"Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" Judges 6:11-14

Biblical Hebrew uses a grammatical form called "s'michut". This form joins two words together to form a single word form. We have this in English: for example, a door and a knob are two nouns, which are used to form the word "doorknob", a compound noun. This form of joining nouns is found in Judges 6:12. The expression, "Angel of the Lord" is rendered, "angel-God"; (Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay); in modern English -- "angel-God". Then, suddenly, the narrative changes from "angel-God" to simply, "Yehovah". Here we see another appearance of God in human form in the Old Testament. The God-Man, Jesus in a "pre-incarnate" appearance. When Gideon was called to fight the Midianites, he felt inadequate, unequipped and the weakest among his brethren -- but the Lord called him "you mighty man of valor"! Isn't it always interesting how God calls the weak things of this world to confound the natural wisdom of the world [1 Cor 1:18-21]? And sometimes He sees right through their perception of themselves, and calls them "mighty" ! Gideon, in the midst of overwhelming circumstances, felt as many feel today: weak, abandoned by God, wondering, "Where are you LORD?" But when the Lord suddenly shows up to call us to be part of His solution, what will we say? What will we do? Because He knows who we are deep inside, and He knows how to empower the weak to perform His works for His glory. Brothers & Sisters, if you find yourself asking, "Where are you LORD?", you might want to prepare yourself to be the answer to the problem. Because He might just "show up" and give you an "impossible" commission, then equip you with the strategy for victory. Even you, alone, with the LORD, are an army that no enemy wants to face! THE LORD IS SENDING YOU!

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."2 Corinthians 1:20

In a traditional Jewish marriage, a contract known as the 'ketubah',(which means 'that which is written', in Hebrew) is signed be both the bride and groom. Originally, it included the price of the bride, the promises that the groom must keep and the rights to which the bride is entitled. The ketubah was the unalienable right of the bride. It promised that the groom would work for her, honor her, support her and maintain her in truth, but most importantly, that he would never leave her side all the days of her life. Unfortunately, these days, this contract is often broken. There are many who haven't kept their promises like they should. But each of us who know the Lord, have been given a ketubah of sorts -- it's the Bible. Within our ketubah, are all the promises of God -- and God is not a man that He should lie! Brothers & Sisters, we are His bride! Let's claim the many promises He has made to us and stand in faith, knowing that He will keep His Word! CLAIM YOUR PROMISES!

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."Psalms 51:17

The word contrite in Hebrew is 'dakah' which means one that is crushed to pieces. Paul wrote of being a 'living sacrifice' holy and acceptable to God. Being a living sacrifice means we often can walk off the altar. To be a continual living sacrifice we need to renew our minds day to day! Let your mind be renewed -- off the things which are worldly and onto those things which are Godly. When our minds are focused on those things above, on His holiness, His righteousness, His grace, and His mercy -- we realize that we can always be closer to Him! We understand what Isaiah meant when he said, "our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags before the Lord." When God provided for Himself the perfect sacrifice, His Son, 2000 years ago -- His heart bursted! His heart was cut through -- cut for you! God desires you to be a living sacrifice and a necessary ingredient is a heart that has been cut through by God's sharp knife. When you allow your heart to be continually cut through by God's Spirit, then your life will be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before Him! Brothers & Sisters, it's wonderful what God can do with a broken heart, especially when we give Him all the pieces! BE BROKEN!

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."2 Corinthians 9:7

A wise man once said, "There's nothing more powerful than the heart of a volunteer". It's so easy to get into the mindset that serving God is a chore, it's our job, our duty -- we give valuable consideration to our giving. The fact of the matter is that God loves a cheerful giver. He loves a volunteer. When I think of that verse, the first thing that comes to my mind is monetary giving, but God wants us to cheerfully volunteer every good thing He has so mercifully allowed us to have –- things we often take for granted -- our time, our energy, our abilities, our talents, our homes, our cars, our families –- all that we have – all that He has cheerfully given to us! Brothers & Sisters, let's make a point to volunteer some of these things to the Lord this week. Let’s begin to bless the Lord and those around us! IT'S TIME TO VOLUNTEER!

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone."Matthew 14:23

There were times that Jesus separated himself from the multitudes -- and there are times when we need to separate ourselves from our lives and ministry, and spend some time with our Lord. I love how Jesus climbed a mountain. It made me think of an interesting analogy. Picture the shape of a mountain. It starts out wide at the bottom -- the higher we climb, the narrower it becomes -- and the more we must stay close to the center. As we go even higher yet, there's less room to move to the left or the right -- and there's less and less ground that can be compromised -- the more focused we need to be and the less we can afford to be distracted. The higher we go, the less room we have to fool around! Whatever you may be dealing with, you may just need to separate yourself and climb up to spend time with the Lord -- get centered on Him and focused on what He's calling you to. Brothers & Sisters, God wants us to learn to climb to the top and focus all of our lives on His will! Let's take out some time this weekend to try it! COME, LET US GO TO THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD!

"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."2 Timothy 2:3-4

In Hebrew, the word for hardness is “kosher”. Interestingly enough, the word "kosher" also means "fitness", as from a workout in the gym. Yes -- it's a workout to serve the Lord in this world -- but God has called us to it! These days, many people are working out intensely to beautify and strengthen their bodies. A lot of them are obsessed with appearance and youthfulness. It has virtually become a religion to be beautiful and/or "ripped", and people are willing to make serious sacrifices for the sake of their bodily condition. Believers are called to a different kind of "workout" which can be equally or even more intense. Our "obsession" isn't with our bodies, but with our spirit. It is easy and "natural" to become caught up in the affairs of this life, even to adopt the worldly obsession with physical appearance. Yet our "workout" calls us to minimize the attention we give to worldly affairs, and to endure the hardness of spiritual warfare and service. Are we aware of the reality of the eternal life which belongs to us, and of ALL its implications? Our life in this world is incredibly short, yet filled with tremendous opportunity for the Lord and our place in the world to come. If we want to please Him, (and we ought to think about why we would), we will make the most of our time, and work out with the greatest spiritual energy possible. That will involve saying no to worldly priorities and concentrating on spiritual ones. Brothers & Sisters, if we have been chosen to be soldiers for God’s great army this is no small thing! We will increasingly disentangle ourselves from prioritizing worldly pursuits, and be seeking first the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. When we do that we have two promises: earthly provision for all of our needs [Matthew 6:23], and treasure in Heaven [Luke 18:22]. Let's get free from the cares of this life and get focused on eternal blessings! GET ON YOUR SWEAT PANTS!

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."Romans 8:37 ; "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."2 Corinthians 2:14

There is an old Indian fable which tells of a mouse who was in constant distress because of its fear of cats. A magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat so it would have no more fear. Now, as a cat, it was in fear of dogs. So the magician turned it into a dog. Now, as a dog it was stressed out in fear of tigers. Then the magician turned the dog into a tiger. Now, as a tiger it was shaking in fear of hunters. The magician finally said to the tiger, "Be a mouse again. You only have the heart of a mouse and I cannot help you." Brothers & Sisters, your problem is not your lack of capacity, resources, or strength....it is the condition of your heart and the attitude of your mind and soul. Through Messiah you are a conqueror and can walk in triumph over any circumstance revealing Him in the process. Never allow your problems to define your heart attitude or crush your spirit. Whether you are a mouse, a tiger, or a man, through Messiah your victory is assured as His aroma blossoms. YOU ARE A CONQUEROR!

"and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."Matthew 18:3

Hebrew is the only language in the world that was completely dead as an everyday tongue and then resurrected from the dead to become a living language after thousands of years. The founder of modern day Hebrew, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda was captivated by the idea of restoring Hebrew as a spoken language, which at the time was strictly a written language. According to Ben-Yehuda, language must begin in the heart of a child and thus trained his first-born son in an exclusive Hebrew environment. He believed this was a very important symbolic event for the future of the revival of the Hebrew language. He believed by training his child only in Hebrew that a complete revival of the language was possible! And thus started training children in Hebrew at schools throughout Israel. The irony is that it was children who were born in Israel, who went to school learned Hebrew first -- since the adults didn't know Hebrew, and it was children that taught their parents. There is a profound lesson in this -- as Jesus said, "unless you are changed and become like little children --you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven." If you want to speak the language of Heaven, you must learn it as a child would learn! Just as little children are open, believing, humble, lighthearted and not worried about the cares of this world -- so those walking in the Kingdom should walk! Brothers & Sisters, learn to trust your Heavenly FATHER -- and realize while the world's issues seem gigantic -- they truly aren't in His hands! He simply wants us to learn a profound lesson -- trust as a child would! UNDERSTAND THE KINGDOM AS A CHILD!

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down."Revelation 12:10

The other night I was in a debate with an atheist who had a legal background and the Lord gave me some interesting revelation about the tactics of the enemy. At Jesus' first coming his tactic was simply to destroy the infant before He could grow up; [Revelation 12:4-5]. After the Lord's death and resurrection Satan continued his direct assault by attacking the church through persecution which lasted through the first 3 centuries. Yet the faith continued to spread all the more in spite of the bloodshed of the saints, and when the devil realized he could not destroy the move of God physically, he switched his tactics to -- "If you can't beat them, join them!" His hatred achieved less success by direct murderous violence, so he adopted the tactics of a lawyer to win his objective. Now, when a lawyer is confronted with damning evidence against his case, he seeks to get that evidence cast out in a pretrial procedure called "discovery". The enemy applied this principle during the dark ages. Having placed his servants into the highest offices in the church, Satan substantially removed the best evidence for the truth by suppressing the Word of God, not allowing it to be read or translated into a common language which the people could understand for themselves. Finally, in the late 14th century the Bible was translated into a common language, by John Wycliffe, and through a handful of Christian pioneers and the invention of the printing press over the next 100 years, the Scriptures became available in the vernacular of the common people during the Reformation. Then the enemy reverted back to his original tactics, destroying the saints in the "Inquisition", where anyone found with the Word of God was deemed a heretic and killed. But in legal proceedings there is yet another tactic: when a lawyer realizes the evidence against his case cannot be suppressed in "discovery", he seeks to introduce a mountain of new information in an attempt to overwhelm the juridical process and obscure the truth by hiding it in thousands of documents. Doesn't this seem like exactly what has happened in our "Information Age"? We need to understand how Satan is working in our own time, and especially in our own culture. Brothers & Sisters, there's a saying I heard repeatedly growing up, with the acronym "KISS" -- "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" As we enter into a new year which will be flooded with exponentially more information, let's stay focused on the simple truth of the Gospel. Let's not allow our lives to be overwhelmed with too much information, but rather, simply "KISS" in the New Year! KISS!

"For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard."Acts 22:15

Many times, our unbelieving family and coworkers -- society in general, can make us feel small and inferior -- like second class citizens -- because we are believers. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, somehow, we begin to believe it! We become what I like to call "mopey Christians," just moping around, keeping our faith hidden under a bushel, feeling afraid to say a word about Jesus in fear that we might offend someone! And that's exactly what the enemy wants us to feel. But we can choose whether or not to give in to his foolishness today! Jesus said that those who follow after Him shall never hunger or thirst -- they have been set free from the law of sin and death -- they’ve been renewed, cleansed, forgiven, loved with an everlasting love! How on earth can we mope about that? Brothers & Sisters, we need a reality check. We are the head -- not the tail! We should be holding our heads high today and be ready to tell people about the great work He's done in us for we have been redeemed! DON'T BE MOPEY!

"And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."Micah 4:8;5:2

There are many who are not aware of the very deep significance of Bethlehem,Jesus' birthplace. Everyone knows that Bethlehem was a place where shepherds grazed their sheep, and where the Messiah was to be born, but do not realize that it was a town designated as the birthing place for lambs which were used for the Passover sacrifice. The Scriptures give significant details about this little town lying slightly south of Jerusalem. In Micah 4:8 we read about the "watchtower of the flock", or in Hebrew, "Migdal Edar." According to the "Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah", by Alfred Edersheim, a Jewish believer in the late 1800's, Migdal Edar was the location where the Messiah was to be revealed. This watchtower stood as a place of protection for the city from approaching enemies, but it was also utilized by shepherds to watch over the specific flocks from which sacrificial Passover lambs were taken. The shepherds who were tending these particular flocks were no ordinary shepherds. They were specifically trained by the Rabbis for a holy task. They had to insure that, as much as possible, every lamb was free of any blemish or injury, in order to be used for the Passover sacrifice. Since they were instructed by the Rabbis, they almost certainly knew of those passages in the Targums (Aramaic translations) and the Mishna associating the birth of the Messiah with "Migdal Edar". For example, Migdal Edar is translated in one of the Targums as "The Anointed One of the Flock of Israel." It is also written in the Mishna that "He spread his tent beyond Migdal Edar, the place where King Messiah will reveal Himself at the end of days." Brothers & Sisters, those shepherds had strong hints of Messiah's advent in the very town where they lived, so that when the angelic host appeared announcing his arrival, they responded immediately and went to worship Him. We too have increasing signs of His soon Second Coming. Are we also prepared to respond? Our readiness to act in faith and worship will show how well we understand the signs of our own times. With so much work to be done, let us stay awake and be inspired by the expectation of his soon arrival – for, just like those shepherds of Bethlehem, we truly were born for such a time as this! EXPECT HIS COMING!

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days."Hebrews 11:30

After spending forty years in the wilderness, the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land arriving to immediately face what seemed an impregnable fortress and an impossible task. Imagine receiving the instruction to march around the fortified city seven times, then finally be commanded to shout with all your might and sound shofars! It seemed like such a ridiculous warfare strategy...and yet, this time, they followed the instructions, marching around the walled city of Jericho and on the 7th day, after 7 rounds, witnessed the miraculous collapse which opened the way to victory. Obeying the voice of the Lord in faith was met with His supernatural intervening power. The object lesson? Do what God says, follow His instructions, putting your faith into action! Brothers & Sisters, faith that works is true faith, and it reveals the awesome God whom we serve! Respond to God's word obediently, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, and when He is ready your breakthrough will come! HAVE OBEDIENT FAITH!

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."Hebrews 11:1

A.W. Tozer had an interesting commentary on this verse. He said: "Faith is seeing the invisible, but not the nonexistent." We live in a world today that seems out of control -- yet the Word clearly tells us that God remains in control. When the Israelites were driven to the Red Sea their situation appeared impossible and desperate through human eyes. They failed their first test of faith when they told Moses it would have been better to serve as slaves then to die in the wilderness. [Exodus 14:10-12] Though they had seen His miracles of deliverance from slavery in Egypt, they failed to remember to encourage themselves with this recent history of Divine intervention. God allowed the "impossible situation" to test their faith and to reveal His glory and power! Biblical faith believes and stands upon the invisible reality of God's presence, power, and protection, in difficult, even impossible circumstances. People of faith keep our eyes on Heaven where the Lord's sovereignty over all earthly events inspires trust which is not based on what we see, but remembers how our invisible God has delivered, preserved, and protected us in the past. Brothers & Sisters, let's not fail the test as the Israelities did, wishing they were back in Egypt! There are times when life places us in "impossible situations" which our Lord allows to test our faith and to reveal Himself and His glory. Whatever impossible situation you may be facing, encourage yourself with memories of God's past faithfulness and blessed providence. You will not know from where or how the deliverance will come. But do not allow the "invisibility" of the solution to throw you into doubt or panic. Stand firm in what you do not see, and then, see the salvation of the Lord! HAVE BIBLICAL FAITH!

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."Matthew 25:1-13

This parable in Matthew 25 is a warning to the entire body -- be ready with your oil! Each of these virgins was anticipating the Lord's return; none were atheists, or non-believers. They were all virgins who claimed to be awaiting the Bridegroom's arrival. But notice carefully that only half of them were truly ready. In the ancient Temple era the Aaronic priests were in charge of lighting the lamp of God and keeping it burning. Their main responsibilities included trimming the wicks, refilling the lamp constantly with fresh oil, and making sure it never burned out. A clear parallel can be drawn between the Aaronic priesthood and the New Covenant priesthood of Melchizedek and Jesus. Both are responsible to keep the lamps burning! Brothers & Sisters, are you feeling burned out this Chanukah season? Then trim your wick by getting rid of the useless things in your life and diving deeper into His Word. Are you feeling spiritually drained? Then wait on the Lord and ask Him for a fresh anointing. Bearing the light of God is the responsibility of all true believers; you are the bearer of that light; so be reignited today and keep your lamps burning bright for Him. Let's be wise virgins, anxiously awaiting His return! TRIM YOUR LAMPS!

"What? do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have of God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."1 Corinthians 6:19-20

As I mentioned yesterday, Chanukah commemorates of the desecration of the holy temple of old, (just another attempt of the enemy to wipe out the Jewish people and the things of God), God's great grace and the rededication of the temple to Him. While there is no longer a physical temple today, the Bible declares that we, as believers in Jesus, are living temples of God. But we need to recognize that our enemy is constantly at work, trying to erect idols and desecrate our temple in various ways so that we cannot be used to glorify God. How long has it been since we cleansed and rededicated our temple to the Lord? We should really be be doing it daily! Brothers & Sisters, we want to be more holy -- more pure -- more righteous so that we can be found a peculiar people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, as the scripture says. Let's strive to be a people who shine forth the glory of God today! Let's pull down the strongholds and destroy the idols that pollute us! HOW DEDICATED ARE YOU?

"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication (Chanukah), and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch."John 10:22-23

Chanukah, is a Jewish feast of the dedication and for Jewish people all over the globe. Those of us who are grafted in through the atoning work of Messiah, we who know God, have an opportunity to see the deeper significance in the Biblical holidays and are not only welcome but encouraged to celebrate as well! Over 150 years before Jesus’ birth, a group of Jewish warriors led by Judah Maccabee, defeated Anticochus IV. Though terribly outnumbered by their foes, the Maccabees triumphed over the Grecian Syrian Empire. This led to the establishment of Chanukah -- the feast of dedication. According to an ancient Jewish legend, Judah entered into Jerusalem only to find the Temple desecrated by a sacrificed pig and an idol of Zeus. Upon seeing this, he immediately began to cleanse the Temple. Judah also found that there was only one cruse of undefiled oil which could burn in the Temple Menorah (holy candleabra which had to continually burn). This oil was only enough for one day but it miraclously lasted for eight days, just enough time to get more of this special oil made. So in memory of this miracle and the rededication of the Temple, Chanukah or the Festival of Lights has been celebrated by the Jewish people for over 2000 years and was even celebrated by Jesus Himself! Every Chanukah, chanukkiahs (the candleabra of nine candle holders) are lit. Each chanukkia has a special candle, known as the Shamash which is raised above the other eight. The word ‘shamash’ means ‘servant, helper, or minister -- so the Shamash candle is the servant candle, or the ministering candle, and is used to light all the other candles. It is the servant who is raised up and lights all the others, symbolizing Messiah, for us who believe. Jesus came and proclaimed that 'He is the Light of the World and whoever follows Him shall have the light of life!' The one who serves the Lord will be a light! The one who does the will of God will shine! The more we serve the Lord, and earnestly do His will , with all our heart, soul and mind -- the more we will shine with the light of God and so ultimately will we be raised up! Brothers & Sisters, let's strive to serve the Lord with gladness this season and light up the world around us! We may be small but a small light will go a long way in a dark place. BE A LIGHT!

"Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a shofar into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: When I blow the shofar, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the shofars on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!' " So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the shofars and broke the pitchers that were in their hands."Judges 7:16-19

When God called Gideon to lead Israel against their enemies, He wanted to show that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest armies. But notice how they fought – without weapons that an army would normally use. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness. This breaking of the lamps of clay holds a powerful metaphor for us. If we too are "earthen vessels" holding the fire of God – the Spirit of God within us, then a "breaking" of the outer man is necessary for His inner light to burst through. Victory can come out of brokenness. Our old life of self, often called the "old man", when truly crucified and broken, will give way to the release of the Lord's Spirit of God in our lives. The death of our Lord has broken the power of our self-life, since we were crucified with Him. Walking in that awareness brings light and victory. Brothers & Sisters, let the love, peace, joy, and all the fruit of the Spirit break through in your life. Your old life of Self has been and is being broken, as Jesus' victorious light shines through your earthen vessel this New Year. LET THE LIGHT BREAK THROUGH!

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."John 8:36

I know a Christian woman who has struggled with her past for years. She rarely thinks or speaks of anything else. And as a result, her life has just spiraled downward, despite all my attempts to minister to her. It breaks my heart to see. Have you ever tried looking in your rear view mirror while you drive your car forward? Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But this is what we're actually doing when we constantly think about our past as we try to move forward in the Lord! It's a surefire way to crash. Brothers & Sisters, we need to learn from the past, not live in it. We cannot move forward unless we stop looking backward and focus on the great things God has for us ahead! DON'T CRASH!

"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."Ezekiel 33:6

I heard an old story recently, about a man who tried to save the city of Sodom from destruction. He shouted and screamed, trying to warn them of their coming judgment if they don't turn away from their sin, but the people ignored him. One day someone asked the man, "Why bother everyone? There's really nothing you can do to change them." "Well, maybe I there isn't," he said, "but I still shout and scream to prevent them from changing me!" Sadly, our world today seems to be a lot like Sodom -- and the wickedness all around us is only increasing. We too must do anything we can to keep ourselves from being sucked in! Brothers & Sisters, the fields are ripe for the harvest and the laborers are few! We need to wake up from our sleep! Shout, scream, repent, whatever we have to do to get that sin away from us and get our focus on the task at hand, furthering God's Kingdom! SHOUT IT OUT!