The Things That Pertain to God, The Things That Pertain To Men

Man has always sought to circumvent the cross. In this story we seek to expound on in this journal, Simon Peter rebuked Yeshua insisting Messiah's claim He was going to be crucified, buried and rise again could be stopped.. Yeshua's rebuke of Peter shows us the dichotomy of the ages between the things of God and the things of men. God brings life from death. Man seeks life without wanting to die. Man's ways may seem right but they will eventually lead to eternal death if God's prescribed order of victory and salvation are not followed. We are called to take up our cross daily and follow Yeshua! That is the mandate on us all. Those who seek to save their life will lose it, those who seek to lose their life for HIM will find it.

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: Matthew 16:21-28  - From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. [22] Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. [23] But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savors not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.  [24] Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. [26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
 

Man has always sought to circumvent the cross of Christ. Over the past several months we have gotten a good many posts on our guestbook from folks who have came to Spirit Journals to study the Tabernacle of Moses. Many have mentioned at times there is a great dearth of teaching on this great important subject as it relates to our redemption and salvation. That is mind-boggling to a degree when one thinks about it. The book of Leviticus alone uses about 10 chapters to define and describe the tabernacle of old, which was a symbol of God's redemptive plan through Yeshua and the tree on which He bore our sins. Whereas the Lord only took two chapters in Genesis to define creation, He uses 10 chapters in Leviticus to describe the redemptive process. That should make us pause to see how important God views our redemption. Eternity is a long time friend. No one is exempt from it. We all have a date with it and the choices we make here on earth determine our ultimate destination once we die - heaven or hell.

        I have wished at times that the Lord would lay something else on my heart to write about. Writing about death is not popular nor a subject many get in the boat with you on. This is not a "mantle" or "theme" of our ministry. Believe me I could pick about 10 million better "themes" than death. But God's death brings LIFE. Man's life without dying to self brings DEATH. And just as Satan did in this text, he will always seek to take the church away from the call of the cross and to suffer with our Lord.

        Over the past 12 to 18 months there has been a huge light bulb that has gone off in my spirit man as the Lord has showed me this powerful work of Christ on the cross has always been the real source of power in our Christian walk. It's not the hype and craziness we see on television at times through Christian networks. I'm not knocking any particular minister or movement. NONE are without guilt including myself of promoting hype many times instead of promoting HIM. All the hype in the world will never replace the glory and the majesty of the price Yeshua paid for our sins. It may have not been pretty to the natural eye but that day, that fateful day so long ago when my LORD hung between heaven and earth and cried "it is FINISHED," is the day mankind's future was sealed in blood. ALL who would accept this great sacrifice could go free from sin. ALL who accepted this powerful act of love could walk free from Satan's torment and dominion. It has been the dichotomy between that which is false and that which is true many times. My Lord, my Lord. I just want to pause here and thank HIM for this great act of love that saved my soul. "Lord, we thank You right now for YOUR love and mercy to a sin infested world hell bound without  hope or a prayer for eternity. Thank you Father for sending Yeshua to be our substitute. To be the bridge between heaven and mankind with a clarion call "whosoever will, let him come and drink of the water of life freely." Lord, we LOVE YOU, WE PRAISE YOU, WE WORSHIP YOU, WE HONOR YOU LAMB OF GOD. YOU ARE THE SOURCE OF OUR SALVATION - nothing more and nothing less. WE BRING NOTHING LORD in our hands but FAITH believing in YOUR FINISHED work on Calvary. BELIEVING in YOUR grace and power to set us free from the penalty and the power of sin. Praise God, Praise God."

    It's a sad statement to make and one I've made many times recently but, the church has so drifted from the cross and in doing so we have circumvented the real and only true source of our power against the forces of darkness. When God gave Moses the Law and the great pattern of the tabernacle - He was symbolizing the great work of redemption He would bring forth through Christ. Redemption through blood lays at the foundation of ALL gospel preaching and teaching. It lays at the foundation of ALL we are and ALL we believe as the Body of Christ. HE is the HEAD, WE are the BODY. I'm having a hard time writing this because of the glory of God I feel all over me. Neighbor, I know the Holy Spirit is birthing these words right now. HEAR what the SPIRIT is saying to the CHURCH. We are no match for Satan with our stupidity and moronic games we play in church. A generation of young people on their way to hell do not need another program, another concert offer, another softball team, another church picnic - they need an encounter with the SON OF GOD who has come to set the captive free. He has come to break the chains and the shackles of sin. He has come to stare HELL In the face and declare His blood and grace is sufficient to save ALL HUMANITY from the worst drug addict, to the worst alcoholic, to the worst prostitute. I can almost hear Him say right now to the devil - "bring it on and bring me your worst - they will never be the same again once I'm through with them." Glory to God, Glory to God. My oh my oh my oh my. Neighbor I can't write the words I'm praying right now because they are not in English (SMILE) but the presence of God is in this room at 2 A.M. as I bring this journal to you.

        That is why we have so much false doctrine today. We have drifted from the foundations of our faith.

        Moses and Aaron were not to vary one iota from the design God demanded in the mount that burned with fire. There was a penalty from deviating from the word of the Lord. The sin of the world today is creating another God. The sin of the church is creating another sacrifice. After that, the Lord through Moses consecrated the priests and explained in meticulous details exactly how the pattern of the sacrificial system was to be carried out. It all portrayed CHRIST. They were to offer up "offerings" on the altar. When it was all done and the priests were sanctified and cleansed by the BLOOD and the OIL. The oil was to be put on their toes and thumbs AFTER the blood was applied, not before, symbolizing that the Holy Spirit can only be applied AFTER the blood.

            So many have a form of the Spirit in their churches yet it is not the Spirit because they have denied the blood. You need to hear that again. So many have a "form" of the Holy Spirit, yet it is NOT the TRUE Spirit of God. You see, wherever the cross and the message of the finished work of Yeshua is lampooned, laughed at, forgotten and ignored - "another gospel" always results!! As a result we find ourselves in rank heresy many times. The church world today preaches a gospel that does NOTHING for a hurting generation around it. The church world today laughs at the notion that it has need of a redeemer. Many say without hesitation - "but of course I needed a redeemer when I got saved, but we need to 'move on' to other things than that 'cross' stuff." Friend, "moving on" to other things may make us feel proud and arrogant as we think we're growing in grace - but if we are forsaking the cross of Christ and its message - we are backsliding behind our pulpits. Preacher, hear this man of God today. Preacher, I plead with you by the mercies of God that you point your congregation to the finished work of Yeshua at all costs. Preach the blood, preach the cross, preach righteousness, preach Jesus, preach Jesus, preach Jesus, preach Jesus, preach Jesus, preach Jesus. Preach the cross, preach the cross, preach the cross! PAUL SAID the "preaching of the cross," is the POWER of God unto salvation to those who believe. IT is "foolishness," to those who perish.

1 Cor. 1:17 - "For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to them who perish, but to we who believe - it is the power of God."

        After the priests walked out in the holy place as thousands and thousands waited outside hoping, praying the Lord accepted the priests' sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. There was no other nation like Israel who knew God raised up for the purpose of being the vehicle of God's redemptive message. The priests would go in behind the veil  once a year to sacrifice a lamb for the nation. The ark behind the veil, a replica of the throne of God. It's a mercy seat, not a judgment seat because of the BLOOD. The blind beggar cries, "HAVE MERCY ON ME," son of David.  He was experiencing the power of the mercy seat. He was experiencing the power of the mercy of God. WE today have one doctor and His name is JESUS. His diagnosis is that you can be free. His diagnosis is "homosexual," you can be free! His diagnosis is "drug addict," you can be free today! His diagnosis is "lady with a fear problem," you can be free! Mister, you're reading this and you are so bound by religious spirits that you have stopped enjoying everything around you and are actively working against the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ can set you free today.

        The cross is a mercy seat. If it were a judgment seat, we would not be here today. Man has a source of mercy. The crack of lightning that consumed the sacrifice brought the JUDGMENT on the SACRIFICE, not Israel. God's lightning bolt would hit us today be it not for the blood of Christ. The blood the priest sprinkled on the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement for Israel was a type of the shed blood of our Lord Jesus for us today. Be it not for the power of the blood on the mercy seat none of us would be saved today but be under the wrath of God. Friend, if you have not placed your faith and trust in that sacrifice then instead of God's mercy resting on you - His judgment rests on you today!

John 3:35-36 - The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand; He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the WRATH of God abides on him.

         The scene at this fateful day would make one sick to be frank. The sacrifice on the altar, a lamb's carcass, the skin pulled from the torso, organs laying beside it, was a gruesome sight, a bloody site. The priests offered up 250,000 lambs the week of Passion week, so much blood it would slush through their shoes. Calvary was not a play thing. The Cross was not fun and games. It was not entertainment. It was the most horrifying way to die that man had ever known. This is not spiritually tidily winks. This is not about temporal issues, this is about eternity. Foolish men today argue over the amount of blood he shed. Neighbor, ONE DROP would have cleansed the whole world. ONE DROP would have cleansed the whole world.

        The cross was a gruesome scene. Sin's price was ugly. Never forget that. I'm afraid we have lost sight of that today, we really have. All the flippancy in the church, the arrogance, the haughtiness, the pride, the ego are testimonies to a generation of believers who have long lost site of what our sin cost our Lord and how we grieve the Holy Spirit when we fail to embrace His death in our own lives so that HIS life can reign in us. When HIS life reigns in us - Our HEART will then be HIS HEART. We will love like HE LOVES, we will pray like HE prays, we will hate the things HE HATES, we will see this world as not "THOSE OUT THERE," but we'll see the world as our greatest field of love to show His grace to a hurting and dying generation of people who so desperately need HOPE. Their only hope is in HIM. Their only hope is not membership in your church sir. Their hope is not in your organization sir. Their hope is not found in your business meetings arguing over the carpet and the color of the curtains in the fellowship hall where we feed our selfish bellies and never lift a finger to feed the hungry or poor. Jesus Christ came to die for a world that is in need for HIS CHURCH to get a glimpse once again of the glory and majesty of His great sacrifice. A church that needs to come back to the "things of God," and cease from operating "in the things of men."

        Jesus didn't die as the portrayal of the artists. He died alone. He died naked. He died a humiliating death. He had on nothing. They humiliated him. The Holy Spirit hovering told him exactly when he could die. According to Paul in Hebrews "the eternal spirit," gave Him the cue to cry, "it is finished with a loud voice."  When He did, the veil - 30 feet high, four inches thick, was ripped top to bottom and God ripped the veil and opened up the way now. Before the Cross - the veil said, "don't come in, you'll die." NOW the call is "whosoever will - COME." Praise God, Praise God, don't you feel that? There is a fountain filled with blood that now flows from Emmanuel's veins. It flows freely today neighbor. Drug addict, that blood can set you free today. Alcoholic, that blood can set you free today. Homosexual, in all the ugliness of your shame and dread of the future, there is a fountain filled with blood with an eternal echo in it saying, "COME" and you can be free.

        I'm here to tell you today friend that if the church of the Living God does not return to the things pertaining to God, we are going to be in eternal jeopardy. The arrogance today of many stinks in the nostrils of God. The self-righteousness of the modern church world today mirrors the self-righteousness of Israel during Messiah's earthly visit. It's an arrogance that will destroy us if we don't repent. It's the same attitude of the Pharisees who rebuked Yeshua for healing the man's withered hand on the Sabbath. They were concerned about the day, Yeshua was concerned about the MAN. Jesus cares about PEOPLE. Jesus cares about the SOULS of men. He offered up Himself freely not so we could argue over what day we should worship Him, but that the sinner can go free and inherit eternal life through the SON OF GOD, the crucified Risen Lamb of the Living and Loving God of the universe.

           He stands ready today to change your life sir. NO condemnation will He ever place on you. If you are condemned, that is the work of the enemy. The Lord's call today is one of "GRACE," "MERCY," and "LIBERTY." He will not save you IN your sin, but deliver you from the powers of darkness that are driving you to that sin. He can set the captive free. His blood STILL sets men free. His BLOOD STILL tears the strongholds of hell away from the worst humanity  may offer Him. He laughs at Satan tonight with a triumphant smile and purpose that tears into the heart of the enemy's plans and schemes. "BRING ME YOUR WORST SATAN," He cries. "BRING ME THE WORST DRUNKARD, BRING ME THE WORST CHILD ABUSER, BRING ME THE WORST LIAR, BRING ME THE WORST, the WORST," and I can set them Free, the Lord declares.

            The price for all this was His death. He had to die. There was no other way out of this.

        In man's quest for this great call from the heavens, man must recognize that this call is a call for man too to "die," as he accepts the work of Yeshua. Salvation is not a call to a better life or a bigger house, it's a call to "DEATH." This call to follow HIM is connected closely with Jesus’ prediction of his passion. Jesus Christ must SUFFER and be rejected. This “MUST” is inherent in the promise of God – the Scripture must be fulfilled. There is a distinction here between suffering and rejection. Had he only suffered, Jesus might still have been applauded as the Messiah. All the sympathy and admiration of the world might have been focused on just his passion. It could have been viewed as a tragedy with its own intrinsic value, dignity and honor. But in the passion of Christ is a rejected Messiah. His rejection robs the passion of its halo of glory. It must be a passion without honor. Suffering and rejection sum up the whole cross of Christ. To die on the cross means to die despised and rejected of men. Suffering and rejection are laid upon Jesus as a divine necessity, and every attempt to prevent it is the work of the devil, especially when it comes from his own disciples; for it is in fact an attempt to prevent Christ from being Christ.

        You need to let that sink in. I've always wondered why God could not have spoken our redemption like He spoke the worlds into existence. It could have been done you know. God said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT," and there WAS light. (Gen. 1:1-3). He spoke and the stars came into the heavens. Why then, oh why, did He spare Himself the agony and pain of become a man, made in the same flesh as you and I, to suffer the very wrath He decreed on sin in the garden of Eden? Why did he do that? It's a good question friend. It's a question I pray you and I meditate on each day. For many, it's a question they never think about because we so take for granted the dynamics of the price of God becoming man in order to redeem Adam's fallen race.

Peter's Sin Then, The Church's Sin Today

Matthew 16: [22] Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. [23] But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savors not the things that be of God, but those that be of men

        In this text, it's interesting to note, that it is Peter, the rock of the church, who commits this sin of seeking to prevent Christ from going to the cross. He did this immediately after he confessed Jesus as the Messiah and has been appointed to the primacy. That shows that a suffering Messiah was a scandal to the church even in its earliest days. And it is an offense to the modern church world today. That is not the kind of Lord it wants, and as the church of Christ it does not like to have the law of suffering imposed upon it by its Lord. Peter’s protest displays his own unwillingness to suffer, and that means that Satan has gained entry into the church, and is trying to tear it away from the cross of its Lord and Master. (2 Cor. 11:1-4)

        To hear most word of faith preachers today if you are not living in a luxurious mansion, driving a Mercedes or wearing 10 Rolex watches, you're not where God wants you. To hear much of what is portrayed in the realm of Christian preaching circles today, suffering is not in since Jesus suffered for us. That's the key catch phrase, HE did the suffering so we would not have to. But that is as far off base from this text as night is from day and it's why the church is rapidly descending into the apostasy foretold by the apostles. You can't separate Christ from His cross. You can't separate the church from the cross either. If you do both become false. A cross-less Christ is "another Jesus." A cross-less church becomes a building of legalism, deception, delusion and full of "other spirits." And the result is "another gospel," that demands NOTHING of the sinner who is seeking a way out of his bondage.

        Jesus must therefore make it clear beyond ALL doubt that the “MUST” of suffering applies to his disciples no less than to himself. Just as Christ only in virtue of his suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifixion. Discipleship means adherence to the person of Christ and there submission to the law of Christ which is the law of the CROSS. AND ANY GOSPEL PREACHING ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT IS FALSE!! IT WILL LEAD THE SEEKER TO A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DEATH. Spiritual life only comes from a spiritual death to the old  nature. Man cannot do that on his own terms, he must come by the terms of the KING. If man seeks to circumvent the cross and find life on his own terms - his end will be eternity without God in a devil's hell. I know that flies in the face of MOST gospel preaching today and most of what you and I hear over television and radio. But friend in the court room of God's justice He don't care too much of man's view of the way to eternal life. God has set forth the prescribed order of salvation and it is the SAME for all - Jewish and NON-JEWISH - repentance and death to the old man and faith in the living CHRIST. That is why Peter declared on the day of the greatest outpouring of the HOLY SPIRIT that there was NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN whereby we must/or can be saved - and that is JESUS CHRIST.

        Any effort to circumvent the cross in our lives, our preaching, our love for Him is man's effort, not God's. Jesus rebuked SATAN (the one controlling Peter at this moment) and said, "you embrace the things of men, not God." The church today need to come to grips with the fact that one way or the other, we are all about to experience the sufferings of our Lord. Parts of the church world today already are experiencing those things. The western church is spoiled, self-righteous and smug in it's view of the Kingdom of God. But friend, hear me. The dynamics of the world situation as we speak are changing rapidly and ushering in one of the greatest persecutions ever known to the American church. When that pressure comes and friend it IS coming, if we have not already embraced the cross NOW, we won't embrace it then. We will apostatize. We will fall away. Millions of Christians today who have a shallow view of their salvation and like Peter, seek to remove Christ from the cross, thus removing themselves from that cross, will fall when the pressure comes. It's that simple. Was Peter an evil man? God forbid. At this moment though, Peter's statements underscored the feeling of the disciples there at the time of Christ's death. They would all be offended if He died. They wanted a KING, He came as a Lamb without spot or blemish. He came as a suffering servant the first time and they could not grasp that.

        I have asked myself many times recently if the Lord was here on earth NOW, would we be any different than they were then? Would we recognize HIM any better? Would I be able to recognize Him? Would I be offended at Him as they were then? Would we seek to put Him on the throne not  grasping his higher call and purpose? We can brag and say, "or course we would recognize Him," if we want, but the reality of where our hearts are today in this modern 21rst Century tell otherwise. Sadly, I don't believe we would. recognize Him at all. If anything we would probably treat Him worse because we know as little today about His purpose of redemption as Israel did when He dwelt among us as a man for the only time in human history. Israel missed Him because He came as a LAMB, preaching the THINGS OF GOD, instead of pointing them to the THINGS OF MEN.  We would do the same thing to him the Pharisees did then - we would reject him and the church world at large would crucify Him all over again.

        The things of men will make your flesh feel very good. The things of men will exalt man and make man think he is in the driver's seat of his life. The things of men will shun suffering at all costs because the things of men are rooted in a system of selfishness that seeks its own and not the things of God. The "things" of men always seek after other "things." The "things of God," always seek after PEOPLE, and the souls of those it loves. God is concerned about eternity, man is concerned today about the temporal, the here and now, what is going on today, instead of his future date with the eternal creator. And as we said earlier - we all have that date! None of us will get out of it!

If Any Man Come After Me.....

Matthew 16:24  - Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

        Surprisingly enough, when Jesus begins to unfold this inescapable truth to his disciples, he once more sets them free to choose or reject him. “IN ANY MAN WOULD COME AFTER ME,” He says. For it is not a matter of course, not even among the disciples. Nobody can be forced, nobody can even be expected to come. He says rather, “IF,” any man is prepared to spurn ALL other offers which come his way in order to follow him.

        You see the Lord is not wanting robots, He is wanting "voluntary lovers!" He wants us to voluntarily give our obedience to Him. Oh yes, obedience is mandatory for eternal life and those who are unrepentant face a serious consequence should they continue in their rebellion. But the Lord is looking for those who hear these words to "come after Him," and their hearts beat a million times faster in LOVE for their redeemer and love of their hearts and souls. He is the lover of our souls and He wants us to be the lover of HIS soul as well. This is a call to LOVE. LOVE the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul and mind, then LOVE one another as yourself. Upon this, Christ said, HUNG ALL the law and the prophets. There are no other commandments than these. The call to die is a call to love HIM more than life itself. It's a call to cling to the things of GOD at all costs and forsake the things of men at the same cost.

        When we love HIM with all our hearts, denying ourselves no longer becomes a hard demand. We lovingly give up our rights and place our rights in HIS hand seeking ONLY what HE wants us to do. Doing what only HE wants us to do. GOING where only HE wants us to go. GIVING only what HE wants us to give - which is our entire hearts.

        That is the cross we talk about in our journals. Some poor souls out there have wrote us recently wanting to take issue over the object upon which He died. To be frank with you if that is what you think we are saying, we have failed to reveal this as the Spirit desires. We are preaching the cross not as some talisman to ward off evil spirits or a symbol of some cult religion (coughing here - we won't name the religion we're thinking of here). God help us, we carry around our gold chains and cross pendants like some good luck charm and never realize the power and the majesty of what that cross is calling us to. It's a call to take up HIS yoke upon our backs and LOVE like HE LOVES. The cross is a call to LOVE. It's a call for us to deny ALL, GIVE ALL, ABANDON ALL for HIM so that His love can burn in our hearts for HIM then for others. It's a call to allow the HOLY SPIRIT to take up so much of our hearts that NOTHING we do or say escapes His convicting, loving touch. NOTHING we see escapes His watch. It takes GOD to love GOD. It takes GOD to hear from GOD. It takes GOD to empower us to deny ourselves. That's the message of the cross. It's where we admit we are totally, utterly helpless to do ANYTHING without HIM!

        It's here where HIS grace truly becomes sufficient for us. It's here where HIS LOVE becomes a burning fire in our hearts to the point there is a shaking in the heavenlies when we awake each morning and speak His lovely name under our lips. We sing love songs to Him as we joyfully and willfully endure the cross and death to our flesh. Yes it is painful. Yes it is lonely. Yes you will think no one loves you at times. YES, you will think you are losing your mind. Yes, you will even question God's love for you. Yes, people will be offended at you. YES, people will leave you. YES, people will betray you. YES, you will cry out to God and no one will answer from heaven. YES, you will cry for deliverance and NO ONE will answer back. But when it's over, the power of death will be temporary -  because RESURRECTION IS NEAR!!! Oh Glory to God.

I feel like shouting so loud that hell itself could hear it!!! This is rolling all over me right now.

        When Yeshua died, it was painful. It was lonely. People were offended. Those closest to Him fled and forsook Him. One He trusted betrayed Him to sinners. He cried and cried to be delivered from the cup and the Father did not answer.  HE never cried for deliverance from that moment in history when mankind's eternal destiny hung in the balance. And thank God, thank God, thank God, He didn't. He could have called 10,000 angels, to destroy the world and set Him free. He could have called 10,000 angels, but He died alone for you and me. His call to "follow me," is a call to follow Him to Calvary. It's not just for those lost in sin Christian friend - it's a DAILY call we call receive from Him even AFTER we receive Him at salvation.

What Shall It Profit A Man To Lose His Soul?

Matthew 16:[25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. [26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

         As we close this journal, Jesus says, "whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." God help us to LOSE our lives today. Lord, forgive us for seeking always to save our lives instead of losing them for YOU. Lord, forgive us of our selfishness. Forgive us of our self-seeking, self-exalting ways that go after the things of men, and not the things of God.

        What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Those words neighbor need to sink DEEP into the deepest recesses of our souls today. What is it sir that is keeping your from Christ? What is it ma'am that is keeping you from repenting and seeking the Lord's face today for salvation? Is it money? A job? An occupation? A career? A spouse, or a girlfriend, or boyfriend? Is it fame and fortune? Is it family? Is it pride? Is it ego?

        Whatever it is let me assure you of this. The people in hell today wish they could be where you're at at this very moment. Some of you reading this journal are lost. The people in hell would tell you in less than a second that NOTHING in this earth or world is worth missing heaven for. No amount of money can purchase your soul sir. No amount of good deeds or good works can purchase your soul ma'am. NONE, no not one can keep you from eternity's date with God. You must come to the foot of the world's Redeemer who came to this earth to die for man's sin so that ALL who believed in HIM would not perish, but have everlasting life. Seek the things of God today, turn away from the things of men. Lord help us today to find your heart and be discerning in these last days to find the things of God. Lord we can't do this on our own. We are too sinful and wicked in our own hearts to do that. We need your help. Praise God. Praise God. Be blessed today. It's getting late neighbor, it's getting late - and it's harvest time. Shalom.

Heavenly Father, in Jesus name, I ask you to touch hearts right now. Some reading this journal are in need of a touch from heaven in their souls today. Bring us back to the cross. Call us and woo us to your love for us. Help us become voluntary lovers of God and passionate lovers of humanity. Teach us to love one another and YOU have loved us. Make us one in the faith today. Help us find the things of God in this hour and shun the things of men. Forgive your church, who, like Peter, has become offended at the things concerning your suffering. Lord, we THANK you for every drop of blood you shed, every stripe you took, every blow you received - for our transgressions and sins. We praise your mighty name. Help us not be offended at your call to suffer with you today. Help us take up our cross and follow YOU - even to the death if necessary.