VIDEO Memorial Day

Today we remember our military here in the USA. Their valor. Their lives. Their service to our country.

Why we remember?

This is a soldier.

Just a common soldier.

Freedom is never free.

Freedoms Never Free

Standing on a hillside
Where the river meets the sea
White crosses without number
Line the fields of peace
And each one a silent witness
Staring back at me
Every cross a story
Of another place in time
Where young men thought it worthy
To give their life for mine
And for the sake of honor
Left their dreams behind
And for the price they paid
I’m forever in their debt
Their memory will not die
‘Cause I will not forget
I will stand and hold my head up high
I will dedicate my life
To the glory of the ones who had to die
I will live, live what I believe
If for no one else but me
To remember
Freedom’s never free
It was on another hillside
Outside the city gates
The battle lines were drawn
As soldiers took their place
The Father watched in silence
As a cross was raised
With freedom drawing closer
He took His final breath
He drank our cup of guilt
And took the sting from death
Heaven’s Finest Soldier
clothed in human flesh
And for the price He paid
I’m forever in His debt
The cross will never die
‘Cause I will not forget
I will stand and hold my head up high
I will dedicate my life
To the glory of the One who had to die
I will live, live what I believe
If for no one else but me
To remember that
Freedom’s Never Free
I will walk free
I will stay free
I will live free
I will die free!

Memorial Day

The Peace Of The Patriot

Having been afforded a tremendous opportunity to let my voice be heard around the world by Matt Barber and the wonderful staff at Barbwire.com, I have carefully pondered my initial offering to a much larger readership outside of my own small sphere of influence. The burden of God’s judgement weighs more heavily on the shoulders of the teacher than it does on one who simply opines and the unit of measure utilized in that judgement is millstones.

It is with that in mind that I have chosen my words prayerfully and cautiously.

As of late, prayerful introspection has left me drear stricken. Scanning the headlines for a cheerful, uplifting story or even a temporary mental break from the raging fire of our Country’s rapid decline into godlessness and debauchery has proven a difficult task.

I simply cannot seem to find any good news.

There is no doubt that we have turned a corner as a Nation and that we have collectively, although not entirely individually, turned our backs on God. We will, according to His unerring Word, pay the price for our disobedience. He is not a man that He can lie.

Wars and rumors of wars loom ever-presently on the horizon. Infanticide, perversion, and the incorporation of false religions into the fabric of America’s Biblically based morality are a constant weight upon the soul of the vigilant Christian Patriot.

The unrelenting bombardment of bad news, sexual deviance, violence, hatred and the liberal agenda can severely impair one’s ability to see the good things in life.

Hence this article’s main text:

Philippians 4:8-9

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

As always, Scripture has every answer mankind will ever need. It is timeless. There is nothing new under the sun. Since the fall of man into depravity we have sought our own advancement, we have slain those who oppose us (for both righteous and unrighteous causes) and yet fiercely loved and defended those whom we hold dear.

Those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy are not always the pacifistic things that one would, by default, think them to be.

A soldier or first responder is about the Godly business of defending those who cannot, or will not, defend themselves on a daily basis. Although knee-deep in the worst behavior mankind can exhibit, they are engaged in service that has passed the litmus test outlined above.

John 15:3

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Paul instructs us to apply a filter to our thoughts. If this mental exercise deems our current thought processes as untrue, dishonest, unjust, impure, not lovely, not of good report, unvirtuous or not praiseworthy those thoughts must be immediately be rejected as spiritually unhealthy.

2 Corinthians 10:5

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

In verse nine Paul instructs the Philippians to recall his example when faced with uncertainty.

Paul studied the scriptures, he prayed fervently, and he heeded the voice of God as he planted churches across Europe (on foot) in full compliance with God’s Will. This was no small task!

If we are being beset with a burden of responsibility, of obedience to God’s voice, or a call to action in accordance with His Will only acquiescence to that conviction will give us peace. Those things which are troubling are very often the things on which our mental and spiritual focus must be trained, as they must be defeated.

Make no mistake, brothers and sisters in Christ, we are locked in a battle, perhaps the final battle, for the soul of America and The Ancient of Days has well-equipped us for the task.

May the God of Peace be with us as we rest our heads tonight, Patriots, knowing that the fight we have taken up is a Righteous one, if it has passed this simplistic test of scripture.

by Chris Mills

Original here

Called For God’s Purpose

Esther 2:1-8; Esther 2:17

The story of Esther is filled with romance, adventure, and danger. Her ordinary Jewish life suddenly became remarkable when she found herself crowned Queen of Persia. We clearly see the Lord’s sovereign hand at work as He called her to fulfill a very important role in His plan for the Jews. But can you imagine how upset, confused, and uncertain Esther must have felt as the details were unfolding?

We may feel the same perplexity as we live each day without knowing the future. Sometimes it is easier to see God’s calling in someone else’s life than in our own. His plans and purposes are working out in perfect progression, but from an earthly perspective, the developments may seem chaotic and bewildering.

Esther’s story is an encouragement to trust in God’s will and purpose for our life. Every believer in Christ has a calling from the Lord. He doesn’t save us and then leave us to fend for ourselves; instead, He continually guides each of His children in the work He has planned for his or her life.

God’s calling includes not only what we do but also who we are. Each experience in life is a tool that the Lord uses to shape and equip us to become the person He wants each one to be—with regard to character as well as conduct.

Begin looking for the Lord’s hand in your life. He is working out His plan, sometimes silently and softly, sometimes with jarring disruptions. But He is always there, directing and moving. Never imagine yourself to be insignificant in His eyes. You’re so highly esteemed that almighty God has designed a unique calling just for you.

The Eternal Flame

“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” (Leviticus 6:13)

The so-called “eternal flame” at the tomb of former President John Kennedy will surely eventually be extinguished. The same proved to be true for the continual burnt offering ordained by God in Israel’s ancient tabernacle sacrifices. The continual sacrifices for sin were of no more avail once God’s own sacrifice had been slain. “Every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; . . . For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11-12, 14).

There is one flame, however, which is truly eternal. Jesus spoke of it several times. For example: “It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:43). “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Then, in the last book of the Bible describing the final judgment, “the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. . . . And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:10, 15).

But there is also another symbolic significance to the continual burnt offering: “Did not our heart burn within us, . . . while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32). “His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9). “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Hebrews 13:15). Set on fire by the Word of God and the love of Christ, our hearts should burn with His praises continually. HMM

He Knows Everything

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. —Hebrews 4:13

God’s understanding is limitless… His knowledge is perfect, and… there isn’t a creature anywhere in the universe that isn’t plainly visible to His sight. Nothing is shut before the eyes of God. That is what is called divine omniscience, one of the attributes of God. An attribute, as I have said before, is something which God has declared to be true about Himself.

God has declared by divine revelation that He is omniscient, that He knows everything. The human mind staggers under this truth when we consider how much there is to know and how little we know….

When I received one of the honorary degrees that have been bestowed on me, I said, “The only thing that is learned about me is this pair of glasses.” If a man has his hair slicked back and a pair of learned-looking glasses, they call him a doctor. We don’t know very much, really, and when we consider the great God who knows all there is to know with perfection of knowledge, we stagger under that. The weight of the truth is too much for our minds.

I stagger and am challenged, but I take comfort in knowing that You know all things. I rest in Your perfect knowledge today. Amen.

Have You Astonished Reverence?

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. (Psalm 66:16)

In my own being, I could not exist very long as a Christian without the inner consciousness of the Presence and nearness of God! I can only keep right by keeping the fear of God on my soul and delighting in the fascinating rapture of worship.

I am sorry that the powerful sense of godly fear is a missing quality in churches today. The fear of God is that “astonished reverence” of which the saintly Faber wrote. I would say that it may grade anywhere from its basic element—the terror of the guilty soul before a holy God—to the fascinated rapture of the worshiping saint.

There are few unqualified things in our lives but I believe that the reverential fear of God, mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and adoration, is the most enjoyable state and the most purifying emotion the human soul can know. A true fear of God is a beautiful thing, for it is worship, it is love, it is veneration. It is a high moral happiness because God is!

Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case?

Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter hast thou in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the prophets lives, and lives to help his saints. He will not suffer thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in the Lord of Hosts! Approach him pleading the name of Jesus; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for his people. According to thy faith be it unto thee. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves.

Faith, then, we choose, rather than doubt, as the mainspring of our life.

VIDEO Memorial Day Tribute 2016

May 13, 2016

Military Outreach USA honors all who have fallen in service to our nation.

Visit http://www.militaryoutreachusa.org to learn how you can honor those who have fallen.

2 Things Set Jesus Apart From Every Religious Leader Who Has Ever Lived

Jesus Christ is different from every religious leader who has ever lived because He is fully God and has the power to forgive us of our sins, the Rev. Billy Graham says.

Graham, who founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said in a Q&A published in the Kansas City Star on Tuesday that although there are many other religious leaders throughout history, Jesus sets Himself apart through his fully God, fully human nature and His ability to grant salvation to sinners.

The evangelical leader explains that while many people are curious about other religions, he believes such inquisitiveness stems from “a hunger for God,” adding that “God wants to satisfy that hunger, and He will if you sincerely seek him.”

Graham goes on to write that there are two main reasons why Jesus is different from other religious leaders.

“He wasn’t just a godly person; He was both fully God and fully man. Think of it: The God who created the whole universe stooped down and took upon Himself our humanity!” the Baptist minister explains.

Additionally, Jesus is different because He has the power to free us from our sins.

“[Jesus] alone made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God. Sin separates us from God, and no matter how hard we try, we can’t erase sin’s stain on our souls. But Jesus came to erase it for us, and He did this by becoming the final, God-ordained sacrifice for our sins,” the evangelical leader says.

The Baptist minister points to Hebrews 1:3 as evidence of this: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven.”

Graham has spoken on the unique nature of Christianity before, previously writing that the religion not only offers the distinctive gift of redemption, but also carries the truth that Jesus Christ is the only human to die and then be resurrected.

“Something distinguishes Christianity from all the religions of the world,” Graham previously wrote for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “Not only does [Christianity] carry the truth of the redemption, by the death of our Savior for our sins on the cross, but it carries the fact that Christ rose again.”

“Jesus is the only religious leader in the world to have conquered death,” Graham continued. “Christianity has no shrines to visit, no dusty remains to venerate, no tombs at which to worship. Many good men have lived, and still live, in the memory of those who knew them, but there is only one Man who conquered death — Jesus Christ — and He will live forever.”

BY KATHERINE WEBER

http://www.christianpost.com/news/billy-graham-2-things-set-jesus-apart-from-every-religious-leader-164106/

Rekindling The Flame Of Ministry

2 Timothy 1:6-7

What do you do when you’ve lost your enthusiasm for ministry? Perhaps difficult circumstances have led to discouragement or frustration. Or maybe you just keep going, but the Holy Spirit seems absent and no fruit is visible. In today’s reading, Paul tells Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6), but how is that accomplished? Over the years, God has taught me what to do whenever I sense that my flame is beginning to flicker.

Refill. Ministry is exciting when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, but everyone springs a leak now and then. Get on your knees before the Lord and ask Him to refill your heart. Examine your life, repent of any sins, and submit to His leadership in every area of your life.

Refocus. Nothing dims the flame like fixing your eyes on the problem. Whenever we focus on obstacles, they grow larger. But when we shift our eyes to Christ, He becomes bigger than any problem we face.

Reject. When we’re down, the devil whispers lies into our minds: You can’t do this. No one appreciates you. Why not call it quits? We need to recognize all discouraging thoughts as coming from him—and not let them take root.

Retreat. Turn off the phone, electronics, and entertainment, and get away with the Lord to rekindle your intimate relationship with Him.

After going through all these steps, you will be able to return to ministry with new enthusiasm and commitment. Hard circumstances may remain, but you’ll be equipped to handle them because the Spirit’s flame is burning brightly within you. Rely on Him, and He will empower you for service.