GOD'S LAST NAME IS NOT GOD DAMN

  GOD’S LAST  NAME IS NOT GOD DAMN


"Thou shalt not take The Name of The Lord thy God in vain; for The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

"My Name continually every day is blasphemed" (Isaiah 52:5 )

"they blaspheme that worthy Name by the which ye are called" (James 2:7)

The story is told about a missionary in the Orient who witnessed a twenty year old native of that land, go up and bow before an idol, then he took a knife and cut his tongue out of his mouth and put it before the idol and right after that, he died at the idols feet, surrounded by his own blood. 

The Almighty God does want us to cut our tongues out of our mouths, but He does want it to be set apart for Him. There maybe someone who does not care for Billy Graham or for the Pope but I am willing to bet money that, their names are not used in a disrespectful way. Because we respect them and honor them because of WHO they represent. These men are not  to be reverenced but the One whom they represent is to be.  I am sure that if anyone heard someone "damn"  Billy Graham or the Pope,  the nation would be in an uproar, but we are not in an uproar over the disrespectful way the name of the Lord is use.  I am sure each of these men will tell you that they would rather for you to have respect for God, rather than for themselves, because it is God who is Holy and it is God who is sanctifying them each day.

The Jews had so much respect for the name of God that they made it a tradition not to even utter His name, but they substituted it for the name Adonai. They has so much respect and reverence for the name of  God, that they put a hedge of protection to keep them from using His name in vain.  

My personal feeling is, that of all of the profanity that is used, the word God damn is the worst of all, because you do not have the authority to make God damn anyone to hell. He sent Jesus to keep sinners out of hell and it is by their choice that they are damned to hell. The bible say that hell was created for Satan and the demons. Man through his disobedience chooses to go there. 

There are many glorious names that the bible tells us that God can be called, and God damn is not one of them.  We do not have to be like the Jewish people of old who would not utter the name of God for fear of using it in vain. God loves when we call out His name. This shows our need for Him and our realization that He does not want to damn anyone.

Try this one on for size the next time you are tempted to use God's name in a profane way, remember that He is Sovereign and He, not you have the authority of damning anyone. 

God's Last Name is Not God Damn, but for your rejection of Him, He can Damn you to Hell.

Good Friday or Black Friday

I've heard so many tragic stories about people who were assaulted on Black Friday. A father and his sixteen year old pregnant daughter assaulted an employee at Walmart because he could not give them  the product that they wanted. A father asked the customer behind him to hold his baby and when she did he beat the customer ahead of him because he was tired of hearing him talk. This really does sound like a "dark day" and a lot of people got injured because of it. Was it worth it?

 Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, this is when retailers offer great sales to start the Christmas Holiday. It is ironic that some people would harm others when they go out and shop for Christmas, which is the day that is set aside to celebrated the birth of the promised Messiah.  I'm sure if we could ask Jesus what He thinks about the way we prepare for His birthday, He would say, "no thank you".

We anticipate Black Friday all year. I ask again, is it worth it? I don't think that it is worth it, but there was a day that was worth it all. The only person that was assaulted was Jesus and He was assaulted for us. This day is called Good Friday. On Good Friday if you look around churches, you would not find a fourth of the people sitting in pews that was out on Black Friday. It is a shame and a disgrace to God that He would give up His only Son for us and we still reject Him. We claim that on Black Friday we are preparing to celebrate Jesus' birth, but what we are worshipping is an idol, because we have made Jesus in our image and we are guilty of idolatry (Exodus:32).

Do you not know that the retailers will get back double fold what you paid for those marked down items on Black Friday, but what did God get back when He sacrificed His only begotten Son? He received wretches that was worthy of death. This does not seem fair. Will you FOREVER  seek things that will only bring you temporary happiness, when God is offering you "the water that will become in you a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John:4:14). My heart longs for you to receive this gift. This is my only reason for starting this blog and now let examine the two Fridays.

It appeared to be a Black Friday on what we now call Good Friday,because with Jesus dead it was impossible for the long awaited promise of God to be fulfilled, then came Resurrection Day (John 20: 1-8).  You see on every Black Friday that we have had, it led to some kind of tragedy, but Good Friday lead up to Victory, because the Lord defeated sin and death, and that Black Friday over two thousand years ago gave us hope.

There is a Black Friday that comes once a year and people fight to get into the stores for the sales and there is a Good Friday that comes once a year and it leads up to Resurrection Day, no one has to fight to enter into God's Kingdom, because it is freely offered. Jesus said "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15). Will you please listen?

How Can I Find Comfort ?

A co-worker today told me about a friend of his whose nine year old son was killed this past weekend in a freak accident at his lake house. The family is devastated which is understandable. He said, "what can you say to someone in a situation like this?, I have not called him because I don't know what to say".  I ask you what can you say? How can you comfort a parent who has lost their child? Haven't you heard that parents are not supposed to out live their children? They are suppose to see them graduate from high school, get married and give them grandchildern.

Did you know that the shortest verse in the bible says that Jesus wept?  (John 11:35) Jesus was God the Son and He wept over His friend Lazarus, yet He knew that he would raise him from the dead. This tells us that Jesus sympathizes with us and just as He was moved to bring His friend back to life. He is moved to give this family and any other family that grieves life. Eternal life is what He is offering. When Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, he eventually died again, but for all who accept Christ, they will never experience death. Do you not believe that if Jesus allowed this child to die, that He is not a cruel God, but He will be faithful in comforting this family.  Jesus loved this child and He loves the parent and the little sister who is left behind to grieve over her older brother.

This tragedy consumes my thoughts, even this late at night. I feel the pain of these parents and the little sister.  I can say  to my co-worker that he can share with his friends that God the Father will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6) and for re-assurance Jesus, God the Son  promised to never leave us, nor forsake us.( Hebrews 13:5), and God is not a man that He should lie. (Number 23:19). I can say to Him, to be like Job's friend who was silent with him in his grief for seven days.

We as believers are to comfort others with the same comfort that the Lord has shown to us, but that is temporal because our comfort will not take away the heartache and pain that they experience, but God is the God of all comfort. (Corinthians1:3,4b) and He can take a broken heart and put it back together again. How do I know this?, it is because He did it for me, not once but twice. I do not grieve as those who have no hope, because I know that when my two daughters died, that they were absent from the body, but present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). I now await His glorious appearance.

Jesus: God or Just a Good Man? :: Campus Crusade for Christ International

Jesus: God or Just a Good Man? :: Campus Crusade for Christ International

Being Thankful

Have you ever watched the commercials around Thanksgiving time, where families are sitting around the table and giving the appearances of being so thankful for their families and for being able to have a big Thanksgiving meal with their love ones?  Everyone seems so happy. This is not alway the case for some at this time of the year, because of the death of loved ones. We look at these people and we feel sorry for them and sometimes we have the prescence of mind to invite them to our dinners, because we feel this is the right thing to do.

Believers do not want pity because Christ has given us joy in this journey.   He has also given us hope and a future and because of this we can truly be thankful. We are not thankful for the things we have at this time of year but we are thankful for Who we have, in the person of Christ Jesus.  This time of the year can bring about a lot of depression because of expectations and losses but we are to continue to rejoice in what we have in Christ.

For all of you who read this blog today, I want you to know the appearance is not bleak, because we have something to be thankful for and that is found in Christ. The First Thanksgiving celebrated by  Americans was celebrated to give thanks to God for guiding them safely to the New World. We believers have a World that this world knows nothing of and in this my brothesr and sisters you can be thankful.

I can hardly wait for the day that I can sit down and feast with Christ and my loved ones who has gone ahead of me to be in the prescence of Christ. I don't know if we will have turkey and dressing, but I do know that we will eat because Jesus ate with his disciples after his ressurection. (John 21:12,13) Those people in those commercial will not compare to the smiles that the saints will have when we dine with our Lord. Guess what? Our smile will be genuine, because we truly will have something to be thankful for.

I think the people who celebrated the first Thanksgiving had the right attituded, they celebrated and thank God because they knew that their new found country was given to them by Him. I encourage you, my brothers and sisters to thank God also because we did not find our new country, but it was freely given to us by God Himself (John 14:2). We as believers celebrate Thanksgiving Day on a daily basis because we have something worth celebrating.

Safety In Jesus

Last week I witnessed two psychiatric patients interacting.  One of the patients was crying inconsolable, which is not anything unusual for her, and the other patient was down on her knees with one of her hands pressed to the patient who was inconsolable forehead, saying "in the name of Jesus, you are healed". Later that day when I talked with the patient who pronounced healing on the other patient, it was obvious that she was mentally unstable. I was amazed that this lady who was not in her right frame of mind had the sense of mind to call upon the name of Jesus for a helpless situation. I am not trying to offend anyone, when I speak of mental illness because mental illness is serious and it is not a joking matter. I just want you to see how the Lord can reveal himself to anyone who makes themselves available to Him.

My question to you is, who do you run to when a situation that you are facing seems helpless?
In every situation of your life the Lord is available to you. Proverbs 18:10 says" the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe". I love the word safe, when I feel safe, I am at peace.  On the validity of God's word, He assures you that you will find safety in Him. Which would you prefer, to have what appears to be a helpless situation taken care of, and to only have other helpless situations crop up over and over again, or would you prefer to know that in what appears to be a helpless situation in your life that you are safe in the Lord's strong tower?

One of the ladies that I mentioned earlier, somewhere in her diseased mind knew that the only answer to that particular situation that she was dealing with, was Jesus. What I witnessed last week has made a big impact on my life and I want it to have a big impact on your life too. What I learned in that situation is that patient at that moment knew that it was in the name of the Lord that she could find protection for her friend. She had witness someone calling upon the name of Jesus and it impacted her life. Even though the waiting room was filled with other patients, she was not embarrassed to find shelter in Jesus. I side with her, I love a safe shelter.

Speaking of  safety and protection. Have you ever watched the series Criminal Minds?  Thats my favorite television show, everyone knows on Wednesday nights I am all about the BAU. I get so excited when the victim finally sees that BAU team, they know they are finally safe,once this team arrives , yet even though the victim may know that they are safe, they do not always have peace, because of being victimized. That's why it excites me so much more about the Lord rescuing His victims, because not only can He bring them to saftey but He can also give them peace in the midst of their storms. This is something that the BAU, nor fixed situation can do.  My challenge to you today is, to run to the shelter of Jesus and I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.

A Work In Progress

You can also follow Cerissa at her own blog  Naturally Reecee

I'm so excited that Gladys has invited me to be a contributor to her blog. For those of you who do not already know it, Gladys is my Mama, and she is one of the most godliest women that I know. And no I'm not just saying this because she is my Mama, but I'm saying this because I really truly know her. Growing up with my mother I got to observe different things that people on the outside would have never got to see. I've watched her fall down and get back up again. I've watched her be angry and still treat someone the way that would be pleasing in the Lord's eyes. So naturally we developed a bond where she became more than my Mama she became my best friend. Who am I? I'm Cerissa and yes I'm also a Christian but it is no secret that I struggle with trusting God in many situations. I have a personality where I like things fixed and fixed instantly. But whenever I attempt to fix the situations on my own they never turn out quite the way that I expect them to because normally it wasn't God's will for my life. I come to my Mama a lot for advise and she pointed out there are a lot of people who have some of the same struggles that I do, and some of them she said were in the bible. She asked me if I would contribute to her blog and I agreed to. We decided I would blog about different things I face and have questions about and within the same blog she would answer how it can all be handled in a Christian way. I've always heard that confession is good for the soul but bad for the reputation. But I've always had the I don't care attitude if my struggles can lead someone to Christ. So please enjoy and feel free to comment as we share with you A Glimpse of God's Grace.

Deal Of A Lifetime

 Deal of A Lifetime

I got the deal of the day at the supermarket today. Produce and meat was marked down and I got a steal. I saved at least twenty dollars on my grocery bill. Wouldn't it be great if you could save money like this every week? It's like getting something for nothing. I don't know of a grocery store that I could recommend, where you could get  your groceries for free but I know of a great place where you can get a deal of a lifetime. I went there and the supermarket does not compare to it.

God has given us the real deal in His Son, Jesus.  Now this is the deal of the day and it is absolutely free!!!  Did you hear me? Are you paying close attention? This deal is free!!! Here's what you need to know in order to cash in on it.  Romans 3:23 tell us that  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". This "all" means you, me and everyone who has ever lived, has sinned against God. Romans 6:23 tells us "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I don't know about you, but when I go to work, at the end of my eighty hours what I expect from my employer is my paycheck, which is the wages that I have earned. Likewise the wages that we have earned with God because of our sins is death.

God is such a wonderful and gracious God, even though we have wronged Him, what does He do in return?.  He gives us something for free, that does not mean, it did not cost Him anything, because it did cost Him greatly.  It cost Him the life of His Son, Jesus whom,  He raised from dead on our behalf. But, we benefit from it.  Romans 10: 9, 10 says "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Verse 10 tells us For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved".

That is the real deal of the day. No it is the deal of a lifetime!!! You can be saved right now, right where you are, if you really believe this, you can pray this simple prayer below. The deal that I got earlier today does not compare to this one that you will receive in Jesus. I still had to pay for my groceries even though the deal that I got at the grocery store was a good deal.  But, God's deal is much better because there is no money to be paid. It's Free!!! Something free does not become yours unless you accept it. If you are sincere and you  really believe that God has done this for you in the person of Jesus Christ, you can pray the prayer below and you too can be a part of the family of God. Will you pray this prayer and get the deal of a lifetime or will you forever search for deals of the day that will only last for that day?

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sins. I ask for you forgiveness. I believe in your Son, Jesus. I believe that He was born of a virgin, suffered and died for my sins but, arose from the grave and is alive and with you in Heaven at your right hand right now. I accept you Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I ask that you save my soul. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5b (ASV) 

When my daughter was a little girl whenever it would storm she would ask for permission to sleep with me. She would tell me that she was afraid and ask me to hold her. Of course I would oblige her. After holding her and feeling assured that she was no longer afraid, I would turn my back to her and attempt to fall asleep. She never failed to tap me on the shoulder and say "mama turn your face towards me". When I asked why. She would say: "because when your face is towards me, I am no longer afraid". Out of the mouths of babe. It's quite natural for a child to want to be comforted by their parent. And if I an earthly parent can comfort my child how much more can our heavenly Father comfort and care for us. There were limits for me during the storm in my daughter's life. I grew tired and sleepy. God never grows tired of us. Neither does He sleeps nor slumber. So if you are going through a storm in your life and you are feeling afraid. Turn your face towards Jesus. Never take your eyes off of Him. Jesus will hold you tight and cast away all of your fears. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace. (Helen L. Lemmel 1922)

Reverence The Word of God

Today I learned about Jewish scribes who reverence the word of God so much that they went to great length to protect it. During wars and times of destructions sometimes manuscripts were destroyed by the enemies. To protect Gods word and so that the pagans would not corrupt the Word of God, the scribes would hide it from invading armies. They reverenced the Word of God. In a day and age where bibles are plentiful, we take the word of God for granted.  In stead of protecting God word, we cover it with books, we will not take it to church or sometimes because we use it so little we forget where we placed it. Jeremiah in chapter 15 said God's word was found and he ate them and it became the delight of his heart. Jeremiah reverence the word of God.
God moved the Jewish scribes to hide His word so that it would be preserved for us, so that we too may learn how to reverence the Word of God. When we learn this art, we will then be like Jeremiah in chapter 21 who said "If I say, I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name, there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in , and I cannot". You must know the word of God to reverence it. I challenge you today to read it.

Thursday June 27, 2013 Glimpses of Grace

Thursday June 27, 2013 Glimpses of Grace


He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.  1 Thessalonians 5:24  (NKJV)



There are times when things aren't going in our lives as we expect them to and we grapple with the faithfulness of God.  Sure there are times when we can feel His peace and sometimes even  rest in it. His peace can be a solace for us if we would take God at face value. But we allow that great enemy known at the "fear of the unknown" to overcome us. Those are the times when we act like   the child who needs to get his parents attention and he says over and over again "Hey look at me, look at me."

Beloved of God, we don't have to remind God to pay us attention. He is very attentive to us. He was the one who put us in the Lamb's Book of Life. He knows that we are still on this earth because He has not taken us to heaven yet. God is actively involved in our lives and He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. We must take courage and rest in the providence of God. God is watching over us and He has His hand on us.

 Do you recall the arrest of Peter in Acts 12. Remember Peter resting peacefully peacefully in his jail cell, while being guarded by many soldiers. An angel woke him up, told him to get dress and then set him free.  The reason why Peter could sleep peacefully can be found in John chapter 21. After Jesus' resurrection, he was once again reunited with His disciples. In a conversation that Jesus had with Peter,  He told Peter that  when he would become old someone else would dress him and carry him around.

Did you catch that insight? Well on the night of Peter's arrest, I think he remembered the Lord's words to him. Peter knew that the Lord was faithful to keep promises and that He was faithful to carry out what He started in someone. Peter was a living witness of the faithfulness of God. That's why Peter had peace and could sleep in the presence of his enemies. Peter knew the kind of death that he would die. He knew it would not be in a jail cell.

What did the angel say to Peter? He said "get dress."  He didn't tell Peter to let someone else dress Him, but Peter was to dress himself.  On the authority of God's word, He can be trusted.  The Lord will answer our prayers. He is faithful even though when we are faithless. Each day we  get a glimpse of the Lord grace. It is something that we don't deserve but it was all made possible because of Christ love for me.  



 God's faithfulness is shown in strengthening and protecting those He has called, guarding them from the evil one, sanctifying them wholly and preserving them entire -- spirit, soul and body -- without blame at the coming of Jesus. This confidence of God's children in regard to their future is not in their faithfulness, but in His.~R.A. Torrey

I am in Bible College and about three semesters ago we began to study election and predestination. I have really struggled with understanding predestination. I am very honored that God would choose me to belong to Him but as I look around and see so many lost souls who are on their way to hell, I wonder why not them also. How could they be predestined for hell? I've have been studying the book of Romans for months and I have also been listening to some great pastor and what they have to say about the subject. Some believe in predestination and some do not but I am still unsure of what I believe about predestination. I am aware that this is not a Christian doctrine that will keep believers out of hell, but it is very complex. I may never learn who's right or who's wrong on this issue, but this I do know that I once was the worst of sinners and the Lord elected me to be His very own. I have been saved by grace and this precious gift I accept and I do say thank you Jesus. I do know why He did it but I will sing the praises of the Lord forever.