PUT GOD FIRST!!

This day after your Christmas gatherings and the giving of gifts, the beginning of a new year just ahead – let me welcome you to your 24/7, week long, online church service. The end of the year is a time of reflection, isn’t it? There are so many things to evaluate. Reflection of thanks for the many blessings God has provided you - your family and relationships, your financial status. Some things are great, some things are pretty good, and there are also things in your life that are pretty awful and need changing, aren’t there?

I would submit to you that the most important thing to consider is your relationship with God. All New Year’s resolutions would fade into the background if your end of year resolve was to really know and follow Jesus Christ. That resolve would change many things in your life and the lives of your loved ones. You want to be a better husband or wife? Put God first. You desire to be a better parent? Put God first. Are there bondages weighing heavily on your mind? I say again, put God first.

My friends, this ministry is going to emphasize one thing very clearly in 2011 – PUT GOD FIRST!! The way to put God first is by receiving his Son, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He will direct your path toward mercy, grace and peace. Psalms 32:8 explains this better than I can. The scripture states:

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

You see, God doesn’t leave you alone once you are one of his. No, he will teach you and instruct you how to live a victorious life in him. The Bible, which we have often times called the instruction book of life, is just waiting for you to open the pages and start reading. God says put him first and he will give you eyes to see and ears to hear spiritual things. You will even be able to understand the King James version of the Bible.

One of the biggest lies Satan ever started is that the King James Bible could not be understood by ordinary men, women and children. It is true if you have not received Jesus into your heart that nothing spiritual, including the Bible, would make much sense at all. So what does that mean? Very simply put, it is your choice. God is ready and willing to welcome you into his family and open up spiritual things that will change your life forever and for the better.

My friends, I am imploring you, whether you are a born again believer or not, get right with God and put him first in the upcoming New Year. Jeremiah 33:8-9 shows you just some of the benefits of God to those who are his.

“And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: And they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I procure unto it.”

So I ask you, my friends, would that be a good way to start the New Year? All your sins forgiven? God says he will be so good to you in so many ways that people will notice it. You want a Happy New Year? Put God first.

Now, just a personal note to each of you. I can’t reflect on this past year without giving God thanks for putting you into my life. When we as a ministry say that we love and appreciate you, we mean it. Now some reflections of my own. I want to give special thanks to my wife, Vicki. She hears these messages over and over again. She helps our ministry by typing out my hand written messages and then proof reads them to make any changes needed. God has blessed me with a great help mate and I am thankful for that. I have often told others “I love my wife.” But as we come upon a new year, I want to say it here: Vicki, I love you!!

The second person I want to give thanks to is my friend and computer technician, Justin Rocque. Ladies and gentlemen, I know very little about computers. I knew God put it on my heart to start our online church service, but I had no way or knowledge of how to do it. Then along came Justin who said “I can help you.” And has he ever! Everything you see or hear on our website is the work of Justin. He has been faithful to do this work with me every Saturday night for the last sixteen months. I thank God for putting Justin into my life and I say to him personally: Thank you Justin!!

Finally, I am very thankful to God for you. Everything God gives me to preach is just for you. I expect great things in 2011 for you. I believe all prayer requests for healings and all other things will be answered. I am believing that in 2011 many souls will be saved from their sin so they can obtain eternal life with God and his Son, Jesus Christ. I believe we will see healings of mind, body and spirit. I also know in 2011 we will show up the evil spirits that try to destroy your lives and we will cast them out of you, just as Jesus did when he was on the earth.

God bless you, my friends and Happy New Year. Remember!! Put God first in 2011 and forever.

God Bless You,

Bro. Bob

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Well, it’s the week before Christmas and I definitely know you are busy. I want to thank your for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend your 24/7, week long, online church service. You all know by now everyone is welcome in this place.

Christmas is a time the early church picked out to observe the birth of Jesus. The Bible doesn’t give a date or month in which Jesus was born, but most scholars agree it wasn’t in December. Luke 2:7-8 confirms this conclusion. Talking about Mary the scripture states:

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

You know, as a child I used to love listening to the song “Away in a Manger.” Sad to say, unless you listen to Christian radio, you probably won’t hear it this year. Radio and television had rather play Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer than music that refers to the Son of God. That is also true of most public schools.

It seems as time goes by, the things of this world such as Santa Claus, his elves, shopping and the glitter of decorations and Christmas trees, the giving of gifts have all pushed Jesus to the side of the road, doesn’t it? Verse 8 of the above scripture talks about shepherds abiding in the field watching over the sheep at night. Chances are, that would be in late summer or early fall. In the cold of December shepherds brought the sheep in to covered areas at night. One of these weeks I will tell you how December the 25th became the selected date, and how Christmas actually was originated. You may be surprised and shocked when I reveal the answer to you, so stay tuned.

I think it is safe to say everyday is the Lord’s day so if you choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus next week, please do it right. Make Jesus the center of your family and friend’s gatherings. I remember the family gatherings we would have on Christmas Eve. They are great memories for my wife Vicki and myself. Christmas Eve was when we did all our shopping for our kids and others. We would start early over breakfast at the mall. We would go over our list. Then Vicki would go her way with her list and I would go the other way with mine. We would meet every couple of hours and go over our progress, knowing we were running out of time as the children and their families would be coming over for our family gathering. This hectic schedule started when our kids were small and continued each year as they grew up and grandchildren took their place. There was never a dull moment at the Baker household.

I remember how excited everyone was as they entered our home. They brought in bags of gifts, smiling faces and the love only a close family can share. We enjoyed the fellowship, the holiday snacks and the laughter. But, my friends, it was always in our spirits that we desired to remember the birth of Jesus. Our desire was to lift up Jesus. We decided reading the Bible story of the birth of our Savior should be done before gift giving and our family tradition of drinking hot chocolate. You see, it is so important that Jesus be first, above all other things. The gifts we gave each other were fun, but the gift of God to us was his son, Jesus Christ, a Savior who would set us free from all bondages of sin and give us eternal life, IF only we would believe on him.

Everyone would sit all around our living room on the furniture and on the floor. My granddaughter, Rachel, now thirty years old, always had to sit first on my lap and later on, on the arm of my chair, looking at the Bible as I read about the birth of Jesus Christ. Upon completion of reading the Bible, I would ask each member of the family to answer a question – something like “What is the thing you are most thankful or grateful to God for in this past year?” My friends, you would be amazed at some of the answers. There would be laughter, tears, hugs and I know the love was great in that room because we put Jesus first. So, what are you saying, Bro. Bob?

I’m saying put Jesus first this Christmas season. Be the one at your family gathering to remind them to make Jesus the center of attention. God will bless you for it. Church, we are so blessed and thankful to have you in our online church family. God has placed you on our hearts. We love and appreciate you. Tell you what, gather around, my church family, relax, sit back, clear your mind of all the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Open your hearts and listen intently as I read the Bible story to you. I always start by saying even though we call it the Bible story of Jesus’ birth, it is not just a story at all, it is history and it is the truth. Let’s start in Luke 1:28-35:

“And the angel came in unto her, and said, HAIL, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, fear not, Mary: For thou has found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? (This shows Mary was a virgin). And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Now, let’s move over to Luke chapter 2. Joseph and Mary (who was very pregnant at the time), traveled by donkey from Galilee to Bethlehem, a distance of approximately eighty miles. Imagine how uncomfortable Mary was. Luke 2:6-14 states:

“And so it was, while they were there (Bethlehem) the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, low, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them: And they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them Fear not: For, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Now, how’s that for a history lesson? Thank you, my good church family, for allowing me to read God’s Word regarding the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, to you. I say to you now – go in peace and enjoy the holidays.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

THE REST IS UP TO YOU!!

Welcome everyone to your 24/7 week long, online church service. No one is excluded and everyone is included in this service. We at the Spirit of Wisdom Ministries are delighted to have you here. This is a place of praise and worship to our heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Our mission is to present the gospel of Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth. The only text we use is the Word of God (The Bible). All messages are handwritten the same week given unless otherwise noted. We pray for and receive God's anointing on his word that we give out. Our hope is that each message will help someone. We pray for the lost to be saved. We pray for believers who have turned away from God to return. You may have turned your back on God, but he hasn't turned his back on you.

Our mission is also to encourage believers to stay on the right road. We believe and pray for the healing of the body, mind and spirit. We believe that God has given us and all who believe in his son Jesus Christ, power to cast out devils in Jesus name. Our prayer is that all who enter into our 24/7, week long, online church will be set free from all demonic and worldly oppression. Our prayer is never to exalt ourselves, but to always exalt and lift up the name of Jesus. We are always mindful of the scripture where Jesus says, if he be lifted up, he will draw all men to himself. Tell you what. Let's look at that scripture together. John 12:32, Jesus speaking:

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

What a great promise Jesus gave us here. By saying all would be drawn to him, Jesus was saying anyone and everyone can come to him and be saved from their sin. Think of the most vile, wretched, sinful person you know. You know, the one you don't want anything to do with. Well, my friends, they along with us are who Jesus died to redeem. What a great Savior and Lord we serve. So, why am I saying all this? It's very simple. I'm giving the invitation to receive or come back to Jesus at the beginning of the service instead of at the end.

Preaching is important, but salvation is everything. This is your personal invitation. Paul in the book of Romans chapter 1:10 stated:

“Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”

You see, as much as Israel as a nation knew about God in their minds and knowledge, they weren't saved. Why? Because they rejected the true Messiah, Jesus Christ. Today my hearts desire and prayer for you, my friends, is that you might be saved. I am also praying that all who are saved but are away from God will come back home today. What better time than at this season and the beginning of the new year? I know the Spirit of God is urging many of you to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior right now.

The Holy Spirit is also urging you believers to repent of your sin and return to your first love. The question is, how do you do that, isn't it? Turn with me to Romans 10:9-10. Paul tells us here how to receive Jesus into your heart. He says:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Nonbelievers, if you can say the above and mean it in your heart, do so now and you will be saved. Ask God into your heart now. Repent, which means to turn away from sin and turn toward God. Now, walk with God, my friend. You are now a child of God. Email me and tell me the good news. I will help you get started in your new path of joy, mercy and grace.

Now, you believers who are under conviction. Say the same thing only remember to ask God to forgive you for turning away from him. Receive his forgiveness right now. Welcome back my brother or sister to the family of God. All of heaven and our church family are rejoicing with you.

Church, pray for these individuals. Lift them up to God for help. Stand with them spiritually. We are entering a new year and this online church is expecting more salvation, healings and deliverance from demonic oppression than our minds can even conceive of. Together we are reaching the world, aren't we? Let me encourage you in this Holiday Season. Tell everyone you know how good God has been to you. Tell them about Jesus. We will see lots of stories and entertainment lifting up Santa Claus and the gifts he brings. But only God through his son Jesus Christ can bring the gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. And he (God) is real to boot!

You know, this invitation is still going out. I know there are people in this online church service who God is calling right now. God is saying in the Spirit, “You are my creation, I desire you to be my child.” Some of you are just plain tired of life as it is, aren't you? Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 has this to say to you:

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: And ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Is that you, my friend? Come to God today. Romans 10:13-14 says:

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Today you have heard the invitation and you have heard Jesus call you to himself. I have the honor of being the preacher God has used to hand you the invitation. The rest is up to you!!

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

Urgent Prayer Request Update: Please pray urgently for Nancy Stewart. Nancy has caner of the liver and is presently undergoing massive chemotherapy. Please pray for total and complete healing of her body and peace for her mind and spirit. This is a serious prayer request. We thank you for being faithful.

GOD IS A PRESENT TIME GOD

Let me say this to you, church – God is good and worthy of all praise no matter what's going on in your life this week. I know that some of you are heading into this month with despair in your lives. Where is the money going to come from to provide a good Christmas for your family? Some are asking the question “Why, when all the songs are of happiness, do I feel so sad, so depressed and so alone?” My friends, I will be blunt with you. You have gotten your eyes off of the one who created you. God said he would never leave nor forsake you, didn't he? Well, didn't he?

I want to welcome you to your 24/7, week long, online church service. Everyone is welcome in this place. One of the hardest things to do in the holiday season is to be content, isn't it? We always desire more and we look right past the blessings of God that are all around us, even this very day. I referred earlier to God being worthy of all praise because he is always with you. Let's check it out. Please turn with me to Hebrews 13:5. The scripture states:

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

Oh my friends, I want you to get this. The writer of Hebrews is telling us to have a lifestyle that does not worry about what others have. The scripture says to be content with what you already have, doesn't it? I know the pressure is on you to spend money you don't have. After all, it is the holidays, isn't it? Let the pressure go. Look at your wife/husband, your children, your home, your friends and even your pets. Be content my brother or sister. Instead of entering this season with worry and discontent, give God thanks for what you do have.

You know what? Children want gifts a lot, but what they want more than that is a Mom and Dad who loves them and exudes confidence and security no matter what the situation is. Let's return to the above scripture again. It says he (talking about God) said he will never leave nor forsake you. Oh, he must have meant he would just be with you when things are going good, right? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. You are sad? God will make you glad. You are poor? God will supply you with riches untold. I'm not just talking about money here. Take a second look at your family. Look at the smiles when they see you. Feel the hugs they give you. You may not have enough money at this time, but you are very, very rich, my friend. Can you now see why I said God is good and worthy of all praise?

I'm imploring you to get your eyes off your troubles and encouraging you to lift your eyes up to God who is your help in times of trouble. One of the things I always stress is that God is a present time God. Too many churches and preachers today talk about God as if he was history. He did great works for his people way back then, but they leave out what he does for you everyday. Let's look at Psalms 46:1 to prove my point. This scripture states:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Did you get that? You are not alone in the struggles of this life. Trust in the Lord!! He is your refuge from all the troubles of this world. You can stand strong and get through any problems you have. God is your strength. The Bible, which is the Word of God and does not lie, says that God is a very present help in trouble. Turn to him. Tell him what your trouble is. Trust him for help.

You might say “Bro. Bob, this is easy for you to say, you've never gone through these problems at Christmas.” Oh, if that were only true. I remember one year, a long time ago, I had been laid off of work twenty-six weeks out of the year. The economy was very similar to today's. We had five kids, all young at that time. We called them together and told them Christmas wasn't going to be the same. We had very little money for gifts and the bills were coming in. Our kids were great because I believe they knew we were telling them the truth. My wife and I trusted God and we prayed for his help. Yet, there seemed no help was there. We were not shaken. We knew God is a present time God and help would come somehow. And guess what? It did.

I received a call from a friend who lived in Northern Michigan and guess what? He had a Christmas tree farm. He asked if I would help him sell them and he would pay me cash. Well, Christmas morning came and the look of surprise on the childrens faces was something to behold. There weren't the expensive gifts of previous years, but you wouldn't know it by watching our children and their excitement. Many different years life was difficult, but our God is a present time God. He is good and he is our strength. Is this beginning to make any sense to you? God loves you, my friends. Just as he loves us. What he did for us he will do for you. Trust him. Praise him and live for him.

My wife Vicki told me about a saying she read on a book mark. I think it applies here. “Worry won't take the pain out of tomorrow, it just takes the joy out of today.” I know the troubles of this world can beat you down. That is the reason I am saying to you that Jesus Christ is your hope. You want to have a great Christmas season? Live for God through his Son, Jesus. Believers, trust in him again. Be encouraged. Say as the Psalmist said in Psalms 28:7:

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”

Give your family the best gift of all. Give yourself to them totally this season. The loneliness, the sadness and the poverty we talked about earlier will just fade away in contrast to the love you will receive back. Nonbelievers, God is calling you to become a child of his. How do you do that? Email me at BrotherBob@TheSpiritofWisdom.org and I will introduce you to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. He will save you and forgive you of all your sins. Let's end this like we started. God is good and worthy of praise. Yes he is!!

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob