Pop pills, seek thrills, lusting for the fame
God who? Screw you. Don’t bow to any name.
Snort coke, drink beer, smoke a little pot
Who’s God? Where’s God? Hell is not that hot.
Livin large, me in charge, all about the game
I am great, no debate, don’t believe in shame
Running wild with flower child, Makin’ love, not war
Get high, get by, that’s what life is for.
No hope, need dope, cannot stand the pain
Always high, wanna die, come on acid rain
Snort coke, drink beer, smoke a little pot
Who’s God? Where’s God? Hell is not that hot.
Lifeless, unemployed, livin' on the street
Ruthless, careless, starting to feel heat.
No friends, no ends, beggin' for a meal
Need a hit, can’t get it, gotta cheat and steal.
Locked up, facing time, bouncing off this cell
Cryin out, without a doubt, I’m going straight to hell
20 years, I’m in tears, can’t believe the deal
Need God. Where’s God? God are you for real?
Found the Word, flipped a page, lookin for a verse
Jesus lived, then he died, freed me from the curse
Bowed a knee, cried a plea, searchin' for some love
Somethin' broke, ain’t no joke, presence of a dove
Set free, new me, brand new chance at life
Out of jail, free from hell, givin’ you advice
Seek the Lord, all your heart, no need to understand
Seek Him, serve Him, reach out and take His hand.
No pills, simple thrills, free from guilt and shame
God you came through. Name above all names!
Diet coke, root beer, shrimp boiling in the pot
What a God! An Awesome God! My past he has forgot!
By: Michael E. Moore
Type rest of the post here
Dec 15, 2007
Hell Is Not That Hot
Oct 16, 2007
Satan is a Liar!
Thanks to all who have visited and left comments. I really appreciate you!
It's been quite a battle for me over the last couple of weeks. As I mentioned in my previous post Satan has been trying to keep me in isolation. He knows that I am a threat to his kingdom. He's trying to use his trickery to keep me from persevering unto God! What a liar he is!
James 4:7 tells us this:
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!
Did you know that resist means more than just ignoring Satan's temptations. Resist is an action word. It means that we have to literally fight against him. It means that we have to use all of our God-given weaponry and take affirmative action against him.
I almost fell pray to his latest attack. I have been spending much time alone, avoiding church activities, not studying the Word, not spending time in worship, dodging phone calls, etc. That's exactly where the devil wants me to be. He desires for us to feel alone. He desires for us to feel defeated. His sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.
But thank God that we have Jesus who never leaves us or forsakes us. Jesus came to give us an abundant life! And today I do resist the enemy! I do submit myself unto God! I do cast all my cares unto the Lord! I do receive the abundant life that he came to give me! It flows through every organ and every tissue of my being! I am like a tree that's planted by the rivers of water. I bring forth fruit in my season and my leaf shall not wither! Praise God!
I give God praise right now by saying publicly that I take Victory over the enemy in this battle! He is under my feet! I have taken the shield of faith and resisted all of his fiery darts!
Are you going through a similar battle today my friend? I encourage you to dig into the word of God with all you have. Even if it seems like you have to force yourself to do it. That force you feel coming against you is the enemy. But he cannot stand up against the Word. He never could and he never will! He is a defeated foe!
1 John 5:3-5
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Sep 19, 2007
Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!
Matthew 13:24-30 (New Living Translation)
Jesus explains the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds to his disciples:
Matthew 13:36-43
Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Here's my commentary:
As with many passages from God’s word I get something new almost every time I read them. Jesus tells us quite plainly here that the wheat represents those who have become sons of God by believing in him and the weeds are those that are children of the devil. I was reading one interpretation earlier that likened this story to the Garden of Eden. God had planted the goods seeds of Adam and Eve there for the purposes of being fruitful and multiplying. But then the serpent came along and planted the seeds of evil. As a result Cain was born as a child of the devil and ultimately became the first murderer when he killed his brother Abel.
Notice how he says that the enemy came in at night when the workers were asleep, planted the weeds and then slipped away? That’s just the way the devil operates. He’s a wimp. He has to sneak around in the dark. He is a thief and a liar.
I also read this morning that the weeds that are often found in wheat fields tend to look a lot like the wheat itself. However, unlike the weeds, the wheat eventually sprouts a head and produces more seed. The weeds however do not produce anything. They simply attempt to choke out nutrients that would ultimately be beneficial for healthier and more productive wheat. It sounds a lot like the church today. Sure, there are some there who look just like Christians. They walk the walk and even talk the talk but ultimately produce no fruit! Here’s what Jesus has to say about them:
Matthew 7:21-23 (New Living Translation)
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Where do the weeds come from? They come from thoughts, actions and words of anyone who isn’t a true child of God. Jesus says this:
Matthew 12:30 (New Living Translation)
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.”
We know that the only way to become a true Child of God is through Jesus. So there are no gray areas. Either you are a born again believer or you are not. If you are not then you my friend are a weed in the eyes of God.
Those evils seeds are thrown around us each and everyday. They come from the television we watch, the music we listen to, the websites we visit, the magazines we read, the billboards we look at and on and on and on. Satan is the prince and power of the air. He is the god of THIS world.
Should we pull out the weeds? Isn’t it just like us Christian to be the first to casts judgment on non-Christians? We want them out. We want to see them punished. Jesus says here, No! I’ll take care of that.
He tells us to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. We are representatives of Christ and it is our responsibility to approach ALL others with love, kindness, meekness, gentleness, patience and so on.
He tells us that pulling out the weeds will actually uproot the wheat. This one is a little tough. I have thought for a while now how we would be uprooted by the removal of evil. One thing that came to mind is that he sends rain onto the entire field. We are all his children. Even though the weeds are of no essential value. It is possible for us to draw excess nutrients from them. Water would surely run off from their branches and we could use that water to sustain out own growth.
Matthew 5:45 (New Living Translation)
“In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
The last part is the part that most people want to just look right over as if it were any less important than the rest. I myself like to tell people about how God IS love and how he is willing to accept them just as they are. I speak of his grace and his mercy. But the fact remains that this earth is going to pass away. On judgment day each person, dead, or alive, man or woman, Jew or gentile, saved, unsaved, slave or free will have to face up to or account for whether or not we believed in Jesus. And if so, what did we do with our lives. Were we fruitful? Did we enhance the Kingdom? Did we make disciples? Did we feed the hungry? Did we give shelter to the homeless? Did we give to the poor?
I love the last line…”put the wheat in the barns” When I was a child I spent summers with my grandparents on their farm. It was fun doing the chores in the field, mending fences, running the tractor and such, but what I really loved was being in the barn. It was fun milking the cows and feeding the smaller animals. It was warm and lots of times, after the chores were over, I would go up in the hayloft and sleep the afternoon away! There was always plenty to eat and it just felt like home!
You are in the field of life my friend. Will the day come when you will grow a head and begin to produce fruit? Tied up in a bundle to be burned or put in the barn to lounge in the loft? The choice is yours.
You may be saying or thinking that it’s too late. I am already a weed and cannot become wheat. I have news for you. God has the ability to graft you into the wheat stalk. Check this out:
Romans 11:17 (New Living Translation)
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.
It’s never too late but the sooner you make the right choice, the more fruitful you can be. There is no greater joy!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Leave a comment.
Michael
Sep 18, 2007
Parable of the Great Feast
Parable of the Great Feast
Jesus also told them other parables. He said,
“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
“So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business.
Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.
“The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’
So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike,
and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Jesus is talking here to people of Israel. Once again they refused to believe that he was the Messiah. He is saying that the feast is ready; salvation is theirs, ready for the taking. But they just refuse to accept the invitation.
But God doesn’t give up easily; he continues to send servants, or messengers to let them know that the invitation still stands. Notice he says the guests that were invited ignored them and went their own way. People today constantly put their own priorities ahead of Gods’. People are under the impression that they can go their own way and still get to God. There are so many “new age” religions popping up, so many false doctrines. So many people who think that they can get to Heaven just because they are a good person, just because they treat people fairly. But there is only one way to the Father. You have to accept the invitation.
John 14:6 (New Living Translation)
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
He goes on to tell us that God then sent messengers to gather people, good and bad, from the street corners and everywhere else. These were the gentiles. Gentiles are all people who are not true Jews. For the most part, that’s you and I. The invitation is for all to come to the banquet. Even we who are not the Jews can be grafted in to the family tree.
Romans 11:17-18
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.
He goes on to mention that the King noticed one man who was not wearing the proper clothing for a wedding. I did a little bit of research on this verse and found out that typically in those days, people who were invited to a wedding were also given a wedding garment to wear. I believe this would be similar to today’s’ tradition of all the brides maids wearing similar dresses or the bridegrooms all wearing matching tuxedos. But apparently this one man had refused to put on the garment. It was as if he was being rebellious. He wanted the sneak into the party and enjoy the feast without truly becoming part of the family. Gods desire is for us to not only accept his gracious gift of love, but we are to put on that love like a garment.
Colossians 3:12-15
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Notice that when this man was confronted and asked why he refused to wear the wedding garment, the man had no reply. He had nothing to say. He was speechless. I believe that’s exactly the way it will be for many on the Day of Judgment. There will come a day when those who have rejected Jesus will be standing before God Almighty and asked why they refused to believe in him. I believe they will be frozen in shock. All excuses will be meaningless. They will have nothing to say for themselves. It will be too late. The decision has to come now, in this lifetime.
Matthew 25:10-13
“But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
The time has come my friends for you to make a decision. Are you going to be the ones standing outside of locked gates wishing that you had come to know Jesus in time? The invitation is still open. Today is the Day of Salvation. It’s time for you to make up your mind. Perhaps you have been riding the fence. You claim you know the Lord. You claim to be a Christian. But are you on fire? Is he really Lord of all? God clearly says in his word that he would rather you be cold or hot, but not just warm. He can work with cold. And he delights in hot. But warm he detests.
Revelation 13:15-17
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
He says he will spit you out of his mouth for being lukewarm. Too many of are neaither hot or cold. I encourage you today my friend to make a decision to go after God. Go after him with all your heart, mind, and strength. If you ride the fence, you will suffer the consequence!
Come to the banquet my friends. Put on the robe of righteousness that is given to you freely. Enjoy the bounty of rich foods and great fellowship that is available at the wedding table. Be prepared to say Yes Lord. I believed!
Thank you for visiting my page. Please leave your comment.
Michael
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