Author: SPARKS FROM THE ANVIL OF LIFE

As it was in the days of Noah…

Jesus warned us that when He comes again, to take His church home, that the condition of the world would be like it was in the days of Noah (see Matthew 24:37-41). 

This passage, which is frequently cited by Biblical scholars, tells us that this will be one of several prophetic indicators to alert us to the Second Coming of our Lord.

This is what Peter said our world would be like in the last days:

2 Peter 3:2-10
New Living Translation (NLT)

2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.

6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.

7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.

9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake.

He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

Peter had just told us in the previous chapter (2 Pet 2:5), that God did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, “a preacher of righteousness,” with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.

So we are told here that “Noah was a preacher of righteousness,” indicating that he was a preacher who warned the people of his day of God’s coming judgment.

We can also assume from this verse that since Noah was a preacher of righteousness, that he was proclaiming God’s truth in some form to the people of his day; and given his godly character, we can assume Noah preached about the approaching flood and the need for them to repent.

Furthermore, offering the world such a warning would be in keeping with God’s character, since God typically gives opportunity for repentance prior to His judgments.

If Noah did warn the world, the world obviously chose to ignore that warnings, because the Bible teaches that the world was taken by surprise (as a thief in the night) when the flood came; and we know from the record of scriptures that of the entire world population, of that time, only eight souls we’re saved, of Noah’s immediate family.

The fact that the world was caught off guard by the flood does not prove that Noah never preached concerning the coming judgment. It only tells us that the world paid no attention to his warnings.

Obviously we can see that this is the same situation that we see all around us today, among our friends, our neighbors, co-workers and family, who also have a blasé attitude about all of this, and do not take it seriously.

Whereas Jesus said that “no man can know the day nor the hour of His return (Mat 24:36), He did admonish His disciples that they were responsible to know the prophetic times and seasons, for He said that the generation that would see all of these things come to pass, as outlined in the Bible – the first being the rebirth of the nation of Israel – that that generation would not pass away before He returned.

Matthew 24:33-34

32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

When I saw this video, this interview with this Jewish rabbi, I was literally blown away!

Torah Codes Shocking Evidence About Obama & Asteroid for 2015 2016

And then right after that, I received a link to this video, that I found equally amazing:

Asteroids, Meteors, Nibiru/Planet X & End of America 2015-2016 ? SHOCKING info:

One thing is for sure, truly we are living in the last days, just before our Lord returns to set up His kingdom in the earth.

Time is short and there should be a sense of urgency for everyone who has not yet obeyed the Gospel message, because when this happens, you don’t want to be caught on the outside.

Don’t continue to put off until tomorrow, what you should have done yesterday, because tomorrow is guaranteed to know man!

Today is your time to come and join this Grand Adventure!

God has a purpose and a calling on every individual…

If you are alive today, then that alone is the evidence that God has a reason for your being here.

However here’s the deal, if we aren’t willing to count the cost, in order that we may become a disciple (follower)
of Christ (Luke 14:28), to pursue after God, with all of our heart mind and strength (Deut 4:29, Deut 6:5, Jer 29:13, Luke 10:27); after having first obeyed the Gospel’s message, to have our sins forgiven and be born-again, then as per Jesus’ own words, nothing else will matter, because we will never even be able to see God, let alone achieve our destiny (John 3:3, 10:9, 14:6, Acts 4:12).

As born-again Christians, we must make it our mission and goal in lIfe to learn of God, by our total immersion in both God’s Word and Spirit.

We are now to become intimately acquainted with the person of the Holy Spirit, whom the Bible says is now our “Comforter.

The Greek word translated “Comforter” or “Counselor” – as found in John 14:16, 26; 15:26 and 16:7 – is parakletos or paraclete – meaning  the Holy Spirit is our lifelong Guide and Director from now on.

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us illumination and understanding in God’s Word and helps us to apply that Word to our lives, that we may gain wisdom, counsel and direction for our lives (John 16:13).

It is also through the Holy Spirit that we receive power from on high, that enables us to go out into the world and do the job that God is calling us to do (Acts 1:8).

All of this however requires that we have a teachable spirit and that we are willing to submit to God’s directions and instructions, as found in His Word (which is our “Operations Manual” for life and ministry); but should we choose rather to exercise our free will and go another way, in a different direction, apart from God, then He will find someone else to take our place; and we will have no connection with Him in eternity.

God has given to each of us the free will to choose, to say yes or no to Him; and so the choice as to whether we will ever fulfill our destiny and purpose in life is entirely ours.

In the following video, Daniel Kolenda and Reinhard Bonnke deliver a powerful and sobering message about the call of God upon our lives.

God’s purposes will come to pass one way or another. If we won’t do what God has called us to do, then He will find someone else who will do it, and do it with joy.

There isn’t a manufacture on the earth who ever created something, be it a product, a machine or anything else for that matter, and then afterwards tried to decide how to use it or what it’s for.

The beginning of every product is first cast as a vision or dream in the mine of its creator;

And before any drawings or engineering blueprints are drawn up, in the mind of its creator there is already a vision or dream, and a purpose for that product’s existence – be it a problem that needs to be solved, or some sort of remedy or a solution in order to meet a need.

As our Creator, God is no different.

Psalm 139:13-17
New Living Translation (NLT)

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!

Romans 8:29

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

1 John 2:6

He who says he abides in Him (Jesus) ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Ephesians 1:11

In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.

Come join the adventure while you still can!

God says to Joshua,

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Every day of our life we ALL are having to make decisions that will affect our future.

From the Hebrew biblical point of view, as they view the Scriptures, those decisions will either be leading us towards the light or towards the darkness; meaning they will lead us either closer to God, or away from Him.

It’s our choice which direction we go; either we follow our flesh, or we allow God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to rule in our life.

The Book of Joshua 
by Max Lucado

Introduction
May I describe a few battles?

Let’s say that you have a problem with a person—a rotten person.

A scoundrel who has taken advantage of your kindness.

Because of him you have less money, more headaches, and a bitter heart.

Let’s also say that you’ve got the goods on this guy. Caught him. Aha! Red-handed.

You can turn him in. Make a spectacle. Get even and get out.

Give him what he deserves.  But something won’t let you.

A verse from your past tethers your heart. “Vengeance is Mine,” says the Lord. “I will repay.”

Within you the battle rages. Let vengeance be mine, Lord, you pray.

Just once. Let me get even. But the Word won’t let you. And with time, you drop your fists to your side and just trust.

Here’s another battle.  Let’s say you have a problem with money.

Every month you just barely make it. Each paycheck is spent before it’s cashed.

If just one month you could get a break. Just some cushion. That’s all you need.

Poof, your prayer is answered. Unexpected bonus. An extra month’s salary.

Finally, some breathing room. First, pay off the credit card, next repay my sister, then get the bumper fixed and . . . uh-oh—my giving.

“Surely God doesn’t want me to give 10 percent of the bonus? I mean, I give every month. . . . Surely, He’ll understand if I use this for something else. . . . ”

But the words challenge faintly yet firmly, “Honor the Lord . . . with the firstfruits of all your increase.”

Within you the battle rages. One side says, “Believe.” The other, “Be real.”

Finally, a truce is called and a white flag is waved and a check is written and placed in the plate.

But even as you give, you confess, “Doesn’t make sense, but because you say so . . .”

Let’s go one more. This time let’s really stretch it. Let’s say you are a general. A general in the Israeli army.

Moses is dead, the Jordan has been crossed, the mantle passed, and you are wearing it.

God has promised that you will take Jericho. But as you look at the city, you have to wonder . . . the walls are high.

The people are armed. The challenge is great.  But God has a plan.

You can’t wait to hear it. “Surely, He’ll give us more soldiers, stronger weapons, mightier swords.

His plan must include this and more.”  So you sit and listen as God explains.

As He talks you are stunned, “What? Walk around the city seven times, blow some trumpets, and . . . . Wait a minute, God, this doesn’t make sense.”

The Book of Joshua is a book of battles. A book for soldiers. A book for people who would dare to win God’s way.

What applied then, applies today. It is the faithful who conquer. Those who follow the strategy win, those who don’t—don’t.
—

Certainly God’s ways are not our ways!

To follow God requires our absolute trust, that we willingly hang the total of our individual lives and our life’s circumstances upon His trustworthiness and reliability.

It also requires our absolute obedience and that we trust Him with all of our heart and lean not on our own understanding.

It requires that we let go and let God in every situation we face in life!

Come join the Adventure!
 

Jesus is inviting you to come follow Him… 

What does it mean to be a Christian?

This is where it starts for all of us:

Psalms 100:3
JPS Tanakh 1917

Know ye that the LORD He is God; It is He that hath made us, and we are His, His people, and the flock of His pasture.

Everything comes from God

Colossians 1:16

For in Jesus all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.

1 Corinthians 8:6

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.

Who is Jesus the Christ (Messiah– Anointed One)?

The original plans, purposes and designs began with God the Father.

It was Yeshua (a.k.a. Jesus, whose name means Saviour), whom the Bible calls the “Living Word” (John 1:1,14) and the “Light of the World” (John 8:12), who is also the second person of the Godhead, who goes out and implements ALL that God the Father desires (Col 1:16), and it is the Holy Spirit, who is the Power Source, that makes it happen and then holds it all together (Gen 1:1–2; Job 26:13).

Everything the Father desires happens  through Jesus

He is the Aleph and Tav, the beginning and end of all creation.

Romans 11:36

For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

So what does it mean that Jesus “saves?”

He presented Himself, in our stead, as a propitious sacrifice, on Calvary’s cross, to provide a covering and forgiveness for our sins, that we may be reconciled back into God’s family.

Jesus humbled Himself to become a part of His own creation, then He voluntarily out of His love for the sons and daughters of Adam, presented Himself for this sacrificial death; and He did so when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to help ourselves.

And the truth is, even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway.

We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice.

But God put his love on the line for us by offering His only begotten Son in sacrificial death, while we were of no use whatsoever to Him.

So why did He do this, you ask?

John 3:16-18

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotton Son of God.”

Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, by this consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of our being at odds with God in any way.

If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of His Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of His resurrection life! (Romans 5: 6-10)

What’s behind all this, and where is it going?

God knew what He was doing from the very beginning, when He purposed from the outset to shape the lives of ALL those who would, through faith, accept and love Jesus; who would also be willing to be conformed to God’s purposes, to be shaped and molded into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29).

Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the source of our creation, stands first, at the head of the line of all people everywhere; of all those He restored, who also have received Him, by faith, and have made Him Lord over their lives.

Through Jesus, whom the Bible calls the “last Adam” (1 Cor 15:45), we can now see the original intent and purpose which God the Father had for all of our lives, that we ALL should be can conformed into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29).

God then, through Jesus, fulfill His original purpose, in creating Adam, and He made the decision of what His children should be like, and then He followed it up by calling His children by name (Isa 43:1, Rom 10:3).

After He called them by name, He set them on a solid basis with Himself; and then, after getting them established, He stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. (Mat 28:20, Rom 8: 29-30, Php 1:6)

How do you not love a God like this, who has given so much for us?

Don’t you understand that it is because God is the Source of ALL creation that He gets to make the rules?

People often will get offended, when Christians proclaim the Gospel message.

They call us narrowminded because we say “Jesus is the ONLY way!”

We’re just the messenger’s folks, don’t shoot us, the message did not originate with us.

Access into heaven does not come by the will of man, for the Bible says, “For by grace you are saved and that not of yourself it is a gift of God (Eph 2:8-9).

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no man may can come unto the Father, except through Me!”

In John 10:9 He said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

What God is trying to tell us here is that our access into heaven is not multiple-choice.

As men and women of God’s creation, we don’t call the shots and we don’t make the rules; God does not bend to our wishes, but we must learn to bend to His.

Being a Christian is all about our learning to follow Jesus by faith, and our learning to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6).

Come join the Adventure!

This is so true…

Bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, all of these are choices that we make, that if we allow them to take their course, they will make our lives miserable.

We all need to learn to let go and let God, in every area of our life!

And this is particularly true when it comes to the subject of forgiveness.

I don’t care what the offensive is, anytime anyone starts to go down the path of unforgiveness, bitterness and anger, they are ONLY hurting themselves!

Give ALL your burdens over to God and trust Him to take them.

We are each instructed to put on the mind of Christ (Php 2:5); and in ALL of our affairs, here on earth, with Gods help and the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we are to exhibit the following attributes, as listed in Galatians 5:22-23:

Love – “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Joy – “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Peace – “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Longsuffering (patience) — We are “strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (Colossians 1:11). “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

Gentleness (kindness) — We should live “in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left” (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).

Goodness – “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9).

Faith (faithfulness) – “O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth” (Isaiah 25:1). “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:16-17).

Meekness – “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

Temperance (self-control) – “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Come join the Adventure!

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“People will admire you for your success, but they will relate to you because of your pain.”

Anyone who has been abused, emotionally, sexually or physically, as a child, will relate to this video and this testimony…

The Victor Marx Story – When Impossible Is The Only Way Out

—

It doesn’t matter how old you are, as an adult, unless you have been healed and delivered – by the Lord Jesus Christ – from your past childhood traumas, then that traumatized child is still there, very much alive, living inside of you today.

All those emotional scars, from your past, are still there and when under pressure they will manifest and erupt in your life through unforgiveness, bitterness and fear, which become footholds and strongholds of the enemy (Satan) in your life (Eph 4:26-27), in order that he might further torment you and make your life miserable.

Whether you will admit it or recognize it, all of these negative emotions are still affecting all of your horizontal relationships, with those around you, including your family; and it will remain that way until you are willing to confront all those demons and the fears from your past, acknowledge them and repent before the Lord, and then be set free.

You see what happens today, as an adult, when somebody touches those areas of your life that are still sensitive, there is inveritably an emotional eruption and outburst of anger, and it is that eruption of anger and all the past history that caused it, that God, if you let Him, will heal you of.

And the way you can know that you are free is the same way that you know when you have been healed from an old physical wound.

Many of us today are carrying in our bodies scars from injuries that we have received in the past, that were very painful when they happened, but today all we have is that scar; and even though the memory traces are still there, there is no longer any pain associated with it.

Likewise when you can see your past in that same way, and have someone touch those emotional triggers and find there is no longer any pain associated with them, it is then and only then that you will know that you are healed.

The first step is to be honest with yourself and then to be honest with God.

We have to be willing to admit that we have a problem and that we can’t heal ourselves.

We then have to be willing to admit and confess our faults, and
then through repentance, which means to change the way we think, we allow the Holy Spirit to come in through the washing of God’s Word and rewrite the corrupt programming of our past.

The truth is Jesus Christ is the ONLY one who has the power to change your life and make all things new!

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ΙΧΘΥΣ
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior
—
Ps 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

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We all, as Christians, will be held responsible for how we used the talents that God has given to us…

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Glorify God in Body and Spirit
19 Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Use the talents God has given you

Audio link:

“Use It,” by Bishop Noel Jones…: http://subspla.sh/7f20342]

If you are alive, then know that God has a plan and a purpose for your life (Jer 29:11).

By virtue of the fact that we are alive and have been placed on this earth, by God, it then follows that we each have been given certain gifts and talents.

As we read in Genesis, in the beginning God the Father spoke everything into existence, by the Word of His mouth (who is Jesus), and when it says that He created Adam, it says that “the LORD God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Adam became a living soul” (Gen 2:7).

God has placed a seed inside of every life form and plant that He made, so that it may produce after its kind.

He also has placed a seed inside of man, and along with that He has placed in man the ability that he might use his God given gifts and talents, so that man, having been made in the image and likeness of God, that we might also be a creative force in the earth.

None of us are here to take up space, and this is where it all starts.

First of all, it is up to each one of us to first obey the Gospel’s message, receive forgiveness for our sins and be reconciled back into God’s family.

Having now made peace with God, by accepting the propitious sacrifice of His only begotten Son – Jesus – on Calvary’s cross (John 3:16), we are now what the Bible calls born-again (John 3:3).

This means that each of us, through Jesus’ sacrifice and our acceptance of that sacrifice by faith, we are now given access and relationship with the one who is both the Source and Author of our lives.

It also mean that after having received Jesus as our Savior, we must now make Him Lord over our life, as He cannot be our Savior without also being our Lord.

It is God’s purpose and design in all of this that we each be conformed into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29); and that we be about our Father’s business, using our gifts and talents to spread the Gospel and make disciples of all nations.

Come join the Adventure!

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ΙΧΘΥΣ
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior
—
Ps 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

Sent from my
Samsung Galaxy Note® 3