Joel 2:28 “And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

While the ultimate fulfillment of this prophesy will take place at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ – it doesn’t mean none of these things shouldn’t be happening now.  This scripture also demonstrates that God uses all of His people…not just the young, not just the highly educated, not just the inspired and enthusiastic,  to forward His Kingdom here on earth.  We are all called to be salt and light…to speak God’s message, in His name and under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to those the Lord brings across our path. That means you could very well be the Difference-Maker  in someone’s life today.

I John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

This scripture doesn’t mince words…you either have eternal life, or you don’t.  You either claim Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, or you don’t.  In this wishy-washy world where no one wants to commit or take a stand, it’s pretty black and white…you either believe in Jesus and have eternal life, or reject Him and have God’s wrath on you.

Jeremiah 9:6 “You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge Me, declares the Lord.”

The world’s deception isn’t blatant…it’s a sly twisting of the truth that may ring true in parts, but in the whole,  is false.  For the causal listener, it sounds fine…but is it really?  The world wants to mislead, trick, and fool us…to lull us into a false sense of security that a loving God would never send people to hell…never judge people who go against His Laws…never pass sentence on those unwilling to recognize Him as Lord.   The world’s deception has been  a slow and insidious process…like a slow-growing cancer.  What was taboo for our Grandparents is now touted openly…what was considered risqué then,  is now in everyday commercials.  Our minds have been slowly desensitized and deceived over the years by a twisting of what we should believe today as “normal”.  But our God will not be mocked and soon all will stand before Him to be judged.

Proverbs 4:18 “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

Our journey with the Lord is just that – a journey.  It’s not a stagnant, or stationary time in our lives when we just stand still… waiting.  We need to be growing daily, pushing ourselves ever closer in becoming more like Jesus.  And as we mature, we become established, full of Godly wisdom, and able to further the Kingdom of Heaven. For just like that first gleam of dawn, the light of God will shine brighter and brighter within us.

Zechariah 10:1 ” Ask the Lord for rain in the Springtime; it is the Lord who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone.”

What are you asking the Lord for today?  Are you tempering your request based on your limited vision and emotional involvement or by God’s limitless vision and His desire to fulfill your  petition according to His will?  Ephesians 3:20 tells us, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…”  When you ask the Lord for something…don’t limit Him…for we cannot start to  mentally grasp all He can do and set into motion at His disposable.   Instead,  pray His vision into the situation…and then stand back and watch what miracles  God will do.

Ezekiel 33:12 ” Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it.’ “

God is a God of new beginnings.  For there is no one on the face of the earth that is beyond God’s reach.  If we but turn away from willfully deviating from the right path…our moral wrongdoing will not be judged.

But in contrast – every wonderful work you’ve done in the past does not entitle you to salvation if you choose to sin…for God is a just and fair God who judges by His own standard of righteousness.

John 6:44 “Jesus answered, ‘No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day.’ “

God sent Jesus on a mission of rescue…lovely drawing us to Him and saving our souls.  Psalm 91:14 says, ” ‘Because he loves Me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.’ ”  Jesus is still on that mission of rescue today…desiring  none to perish.

Jeremiah 51:56 “For the Lord is a God of retribution; He will repay in full. “

The Lord is a just and fair God.  To the Believer and the unbeliever He is the same.  To one there is reward, to the other punishment.  To one there is requital, to the other, retaliation.  Measure for measure it’s the same…paying back in full, in all righteousness… we all will stand before Him to be judged one day.

Isaiah 9:2 ” The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

Here Isaiah is foretelling God’s promise of sending His Son, Jesus, as a great light to all mankind.  As the darkness – the spiritual blindness increases…we as Believers must let the inner light of Jesus shine forth from us… And in doing so, allow  His truth to dispel the dark around us.

House Rules – If you open it…close it.

Hebrews 12:1 states,  “…and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  Don’t give up,but finish the race, for much can be learned during it.  We learn how faithful our God is and we learn just how strong we are.  So don’t surrender what you’ve started… rather, set your face towards the finish line and pursue with determination…for God’s goal for you  is closer than you think.