Luke 7:20-23
When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
How could John the Baptist even ask that question? John proclaimed Jesus Christ before Jesus ever showed up. John was the one who baptized Jesus and saw the heavenly dove descend. Yet even with all of that, our souls are fickle. John's association with Jesus had brought much hardship and his death was immanent. John wondered if he made the biggest mistake in his life. But hardship does not mean failure. There is a blessing reserved for those who can stay true to Jesus even when the blessing seems far from them.
Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
I Want To Stop But Don't Know How
In today's society there are so many that are bound by drugs, alcohol, destructive thought patterns, and abusive relationships. Maybe you or some good people that you know are addicted to pornography, have gambling problems and the like? The tragedy is that you can't stop on your own and unless you find help, your attachment to the dark side will only grow larger. Only because because of twenty-nine years of relationship problems, drug and alcohol abuse does this writer knows that practicing sin is an endless and growing cycle of destructive behavior that ruins lives and destroys families. It is through the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and REPENTANCE of your sins, the MEDITATION of God's word, and the allowance of CHRISTIAN people to hold you ACCOUNTABLE that erects the necessary boundaries you need to become free of the merry-go-round of sin.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT-The first step towards freedom from any sin is realizing your need for God, being able to admit you have a problem, and recognizing that you can't quit on your own. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:5. Take an inventory of your life and write down what needs to change! You can't get help from anyone if you can't admit you need help!
REPENTANCE-To repent means you TURN from wrong and turn towards GOD. It also means to have a genuine change of heart that gives you a new prospective. New prospectives come from God. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Call upon the name of the Lord.
MEDITATION of God's WORD-This is so important! The only way to get your focus off of yourself, off of your sin, and on something GOOD is to read, hear, and speak God's word. It is the antidote to your stronghold. It is medicine that you can't overdose on. Even if you don't understand what you are reading, keep reading! The word of GOD will change your thoughts, your thoughts dictate your words, and your words influence your ACTIONS! Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Reading the bible will change the way you think!
CHRISTIAN ACCOUNTABILITY-It is essential to have a mature Christian in your life to hold you accountable! Hopefully, at this point, you will be in a good bible based church and can ask the pastor or leader to help you with this. NEVER ask someone that is suffering from the same affliction as you to hold you accountable. Find someone who can mentor you and pray down heaven for you no matter the circumstance! Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17.
Acknowledgement and repentance of your sins, meditation of the bible, and Christian accountability will provide fertile ground by which to separate yourself from sin and grow towards God's purpose and destiny for your life. BUT, all of this is null and void if you haven't ask Jesus Christ into your heart! "Why" you ask? It's because sin separates you from GOD and because He loves you so much, He reconciled Himself to you by allowing His only Son to die. Jesus died a cruel death on the cross, and after the third day of death, God raised Him up from the dead and He is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. God sent Jesus to save you and not to condemn you. If you have felt a tugging at your heart while reading this, you can ask Jesus to come into your heart, and the Holy Spirit will begin to help you today!
Pray this prayer with me: "God, I know I've messed up and not kept your word for my life. Jesus, come into my heart. Holy Spirit, I ask you to live in me and help me from this day forth. Jesus died and rose again, by confessing that with my mouth, believing it in my heart, I have eternal life, and I am now saved."
This blog is a mere skeleton to freedom but it offers a start! Message me if you need help finding a church to go or have any questions about salvation.
God Bless you!
Donald Hobbs
www.wholeagainministries.org
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT-The first step towards freedom from any sin is realizing your need for God, being able to admit you have a problem, and recognizing that you can't quit on your own. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:5. Take an inventory of your life and write down what needs to change! You can't get help from anyone if you can't admit you need help!
REPENTANCE-To repent means you TURN from wrong and turn towards GOD. It also means to have a genuine change of heart that gives you a new prospective. New prospectives come from God. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Call upon the name of the Lord.
MEDITATION of God's WORD-This is so important! The only way to get your focus off of yourself, off of your sin, and on something GOOD is to read, hear, and speak God's word. It is the antidote to your stronghold. It is medicine that you can't overdose on. Even if you don't understand what you are reading, keep reading! The word of GOD will change your thoughts, your thoughts dictate your words, and your words influence your ACTIONS! Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Reading the bible will change the way you think!
CHRISTIAN ACCOUNTABILITY-It is essential to have a mature Christian in your life to hold you accountable! Hopefully, at this point, you will be in a good bible based church and can ask the pastor or leader to help you with this. NEVER ask someone that is suffering from the same affliction as you to hold you accountable. Find someone who can mentor you and pray down heaven for you no matter the circumstance! Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17.
Acknowledgement and repentance of your sins, meditation of the bible, and Christian accountability will provide fertile ground by which to separate yourself from sin and grow towards God's purpose and destiny for your life. BUT, all of this is null and void if you haven't ask Jesus Christ into your heart! "Why" you ask? It's because sin separates you from GOD and because He loves you so much, He reconciled Himself to you by allowing His only Son to die. Jesus died a cruel death on the cross, and after the third day of death, God raised Him up from the dead and He is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. God sent Jesus to save you and not to condemn you. If you have felt a tugging at your heart while reading this, you can ask Jesus to come into your heart, and the Holy Spirit will begin to help you today!
Pray this prayer with me: "God, I know I've messed up and not kept your word for my life. Jesus, come into my heart. Holy Spirit, I ask you to live in me and help me from this day forth. Jesus died and rose again, by confessing that with my mouth, believing it in my heart, I have eternal life, and I am now saved."
This blog is a mere skeleton to freedom but it offers a start! Message me if you need help finding a church to go or have any questions about salvation.
God Bless you!
Donald Hobbs
www.wholeagainministries.org
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A few thoughts on The Kingdom of Heaven
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A few thoughts on "Kingdom of Heaven"
"The Kingdom, it's all about the Kingdom," they say. It seems all the popular preachers are offering a new viewpoint on "The Kingdom of Heaven." Some say it's this and some say its that, so in my confusion I set out to form my own opinion of the consistence of "The Kingdom." Out of 352 references in the Bible to the word "kingdom", I came up with three thoughts about this subject: explanation, qualifications, and the keys to the Kingdom.
How do I explain the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Matthew 3:2 says, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." So, the Kingdom is about repentance and turning to God. Repent means to change the way you think. So a man thinks, so he is. If we turn TO God, then we must turn FROM something. We must turn from being SELF-CENTERED and SELF CONTROLLED and turn our lives over to Christ's direction and Christ's control.
Secondly, what are the qualifications of the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Refer to Matthew 5:3-12, "The Beatitudes," 1)We must first and foremost realize that we have a need for GOD. 2)We must mourn, period. 3)We must be "humble" which translates to "human" which translates to this: "be yourself and not a copycat of someone else" 4) Hunger and thirst for justice. 5) Be merciful to all. 6) Have a pure heart. 7) Work towards peace. 8) Proclaim who we are in Christ regardless of what other think even if we are persecuted.
Third is the "keys to the Kingdom." In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said,
" And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Through the power of forbidding and permitting, Jesus turned the power to forgive others over to US according to John 20:23, because He forgave us. Freely we have received, freely we shall give"
The "Kingdom of Heaven" is about being in right relationship with God through repentance and allowing His word to change our thinking. It's about being in right relationship with others by meeting the "qualifications" and using the keys to offer them hope. Do you need to "change the way you think and turn to God?" Are you headed to heaven? Are you qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven? Christians that are reading this, when is the last time you allowed God's word to be a mirror in your life? When is the last time you exercised the power of forgiveness in your own household? Who was the last person you told about God's love and lead them to Christ? Just a few thoughts, on the "Kingdom of Heaven."
In love with Christ.
Donald Hobbs
A few thoughts on "Kingdom of Heaven"
"The Kingdom, it's all about the Kingdom," they say. It seems all the popular preachers are offering a new viewpoint on "The Kingdom of Heaven." Some say it's this and some say its that, so in my confusion I set out to form my own opinion of the consistence of "The Kingdom." Out of 352 references in the Bible to the word "kingdom", I came up with three thoughts about this subject: explanation, qualifications, and the keys to the Kingdom.
How do I explain the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Matthew 3:2 says, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." So, the Kingdom is about repentance and turning to God. Repent means to change the way you think. So a man thinks, so he is. If we turn TO God, then we must turn FROM something. We must turn from being SELF-CENTERED and SELF CONTROLLED and turn our lives over to Christ's direction and Christ's control.
Secondly, what are the qualifications of the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Refer to Matthew 5:3-12, "The Beatitudes," 1)We must first and foremost realize that we have a need for GOD. 2)We must mourn, period. 3)We must be "humble" which translates to "human" which translates to this: "be yourself and not a copycat of someone else" 4) Hunger and thirst for justice. 5) Be merciful to all. 6) Have a pure heart. 7) Work towards peace. 8) Proclaim who we are in Christ regardless of what other think even if we are persecuted.
Third is the "keys to the Kingdom." In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said,
" And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Through the power of forbidding and permitting, Jesus turned the power to forgive others over to US according to John 20:23, because He forgave us. Freely we have received, freely we shall give"
The "Kingdom of Heaven" is about being in right relationship with God through repentance and allowing His word to change our thinking. It's about being in right relationship with others by meeting the "qualifications" and using the keys to offer them hope. Do you need to "change the way you think and turn to God?" Are you headed to heaven? Are you qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven? Christians that are reading this, when is the last time you allowed God's word to be a mirror in your life? When is the last time you exercised the power of forgiveness in your own household? Who was the last person you told about God's love and lead them to Christ? Just a few thoughts, on the "Kingdom of Heaven."
In love with Christ.
Donald Hobbs
Thursday, October 1, 2009
God ALWAYS uses death to bring LIFE
We have recently experienced the death of our two month old grandchild and although it doesn't bring complete healing to this human heart, I can see glimpes of God's purposes through death. John 12:24. "I tell you the truth. A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die. Then it grows and makes many seeds. But if it never dies, then it will always be only a single seed." God always fulfills promises and even brings salvation through death.
In the book of Genesis it wasn't until he death of Sarah that Abraham found the "Promise Land" that God told him of when he bought a plot of land to bury his wife. It was the death of Ruth's husband that catapulted her to her "Promise Land" by restoring her with her Boaz.
All of the stories found in the Old Testament cast a shadow forward and paint a picture for us to see the New Testament's ultimate death and resurrection of Christ. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16. Salvation.
In my short four years of being saved I have seen people walk into their God given promise and purpose through financial blessings that have come through the death of a loved one. I have seen life restored to so many relationships, that would otherwise remain stagnant ,through the death of of a friend or family member. And is that not God's will for us all to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to be in right relationship with all we encounter in our lives? Is it not also God's will that we be in right relationship with Him, our creator, through the DEATH and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ? Now I am not minimizing the pain and hurt that comes from death to us mere mortals here on earth because death ALWAYS hurts. But, its when we view death through our spiritual eyes recognizing its purposes and seeing the good that God brings through what is normally viewed as evil that we can truly experience His peace and see that He IS in control and has purpose in what is happening around us at all times. In closing, I urge every Christian to take a step back and explore the possibilities of the "big picture" that surrounds the event of life called "death."
In love with Christ.
Donald Hobbs
In the book of Genesis it wasn't until he death of Sarah that Abraham found the "Promise Land" that God told him of when he bought a plot of land to bury his wife. It was the death of Ruth's husband that catapulted her to her "Promise Land" by restoring her with her Boaz.
All of the stories found in the Old Testament cast a shadow forward and paint a picture for us to see the New Testament's ultimate death and resurrection of Christ. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16. Salvation.
In my short four years of being saved I have seen people walk into their God given promise and purpose through financial blessings that have come through the death of a loved one. I have seen life restored to so many relationships, that would otherwise remain stagnant ,through the death of of a friend or family member. And is that not God's will for us all to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to be in right relationship with all we encounter in our lives? Is it not also God's will that we be in right relationship with Him, our creator, through the DEATH and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ? Now I am not minimizing the pain and hurt that comes from death to us mere mortals here on earth because death ALWAYS hurts. But, its when we view death through our spiritual eyes recognizing its purposes and seeing the good that God brings through what is normally viewed as evil that we can truly experience His peace and see that He IS in control and has purpose in what is happening around us at all times. In closing, I urge every Christian to take a step back and explore the possibilities of the "big picture" that surrounds the event of life called "death."
In love with Christ.
Donald Hobbs
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