Nearer Then You Think

We each need to determine for ourselves as to whether it is more important that we be focused on fulfilling our own physical and temporary needs and desires or is it that our name is written in God's book of life.
Thousands of prophecies have already been fulfilled just as they were spoken centuries earlier and there is no reason to believe that those prophecies that remain as of yet will not be fulfilled to bringing a close to the age of Grace.

For we are told in Hebrews 9:27 It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

The following is today's lesson from the Bible Pathway Ministries daily guide copied from Christianity.com website.. These monthly daily guides can also be easily purchased through Bible Pathway Ministry

********

Bible Pathway Devotionals

Through the Bible in one year in 15 minutes a day, from Bible Pathway Ministries

Read Revelation 9 - 11

Highlights:

Fifth and sixth trumpets; angel and the little book; the two witnesses; the seventh trumpet.

And I will give power unto my two witnesses . . . . And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them (Rev. 11:3,7).
Who are these witnesses? What is their message? When will they appear? Many have answers. But let us not become so concerned over the identity of these witnesses in this future event that we fail to recognize their significance to us.
The two witnesses are not a self-appointed committee, but they are commissioned by God to face the fierce opposition of those who hate God. These two witnesses will be led by the Lord. And God will empower them. They will be invincible until they shall have finished their testimony. Then and only then will these witnesses for Christ be martyred in the city where also our Lord was crucified (11:8). Only after the time fixed by God for their ministry to be completed will these prophets be given over to the violence of their enemies to become martyrs. Yet the cause which they advocate will not even be weakened; And they heard a great voice from heaven . . . And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud (11:12) in full view of their enemies.
It is wonderful to know that, regardless of all else, our work for the Lord cannot end until He is pleased to promote us into His presence. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God (Rom 8:28). We have this wonderful assurance in life. As long as we live for Christ, His plan is at work in our lives. We don't have to be fearful as to what the day holds. We know who holds the next day in His hands.
There were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever (Rev.11:15).
The same voice of God speaks through His Word to each of us who make up His Church today. He calls for a dedication and for a thankful spirit that will count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (James 1:2-4). He calls for a sense of urgency to prepare us for the tasks He has placed before us. Multitudes are without Jesus and His free pardon of sin. We need to feel the urgency to win souls for Christ.
Jesus said: Ye shall be witnesses unto Me (Acts 1:8). We too are called to live — or die — as faithful witnesses for Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (II Cor. 15:58).
Thought for the Day: A Christlike nature can be seen through the life that is submissive to God's word.
Cross References:

For Rev. 9:2: See Joel 2:10. Rev. 9:4: See Ex. 12:23. Rev. 9:6: See Jer. 8:3. Rev. 9:7: See Joel 2:4. Rev. 9:8: See Joel 1:6. Rev 9:9: See Joel 2:5-7. Rev. 10:6: See Neh. 9:6. Rev. 11:4: See Zech. 4:2-3,11-12,14. Rev. 11:11: See Ezek. 37:5.

Word Studies:

9:11 Abaddon (Apollyon or destroyer), satanic angel and king of the abyss that is reserved for the wicked; 10:6 time no longer, no more delay.

Prayer Needs:

Pray for Staff: Becca Lucio • Country: Liberia (3 million) in West Africa • Major languages: English and more than 20 local languages of the Niger-Congo language group • Religious freedom • 41% ancestor worship and witchcraft; 21% Muslim; 13% Protestant; 2% Roman Catholic • Prayer Suggestion: Ask for your daily needs (Matt. 6:11).

Memory Verse for the Week: Luke 2:11

Searching For God

 I read several years ago in the Pentecostal Evangel Magazine that it was estimated that only 2% of those that claimed to be born again Christian have ever read through the entire Bible..... This I see as a sad testimony to the faith of our Brothers and Sisters, for here is the very WORD of God contained within sixty-six books which, written by approx. 40 men in three different languages over approx. a 1500 year period of time was actually authored by the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is truly the greatest piece of literature in all of man's history and it's authenticity cannot be denied as it has been seen through hundreds and hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled and then there is the evidence found within this Book on the subjects of medicine and science which wasn't confirmed by scientists until 2000-4000 years later.

 

For the curious at heart please check out this link - bibleevidences.com/scientif.htm

 

Satan's goal is to kill, steal and destroy that which God has created and he has thousands of ways to accomplish his goal.  I believe the six most common known methods of achieving his goal are:

1. Convincing you that neither God nor he exist.

2. Convincing you the Bible is full of contradictions.

3. Convincing you that there is no such thing as Creation.

4. Convincing you that there are no absolute truths.

5. Convincing you that there is plenty of time to search for God another day.

6. Convincing you that there is more than one way to get to Heaven.

 

 

The following was taken from Bible Pathway Ministries daily guide.

Bible Pathway Devotionals

Through the Bible in one year in 15 minutes a day, from Bible Pathway Ministries

Read Acts 20

Highlights:

Paul's visit to Macedonia and Greece; Paul seized in the Temple at Jerusalem.

And when he (Paul) would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done (Acts 21:14).
Paul was in Caesarea on his way to Jerusalem when the prophet Agabus foretold that Paul would be arrested by the Jews and imprisoned by the Romans. His friends pleaded with him not to proceed to Jerusalem. When they failed to persuade him not to go on, they answered, The will of the Lord be done.
It is not God's will for anyone to hate or persecute us, but if they do, we can rest assured that God permitted it, and that every trial can be a means of accomplishing His will in us. We must not always assume the worst. God uses many resources to direct our lives. This includes trials and tribulations. Everything that happens to us in life helps direct our decision making. This means the good things and the bad things. Families will fall apart. People will fall into depression. This may happen as a result of these trials. Remember, we are never outside the reach of God. He may be sending us down a rocky road that is hard to travel. However, it may lead to the greatest blessing of our lives. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (I Pet. 1:7).
As we accept this, we can forgive and turn our attention away from the person who caused our difficulty and let others see the love of Christ through us. As people see that we continue to love during our difficult times, it will reveal Christ to them in a special way. Especially if the people being loved have contributed to the difficult times in our lives. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matt. 5:44).
Whether the trial came because of hatred by an enemy or the disloyalty of a friend, through fault or no fault of our own, our difficulty should bring us to a closer relationship with the Lord. Knowing this, we can give ourselves wholeheartedly to His will with the assurance that He who placed us here can also bring us out of our troubles. Therefore, stand in your time of trouble with confidence. Jesus has proven Himself to be faithful and will do what He says.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who . . . made Himself of no reputation . . . humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:5-8).

Thought for Today:

Our “peace” with God is determined by our “trust” in Him.

***********
The Ministry of Bible Pathway is an absolute miracle. When you think of its very humble beginnings and where it is today, only 40 years later, it is astounding! Today, it is one of the most strategic ministries, placing total emphasis on the power of the whole counsel of God's Word to change lives and to affect the destiny of nations. Bible Pathway's daily devotional content points out the necessity of a right relationship with God and our responsibility to others.
In the fall of 1973, Dr. John A Hash decided to run a small ad in a religious publication offering a free Bible study guide to help people read through the Bible in a year's time. Delighted by the 1,000 responses to his ad, Dr. Hash contacted a printer to begin publishing his new guide, only to find the printer would only run a minimum of 20,000 copies. Dr. Hash responded, " I looked it on as sowing seed for a harvest." In a manner of two years, readership escalated to 50,000.
Requests for Bibles and Bible Pathways poured in from world's mission fields as the ministry was faced with translating the popular study guide in many languages, including those of Third World countries.
From the very beginning of the Ministry, Bible Pathway has fought the good fight of faith. God has done great things through this ministry with a small staff. The ministry has grown through the years often with limited funds.

Dr. John A Hash 

 ********


The Bible Pathway Ministries' Devotional Guide which I have used for the last seventeen years can be ordered through the Bible Pathway Ministries website at Biblepathway.com or you may find each day's devotional online at Christianity.com
To get through this hard head of mine, my method of reading through the King James Version of the Bible each day includes listening to the audio King James Version at the same time and this can also be found online at Biblegateway.com

Your Lesson For Today

The following was taken from The Bible Pathway Ministry hoping that the reader's spirit might be encouraged to begin a daily study of the Bible.
With the Bible Pathway guide and with only 15 minutes of reading per day the entire Bible can be read through in one year's time.

***************










October 11
Read Matthew 25-26

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (Matthew 25:31-33).

There will come a day when wealth, personal advantages and popularity will all be seen for their true value - worthless. Watch (Be prepared) therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matt. 25:13).
When Jesus returns, all of the worldly advantages that seemed so important just seconds before will vanish. Millions will be overcome with grief and horror as they realize (Too late and for the first time) that Jesus is the only way. For those of us that profess to live in the Christian faith there will be one final question - Did we express the live of God in our daily conduct as one who possessed the new life in Christ, or were we a professor of belief only that had yet to accept the new life offered in Him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth ( 1 John 3:18 ).

There are three distinct groups of people that believe they will make it to Heaven. Two out of the three obviously don't have a firm understanding of the subject of God's grace. The first of these is made up of individuals that don't know what they believe. They say, "Well, if there is a God, I am a good person, so I have nothing to worry about." These are the people that are kind to their fellow man and are just general all around nice guys, but they do not have a personal relationship with God. The second group is comprised of the "I'm saved, but I don't have time for you" elite. Most of the people in this group were raised in the church and have professed a belief in Jesus their entire lives. That belief, however, has never influenced who they are or how they live. They are focused on personal success in this world and believe that their "Christian brand" will take care of them in the next. Both of these groups will be turned away at the Throne, the parting worlds of Jesus ringing in their ears. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matt. 7:23).

The final blessed group is represented by all who have found a new life in Christ. They are not their own but belong wholly to God. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Cor. 6:20). This group can proudly proclaim, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). They are filled with Christ-like love for their brother and their enemy alike. They will sacrifice for the less fortunate and offer something of themselves to secure the well-being of the unlovely. They receive their greatest satisfaction and fulfillment while actively serving others for Christ's sake.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:14-16).

Thought for Today: Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others (Philippians 2:4).

Create In Me A New Heart

The age old question never ceases to haunt the thoughts of many today, "Are we living in the End Times?" And then there are the words of Jesus spoken in Matt. 24 which seems to raise the anxiety in many.... "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Many today who claim to be Christian are deceiving themselves thinking the condition of their salvation is secured when it really isn't. They may or may not attend a regular church service every week but they have allowed lukewarmness to creep into their relationship with Christ. Many are living in sin and claiming that God wants them to be happy but this also is a deception; God is much more concerned about our obedience or lack of obedience to His WORD.
For the Christian to walk in obedience he must read God's WORD, for we are told in Proverbs 2:5-7 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous:
We are told God gave King Solomon great wisdom as revealed in his writing in Proverbs: The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:1-7
The fear of the LORD is why I accepted Christ at the age of fourteen but as a fool, I lacked the desire it took to seek wisdom and instruction from the Bible that was needed for a new convert.

I feel as though I need to share a message from a friend who had told me in an email that another friend in her church said that she believes a person can’t lose their salvation; so she was interested in what I thought about this.
I wrote back with this comment to her: Consider someone, who accepted Christ and they might have evened followed Christ for several years, but having lost a loved one or perhaps another traumatic event in their life causing them to turn aside from following Christ. I have seen this happen before in the lives of others. And I myself accepted Christ at fourteen, but at eighteen a four month old niece died and my thoughts of a loving God grew very cold for the next twenty-five years.
Now we could debate as to whether or not I and this person was truly saved until the rapture comes, but please continue to read of my experience and thoughts on this subject.

In Jan.'91 I had a nightmare that has forever changed my heart and thinking on Christ and being a Christian. The nightmare began with me standing on a platform; suddenly it began lowering through an opening into the depths of the earth for what seemed to be miles deep. Occasionally, I would glance up to see the entrance through which I began my descent and by the time the platform finally settled on the bottom I could barely make out a tiny pinhole of light above me. Even though I was in this dark cavern I could see I was in a large circular room lined with entrances to tunnels, one right after the other as I turned what I thought was a complete circle. Suddenly, I heard blood curdling, ear piercing screams coming from all the tunnels that surrounded me. I quickly set up in bed deeply shaken at what I perceived as being the entrances to Hell. After several minutes I laid back down and the exact same dream repeated itself two more times and there was no way I would allow myself to go back to sleep that night.
Having no chance to get any rest during the following day, I was certain I wouldn’t have any trouble sleeping when I did get to bed late that second night. But the exact same nightmare replayed itself three more times that night. Even though I tried pushups, jumping jacks and even taking a short walk in between the nightmares just as I had done the night before, still nothing seemed to help. Exhausted but determined and extremely stubborn, I would not let myself fall back asleep after the third nightmare, the second night.
Again with no rest during the day I was certain there would be no more nightmares that could possible wake me up as I went to bed that third night. However, once again three more of the exact same nightmare as before, but after the third nightmare instead of doing the pushups, jumping jacks or taking another walk to stay awake; I fell to my knees crying out, “I can’t go through this without You, God.” I accepted the blame for my divorce, repenting of all my sins and the pouring out my heart for my failures as a husband and father, and for being the most hardheaded, self-centered, greedy and arrogant man that I had been for the last 25 years or so.
After a good while in prayer and feeling as though an enormous weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I finally climbed back in bed and closed my eyes. I immediately fell into a deep sleep dreaming that I was now standing at the bottom of the same cavern as before and suddenly a large pair of hands appeared before me. I climbed into the hands, laid back to see the pinhole of a light growing larger and larger as His hands were lifting me back to the entrance of the cavern into the light.

I truly believe had I not fell on my knees that morning, I most likely would have been found later that morning to have died of a massive heart attack, and that God had revealed to me through the nightmares that I was lost and bound for Hell.
My lukewarmness had destroyed what little faith I had in God’s WORD. Thus my own actions caused the loss of the assurance of my salvation which I thought I had.
The Apostle John wrote in Revelation 3:15-16: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
If you were to take a sip of a bitter drink and spue it out of your mouth than you have rejected it! I believe Jesus is saying He will reject the lukewarm Christian! He would rather for us to be cold, not believing anything of God’s existence than believing in the existence of God but not enough that we would follow His commands as a guide for our lives.
God is always faithful, just and true to His WORD and promises, whether it be blessings for obedience or should there be punishment for either man or nation, therein will also contains His love and mercy: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? Hebrews 12:6-9 (KJV)

The LORD deserves praise regardless of what is happening to us or around us. This life is secondary to our spiritual life, for our goal in life should be to seek His heart first and to lead others to Him. We should be seen by others praising our LORD as we pass through the dark and troubling times as well as the good times of our lives.
The old saying, “A little knowledge can be dangerous,” may be true, but with godly wisdom from the Bible we learn many godly values like those found in Proverbs 3 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Romans 3:10
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
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: John 1:12
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. John 10:9
We must also remember Jesus words to his disciples; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:15

There is no sin so great that cannot be forgiven other than the denial of Christ Jesus. In God's great mercy He has offered us His forgiveness and His unmerited Grace which can never be earned, it is a gift, totally free to those of us who have accepted Christ Jesus as our LORD and Savior. But also with this gift comes an commitment of a sacrificial love for that which Christ Jesus Loves which is reaching out to those who are in need of our forgiveness and those that are lost.

If there is a desire in your heart to know Christ and to have your sins forgiven and to know that you have eternal life with Christ please say this prayer: Lord Jesus I ask you to forgive me of my sins (List your sins if you feel the need), wash me by your blood, cleanse me. Create in me a new heart. I desire to follow You and to know your truth. (If you feel the need to --renounce any association with witchcraft or the occult). Baptize me with your Holy Spirit. Come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.
In Jesus name. Amen

The Messiah - Prophecy Fulfilled

Many say, they are wise but their wisdom is of the world; they have ears but they are unable to hear the truth even when it is spoken to them.

The Bible VS Joseph Smith YouTube

Is Man's Heart Basically Good?

Bible Pathway Ministries publishes a Bible study guide to help people read through the Bible in 15 minutes of reading per-day in a year's time; founded in the fall of 1973 under the watchful eye of Dr. John A Hash.  In the past 40 years over 80 million copies of Bible Pathway Monthly Bible Commentary have been shipped to over 186 countries around the world, in over 20 Languages!! Bible Pathway Ministries has also donated and shipped more than 250,000 Bibles around the world!
Please visit their website here Bible Pathway Ministries

The following is a Bible lesson taken from the June issue of The Bible Pathway Ministries guide...

****************

Read Psalms 10-17

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The lord looked down from heave upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Ps. 14;1-3)

We are all sinners, and we all deserve to die. To some that sentence might sound harsh, but it is the unvarnished truth. If does not matter if a person is 'basically good at heart" or "has never really done anything bad," as human beings, we are incapable of achieving the perfection of God. Sin is the violation of God's Law, and that is something that we can never take lightly because it leads to a immediate separation from God. Sin is most dangerous thing in the world, and it brings with it the natural consequences of physical and spiritual death. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the word, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Rom. 5:12).

David states, The fool hath said in his heart There is no God. In essence, this is what we are saying when we sin. When we violate the Law of God, we are showing disrespect for the One who wrote the Law. Whether we do it for a minute, an hour, or a lifetime, at the moment of our transgression we are deeming God's Laws to be irrelevant to our lives and making the statement that God does not matter. Since it is impossible for us to actually believe that an all powerful God does not matter, then our deliberate sin can easily be interpreted to mean that we do not believe in the all-encompassing power of God. For this reason all sin, no matter how great or small, is considered a grave offense in the eyes of God. 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 (1 John 3:8).

Sin can be likened to a highly contagious, fatal disease that has infected all of mankind. As previously stated,, there is no way for us to avoid it; from the smallest child to the oldest adult, it springs from the basis carnal nature of man, it would seem that we are in real trouble. If sin equals death, and sin is inevitable, then death is certain. However, we have hope. God wants us to live and has offered us a way of escape sin's horrific consequences. With His death on the cross, Jesus has paid the sin debt for us all. In order to accept this great gift, all we must do is turn from a life of deliberate sin to a life of following God. When we believe in Jesus and make Him Lord of our lives, the burden of our sin is taken from us. While a believer may stumble along the way and sin, Jesus will always be there to help us up and return us to the path. We must simply call on Him, ask forgiveness, and leave that sin behind.

But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

Thoughts for today: Brief moments of earthly pleasures cannot compare with the lasting joy our LORD imparts.

*******************

Now, "Is Man's Heart Basically Good?"    God's WORD tell us: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

Even with my very best efforts, I still fail to reach perfection... which is what God wants for our lives.

New World Order Bible Versions

Is Satan perverting the WORD of God? Watch and listen to learn the truth.

Revelation 22:18-19 (KJV)

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The Greater Message

On Friday evening Jan. 22, 1999, I delivered a message to a youth group at The New Beginnings Church in Glen Avon, California. I thought the message was going to be "God calls this Life at Conception." But the message turned out to be a message of forgiveness. A greater message was spoken on the following Sunday morning - a true testimony to how an all knowing and loving God's promises are faithful, true and eternal for all those who accept His greatest gift to the world, Jesus Christ.

The youth group had formed a circle holding hands in the front of the sanctuary and as I approached this group two young girls separated and reached out for my hands. The Holy Spirit whispered in my left ear, "Fix your eyes on Marcy." Marcy, the group leader and her husband, Marlin were one of the first couples to welcome me into this church several months earlier.
I looked at Marcy standing in the circle to my far left and said, "Marcy, God has a message that I must deliver to this group tonight." Marcy gave me permission to speak, so I said, "I must tell three events in my past but first I must tell what happened to me as I was driving to Long Beach Tuesday morning."
I continued, "I was listening to a Christian radio station that was interviewing Pastor Alvin L. Howard, who was describing his ministry called, His Nesting Place. Later in this interview Pastor Howard said that since the Supreme Court's approval of Roe vs. Wade Bill, there have been approximately 35 million abortions performed here in America."
A girl of about 15 in this group immediately began crying. I thought this girl must be pregnant and God's message of 'Life at Conception' will stop her from having an abortion.

I continued saying, "After hearing of the 35 million abortions my memory of three messages that God has given me started replaying through my head; immediately after this the Holy Spirit whispered in my left ear saying, 'You must go to the youth group Friday night and tell your abortion stories.' So this is why I am here tonight.
I will begin with telling the third event first. On the night of Jan 22,'97, as I was saying my prayers and praying about the abortion issue the Holy Spirit spoke in my left ear saying, 'I will repay America double for her iniquities!' This brought back the memory of the two previous events about abortion, so I cried out, 'What is it God, what do You want from me? God, I am just a truck driver, who am I that You would say this to? I was deeply troubled over the Holy Spirit's comment, wondering if God was planning to use me in some way to make a difference in someone' life.'"
The young girl who had started crying earlier was now noticeable more upset.

I continued saying, "The second event happen one night as I was sleeping in my sleeper in Connecticut; I might have been asleep maybe an hour or so when I was suddenly awakened by a voice saying, 'As long as America allows abortion this nation is going down, down and down.' I believe this might have been in June of 1995. I jumped up to burst through the curtains to the front of the cab thinking there was someone there, but I found the doors were locked and the windows were up. I closed the curtains and sat down on the edge of my bunk and said, 'As long as... As long as America allows abortion.... this nation is going down, down and down.' I laid back down that night, troubled and wondering what God was trying to reveal to me about abortion.

At the time of the first event I was living in LaGrange, Illinois and driving in the Chicago area. It was Saturday morning Aug. 1,'92 when I suddenly decided that I would visit the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. There was a large display of the different stages of the life of the Fetus. Each fetus in its own jar with a plaque to the lower right of each jar explaining the developments of that stage of life. I had never seen anything like this before and I was becoming quite upset and teary-eyed viewing this display.
The young girl who had started crying earlier was now louder than ever.

Standing in front of the third to the last jar, I laughed at myself and said aloud, 'God, Why is this bothering me so?' Wiping my tears away, I said, 'Well, I have seen enough of this.' I started to turn to walk away, but my feet didn’t move; again I started to turn to the right, but still my feet would not move. Looking at the fetus through my tears; I heard a voice whispering in my left ear saying, 'This was life at one time!' I jumped and quickly turned to my left to see who was speaking, but there was no one there. I turned back to face the fetus and then looked to the left and then to the right to see if there was anyone watching me. I lowered my head to wipe my tears and then looked up and to my amazement, I hadn't moved, yet I was now standing in front of the next fetus, next to the last on this display."
I noticed at this point the young girl who had started crying earlier was now in the center of the circle, wailing with two friends trying to comfort her.
I continued saying, "I studied this fetus' body and then read the plaque describing its developments of this stage of life. I looked back to the fetus through my tears and the voice again spoke out saying. “Man called this life, a fetus!” I jumped and quickly turned to the left hoping to see who was speaking to me, but again there was no one there.
I realized at this point that it was the Holy Spirit who was speaking to me. Turning back to face the fetus I quickly glanced to the left and then to the right to see if there was anyone watching me, there was no one near me and no one watching that I could see. I lowered my head to hide the fact that I was wiping away my tears and again I raised my head to again be shocked, I hadn't moved, yet I saw that I was now standing in front of the last fetus of this display. Wiping my tears, I began to study this fetus and then I read the plaque describing the development of this final stage of life before birth. My eyes were drawn back to the fetus and again the Holy Spirit spoke, 'But God calls this, life at conception!'

Suddenly my feet bolted out to the right, not having ever been in this building before, I glanced ahead in the direction I was now moving and I saw the men’s restroom sign above a door. I thank God there was no one coming out this door as I hit it at nearly a dead run, and I really thank the Lord that there was no one in the first stall. I quickly sat down and started crying out, 'God, why did you do this to me? Who am I that You should do this to? God, I am just a truck driver, why have You done this to me?' I heard some voices that sounded as though it was two men at the basin - no doubt wondering what kind of maniac was loose in the first stall. When I heard their voices I got quiet to listen to what the men were saying, but then I clearly heard two men’s voices; one was a coworker Ron, that I had been working with for the past three months and the other was another coworker, Mike that I had worked with from 1982 through 1990. Both men were saying the same thing to me, 'You say you’re a Christian man, so how do you feel about abortion?' I cried out, 'God, I have always said, I know it is wrong, but it is the woman body!' I suddenly realized that was my thoughts and not God's thoughts. I cried out, 'God, That’s not what your Word tells us, is it? We were bought for a price and that’s with the shed blood of Jesus Christ.'"

I turned to my left and begin pointing to each one in the circle as I was saying, "The message for this group tonight is..." I paused with my eyes on the one girl who was still wailing and the Holy Spirit whispered in my left ear. I turned again to my left and began speaking the message to the group saying, "God can even forgive a sin as great as this."
With my heart breaking for this young girl, thinking she has already had an abortion; Marcy begins a long prayer as each of us joined in and after 15 minutes or so, we had gotten quiet and Marcy closes her prayer. I started to walk over to put my arm around the girl to tell her, God has forgiven you, now you need to forgive yourself. But Marcy spoke out, "His message, that was for me, a long, long, loooong time ago, I had an abortion and I have never told anyone."
The girl was Marcy's 15 year old daughter who had just turned in a term paper that morning titled, "Abortion and Its' Effects on The Family"

The Confirmations
Lying down in my bunk to begin my prayer that Friday night; I started with, "A long, long, loooong time ago, I had an abortion and I have never told anyone." Realizing it was not me who said that, but it was the Holy Spirit Who had spoken this through my lips; I cried out "God, Marcy had never truly forgiven herself for the abortion, but You have made it clear to her tonight that You have forgiven her." I continued for the next several minutes to praise God for having used me to deliver His message of forgiveness.

The Greater Message
That following Sunday morning at church, Marcy and Marlin were the greeters. After speaking with Marlin I turned to Marcy and said, "Marcy, God wants you to know that you will see your daughter when you get to Heaven." Shock at what I just said, I stepped back and asked, "Marcy, did you know that your first child was a girl?" Marcy answered, "Yes, I asked and a nurse in the recovery room told me it was a girl."

With all of this said, how could I not be a strong advocate for life?

This is the proof that God can forgive you for your past sins just as He has forgiven Marcy and millions of others.
In January 1991 when I cried out with godly sorrow for my past sins, asking God for His forgiveness and renewing my vow accepting Jesus Christ as my LORD and SAVIOR.. He forgave me just as He will forgive you; His promises never fail.
I often ask God to help me to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, both to His voice and His very presence within me.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

As I have said many times in the past; one last thing you might ask yourself, why would anyone subject himself to criticism and persecution by making such bizarre statements, such as I’ve made in this writing, if they were not true? God is my witness to the truth of what I have written here and if you choose to deny what I have said, it is your choice.
May God deal with each of us accordingly!

End of the Spear

Fifty eight years ago today, on a Sunday afternoon, January 8, 1956, at about 3pm, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian all missionaries and faithful servants to our LORD and SAVIOR, Christ Jesus were killed while attempting to evangelize the Waodani people in the jungles of Ecuador.

I can remember when it must have been the next day or two that I asked my Mother why would these men have gone into such a dangerous area just to tell these people about Jesus? Mother said something like the rewards to them were far great then life itself. I was only eight years old and that made no sense to me...
It was in January '91 before I could really say I understood their sacrifice. There is absolutely nothing in this world that is more important to me than the souls of my loved ones, friends, neighbors and the hearts of those who may come to Christ in the remaining days of this age.