Category Archives: Advent

By Our Fruits

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Matthew 7:16

 

Many people claim to be a Christian but how do you know the false from the real followers? Check the fruit there bearing. What does that mean to check there fruit? Simple someone who is supposed to be following God should be living a Godly life. How is there family life? Blessed or a mess? How about there finances? You can tell a lot about a person buy there lifestyle, remember actions speak louder than words.

(Luke 6:43) “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

 

What a true statement in this scripture, if you truly are a Christian then you won’t be living a life or corruption and chaos. Yes we are all sinners but we hold ourselves to a higher standard. As a Christian you do the right thing even when it’s hard. Christians who continually live in sin cannot truly be a Christian. You are either following Christ or not.

(Psalm 92:12) “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”

 

Many fools believe the only way to flourish in this world is to follow the world, but God is our provider. However some peoples idea of flourishing may be different. If you only wish to obtain wealth and possessions then follow the world. But if you want to flourish with Peace and Life follow God.

Think about the Palm tree in this scripture, nobody how harsh or rough the storm is the Palm Tree will bend but never break.  Think about the roots of the tree also, the deeper our faith the deeper our roots will be.

(Matthew 7:19) “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

 

Make no mistake we will be held accountable for our actions or fruit we bear. If we live a life of sin or bear bad fruit, we are then following the ways of Satan and not God. Sin does not come from God nor is it part of his plan. When we decide to bear bad fruit then you decided not to follow God.

Know Jesus Know Peace

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6

The greatest gifts you can be giving were delivered to you by Jesus Christ thru his sacrifice on the cross. Life and Peace what could be better than that? But what good is a life without peace? Without the love of Jesus in our hearts we would be without peace. Many people are alive but live in turmoil and conflict. They have no peace because they don’t know Jesus.

The carnally minded follow the world and not Jesus. They believe if they feed there greed and lust it will bring them happiness. But not only does it bring them despair and heartache it ultimately leads to their destruction.

(John 14:27) “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Jesus confirms this in this scripture, basically he saying Follow Jesus not the World. The World is in great turmoil right now, why is that? Because everyone continues to follow their own lusts and desires and not the desires of God.  When we follow the world we fail,when we follow Jesus  you will have Peace and Life.

(Colossians 3:15) “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

Have Peace in your heart, how do you get his peace? There is only one way and that’s thru Jesus.  When you realize everything he gave and sacrificed for you. You are like a sheep out in the field ready to be devoured by the wolf, and he is the Good Shepherd that saved your life.  God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, doesn’t that bring you Peace?

(Psalms 34:14)” Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.”

Seek Peace means seek Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace. Depart from the corrupted ways of this world. When you learn to let go and let God take control you then feel his presence of Peace. When we try to control everything we become stressed out and lose our Peace. Learn to trust in God and be at Peace with him. In Jesus name Amen

Are You Ready?

For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

 1 Thessalonians 5:2

Are you ready for the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are you ready to see him face to face and stand before him in judgment?  He will come like a thief in the night; nobody will know the day or hour.

(Mark 13:32)” “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”

Many false prophets and religions will declare they know when Jesus will return but not even the Angels in heaven know. Don’t believe any false prophecy only the promise from God. Jesus return is good news as he will restore the Heavens and Earth and restore Gods Kingdom.

(Matthew 24:37-38) “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;

Just like the days before Noahs flood, people were in denial. Nobody believed Noah that the Great Flood was coming. Just like today people are in denial about the return of Jesus, some even deny he’s the Messiah.  Be ready for the Lord for he will come like a thief in the night

(Revelations 21:4) “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.”

Jesus will come to restore Gods Kingdom, as creation was originally intended with no sin, no sorrow, and no death.  Are you ready? As John the Baptist was a messenger for Jesus, we need to be messengers for the return of Jesus.  “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 3:2)

(Revelations 1:7)Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

There will be no mistake when Jesus returns, as every eye on the Earth will see him, even the ones who deny or doubt him will know he is the Messiah.  Prepare yourself for the coming of Jesus. Repent your sins and confess that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior Amen

God cares for you

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

 

When your feeling worried or stressed out do you hold it in or cast your care upon God? When we hold things in can often make your anxiety worse than when you release it. Not only is it important to let God know how your feeling but also others in your life such as your spouse, family, friends ,ect.

I found this out the other day, I was feeling upset over something and it was noticeably ruining my day. My wife noticed and asked me what was wrong, at first I just tried to blow it off but saying  I was fine but then a few minutes later I decided to tell her and I felt renewed. That problem that was weghing me down seemed to instantly disappear just by “casting my anxiety” to her

(Philippians 4:6) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

 

God wants us to have this same relationship with him, tell him your fears and doubts. You might ask “How  do I do this?” Simply thru prayer. Praying is not about going thru the motions, it’s about having an intimate conversation with your Creator. Now you might say “Doesn’t God already know my problems?” and the answer is Yes but he still wants to hear your address them.

If you’re a parent think about your children, sometimes you know they did something wrong or upset over something but you still want them to confess or initiate the conversation of what they did or feeling. This is the same with God, he wants you to confess yourself to him. Like it says in the scriptures “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:3)

(Matthew 6:34) “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

 

When we look to far ahead in our life, in can be overwhelming. We need to learn to savor the moments we are in now and let God take care of the rest. When we keep focusing on tomorrow we never really enjoy today.  As it also says in Matthew 6 “ Can worry add one moment to your life? (Matthew 6:27)” Of course not worrying not only shortens our lives but makes it unenjoyable.

(Psalms 55:22) “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

 

When we cast our cares or anxiety to God he will sustain us. What does it mean to sustain us? Means he will give us peace and strength to endure the trouble we are facing. That’s why it’s important we cast or confess ourselves to God, because when we call upon him he listens.  Often you can tell how much faith somebody has by the amount of peace they have, especially during difficult times.

Remember next time your worried or stressed out, call out to God and cast all your anxiety to him. He will then sustain you and give you peace in the storm. In Jesus name Amen

Be Alert

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

 

Every day is a battle, every day is a struggle. If you don’t agree with me you’re probably not being honest with yourself. Satan wants to devour us, and usually plays head games so we become our own worst enemies.

 

Being sober minded, does that mean refraining from alcohol or drugs? Not really. Keeping your mind sober from doubt and self-defeat. Our minds can quickly become a runaway train; we can convince ourselves that theres no hope when in reality we are victorious.

 

(Proverbs 23:7) “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he”

 

When you think of yourself what thoughts come to mind? Successful or failure? Hopeful or hopeless? Redeemed or condemned? Might sound extreme, but this is where the battle is won or lost. Satan plants the seed of doubts in your head and you become self-defeated.

 

(Ephesians 6:11) “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

 

This is why we need to put on our “Armor of God” to protect ourselves from Satan’s schemes or propaganda. Read and understand the Word of God:

 

“I can do all things thru Christ who gives me strength”.

 

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper”

 

(James 4:7) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

 

Put your trust in God, believe in his words and you will be strong to resist the devil. Don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable to Satans schemes, Be Strong in The Lord Amen

Follow my blog at unashamedofjesus.wordpress.com

Peace be with you,

Warren

Acknowledge Jesus

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32
Are you a “Closet Christian” or a “Light of this world”? If you told your peers that you were a Christian would they have even known? It’s important that we share our faith with others, if you’re a Christian Jesus is living thru you. Share the good news of the Gospel, show love and kindness to others. Most importantly if you’re not willing to acknowledge Jesus why should he acknowledge you?
(Matthew 5:14)” “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
The love of Christ is contagious, when people see your inner strength and compassion they become drawn to you. This will also draw enemies also, you won’t be able to avoid this. Many people will mock and discriminate against you. But this is to be expected as Jesus told us this would happen.
(Matthew 10:22) “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
The world hates Jesus because he has conquered the world thru the resurrection. Satan knows his time is limited and will try to tempt you thru the sins of this world. He will also try to blasphemy the name of Jesus, creating false religions and doctrine. But we know the truth and endure till the end because we know we have victory thru Jesus Christ.
(Mark 8:38) “”For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Don’t be ashamed of being a Christian, the world will tell you it’s foolishness. But the cross is only foolishness to those who will perish (1 Corinthians 1:18) Where are your other Gods? There are dead in the grave, Jesus Christ is the true Messiah the only one who can save us from death.
(John 3:17)” For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
We are saved through the blood of Jesus Christ, why wouldn’t you want that? Why wouldn’t you want eternal life with love and peace? Is the pleasures of sin worth your life? Give your life to Christ, follow him, and don’t be ashamed in Jesus name Amen

Can’t Buy Faith

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6

I love this story in the Bible, as it shows you Peter healed the man by their faith in Christ and not by money.  Isn’t this the approach and attitude our Christian Churches and Ministries should be using? You can’t go to a church service or watch a service on TV without being begged for money. What faith do these Christians really have?  Well they’ll bring up we must tithe. Let’s examine tithing from the Bible.

(Deuteronomy  14:22)” Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year”

There are a couple of Old Testament scriptures about tithing; here Moses gives the command to give 10% of all that you have to God. Problem is this is part of the Old Covenant. If you truly a Christian your part of the New Covenant. Let’s see what Jesus said about money.

(Matthew 19:21) “Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.””

When a man asked Jesus about following the commandments, Jesus told him to sell everything and give to the poor. How many Christian churches follow this practice? My point is Jesus never asked for or required money to spread his Gospel. If you have money and want to praise God help someone in need with it.

(Matthew 6:24) “”No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

I know that it takes money to operate a church or ministry, but in the pursuit of fulfilling the budget needs I think a lot of Christians have lost their real purpose and reason for the Gospel. You don’t need an elaborate Church to worship God, Jesus would spread the Gospel anywhere and everywhere.  This is why I believe Jesus said to just give it all away. He knows once you make money a priority you cannot serve two masters.

(Matthew 7:15,16) “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ant-Church or ministry. My point is don’t lose your focus on Jesus. Instead of putting financial burdens on your members, put your faith in God. He will make a way if you truly have faith in him. And beware there are a lot of false prophets and ministries out there that are will cash in on your faith and generosity.  As Jesus said you will know the false prophets by the fruit there producing. Are they leading people to Christ or leading money to their bank accounts?

I pray for all the churches and ministry’s that they remember the real reason they started was to bring people to Jesus Christ. Please help us seek and see the truth in Jesus name Amen