Perfect in all ways......except 1----- Ezekiel 28:11-13a

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

    Hopefully this time in Ezekiel has been time well spent for you. It has for me.  We are talking about the king of Tyre, aka Lucifer.  Look, absorb, and meditate on the characteristics of Lucifer before the fall.

  Ezekiel is being given the word from God. Here in the KJV:     
¹¹ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me (Ezekiel), saying,
    God is speaking to Ezekiel - i.e. the word of the LORD came unto me - easy to understand. Now look at verse 12.
¹² Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
    Ezekiel is to take up a lamentation to the king of Tyrus - okay the definition of lamentation is the passionate expression of grief or sorrow; weeping.  So this is not a pleasant social call - there is something serious going on here.
   Next we see 'sealest' up the sum.  When we seal something, normally we feel that it is complete.  When you seal your tax return you do believe it is complete, seal your bills, etc.  So, from what I am gathering here from sealest up the sum - meaning complete in wisdom and beauty.   Now in Ezekiel he talks about the king of Tyre; however, we could not state that any earthly person would be perfect or complete and the authorities I am studying agree that this refers to Lucifer.  At the time when Lucifer was in heaven he was complete, made in God image - perfect is wisdom and beauty.
  I will begin with verse 13 - then we will go on: Ezekiel 28: ¹³ Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;
Another fact showing this refers to Lucifer - thou has been in Eden, the garden of God - no man or woman lest Adam and Eve have been in the garden of God. 
  Lucifer was here, in the garden.  Think about this for a moment.  Tomorrow we will go on with the rest of the verses about his beauty. Thanks for reading. Love you all.
Soli Deo Gloria
Johnny

Pride and arrogance brings about death - Ezekiel 28: 6-10

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

    Remember yesterday the scripture ended in verse 5 with "your heart has grown proud" and we'll pick up at verse 6 today.  Pride is leaping forth here and let's see what God says:
   

⁶ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Because you think you are wise,
    as wise as a god,
⁷ I am going to bring foreigners against you,
    the most ruthless of nations;
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom
    and pierce your shining splendor.
⁸ They will bring you down to the pit,
    and you will die a violent death
    in the heart of the seas.
⁹ Will you then say, “I am a god,”
    in the presence of those who kill you?
You will be but a mortal, not a god,
    in the hands of those who slay you.
¹⁰ You will die the death of the uncircumcised
    at the hands of foreigners.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Now, this is pretty clear- talking to the king of Tyre or satan saying you think you are a god.  Then God will bring foreigners against you, and they will be ruthless. Ruthless - what does that mean? This means having NO PITY on anyone; synonyms -  heartless, merciless, cruel, and many more.

     They will draw swords and pierce his beauty; meaning all beauty and splendor will be stripped away.  Plus, he will die a violent death in what??? A pit, in the heart of the seas.

    Then the question comes: will he say I am a god when they come to kill him, knowing now that he is mortal?  Do you think the ones coming to kill him will bow down because he says he is a god, or scoff at his futile claims?

 
In KJV it states: He shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised, of those that are strangers to God and not in covenant with him, and therefore die under his wrath and curse.Notice, deaths is plural. It is deaths, a double death, temporal (body) and eternal (soul)., He shall die the second death; that is dying miserably indeed.

    Tomorrow we will look at what is assumed and depicted as how Lucifer was seen in heaven.  Love you all. Stay close to God, stay in prayer and the word.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

How is your PRIDE! Is it in check! Ezekiel 28: 4-5

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

   Yesterday I shared Ezekiel 28: 1-3 in KJV - look at verse 2 in NIV: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘In the pride of your heart
    you say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
    in the heart of the seas.”
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
    though you think you are as wise as a god.

Note the arrogance of the king or prince of Tyre, aka Lucifer aka satan.

Now, let us view verses 4 and 5:
⁴ By your wisdom and understanding
    you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
    in your treasuries.
⁵ By your great skill in trading
    you have increased your wealth,
and because of your wealth
    your heart has grown proud.

King of Tyre has gained wealth, gold and silver and put in safe keeping, aka treasuries.  Kings of these days enjoyed and thrived in different areas like husbandry; however, the king of Tyre longed for the material goods, the riches of the time.  By his great skill in trading - could this be rewritten as in his manipulating and conniving? - he did increase his wealth.

  Because he was successful in his trading and the materials possessions he haD acquired his heart has grown proud.  P R I D E ! !  As the old saying goes "pride cometh before a fall".  His heart has become prideful and tomorrow we will see what happens next.  Love you all.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

Prince (king) of Tyre Ezekiel 28

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

   Okay, well, in listening and studying I have found an error in my thinking and belief.  Oh, yes, an error?  Me?  Yes, quite often when I am studying the word and God opens more meaning to me.  I don't think I am at the meat meal yet, still milk and honey, but it never tasted so good. ;)

   I have always thought, whether taught this or surmised on my own, that satan comes as a bright, shining, attractive (possibly beautiful) light.  Oh, but was I wrong.  Look at Ezekiel 28 and we will spend the rest of the week on this chapter.

   Ezekiel 28: The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

Here the LORD is speaking and this is a time to listen.

² Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
  Here it appears that we are referring to a human king, the prince of Tyrus (some versions king of Tyrus).  This is also referring to satan. Tyre was known for building its wealth by taking advantage of its neighbors; a city filled with unscrupulous merchants. Tyre was a center of religious idolatry and sexual immorality. The biblical prophets rebuked Tyre for its pride brought on by its great wealth and strategic location. Here we see a strong indictment against the king of Tyre in the prophet Ezekiel’s day, rebuking the king for his insatiable pride and greed.  Notice, Ezekiel speaks to the "prince of Tyrus" (Lucifer) about his boasting of: I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, ..................   He was full of pride, conceit, and was not afraid to tell you so. Satan here, believes he is as great as God.  Where will his pride and conceit take him?
³ Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:
He (satan) believes that he is as wise as Daniel, wiser than God, and unaccountable to any.  He believes he is as powerful as God, the one who created him. He aka prince of Tyre, believes he is self sufficient, more powerful than any, wiser than any, and believes he is in complete control, as mighty as the Most High God.  Wow! What a deception he has poured into himself through his pride, conceit, and greed.
  Okay, but if God created Lucifer, why would he fall?  God did not make puppets, he gave us ALL FREE WILL, even the angels.  You can take a puppet on a string, make it dance, and throw your voice, so it (puppet) will say whatever you want it to say.  Is this true love?  NO!  God wants us to love him freely and openly, not be puppets.  There is no joy from a puppet telling you it loves you; but there is joy when family, friends, and God shows their love for us.  This is what God wants - us to freely love and adore HIM.
Love you all.
Soli Deo Gloria
Johnny

Okay, what is your relationship with JESUS CHRIST?

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!!

   I am going to deviate slightly from how I normally study and refer questions back to you.  Today will take a little more time if you choose to study it, but it may well be worth the time. 

   There will be questions and scripture and up to you to meditate, read and absorb.  So, without further ado---here we go:
 

1.    Do you have a personal relationship with God?

a.     When?   Year _______

2.    Why is your relationship important?

Romans 6:23 – Roman 8:1               

3.    What does having a personal relationship with God mean? 

a.     We should pray

b.    Meditate on God’s word

c.     Get to know God better

4.    What can I pray for?

a.     Wisdom – James 1:5

                                                             i.      What is your most powerful tool

b.    How do we ask – John 15:16

5.    Who will guide me?

a.     Holy Spirit

             i.      How do I know the Holy Spirit is with me?

b.    Does the world accept the Holy Spirit

c.     John 14:15-21

6.    If we have the Holy Spirit what is different?

a.     Galatians 5

7.    Now, once again – do you have a personal relationship with JESUS CHRIST?

a.     How do you know?

Thank you for reading today and I pray this touches your heart as much as it did touch me.  I do love you all and thank God for you being in my life.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

How are your priorities? Matthew 6:33; Matthew 10:35; Acts 5:29

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

     Lately God has laid it on my heart about priorities.  We all have priorities, but in what order do we allow them to fall?  For many of us, they are out of order when it comes to living a life for Christ.
   A priority is something that is important to us, something that we care about. If something is important to us, then we will show that by our deeds. For instance, the Bible tells us that if our faith is truly important to us, we will demonstrate that in our works.

  So many times we get our priorities out of order.  I will delve into this further, but as I understand it our Christian priorities should be: 1) GOD; 2) SPOUSE then FAMILY; 3) CHURCH;  4) COUNTRY; 5) WORK.

   How often in homes is Work #1, then Children followed by Spouse, and last is God.  On, and along the way we complain about how things are going in our country.  Do church work?  Naw, don't have time.  Hmmm!  Think things may be askew here?

   Let's look at GOD first.  Here are some verses for you to think about:
       “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” – Matthew 10:35 (KJV)
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” – Acts 5:29 (KJV)
              We should want to serve GOD first. God offers the true retirement plan that is Heavenly.  Not being slight or tongue in cheek, but without God our life is and will be an eternal HELL.  Seek the kingdom of God first.  We are told to love one another, father and mother, but not ahead of God.  We need to be obedient to God and seek HIS ways rather than being cool or appeasing the world with worldly ways.

   So, priority number 1 should be..............G O D ! !

Can you look yourself in the mirror and say God, your are number 1 in my life.  If not it may be time for soul searching.  If so, be humble and praise God for His Son, Jesus, who gave you new life. Love you all.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

Jesus, is it really the sweetest name you know?

Good morning all.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

  Who is Jesus to you?

  What type of relationship do you have with Jesus?

Love you all.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

Good Friday - is it really only once a year and good?

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

  Have you ever noticed Christians in different religions get hung up on little things and believe they can justify it with the Bible? Examples:  Saturday is the sabbath to 7th Day adventist- to others Sunday;  there can be musical instruments or there cannot; you can dance or you cannot dance; you may have wine or beer and to some NO wine or beer; to some speaking in tongues is alive to others it is not; prophecies are dead to some - prophecies are still alive to others; and on and on we go.  Well, what does the Bible say?

   Romans 14: ⁵ One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

This is telling us that each man is convinced in his own mind which day is sacred.  My question to you is Does it Matter? Really? Justify please!  If I worship and let Tuesday be my Sabbath, am I wrong?  I don't believe so; however, I do believe I should treat each day as if it were the Sabbath, letting Christ show forth through me.

   What should be remembered to each of us EACH DAY is First Corinthians 11:24-26    When Jesus broke break and gave to the disciples, then drink, and verse 26 is quite important:  ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

  My question to you is do we have to do this ceremoniously in a church gathering?  Why do we only observe Good Friday once a year?  Is Good Friday really good?

               Let's start with the latter question. In Matthew chapters 26-27 you see what the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus.  Was it good? No, not from a human stand point, and depending on the vantage point from which you were standing.  If you were the above mentioned (Jewish authorities/Romans) it was good; if you were a disciple, family or friend of Jesus it was not good.  Soooo!  Coming from God's vantage point was it good?  I don't know, but I do know it was necessary.  So, since we were in sin, Jesus died for our sin, is it good?  In my opinion YES!

      Now, why do we observe Good Friday once a year - because it is tradition?  The church has been doing this for years.  Yep, and grandma used to cut both ends of the ham off and throw it to the dogs too.  Does that make it right, make it correct?  Maybe we observe Good Friday so that the fathers in America can begin preparing and dreading the fact they may have to go to church on EASTER SUNDAY!  lol  Good Friday is the day we remember Jesus' death and actually should rejoice because we know the end result. The end result being he was quickened by the Spirit and lives!

   Look at Romans 5: ⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

    God loves us; Christ died for us; we are now justified (by HIS blood); we are saved through JESUS CHRIST.  What a wonderful and marvelous gift to us, the undeserving.

It is important for us to remember:

1 PETER 3:¹⁸ For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

    For the first question of do we do this ceremoniously?  If we do celebrate Good Friday and Easter with communion and do it "because we are expected to" it becomes of no value.  Just like people who recite the Lord's Prayer while doing other things and not thinking about the meaning of what they are saying.  Is it of value or just something to be done at this certain time.  Like brushing your teeth after a nights sleep.  Why do we do it?  There is a reason and we need to be cognizant of why!  God, Christ, and the Spirit should be celebrated constantly because of what the Trinity has done for us.  My opinion and I am sticking to it.

    Because of Jesus Christ being on the cross we celebrate Good Friday, then Easter.  We also commemorate His death with the Lord's Supper.  Another question:  shouldn't we celebrate Jesus Christ and His sacrifice each and every time we sit down to a meal?  Yes, I believe we should have a special celebration for communion just as we celebrate ones birthday each year.  However, I also believe we should be reverent, humble, and ever mindful of what Christ did for us at each and every meal.  Well, I went off on a tear today and would welcome comments or rebuttals.  Love you all.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

To lie or not to lie -- that is a good question!!!

Good day fellow Christians.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu

   I just watched a great movie called COURAGEOUS, a Christian movie that shows some of the pit falls of man and the integrity of man.  When you are in a position to lie or tell the truth what would you do?

   Most of us would say - tell the truth!  BUT,  if your best friend, or even a close relative did something illegal, you knew it, would you confront them, tell the authorities, or just "look the other way"?  Yes, that is a tough question.

   If your son or daughter was dealing in drugs, you knew it, would you report them?  Wow!

   This movie demonstrates and tests the integrity of several men.  Now my question to you my friends is this:  "How close is your walk with the LORD?"

  How you respond to situations rests a lot on our walk with the LORD.  God doesn't move - he is there always - it is too often us who move away.

  Psalm 15 puts all this into perspective.

Psalm 15   A psalm of David.

¹ Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose walk is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person
    but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.                            Whoever does these things  will never be shaken.

   Take this verse, re-read it and note verse 4 lines 2,3,4. Honor, keep oath, does not change mind.  It is amazing that the truth never changes; lies  get twisted and turned and liars get caught.

Love you all. Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

GET READY, HERE COMES GOD!! Exodus 11:8-10

Hello All. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

   Remember, Moses is speaking to Pharaoh what God told him to say.

   Let's look at the end of Exodus 11:
⁸ And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.
⁹ And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. To me, this is important. the LORD tells Moses that Pharaoh will not listen and why?  So that "my" (God's) wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.
   Remember, the Egyptians have many gods and goddess'. Goddess of light, of trees, and on and on.  God is going to be glorified.  Notice, too, Moses left Pharaoh in great anger.
¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.  Last chance for the hard head, aka Pharaoh.  Now remember, the Israelites have been in slavery about 430 years.  So if they are released - uh - who will do the work?  Yep, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, but God's plan has not finished yet.
  Tune in for Exodus 12.  More fun and adventure. Love you all.
Soli Deo Gloria
Johnny

Was God in control? - Exodus 11 -

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!!!

   May God give us all the wisdom and knowledge to go forth, walking with the Holy Spirit and bring glory to God.

  Have you ever just stopped what you are doing and read about the Exodus and the plagues leading up to the Exodus?  Not just read, but absorb - today we are looking at Exodus 11 - (click to read). 

   At the start God speaks to Moses telling him there will be one more plague and after this Pharaoh will let the people go. He told Moses to tell the men an women to go to their neighbors and gather silver and gold.  Huh?  The Egyptians give up their valuables?  When God is in control anything will happen.

  Exodus 11: ⁴ And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:  (here comes the warning) ⁵ And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. (here is what will happen, the first born of ALL shall die-----except.....)
⁶ And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. (The Egyptians will be wailing with sorrow like never before heard)
⁷ But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. (but wait, there is a twist coming, nothing will happen to the children of Israel; and, what? Dogs won't bark? Correct, dogs won't bark.  Now, there is a division, a separation between the Egyptians and Israel)
Then what happens?  Well, let us absorb what is happening to this point.

1. The LORD spoke to Moses
2. Told of 1 more plague
3. Will tell Pharaoh and Israel be released
4. In mean time, Israelites go to neighbors and get silver and gold
5. Israelite's have favour in eyes of Egyptians
6. Moses is great in this land
7. Moses tells of the plague (death of firstborn)
8. Great sorrow in Egypt
9. Difference between Egyptians and Israelites by God

We'll pick up here tomorrow.  By the way, do you know how we know when Easter comes each year?  Keep reading this week and you will find out. Love you all.
Soli Deo Gloria
Johnny

When problems arise what do you do? 1 John 4:4

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

  When adversity comes and greets you how do you react?  A father was greeted by his child who was upset and in tears. The father listened and then told the child sit here for a moment I want to show you something.

   He took 3 pots of water, planning to bring them to 212 degrees aka boiling point.  In one pot he put hard potatoes, another an egg, and in the third coffee beans.  He let them boil and then after 20-30 minutes turned the heat off.

  Then the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

   Now is saying this, I ask that you examine yourself and see how your react.

Look at this and see what it means:

                                   HE>I

  Isaiah 55: 8-9  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

   Job 26:14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?

   Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. 

   Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and does not take a bribe.

   1 John 4: ^{4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.}

   Remember:
                                   HE>I

Greater is the He who is in you than the one who is in the world.  When you experience adversities or struggles of life WHAT WILL YOU DO?  Give it all to God, make coffee and create something new. Love you all. Thank you for reading.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

Turn or Burn! Accept or Reject!

Hello my fellow Christians. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

   Okay, I witnessed via social media a person who criticized preachers/churches for preaching that if you don't accept Jesus Christ as your savior you will go to hell.  The jest of this comment was that preachers are "scaring" people toward Jesus and taking advantage of peoples weaknesses.  What do you think?

   Here is my take.  If I do not share Jesus Christ with people; by being silent and not sharing the way of salvation - Jesus - I am basically letting them go to hell.  Or, in other words telling them to go to hell.  What is your take?

  Some seminaries tell the future pastors not to teach the crucifixion as it may scare them away from the church.  Huh?  Scare away from the church?  This sounds more of an economical concern than a spiritual concern.

   Turn or Burn - accept Jesus Christ and spending eternity in heaven, OR reject Jesus Christ and spend eternity in hell.

  Here is some scripture to mull over.

   Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

  Revelations 20:15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire

   Jude 1:7 Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

   John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

   1 John 5: 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

   People who are agnostic or atheist are missing the point of salvation but have made their choice.  However, it does stop us from sharing the way to salvation aka Jesus Christ.  Professing turn or burn is wrong, in itself is wrong.  We do have to turn from the world (and sin) or we will burn.  Will we be sinless, no, but we will sin  -  less because of Jesus Christ.  Thank you God!!!

  Let me know what you think!  From what I see in the Bible, we have to turn away from our worldly living, accept Jesus Christ as my savior, and spend eternity in heaven.  Again, what do you think?  Love you all.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

Only a few; what can they do? Judges 7

Good morning, or maybe GOD morning to you all!  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

   Only a few - better yet - I am only one (1) - what can I do?  What can only 1 do?  In and by himself - NOTHING!  But with God everything.  If you question this go back and look at Moses or Jonah. Even Noah; then what about Enoch and Elijah, who were definitely in God's favor.  What did they all do?  Nothing by themselves - but with God they were powerful.

  So what can you do?  It is important to be diligent and obedient to God; constantly listening to what God is telling us.   This is what Gideon did - he listened to God.  Without question?  No, Gideon still had a slight hint of doubt and asked the LORD for signs (read about the sign of the fleece in Judges 6:36-40). Gideon went to war with the Midianites with 32,000 men.  God said you have too many, send home the ones who are fearful and trembling.  22,000 left and Gideon only had 10,000 men. God said this is too many and I will test them for you.

    Take them to the water and I will tell you who to keep and who to send home. When God was finished Gideon only had 300 men.  Now, he is going into battle and if you put yourself in the place of a leader going to battle you would really like to outnumber the opponent.  But, God said 300 men and why?  Because the glory should go to God.  If they were in large force and won; then they would say they had created the victory.  The glory should go to God.

  Please remember, God is in control.  The 300 took their provisions and their trumpets and remained.  Now, Gideon is really listening to the LORD, and don't you know he is fully depending on God and God's wisdom and power.  Yet, he still has some doubt. God tells him to take Purah, his servant and go down to the camp and listen.  What Gideon would hear would strengthen his belief.

   The army of the enemy was vastly overwhelming and in normal circumstances could CRUSH GIDEON'S ARMY!  Purah and Gideon overheard a man speaking of the dream he had and what he said about it.  Now, Gideon's confidence was really up.  Now, you read the rest of the story to see what happens here in Judges 7.  Yes, Gideon defeated the vast army, as abundant as locust.

   The point here is that only a few did much.  From 32k men to only 300 versus thousands, and by following God they were victorious.  This is what we need to be aware of as well.  I may be one; you may be one; but with God on our side we have the strength and courage of many.  With God on our side we CAN OVERCOME!  We serve an awesome God and don't let satan or his demons cast that doubt down upon you.  Stand firm in the presence of God almighty and claim the victory.  Love you all. Thanks for reading.

Soli Deo Gloria

Johnny

Award winning Chocolate Cake recipe--then-- Recipe for salvation

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes (batter will be thin). Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 12 servings.

Ingredients for Salvation

1. God
2. Jesus Christ
3. Holy Spirit

Directions

In a large place called Earth place Gods son - Jesus.  Mix him in with the people (ingredients) on earth.  Add apostles, disciples, high priests, Sadducees, pharisees, gentiles and Jews.  Mix together for 3 years, then as the ingredients mix with Jesus.  Add a ruler and a cross, a misguided crowd, and create an unrest among the people.  
        Take the main ingredient - Jesus - and add beating, whipping, lashing, spit, humiliation, and a cross.  Nail Him (Jesus) to cross, set before all to see, pierce Jesus' side, let the blood run and fall to the ground.  Place in tomb for 3 days; return to find tomb empty but salvation is now open to all and the comforter is here (Holy Spirit).
    To enjoy this award winning salvation just ask Jesus into your heart and then know you have experienced the best and most valued ingredient ever - Jesus Christ as your LORD and saviour.  You will find this award winning recipe to be moist, light, enlightening, and quite enjoyable. You are now a child of GOD!
   God laid this on me during my sleep, that Jesus is the award winning recipe and hopefully I have shared it in a way that is pleasing to God and for all to read. Love you all.
Soli Deo Gloria
Johnny