwhelmed by the cares of life right now and are burdened by the weight of the world during this season of uncertainty, I urge you to look to the risen Christ. He is our eternal hope! May His grace and peace surround you and your loved ones, not only on Easter Sunday but every day of the year. / JESUS IS ALIVE!

--Family Institure/ James Dobson ~~

---IN THE GARDEN ~~

--"Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!"
---[JOHN 20:18]

--My dad loved to sing the old hymns. One of his favorites was "In the Garden." A few years back we sang it at his funeral. The chorus is simple: "And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known." That song brought joy to my dad--as it does to me.

Hymn writer C. Austin Miles says he wrote this song in the spring 1912 after reading chapter 20 of fthe Gospel of John. "As I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary's life when she knelt before her Lord and cried, "Rabboni [Teacher]."

In John 20, we find Mary Magdalene weeping near Jesus' empty tomb. There she met a man who asked why she was crying. Thinking it was the gardener, she spoke with the risen Savior--Jesus! Her sorrow turned to joy, and she ran to tell the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" (v.18).

We too have the assurance that Jesus is risen! He's now in heaven with the Father, but He hasn't left us on our own. Believers in Christ have His Spirit inside us, and through Him we have the assurance and joy of knowing He's with us, as we are "His own."

--"Lord Jesus I'm so thankful You're alive and that as Your child You live in in me! Help me, Lord, to never be ashamed to tell others of Your love and eternal life because we accept You as Savior. ~amen~"

--ODB/AK~

---JESUS IS GOD~~~

--THE ONE TRUE GOD ~~

--“This is what the Lord says—Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let him foretell what will come.”
---[Isaiah 44:6-7/NIV]
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---God says very clearly that all other gods—all other options for understanding the world and our place in it—are pretenders. It is a unique assertion of the Bible that our God can give us insight and understanding into what was, what is, and what is to come. God lays out clearly what His purposes are and invites us to participate with Him. It is disturbing and heartbreaking to see how many people with a foundation of Christian faith are allowing ungodly ideas and philosophies to creep into their thoughts and actions. The God of the Bible is the only true God, and His ways are the only ways we should seek and follow—with all of our hearts.

THINK ABOUT IT
---Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (NLT). Our belief in and faithfulness to what Jesus declared determines our ability to be a person of truth and help others align with God.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I know and believe that only through Jesus can I be reconciled to You and redeemed from sin. Having chosen to follow Jesus, may I be a consistent advocate for Him and help others choose to make Him Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Allen Jackson
-[~~"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
"All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." [JOHN 1:1-4 / NASB ~] -