God's Guidance John 16:13

When the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you unto all truth.

Jesus is with His disciples. He is about to go to the cross. He is trying to prepare them for the days and events that were ahead of them. He told them in verse 4 that He was going to tell them things that they were not going to understand but when they happened they would remember the words that He told them and they would find great comfort in them.

When the Spirit is come, Jesus said, He will guide you unto all truth. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to guide us to the truth that is in the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and writes it in our hearts and He helps us remember those words and He helps us walk according to those words. It is impossible to be a Christian without the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and in our lives. It is impossible to be obedient to the Word of God without the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

The Holy Spirit works with us to get us to obey God's Word in our hearts. As we are obedient to His Word, we come to learn that these words are life and they are truth. Truth is a person. Jesus said, " I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me." Jesus is our truth and He is our way. The Holy Spirit works to help us know the Lord as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word. Faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do.

As you and I surrender our hearts to the Lord and we begin to make decisions that bring honor and glory to Him, we begin to learn what the truth is when it comes to life as God would have us live it. God is the Supreme designer of life. He knows what we need to have life and have it more abundantly. The desire of God's heart is that you and I have that life and live it to the fullest. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to lead and guide us to that life, which comes when we begin to accept the truth found in His Word.

We need to let God have His way in our hearts and in our lives. We need to be determined to stand for God and to walk with Him no matter what. We need to learn to lean on the Holy Spirit and then make the decision to obey God's Word as the Holy Spirit gives us instruction and direction. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would "guide us into all truth."

Guidance requires that we follow. If you and I are ever going to come to know the Lord in all of His fullness and all of His glory, we have to learn to follow His leadership and His guidance. God can lead but it is only when we are guided that His truth becomes evident and beneficial in our lives and in the lives of all those who are around us.

Hope of Glory Colossians 1:27

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.



The things of God are a mystery. Salvation itself is a mystery. We want to think that we are good people and since God is a God of love, then somehow God will accept us and we will be able to live with Him in heaven. A lot of people will fail to get into heaven because they have adopted this philosophy. God, Paul tells us, has "made known the riches of His glory of this great mystery." The answer to it all is Christ in us.

Jesus left the throne of Glory and came to be born of a virgin in obscurity so that He could go to the cross and through the empty tomb get ready to come back to earth in victory and power to claim His bride, which is the church, the people of faith. Jesus indwells the heart of the individual who repents of his sin and opens his or her heart to the Lord by faith in His saving work on the cross. This is our hope of glory; this is our only hope.

Paul tells us that this is the message that he preaches. He warns every man and teaches every man in all wisdom, so that anyone may be presented perfect in Christ Jesus. Paul does not say that we are to be presented perfect in our own selves because that is impossible. There is nothing that we can do in and of our own selves that will make us perfect or even acceptable before the Lord. It is only what Christ did on the cross that can make any difference in our hearts and in our lives.

As we as God's children look to His Word and rely on the power of prayer, we will find His indwelling presence to be all that we need to allow Him to make our lives everything that He wants them to be. More than presented perfect in heaven, He will make our lives "perfect" in this world as well. We have to remember that His definition of "perfect" may well be a lot different than our definition and His timing may well be so different from ours but God promises to bless us in this life. Then when we will stand before Him in eternity, we will be perfect in His eyes because we have placed our lives in His hand and our hearts in His precious Son, who gave His life a ransom for each of us.

God is indeed a great and wonderful God and He loves each of us more than we could begin to imagine. His love for us ought to be enough to cause us to live for Him without exception and without excuse and when we do, God will delight Himself in us because Christ lives in us, which is the hope of glory and the key to understanding the mystery of His plan and purpose for our lives.

Underachievers or Overcomers Revelation 3:21

21"To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '



Jesus gives even the most unpleasing church a glorious promise. Christ loves us all. He died for us all. He died for the good, the bad and the ugly. His promises are not out of reach for anyone. His salvation is available to all who would come to Him as He knocks at their hearts door and open that door and allow Him to come in and provide for them.

Our obedience is all that the Lord of Glory is looking for. Obedience begins at the cross and His sin sacrifice on our behalf. Obedience is required to open that door. Jesus pleads with us to come to Him. His Word tells us that we need Him. His Spirit convicts us of our lost condition because of the sin that is in our lives. Jesus has come to seek and to save them that are lost. He came for the church at Laodicea just as He did for the church at Philadelphia.

He says to those who overcome, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne. Jesus is not asking us to do anything that He Himself did not first do. He tells us that I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. When Jesus asks us to overcome, He is not instructing us to overcome just because He did, but rather because He knows the benefits that were His as He overcame the lust of the flesh and the lure of the world. He knew the benefits of living His life as the Word of God instructed Him to do. He knows the benefits that are ours if we too will overcome the lust of the flesh and the lure of the world in our own lives.

The throne that Jesus grants us to sit at is the throne that God Himself has given to His Son. Jesus' promise is that we will share in His glory and His honor and as joint heirs with Him, everything that God has reserved for Him in heaven, He has reserved for us as well. All we need to do is persevere and overcome temptation in our lives and make decisions that bring honor and glory to Him who has overcome and sits on the throne in heaven.

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." What else is there to say? We have a choice. We can listen to the Word of God and the promises that are there and we can do one of two things. We can choose to follow their instruction and live our lives according to its instruction or we can do as the Laodicean church was doing and revel in our own luxuries and our own abilities and wake up one day and find our lives empty or as Jesus warns, "and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."

Just give me Jesus.

Stand With God Ezra 8:23

So we fasted and we sought God for this and He answered our prayer.




Ezra was a man who trusted the Lord with all that he had. This guy walked with God and here is one of the prize passages that illustrate this for us. Ezra is preparing a return trip to Jerusalem. He is going to be leading a group of men from Babylon to Jerusalem. Not only will they be traveling through very rough territory, they are carrying with them a sizeable amount of gold and sliver, which today would total in the millions of dollars. They would be easy prey for thieves and robbers on this difficult journey.

Ezra wanted to ask the king for an army guard to help protect them on this difficult journey. However, in verse 22 we read that Ezra had told the king that "the gracious hand of God is on everyone who looks to Him and His great anger is against all who forsake Him." Ezra hated to ask for help when his testimony was that God was able to protect His own.

So, Ezra fasted and prayed to the Lord for this and God answered his prayer.

There are two thoughts that stand out in this passage. First of all, when we give something to God, we need to leave it there. Ezra had told the king of God's power and His provisions. He shared with the king God's all-sufficiency and here we find Ezra's faith being put to the test. It would not have been out of line at all for Ezra to request an armed escort from the king. The king had given him all these riches to present at the Temple. In all probability, the king expected to send a military escort for their protection.

However, Ezra did not want to take the chance that God's name and character might be blemished by his faithlessness. Ezra did something that we need to take notice of; he and his people fasted and they prayed to God. God does not want us to walk through this life alone. He wants to go before us and He wants to take away the stumbling stones that litter the paths that we walk. He not only can provide for us, He stands ready to provide for us.

All we have to do is do what Ezra did; first of all, we need to trust God. Second, we have to look to God as a first response as opposed to our last resort. Prayer and fasting are available to us for a reason. They work! The Bible tells us that God heard Ezra's prayer and He answered their prayer. He gave Ezra the peace that He needed to begin this dangerous journey.

In verse 31 we read that "the hand of the Lord was upon us and He protected us from the hand of the enemies and the bandits along the way and we arrived in Jerusalem."

God will protect you as you seek to stand upon His Word. No matter what the circumstances may be, stand with God and He will stand with you!

Please Pray Acts 3:26

Unto you first, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.



Pentecost has just take place. Peter and John went up to the temple to pray as they were accustomed to doing. When they got there they met a man begging for money and Peter told him to rise up and walk and he did. Peter used this occasion to preach to the crowd about Jesus, whom the Jews had crucified only a few short weeks earlier.

He concludes his message with our scripture text for today. God raised up His Son Jesus to bless us. The whole purpose of His coming is to bless us. How are we to be blessed? Peter tells us in verse 19; we are to repent and be converted that our sins may be blotted out. Jesus gave His life on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin and mine. He died in our place. Jesus died in our place so that you and I might be able to live with Him in heaven but He also died in our place so that you and I might be able to live with Him on this earth. Jesus does not want us to die for Him; He wants us to live for Him and that is why He came. That is why God raise Him from the dead so that He might bless us and that blessing us, we might be a blessing to others.

Repentance is where God's blessings begin but that is not where they end. Look closely at our text. Peter tells us that God raised Jesus from the dead to bless us "in turning us away from our sin." Here is the key to God's blessings. God's blessings come when you and I are willing to turn from our sinful ways and turn to him and His ways for our lives. This is the founding principle of the Bible. Faith is seen in obedience to God's Word. Faith is taking God at His Word in every aspect of our lives. Faith is no compromise and no excuse; faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do. Period. Faith is living our lives one decision at a time knowing that God's Word and His Way is the way for us to go.

When you and I are willing to turn from our iniquities and turn to the Lord, we will be blessed. God will bless us. He will fight our battles and He will bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for. Peter tells us that this is why God raised Jesus from the dead.

Jesus is risen and we need to remind ourselves that because He lives we too can live today and forever. When temptation rears its ugly head, just remember that God has raised Jesus up to bless you and the only way He can do that is for you to remain faithful to Him and to remain faithful to His Word and not let sin have an occasion to rob you of God's blessing for your life! When temptation comes, please pray!

When You Pray Matthew 6:5

5"And when you pray,"



Five times Jesus uses the phrase 5"And when you pray" to teach His disciples about the practice and privilege of prayer. Jesus did not command us to pray in this statement; He is not telling us that we ought to pray. He is going to give us instructions as to how to pray.

The issue here is not "will we pray" but rather "when we pray." There is never any thought given to the possibility that a Child of God or a follower of Christ would NOT pray.

Jesus tells us, "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men." when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9"In this manner (when you pray), therefore, pray:"

As Christians praying is not intended to be an option. It is a part of our newfound existence. It is as important to our spiritual strength as breathing, eating or drinking is to our physical strength. It is inconceivable that we would ever meet someone and fall in love with that person and then never speak to them or have any communication with them. That relationship would die quicker than it started.

Our spiritual lives are no different. God desires a relationship with us. That relationship involves us listening and learning from His Word and then we are to pray for strength and guidance to walk in the Light that Jesus has come to give to us.

Jesus expects His children to pray. Period. Write it down big and bold, prayer is an essential part of a Child of God's existence. It is unnatural for a Child of God not to pray just as it would be for a baby not to cry. Jesus does not tell us, "If you pray do not be like the hypocrites." He says, "When you pray do not be like the hypocrites."

Is prayer a priority in your life? Do you talk to God on a number of occasions during the day? Do you ask Him for guidance and strength and peace and comfort? Do you remember to pray for those you love and those around you that need the touch of God's hand in and on their lives?

There is plenty to pray about! You are making decisions, one after the other and you need help making the right decisions. Jesus understood that and that is why He is telling us "how we ought to pray" WHEN we pray. May your prayer time become personal and intimate with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and may He bless you as you look to Him moment by moment, in every decision you make, every day of your life!

Advocates I John 2:1

We have an advocate with the Father.


Jesus Christ has done something for us that is almost inconceivable. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. He was raised from the dead so that He could sit at the right hand of His heavenly Father as an advocate for you and me before God.

Jesus is our advocate before God's throne. There is nothing that comes before Him that He cannot take care of. Nothing.

We also have an advocate in the Holy Spirit as well. The Holy Spirit "ever lives to make intercession for us." (Hebrews 7:25) The Greek word for "Advocate" and "Comforter" are the same word, which means, "One called along side to help."

Jesus intercedes on our behalf in heaven while the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf in our hearts. As Jesus speaks to the Father for us, the Holy Spirit speaks to us leading us and guiding us in the way that God would have us go. So, with Jesus in heaven and the Holy Spirit in us, we have all the strength and help that we need to be all that God would have us be if we would just listen and do what God would have us do.

There is no better place to be in all the world than to be in the palm of God's hand as Jesus intercedes for us and the Holy Spirit intercedes with us so that God can do for us all that He wants to do in us and with us and for us! Glory to God! Amen!!!