Protection Program...

I got the following from the book The Truth About Angels, and I wanted to share it with all of you! I hope you are blessed and enjoy!

The connection of the visible with the invisible world, the ministration of angels of God, and the agency of evil spirits, are plainly revealed in the Scriptures, and inseparably interwoven with human history....

Before the creation of man, angels were in existence; for when the foundations of the earth were laid, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7.... Angels are in nature superior to men, for the psalmist says that man was made “a little lower than the angels.” Psalm 8:5.

We are informed in Scripture as to the number, and the power and glory, of the heavenly beings, of their connection with the government of God, and also of their relation to the work of redemption. “The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all.” And, says the prophet, “I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne.” In the presence chamber of the King of kings they wait—“angels, that excel in strength,” “ministers of His, that do His pleasure,” “hearkening unto the voice of His word.” Psalm 103:19-21; Revelation 5:11.

Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, were the heavenly messengers beheld by the prophet Daniel. The apostle Paul declared them “an innumerable company.” Daniel 7:10; Hebrews 12:22. As God’s messengers they go forth, like “the appearance of a flash of lightning,” (Ezekiel 1:14), so dazzling their glory, and so swift their flight. The angel that appeared at the Saviour’s tomb, his countenance “like lightning, and his raiment white as snow,” caused the keepers for fear of him to quake, and they “became as dead men.” Matthew 28:3, 4.

When Sennacherib, the haughty Assyrian, reproached and blasphemed God, and threatened Israel with destruction, “it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand.” There were “cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains,” from the army of Sennacherib. “So he returned with shame of face to his own land.” 2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chronicles 32:21.

Angels are sent on missions of mercy to the children of God. To Abraham, with promises of blessing; to the gates of Sodom, to rescue righteous Lot from its fiery doom; to Elijah, as he was about to perish from weariness and hunger in the desert; to Elisha, with chariots and horses of fire surrounding the little town where he was shut in by his foes; to Daniel, while seeking divine wisdom in the court of a heathen king, or abandoned to become the lions’ prey; to Peter, doomed to death in Herod’s dungeon; to the prisoners at Philippi; to Paul and His companions in the night of tempest on the sea; to open the mind of Cornelius to receive the gospel; to dispatch Peter with the message of salvation to the Gentile stranger—thus holy angels have, in all ages, ministered to God’s people.

Thus God’s people, exposed to the deceptive power and unsleeping malice of the prince of darkness, and in conflict with all the forces of evil, are assured of the unceasing guardianship of heavenly angels. Nor is such assurance given without need. If God has granted to His children promise of grace and protection, it is because there are mighty agencies of evil to be met—agencies numerous, determined, and untiring, of whose malignity and power none can safely be ignorant or unheeding.

Evil spirits, in the beginning created sinless, were equal in nature, power, and glory with the holy beings that are now God’s messengers. But fallen through sin, they are leagued together for the dishonor of God and the destruction of men. United with Satan in his rebellion, and with him cast out from heaven, they have, through all succeeding ages, cooperated with him in his warfare against the divine authority. We are told in Scripture of their confederacy and government, of their various orders, of their intelligence and subtlety, and of their malicious designs against the peace and happiness of men....

None are in greater danger from the influence of evil spirits than those who, notwithstanding the direct and ample testimony of the Scriptures, deny the existence and agency of the devil and his angels. So long as we are ignorant of their wiles, they have almost inconceivable advantage; many give heed to their suggestions while they suppose themselves to be following the dictates of their own wisdom. This is why, as we approach the close of time, when Satan is to work with greatest power to deceive and destroy, he spreads everywhere the belief that he does not exist. It is his policy to conceal himself and his manner of working....

It is because he has masked himself with consummate skill that the question is so widely asked: “Does such a being really exist?” It is an evidence of his success that theories giving the lie to the plainest testimony of the Scriptures are so generally received in the religious world. And it is because Satan can most readily control the minds of those who are unconscious of his influence, that the Word of God gives us so many examples of his malignant work, unveiling before us his secret forces, and thus placing us on our guard against his assaults.

The power and malice of Satan and his host might justly alarm us were it not that we may find shelter and deliverance in the superior power of our Redeemer. We carefully secure our houses with bolts and locks to protect our property and our lives from evil men; but we seldom think of the evil angels who are constantly seeking access to us, and against whose attacks we have, in our own strength, no method of defense. If permitted, they can distract our minds, disorder and torment our bodies, destroy our possessions and our lives. Their only delight is in misery and destruction.

Fearful is the condition of those who resist the divine claims and yield to Satan’s temptations, until God gives them up to the control of evil spirits. But those who follow Christ are ever safe under His watchcare. Angels that excel in strength are sent from heaven to protect them. The wicked one cannot break through the guard which God has stationed about His people.

Distractions...

There are many things in are life that can take us away from our main goals in life. We have so many things that can stand in our way of what is most important. These things that stand in our way are called distractions and that is exactly what we need to avoid. How do we do that? Well today we will learn how.

Distractions come in many ways, they come to each person differently. Distractions are whatever take away our attention from our relationship with God. Only you can fill in the blanks as to what that thing is. When you feel as if your relationship with God is not the same, or that you are changing in your character, and even if you stop having your morning worship than you need to stop whatever distraction is causing that.

We need to ask three important questions regarding what we do. First we need to ask is this bringing me closer to God? Than we need to ask, is this making me think of the soon coming of Jesus and of the judgment that is about to happen? And finally, would I want to be found doing this if I knew Jesus was coming today?

When we ask these questions we will always know the answer to whether that thing that we want to do is acceptable to God. We will know that activity or whatever it may be is glorifying God or taking Him to the cross. We must also remember that God is watching us all the time and knows exactly what we are doing.

How can we stop these distractions? The first thing we must always do is to pray and confess our sin to God. We must tell Him how sorry we are and than we must ask Him for His help with our problem. Next we need to trust that He will help us.

We also need to find something else to take that time that we used to waste. All of our time on earth is precious and we should use all of it to draw us closer to God. We should spend more time with Jesus and in His Word.

Like I said before whatever we do we need to make sure it is to make us draw closer to God. We should not let the distractions of the world to get in our way.

I don't want to let distractions to get in the way of my relationship with God, do you?

Some Thoughts...

This is a powerful little devotional from the book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, and when I read this I thought it was pretty amazing and I wanted to share it with all of you! =D

“I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”—Matthew 5:17.

It was Christ who, amid thunder and flame, had proclaimed the law upon Mount Sinai. The glory of God, like devouring fire, rested upon its summit, and the mountain quaked at the presence of the Lord. The hosts of Israel, lying prostrate upon the earth, had listened in awe to the sacred precepts of the law. What a contrast to the scene upon the mount of the Beatitudes! Under the summer sky, with no sound to break the stillness but the song of birds, Jesus unfolded the principles of His kingdom. Yet He who spoke to the people that day in accents of love, was opening to them the principles of the law proclaimed upon Sinai.

When the law was given, Israel, degraded by the long bondage in Egypt, had need to be impressed with the power and majesty of God; yet He revealed Himself to them no less as a God of love.

“The Lord came from Sinai, And rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, And He came from the ten thousands of holy ones: At His right hand was a fiery law unto them. Yea, He loveth the tribes; All their holy ones are in Thy hand: And they sat down at Thy feet; Everyone received of Thy words.”
Deuteronomy 33:2, 3

It was to Moses that God revealed His glory in those wonderful words that have been the treasured heritage of the ages: “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” Exodus 34:6, 7.

The law given upon Sinai was the enunciation of the principle of love, a revelation to earth of the law of heaven. It was ordained in the hand of a Mediator—spoken by Him through whose power the hearts of men could be brought into harmony with its principles. God had revealed the purpose of the law when He declared to Israel, “Ye shall be holy men unto Me.” Exodus 22:31.

But Israel had not perceived the spiritual nature of the law, and too often their professed obedience was but an observance of forms and ceremonies, rather than a surrender of the heart to the sovereignty of love. As Jesus in His character and work represented to men the holy, benevolent, and paternal attributes of God, and presented the worthlessness of mere ceremonial obedience, the Jewish leaders did not receive or understand His words. They thought that He dwelt too lightly upon the requirements of the law; and when He set before them the very truths that were the soul of their divinely appointed service, they, looking only at the external, accused Him of seeking to overthrow it.

The words of Christ, though calmly spoken, were uttered with an earnestness and power that stirred the hearts of the people. They listened for a repetition of the lifeless traditions and exactions of the rabbis, but in vain. They “were astonished at His teaching: for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” Matthew 7:29 , R.V. The Pharisees noted the vast difference between their manner of instruction and that of Christ. They saw that the majesty and purity and beauty of the truth, with its deep and gentle influence, was taking firm hold upon many minds. The Saviour’s divine love and tenderness drew the hearts of men to Him. The rabbis saw that by His teaching the whole tenor of the instruction they had given to the people was set at nought. He was tearing down the partition wall that had been so flattering to their pride and exclusiveness; and they feared that, if permitted, He would draw the people entirely away from them. Therefore they followed Him with determined hostility, hoping to find some occasion for bringing Him into disfavor with the multitudes and thus enabling the Sanhedrin to secure His condemnation and death.

On the mount, Jesus was closely watched by spies; and as He unfolded the principles of righteousness, the Pharisees caused it to be whispered about that His teaching was in opposition to the precepts that God had given from Sinai. The Saviour said nothing to unsettle faith in the religion and institutions that had been given through Moses; for every ray of divine light that Israel’s great leader communicated to his people was received from Christ. While many are saying in their hearts that He has come to do away with the law, Jesus in unmistakable language reveals His attitude toward the divine statutes. “Think not,“ He said, “that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets.”

It is the Creator of men, the Giver of the law, who declares that it is not His purpose to set aside its precepts. Everything in nature, from the mote in the sunbeam to the worlds on high, is under law. And upon obedience to these laws the order and harmony of the natural world depend. So there are great principles of righteousness to control the life of all intelligent beings, and upon conformity to these principles the well-being of the universe depends. Before this earth was called into being, God’s law existed. Angels are governed by its principles, and in order for earth to be in harmony with heaven, man also must obey the divine statutes. To man in Eden Christ made known the precepts of the law “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7. The mission of Christ on earth was not to destroy the law, but by His grace to bring man back to obedience to its precepts.

The beloved disciple, who listened to the words of Jesus on the mount, writing long afterward under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaks of the law as of perpetual obligation. He says that “sin is the transgression of the law” and that “whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law.” 1 John 3:4. He makes it plain that the law to which he refers is “an old commandment which ye had from the beginning.” 1 John 2:7. He is speaking of the law that existed at the creation and was reiterated upon Mount Sinai.

Speaking of the law, Jesus said, “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” He here used the word “fulfill” in the same sense as when He declared to John the Baptist His purpose to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15); that is, to fill up the measure of the law’s requirement, to give an example of perfect conformity to the will of God.

His mission was to “magnify the law, and make it honorable.” Isaiah 42:21. He was to show the spiritual nature of the law, to present its far-reaching principles, and to make plain its eternal obligation.

The divine beauty of the character of Christ, of whom the noblest and most gentle among men are but a faint reflection; of whom Solomon by the Spirit of inspiration wrote, He is “the chiefest among ten thousand, ... yea, He is altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:10-16); of whom David, seeing Him in prophetic vision, said, “Thou art fairer than the children of men” (Psalm 45:2); Jesus, the express image of the Father’s person, the effulgence of His glory; the self-denying Redeemer, throughout His pilgrimage of love on earth, was a living representation of the character of the law of God. In His life it is made manifest that heaven-born love, Christlike principles, underlie the laws of eternal rectitude.

“Till heaven and earth pass,” said Jesus, “one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” By His own obedience to the law, Christ testified to its immutable character and proved that through His grace it could be perfectly obeyed by every son and daughter of Adam. On the mount He declared that not the smallest iota should pass from the law till all things should be accomplished—all things that concern the human race, all that relates to the plan of redemption. He does not teach that the law is ever to be abrogated, but He fixes the eye upon the utmost verge of man’s horizon and assures us that until this point is reached the law will retain its authority so that none may suppose it was His mission to abolish the precepts of the law. So long as heaven and earth continue, the holy principles of God’s law will remain. His righteousness, “like the great mountains” (Psalm 36:6), will continue, a source of blessing, sending forth streams to refresh the earth.

Because the law of the Lord is perfect, and therefore changeless, it is impossible for sinful men, in themselves, to meet the standard of its requirement. This was why Jesus came as our Redeemer. It was His mission, by making men partakers of the divine nature, to bring them into harmony with the principles of the law of heaven. When we forsake our sins and receive Christ as our Saviour, the law is exalted. The apostle Paul asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31.

The new-covenant promise is, “I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” Hebrews 10:16. While the system of types which pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God that should take away the sin of the world was to pass away at His death, the principles of righteousness embodied in the Decalogue are as immutable as the eternal throne. Not one command has been annulled, not a jot or tittle has been changed. Those principles that were made known to man in Paradise as the great law of life will exist unchanged in Paradise restored. When Eden shall bloom on earth again, God’s law of love will be obeyed by all beneath the sun.

“Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” “All His commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.” “Concerning Thy testimonies, I have known of old that Thou hast founded them forever.” Psalm 119:89; 11:7, 8; Psalm 119:152.

Hole In Your Heart

There is a hole in every person's heart, a space that needs to be filled, but this space can only be filled with one thing. This void is something everybody wants to fill and they try to fulfill it in every other way. What is that one thing, you may ask? Well let us try and discover that together. 

Though people won't admit it, that space can only be filled with one thing and that is the love of God. God has created in each of us a desire to be loved and to have love, He has also put in our hearts a need for Him, although people don't admit that is exactly what they are looking for.

People go around the world looking for different things to do to fill that gap in their heart. Maybe they try to overwork themselves, maybe they fill it with family, a vacation, or with some other activity that they really like. But no matter how much they try to run away from the fact they are feeling empty, nothing will take that emptiness away.

God has a special ability to plug up that hole with a special plug which is called love. When a person accepts God in their heart it fills them up with something unexpected, it makes them completely whole. You don't have a hole in your heart any more because now you have become whole!

God lets us decide what we want to do; He does not force us to fill that void in our hearts with Him. If we want, we can experiment first; God is a loving God that is why He made us free creatures and independent to choose what we want to do. Although He wants us to fill that emptiness with His love He will not force us.

Time is getting shorter though, so we won't have that much longer to make a decision for good. You may think that you have all the time in the world to experiment and come to God at a later date, but we don't know what the future may hold for us. We could get into a tragic accident and die tomorrow, or even this very day. That is why we must come to Jesus as soon as possible so that if anything were to happen, our hearts will be right with God.

Although the Lord will not force you to come to Him, He will plead with you every single moment and every single day to come to Him so that He may take your burden. Jesus doesn't want any of us to perish and that is why the world has held on this long, He is giving each of us a chance to choose and the choice is entirely up to us. There is no time like the present, for tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Have you filled that hole in your heart yet? It's not too late, it is never too late to fill that hole properly, to fill it with the love of God. Don't let whatever you have done discourage you; God is a great forgiver and He has love that is bigger than the ocean.

I don't want to have a hole in my heart, I want to have a whole heart, don't you?

Take My Yoke

In this world there are many trials and tribulations, Jesus wanted us to know that no matter what that He was there for us and not only that He wanted to take that burden off of our shoulders. Like it says in Matthew 11:28 - 30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Sometimes in life we are so caught up in our problems and we even think ours are to hard to bare. In many instances if we had the option of going through someone else's problems and struggles we wouldn't be so hasty to get rid of our own, we would actually want to have our own.

There is this story of this preacher who had a dream one night. In this dream he saw all of his parishioners were carrying crosses, he called out to one of his elders and asked where everyone was going. He replied that they were carrying crosses and to pick up his cross on the side of the church.

So the pastor went to the side of the church to discover what he thought was the largest of the crosses, and the heaviest. He picked it up and began to carry it and as he looked around he thought that everyone had a smaller than his. Well he put his cross down and decided that it wouldn't hurt a little bit if he would cut off just a bit of his cross, so he got a saw and cut about an inch off the cross.

Well he kept on going down the road and as he went down every few feet he would cut of an inch or two. Well eventually he got to a place where he saw everyone ahead of him putting there cross over this gap in the road, and the road would expand or deplete according to the size of the cross that they had carried. He was kind of nervous when he saw that.

Well finally it came time for his turn and he saw that the gap became larger and larger and his cross would never get him across the gap. He wanted to get across, for across that gap was Jesus Himself. He turned to see if he could ask someone for a new cross one to fill the gap, an angel told him that he had his cross but he did not want the trials or sufferings and had kept cutting off his cross, the angel told him that he had more responsibility because he was in charge of a precious flock, peoples lives.

When the pastor awoke he realized his responsibility, he repented to God for lacking in it and accepted his cross and asked God to help him carry the burden. This is what we must do, Jesus is offering to take our yoke and to take our burden if we let Him. Will we let Him have our yoke?

If we give Him our yoke He will put His on our shoulder and He told us that His burden is light. We must pray and ask for Him to take our burdens than we would truly be free.

Won't you let Him take your yoke? I want Him to take mine!