Life is full of many mysteries, not to mention disappointments. Your past does affect your future. Things that happened in your past should not dictate your future. We all have had mishaps we had no control over, but thank God we made it through. If you had a hurtful and dark past, let it go! How do I let my past go? Look to Jesus Christ and ask Him to help you. Learn to trust Him. The experiences you have with God are life-changing. With the new birth, you're born again in Christ.

Christ is the mediator between you and God. You can not commune with God when you do not approach Him in the name of Jesus. Oh! you can pray to God as a sinner, but you must talk to Him about being forgiven for your sins and be saved. This is why Christ came into the world. When a man realizes that he cannot save himself, he must first seek Christ and accept His saving power (the grace of God). God is drawing you to His Son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The invitation and the grace of God are extended unto you, it is yours to accept or reject. You must become a part of the (family) Kingdom of God. Before there is a "You and God." Outsiders are without because of their choice. Having a relationship with God is a personal decision. If you miss out on being born again, hell is waiting on you. I want to admonish you don't wait until it is too late! When you become a part of the family of God, your relationship changes. It changes from you being the enemy of God to become the friend of God. You will have the privileges of a son and Father relationship. God loves you; He wants to be your God. Accepting Christ is accepting God. When you accept God, you must love Him with your whole heart. Jesus teaches his followers by saying, "If you love me, keep my commandments." God does not expect us to love Him, but it is a requirement. Then Jesus gives us (the family) a Word of security. In the bible (KJV), St. John 14:23, "And Jesus answered and said unto Him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." We are in God because of His great love for us. Your relationship with God is personal; no love, no God.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

Luke 19:10

"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Some people can not find their way, because of the work of darkness and evil. The Pleasure of Sin is the cause, there is no life in sin; but death. The message of the new birth is preached and the Light of Christ is in the world. In the bible (KJV), St. John 3:17­-21, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God." Your salvation is RIDING ON WHAT YOU BELIEVE! You must believe in the DEATH, BURIAL, and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. Christ gave His life and paid the penalty for the sins of the world. It's not what you do for God, but what God does for you. The Blood of Jesus has cleansed the believer and separated the believer from his sins forever. The GUARANTEE is (Christ) the Word of God. And Eternal Life is the Promise of the Father. Jesus said, "For the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." If a man dies in Christ, he shall live again. Be not decieved we are saved by grace and not by works.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

God has given every man an assignment and a certain amount of time to fulfill His will. If God sends someone with a message, it is His plan and not the plan of the messenger. Study God's Word and you will know God's plan too. Since we have an allotted time, we must do all we can while we can. Approach your work as if today is the last day to work. You can not afford to waste time. We must use our TIME, TALENT, and SUBSTANCE to the glory of God. Manage your time wisely! There are three types of servants, the OBEDIENT, the DISOBEDIENT, and the SELF­SERVING. The obedient servant knows when God sends you on a mission (work) to complete. At times you may be by yourself but you are not alone. The Lord promised to be with you. The obedient servant works to please his master and he finds joy in keeping the Lord's commandments. Christ is our perfect example. The obedient servant must set goals and work daily to reach them. Even if you are going through some hard times, keep on toiling. Your purpose is to lead lost souls to Jesus Christ and witness to a dying world.

At the end of the day (work), there is a reward. Every obedient servant will be honored by God with a crown of Rejoicing. The disobedient servant has an agenda of his own; Greed is his master. The disobedient servant knows what to do, but he is content with doing his own thing. The consequences of being disobedient are great. The Word of God reminds us that "he that knows to do right and refuses to do so will be beaten with many stripes." The self-serving servant who will not follow Christ becomes the servant of sin. When you submit to sin, destruction will follow. Death and hell are the rewards for disobedience. Disobedience leads to self­serving and selfishness will prove to be unfruitful.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

Thrill-seekers love the enjoyment of the moment. When the thrill is gone, there is a loss of pleasure. The pleasure of active sin is a driving force with consequences. Thrill-seekers are like gamblers; they love to take a chance. They love to win. They will cheat and go to any length to win. They become angry and abusive when they lose. They take credit when they win and blame others when they lose. Sociopathic liars will lie for no reason. They will lie to you and lie for you if necessary. Lying is their game. There is no profit in lying because the truth exposes all lies. Being truthful is a learned behavior. The life of a sociopathic liar is complicated because they have no depth perception. They are shallow in their thinking.

Lies destroy your accountability and make you untrustworthy. The real problem is when a lie looks better than the truth, don't be DECEIVED. When you know the truth and accept a lie, you become a part of that lie. Deception is the game of thrill-seekers. Don't be deceived by the flattering words to puff you up. Pride and rebellion will be your downfall when you think more of yourself than you ought to. Pride caused the devil to rebel against God. It caused him to lose his position in Heaven. The pleasure of sin will destroy your relationship with God.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

There is a story in the bible about a man named Lot and his family who lived in a city called Sodom. In the city, there was great wickedness. Two angels came to destroy the city. Lot received a warning to take his family and flee the city. The angels told them not to look back, but his wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Sometimes we take warnings lightly when we should respond with urgency. The disobedience of Lot's wife was careless. God can work the impossible when we are obedient. Lot and his daughters were delivered because they obeyed the command.

The Word of God warns of the consequences of sin. We must repent of our sins and be born again. Without repentance, there is no deliverance. Salvation is for the repentant soul. Deliverance is threefold. 1. God delivers us from the PENALTY of Sin. 2. The PLEASURE of Sin and The POWER of Sin. Deliverance brings a CHANGE to your way of thinking. A new way of life is within you. Pray and give God the Glory for the great things He has done.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

Fishing in a bucket is metaphorical for catching fish already caught. Catching fish is a skill learned through practice. You can find many reasons not to go fishing. It's raining, too cold, it's too hot. Excuses can keep you from catching the big one. You can't catch fish sitting at home.

You got to have a rod and a reel with a baited hook. Get some good tools. Fish are attracted to many colorers. Timing is a factor; early morning is a time to reach your goal.

In the Bible, Jesus chose fishermen to be His disciples. He used a parable of fishing as a way to teach evangelism. By saying, "I will make you fishers of men." Christ taught His disciples to lead people into the kingdom of God. You do not walk into the kingdom of God; you must be born into the kingdom. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be effective in our work. We are witnesses of the work of Christ. We must get out of our comfort zone and compel men to become a part of the kingdom of God.

When the disciples did not catch fish, Jesus encouraged them to launch into the deep. The same principle applies to us today. We must get out of the Church building and go out into the world and witness. Be Compassant, Be Concerned, and make Contact. You will reach your goal.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter are my favorite holidays. I celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving is a day I bless God for the great things He has done for me. Easter is the day I clebrate the resurrection of my Lord and Savior. The joy of the Lord filles my heart every Sunday.

There are two days not on the calendar. 1. Reckoning Day is when you must give an account (pay) for your actions committed. We must give an account of our sins. 2. Judgment day is when God pays you for your sins (debt). There is no court of appeals. In the bible (KJV), Romans 6:23. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." There is a prepared place waiting for you after death. An invitation to hell is open to all unbelievers. Hell is a place you go to and not through. There is an entrance and no exit. Seek the love and mercy of God while you can. Salvation is for the repentant soul. It is not His Will that no one goes to hell. Heaven is a place for the redeemed. Jesus Christ paid the sacrificial price that God demanded for our sins. We must prepare for the day of judgment. Make the right decision. Be born again and become spiritual. The great day of rejoying will be your reward.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

Do you understand the meaning of separation? Feelings and emotions are connected to separation. The best definition for separation is; to no longer be a part of something or someone. Death is also the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Sin separates man from the fellowship of God. In hell, there is no mercy. The lost soul is there for eternity. Death does not annihilate because the spirit continues to exist after death.

We must understand that there is physical death and spiritual death. No one understands death; we must realize dying is serious. The Bible teaches us to "Be ye also ready" because no man knows the hour. The only way to avoid spiritual death is to be born again. The new birth is spiritual; It is the operation of God. You must accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Christ restored man's fellowship with God. God's amazing grace is Love and Mercy in action. Without grace, we would all perish.

We must learn the things that hinder our relationship with God. Pride and lies are at the top of the list. God honors humility. Pride says " look at me; don't I look good. Humility says see Christ in me." Lies destroy your accountability and make you untrustworthy. Truth and faith will reconnect you. Separation is a choice.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

Don't be one of the people in the graveyard who said they could handle drugs; now drugs got a handle on them. Bad habits are hard to break. You are on a crash-and-burn course when you start smoking cigarettes, then use a little alcohol, and smoke a little weed. Then the hard stuff is next. When you start doing drugs the obvious is present. It's like getting up every day and putting your shoes on the wrong feet. Do it enough and it will become comfortable. When someone else sees it they recognize that you are wearing your shoes on the wrong feet. When you do drugs you only have three options. You can get LOCKED UP, CLEANED UP, or COVERED UP. Do you get the picture? Be exceptional, you always have options. You have a CHOICE. Ordinary or Extra-Ordinary: it's an ORDINARY thing to die and go to hell but an EXTRA-ORDINARY thing to overcome the enemy and accept Christ as your personal Savior and go to heaven. Being born again is Exceptional, but dying and going to hell is OPTIONAL.

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street

Sometimes life is so good that we don't have the time to do all the things we'd like to do. Then we want to set the pace, sometimes making the wrong decisions. Be sure to make the right decision. The game; is already set. You got to get in where you fit in. When you start to live in the fast lane. It's called (hurry up and wait); you are moving too fast. Speeding is dangerous when you travel too fast. When we were teenagers, we could not wait to get 21 and be an adult. Then life is not what we thought it would be, work, and life's ups and downs. I want to remind you that life in the fast lane is sometimes short and full of disappointments. Stay in your lane. Money and the things of this world are not the keys to happiness. Build some good relationships with family and friends. Learn to put your trust in God. Life can be rewarding when we make the Lord God our number one source. You can't go wrong with God on your side. Jesus makes life worth living. He gives JOY that you can't buy. Have you tried Jesus? Take the time to smell the Roses!

thunder the baptist

putting the Lord's business in the street