I Closed My Eyes

I closed my eyes & saw the light
I opened them but it took flight;
I realized then for me to see
I have to trust the light in me.

It's not by senses I perceive
This complex world which beckons me;
Not by reason or convention
But faith is what I have to mention.

Trinity of Cloud Formation

The Trinity of Cloud Formation:

1 Warm Air

2 Dust

3 Water Vapor


All air contains water, but near the ground it is usually in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. When warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cool air can't hold as much water vapor as warm air, so some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of dust that are floating in the air and forms a tiny droplet around each dust particle. When billions of these droplets come together they become a visible cloud.
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/cloud.htm

WHY FAITH? WHY A FAITH MOVEMENT?

Why Faith?
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Why a Faith Movement?

1. Faith For Salvation:

Romans 10:8,10 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

2. Faith For Evangelism:

Mark 16:15,18 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

3. Faith For A Good Report:

Hebrews 11:1,2 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.

Hbr 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Hbr 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession.

Hbr 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;

4. Faith For Overcoming The World:

1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

5. Faith For A Good Fight:

1Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Eph 6:12,13 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

6. Faith For Understanding:

Col 2:2,3 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Col 2:6,7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Hbr 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

1Pe 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.

7. Faith For Praying & Healing The Sick

Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Mar 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.

Mar 11:23,24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

Jhn 14:13,14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

CONCLUSION:

As long as there is faith there will always be a faith movement. Faith is a way of life, the way of the spirit-filled life in Christ.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

As long as there is the unseen there is faith to believe in the unseen.

1Ti 3:16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

As long as there is the Word of God there is faith to believe the Word of God.

Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away.

Hbr 6:17,18 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath:
That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

As long as there are needs there is faith to meet those needs.

Psa 16:1;11 [[Michtam of David.]] Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

Phl 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

2Cr 9:8 And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work.

As long as there is a covenant there is faith to access that covenant.

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Hbr 10:15, 17 [Whereof] the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

As long as there are demons there is faith to undo their work.

Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

1John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

As long as there is love there is faith to work through love.

Rom 8:35,39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Eph 3:14,19 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Col 2:2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead

GOD IS LOVE, PERIOD!

God IS LOVE,PERIOD!

Where in the "Q" does it say "God is love?" Answer: "NOWHERE!" This is the destiny of a multitude.

Love is our greatest advantage, the bridge between God & mankind.

First reference to the "LOVE OF GOD" in the Bible:
Deuteronomy 7:9 "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."

1. 1John 4:8 "God is love!" Allah who?

2. Act 13:30 "God raised Him from the dead."
Line up all the imams. Wait till they die. Whoever rises from the dead wins. JESUS WINS!

3. John 12:37 "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still WOULD NOT believe in Him."

Jhn 7:31 "When the Christ comes, will He do more miraculous signs than this Man?"

4. Col 2:13 "...the uncircumcision of your sinful nature"
If God wasn't a man you would be a slug; stop thinking like one!
------------------------

FAITH WORKS THROUGH LOVE:

Stop WISHING & start BELIEVING!

Galatians 5:6 "The only thing that counts is FAITH expressing itself through LOVE."

2Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, & pursue righteousness, faith, love & peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Satan is an equal opportunity sinner worldwide, not just in America.

Genesis 12:3 "I will bless them that bless thee."
God will bless, protect & preserve America because we love Israel.

Even our money says "IN GOD WE TRUST"

No Toddler Atheists

There are no atheist toddlers! You have to be taught to "unbelieve."

Luke 18:17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

Attributes of a child: Love, faith, purity

Attributes of the childish: unforgiveness, stubbornness, rudeness, self-centeredness, pride, complicity

There are "fork-in-the-road moments" im our lives. Go back to the source of your bitterness & fix it. Then belief & blessing can flow again, as in your youth!

Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than...

Who then can be saved? Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Matthew 7:14 Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

There are no atheists in Hell.

Are you a 1st degree atheist or a 3rd degree atheist?!

Entropy: A law that evolved from sin
Evolution: an idea that evolves from sin

Pastor Lester Roloff 1914 - 1982
"The world's greatest need is preaching preachers. The Gospel is our emancipation proclamation: let's take it to the slaves of sin."

Conversation With A Born Again Catholic

RE: ARE CATHOLICS CHRISTIANS?

God judges the heart. If you want to know how God deals with an entire group of believers read Jesus' words to the seven churches in Revelation. It begins like this: Rev 1:11 "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."

All doctrinal issues aren't necessarily "deal breakers." "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN," walking faithfully & lovingly in the light of revealed knowledge. Gladly, the Nicene Creed espouses salvation, but it's often believed yet ignored, rendered powerless by neglect. As a former Catholic myself, had I not been challenged by another former Catholic to revisit my faith, I would have perished in apostasy. This is sobering since so many Catholics are uncertain of their eternal destiny. Consider salvation a sacrament, of primary importance, because you can't wash sin with water. Only the blood of Jesus cleanses sin, thru faith. Once my spirit is cleansed then my soul, that is, my mind, will & emotions, is ready for a lifelong transformation. Baptism signifies I am wholly dedicated to this process, "dead to the world, alive to Christ." Notice that babies aren't baptized at the Jordan River in Jesus' Ministry, or John the Baptist's.

Conversations With An Agnostic

Xavier,

I know I could never beat your wit & knowledge. In the end you would crush me with your intelligence, however, my experience in this matters is my guide, and that satisfies me. I was an agnostic Catholic. I didn't really believe in Jesus. If He didn't visit me in my pew on Palm Sunday March 19, 1978, I would not be having this conversation with you. Even Christians get it wrong...often. We are supposed to be "the light," and in the end, very often, we repel others.

Whatever wisdom I have is born of the grace of God. Perhaps you see a difference in my words than in the others? This is a result, not so much of study, but of humility. I tell God I know so little, & what I do know is a limited reality. It is from this position of utter dependence that He begins to pour out His wisdom on me. You can not measure, analyze, or compare this to anything related to religion. It is based on a relationship with the Living God. Religion is man's attempt to define God. God does not fit in a box called religion.

Having said this I want to "turn the coin over" and mention that God has no problem revealing Himself to mankind. He is more like us than we admit. He has emotions. He is also holy. We are not. I have much to say about this, but to sum it up, Jesus restores the relationship that was never meant to be broken between God & man.

You may say I have heard this all before, but don't assume you know the truth, rather, admit you are a seeker, & only then will you find what you are looking for. My first "true" prayer to Jesus went like this, "Jesus, I don't believe in You, but I will go to Mass & listen to the words of the priest." Today, I am not officially Catholic, but on March 19, '78 I was born again.

Stephen, in the Book of Acts, was so convincing that they stoned him. Jesus was so convincing that they crucified Him. Things are not what they appear to be. What looks strong is actually weak to God, & what looks weak is literally strong to God. He even ordained preaching, a very foolish communicative tool, as the main delivery system for the Good News of salvation. I suppose what I am trying to say to you is , "the way up is down, the first shall be last, the greatest among you shall be a servant of all." Yes, it is an "Upside Down Kingdom" we serve. You have to change your perspective to see it clearly.

Sincerely,

John

--
More than a verb,
More than a noun,
Look for the Lord
Where love can be found!

Heavenly Visitation; Link: IT"S SUPERNATURAL!