Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. REALLY, It's Filthy!

The other day I was talking with one of my children and the old statement came to mind; Put your money where your mouth is. When I was growing up and would put money in my mouth my mother would yell at me;  Get that out of your mouth, it is FILTHY!  You don't know who's hands that has been in?  Now my Bride tells the children to wash their hands after handling money because of the very same reasons.

Now I understand what the statement means, however most don't because I still see adults doing the same thing - but that's for another time.  When this old adage came to mind (I didn't speak it aloud) I realized it was missing a major Organ - the Heart?

It is said many people miss Salvation by about 12-18 inches.  This adage means that many have "Head Knowledge" of who Jesus is but no "Heart Knowledge".  The head knowledge is know different than I know who George Washington is, but have no personal knowledge of the man we  call, The Father of our Nation.  This type of belief is not Faith (Hebrews 11:1)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

True Faith is not Fire Insurance (protection from Hell), but Eternal Assurance (Everlasting Life)!
What does this have to do with putting money where your mouth is stuff - I'm glad you asked, your so smart!  Your handling of money (and not in your mouth) reflects what your "BELIEVE" is important.  If you are a Soundly Saved Christian, (many many many in this country call themselves Christians but are not) and not a "Good Person" your Giving should reflect your Faith.  Head knowledge does make for lasting behavioral change.  Don't believe me Huh? Ask your friends who smoke if they "KNOW" smoking is dangerous for their health  -  NUFF SAID!  (That probably should have been "enough said" but I got carried away-sorry)

I say when God moves the 12-18 inches from our Head to our Heart, we will know it because YOU will move another 18-24 inches to your wallet in your back pocket and show it!  So don't put your money where your mouth is but put it where your Faith is?

Jesus didn't come to fix our Hearts and make us "better", He came to give us NEW Hearts, (Psalm 51:10) Create in me a clean (NEW) heart oh God...  With our Heads we think, with our Hearts we believe and when the two come together we KNOW!  What do you KNOW?

Merry CHRISTmas (Ezekiel 36:26)

ernie

AJ Asks Questions

AJ

Hey Mr. Kamber how are you!?  I hope everyone is doing good.  So I had a question and you seem really wise and one of the wisest I know.  So I was thinking about trusting God with life and safety and things of that nature.  So with all that's going on in the government and all the crime and stuff would it be wrong to wanna leave and go somewhere better like Canada or something?  It's out of fear so is that not trusting God?

Like I think about the people who put trust in God to protect them but they end up getting murdered or starve.  Like how do we balance faith and preparation for certain dangers

(me)
Hello Son!  I am honored, BUT, (Acts 17:11) test every word I tell you against God's word!  In looking at your question, I see
1.) Trusting God
2.) Moving
3.) Somewhere Better
4.) Fear.

Trusting God: YOU well know is difficult for us because instead of remembering what He has done for us, our sin nature helps us to forget, so, each time we work on trusting Him it is like the very first time instead of getting easier and easier - might have something to do with the "way" we are working out our Salvation (Php 2:12)?

Moving:  Quite honestly Carey and I have talked of moving too.  One thought was to go to South Africa where Corina is and at least we would be with two of our children, and the two that need us the most.  Further we thought of moving out West to a very "Red State" to be around like minded people.  For now we are holding.  There is nothing wrong with moving - you have already done it several times.  The real question now looking back at your moves should be which was the God ones and which were not?  The "not ones", look at and see why you made those moves, such as,  emotional with little thought or things got to tough and the such?  Only you can answer that.  When you came to us I wold have gladly moved you out of your current sleeping situation to help give you a home you wanted and needed.  Carey and I Love you.

Somewhere Better: This is tough because I have only been to South Africa and no other place.  I do believe that you can go to another place, however with each place there must be a give and take.  What is it that you specifically would want to run from?  I could guess and probably be right but you still need to list them and then compare against where you might go.  You moved to get away from drugs and the such and it was good - I think, but you went back, then left again?  The flip side of "the grass is always greener on the other side" is, one side is green and one side is dirt!  I'm sure there are better places even within our own country or around it.  If I wanted to get as far from the US without leaving it I would go to Alaska.  I have not researched Alaska though.

Fear: Not all fear is bad and fear can be a powerful motivator for change.  The question or problem with fear is that we don't think and usually react which brings bad if not worse conditions than before.  The presence of fear can save our lives, the power of fear can keep us from moving forward.

Ultimately AJ, God needs to give you direction. The fact that you are asking for help is a good start.  The only direction I will point you in right now is to GET ON YOU KNEES...
Love you Buddy, sorry if it was not what you wanted to hear or needed.

AJ Rivers
Nope all advice is needed;) I left Florida because I hated it lol but came back because my ex wife wanted to be near her family.  But she ended up being unfaithful.  But it turned out good cause I got a great job and going to school and my future wife is soooo amazing!  I can't believe how comparable we are.  I guess some things I fear is the government will mess up and the country go down.  Like food will stop being transported and we will be trying to survive.  I know it's a dumb fear but it is what it is.  I wanna move because I wanna be somewhere if that happened I could hunt and be self sustaining for my family.  Again these are kind of silly but you never know.  My walk with God has been good, He has really been making me into a man.  I guess when it's all said and done I fear I won't be able to protect my family in the case that our world come crashing down.

(me)
I agree with all your fears.  Carey and I are preppers and  believe the country is going downhill FAST.
Maybe those questions / feelings are not necessarily fears but prodding from the Holy Spirit?

AJ Rivers
I didn't look at it that way maybe it is the Holy Spirit trying to communicate?



This was an edited conversation about a month ago.  AJ is a close friend of my oldest Son Joshua and became "like are own" Son.  He gave me permission to Blog this.

The Affordable Boat Act?

 The U.S. government has just passed a new law called: "The Affordable Boat Act" declaring that every citizen MUST purchase a new boat, by April 2014. These "affordable" boats will cost an average of $54,000-$155,000 each. This does not include taxes, trailers, towing fees, licensing and registration fees, fuel, docking and storage fees, maintenance or repair costs.

This law has been passed, because until now, typically only wealthy and financially responsible people have been able to purchase boats. This new law ensures that every American can now have a "affordable" boat of their own, because everyone is entitled to a new boat. If you purchase your boat before the end of the year, you will receive 4 "free" life jackets; not including monthly usage fees.

In order to make sure everyone purchases an affordable boat, the costs of owning a boat will increase on average of 250-400% per year. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something that other people don't want or can't afford to maintain. But to be fair, people who can't afford to maintain their boat will be regularly fined, and children (under the age of 26) can use their parents boats to party on until they turn 27; then must purchase their own boat.

If you already have a boat, you can keep yours (just kidding; no you can't). If you don't want or don't need a boat, you are required to buy one anyhow. If you refuse to buy one or can't afford one, you will be regularly fined $800 until you purchase one, or face imprisonment.

Failure to use the boat will also result in fines. People living in the desert, ghettos, inner cities or areas with no access to lakes are not exempt. Age, motion sickness, experience, knowledge, nor lack of desire are acceptable excuses for not using your boat.

A government review board (that doesn't know the difference between the port, starboard or stern sides of a boat) will decide everything, including; when, where, how often and for what purposes you can use your boat along with how many people can ride your boat, and determine if one is too old or healthy enough to be able to use their boat. They will also decide if your boat has outlived its usefulness, or if you must purchase specific accessories(like a $500 compass), or a newer and more expensive boat. Those who can afford yachts will be required to do so…it's only fair. The government will also decide the name for each boat. Failure to comply with these rules will result in fines and possible imprisonment.

Government officials are exempt from this new law. If they want a boat, they and their families can obtain boats free, at the expense of taxpayers. Unions, bankers and mega companies with large political affiliations are also exempt.

Originally posted on a boating forum - and hilarious. The satire just drips off of it. If people don't see Obamacare for what it is after reading this, there is no hope for them! ~~~~~~~~

 

Sent to me by my Father...

Patience my Love by Corina Spinazzola

This is a copy of my Daughters blog; Meditation of my Heart!

Patience my love.
The past few weeks have been filled with waiting. Waiting on answered prayers. Waiting on direction from the Lord. Waiting to hear if I had a job. Waiting to find the right car. Waiting for this season of loneliness to pass. Waiting for God to heal, orchestrate, and weave my desires into His will.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

But, the thing is, I'm not really the waiting type of person. When I want something, I normally go out and get it. If I don't like how something is going, I go fix it. I don't like sitting around and waiting for something to happen. I guess you could say patience and I aren't much of friends. I value patience, but I don't necessarily like it.

After an accumulation of waiting for small things, I got a bit angry with God. Things haven't necessarily gone my way this year. The simple fact is that some things are out of my control and in God's, but when that reality hits me in the face, I tend to get frustrated that I can't do anything about it.

God and I had a short conversation, and after me doing all the talking, I told Him I was mad at Him and that I wasn't going to talk to Him until I got what I wanted. Really mature, I know. But at that point in time my heart was really hurting and I was simply frustrated with my circumstances. I just wanted a break.

Patience was a reminder like the throbbing of a fresh wound. It hurt.

And, after a week or two of being angry and stubborn with God, I apologised. We sat and had a long chat, in which I finally shut up and listened to His heart. Listening to His heart beat for me overpowered the pain of my hurting heart, and I realised patience was for my good. Because He adores me.

I'm not going to pretend like I've got everything together. I'm definitely not going to pretend like my relationship with God is always peaches and cream, or that I don't get upset, angry or hurt at times either. But I do know that He is in control, and that even when things don't go my way, they are going for my good. And in that I can rest, and enjoy patience.

If you're in a season of waiting I want to encourage you to wait with God. Don't run away from Him because things aren't going your way or you aren't getting what you want. Allow your lack of control to motivate yourself to lean into Him more. Listen to His heart beat for you. Know the truth to change your impatient heart: He absolutely adores you as His son or daughter. He is working on your behalf. Wait with Him.

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. Isaiah 64:4

He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those who have young. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? "To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? Who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:11, 21, 25-26

Our God created the heavens, galaxies, earth - everything, all the way down to the atoms that you are made of. He created the stars, and calls every single one of them by name. Who can you compare Him to? Yet this is the same God who tells you that He carries you close to His heart, in His arms, tending to you and leading you. This is the God who promises you that if you wait, He will act on your behalf.

When you're waiting, lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, and know that God is working for your good.

Patience my love.
Posted by Corina Anne Spinazzola at 3:22 PM 

The Billboard Battle by Ken Ham

This a reprint from Answers in Genesis by Ken Ham.

Yesterday marked the beginning of our new billboard campaign to reach atheists on both coasts of America. Residents and tourists in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area (and in a few days, Los Angeles and Hollywood) will see these new billboards that encourage them to visit AiG’s website and to read articles and watch a video that present the case for God’s existence. (For more information on the campaign, read our press release from yesterday.)


I recently learned that two other major billboard campaigns began over the last couple of weeks—both from major atheist organizations. Now, we’ve seen a number of atheist billboards go up over the last few years—especially around Christmas time, when atheists work to convince people that Christ didn’t really exist or that He was not truly God. Many of the atheist billboards directly attack Christianity. Yes, it is a billboard battle of sorts, but in reality it’s a spiritual battle. The battle has been going on for 6,000 years—since the event of Genesis chapter 3 when Adam rebelled against God and sin and death entered the world.

One of these new atheist billboard campaigns—put together by the Center for Inquiry—tries to convince people that they can be just as happy without God. One of the billboards (located in Michigan) reads, “Millions of Americans are living happily without religion.” Of course, atheism, a blind faith that believes life is the result of natural processes, is in itself a religion—something held to with ardor and faith. What they really mean is that people are supposedly “living happily with the atheist religion!” God’s Word makes it clear that one is either “for” or “against” Christ—there is no neutral position. One either walks in “light” or “darkness.”

Actually, true happiness can only be found in knowing Christ. These atheists may have found temporary pleasure in the world, but ultimately they’re going to spend an eternity in hell unless they repent and believe the gospel. For those who rebel against God, He gives them what they want—eternal separation from Him. But God is a God of mercy and love—He stepped into history to pay the penalty for sin and offers a free gift of salvation. God wants to save people from an eternity in hell. He wants us to live with Him for eternity.

Now, the assistant director for the Center for Inquiry–Michigan explained, “The point is to help people who aren’t religious know there is a community they can be a part of. The second purpose is to help people who don’t know a lot of nonreligious people dispel some of the stereotypes.” There has been a recent emphasis on showing atheists that they aren’t alone in their beliefs and on trying to demonstrate to Christians that atheists are happy, moral people. But as I said earlier, these aggressive atheists want to impose their atheist religion on people and the culture. That’s why they are usually the ones trying to get Christian symbols out of the culture or seeking to remove the Bible, prayer, and creation from public schools. They want students to be taught that the whole universe arose by natural processes—by naturalism. And you know what naturalism is? It’s atheism! It’s an anti-God religion.

In fact, another ongoing atheist billboard campaign put together by the Coalition for Reason recently put up billboards in the Bryan–College Station area of Texas. These read, “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.”

Of course, because morality comes from the absolute authority that Scripture presents and because God has given us a conscience, unbelievers can (and many do) live moral lives (understanding this by and large means Christian morality). But that’s not what saves them from their sin. There’s only one way to salvation—through Jesus Christ, the God-man, who lived a perfect life, died on a Cross in our place, and rose again the third day.

And that’s what we at Answers in Genesis want to share with atheists everywhere through our new billboard and media campaign. You cannot be saved or experience true happiness through being “moral” (whatever that means to a person) or by being in community with fellow atheists. And you’re wrong when you say there’s no God. There certainly is a God—and He offers salvation freely to all who will believe:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Please pray for the “battle of billboards,” that God will use AiG’s latest public campaign to give many Christians the opportunity to challenge those who don’t believe and present the gospel to them. And pray that those who read the billboards will be challenged to think carefully about their worldview and then go to our website for more information and learn the truth of the Creator God—the truth that is written on their hearts and is crying out to them (Romans 1).

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken



This blog post was written with the assistance of Steve Golden.

A Simple Message

The following message was inspired by Pastor Raburne Wilson

A Simple Message:
We need a simple message for the church today, not because the church is simple.  In fact the church is too complicated.  We need a simple message to get to the bottom line.  World religions follow complicated ceremonies in order to get to God.  The more religious leaders, the more complicated the message.  The Pharisees gave a complicated message and that is why they didn't like Jesus.

John 7:37    On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

Romans 10:13    For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."

Romans 10:13 should be the message of the church today.

"WHOEVER"!  That includes all.  They ALL fit under the Gospel blanket.  No matter where we go there is a "who so ever" there!  Salvation is for these people only.

Matthew 11:28    Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

"CALLS ON THE LORD": all (who so ever) can call on The Lord!  People under stress can call, children can call, all races can call, all sinners can call, a thief on the cross can call.

"SHALL BE SAVED": there isn't a contract more binding than this scripture.  The scripture itself bears witness - ALL SHALL BE SAVED WHO CALL UPON THE LORD!

Saved from what?  The penalty / price of sin.

Romans 6:23    For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter where you are you are ONE CALL away.  You can be in Your House, the School House, the Jail House or the White House and be just one call away!

For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."

Make the call!!!

Blessings

ernie

Remember Me

With the passing of my Mother a few weeks ago, I recalled a conversation I had with my oldest son

Joshua about 6 or 7 years ago.  We were at the viewing of someone who died that belonged to our church.  I do not like funerals or viewings, especially for "Christians".  Our loss is Heavens gain!  To be absent (dead) from our earthly bodies, means we are in the presence of The Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8).  God's word says this is the confidence we have and desire.  Not a morbid desire to die but one to not fear the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:56-58).  Now don't get me wrong, we will mourn the death of those very close to us, however if they are saved, we mourn for our loss and if they are not saved - WE MOURN FOR THEIR LOSS?

While at this particular viewing people spoke on behalf of the dead person.  Nobody likes to say anything bad about someone who died, what does it matter at this point?  As Carey, Joshua and I walked out to the parking lot to leave, I turned to Josh and said; Don't say I was a great dad when I die, because I'm not.  I then asked Josh if he new that I loved him and he told me yes.  I asked him again; Are you sure you know that I love you?  he responded; Yes.  I went on to tell Josh that the only things I hope you can say about me is that you knew your father loved you and that either directly or indirectly I led you towards Salvation in Christ (Romans 10:13).

Directly by leading him to Christ and praying with him when the time came to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Indirectly by my words and actions, that Josh did not see a perfect man nor a hypocrite.  You see I am a hypocrite, I don't want to be, but I still am because I sin like everybody else. What Josh sees that keeps me from being a hypocrite in his eyes is that I ask for forgiveness, from God and from those I have offended.

Just prior to my Mom's memorial service starting, I told the above story to my Pastor who was going to perform the service.  I then realized and told Pastor that this described my Mother.  She was not perfect, but I knew she loved me and indirectly helped lead me towards Jesus.  What more could I ask for to remember her by?  It is the same thing I want Josh and all my children to - Remember me like I remember my mom.

Blessings
ernie

Is It To Late?

Reprint from Dale Gentry:

August 19, 2013

Dear Breakout Prayer Network,

I'm very thankful to each of you who pray with me daily concerning another spiritual awakening in America and also other nations of the world. 

Concerning America, it's evident that we are a nation out of control. I hardly recognize the country that I've grown up in.
What has happened to this land of the free and home of the brave?

We can blame our demise on the president, congress or other entities. We can blame other factions or factors, but I believe most of the blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of the American church that I call the "the silent majority." 

As Christians we have given our children over to government (public schools) that teach secular humanism. They follow these teachings into major college and universities that are hotbeds for humanism, socialism, immorality and teachings of Islam. The Muslim movement is rapidly gaining momentum as the Aljazeera television network enters the homes of millions of Americans this month. 

Our president is continually endorsing and promoting the homosexual movement while one well known Hollywood Star declared just this past week in USA Today that she is encouraging parents to let their children invite their friends of the opposite sex to have a "sleepover" or "move in", admitting that she lived with her boyfriend when she was 14 and is planning on encouraging her children to do the same. The very moral fiber of our nation is unravelling before our very eyes with little resistance.   


All of these outlandish viewpoints are being swallowed hook, line and sinker by millions, including many Christians as well.  Where does the problem lie?

I believe the problem goes straight to the pulpits of America 
where many pastors are afraid to tell the truth to their parishioners. They are silent when it comes to naming sin. When it comes to declaring to their congregations what is holy and unholy. The difference between righteousness and unrighteousness. Many of our church services in America are nothing more than motivational speeches presented by feel good leaders who want to remain neutral by not offending anyone, including leading pastors in America who are working hand in hand with the woman who is America's top show host. The one who believes there are many ways to heaven. 

Much of this liberalism is being fueled by false- grace preachers who are indoctrinating their members that there is no longer a need for repentence. Many leaning in the direction of Universalism which teaches there is no hell or it's only a temporary experience. But after 46 years of full time ministry, I have seen history repeat itself and I saw this movement rise and fall when I was a boy, with "do whatever makes you feel good" principles turning into the moral decay of a generation of church leaders and Christians. "Billy Graham wonders what his late wife Ruth would think of a nation in which self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle".

Today I'm announcing that I'm standing with 94 year old evangelist Billy Graham who is praying that America will experience another great spiritual awakening. 

This awakening will come as we repent and call for a spiritual cleansing, accompanied by churches gathering to pray on a regular basis.  


Thanks again for your faithful prayers. I believe we are making a difference.

Gratefully,

Dale Gentry
P.S. Please encourage a friend to sign on and pray with us by going to www.letsprayamerica.com. 

Life is More Than...

Yesterday we received a new "Hopper" from Dish TV.  I watched the half hour program that highlights it's features, and if your are a TV enthusiast, it is the bomb!  The installer did not finish until 7pm.  After he left I took a shower (thinking room) and was reminded of something my oldest Son Joshua, posted a little over a week ago.  Joshua wrote that he was upset that Dish took away his favorite channel.  Corina, my youngest Daughter, wrote back; First-world problems!  As most of you know, Corina is a Missionary in South Africa.  When I got out of the shower I walked into the living room and my Bride was setting up Caleb's channels on the Hopper.  When I walked by she said; This is definitely a first-world thing.  Carey went onto say that most of our (Americans) problems we experience are a result of all the "things" we have available to us.  This just confirmed that I needed to blog about this.  I went to bed thinking about "Life", and what it was more than.  With that as background, let's look at what Life is More Than;

Life is more than food!  I love to eat, and either people have a tendency to overeat or not have enough to feed themselves or their families.  Few people can consistently eat to live instead of live to eat.  When I had an opportunity to go to South Africa with a mission team from church and work side-by-side with my Little Girl, we were fed by the people we were trying to minister to.  Myself and our Youth Pastor, Scotty Jarrard, discussed the issues with food before we left.  When we arrived, some food was the same and some was very different.  God impressed on both of our hearts to eat what was put in front of us.  They gave us the best they could and we were not going to insult them by not eating.  Later Pastor Scotty read to me Luke 12:23; Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

Life is more than clothing!  Our mission team was gone for sixteen days.  We had a limit on what we could bring and the season there was Winter.  Their winters are usually cold and wet, with the majority of homes (if that is even what you would call them) don't have heating or air.  We ministered to children mostly, several who did not have appropriate clothing for the temperature.  Some of the kids wore the same thing everyday and only had flip-flops for shoes - during WINTER!  Several of the ladies on the team wanted to buy clothes, however our host, Pastor Greg Matthei told us not to.  The reason is that if some of the kids came home with nice clothes, either their older siblings would take them, their parents would sell or trade them for drugs or alcohol or they may get beat-up for them.  Even as a man, some times I wonder what to wear.  When we can't decide on what to wear, we must have more than we need.  Don't get me wrong.  We should be THANKFUL to The Lord for all He has given to this Nation.  When we say we are blessed beyond measure, we are!  God blesses His people to  bless others, not to keep.  We have become Constipated Christians!  We are keeping to much in that God wanted us to release to others.


Matthew 6:25 NIV  Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

The above scripture is not directed to the kids who lack clothing, but those of us with an abundance who lack giving.  The context is about serving money or God?  Each day we must make a choice on whom we will serve (Joshua 24:14-15).  If you are chosen by the King, you shouldn't feel guilty for what you have but blessed, however with that blessing comes responsibility.

Life is more than food, clothing, money, houses, retirements, sports, stuff, politics, even more than health!  It is not about finding balance but about finding Jesus.  It is not about using but being usable to the Creator of your life.  God does not desire to be number one on a list of ten, but number One on a list of one!  He is the overcomer and as a result of His substitutionary death, burial and resurrection, we CAN have Eternal, Everlasting Life.

Only then we can share it with others...
Blessings
ernie

Unto Us A Child Is Born!

Today. July 31st, 2013 at 8:21am, unto us (The Deaver's & Kamber's) in the city of Blairsville, a Baby girls is born, Allie Marie.  She is the first Grandchild to Jeff & Michelle Deaver (Katlin's parents), Lynn & Howard Riggen (Joshua's Mom) and Carey and me.  She is beautiful like her mother, with very distinct feminine features like her lips and eyes.  Instead of Jeff and I feuding over who is going to get her first and most, we are already planning on things we can do together with her.

A child is a "Gift" from The Lord (Psalm 127:3) the Bible says.  Allie represents the combination of two families, her blood is blend of the Deaver's and Kamber's, a mixture which binds our families together for better or worse.  Although we desire Allie to be "better than us", she too will one day have to submit herself to the Saving and Cleansing Blood of Jesus The Christ (1 John 1:7).  While our blood is tainted with sin, Jesus Blood is the ONLY thing that can wash away our sin!  As the song goes;

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 

 Oh! precious is the flow

 That makes me white as snow;

  No other fount I know,

  Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 

For my cleansing this I see--

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

For my pardon this my plea--

Nothing but the blood of Jesus! 

Nothing can my sin erase

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Naught of works, 'tis all of grace--

Nothing but the blood of Jesus! 

This is all my hope and peace--

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my righteousness--

Nothing but the blood of Jesus! 

To Lynn, Breana and Corina who could not be here due to distance, God through technology provided a way for you all to see Allie!

God is Good, (and as my dad says:) All the time.  All the time God is Good

Hello my Little Allie, papa loves you...
ernie

Tim Tebow is a Patriot: God Teaches us Another Lesson

I was talking with my youngest daughters best friend, Madison
(we call her Bratty Maddie, she is like a daughter to Carey and

me), who is an avid soccer player.  Maddie has been into sports as long as we have known her.  During the summer, she plays on a soccer travel team to increase her skills and exposure for a potential scholarship. She tells me the level of play is as close to college teams while still being in High School.

Maddie loves Tim Tebow, and who doesn't? I told her if you don't like him there is something wrong with you.  We then had the following conversation and she said I should write about it.

I had boycotted ESPN since one of the announcers called Tebow a fake and literally spewed venom towards him last year.  I was just fed up with the attacks on this kid.  While sports players look more and more like gang members, and with the amount of players arrested, some for murder, you would think (that's part of the problem - a lack of thinking) we would embrace players of character.  Tell me fathers, who would you want marrying your daughter?

When it was announced Tebow was released by the Jets, I waited to see what God would do next.  You see, according to ESPN, Tebow will "not hurt you with effort", but is not NFL quarterback calibre material.  A different announcer asked; Why is he getting so much favor from teams, coaches or owners, since he is not quarterback material?  I told this to Maddy and said that personally I think Tim is much better than "they" want him to be, but, lets for a minute say that these "experts" are right - he is not NFL quarterback quality!?

WHY FAVOR
I told Maddie that I believe that God is teaching us something through Tim, and that God loves obedience more than our sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22) and faithfulness is better than ability.  Although we all would love to be the "Michael Jordan" at whatever we do - most are not and for whatever reason, wont be. I believe God is telling us that when we are faithful to Him (those In-Christ / 2 Corinthians 5:17), He will make a way where there is no way (Matthew 17:20).  Tim Tebow can be one of the worst quarterbacks in football for three quarters, BUT GOD (do a study on those words), but when God shows His favor on Tebow, he becomes the biggest 15 minute miracle around and receives more attention for it.

Talent and ability are great, and we should always try to improve on whatever skills we have, HOWEVER;
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Maddie, it is like our lives, most of the time I am a failure for Jesus The Christ, BUT GOD (I'm crying right now), BUT GOD, BUT GOD finds favor (undeserved) with me and I am able to do more for Him, not because of me - BUT GOD...


Blessing Bratty Maddie & Tim Tebow
ernie

Deception Series: Fairness

In this segment of our Deception Series, we are going to examine something I believe most people misunderstand; fairness.  We hear it all the time: That is not fair. Whether it is us saying it our our kids, many people look at life and say it is not fair. Before we go further let us define fairness and then see how equality or being equal fits the definition.
fairness;
Synonyms: fair, just, equitable, impartial, unprejudiced, unbiased, objective, dispassionate
These adjectives mean free from favoritism, self-interest, or preference in judgment. 
Equitable implies justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair: an equitable distribution of gifts among the children.  www.thefreedictionary.com

Notice, the word "equal" is not in the definition? The word "equitable" is but it is not the same as "equal".
equal;
(1) : of the same measure, quantity, amount, or number as another 
(2) : identical in mathematical value or logical denotation : equivalent
b : like in quality, nature, or status
c : like for each member of a group, class, or society  www.merriam-webster.com

We are all equal in creation (Genesis 1:26-28, 31):
Genesis 1:26-28 ESV  Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."  
(27)  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  
(28)  And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

We are not equal in position however (Genesis 3:9), notice God calls out to the man - Adam.

Genesis 3:16-19 ESV  To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."  
(17)  And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;  
(18)  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  
(19)  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Let us look at the two underlined parts of the previous verses and put it in perspective. First underlined says; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. The word desire here is not for the husband physically but in his position as head of the home.  Look at all the messed up homes where the woman wears the pants or the men are not leaders and compare it to a biblical based home.  I don't care how strong of a leader you (men) are at work or how physically strong you are - if you don't or can't lead your home, you are weak and no leader at all!

The second underlined part says; Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,. Now God is not saying to not listen to your wife!  In fact, your Bride (if she is like mine) is better in tune to the Holy Spirit than I am most of the time.  Further, my wife is much smarter than I am also.  I tell Carey that I am just wiser!  God says that we are "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).  God is saying that Carey and I are literally one person, that is how important we are to Him and should be to each other.  In this case Eve was deceived, Adam was NOT!  He knew exactly what he was doing when he ate the forbidden fruit.

This is how I explain equality verse equity;
Imagine we both home an identical home, both of us bought it at the same time and the purchase price was the same.  Two years later we both want to do a large addition because of our expanding families.  We both need $50K and both submit our loan requests.  We both have the same job, the same salary, the same tenure.  I am denied while you are approved?  Not fair I cry, we are both equal!  The difference is you put down 30% of the purchase price of your home and i put down 5%.  You have more equity in your home than I do.  It is that equity that gives you more options than me and rightfully so.

In closing LIFE IS NOT FAIR. WE ARE NOT ALL EQUAL IN ALL AREAS.  The sooner we can teach this to our children the better off they will be.  The deception in our present day is taking from the one's who have and giving to the ones that don't and calling it fair?  One, it is NOT and two, it is communism.

Blessings
ernie

Deception Series: Bible & Guns

This particular segment is written with the help of Jeff Deaver, XTREME Christian Outdoors founder, my Associate Pastor, my son's Father-in-law and most of all, my friend.

In continuing with our Deception Series, this is about two things every one should own; a Bible and a Gun!  Now before you start jumping on me for not excluding certain groups, the need for exclusion or inclusion should become apparent.  I am saying this world-wide and not just about our nation also.  Further, not just any Bible (although most will do) but preferably a Study Bible, and not just any gun (most will work) but an AR style rifle.  OH man I can hear the subversives now - AN ASSAULT WEAPON!  We will deal with your ignorance a little later.  

The Deception with a Bible and Gun is that owning them alone, is not good enough. The gun (whatever it is) needs ammunition, understand of how it works and training. The reason I picked "the most popular" (BATF) is because it is the closest to a military style weapon readily available to the public, at least our public still.  It is the governments job to protect the Country and our Allies.  It is law enforcements job to enforce the laws, however it is your responsibility to protect you, your family and your home.  Law enforcement does this indirectly, and as a former Law Enforcement Officer, as about as good as we can under the circumstances.  The more you want, whether federal or local, military or police, to take over YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, the more power you lose and the more power they gain.  The reality is that (and this is going to shock some of you) there are several within our government whom you need to protect yourselves from!  That's right, seemingly most show little to no character and several are just plain crooks or congressmen or whatever you call them.  You said president, I agree.

The reason for gun owner ship is so that an armed and responsible public posses a deterrent, a threat, or to instill fear, to the government - instead of what we have today (and many others have always had) and that is a government who posses a threat and is feared by the public.  My former supervisor and friend, Bill Testa says; Our job is to keep honest men honest.  I would add; And dishonest men no place to hide!

"The AR-15, which designates a rifle platform, not a specific manufacturer's model, remains a controversial weapon. Why? Many people mistakenly believe that "AR" stands for "assault rifle." In reality, the AR-15 is a semiautomatic rifle, which means it fires one round with each pull of the trigger. True assault rifles are fully automatic weapons, such as machine guns, that have been primarily restricted from civilian ownership since 1934."  (BATF)

Now for the Bible.  There is power in the book, but it is not in the book, it is within the book.  The Bible contains the word of God and the words of God.  It is a spiritual book, which means you must have the right ammunition to receive it's power.  The power starts with Salvation (Romans 8:5-11).  Once you receive the Holy Spirit, then you can begin to understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:5-12).  A society that exhibits ungodliness is the worst place to live, (Galatians 5:19-21) full of crime, lazy people, wrong doings, wicked leaders - sound familiar?  A society that exhibits Godliness is the best place to live (Galatians 5:22-26).  This also answers any issues about certain people owning weapons.  Look at the traits God has spelled out for us and you decide?

Have the government fear you (the public) or you fear them - time to choose...
Blessings
ernie

Deception Series: Theft

In our continuation of things that deceive us, we are going to look at one that might surprise you, Theft?  Now how in the world can we be deceived by theft?  I know it can hurt us both emotionally and financially, but what is the deception?  You always ask the best questions (your smart).  Let us look at what theft is according to Wikipedia;
In common usage, theft is the taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it.

Now there are different types of theft from Burglary to Robbery usually involving other crimes such as assaults, threats or physical violence.  For our purposes those other crimes (if any) only support the deception caused by stealing.   The "deception" is not in the taking, but in the WHO and the WHY.

"WHO" and "WHY": Simple, Who is people.  Duh - I know that!  Is there anything these people have in common?  Of course, they don't believe God!  What?  That's right, they don't believe in God, that's the "WHY".  You thought I was going to say something like greed, need, or some mental disorder.  What about the person who says that they have a genetic predisposition towards stealing?  My answer is so does everyone else!?  that's why God tells us to exercise self-control (1 Peter 1:13) and not steal (Lev 19:11).

How does not believing in God relate to theft?  God, not allah, budda or bubba, tells us He desires to take care of us (1 Timothy 6:17) and knows us intimately and our value (Luke 12:7).  Your bald you say (lol), then He and only He knows our real needs (Matthew 6:8) even before we ask (or know them ourselves).

BOTTOM LINE:  When God is not honored in society, crime is!  If we believe in God and what He has done for us, and what He desires to do for us, we won't turn to ourselves to answer our problems.  Don't follow your heart (Jeremiah 17:9) guard it (Psalm 51:10).

Be Blessed not deceived for the Lord thy God is with you...
ernie

Deception Series: Fear

In this part of the series on deception we will look at one that reaches us all in one way or another; FEAR!  Whether it is fear of falling to fear of spiders to fear of being alone or what ever you add to fear of __________, this one tries to get us all.  I am not one that necessarily believes you can "overcome" fear (I could be wrong) but rather you need to master fear management.  If you can over come them GREAT, but if you can't fear must be managed.  I personally know a family member (who will remain nameless) who has a fear of living?  Their first response to anything is doom and gloom that anything you want to do is met with negative opposition - hence a fear of living.  One day I said I had a headache and they said; I hope it's not a tumor.  After that I would always do a Schwarzenegger impersonation: It's not a tumor!

All joking aside, several years ago I read two studies on fear which listed people's top ten fears.  In both studies the number one (1) fear was?  You guessed it right if you said "public speaking" and the number three (3) was "dying".  If these two studies are correct, that means people would rather be dead than speak in public!

I have a fear of heights, however, a "challenge course" put on by the Sheriff's Office back in the late 1990's really made me realize the need to manage this fear.  First I must say that the two trainers that put on the course, Brian Ronk and David Bures where instrumental in making this a success for me.  I had been training with them for about ten years and trusted them even more than I thought.  It was this trust that gave me the courage I didn't have, to step out and do what they asked.

The REAL issue with most of these fears is that they are "perceived", in other words they don't really exist, but in our minds.  Think about my fear of heights for a minute; I won't go on a Ferris Wheel throughout my life but a small child will and laugh the entire time!?  If you are a child of the King (Jesus the Christ), then satan can only influence you with thoughts.  It is what we do with these thoughts that hinders us.  God does not want us to be afraid;
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Now the term "spirit of fear" can refer to a demon spirit but in this context is believed to be your own words of fear and timidness.  In other words YOUR own SPEECH can be your worst enemy! (Proverbs 18:21).  Satan does a very good job of making us think and most believe he is greater than what he really is (1 John 4:4).

The bottom line is to fear God.  This is a respectful fear that is born out of love (Matthew 10:28).
Joshua 1:9 KJV-BRG  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Be Blessed and not afraid my friends - Live in Christ the Lord

ernie

Deception Series: The Legality Deception

If you have been keeping up with this Series, you know from the previous blog that Mr Sleaze (as I named him because I couldn't remember it) made two major statements in an interview with Sean Hannity on Patriot Radio.  The first we discussed in the last blog Deception Series: They Would Do It Anyway, now I want to address his other statement which was; It is no longer illegal.  Mr Sleaze was referring to "Adultery".  The context was that Mr Sleaze admitted that  "most people that cheat get caught" and that "the cheated suffers great pain".  Hannity then commented that Mr Sleaze has made hundreds of millions of dollars off this pain, and then questioned Mr Sleaze's moral compass.  He replied that there was no conflict since he was only providing a service and not the one actually doing the adulterous act (yet), and that it was no longer illegal and how antiquated that Moral law was.

By know some of you must have at least an inc-ling of where I am going or coming from?  I hear the "world" (you may need me to define that) saying; It isn't illegal to have an affair and those laws where outdated.  Further, a common   statement made by the "world" is; You can't legislate morality.  I myself have used that statement in the past, ignorantly I may add.  I have two responses to the fore mentioned:

1.  You can't legislate morality, HOWEVER, you can legislate immorality! (Romans 2:15)  We are at an alarming rate - look at how homosexuality is SHOVED down our throats!  Heaven help us if I "Bible Thump" you with God's Word though?

2.  Laws are never designed to legislate morality, they are designed to show our sinful nature or immorality.  The law convicts us of our sins, all of them, mine and yours.  When we are constantly convicted (reminded) of our sin sick rebellious nature and how it offends a Holy, Righteous God - someone has to give and it won't be God (Deuteronomy 27:26).  Jesus Himself tells us that the Law has not been changed, modified, repealed, rescinded or reversed (Mat 5:17).

It's simple, where did those laws on the books, that had to do with morality come from?  If you said God's Laws (Joshua 1:7-8), ding ding ding - YOURRR RIGHT!  So when we don't like something and we are not going to change - we change the law (Proverbs 28:4).  These laws that we have changed because of their ties to morality which stems from God's Laws is direct evidence to God's existence!  He bothers you so bad, instead of doing what God tells us to do, our sinful state of being condemns us and tries to remove all evidences of Him.  YOU CAN NOT REMOVE WHAT IS NOT FIRST THERE!

I call it The Legality Deception because we think that simply making something that was illegal suddenly legal, we are excused from consequences and responsibility (Deuteronomy 4:2).  This is what we have done with Abortion.  You can't kill 53 million babies, thats 53,000,000+ children and expect God to Bless America, no matter how much you say it.  God's word tells us that following His Laws will bring peace and prosperity (Psalm 119:165, Proverbs 13:14).  Conversly, if we reject His Laws, what do you suppose our consequences will be (Proverbs 28:9)?

Blessings???  Sadly, only to some of you...
ernie

Deception Series: They Would Do It Anyway

I know I told you we were going to talk about the "Deceiver" and who that might be, BUT, God has different plans.  I was listening to "The Patriot" this afternoon and Sean Hannity had the owner of the dating site for "cheaters" (AshleyMadison.com) and a doctor specializing in sexual addiction.  Many interesting observations were made by the doctor and Sean, however the gentleman (I am being nice) for the site made TWO major deception statements.  I am sorry I didn't get his name, we will use Mr Sleaze to identify him for the purpose of this blog.  You don't like the name I gave him - too bad, it's my blog.

The first was: They Would Do It Anyway
Using this LIE, why not sell drugs and benefit from those that use it?  We can justify any immoral behavior and keep our hands clean because they would do it anyway.  Mr Sleaze, who is married by the way, admitted that "most people that cheat get caught" and that "the cheated suffers great pain", yet he has know problem making hundreds of millions of dollars (18 million customers in 25 countries at $49 a pop).  He takes NO responsibility for his part, but says the people who use his sight are ONLY responsible.  In a society where there is no personal responsibility, suddenly anyone who has some responsibility (say a supplier) refuses to take any but makes sure to pass it ALL on.  Of course the people who are using his sight are responsible for their actions, but Pimps, Dealers and Suppliers are usually sought after also?

The website is a thing, and an argument can be made that a thing, like a gun is neither moral or immoral.  The difference here is the website CAN ONLY be used for one thing - IMMORAL BEHAVIOR.  This is not FaceBook or Linkedin or MySpace where you could develop illicit relationships but that is far from the norm for these social sites.

When I was in Law Enforcement and especially as a Trainer, we had a lot of freedom at work.  I use to say that I believe I am (was) an excellent employee, yet without accountability I could go down the wrong path.  (I am speaking from experience for those that know me)  One of my Boss' had a great statement to me about that, Bill Testa said; My job is to keep honest men and women honest!  What a phenomenal statement, I have never forgotten it.  I asked him how he would accomplish this and he said through accountability both personally and with our group.  He was brilliant beyond his years.

Accessibility breads opportunity and that creates frequency, both bad and good.  If this statement is true, then it flies in the face of the deception Mr Sleaze bought into; They would have done it anyway.  As my LE Brother Cliff Tippens says; Criminals are not upstanding, hardworking citizens who moonlight as low-lives because they have nothing better to do as a hobby.  They look for targets of easy opportunity.  Our sin nature is no different, Proverbs 20:9, James 4:17. Romans 7:18.

I live in a small town (get it?) which was alcohol free (dry) up until a couple of years ago.  The argument was people would drive out of there way (13-22 miles) just to buy alcohol anyway, so why not make money and increase our economy.  (BTW, this was pushed for several years by outsiders who moved into the area - WHY MOVE HERE IF IT'S THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU???)  Sorry, I got carried away.  It is not about drinking, it is about the availability leading to frequency and the repercussions of it.  Not convinced, the Internet makes pornography more available than buying it at a store - hence more frequency!  You can't argue this, pornography has more "hits" than anything else on the net.

Bottom Line:  We will all be held accountable for our sins, however, God will hold people accountable that lead others to sin.
Matthew 18:7 NLT  "What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.

Next will be the Deception of Legality (Mr Sleaze's second deception)

Blessings 

ernie

Deception Series: Who is Deceived?

During my morning quite time (my shower), God put on my heart the topic of Deception.  He gave me many ideas from "the beginning of deception" to modern "crime'.  I will later explain these in this series.  First, however I wanted to talk about who is deceived and how.  Dr Chuck Missler says; The only real barrier to truth is thinking you already have it.  What a simple but powerful statement.  I am going to flip his statement and say; the only way you can be deceived is thinking you can't or aren't?

Now you know me well enough that I am not talking about facts or what we think is true, but TRUTH.  Truth is and must be universal or it simply is not.  What is true for you and not for me may be (I doubt it), however what is truth for you must be truth for all to be.

If there is no truth, there is no deception, and since some know there is truth and  several know there is deception, then we know most are deceived (if not all to some extent).  God does not deceive His people (1 Corinthians 14:33) and tells us the only way for deception to enter is a lack of truth (1 John 1:8).  Clearly we can deceive ourselves and others definitely try deceive us by words and actions (Eph 5:6, 2 Th 2:3, 1 Jn 3:7).  King David's illness was an invitation for his enemies who were "planning his deceit" (Psalms 38:12).

Going back to Dr Missler's statement;  The only real barrier to truth is thinking you already have it.  This reminds me of those commercials when a shopper tries to pick their brand from another and picks the one promoted instead of their own and then in their mind asks; I wonder what other questionable choices have I made in the past?  There life is flashed back to big collard shirts and bell bottom pants.  As goofy as that is, it raises the question of what do you think, believe or know and how or why do you?

Next time we will talk about the deceiver, whom ever that is...

Blessings

ernie

We ThePeople Stimulus Package

Colion Noir on Gun Control

Dreams, Count The Cost

As I watch the age disparity between my four children, a four year old up to a twenty five year old, their dreams, aspirations and wishes fascinate me.  Now at fifty two, it makes me think of what used to be.  The world says to follow your dreams, but I say at what cost?

WISHES
Before I go into the cost, let's differentiate between wishes and dreams.  Most people use them interchangeably, however they are completely different.  As a matter of fact, it is because most people can not distinguish between them is why so many of us never reach any of the dreams we have.  Let us use the example of owning a "dream car".  For the sake of argument I'll use a Lamborghini.  Now this is not my dream car, it is just to make a point.  Many young boys and many older "boys" still wish for things like this car.  I use "boys" for both because a WISHER is just that.  He (or she) never does anything to make this wish come true.  Why(?) because it is just that, a wish.  TV tells us to wish upon stars, teeth under our pillows, clicking your heels together three times, a fat man in a red suit pulled by reindeer, and the list goes on.  The one thing that these wishes have in common with each other is that the wisher doesn't have to work or put serious effort for the wish to come true.  Further, for the wish to come true it usually requires some one else to make it happen.  Since "others" are responsible for the wish to become real, when it doesn't happen - others are to blame?  Are you picking up what I'm writing down?

DREAMS
When you meet a person with an actual dream, their behavior is different.  For the dream car DREAMER, he (or she) knows things about there dream.  In this case the dreamer will know mechanical specifications, buy magazines or books, know the history and save money from each pay check to make this dream a realization.  Think about this for a moment; I wish or dream of being able to play basketball like Michael Jordan.  If I was to sit down with MJ and he tell me what it took for his skills to mature, I would guess that I wouldn't want to put forth the effort he did.  Instead we would tell ourselves (to make us feel better) that MJ had a "natural gift" or that he was very "lucky".  When we say such things about any ones accomplishments, we are insulting there sacrifice.  I do believe in "gifts and talents", not luck.  I know that "luck" favors the prepared.  I believe MJ once said; The more I practice, the luckier I get.

The real difference between the WISHER and the DREAMER is EFFORT and SACRIFICE! There is a cost that comes with anything of value and some-one has to pay it.  The issue is, who pays?  Most of the time, not all, we tend not to appreciate a gift if we didn't pay for it.  God's word tells us to count the cost (Luk 14:28).  The scripture is referring to building something and checking that you have enough money to accomplish the project.  The Principle, is first directed towards your decision to receive God's gift of eternal life through the Sacrifice and Resurrection of His Son Jesus the Messiah.  Although this gift is free for those who ask (Rom 5:15-18), it came at a great cost.  I said earlier that we tend not to appreciate what we didn't pay for and that is true.  In this case, when we ALL realize our predicament (Rom 3:23) and find we are unable to pay the price for our freedom, which is death (Rom 6:23); then the VALUE of this gift of grace from God is understood.

I could go on but I do not like long Blogs, however I will end with this.  Most of the time we miss-out on whatever, is because of our decision making.  As sinful creatures, we naturally make poor decisions (I wanted to say a ton more here).  Consider this;  Some dreams, because of prior poor decisions and current timing, best become wishes, at least until the kids are grown?

Blessings
ernie

The Two Biggest Lies?

If you have been a Christian for any amount of time and have shared your faith with anyone, you have heard one of two lies stated more than any others.  Let us just get to it.

1.)  I don't need ________(God, Jesus, Salvation), I am a good person already and my good will out-weigh my bad.

This lie is stated in several ways but usually in some form of the above.  The Word says, "all have sinned."  All means all and thats all it means!
(Rom 3:23 NKJV)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(Rom 5:12 AMP)
Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.

#@$%& I'm a good person Ernie!  Who the @%$#^& do you think you are telling me I'm a sinner?  I am glad you asked, and so kindly too.  Sin leads to death, 
(1Jn 1:10 NLT)
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts.

Also 1John 1:8 NKJV

(Rom 6:23 CJB)
For what one earns from sin is death; but eternal life is what one receives as a free gift from God, in union with the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.

We could go on, but you get the message (I hope).  Next;

2.)  God could never forgive me for ___________, (what I have done).

The fact that you recognize that you have sinned and it is causing guilt in your life is actually Good News!  What?  YES, many go around sinning and don't even care or know it.  Your Guilt is a sign that the Holy Spirit is calling you to a new life.

Romans 5:8 NKJV
Isaiah 38:17 NKJV
Isaiah 43:25 NKJV
Romans 5:20 NLT

This last verse is referred to as the "christian's bar of soap".  If you need cleaning, confess you sins, repent and put on Jesus (trust Him)!
(1Jn 1:9 NKJV)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


(Act 17:27 NLT)
"His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him—though He is not far from any one of us.

(Act 17:28 NLT)
For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring.'

Blessings
ernie