Wanted - Dead or Alive

WANTED: Single Mom who doesn't know what the next move is. WANTED: Dad who doesn't know how the bills will be paid this month. WANTED: Young adult struggling to find their place in this world. WANTED: Teenager thinking of giving up morals just to fit in with the 'in crowd'.

Ever heard the term, "Wanted - Dead or Alive"? Usually something you hear on a t.v. show about the bad guy. The law wants him in their custody... dead or alive, doesn't really matter to them. They just want the assurance that they have the bad guy in their possession.

Well there are two that want YOU! No, you're not a bad guy or a villan... You are a child of God. Whether you serve Him or not, He created you and you are still His child. But there are two that have you on their Most Wanted list. Yes, you are at the top of that list. It's not the FBI, America's most wanted, etc. It is God and Satan... and the reward is far more valuable to both of them than money... their reward will be your soul.

Let's look at both here:

The devil wants you... BAD. He will try to trick you and make you slip and fall. He will make your life a mess. He wants you to give up, he wants you run from your problems. He wants you to face the same problems over and over, continually struggling to find peace and some kind of relief from your burdens, but never succeeding. He wants you to face the same situations... everything the same except the names and faces of people involved. He wants you to give up and waste away to absolutely nothing.

Jesus wants you too... even more than the devil. Jesus died for you... what has Satan done for you? God will take you just as you are (dead or alive). You feel like you can't go on, feel like you can't take another step, feel as if you're already dead... Whatever the situation, whatever the struggle or pain, Jesus will take you and wipe all your tears away. He will take the pain, the struggle and make you brand new. Jesus wants to enter your life and come into your heart and change your life for the better.

In a sense, you are the cowboy riding off into the distance. You're being chased by two things here... one good and one evil. You're a wanted man (or woman). The difference between you and the cowboy in westerns is that you have a choice who catches you.

You can go the way of the world and be caught by the enemy. You can give up and just be shot down off your horse, be beaten down and left for dead... OR, you can hold on tight to the reins, give a shout and ride hard. Through the darkest night, through the struggle and through the situations you face. You can take the hand of Jesus, put your trust in Him and watch Him take care of the enemy.

One thing is for certain, YOU ARE WANTED! Dead or Alive. The choice is yours so which will you be? Will you die in your sin or die to your sin? Will you live for God or away from Him?

Sometimes this life gets hard, but it doesn't have to be the same ways as before. You can have peace, you can have it better. There is one who can change your life for good. Jesus can and will take you under His wing, take your burdens, your pain, and your whole life; turn it around and make you a brand new creature... if you'll only let Him.

The choice is yours. You will be caught eventually, but you have the choice of who catches you. Make the right turns as you ride through your storm. Remember you are a wanted individual... Dead or Alive... which will you be in the end?

J.H.

It's My Life

IT'S MY LIFE!!!! I hear that a lot... I have this habit of trying to figure people out. I find myself eavesdropping on people's conversations. I just can't help myself sometimes. Don't get me wrong, it's not a hobby or anything, what usually happens is without warning I find myself listening into a conversation of people I've never seen or met before. Most of the time they're talking about a problem they have, or some big event coming up that stresses them out, etc.

For some reason, those discussions I listen in on seem to end with the people actually talking to me. I do think God puts people in our path for a reason and I always try to bring Jesus in a conversation when I meet new people.

Something I hear quite often is the phrase, 'It's my life'. Well, technically it is our life to live and to do what we want... but think about it; who gave us life? Who breathed into a man's lungs and created life? God right...? So if He is the lifegiver, is it really truly our lives?

To me, my life belongs to God. He gave me life and then gave me the promise of eternal life, so the least I can do is live this life for Him... to be totally sold out to Jesus is the very least I could do for all that He's done for me.

I'm just a man and I do make mistakes, but I wonder if after Jesus saving us from our sin, does it hurt Him when we sin? Does it break His heart when we turn our backs on Him?

I for one am puposing in my heart to be even more sold out to God than ever before. He died for me, so the least I can do is to live for Him. I will reject all I am and all my earthly desires, because He did the same for me. I'm sure as a man Jesus didn't actually want to die, says so in the Bible, but He put His desires and hopes aside... just for me and you.

It's easy for us... Jesus had to actually die, but all we have to do is to die to our sin. Crucify the flesh and live in Christ. Like the Word says, 'To live is Christ, but to die is gain'

I have a new outlook about life in general... I want God's will, not mine. His ways are far above mine, He knows what's best, and will never lead me wrong.

This is NOT my life.

J.H.

A Thiefs Perspective

A Good Friday to all out there... I have something on my heart for this day and for this Sunday on which we celebrate one the most beautiful events in history we call Easter.

The man Christ Jesus was a perfect man. He came to earth, obeyed everything that the Father told Him to do. The only man that knew no sin. We all know the story... Jesus walked this earth and did no wrong, but still he was crucified. He died so that we could live. On the cross there were two men beside Him. Thieves, sinners. I want to share something that God gave me about this...

In a sense, we are the two thieves. We can choose to be like the one that said, ‘save yourself and us’ Selfish, didn’t really care if He was actually the Messiah, he just wanted to be saved… his own gain was more important than anything at that moment. On the other hand, we could be like the other thief, the one that said ‘remember me’. On the cross, Jesus looked at the second thief and said, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’.

Now think about this, Jesus hanging on the cross… arms stretched out wide. One arm toward the second thief that knew he deserved to be there, and one arm toward the first thief that was only looking out for his own goodwill.

You see, Jesus Christ died for each and every one of us. He was beaten and bruised for us, took an undeserved punishment so that we could be saved.

The two thieves represent you and me. They saw the situation from two different angles. We can be like the first and think that we don’t deserve what life brings us, cry out and blame God for the mess the we created, saying 'if you're really there SAVE ME'! OR… we could be like that second thief. The one who realized that he is a sinner, he deserved to die, he knew that he should be punished for what he’d done. He also knew that Jesus did nothing wrong and just asked one thing, to be remembered. One humble question, gained him paradise!

But one thing still makes me think differently about this… the two men beside Jesus were saying two different things. In a sense, one was still in his sin just asking to be bailed out one more time, the other just asked to be remembered (forgiven). But still, Jesus had His arms stretched out to both men.

Whether we choose to stay in our sin and live for ourselves, or choose to surrender and live for Him, Jesus still has His arms stretched out wide for us. He died so that we could live… there is no greater love.

On this Good Friday, will you choose to be the first thief that stays in sin and blames everything and everyone else for your problems and misses an opportunity to be saved? Or will you be the second thief, who realizes that you’re nothing without Jesus Christ. He is our only hope, our strength, our salvation. Without Him, we are nothing.

Praise the Lord, Jesus died for us… but three days later, He rose himself from the grave! Death has no sting, the grave has no victory… Jesus is alive and waiting for you to come to Him. He died for us, we all should live for Him.

Which thief will you be?

J.H.

The Keeper

I heard a very disturbing thing recently... A radio station played a part of a call that came in on a late show. It was a girl battling a feeling of oppression. She began talking with the host and told him about how she felt everyday. How she hears voices and just has to do what those voices tell her to do; cut herself, lash out against family and friends, etc.

When the host began to tell her about Jesus, a low, growling voice came over the airways. The young lady started crying, asking 'What's happening?' The scruffy voice started to speak... said things to the host like, 'you can't have her' and 'she is ours'.

The host happened to be a firm believer in Jesus Christ and was well prepared for this call. He asked the voice his name and it replied, 'I'm The Keeper'. As soon as the host heard what the voice called himself, he demanded in the name of Jesus that he be silet.

He rebuked the spirit and quoted scripture to the young lady... Psalm 121: 5, 7 The Lord is the keeper; the Lord is the shade on your right hand. 7: The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

When the demon heard what the Word of God said, HE HAD TO LEAVE!!! Praise God!

Verse 1-2 of that passage of scripture says, I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2: My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

Jesus will preserve your soul! Nothing formed against you shall prosper!

You may be in your darkest night, but lift up your eyes unto Him! He knows every tear you've cried, every prayer you've prayed... He never left you and He never will. When your strength is gone, when you don't know what else to do, lift your eyes and see that your help is on the way!

The Lord will preserve your going out and coming in from this moment forward, and even forever!!!

J.H.

Disguises of Sin

Some things in this world can be very appealing. Peaople, places, and things can be attractive to us and lure us into something we never wanted. It's called sin...

It wears many faces. Sin can make itself very appealing to our natural eye. If we're just looking with our human eyes, then we can see sin or even the action it involves as harmless and even want it. But there's a saying that I've heard and try to live by... Sin = DEATH!

If we could only see sin for what it really is... there are those who try to justify whatever they're doing as, 'not that bad' or 'just a little thing that doesn't really matter'. But sin is sin... there's no big or little sin in God's eyes, and again, SIN = DEATH!

Sin will take you much farther than you want to go and will keep you much longer than you want to stay. People try to justify there actions and try to make themselves feel better about it... but here is a simple statement that should clarify some things... If it's in the Bible, and you disobey it, IT'S SIN! Pretty plan and simple, but true.

Don't see whatever you're doing as something that you feel bad for a little while and then it goes away, see it as death. If we have an outlook that tells us 'sin will take us to hell' then I bet we wouldn't try to justify things as much.

The enemy has a counterfeit for almost everything... one example in the old testament, Exodus to be precise, Moses & Aaron threw down there rods and they became serpents and Pharaoh's magicians did likewise... the Bible said they did it by their enchantments... In other words, it wasn't the power of God, it was, in a sense, a disguise.

Sin wears many faces... it makes itself look harmless and can even look like the real thing. If we would only live by what the Bible says and nothing else, there would be a lot less falling into sin.

Friends, SIN = DEATH! Plain & simple. Don't fall into the devil's traps. Be on your gaurd and stand firm on the Word of God... It says in Mt 7 to beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits.

Always be on your guard... watch out of the wolves in sheeps clothing, inspect the fruits, and do not be fooled by the disguises of sin.

J.H.

Choices

Lost inside a world of sin now way to break free. You feel the pain, you think of the "what if's" you can't understand how it all came to this. A place where you don't even recognize yourself anymore... Trying to figure out who you really are, but something is blinding you to reality. You push & pull, sruggling to break free, you reach for something, anything that would help. Your friends are long gone, deserting you to live in your misery. You were done with this lifestyle long ago, but little did you know that when you had enough, it was only just beginning.

What is this, you may ask... How can a person end up in this situation... SIN! Plain simple... SIN! It takes you farther than you want to go keeps you longer than you want to stay. When you've had enough, it's only the beginning with sin.

There is a way to escape this fate. The way is straight narrow, it may not be easy at times, but has eternal rewards. Choose to follow Jesus Christ. His way is the only way to make heaven your home. Sin has absolutely nothing to offer you. You may choose to go the way of the world, but you will only enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

When you feel like your trapped in a world of sin, your all alone left for dead, reach up grab the Father's hand. He's reaching down for you, waiting for you to make the choice to follow Him.

There's a spirit of rebellion in our world today. Our generation has closed their ears to the teachings of God. We're running out of time... Jesus is soon to return. What choice will you make?

J.H.

Infected

What is going on with our generation today?!? I see more and more people slip and fall away from God and the church. Little by little... slowly fading into the exact opposite of what God really wants them to be.

The question is, what are we putting into our lives to have this happen? It's commonly said, 'what goes into a mind, comes out in a life' A very well-said statement... what you put in your heart will come out in your everyday life. If you put bad things in your mind and in your heart, that's how you will live your life.

I sometimes wonder what people think... when Jesus is soon to return, some still choose to be infected with the things of this world and the things of sin.

An infection is a nasty thing... a cut on your hand can turn into an infection if left untreated. It starts out as a simple cut, but over time that cut can get things in it and make it worse... pretty soon you have a nasty infection, have to go see the doctor, get meds, etc...

Much like our spiritual life... one little thing that you try to justify becomes easier to do each time you do it. Just a little bad music, just a little bit of images on the internet... pretty soon, your 'little justification' turns into your life being controlled by your infection. The injection you made in your life when you chose to live away from the things of God has left you paralyzed... you hear the lies of the enemy in your head... is there a cure? Will any kind of medicine take affect?

YES! Instead of being infected with the things of the world, choose Jesus! Become infected with Him and His Word... The more you take a stand for Him and choose to live your life for Him, the better your life will be.

Pull the plug already... get bad things out of your life and become so infected with God that nothing of this world can touch you! Be like Job in the Bible... the devil could not touch him at first because God had placed a hedge about him.

You cannot do it alone... You must have Jesus in your life. He will protect you, He will lead and guide you... if you will only let Him. Do not die here in your current condition... it's not your time. It might be dark in your life, but the sun will shine again. Jesus will make everything alright in your life if you just surrender to Him... become infected with Him.

J.H.