Philippians 4:6 Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

OK brothers and sisters. This one is hard. No matter how many times a preacher, family member, or friend tells us not to worry, we still do. We anxiously approach each and every future moment with baited breath. We wonder whether things will go our way or they will crumble around our feet. I do this. You do this. Anyone who tells the truth will do this.

We don't have to do this though. If we say we trust God, then we need to trust God. When we approach His throne, do we run up and chatter inanely about some real or imagined condition? Or do we run up in the spirit of thanksgiving as the above scripture requires us to do? Do we request or do we order?

God hears our prayers and responds. One of the conditions for prayer is the belief that God not only hears but answers our prayers. Let us boldly approach the throne, through Jesus Christ of course, and let our requests be made known to Him who created this universe with a Word. Is anything impossible for God?

Bro Charles

November 17

Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies and geneaologies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. NASB

Foolish controversies are indeed unprofitable and worthless. Does it ever seem to anyone else that most fights between believers (in church) are over some of the silliest issues? There are some major doctrinal issues that people can disagree on and still be followers of Christ. An example is which day is best to worship. However, when we Christians fight over the color of the carpets and the church splits, it makes us all look like immature little kids.

The issue for Paul in this passage is not the above. He was warning Titus to not be swept into arguments over the Jewish regulations. Titus's people were free in Jesus to love each other and to tell others the gospel. They were not bound by diet or sabbath keeping and the like.

Friends, let's not be drawn into unsciptural debate over minute details. Yes, we can disagree about whether or not the pastor should wear white gloves during communion. We cannot disagree over the importance of the communion. Pick the hills you will die on with care, for the hill of Golgotha towers over them all.

Bro Charles

Galatians 4:8 However, at that time when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. NASB

There was a time in our lives when we were all slaves. I myself was (and still seem to act as if) a slave to my temper, greed, desire, and power. But the freedom which I received in Christ has freed me from the grip of all things which try to pull me away from the Lord. It is guaranteed that temptation will continue to attack us, for even the Lord Himself was tempted by the Accuser. But just as He went to the Word to counter the devil, we should wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, against the temptations that come, and trust in the Lord Jesus to take care of the problem.

The things which we bow to, in our times of little or no faith, are in effect nothing at all. They seem powerful; they seem overwhelming; they may even seem insurmountable. The fact is they are nothing when compared to the steel that the Spirit of Christ puts in your heart when you trust in Him. We who beleive are no longer slaves except to Him who bought us with His blood on the cross.

God bless,

Bro Charles

November 12

Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. KJV

The Israelites of the Northern Kingdom were in deep. Their rebellion against YHWH was leading them to a soon-to-be destruction. Hosea was giving them (by the Word of God) one last chance. If they would return to God, He might relent. However, they would not stop sinning. The Assyrians would soon sweep into Ephraim and destroy Samaria.

Paul told the Galatians in his letter to them (ch. 6) that they should not be fooled. God is not mocked. Whatever men sow, they reap. The Northern Kingdom had sown iniquity and now they were about to reap the consequence. We have sown our own iniquity. We have fallen by own own lusts, desires, greed, and the list goes on ad infinitum. But if we return to God through His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel and the Lord of All, then we too will be saved from the wrath that is most assuredly barreling our way.

God is love and His desire is that no man should perish but that all should come to repentance. If eternal disaster falls upon us, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

God Bless,

Bro Charles

November 11

Isaiah 51:1 Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord; look unto the rock from whence you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence you are digged. KJV

Its amazing that so many years after the prophet wrote these words, we can still feel the fire behind his comments. LISTEN! he shouts to those who love God. "Listen to me! If you want to be righteous; if you want to know God! Listen up! Look to God your rock! Look behind you into the hole that He pulled you out of!!"

Isaiah was pulling no punches. He wanted the ones who heard him to look towards God and not himself or theirselves. We are all trying to climb out of this pit we call life and the devouring hole that is sin. The hand reaching in to pull us out is the same hand that reached in to pull Peter from the waves; the same hand that touched the lepers and took away their disease.

Oh Brothers and Sisters! Take hold of that hand that pulls us upon that great rock that is our foundation. That rock is Jesus Christ.

In Christ,

Bro Charles

November 10

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

God is a creator. He is the first cause of everything that exists whether microbes or managers. Some see the hand of time and chance in play. Yes, things change over time, but according to the laws of nature that God created. If anything has a beginning, it is logical that something caused it to begin. But creationism is not the focus here, but the creativeness of God. Just as He can create a universe from a word or thought, He creates new hearts in men and women everyday. David asked God to create a pure heart in him. Every person who finds a relationship with the Lord Jesus is a new creation. God never stops creating. If His hand were not involved, the negative and positive charges in our very atoms would fling apart our existence into nothingness.

The power to create lies only with God. Man does not create. He rearranges things God has already put here and calls it creation. Art is the rearrangement of pigments and colors upon a paper or metal surface. Even a new baby is the creation of God. Don't think so, ask those who have strived for years to have a child and finally it just happens. Nothing "just happens" because God causes it to happen.

Allow the Father through Jesus the Son to create in you a heart that sees His handiwork all around you. It will refresh your soul to see the Creator's touch upon His world.

God bless,

Bro Charles

November 9

Psalm 150:6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!

A simple request from the writer of the last Psalm. Everything owes it existence to God. Everything has life through God. Everything owes God everything. Whether we like it or not, whether we believe it or not, creation praises God. Man is the only part of creation that God has given the choice as to whether they praise HIm or not. (Romans 8, Colossians 1, Revelation 5) At some point you will bow your knee to the Lord. Your disbelief and your pride aside, you will bow your knee. God does not force you now, but at the throne of God you have no choice. So praise Him. He is worthy to be praised. He gives you the breath that fills your lungs and gives you life. He holds your atoms together in power and majesty. The bonds that tie us all together as mankind are wrought by the nature of God. Therefore, let us praise the Lord now and forever!

Bro Charles

November 8

Job 38:2-3 Who is this who obscures My Counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me.

How frightened this man must have been. He had suffered such great things over the last few weeks, and now the God of the universe was speaking directly to him out of a whirlwind. He had ended up speaking about things he really new nothing about and now YHWH was demanding that he speak up. What would you do in his position?

Sometimes in our daily lives we face tough situations. Even minor things that irritate us seem to throw us into a tailspin and we either seek an answer from or we blame God Almighty for the mess we ourselves have usually gotten into. But there are times when the disaster has struck us for no apparent reason. Is it wrong to question God about the events and to make our feelings known? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Jesus Himself prayed that the suffering He would endure would pass from Him. Paul asked for the thorn in his flesh to be removed. Many brave disciples of our Lord have faced horrible deaths and questioned why as the lions closed in.

However, their faith and the grace of God was sufficient for them. Makes one wonder why we complain about being late for our job or the guy who cut us off in traffic. When the time comes, and Brother and Sister IT WILL COME, to face the real lions of disaster, will God's grace really be sufficient for you? It will be IF YOU TRUST HIM.

God Bless,

Bro CHarles

November 7

Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. KJV

This is a very simple concept. Trust in the Lord God with everything we are. When things seem dark and you can't find the switch on the wall, He'll guide you. When you cannot figure out what to do next, ask Him and He will guide your path. However, you must be willing to TRUST HIM. If you ask Him and then try to do it your own way, then the result is usually not the best of what it could have been. Why do we beleivers continue to try to do things out of our own power and wisdom when they only amount to dust and dirt?

Our pride refuses to let us fully trust the Lord. But the Holy Spirit can overcome pride along with any other sin or stumbling block that the world or the devil can throw in our way. But WE MUST TRUST GOD! We must also acknowledge Him publically and privately in all we do. Then we will see HIs hand more clearly as we travel along this dirt road called life.

God Bless,

Bro Charles

November 6

Revelation 11: 15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever!" HCSB

Yes, we who follow Jesus the Messiah have a great and wonderful day to look forward to. Even those in heaven eagerly await the long shofar trumpet blast that will signal the physical reign of Christ here on earth. No longer will men make a mess of things, and this includes the church. We are promised to reign with Christ during these future times. The end of the age is rapidly approaching. Yes, many scoffers still like to play their little denial games and laugh at those who anticipate His return. That's ok. God is giving every person time to repent and come to Him for salvation.

If you do not believe, I ask simply "Why take the risk?" What is their on this earth that is so dear to you that you will give away your soul? What pleasure or indulgence is better than the peace and love that only comes through knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you really hate Him that much as to turn you back on Him? Remember, God sends no one into the outer darkness (HELL) unless they walk straight in. This includes the self-righteous who think they are serving God but are actually serving themselves.

Now is the time to come to know Him as your Lord. Everyone will bow the knee to the King of Kings. Either now or at their judgment? Which time will you choose?

In CHrist,

Bro Charles

November 5

Joshua 24:14 Therefore, fear the Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord.

What a bunch of jokers these guys were, these Israelites that Joshua had led! Joshua had taken over after Moses had died, and the Lord had given them victory after victory in their conquest of Canaan. They had seen God part the Jordan and hand over kings and the spoils of war. But yet, the people of Israel still longed to return to the gods of Egypt and others. Why? What had those false gods, those things of wood and clay, ever done for them?

Nothing! Because they are fake. They are man's self-image projected onto an object of worship. We are made to worship something. Today, the gods of wood and clay have been replaced by the gods of leisure and self-indulgence. We worship at the altar of crass greed in order to make ourselves feel better about how we look to ourselves and the neighbors. It is all vanity as Solomon might say.

Let us put away these false diversions that rule our lives. Return to the One True God who is maker of the heavens and earth. He loves you and even came to earth to be one of us. He gave His life so that we may live forever with Him encompassed by the same love. What good does pleasure or money hold when you are facing your death? None.

Let us serve our Lord and Savior in sincere abandon to His will. He is the truth. Trust Him.

God Bless,

Bro Charles

November 4

Genesis 13:11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Abram and Lot had left together. They had now become too large for the land to sustain both. Abram gave Lot the choice of which way to go. According to Genesis 13, he chose the well watered plains around the south end of the Jordan River valley. This direction led to Sodom and Gommorah. The way looked green and fertile and Lot took the easy way. Little did he know that at a time in the future, this decision would cost him his wife, his relationship with his daughters, and everything he possessed.

God gives us choices. We make those choices based on many factors. I pray today that these factors will be based in obedience to the will of God and not in our own selfish desires. We may never see destruction rain down upon the city in which we live, but why take the chance and live a lifestyle that displeases the Lord of Heaven and earth.

God Bless you today.

Bro Charles

November 3

EPHESIANS 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Brothers and Sisters, take a look at this verse. Do you see the requirement and the promise together? Do you see the praise to the Father and the Son?

How often do we take the time to praise God? This should be the first and last things from our lips every day. Every creature that has breath should praise the Lord. We bless the Lord, as the BIble says, with our souls and all that is within us. This is a great honor. This same God whom we bless has given us something we do not deserve. WHat has He given us you may ask? He has given us unmerited grace through His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This verse says that every spiritual blessing is given to us. WE are made the children of God and heirs according to the promise that God gave Abraham (Galatians 3:29). This is all done through the work, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Amen and Amen.

God bless you this day and remember that God loves you.

In Christ,

Bro Charles