You don’t need to be jealous! Anyone can make challah…just not as good as me!

(Heavenly Father, forgive me for my pride.)

By the way, I’m happy to be back after three days of my server being down! I’m very grateful that it came back to life today, so I can tell you all to have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

During worship last night I felt in my spirit to pray for more faith. Almost immediately, the gift of faith was released, and I experienced God in a whole new way!

In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 Paul reveals the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the third one is the gift of faith. The Amplified actually says it’s a “wonder-working” faith. This seems to be a gift that is often overlooked, but after last night, I have grown a whole new appreciation for it.

Faith is one of the core principals in Christianity. Without it, there would be no way of surviving this world. You can believe all you want, but without faith, the tiniest pebble in the road will cause you to fall. It is by faith in the unseen, that our natural realm begins to transform.

I believe it’s the supernatural gift of faith that opens the door for the other gifts of the Spirit to operate in our lives. Without faith, who would attempt to speak in tongues? Without faith, who would lay hands on a person so that they may be healed? It is only with the release of faith that our incapable beings become capable of carrying out God’s will.

After the Holy Spirit imparted this “wonder-working” faith, wonders did indeed happen! I received specific words from God, and I felt the extremely heavy and tangible presence of the Lord. I saw in my spirit that there was something coming down from Heaven and flowing towards my friend Lisa. As I explained what I was seeing, she was obviously feeling it. I don’t know what she was feeling exactly, but it almost made her cry, and she started to fall backwards. It was as if this unseen force was pushing her down.

I love when my Heavenly Father plays with me like this. It makes me feel like a child again, and it brings joy to my heart. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could put that feeling in a bottle, and drink it whenever I wanted? His presence comes so unexpectedly though, and if I could control it, it would be too easy for me to say, “I’m doing this.” Knowing that I can’t activate His presence whenever I want confirms that it is not by my power, but it is by the power of the Holy Spirit!

It all goes back to faith. So what can you say about this gift?

My Grandma is coming down on Saturday, and that’s when her and Grandpa, my mom, maybe Aunt Paula and Uncle Jim and I are going to celebrate. Because of that, today doesn’t really feel like Christmas. You might be thinking, “aww, that’s sad”. However, it’s kind of nice to not have to run around everywhere and be caught up in the chaos (as I have been in previous years), and to actually enjoy the reason for the season. The birth of Jesus. All day long, I plan to keep this wonderful fact in my mind, and to remember that had it not been for that birth, I might not even be here now.

Jesus has given me the gift of eternal life, but He has also saved me many times in this earthly life. When I think back to all the hard times when it seemed like it would’ve been easy to give up, I realize that He was there through it all. Even before I gave my life to Him, He was helping me. Through all the darkness I was able to hear His small, but powerful voice.

Today is a day of rejoicing, and I’m truly thankful to the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, and the Author of my salvation!

I hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas!

After reading this, I’ve become more disappointed with this country. It’s a news story about a gas company that decided not to display their enormous cross this year. It has been their tradition for 40 years, and this year they decided they didn’t want to offend anyone.

I’ve just about had it with this world, and I can only imagine the point of hurt and frustration that God must be at. Imagine sending your child into the world to save everyone, and then watching as people slowly stomp his name into the dirt, and spit in his face with the most ridiculous and ignorant things ever imaginable.

I’m not talking about unbelievers either. Apparently, the guy who made this decision is a Christian. Has he lost his mind? Since when are customers more important than the One who was tortured and crucified for our salvation?!

You know what offends me? I’ll make a list for you…

1. Pornographic calendars near the checkout isle at Walmart
2. Seeing books like The Secret when I first walk into Waldenbooks
3. The constant foul language that everyone seems to use nowadays
4. The lack of customer service…EVERYWHERE
5. The “New Age Beverages” isle at Target
6. Darwinism bumper stickers
7. The people that find it necessary to use the name of Jesus when they are extremely angry (it’s always the people that don’t even believe in Him)

I could go on, but you know what? Who cares? I don’t cry myself to sleep over these things any more than unbelievers cry themselves to sleep over seeing a cross! How many “offended” people have you actually encountered that say, “oh I just can’t believe they have a nativity scene in their yard” or, “can you believe he said Merry Christmas? That is so inappropriate!”

We are catering to the .086% of the population who would actually speak out against Christian imagery, and what is the real reason? It’s called a backbone, and it’s been deteriorating for years now. To all the whiners out there; cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it!

When your done wiping your tears away, you can start worrying about more important issues…like those pornographic calendars at Walmart.

I just found this video, and I’m not sure how old it is, but it doesn’t matter. Even if you have seen it before, it is such a blessing. It’s from a 13-year-old boy who received a special message from God.

This really moved my spirit, and that’s why I have to post it here!

Church was great today! Music rocked, sermon rocked, and most importantly, GOD ROCKED!

I never say “rocked”. Anyway, I heard some amazing testimonies of people being healed today. I still haven’t witnessed it for myself, but I love hearing the miracles that God is doing in everyone’s life. It always brings me into a deeper worship for Him.

I have been working on a new layout for my blog. It’s probably my favorite one that I have ever done in all of my history of making web pages. I don’t know when you’ll get to see it, but hopefully soon. I’m thinking the first week of January, but I cant promise anything! One of the things I want to do is organize/rename my categories, and start focusing on certain topics with this blog. As random as I am, I have been feeling like it’s time to get things in order.

I’ve learned a lot the past week, and I have wanted to write many times, but it just wasn’t flowing out of me. Here’s what I have planned for upcoming entry titles:

1. The Post-Tribulation Rapture (I’ve had some exciting new revelations that have shaken my previous “pre-trib” position.)
2. To Judge or Not to Judge? (What does God command us to do?)
3. Reading the Bible (Is it just a book? Why is it so important? I’ll be answering these questions and more!)

Well, that about wraps it up. I want to let you all know that I love you, even if you never comment, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

I think I’m finally starting to understand why I have been out of work for the past three months. In three months, I have learned more spiritually, than what most people have learned in a lifetime. I have dedicated everyday to researching the scriptures, praying, fasting, growing in my relationship with Jesus, and unraveling the Truth. There have been many tribulations, but through it all God has been faithful, and He has provided every need for me. This has probably been the most difficult season of my life, but it has also been the most fruitful. I feel like I have been in a cocoon, and kept away from the world. Sheltered, and secluded, and God has been my only company. When I am released back into the world, the world will not see the old me, for the old has passed away. Out of this cocoon, something more beautiful than even I could have imagined will emerge.

Three months ago, when everyone insisted that I get a job, I told them, “I can put in all the applications I want, but if God doesn’t want me somewhere nothing will happen.”

So I put in applications everywhere, while trying to get my business going. Nothing happened. In three months, not one person was interested in me. I wasn’t looking for anything great either; just some extra money to help me. I couldn’t even get hired at a Walmart!

God has been doing an incredible work, and it’s a work that needed to be done. I have been in training mode to be a warrior for the Kingdom of God. I have been taught the ways of the Spirit, by the Grace of God, and now graduation day approaches. The training wheels are being taken off. The cocoon is starting to crack open, and the work that God was doing is being completed.

I’m not going to go into details at this time, but there is a career in the works now that will change my life. It will be a blessing, and also a challenge. Financially, I will be set, but that is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the lessons God has taught me must not be forgotten. These hard times have not been for nothing, and I’m thankful everyday for the person I am now. The person that God led me to be.

I’ll be going back into the world as a new creature very soon. I’d like to believe that life is going to be perfect when I land that “dream job”, but I know better. Circumstances do not dictate our happiness or quality of life. I have an inner peace given to me by Jesus Christ, and He is the only constant thing I have. While I consider this opportunity an enormous blessing, and I’m looking forward to having a stable income, I now know that my stability comes from the Lord.

I’m writing this because someday I’ll look back on it, and I’ll remember how blessed I am to be where I’m at.

I thought my mission was to reach out to the lost, those who have not found Christ, but I’m starting to think that some of the so-called “Christians” out there are just as lost.

These are my thoughts today, and something that has been burdening my spirit for awhile. I’m about to give that burden to God, but I’m feeling the need to write about it first.

My burden is with those who are calling themselves Christians, but are still not quite understanding what being a Christian is. This is a threat to those who are trying to win souls for the Kingdom of God because it deceives the non-believers. The basic definition of Christianity is one who follows, and adheres to the teachings of Jesus, and one who has repented and accepted Jesus into their heart. A lot of people believe in Jesus, but they never take it any further.

Have people really fooled themselves into thinking that all they have to do is say, “Jesus come into my heart”, and they’re saved? Salvation is not the result of a few magic words! I know that’s not a convenient thought for some of you. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but that’s the truth! If God had intended for it to be that way, why would the rest of the New Testament include stories of persecution, martyrs, and tribulations? If Paul could have just said, “I believe in Jesus”, and continued on living his life the way he always had, we wouldn’t have half the bible! There are natural changes, responsibilities, and consequences that come with being a Christian, and many have thrown those out the window, in favor of the “easy” life.

Yes, God has grace, and that is what has saved us, but the whole point was to restore fellowship with Him. How many “Christians” say the prayer of salvation and then move on with their life; only acknowledging God when they have a need, or when things get really bad?

The Body of Christ is full of sick and dying people. Their faith is shallow, and everyday their representation of the One who has saved them diminishes. In the midst of this, there is also a rise in some incredibly passionate followers for Christ. The thing that grieves me is when the shallow and lukewarm Christians start persecuting the passionate Christians. Is it jealousy? Is it a lack of knowledge?

I’m still learning to grasp the concept of a Christian who doesn’t believe the bible is the Word of God. Yes, there are plenty of them out there. If the story of Adam and Eve is a fairy-tale, then what need do we all have for a Savior?

I’m still learning to grasp the concept of a Christian who thinks sex before marriage is alright. Your sins are forgiven, but if you don’t think you are sinning, how can you be forgiven?

What amazes me the most is how these so-called “Christians” react when you challenge their false doctrine with the Truth. If I didn’t believe in demons before…I sure do now. Their manifestations can be the ugliest ones, and the most hurtful.

I was praying for a so-called “Christian” brother recently (who has a marijuana habit), and I was later accused of witchcraft by him. I had also prayed that he would be released of that addicting spirit, so when he said this, my first reaction was to tell him about Mark 16:15-17. He insisted that he knew the bible, and that he went to church every week, so he knew what he was talking about. Hmm, really? What about Matthew 12:22-28? How does one who claims to be so righteous smoke weed anyway? Is it that the Holy Spirit is not in him to convict? I’m also reminded of 1 Corinthians 12:3. I knew that it was really the spirit in him that didn’t like what I was saying, but had he known the Word of God, he would have been able to receive his deliverance. Instead, he chose to believe that I was casting a spell on him.

This is just one example of someone who will be destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Going to church every week doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car (props to Joyce Meyer).

It’s not my place to judge, but when it comes to fellow Christians, it is my right to stand against false doctrine, and error. Anything that would defile the Truth that God has so lovingly provided in His Word, needs to be exposed, and refuted abruptly. Had people been doing this as instructed along time ago, we might not have the problems we have today in the Church. Unfortunately, most people are too worried about offending others, while forgetting that Jesus offended pretty much everyone around Him.

I’m not worried about offending anyone, if it’s regarding the Truth. If you are offended by this entry, then good for you. Consider it a blessing!

Now go read your bible, and learn something;)

I found an interesting poll that was done by onenewsnow.com regarding what shoppers are doing this year to control their Christmas spending.

I started thinking about how out of touch with reality people can get around Christmas time. I guess if you have an abundance of money all year long, then it would be alright to go on a shopping spree. However, the majority of the people I know live paycheck to paycheck all year long, and then somehow justify buying presents for everyone they know at the end of the year. Why?

I think it all boils down to the fact that we know someone is going to buy us something, so we feel obligated to buy something for them in return. Then we have this massive chain reaction of gift buying. Sure, there are people that like to buy gifts because they are a giving person, but is that really the reason we have become delusional at Christmas time?

What if everyone just said, “instead of gifts for everyone this year, I’m going to give myself to Jesus. I’m going to do what He wants me to do. Maybe I’ll go spend some time with the homeless, maybe I’ll help my mom around the house more, maybe I’ll give more of my time to my children, or maybe I’ll donate more time to the church.”

God wants our time, not our gifts. Is it possible that maybe people also appreciate time more than material things? If you don’t have the money to give this year, don’t stress about it. There are many other ways to give besides swiping a credit card for someone.

If you do have the money, and you think you are giving for the right reasons, then I challenge you; give to someone this year that you know will not be getting you a gift back.

As honored as I am that my site is finally recognizable to spammers/bots, I don’t appreciate getting an e-mail every two seconds notifying me of a fake comment. For this reason, I have had to do the unthinkable…Captcha.

For those who don’t know what a Captcha is, it’s the irritating jumbled up letters that supposedly make a word. After you guess correctly, you get to post your comment. The cool thing about this Captcha is that it is from a website that uses these jumbled up words to digitize books. So there’s actually a benefit to this annoyance. If you want to know more, or if you want to get one for your own site, visit: http://recaptcha.net

First off, I really need everyone who reads this to say a quick prayer for my stepbrother who is in Iraq. A bomb hit his tank yesterday, but miraculously he was not harmed. However, this is an eye opener to how quickly this life can be over, especially for our soldiers in Iraq. I’ve been praying Psalm 91 over him and all of the troops, so please be in agreement with me on this. He just had a baby a few weeks ago, and she needs her father!

For the past few months, the death toll has been significantly lower in the war. God is hearing our prayers and He is honoring them!

Alright, so to make things a little happier around here, I have posted one of my favorite video clips from the movie Shark Tale.

And the biblical message is? The shrimp said it, “Have mercy”.

Even before I committed my life to Christ, I was somewhat of an eschatologist. I remember being curious about the bible, and every so often I would open one up, and immediately go to the Book of Revelations. Even when I was very young, the thought of a “rapture” was interesting to me, and I always felt like it was going to happen in my lifetime.

Now that I’m a Christian, I’ve been feeling like we are definitely in the last days. It seems that there is confirmation everywhere I turn, and it also seems like most Christians also feel like Jesus will be coming back soon. Could this just be wishful thinking, or are we really in the final hour?

First, there’s the “pre-tribulation”, “mid-tribulation”, and “post-tribulation” debate. I’ve always clung to the pre-tribulation theology. Call me crazy, but the thought of enduring God’s wrath doesn’t really appeal to me. I’d rather skip that! Wouldn’t you?

I read through the entire Book of Revelations last night (I usually just read bits and pieces), and I had a few revelations of my own. It was as if I was seeing the words with new meaning. Now that I’m a Christian, I have become a little more educated on the rest of the bible, and I’m more able to pick up on the sneaky little references that John uses. However, the intense symbolism still keeps the whole event in a cloud of mysteriousness. While reading, some other verses (not in Revelations) came to mind.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says:

Verse 51 obviously proves that the theology of the rapture is indeed true, and Verse 52 says when this will happen: at the last trumpet. Alright, I’m familiar with trumpets; there are seven of them in the Book of Revelations!

Acts 2:16-17:

This is right after the Holy Spirit falls on the 120 people in the Upper Room. Wouldn’t this mean that the “last days” technically started at that moment? When I thought about that, the idea of the rapture being “pre-trib” didn’t really make sense anymore. The people in those days were already going through tribulations.

I found an interesting website that believes the whole Book of Revelations is nothing but symbols. The author also makes a good point in the beginning of the teaching:

I never thought of it that way. While I like the author’s views, and I admire the way he interprets these symbols, there are a few things that don’t make sense with his theory. You’ll have to read what he says and determine what you think for yourself.

The main problem I had with his teaching is that it still didn’t answer the question, “where are we in this whole thing?”

As of right now, I feel like we are in the middle of the tribulation. I believe it’s going to get worse, and I believe we are going to see some of it too. As far as the really bad stuff, I’m still clinging to the idea of being taken out of here first.

The wonderful and amazing thing is that God is so mysterious when it comes to this part of the bible. Sometimes, I feel like it should be easier to understand. There’s a part of me that believes that God has blinded us for a reason, and I am waiting for that day when I open up the Book of Revelations and say, “Oh, I get it now.”

Every Sunday since mid July, I have attended church. It has never crossed my mind not to go since my home church, Church in The Son, is so awesome. I look forward to it every week, and even though I can’t get up early the rest of the week, I always seem to pop right out of bed at 7:00 a.m. on Sundays.

Today, something was different. My alarm never went off, but I still woke up. I was in the middle of a dream, and something jolted me at about 7:30 a.m. I was extremely tired as I wondered why my alarm didn’t go off, and I laid there and started rationalizing why I shouldn’t go. “I don’t have anything to wear, there’s no gas in my car, I don’t feel like pumping gas, the message probably isn’t for me this week, I’ll do some extra reading of the scriptures, I’ll watch an older teaching online, etc.”.

My body started to twitch all over, as it sometimes does when I wake up and try to fall back asleep. I thought to myself maybe there were angels poking me, and trying to wake me up. It sure felt like it, and I could hear the Lord saying to my spirit, “get up and get ready for church.” I didn’t want to though, and I decided I was going to fight Him.

I literally said, “nope, I’m not going. I’m laying right here, and you are just going to have to make me.” Now I know why He is called our Father, and we are His children. He knows me very well though, and He spoke this word (kindly), “Justin, if your enemy is working so hard to keep you from going to church this morning, than you should know how great the thing is that I have prepared for you.” Errr, He knows how much I refuse to let the devil win!

I said, “Fine, fine, fine! I’ll go! May the Glory be Yours!”, and from the moment I got out of bed until right now I have been blessed with the presence of the Lord.

So, why did the devil work so hard to keep me from going today? It was just as God had said. There was an incredible anointing on the Pastor, a heavy anointing on the congregation, and a special word from the Lord, that not only touched my heart, but quite a few others as well.

I even got there and back with my gas light on;)

The moral of the story is… Get your butt up, and go to church. God has something to say!

Unfortunately the “subscribe to comments” plugin that I uploaded on wordpress is not working. Users are not being notified when follow-up comments are written.

I’ll have to look into this more, but I encourage you to follow up with your comments the old fashioned way.

I’ll have a better story for you later…In the meantime, what do you think about this?

Well, this has been an interesting day so far. I was praying a little while ago, and I received a few things that I must share. First, a few phrases that came to me:

1. The world sees and soon forgets.
2. The world has lost its fear of God.
3. We have compromised our beliefs for comfort.
4. We should not be concerned with the world, because it takes away the concern we should have for God.

After I received these short phrases, I felt like the Lord really wanted to say something. He was actually responding to everything that I wanted to say to Him. I grabbed my notebook and wrote things down as they were being told to me, and I’m going to share it with you. It’s a pretty powerful word!

Says the Lord, “Do not be disturbed by the futile circumstances of the world. Your eyes should be on me! For if they are not on me, how will you know when I am coming? Truly I say to you that whoever does not have their eye upon me on that day will weep.

Turn now from false doctrine and all false teaching, lest you be handed over to the false teacher! Humble yourself before the Lord, so that He may impart the Truth to you. Many have not been after My heart, but instead have been doers of their own agenda. Remember My great commandment when those who have been fooled try to fool you. To those who have both loved and feared me, you will not see the terrible day that is coming!”

May this word from the Lord make a place inside you, and may it turn your spirit to the One who is worthy of all our praises!

Amen.

I was praying this afternoon, and I had a vision that I have actually had before. In it, I am joined with a large assembly of people, a number which cannot be counted, and we are all praising the Lord Jesus. The place we are gathered at resembles a giant stadium, like the Colosseum. As I look around me at the crowd, I notice that we are all made up of light that appears to be gold or platinum in color. Everything is clean and uniform. Then, the One we are praising descends from above in all of His Glory. It’s a moment of rejoicing, and I always seem to cry at this part of the vision. It’s an astonishing site, and it brings us all to our knees to worship Him!

Is this what Heaven will be like?

I watched Jesus of Nazareth tonight. While watching it I kept noticing something about Jesus that I have always known, but didn’t have the revelation of. That is, His caring for the lost. It’s amazing how He was more interested in the sinners, than He was with all of the religious fanatics/pharisees. The religious fanatics could not even see what was going on, and it was extremely painful to watch them carry on in such ignorance.

Even though I know the good news of Jesus Christ, there are always new things that God brings to my attention. Or new revelations that seem to appear, and take root. We have all heard the gospel so many times, but isn’t it great when we finally connect with our hearts, what we so easily speak with our mouths?

Tonight, I was really moved to look at the lost in a whole new way. My heart has really been softened in this area, and I was able to see more clearly the heart of God. I had these visions of stopping on the side of the road where maybe a homeless man was, and just getting out and talking to him. I thought of those bus stops in town, where the people look so run down and oppressed. I imagined stopping there and feeding them all, and laughing with them.

I don’t have any money to help, but I don’t care anymore. There are many ways to help, and I want to give whatever I can to this dying community. Jesus didn’t win the lost by preaching and condemning. He did it by making people who were cast out by society feel important. By spending time with them, and sharing the love He had for them.

Please pray for me to have boldness and courage from the Lord, so that I may approach these lost and demonstrate to them the power of our Lord Jesus Christ! I will also be praying the same for all of you.

Thank you all for your prayers. I have honestly felt them, and I feel a strengthening in my spirit that can only be from our wonderful Lord.

God is doing an amazing work, and I’m thankful for everything this season. I don’t feel the need to explain everything that is going on in my life, but in my last post I really needed prayer. I would rather spend my time praising and worshipping the One who is worthy of it all, then be down in the dumps with life’s circumstances. I’m rejoicing now in the fact that I can rejoice during these times!

Please know that my faith is stronger than ever (by the grace of God), and I know Who is in control.

I have had some powerful words from the Lord this weekend. On Friday, I had the opportunity to praise and worship with a ministry that had invited me awhile back. It was incredible and the power of God was astonishing! The pastor had said that from Thanksgiving until January 1, 2008 was 40 days, and it is going to be a time of testing for Christians. God is separating the goats from the sheep, and preparing His children for what is to come. A couple days before Friday’s word, Patricia King, from the Extreme Prophetic Ministries said something that really spoke to me in one of her videos. She said, “The Holy Spirit is a teacher, and when does the teacher not talk? During a test!”

During these “testing” times, I don’t think we should be locking ourselves away in our houses and not doing anything. In fact, now is the time to kick it into over-drive! If there is something God has been calling you to do, then start seeking ways to do it. If you need a job, start putting in applications! It’s easy sometimes to want to sit around waiting for your miracle to fall out of the sky, but I truly believe God wants to see us doing our very best for His glory to be received!

Again, thank you all for your prayers, and know that you will be lifted up in mine!