November Writing Challenge and a Personal Message

   For those who have been reading my blog in the month of November, you know that I tired and failed to write everyday on my blog. However, there is a positive outcome. In challenging  myself to write more, I did just that. I wrote more in November than any other time. So there is a silver lining here.
   In the days ahead, I hope to have more entries available. But there are no promises from me.
  I appreciate everyone who took the time out of their busy day to read my thoughts about God, The Bible, my relationship with Jesus and other things that may have popped into my brain.
  Thanks again,
William
 

Gettin people's attention OR Why can't people handle the truth of The Gospel?

Inspired verse: Hebrews 12:10(b)

      God makes himself know to everyone by his creation. Whether it be mountains, trees, animals, the ocean or people (the list could go on and on), God reveals himself in his creation. Whether we acknowledge this or not is the individuals issue.
    God puts that "Christian" neighbor who tells you about Jesus, but instead you ignore him because you think he's off his rocker and sounds too much like Ned Flanders, to reveal God. Or how about that nut that you chat with on Facebook who discusses God with you but you choose to dismiss his words as that of a crazy religious person. These are just a couple of examples of how God makes himself known to unbelievers in today's time.
   The writing is on the wall, people. JESUS IS COMING BACK!!! Plain and simple. I believe this with everything that I am.
   Why do people continue to dismiss God? If I knew the answer to that question, I probably wouldn't be writing this, but instead, there would be many more saved people in the world than there is right now. I believe that people refuse to open their eyes to the truth.  I was once this way. I cussed like a sailor, told lies that make tall tales look like the truth in comparison. I did it all. But he used people and events to get my attention. It didn't happen instantly. It happened over a period of time. I thank God for those people and life events that led me to his saving grace.
   My prayer is for those reading this who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior, that they will come to know him, confess their sins and pursue him with every ounce of strength they have.

The Holy Spirit Living Inside Me

 Inspired verse:Acts 2:38

Today's blog is short,hopefully sweet and straight to the point.

       How does one have the Holy Spirit living inside him or her?
       For starters, he has to be invited. Peter says in Acts 2;38 to "repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
  All one has to do is call on Jesus. He hears the words of repentance. Then one can experience the glory of his goodness. When this happens, he changes ones despair to hope. That hope then becomes praise for him and his glorious presence.
   i urge all who are reading this to call on the name of Jesus. Repent of your sins and ask him into your heart. It's that simple.

Jesus>than worldly things

Verse of inspiration: Philippians 4:8


   In today's entry, I am going to continue to write about keeping Jesus as the focal point of my life.
   There is a constant bombardment via the media for my attention on a daily, even hourly basis.
    What am I spending my time doing when I'm not working? I believe fun and games are fine, but when it blocks me from thinking about Jesus, spending time praying and reading my Bible, it can be a potentially dangerous problem for me somewhere down the road.
   I believe these following statements> If I am watching a TV program or movie, reading a book, listening to music or surfing a social media site that is not rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then I am willingly setting myself up for trouble or attacks from Satan. I have to learn to focus on Godly things as much as possible. This can be easier said than done if Christ Jesus is not guiding my every step.
   My prayer is that I will keep my attention on Jesus and not on the things of this world.

Eyes on Jesus

Passage or verses of Inspiration: Galatians 1 and Revelations 5


  It's all about Jesus. Everything good. Everything praise worthy. Everything God has made radiates his goodness. That is what God made man  to do. Radiate his goodness. Instead, we believed the lies of Satan and went and did things man's way. That's when it all went to hell. However, God sent his son, Jesus, to redeem mankind of his sinful nature.
   We are to radiate the goodness and love of Jesus Christ and bring glory and honor to him. That is man's purpose. That is my purpose. Yet, I get sidetracked by the things of this world. I take my eyes off Jesus and find myself immersed in the cesspool that is this fallen world. I fall for Satan's schemes every time.
  What do I have to do to avoid the sins of this world? Keep my eyes on Jesus. Pray to God the Father and stay rooted in his Holy Word-The Bible. That's a step in the right direction.

A Reminder of God's redemptive love.

Inspired passage: Acts 9:1-31


    The conversion of Saul to Paul is one my very favorite stories in all the Bible.
     It tells the story of how Saul, the persecutor of Christians, met Jesus on the road to Damascus. After his miraculous encounter with Jesus, he was left blind for three days. This entire story is told in Acts 9. I highly recommend that you read if you have never read it before or if it's been a while since you've read it. It's a wonderful reminder of the gift of redemption given freely by Jesus.
    Why do I bring this up? Because it is one of the most powerful stories of redemption ever told. If Saul can be redeemed by Jesus, then we all can. All we have to do is turn from our sinful ways, confess our sins to God and turn to his son Jesus for our ultimate redemption-the forgiveness of our sins. This story gives me hope and inspires me daily to pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
   I hope and pray that it will be a reminder of Christ's redemptive love for all who read this.

Focusing on the lies of Satan or Promises of God?

 Deut. 31:6


   Jesus is with me where ever I go. Sometimes I find myself walking in fear instead of walking in the confidence and loving assurance of Jesus.
   Why do I do this? Because I fall into the devil's trap of focusing on his lies. Fears placed in my mind from the devil are completely different than having the fear of God in you. Fears placed  in the mind by Satan are false images that have no truth. Yet I find myself focusing on those lies instead of focusing on the promises of God and focusing on the love of Jesus Christ. One such promise that we can all cling to is from Deuteronomy 31:6-"be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you." That is a solid promise from God himself. I must focus on Jesus every second of every day and not on the lies of Satan.
  Thank You, Father God, for your unforsaken love and promises that I can cling to throughout my day. 

How to love those you hate or Loving like Jesus.

Verses that inspired today's entry: Matthew 5:43-45,19:19


   I'm called to love everyone, just as Jesus loves everyone. What about the people who I don't love like my brothers and sisters in Christ? Am I to love them as well? Yes. Jesus has a ton to say about  loving others, especially one's that I find hard or impossible to love.

 In Matthew 5:43-45, Jesus says "You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven."

  According to Jesus, I have to "love" my co-worker who talks about me behind my back or another who plots against me. Not only am I to love them, I'm to also pray for them.

  I try to look at it like this-Jesus loved me so much despite all of my flaws and all the sins I have committed against him(and my future sins) that he died a horrible death on the cross for me and for you.

  In conclusion, I must love those whom I find impossible to love. How do I do this? Love them like Jesus loves me. Unconditionally and without limits.

Friends with Unbelievers

Verses that inspired this entry :Acts 26:17-18


   Yesterday I wrote about my brothers in Christ Jesus.
    Today I am writing about being friends with Unbelievers. I know the Bible has much to say about being friends with unbelievers, but I have to start somewhere. So allow me to being on a personal level.
  First, let me pose a question. Do I turn my back on those who don't believe in God? I say no. Jesus never turned his back on me, so why should I? I have two good friends who are atheists. Some would say to run far away from them and that you can't be friends with such people. Once again, I point to Jesus who was and is friends of sinners. We are all sinners. All of us. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have ask for forgiveness for their sins are referred to as born again.
I am called to be a light to a world in darkness. I am not perfect, but I do my best to be an example of Christ to my two unbelieving friends. I am called to pray for them daily and love them unconditionally just as Jesus loves me.
  What about the people I don't love? Or those that I have a difficult time of showing the love of Jesus to?
                                                             To Be Continued....

Brothers in Christ

Book that inspired this entry:Philemon


    I am blessed with many brothers in Christ. The list is too many to name. God uses these men to strengthen my walk with God on a daily basis, their love for Jesus inspiring me to seek Jesus more and more everyday. when I get off track, my brothers in Christ help guide me back on the straight and narrow path.
   The good Lord knows that I can be stubborn to my brothers viewpoints. These men are patient with me just as Jesus is patient with me every second of the day. Along with patience, my brothers provide  me with kindness and understanding. They get what I deal with on a daily basis and I do my best to give back to each of them in return. Once again, God has blessed me with tremendous Men who hold me accountable and I thank and praise the Lord for them. They know who they are so there is no need to list them by name. May God bless them all.
 

Thankful in suffering?

Scripture referenced or inspired for this writing:
Psalm 95:1,Matthew 5:12,Acts 5:41,1Peter 4:13,16

How often do I thank God for anything that he has done for me?
How often do I thank God for answering my prayers?
How often do I thank God for sending his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins?
How often do I thank God for the suffering that I go through on a daily basis? I bet that last question was an unexpected one. Should I really thank God for suffering? Yes. Want proof? Let's look at The Bible for the truth.
  In 1 Peter 4:16, Peter says "if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter talks about persecution for being a Christian. He's thanking God when he comes under fire for believing in Jesus Christ. In Acts 5:33-42, the Apostles were flogged for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and were soon released, ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus.(Acts 5:40)
 Verse 41 says "The Apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." So yes, even when suffering, I am to praise God. I will rejoice and be glad and thank God for all that he has done for me and all the suffering I have gone through for the cause of Christ because it makes me a stronger person in Jesus.
  That's not to say that I will never wine or complain when things are bad. I am a sinner who happens to be born again in Christ Jesus, living in a fallen world that chooses darkness instead of the light of Christ. When I start to complain, I must remember all the blessings of God. That is when the pain becomes bearable.


 

A Commitment for November

  Last week, I was challenged by a fellow writer to enter a writing challenge that would have me writing every day for the month of November. If you know me, I will accept  just about any challenge put in front of me. Whether you think this is foolish on my part remains to be seen. I accepted the challenge with no idea in mind to write about. Today, with God's guidance, I have found the forum to write about. This here blog, which I seldom ever post anything. I have challenged myself to read my Bible every single day for the month of November without fail and then blog about what God reveals to me. I hope that you will check back every day and see what God has inspired me to blog about. I hope and pray that what I write will glorify God and inspire someone out there to seek God and change his or her life for the better.
  Consider this entry as my first entry for the month of November and at least twenty nine more to go.
The goal, at least for this month, is to write every day. I like to set my goals high, so why not write about my relationship with Jesus Christ and what is revealed to me through God's Holy Word.

Giving up everything for Jesus?

       In Luke 18, starting at verse 18, a young man comes to Jesus asking "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"(v.18) Jesus tells him to "sell everything he has and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me."(v.22) But the you man could not do what Jesus asked of him "because he was a man of great wealth".(v.23)
      The question I have for you (and myself) today is this-Can you give up everything you have to follow Jesus? Can I give up all I have to follow Jesus? Give up my house? My family? My car? Cellphone? All the possession I have to follow Jesus? Yes, because I know that in return, Jesus will give to me far greater things than I'm already blessed with-a relationship with him, right here, right now and with in him in Heaven, for eternity.
 I end with some more wisdom from Jesus in verses 29 and 30. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them,"no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

On my own? or by the Spirit's leading?

    I know that God has blessed me with the gift of writing, and yet I do not use it to my full potential.
    I think that might be considered a sin, not 100% sure about that.
    When it comes to writing, I find myself paralyzed by fear. I know that's a sin.
     I am to fear God, not anyone or anything outside of him.
     There are two types of fear. The fear of God and unholy fear. I give way more attention to unholy fear and that I know is a sin. I pray that God will take this fear away from me and leave me only with the fear and reverence of God.
   I must let the words flow. My inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit. Words do not come by me alone. They come from Jesus, who lives in me. Some reading this might think this is a crock of crayons. Like Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
 When I do things on my own, they fall apart. I know that if I seek the Lord in all I do, that he will lead me in the right direction.

Questions II: Amazed by God?

Mark 2:12(NIV)-He got up(the paralyzed man), took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.
This amazed everyone  and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

When was the last time that you were truly amazed at something God did?
Or, are you not amazed at all, because you don't believe in God?


I believe that God is the creator of everything good. With man, everything is flawed. Everything that man has touched is flawed.

So I ask again-when was the last time you were amazed at God's handy work?

Questions I

 If one is to believe in right and wrong, good and evil and that the world is round instead of flat, then why does one find it difficult to believe that GOD created everything?
 Why is it so hard for one to grasp the fact that GOD is the creator of life?
 Why is it so hard for one to understand that it's not GOD who rejected us, but man who rejected GOD in the garden of Eden and then, once again when he hung on the cross?
 Just curious.

How sure are you about what you believe?

  We are all lost without Jesus. It's a simple fact. Argue until you are  blue in the face.

  We think we know all the answers and that we don't need God. We go with our day without a thought in the world that Jesus could return in the very next second. Some think of Jesus as a fictional character or someone  like myself, believe in with all their heart and all soul.

  Another simple fact is that we are all on the highway to hell without Jesus. Go ahead. Turn blue if you must. All we have to do is believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and confess that we (yes, even me) are sinners and to forgive us ( or me) of our (my) sinful nature and behavior. There are those who ignore the warning signs and mock Christ's followers who tell of his coming return. How sure are you that Jesus isn't coming back? Are you willing to bet your life on that? You won't be the first or last. people do it every day.

  Luke 18:8 (b) poses a thought provoking question-(me paraphrasing) When Jesus returns, will he find me standing in Faith or full of doubt? Jesus will come in a snap of the finger. In the blink of an eye. Will I be standing in faith? I must be mindful of living every moment that God blesses me with, to live for Christ.

   Call me crazy. That's fine with me. I believe with all my heart and all my soul that Jesus is coming back to take his faithful away from this fallen world. I plan to be ready.
 

Running on Empty? or What motivates you?

1 Cor.9:24-Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.


  What is the prize I'm running after? Who am I working for? God? or man?
   If I'm not focused on Jesus,then what am I focused on? Money? Approval?
   My relationship with Jesus should be enough to empower me and inspire me. I've chased after money and approval and it's gotten me nowhere but hurt,rejected and in debt. But when I turn and seek Jesus, he pulls me out of that deep dark pit of depression and leads me in the direction that brings him the glory. NOT ME!!!
  I pray that my focus will always be on Jesus. I want to be able to walk on water, strengthened and filled with Jesus, not treading water and fighting for my life every moment of every day. On my own, I'm just a worn out old man. But with Jesus, I have the hope and promises of Jesus Christ on my side.
But here's the thing-EVERYONE can have this. We all have to let go and let God.
 
 

Willie The Wisenheimer

     1 Peter 3:10 says "Whoever would love life and seek good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." Am I guilty of having a pointed tongue or guilty of deceitful speech? Guilty. Guilty on both counts. And what's worse? My "quick wit" can influence others in a negative way. What I say could inspire others to speak or act in the same way. I pray that God will cleanse me of any negative or harmful speech that flies out of my mouth.
   I am reminded of the passage from James 1:19-22. This pertains to me. I don't want to be one who "listens to the word" and in return, deceives myself. ( This is my attempt at paraphrasing James 1:22.)
God has shown me that I have much to learn. I must do what the Bible says.
  Willie The Wisenheimer must go away never to return again and plague the world with his pointed tongue.
  This is going to take some work.

 

Forgiveness for acting a fool.

  Today I acted like a fool towards my wife. I let my insecurities get the best of me. I though of myself and my feelings first instead of her. At the same time, I sinned against God. I gave into my anger.
  I write about this to show others that although I am a christian, I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be. No man is perfect except for Jesus. The much quoted Romans 3:23 says"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I mess up everyday. I sin everyday. When I do, I ask God for forgiveness.  Keep this in mind-Jesus died for our sins-yesterday, today and tomorrow. That doesn't mean that I continue to sin, knowing that i can repent and all is forgiven. I strive to learn from my mistakes and do my best to live a life of righteousness that God has called each and everyone of us to live.

The Truth.

 Why do people deny GOD? I don't have the answer.
 Why do people deny the existence of GOD? Again, I don't have an answer.
 How can I believe in GOD? How can I not?
  I am good at asking questions, but can I find the answers to those questions? There is no simple answer that I can give. I believe all questions need an explanation, especially where GOD is concerned. I need you the reader to believe what I write about. I write about the truth. I write about GOD, who I believe with everything that I am is truth.
  In John 14:6, Jesus says " I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The proof is in GODs Word. The proof is in Jesus' words.
   I have seen too much in my life, been through too much in my life to not believe in GOD. Everyday that I wake up proves that GOD exists. I don't deserve life, but Jesus took care of that for me on the cross. Jesus died for my sins and if I choose to believe in him, then I will have eternal life.
  I believe. I pray that someone out there reading this will believe as well.
  GOD Bless.
 

Where is Jesus?

1 Corinthians 1:8-He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 It's all about Jesus. Everything I do must be about Jesus. When I am not focused on Christ, I am off the path designed for me. I am not living with the purpose of Christ. If Jesus cannot be found in whatever my thoughts are set upon, then I must abandon those thoughts and focus my mind on Jesus.
 Is Jesus in the book I'm reading?
 Is Jesus in the movie I'm watching?
 Is Jesus in the words I'm writing?
  If the answer is no, then I pray that God will guide me to always focus on Jesus.

Choosing to Believe

  We all have an open invitation to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus.
   Yet, in man's unbelief, we turn him down and choose our own path. Why is it so difficult for a person to believe that GOD sent his one and only son, Jesus, to die for our sins? Is it better to live in our denial of the one who offers us eternal life? It's a choice to openly devote one's self to Jesus because we cannot see him.
   This brings Thomas,a.k.a."Doubting Thomas"to mind.(See John 20:24-29)Thomas doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. It was only when Thomas saw Jesus with his own eyes and touched him with his own hands that he believed. Jesus says in verse 29 of John 20,"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." One could read this and chalk it up to another fairy tale told. I choose to believe that Jesus died on the cross for mine and your sins-past, present and future. All we have to do is confess our sins, believe in Jesus and turn away from our sinful nature,living a life modeled after Jesus himself.
   What separates us from spending eternal life in Heaven or Hell is a simple choice. Man's sin nature gets in the way and makes this an impossible choice. For me the choice is simple. I choose to follow Jesus Christ. I pray that one day, if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that you will come to know him as well.

Praise and Glory belong to GOD

Reading and listening to the lyrics of the song Glory, written and performed by Common and John Legend, They write about a false glory, glory given to a man.
 They sing:
One day, when the glory comes
It will be ours, it will be ours
Oh, one day, when the war is one
We will be sure,we will be sure
Oh, glory, glory
Oh, glory.glory


There is no true glory to be found in any man. The praise and glory belong to GOD and GOD alone.

Psalm 29;1-2 says(1) Ascribe to the LORD, O might ones,
                              ascribe the LORD glory and strength.
                              (2) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
                                   worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
My accomplishments are not my own. They are made possible by GOD. To him I give the praise and glory alone.
  I didn't do anything. GOD did.

It's been a long time.

It's been a long time.
It's been a long time since I've written about anything.
So here I am. Back in front of the keyword to say that I'm ready to give this writing thing another shot.
 The question, I guess you could ask, is where have I been?
 The answer? Being lazy and very,very unproductive.
I have been reading. I guess that's something on the productive level.
I've been reading lots of fiction murder thrillers from the likes of James Patterson, Lee Child and my latest discovery, Terri Blackstock.
I consider all these books I've read "escapist reads". Escaping from my life into the fictional world of someone else. Whoever said that reading takes you places was 100 percent correct.
 I love to read about as much as I love watching movies. For anyone who knows me, that is saying a lot..
  So now the question is what am I going to write about?
  My passion is still in writing screenplays. Or is it a 35 year old dream yet to be realized?
 I don't know, but I am going to give it another shot.
 In the meantime, I will do my best to hone my writing skills by blogging anything that comes to my mind.
 Here's to a new beginning. I hope and pray that I will find a few readers interested in what i have to say along the way.
  God Bless and thank you for taking the time to drop by and read my blog.