Month: February 2016

DRAW NEAR

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DRAW NEAR

By Rick Mathes

Hebrews 10:22 (NASB77) let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Our Lord gives us very few commands but those He gives He is dead serious about so we need to give them our immediate and priority attention. There’s five commands from God you will never be able to plead ignorance because here they are and now you don’t have any excuse for not obeying them.

  1. Draw near to God.
  2. Have a pure conscience.
  3. Have clan moral bodies.
  4. Have unwavering faith.
  5. Do good works.

In order to be up close and personal to Jesus, we need to draw near. I know He can’t get any closer but to live within your skin but I believe that drawing near is submission and obedience. You can take your dog to the finest dog training school until he has their highest degree of obedience but if he chooses to lay down and won’t budge he isn’t going to do anything. I know because our St. Bernard Beethoven has us well trained!

There isn’t any hindrance too tough to draw near to our Lord because the gate to Glory and His love is wide open to you. You don’t need a key nor even to knock. He’s waiting for you to submit and obey with open arms so now is not the time to roll over and be obstinate.

You will discover His way, truth and life is brand new and unlike anything you have ever experienced before. I described it as stepping otr onto a new planet: quite an adventure I’m still enjoying the freshness and surprises.

My Roman Catholic experiences melt away in the love and presence of the real and only priest Jesus. He came, He saw, He conquered. The veil was rent from the top to the bottom of the Holy of Holies. I boldly walked in and invite you to do the same. His throne of grace is there togive us both the complete assurance that what He began as a acorn of grace in us will grow up inot a mighty oak tree of faith that will stand tall and strong against the sirocco winds of Hell’s fury. He is drawing nearer and nearer right now: submit and obey, there’s no other way.

 

 

DOWN, DOWN, DOWN

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Down, Down, Down

By Rick Mathes

Romans 6:23 (NASB77) 23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A lot of people are worrying about the future

Of the world, as though it had one.

The burial of your old sinful self must be real and final. Consider, your old life had nothing to offer but death, insanity or incarceration. What choice do you really have? If you didn’t have Jesus what would be your “Plan B.?”

As I look around me all I see is a cancer of mankind and destruction of all we once held dear and necessary for our healthy wellbeing. My Dad gave his life in WWII to preserve our nation’s rights and high ideals under God. Now with everything he cherished in degeneration, all I have left of him is a purple heart and a country the God has all but left behind. What happened? Let’s take a look at all e value and learn from the past.

First on my list and unquestionably the most important is our soul and what the heart of America was once. God breathed a soul into Adam and so that is ground zero for all of hell to destroy. The elan vital of our being is our conscience. A clear conscience devastates the evil one!

A polluted heart and soul will destroy the family unit and all the structure of our civilized humanity will crumble with it. Whatever happened to the male father, female mother married and heterosexual children, the nuclear family?

As goes the family so goes the nation. When we have so low a value of life that we kill over one million defenseless babies each year, what do we care about sacrificing our youth on needless battles of war for greed? Jesus has all but left our communities but don’t despair, he is coming back to make things right and bewars if you are on the wrong side.

The heart of the solution is this self-destruction is the Church that should feed and nurture the believing families The Body of Christ is only true to passionate believers. As such the power of the Holy Spirit of creation is here to guide the sheep to the Shepherd. Unfortunately too many pulpits are dominated by demons!

Put all of this together and your world-view takes issue with what ought to be. But what would you expect from blatant sinners as we all were at one time?

DON’T WORRY

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DON’T WORRY

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 6:25 For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?

There may be very good cause to worry. Something really bad might be looming on the near horizon but a better tact would be to be concerned. Concerned is worry on a leash. Worry really is manufactured fear and the opposite of trust. I ask you, what is it you can’t trust Jesus with? See how silly baseless worry is?

You have trusted the Lord with your soul. Certainly you can trust Him with your circumstances that haven’t happened yet. Come on now, be real! Where your ability to handle a situation ends, trust in Christ begins. Trust in our Lord lays just beyond your grasp. It’s easy when it’s easy but the real test is unwavering trust. When you say, “I can’t!” Jesus says, “I can.”

Remember to pray. How can you have trust in anyone if you do not communicate with them? Let Him know your concerns. Yes, I know He knows before you did what your issue is but it is possible that your prayer was predestined to precede His blessings? He’s just waiting to her your voice and your plea as a father would his loving son.

We stumble in the dark, without him, like a blind man in a dark room trying to find a black cat! Dr. Bob and Bill W. were right when they founded AA and said that we need to live one day at a time because the Lord only gives grace for today, not tomorrow. The only daylight you will ever find of any value is in the Word. Let the Holy Spirit enlighten the gospel and love tht God haws for you in the Holy Bible. You are the apple of God’s eye and He would do anything for you that would glorify Him. Just lift your holy hands to the King and please “Abba”, “Daddy please?”

Think! When has he ever not answered your prayer? And haven’t you noticed? All those horrible events in your life, “They came to pass;” Amen? Just be aware of His presence. Nothing can happen that He didn’t permit, know about and empower. Don’t worry!

Jesus will provide your needs. He always has and only will. The only reason you are uptight is because you don’t have control and it my not turn out how you want it to.

Well, God is God. Get used to it!

 

 

DON’T LOVE THE WORLD

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DON’T LOVE WORLD

By Rick Mathes

1 John 2:15-17 (NASB) 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Satan hasn’t changed his method of operation since the garden when he tempted Eve with her eyes, then tasting she was too proud to repent so she enticed Adam to join her in her sin. Eyes, flesh and pride are the horsemen of temptation. I can hear their hoof-beats and they are approaching you closer every day you commit your soul to Jesus.

When you were deep in sin, lost and tossed aside, you had a little moron devil snoozing in charge of you. But when you turn your eyes to Jesus, an army of howling hell-hounds got on your trail to tear you apart and devour your relationship with the King of kings. Can you smell the sulphur? Do you feel the flame licking at your heals? Can you understand that you are only held back by the slender thread of your faith?

In the wilderness Jesus was tempted to change stones into bread, jump off the temple building to prove He was the Son of God and challenged to worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the earth. How similar our temptations are to this moment!

Your eyes are the window to sin. The look isn’t the sin; the lingering of eyes is. Then when you have gazed long enough, your flesh grabs you, you have to taste and have some more. Then you become to prideful to change. “I can handle it this time” is the biggest lie from hell you will ever hear.

I have learned to love the Lord more than the sin. It’s that simple.

When I am in a convenience store on a hot day and see the beer on display, I look away and say “This one’s for you!” and walk away.

When I see a pretty girl and am tempted to mentally undress her, I look away and say, “This one’s for you!” and turn my eyes.

When I smell some marijuana floating though the air, I turn away and say, “This one’s for you” and keep on walking.

As long as you love the Lord 51% and the devil 49% you are well on your way to conquer the eyes, flesh and pride. You may not be the person you ought to be but thank you Jesus you are not the person you once were. Press on!

DON’T LEAVE

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DON’T LEAVE

By Rick Mathes

John 6:67  Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?”

The church needs a team to visit those who leave the church and at least attempt to salvage their walk with the Lord. There are many wounded Christians who were in the crossfire of members and unbeliever alike, sword to sword. I was asked once, “If you were Satan, how would you destroy the Christian church? I replied, “Leave them alone. They are doing just fine without the devil’s help!” Seriously, why do so many people walk away?

I think the main reason is that they find the gospel offensive. Being covered by the blood or by His lacerated body we are healed? The toughest is the Trinity and God Jesus dying. I recommend that you read “Hard to Believe” by John MacArthur Jr.

Too many turn their back on the church because of the persecution they are getting from friends, family and fellow workers that make fun of their effort to change their ways. Also, church members can be so mean with their gossiping and backbiting. Some of my most friendly neighbors are unsaved!

My kid brother, among others, just laughs it off. His attitude is the same toward Jesus as it is to any religious leader or the tooth fairy, for that matter. He believes Christianity is just invented to have an answer to those questions and events that just don’t make sense.

Some blow off Christianity because of their evil companions. When I gave my life to Jesus I worried about losing my unsaved buddies. Well, they ran for the hills and I thank the Lord for that because they weren’t the friends I needed to strengthen my walk with the Lord. Good Christian members have filled the gap.

Others just cannot tear themselves away from the sensual enjoyment that the devil provides in every direction including the church. In some countries the prostitutes start out their night in church praying for a successful evening!

Let’s give some the benefit of the doubt and excuse them because the situation has changed. They may have a new job, change of homes, death, divorce or other tragedy that needs our prayers.

The two most oft repeated reasons why fellow Christians leave the church is from sheer laziness or a complaint of what they believe to be unsound doctrine. It all cases, it is painful to me that when I quit going to the traditional churches, no one who said they loved me did or cared to even call me. I have since become an ordained Baptist minister and have my own little chapel of believers that worship together with me.

 

DON’T KICK

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DON’T KICK

By Rick Mathes

 

Acts 26:14
“And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

 Why do we fight hard against the process of holiness and sanctification? How much of a grip does sin really have on you and why do you allow it? The Lord wants so dearly to hug you and tell you He loves you. Yet we often refuse His invitation. How does He try so desperately to reach us? How can we receive His gently urging to be His?

The means the Lord uses is a tender and warm embrace. Can’t you just feel it? His soft touch can only come to you through the Word in essence in the Bible or in its form, in person through the Holy Spirit until His return. Just the Word, nothing more, is needed for you to do a turnabout on sin. Look to the cross and her His agonizing moans in the excruciating pain of our punishment for sin: yes our punishment. Let that sink in.

I know He loves you more than you are capable of loving. So when He pulls in the reins on your prayer requests and answers, “Not yet,” don’t fight against Him. He knows what is best for you and that is often the exact opposite of what you want. Like the bridle on a horse our natural response is to bite down on the bit and do as we choose. Sometimes a wise horseman needs to pull back sharply to let the horse know who is boss.

Since we’ve been born again we have a new family in glory and through Christians here on planet earth. Heaven enjoins with earth and His will is done according to His purposes, It is a tender parental love that too many of us have not experienced. I even welcomed “tough love” as a teenager and I didn’t even get that. I praise the Lord that I have a “Daddy” now that will take a belt to my butt when I have it coming.

Usually, apart from extreme circumstances, He approaches us with a tender admonition when we drift too far. As friends, we can meet on even ground at the foot of the cross and get our life in order, eye to eye with Him. Just one look into the eyes of that battered and bruised face, bloody and grotesque, is enough to melt any hardened heart.

All that the Holy Spirit needs to do is to gently prompt us to stay to the script, keep our focus and put a step forward toward Him and away from the flesh within us that cries out for hell. It’s a no choice situation. We must surrender and not kick against the hand that loves us.

 

DONE DEAL

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DONE DEAL

By Rick Mathes

Mark 11:23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him.

Christians fight their wars on their knees. Prayer unleashes God’s power tht makes an atom bomb to be nothing more harmless that a fire-cracker. We too often have a small God instead of the same powerful, off the chart God He has always been. It’s a shame that we keep our Lord a big secret. In fact we don’t even talk to Him except when we need Him. Now don’t misunderstand me, I know He wants us to come to Him like a child to the Father when we are in need.

Let’s give prayer then our 100% and have the faith of God, not our puny faith but His and let’s pray with certainty. When we know our prayers is in His will we can be very sure He will answer it in the best timing and in the fullest needed to fulfill your supplication. He loved you more than you are capable of living so you can be assured He hears the cry of His child and responds accordingly.

Don’t qualify or limit our Lord in what He can do or may not want to do. As the Spirit moves you to pray just cut loose with it knowing Father God is blessed you’ve come to Him in the blood of His Son and power of the Holy Spirit. There is no room for doubt when your prayer is fervent and specific.

You know He is waiting for the prayer and He hears it and you can be assured He answers it. So you need to have faith and believe that He has granted your supplication. The issue isn’t if He favored you with an answer, it’s when will that blessing occur.

Just pray His will. You can find out what He wants in His Word and then pray accordingly. In fact, there is a whole book of His promises you can get started with and with a pure heart you can move mountains. It mainly depends on your faith and heart condition. When it’s right with Him, it will be done for you!

DON’T STUMBLE

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DON’T STUMBLE

By Rick Mathes

Galatians 5:7 (NASB77) 7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?

Been there and done that and it didn’t work. Sound familiar? How many have gotten off to a great start in Christianity and all of a sudden we learn that they have slipped away from the faith? Maybe you are too.

Have you been holding back? Is there a dark, sin-filled closet in yourself that you refuse to open and let the light in? Something or someone has caught your sinful attention and pulled your eyes down and out instead of up and in His vision. You just don’t seem as loving and excited as you once were. It seems the flame has gone out and you are struggling to hang on. What happened?

Did the world do it?

Did the devil do it?

Did you do it?

The root of all that have become lukewarm is worldly care. There is a good possibility that your “things” own you. You have been blessed with all the toys that need winding up and your carnal ease has coaxed you away from the foot of the cross. Let’s face it, pride is the issue.

You seem to be quitting the old faith for new ideas. Many complain that we believers are old fashioned and indeed we are. Our faith goes back to before the beginning of time.

So nothing has really changed. Your “born again” experience was a fraud and you remain worldly. Satan then continues to be your Lord and that’s a sorry situation to be parked in. All you care about self-gratifying and horizontal. That’s not even a glance from time to time to glory. You really did it this time by loving what you have more that who He is. That’s a scary position to be in.

So you remain self-centered and don’t have any part of the day for Jesus. Likewise, He has no part of the day blessed for you. Look closely while you still have time and remove the obstacle before you. The sin you have that separates you from His is the sin you want more than Him because if you didn’t want it more than you do want it, you wouldn’t have it.

(Read this last sentence again) AMEN?

 

DIVIDED WE FALL

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DIVIDED WE FALL

By Rick Mathes

John 7:43 So there arose a division in multitude because of Him.

The Word teaches us that we are the Body of Christ that must be in one accord. The devil wants to squeeze in between us and Jesus any way he can because he knows that if we are divided we will fall.

What can be much worse than for us to divide because we have diverse opinions about our doctrine and church liturgy? Christians have never been in total agreement about either. We do, however, agree on the basic foundations of Christianity. If you confess Jesus as your Lord, which means living accordingly, then you are going to heaven just as you are. If your church or denomination excludes other Christians for disagreements over anything else, they are acting on behalf of Satan. We can agree to disagree and still have a wonderful opinion of Jesus together.

It’s all a matter of trust whether you are a Presbyterian, Baptist or Pentecostal, you still trust Christ as I do and love Him with your whole heart, mind and soul with all your strength. Truwst is what got Peter out of the boat and fear is what almost sunk him. You and Jesus must have a mutual agreement that you love each other and share an eternal destiny of glory.

Love is the super-glue that holds the Body together. Now understand that we don’t have to like each other but we must love each other. Yes, what I just stated makes sense when you think about it. WE don’t have to enjoy the same music, clothes or even culture to love each other.

It’s all in the development of obedience. There are not just growing pains but there is a learning curve involved also. This takes time so don’t allow a division because of things outward but rather has a unity of things upward. We’re back to the destiny of life with Christ here and now as a unified body.

Roman Catholics point out that we are divided because of our many denominations but they are not aware of our unity in the Spirit. Any true Christian knows that when we put aside our distinctions, our fundamental doctrine and beliefs are the identical. In my humble opinion we are all Calvinists but some haven’t matured enough to realized it yet, AMEN?

DISOBEDIENCE

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DISOBEDIENCE

By Rick Mathes

And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

No one ever has to teach a new-born child to be bad as it grows up. Its second nature is to be disobedient. We inherited that trait from the father of all nations, Adam. Its first nature is to be sinless and wholly righteous before the Lord. We who are elect make our feeble attempt. Faith always conquers fear. The Savior always overcomes sin and we are more than conquers if only we will obey.

The biggest enemy to obedience is self-righteousness. We become gods and make up our own rules that wink at our failures and pet sins. We follow pastors that don’t invade our own high estimate of our holiness and join churches where those who are violators of God’s Word to believe and obey. I call this the Roman Catholic mentality of doing more good than bad as a means of salvation.

Too many well intentioned sheep follow the wrong shepherds because of their wrong motives. The most obvious will always follows the spot-light and basks in all the center of attention they can arouse or find. They believe that heaven revolves around them and they live only to sooth their passion for others to admire and fawn over them.

It hurts to admit that I have met countless professing Christians that have a false faith. Most obvious of these are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Roman Catholics, and Christian Science. My yardstick of a true Christian is: Bible only, Jesus only, Faith only and Grace only, ONLY!

It’s sad that when the going gets tough, I mean close and personal, those with a shallow commitment fall down and drop out of sight. The redwoods of California have lasted these thousands of years because their roots grow out instead of down. They hold on to each other! Those of strong faith do likewise, they hold on to each other in obedience to our Lord’s commands. Go and do likewise as an example for others in your church to follow.