TRUTH or CONSEQUENCES

The heart plays a big part in our lives being lived out.  I am not talking about the physical heart, but the seat of our affections, our soul decisions, the part of us that responds to God...or not.  Jesus talked about the heart, a lot.  Proverbs tells us that we are to guard our hearts above everything else for it is the center of our lives.  In the Old Testament the prophet Ezekiel spoke that God would one day take out our hearts of stone and give us a heart of flesh.  What does that mean?  Simply, that life's hurts and problems can cause us to harden our hearts so we don't let anybody in who could hurt us again.  When our hearts are hard...we don't respond to God or the Holy Spirit.  God's desire is for us to keep our hearts soft, so they respond to love, His love.  Jesus told a parable that was repeated in at least three of the Gospels, the Parable of the Sower. Because it was told over and over we can assume that it is very important.  "One day Jesus tol

Remember Waldo?  A few years back everyone was looking for Waldo and hundreds of pictures were shared where you had to search and search to find him.  Sometimes it was easy, he just kind of stood out and other times you spent a lot of time looking and looking.  The reward...satisfaction that you found him.  In all the searching, his likeness was revealed to you. I use this illustration because so many people don't read the Bible...or say they don't get anything out of it.  But God in his wisdom has many "insights or revelation" about himself, and His Son Jesus just hidden away in the Word!  He is looking for people with hungry hearts to not only read His word, but to search for them in the pages.  Solomon told us in Proverbs 2: verses 1-5... "My son, (daughter), if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if

There are many in our day who feel this is an ancient book that has no relevance for our day. I have been asked many times, "How can you just take this as truth without any proof?"  We are our own worst enemy when it comes to trust.  We have been raised in a scientific generation where we have been taught if you can't see it, touch it, taste it, hear it...how can you trust it.  We have been taught to question everything...it has become part of our very nature.  So for me to say that the Bible is the word of God, you want me to prove it.  The proof I have to offer you is FAITH.  I have faith that this is the Word of God!  2 Timothy 3:16 says that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."  Yes many different people wrote the Word of God, but because God the Holy Spirit was breathing on them and directing what they wrote.  In the last few years I have been reading straight through the Bible 3 o

Is Jesus Aladdin?  That seems like a pretty silly question, but many people treat Jesus like He is supposed to be magical.  We keep him hidden away, as in a magic lamp, then take him out and rub him when we need help or immediate answers.  The truth is...Jesus is a person.  Not a genie. We have watched way too much television!  We think that supernatural means I should be able to get whatever I want or need, when I want it.  But Jesus does not work that way... He is interested in relationship with each one of us.  As I read the New Testament Gospels and pay particular attention to the life of Jesus, I see Him doing many incredible things!  He heals ALL who are sick or full of disease.  He calms a storm at sea. He multiplies bread and fish to feed thousands of people.  That may seem like magic, but it was not!  He was here on earth as a man in relationship with His Heavenly Father.  If you read carefully you see that He spent a lot of time in prayer...time alone with His Father.  He d

We live in a world that is struggling to decide if there is absolute truth!  Slowly, through the years, a thought has crept into our society that each one of us can decide what is true for our own lives. This is, in fact, one of the biggest challenges of our day.  I believe that the Bible is true.  God has expressed Himself in there, by inspiring men moved by the Holy Spirit, to write down His heart for us so we could know what is true.  The biblical definition of truth says "truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory and being of God".  It is the self expression of God! I have named this blog "Truth or Consequences" because we all have choices to make as to how Biblical truth effects our lives.  I can choose to accept the biblical standards and truth...or I can listen to what my culture and society say is right for today.  If I just do what ever feels good or what everyone else is doing, there will be consequences for ignoring God&#