Good morning and welcome in today. Today I’m going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

What are some of the things that you really enjoy to have regularly each day?

Some people may like a really good black cup of coffee while others really enjoy chocolate chip cookies. I would enjoy sailing practically everyday if the wind was up and others prefer to get on their motorcycle and go for a little cruise in the evening. Even with modern-day electronics there are plenty of kids who really like to get home after school and use their game station online.

When you are incapable of saying no to certain things during your day occasionally, there is a good chance that you might be addicted to it. It doesn’t matter what it is, food, entertainment, or even playing games.

Addiction is a condition in which a person is unable to stop using a substance or engaging in a certain behavior. Many people associate fasting with only food or water, but you can practice self denial in just about any aspect of your life to show our Lord Jesus Christ how thankful we are for what he has given us freely to enjoy and to show Him that our love for Him is stronger than anything on this Earth.

For example, a man and a wife can abstain from sexual relationships during their marriage for a certain period of time so that they can dedicate themselves to prayer and fasting. Fasting sexual relationships with your spouse must be agreed beforehand, otherwise you would be denying your spouse their marital rights to your body.

Whatever it is that you may choose to fast simply reveals that it is not in control of you and you are not addicted to it. When you fast it shows that you are in control by bringing your body into subjection to you.

Practicing self-denial or fasting regularly in your life for Christ’s sake is a very good Spiritual quality to possess as long as you make sure that nobody knows about it and keep it a secret between you and God because He will reward you openly.

Moses, Elijah and Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Fasting shows God a motivated seeking heart. In the following passage they were seeking Christ so much that they hadn’t eaten in days.

Matt 15:29-38

²⁹ And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.

³⁰ And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:

³¹ Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

³² Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

³³ And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

³⁴ And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

³⁵ And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

³⁶ And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

³⁷ And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

³⁸ And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

God has freely given us all things to enjoy but our love for Jesus has to be greater than anything found upon this Earth. We need to be capable of giving things up for a season no matter how much we enjoy it. This is to show our Lord that he is our first and greatest love.

1 John 2:15-17

¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love 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 pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

I have known people who are so addicted to nicotine that they couldn’t possibly go a day without it. It had such a strong hold on them that they eventually had to completely abstain from it.

On the other hand I’ve known people who like coffee so much that they couldn’t possibly go a day without it. That is what the definition for what true addiction is. Addiction is a condition in which a person is unable to stop using a substance or engaging in a certain behavior. In regards to eating, the scriptures refer to certain people whose God is their gut. Self-denial is the ability to be able to say no to certain things that you enjoy, whatever it may be, but there are certain addictions that are good to possess every single day in our lives.

1 Cor 16:15

¹⁵ I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

That’s the kind of addiction that you never want to lose!

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago when I was in elementary school I was pulled aside by my teacher in class who was pretty upset with me because I had the tendency to visit with the other children while we were trying to get our assignments done.

Because of this, the teacher gave me a box of chalk and denied me the ability to go out and play in the playground with the other children until I wrote on the chalkboard 100 times that I would not talk in class.

That was a pretty tall order considering that I was only seven or eight years old and I couldn’t write very well as it was. It might have been better just to have me drop to the ground and make me do 200 push-ups, (which probably would have taken the same amount of time anyway.)

As I look back now, I realize that God has a purpose for every event in our lives. This event was subtily teaching me about my future Christian faith.

All day long I wrote on that chalkboard that I would not talk during class. I wrote so much that my hand hurt. But I finally completed the task.

Some of my friends in the class had the responsibility to wash the blackboard with soapy water at the end of the day. As one of them got up to get a rag, he said, it’s time to wipe that slate clean.

Did you know that the Bible teaches us that each of us are sinners in the sight of God? Each of our hearts are like a blackboard that is filled with up with the mistakes and misdeeds that we have committed. Many of the things that people have done wrong are tucked away and hidden from view in the secret places of the heart.

Nobody is guiltless in the eyes of God no matter how much you attempt to be. The reason why is because each of us are sinners. The only way that any of us can get past the eternal judgment of God is to get forgiveness right now that is only available through the blood of Jesus Christ. Today is the day of salvation, don’t let it pass you by.

This world is filled with treachery and it fools and deceives you. Many people make a mistake and try to redeem themselves but in the eyes of God we cannot do that. The only way to be redeemed is through the blood of Christ in order to enter in to eternal life someday. No matter what good deeds that you feel you have done, just one unforgiven sin in your life will affect your eternal salvation.

Each of us are are the same, whether you are a fisherman, a priest, a sheriff, or even a judge, we all have make mistakes that we regret that are stored in our consciences on God’s blackboard.

Granted, it may have been just a single slip-up in your life, but it’s only one sin that can keep you out of heaven. There is no one on this planet that is perfect in the eyes of God because the Bible is clear that we’ve all come short of the glory of God. The only one who is, is God’s Son who He sent into this world To atone for our sins.

Coinsider blessed King David. He had sinned, but God forgave Him. Even a king in this world needed God’s forgiveness.

John the Baptist was a very poor man who lived in the wilderness and discreetly listen to the confessions of men. He was a man who was sent by God who you could confess privately your darkest secrets to. True men of God are ready to hear the confession of our sins, not to expose and reveal them to the world, but rather to extend God’s forgiveness and mercy unto them.

You might have only stole the milk money at school and at the time you never spoke about it because you didn’t want to get in trouble. Maybe you were committing fornication in your youth or stole something from your neighbor which you now regret. Sins will be punished by God in an eternal lake of fire unless you come to Christ Jesus and get forgiven them.

Psalms 25:7 – Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD. 

At the end of the day, God wants to clean off our slate. He wants to wash off the blackboard of our sins and to never remember or bring them to mind again.

Isaiah 43:25 – I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Does that sound too good to true? God is both good and true. Instead of keeping a record of our sins and misdeeds God completely forgives us. This is why I’ve always said that the world’s form of forgiveness is very shallow. It is not the divine forgiveness that is found in Christ where he completely forgives and forgets our past.

Col 2:13-14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

¹⁴ Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

God blots our transgressions like cleaning the chalkboard. He is the God of mercy and grace. Law came by Moses, but like all laws, all of us have made a mistake one point or another in life. Instead of judging one another, can we learn to not be stumblingblocks to each other? Can we learn to help and love one another As God loves each of us?

It’s true, God loves sinners like me and you. He wants all men to repent so He can save them from wrath later, but remember, Jesus the righteous judge of all creation chose to die on the cross for our sins rather than punish us and our future families and generations. How merciful are you?.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Just like the blackboard at school got erased each day, God wants to erase our sins so that is there is no more remembrance of them in His sight. Never ending glory to our God of mercy and grace!

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody❤

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

A few years ago, we had a problem with a beaver on our road. You see, on this specific part of the road there is a small pond off to one side. After the snow melts in the spring, it will fill up and flow through a culvert underneath the road. However, that spring a beaver decided to block up the culvert and keep the water in the pond. I went down and checked the culvert every day. It started with a couple smaller sticks placed against the culvert end. Then the beaver would bring up some mud and spread it against those sticks. A day or two later and there were some more sticks against the culvert, and a couple smaller logs. 

Eventually the beaver had built up such a dam blocking the culvert that the water rose up so high that the water covered the road itself. We tried taking a shovel to try to break apart the blockage, but the beaver had done such a good job we could only clear a small path for the water to escape. It was kind of pointless to try and keep shoveling it out, because each night the beaver would fix whatever we had cleared away. It was only when someone came out with a backhoe and dug everything out that the water went down and flowed through again.

And that is kind of what this verse is about today.

“But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7,8

What Paul was teaching here is that it is more important to place your time making your faith stronger than building up your body. No matter how good of shape your body is in, eventually it will die, just like everyone else’s. Notice that he didn’t say that exercising your body is wrong, but that it doesn’t profit you like spiritual things, because spiritual things will last forever, and are therefore of far more importance.

We should be focused on the things of God daily, exercising our “spiritual muscles.” We can do this through prayer, fasting, studying the scriptures, and showing love to our neighbor. Each time you do something like this it is like lifting a spiritual weight that strengthens your spiritual muscles (which will last forever), building you up stronger.

We have an older fiberglass boat that needed some fixing a couple years ago. Well when you fix a crack or hole in fiberglass, you can buy a kit containing fiberglass cloth, a kind of thick, syrupy liquid called resin, and a small bottle of “hardener,” which when you mix with the resin, it will harden everything solid.

So what you do is after you have mixed the resin and the hardener together, you take a piece of fiberglass cloth and dip it into the mixture, and quickly lay it onto the crack or hole. Usually we do this several times, so that by the time we are finished, we have laid down 5 or 6 layers and we have a nice thick patch that hardens into place. 

We could have tried to put a piece of duct tape over the crack, but that would not have been very productive, or “profitable,” because it would have just fallen off after a short while. We wanted to fix it so that it was fixed strong and permanently.

Every house has a foundation, whether it is good and solid or not. Jesus used this as an example to teach the difference between someone who does His will or not.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

In this parable, the man whose house had been built on the rock did not fall when the storm came. It was built strong, just like a Christian will be when they faithfully hear and do the Lord’s will. And those who build their house on the sand are those who do not do what they have heard from the scriptures.

Jesus is our foundation, He is the root of the Christian tree. When we build our lives around Him, we will be strong and unmovable. 

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;” Ephesians 2:20

Exercise your spiritual muscles. Be strong in your faith!

In Christ,

Andrew

We are in the process of uploading Arick’s music to our website so be patient. We are hoping that it’s going to happen soon Lord willing. The music is edifying and encouraging and definitely worth taking a listen to. His genre is considered top 40 Christian music. He will be releasing new Christian music every few weeks on this website so make sure you watch for it…

The music is copywritten and may not be downloaded or copied in any regard, but it’s free to listen to at this website. Crank it up in the morning and enjoy and sing along! Praise Jesus for His grace and love!

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

Have you ever been working on a construction project only to find out later that you had to tear it down and completely start over right from the very beginning again? Have you ever been in the kitchen cooking a meal and then realized that you had misread the directions, threw out the food that you had cooked and then started over from scratch?

The Christian life is very similar to this because God wants us to start over from scratch. Each of us have been born into this world one time already, but God wants us to start over and be born again. Just like a young newborn child, He wants us to relearn the proper way to live our lives and to become a new creature who serves and loves Him.

John 3:1-7

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The Lord Jesus clearly teaches us that in order to enter into God’s kingdom someday, we must be born again. To go through this process we must be converted and be baptized by full immersion in water and believe on Christ the Lord with all of our hearts.

Conversion is a change in character, form, or function. It’s an inner spiritual change from sinfulness to righteousness. It’s placing your faith in Jesus Christ for guidance and salvation. Being reborn is becoming a new spiritual child through faith in Christ and His teachings in scripture.

Matt 18 1-4

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus wants us to become like little children who humbly come to Him. True humility before God will be filled with submission towards Him.

James 4:10

¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Conversion is an inner work of humility towards the Lord, by which we can obtain the grace and forgiveness that we so desperately need.

Acts 3:19 – Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

God wants to give us a very precious gift, the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:10-13

¹⁰ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

¹¹ If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

¹² Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

¹³ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Water baptism is the very beginning of the new spiritual life in Christ. We are born into this world through our mothers in an amniotic sac. Christian baptism is to be submerged under water in the name of Jesus, and becoming a member of Gods family. He is our heavenly parent, are we are reborn because of what Jesus did for us at the cross.

1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Water baptism is a new birth into the family of God, by which we begin a new life as a child of His

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

As a young child is educated in the ways of the world at a school, as a born again child, we are re-educated through the teachings of Holy Scripture.

1 Peter 1:23 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

It’s time for all of us to start over from scratch and it begins with a rebirth into the family of God.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Goodmorning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a story.

For the past 20 years our family on most occasions eats fresh flatbread at each meal. If you have never had it, it is a type of unleavened bread. Some people may refer to it as a pita or tortilla.

We use them for everything from scrambler breakfast wraps to burritos. It’s a very good and inexpensive meal that we have always eaten and enjoyed in our family.

We first learned about it when we ate fry bread as we worked on a Navajo reservation in new Mexico. In our family’s version we simply skip deep frying the bread in oil, and cook them on a dry hot frypan.

After we take them off of the wood cookstove, we put them in a pile inside of a plastic grocery bag, keeping the heat and moisture inside so they remain soft and delicious all day long. Whatever is leftover can be used as crackers for soup or other things the next day.

Flat bread in our family has three simple ingredients, flour, salt and water. It is a very simplistic recipe that is very similar to the Christian faith.

In Christianity the 3 main ingredients for salvation are repentance, remission and reconcilliation.

The best example I have found in scripture that embodies the 3 main ingredients of our faith is the parable of the prodigal Son. This is a story that really needs to be examined daily by those who profess Christianity. The Son sinned. He had a change of heart. He apologized. He got completely and quickly forgiven and the result was full and complete reconciliation.(Luke 15:11)

Let’s start with the word repent.

Step 1: Repentance. Repent means to have a change of heart that leads you to feel remorseful enough that you approach and apologize to someone you have wronged. That is exactly what the prodigal son did. If you have no remorse, you certainly will not apologize to the offended party. Saying I’m sorry is an admission of guilt by itself. Only the proud and impenitent refuse to apologize to God and others.

Psalms 38:18 – For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

Ps 32:5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Acknowledge means to recognize your mistakes and admit them. When you admit your mistakes, no matter how many there may be, God is more than willing and ready to forgive us.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

True Justice is filled with mercy and forgiveness. A lot of people who were involved with the law of Judaism we’re unmerciful and unforgiving.

When we confess and repent, remission for our sins can happen with God. Each of us need God’s forgiveness because each of us have sinned in his sight which should be of serious concern for those who stand in judgement over others. Jesus will decide who truly was just and merciful in their decision making while here on Earth.

Many people think of the Supreme Court as the highest court in the land but truly the highest court is when each of us die and stand at the great Judgment Day before God who will determine if you truly were forgiving with other people while you lived your life upon this Earth.

Step 2: Remission. Remission is to forgive which means to pardon; to remit, as an offense or debt; to overlook an offense, and treat the offender as not guilty. A pardon is the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense, or to forgive someone for something they have said or done.

When someone sins or makes a mistake in their life, you can’t go back and undue what you have done. All we can do is apologize or say I repent. God doesnt make it difficult to obtain forgiveness, but quite the contrary. Our God loves to forgive and forget because He is the God of mercy. He desires that all men repent and come to Him so He can forgive them so that we can be reconciled back with Himself. When someone apologizes and says the words I repent, we are commanded to forgive as God forgives each of us.

Luke 17:3-4 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

God wants us to extremely forgiving.

Matt 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Step 3: Reconciliation. Reconcile is defined as to make two people friendly again, or to become friendly with someone after estrangement or to re-establish friendly relations.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 – And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

As I’ve said many times before, if there’s no reconciliation, there’s no forgiveness that happened. Many people today claim that they forgive others in their heart but they never reconcile with them. It’s just another form of false Christianity. Imagine going to the Lord Jesus and asking forgiveness from him but he doesn’t want you in heaven. Imagine The Prodigal Son returning home and his dad says I forgive you but I don’t want you living here.

You can tell if somebody truly forgave another person. Just look and see if they returned to the former relationship that they had with the other person. If they cannot forgive and reconcile, they themselves will not be forgiven by God, and that is something to terrible for me to even think about. Without reconciliation its like trying to make flatbread without flour. Reconciliation is so important to God that He doesn’t even want your offering until you reconcile with others that you have wronged.

Matt 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Ephesians 4:32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

These are three main ingredients in the Christian faith. Make sure you don’t leave one of them out.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Ephesians 5:11

Fellowship means “friendly relationship; companionship; a group of people that join together for a common purpose or interest.”

One of the most common uses of the word fellowship is when a group of people come to learn about the Bible. They are all there for that purpose, to grow in their Christian faith. 

You could say that just about any club or organization that has their members come together for a specific purpose are all fellowshipping with each other. Some people belong to a book club. They read and talk about books with their fellow book club members. They are all there doing the same thing.

“Unfruitful works of darkness” are things that go against the teachings of the holy Scriptures. This would encompass several different things-lying, stealing, covetousness, pride, etc. Any sin would fall under this category. 

Suppose for a moment that you have four or five people who decide that they are going to steal something from a person’s house. But one of them realizes that what they are about to do is wrong and sinful so they tell the others, “I can’t have any part in this, this is wrong.” That is what it means to have no fellowship with something. 

Paul describes it well in 1 Thessalonians 5:5, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 

When you flip a light switch on in a dark room, what happens? The light turns on, and the darkness goes away. You won’t have patches of darkness around a light, because the light chases the darkness away. If you take a cup of water and a cup of vegetable oil and pour them together, what happens? Do they mix? No, they are separate.

Jesus is perfect and without sin. Where is Jesus? He is up in Heaven with the Father. The devil on the other hand is filled with sin, in Hell. The devil is not in Heaven with our Heavenly Father because he is completely opposed to Him. There is no sin in Heaven.

Before a person’s conversion to Christianity, their life will be a life of sin and without the forgiveness of Christ. Separated because of sin. It is when a person accepts Jesus into their heart and soul that they can come out from that darkness of sin into the light of Christ.

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” Ephesians 5:6-8

Paul, Peter and the other apostles were not a part of the sins of others. Athens was a city filled with idols to false gods but he didn’t fellowship with those who worshipped them. When Paul found an altar to “The Unknown God” he used that to instruct the people about the One true God, but never did he join together with them in worship of false gods. 

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-17

We need to keep ourselves free from the filth of the flesh. As you go about your day out in the world you may see others who are actively committing and living in sin, but do not allow yourself to join in together with them. A farmer might raise pigs and be around them everyday, but he doesn’t jump into the mud with them. 

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, and pass away.” Proverbs 4:14,15

Keep yourself free from sin.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

A few years back I woke up in the morning and noticed that there was a nice breeze outside. It was a perfect day to take out the sailboat with Andrew. We had found a dirt cheap old sailboat that we had fixed up during our down time.

We arrived at the boat landing and hoisted up the mast and the sail and out onto the lake we went.

It was fairly windy on the lake that day, and we were really enjoying the ride out in the middle of a fairly large lake when all of a sudden the mainsail rope broke at the top of the mast. The boom came down and hit the boat along with half of the sail. The only thing we could do was drop the 30′ mast in the middle of the lake as the boat rocked in one foot waves. When we finally got it down half the mast hung off the back of the boat and the entire sail was soaked in water.

After we hauled the mainsail into the boat, Andrew decided to jump into the lake with a rope and reattach the lead to the top of the mast. With the waves and the wind it was quite challenging but eventually he got it done.

Finally we hoisted up that big mast and secured it to the deck, and a few minutes later pulled that heavy wet sail to the very top and off we went once again. The problem that we had encountered on the lake that day, we overcame by God’s grace.

When you overcome something it means to succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty, to defeat and prevail. Overthrow means to conquer and defeat something.

1 John 5:4-5

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

⁵ Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

The Apostle teaches that it is our faith that overcometh the world. Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and the assurance that the Lord will take care of it, even though we cannot see it. Faith knows that no matter what the situation, in our lives or someone else’s that the Lord is working on it.

There is only one way to overcome our sinful condition, it is through the blood of Jesus Christ. He layed down his own life to destroy him that had the power of death, that we might live eternally with the Lord Jesus in heaven.

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

1 John 4:4 – Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

The Holy Spirit of God is greater than anything that is in this world. It is given to those who truly believe in Jesus Christ with their heart. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome all things. We can defeat our enemies and conquer those who come against us. Just as David defeated Goliath and Moses was delivered from the Egyptians, we can have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57 – But thanks be to God, giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When you think about it, with God on your side what can you not defeat?

Rom 8:32-32

³¹ What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

³² He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

A synonym for overcome means to conquer. Conquer means to successfully overcome a problem or weakness. Even the things in our sinful nature we can overcome through the power of Christ in our lives.

Romans 8:37 – Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

God’s grace and forgiveness gives us an opportunity to do a 180 and to do what’s right with our lives. Even like the trials of Job, we have to place our complete trust that the Lord Jesus Christ will deliver us and give us the power to overcome anything that comes against us.

1 John 2:13 – I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

The devil wants to throw your sins in your face and condemn you for the things that you’ve done wrong, but the truth is if we confess our sins to God he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us. The devil truly hates that because he has no control over the power of God’s grace. God grants us grace so that we can get back on the narrow road and do his will once again. Whatever we may have to endure in this lifetime, we are conquerors in Christ.

Romans 8:35-37 – 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.

Whatever problems or difficulties that we may have to endure during our lives, I will always remember that Christ Jesus is right there to help us hoist up the mainsail.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago when I was in high school I took an astronomy class. I enjoyed the class so much that I got straight “A” the entire year. I really enjoyed going to the Planetarium and getting a close-up view of the sun through a powerful telescope with filters. I think one of my favorite things was looking up into the latenight sky at all the constellations, stars, and the aurora borealis, which is known as the Northern Lights, for those of us who reside in northern Minnesota. One day the teacher told us that there was a large meteor shower that was expected to be in our area that we could watch that evening. Since I lived on a lake and it was the middle of winter I took a chair and sat down on the ice in the middle of our bay with some hot chocolate to keep warm. I had the best seat in the house. I’ve been to a lot of fireworks displays but this was the best because it was a display of God’s handiwork. I watched as what seemed to be thousands of meteors as they streaked across the sky in a brilliant light at 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Eventually there was nothing left, momentarily serving their purpose and then completely burning up into nothingness in the Earths atmosphere.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Someday the Earth and everything in it will be burned up. Just like those meteors, nothing will remain.

2 Peter 3:10-12 – But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

There are many people who really believe that this planet is going to be here forever, but the truth is, it’s only temporary housing. The bible teaches that there is going to be a new Earth. It’s even going to have completely different physical features. The one that we currently reside on will eventually be completely destroyed.

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

In the dictionary, the word “new” is defined as something that has never been seen before.

Isaiah 66:22 – For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Just as I waited patiently on the ice that night, we wait patiently to see the new places that God has created for us.

2 Peter 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

I have a feeling that the new place that God is creating is going to be so amazingly incredible that the current place we reside on will be easily forgotten.

Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

When a person ages and grows old over the years and dies, they refer to it as passing away. That is eventually what’s going to happen to this planet.

Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Again the Lord teaches that the Earth is going to pass away.

Matt 5:18 – For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Isaiah 51:6 – Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

Just as your clothing decays and gets old and unusable overtime, such will happen to this place.

Psalms 102:25-26 – Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

This verse is repeated by the Apostle in the New Testament.

Hebrews 1:10-12 – And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Have you ever taken a sugar cube and dropped it in a cup filled with water? Eventually it completely dissolves and nothing is left at all.

Isaiah 34:4 – And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

The current Earth that we dwell on is being kept by God, until the time that he sees fit to take us from here.

2 Peter 3:7 – But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

I like to watch celestial events, but the truth is, that none of us have seen seen anything yet! Someday the Earth and everything in it is going to be burned up, just like…

…..The Meteor Shower

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

tlkjbc.com♥️

Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago I had a friend who owned his own car dealership. He did very well for himself and had an extremely large home up on a hill. His house was filled with all kinds of ornate furnishings and goods.

At the time, Andrew was very young and used to go to play at his home with his children occasionally.

Because my friend sold cars for a living, he had a junkyard about a mile behind his home where he kept used junk cars and scrap parts.

One day I stopped at his house to pickup Andrew and I asked what the kids really enjoyed doing together. He told me that he had bought the kids all kinds of toys and things to play with but all the expensive possessions that he had purchased sat in the garage unused. He said that the only thing that the children wanted to do was to go down and play at the junkyard.

What do people really require in this life to be happy? We learn from these children today that we don’t need a silver spoon or expensive things in order to enjoy life.

Before I married my wife, I gave her one stipulation. I told her we would never have much money but I would always love her and stay with her. The only thing that was mentioned by either of us before our marriage was accepting poverty, which she agreed to, stating that she would be fine with that.

I’ve always provided for my family’s basic needs as Moses did for his wife and family and as God did with the Israelites. Today, some people’s definition of basic needs are only a dark coat of hidden covetousness rather than contentedness.

1 Tim 6:6-10 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

⁷ For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

⁸ And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

⁹ But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

¹⁰ For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

When somebody has the desire to be rich, they want to have a great deal of money or assets. That desire begins to consume them because what happens is all that they are thinking about all day long is how they can add to their bank account.

When I was a small child I used to watch early morning cartoons. I always remember Scrooge McDuck and how he always desired to check on his money bin to make sure that all of his money was safe. His wealth was constantly on his mind.

The amassing of riches on this Earth is a sinful desire. With great wealth comes great responsibility because you don’t want it to count against you at the judgement. I’ve always thought of it as a hot potato that you have to get rid of before you depart this Earth, just as the dad of the prodigal son did.

It’s not a sin to be poor, because the poor are blessed by God. They have chosen to live that life just as Peter and the apostles. The poor have more time available to them to seek after God and his Word and to preach and worship with others.

Luke 6:20 – And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

When you think about it what do you really need in this life? Do you really need $150 tennis shoes? Do you truly need a $30,000 pick up or a $25,000 outboard? People end up going into debt to pay for all these things and then they become a slave to them. Their master becomes money rather than Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:24 – No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Moses could have inherited all the treasures and riches in Egypt but he turned away from it all. He chose to live simply in a tent out in Midian. The Israelites also lived simply in tents and God provided them with basic needs like food and water. So I ask you again, what do you really need in this world to be happy? True Joy comes In making more time available in your life to seek Christ Jesus.

James 5:1-5 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

² Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

³ Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

⁴ Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

⁵ Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

You can be rich in Earthly finances and possessions or you can be rich in good works. You can use the things that God has given you to bless others and to help those who have physical needs.

Covet means to yearn to possess or have something. When you yearn it means to long, pine or eagerly desire something very much, accompanied by restless or even painful feelings.

Luke 12:15 – And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Luke 18:24-27 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁶ And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

²⁷ And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Labor to find the true riches that are found in Christ Jesus and his Word.

Pro 23:4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

New email coming soon Lord willing.