STAY CLOSE TO GOD

Welcome everyone to your 24/7 week-long online church service. Everyone is welcome in this place. For the past three years, we have said these words to you each week of every month. This week, we say it for the final time. We at the Spirit of Wisdom Ministries always knew this time would come but it doesn't make it any easier.

God has let us know in our spirit that the mission he gave us many years ago has been completed. That mission was to give forth the Word of God in truth and in Spirit. To make the gospel of Jesus Christ  available to everyone. The reason for that was very simple, my friends. God loves everyone. After all, you are his creation, you know!

One of our greatest themes has been that God desires you to stay close to him as he has been close to you. Psalms 91:1-2 gives us the instruction. So let's read it together.

"1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."

God's desire and our desire for you is to always be under the loving and protective shadow of the most high, which is the God above all gods, our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. But, to be truthful with you, I have said many times before, it is impossible to be under any one or any things shadow if you are not close enough to them to be under their shadow. So, one of our last words of advice to you is this: stay close to God.

I have often told my children the closer to God you are, the better your life will be and the farther you are away from God, the worse off your life will be. It's all a matter of choice, isn't it? Verse 2 of the scripture we just read tells you in no uncertain terms the words of life for you to proclaim. Remember, it said: I will say of the Lord. Notice it is free will in action here. He (meaning God) is my refuge and my fortress.

God, through and by his Son Jesus, is your safe port in the storms of life. God is your defense against all the evil that lurks on this earth. That verse goes on to say "my God." Can you say that, my friends? If you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, you can honestly say, "my God!" But, if not, you cannot say that. It is just that simple, my friends.

You see, folks, this is what we have preached to you for three straight years. God loves you!! God sent his only begotten Son to this earth to die on a cross. The perfect sacrifice, not for his sins, no because he had none. But to redeem you from your sins. Jesus taught us about love for our fellow man, didn't he? He brought us healing by the stripes on his back. He showed us we have power over the devil and his demonic spirits. He showed us we can walk in victory on this earth, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. This, my friends, is the God we preach about.

Many of you have been with us from the beginning. We are so honored that God has allowed us to minister to each of you. Whether you started with us or recently came aboard. Just know this, God will never leave you nor forsake you.

As we close this online church, we must tell you this: God will always put men and women of faith into your lives. The Holy Spirit will always be your comforter and if you choose wisely as our very first message pointed out, Jesus will always be your Lord and Savior.

Now, it is a time for thanks giving. First, I must thank God, my heavenly Father, for allowing me the honor of preaching and teaching his Word to you. You are truly my spiritual family and I love you. I must thank Jesus Christ for saving my soul and changing my life all for the good. I must thank, our computer technician, Justin Rocque for the giving of himself and his skills. Justin gave of his time and effort every week and I am thankful for him. I pray for Justin daily just as I do for you.

I could not have done this without the support and effort of my wife, Vicki. She is my sounding board. She types the messages but, most of all, she is the love of my life. I am so very thankful to God for blessing me with a wonderful wife and help mate.

The online church ends this day but the Spirit of Wisdom Ministries continues. We are seeking direction from God. As a ministry, we are still available to you for prayer requests. our email address will not change. And the website will still be up. After a traveling vacation, you will hear from us again as we learn what direction we are to follow. Just know this, my friends: Brother Bob will always love and pray for you!

In the future, we may present messages or videos that will encourage you. Until then...

God Bless you,

Brother Bob 

TRUST IN GOD

My message to you this week, church, is this: trust in God!! Always trust in God. ladies and gentlemen, God is not only your heavenly Father, he is your very best friend. As all good friends should do, he helps guide you through every situation of life. Your trust and belief in his Son, Jesus Christ, guarantees it. Welcome everyone to your 24/7 week-long online church service, Everyone is welcome in this place.

In this world that we live in today, it is hard to trust anyone, isn't it? There was a time when ministers of the gospel were trusted by the faithful. Many people trusted out elected officials. We looked up to teachers, firemen, and police officers. But something has changed in our land, hasn't it? You can lay the blame for this occurrence on many things but I lay it at the foot of sin. Really, brother Bob? It's that simple? Yes, my friends, it really is that simple.

Sin takes many forms, church. Things like greed, power, love of money, deceit, lies, and even wars for greed and monetary gain rather then for defense. The undermining of workers such as our firemen, policemen, and trash collectors, just because they are unionized is sin in my eyes.

But the truth is, sin is now so rampant in our society that it is impossible to trust anyone or any thing with certainty. That brings me back to my original statement: trust in God!! God, through his Son Jesus, offers us love, peace, mercy, and grace. In a world of hate, war, and a rush to judgement, God's offer to us sounds pretty good to me.

This message is a strong message to believers as well as to non-believers. I desire to show you, in a world of uncertainty, that God's ways are certain and true. You put your trust in the ways of the Lord and you will be rewarded with joy and peace, regardless of what situation you find yourselves in at this present time. Read Psalms 25:10 with me:

"All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies."

Just to clarify something: this scripture is not saying there are many ways to God. No, my friends. There is only one way to God and that is through and by his Son, Jesus Christ. But of course, by this time, you should know that.

What this scripture is saying is this: study the Word of God and listen to the Spirit of God. They will show you God's ways. His paths will lead you to mercy and truth. Now that, you can trust! Listen to me, church!! Our heavenly Father desires to lead and guide you into victory in this world. That can only be through righteousness. Now obviously, not our own righteousness, right? That is why legalism in churches never works. Let's look at Psalm 23:3 talking about God.

"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

I want you to really meditate on this, folks. Remember the time when you needed desperately for your soul to be restored? Maybe you are at that point right now. This scripture tells us God is here for you today. Not only does he restore your soul. He then leads you into his righteousness and makes it your own. What do you think he sent his Son Jesus to this earth for? He sent Jesus here just for you.

Jesus will restore your soul and lead you into righteousness. I cannot repeat or stress that enough! Psalms 73:24 goes further:

"Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."

This is the complete story, folks. We receive our counsel through the Word of God which, by this time, you must know, it is the Bible. The Holy Spirit also guides and leads us but the key is you have to listen to him. Take some time just to be with God, my friends. Trust in God. He will lead and guide you through the land mines of life.

You know, folks, I talk to God every day about every thing. That certainly includes you. When I talk to God, I expect him to answer me. I have to admit, I don't always like the answer I receive in my Spirit and sometimes I miss the answer all together for many reasons. But one thing I do know; I trust God.

I have walked in darkness and I have walked in the light of God's ways. Take my word for it. Light is better! Jesus, talking in John 8:12 says this.

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Do you get this, folks? Are you walking in the darkness of life? Jesus is saying here: you don't have to do that. Trust in Jesus. Follow him. Receive Jesus into your heart today. He will dispel the darkness of life and replace it with the light of life. My friends, as I end this service, let me call you to the alter. Not a wooden alter, although that would be good if we had one. I am talking about the alter of your heart.

Believers, you may renew your commitment to Jesus and be restored. Non-believers, this is your chance. Please, say these words and be sincere about it: Jesus, come into my heart and cleanse me. Restore my soul and lead me unto the paths of righteousness. I believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead and I this day confess you as Lord and Savior of my life. You said, in your Word if I would call on you, that you would save me. I am calling on you today. Save me, Jesus, save me. I now receive you in my heart and I know that I am saved and restored.

All I can say to you now, church, is if you said those words and sincerely meant it in your heart, you are now a child of God. Your soul has been restored. Walk with God. Follow his ways and by all means, always trust in God!!

God Bless You,

Brother Bob

WORDS OF LIFE

As we begin to wind up the online church services, which will come to an end the end of this month, I have asked God to show me what he desires for you to hear from us. We have covered a lot of ground in the last three years. But now, there are things that must be emphasized. Let me welcome everyone to your 24/7 week-long online church service. Everyone is welcome in this place.

As I have approached my Heavenly Father, the thought has kept coming to me, words of life. That makes sense to me, church. You see, I have always known that what God desired for us to preach and teach were words of life. You see folks, we are in a spiritual warfare. Many are not aware of this fact but it is so. You may not hear this much anymore but there are things that are right and there are things that are wrong. There is evil in this world and there are blessings. God himself shows us this throughout the Word of God which is the Bible.

We have always emphasized the word in our preaching. You might ask, "what word is that, brother Bob?" The answer is, the Word of God. The word of truth, which is Jesus Christ. We have always preached that Jesus Christ is the word of life to us all. That is the reason that in three years of preaching and teaching to you, I used no other reference sources than the Bible.

The truth is this church: the Bible is the only book on this earth that truly gives you words of life. Now I know there are many self-help books by philosophers and many men and women who are considered to be wise. But truth be known, if what these books say to you do not agree with the Word of God, they are just giving out words of death to you. Look, I only have a couple of more weeks to get to you, church, so I am mincing no words. Let's talk about life and death, blessing, and curses for a moment. Please turn with me to Deuteronomy 30:18.

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"

Understand this, church, God is telling us and warning us about something here. He is telling us by our choices. We can walk in death, in life, in blessing, and in curses. But then, because he loves us so much, he tells us which things to choose. God says here, look at your options, folks. Death, life, blessings, curses. God says, choose life. Now, that is words of life!

I have often taught you that when God speaks in the Old Testament, many times, his words were not just for the people of that age but also for us today. Ladies and gentlemen, when you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you made your choice. Your choice was life. For those of you that have not made that choice, what is stopping you? The answer, nothing except yourself. The words of life also pertain to you, unbeliever. There is a choice to be made, isn't there? Life, death, blessing, curses. How do you choose this day?

The Bible clearly teaches that God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is the life that God was referring to. Let's back this up by looking at John 14:6. These are the words of Jesus and it reads like this:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Once again, my friends, words of life. Jesus is not a way to God, he is the way. Jesus is not just another truth to be lumped in with people like Muhammad or Buddha. No, my friends, Jesus is the truth. The Bible is his Word and the instructor of truth. Now, this is very important to understand. Jesus is once again not just a life, he is the life. Spiritually, there is no other way of life to God. That is the reason God says to us, choose life.

Every person has a choice to make, even the apostles that followed and lived with Jesus. There was a time as recorded in the sixth chapter of John where Jesus preached to the multitudes. He preached about right and wrong, something many churches do not teach about today. The people, with few exceptions, were offended and turned away from Jesus and left. John 6:66 states, from that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

Now this is not talking about the twelve apostles. The people that followed him around and listened to him preach where also called the disciples. When Jesus saw them turn away from him, he asked his apostles a very important question. Actually, Jesus could ask many of us the same question. John 6:67-69 tells us about this.

"67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God"

I believe that sums it up pretty good. When you know and understand that Jesus has the words of eternal life, why would you go to anyone else? Now I know why the thoughts, words of life, kept coming to me. Jesus has the words of eternal life. Peter was right when he said, Lord to whom shall we go? The answer, my friends, is to Jesus and none other. Why? Because he has the words of eternal life just for you and for me. So, just as God said in Deuteronomy, choose life. And as we say to you, choose Jesus Christ. Now that, my friends, are really words of life.

God Bless You,

Brother Bob

TELL THE STORY

As we begin a new week after celebrating the Fourth of July or, as we elder folks prefer to call it, Independence Day. Let us continue to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us and upon the United States of America. Why, if you to listen to some folks today, you would think it was the worst country in the world, when in fact, that is just not so!

As I watched the fireworks last week, a wonderful feeling of patriotism flowed over me. I love this country and the freedom it affords us all. I believe it is a good thing that freedom and liberty has been expanded to more and more people, regardless of religion, race, or lifestyle. To me, that gives God more room to reveal himself to everyone. How do you see it? Welcome everyone to your 24/7, week-long online church service. Everyone and we do mean everyone is welcome in this place.

This week, I desire to encourage you to tell others your story of what the Lord has done for you. This can be done verbally or by action. In other words, just let God show through you, folks. I mentioned last week that you are entering a new season. A season of being the ambassador of Christ that you are called to be. Church, there is a constant theme throughout the Bible, both the old and New Testament. That theme being God's desire to reconcile us to himself. Jesus came to this earth for that very reason. The true story is this. John 3:16, 17:

"16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

My goodness, such a simple but so very powerful true story. As believers, we should know this story personally, shouldn't we. God, through the saving grace of his son Jesus has given each of us a personal story to share with others. One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Corinthians 5:20. Let's read it together:

"20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

Do you remember the ambassadors of Christ that reached out to you? Just regular folks like Mike "Hippie" Hamilton that shared the Gospel with me when I didn't want to hear it. I'll never forget Lou Ball taking my Scientology book and closing it with a vengeance and declaring she didn't care what was in that book. If it didn't agree with the Word of God, it was a lie. Words that I did not want to hear at the time. But you see church, that's what ambassadors do, isn't it? They tell others things that they may not want to hear because truth is truth.

The ambassadors of the United States oftentimes have to tell countries things they do not want to hear. Why would that be? Just to make them mad? No, my friends! To give them understanding and to reconcile them to the U.S.A. God's ambassadors do the same thing, only we reconcile people to God, don't we?

Our mission should be the same as Jesus. Not to condemn the world but to save it. There is only one way to be saved, folks. That is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The blood that he shed on the cross just for you. So, tell the story!! It is a good story to be told, isn't it.

You know folks, churches have gotten so religious and sophisticated that in many cases it has forgotten how to tell the good and simple true story of salvation. The scripture in Micah 7:18-19 for instance rarely do you hear these questions and answers in the church anymore. But it in fact is a large part of this truth we preach and give out freely. Micah 7:18-19 state this:

"18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

What is Micah doing here, folks? He is asking questions in order to answer them and to share the answer with us. Sometimes, it is good to talk to ourselves to remind ourselves of God's goodness and mercy. Micah asks himself, "who is a God like unto you" talking about our heavenly Father. The answer is, a God who pardons and forgives. He may have a righteous anger but it is quick to cool. And he delights in giving us mercy. What a great God we serve!

Mercy and forgiveness is becoming harder and harder to come by from men and women, isn't it? Let's continue: in verse 18 he says he will turn again. Well, what doe that mean? Very simply, it means this: God has had compassion on us before, probably many times, and he is still willing to do so again. The part I like is this: All your sins will be cast into the sea and guess what, church? God will never bring them up against you again....never!

That, my friends, is what God has done for us through and by his son, Jesus Christ. Now, that, is a good story to tell! Over the course of the past three years, I have told you many true stories about myself. What God has done for me and many times, even why and how he did them. These stories were never meant to magnify or lift myself up. Truthfully, I told them to let you know what God has done for me, he will do for you.

Each of us, as believers, has our own stories to tell. You do not need to be a preacher or reverend to tell folks what God has done for you. So guess what, folks? It's testimony time! we only have three more weeks before we end the online church services. How about leaving a comment and sharing with all of us what God has done for you? I believe my testimony lines up with Psalms 40:2-5. It says, talking about God:

"2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies."

In other words, Jesus Christ saved my soul. He brought me out of the very heavy weight of sin. He gave me a new song, a song of praise. I now trust in God and I will not return to the evil ways of the world. That is my story and it can also be yours!

God Bless You,

Brother Bob

P.S. We want to remind you, we are presenting a music video by Tommy Bates entitled, "I Went To Pray." Please watch it. We know you will enjoy it!

TO EVERY THING THERE IS A SEASON

The Spirit of Wisdom Ministries are being led in a new direction. To be truthful, we are not completely clear what that new direction includes. Please turn with me to the book of Ecclesiastes. That book is found in the old Testament and is one of my favorites books in the Bible. But first, let me welcome everyone to your 24/7 week-long online church service. Everyone is welcome in this place. Now that you have found Ecclesiastes, let's read Chapter 3:1 together. This is what it states:

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

I believe what this scripture is saying is that nothing lasts forever. Let's take the four seasons of life for example. No matter how much you love summer, there comes a time when it ends. The time for summer to end arrives, yet the beginning of fall is ready to move on with all the splendor of changing leaves and cooling weather. 


You see folks, when God is in it, every ending leads to a greater beginning. This is where we find ourselves today. The Spirit of Wisdom Ministries has presented your 24/7 week-long online church service to you for the past three years. God gave me a mission that we put into action in August of 2009. That mission was to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to you online but in the form of a church setting. We have endeavored to be faithful to that calling. 


I always knew that we were working in the context of a season. My stated mission to you was that I would present the truth of the Word that the Holy Spirit had revealed to me. In other words, I have done my very best to present words of life to you. My friends, we have covered so many subjects for you in the past three years. 


We have given messages on salvation. These were messages that were designed for only one purpose:to lead you to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and what he did for you and me even laying down his life by dying on a cross. For just one reason: to save your and my soul from the bondage's of sin. God loves us that much, my friends!

God's desire is and has always been that his creation would become his children. We have preached healing for your mind, body, and spirit. Those things are benefits from Gods gift of salvation. They come when your trust in God overcomes the pictures, feelings, questions, and doubt, that Satan presents to your mind and body. Truth is, no matter what your physical or mental condition is, God can and will give you peace and joy in your spirit. If you don't believe that, go back to last week's message and read or listen to it again!

We have also preached and taught about spiritual warfare. The ability to stand up and cast out evil spirits that are sent by Satan to rob, destroy, and kill you. Their main mission is to separate you from God. But, by your resistance, they must flee. We back this statement up by reading James 4:7:

"Submit yourselves therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

 Stand firm on God's Word, church. Look that devil right in the eye and say without doubt or fear, "Satan, I cast you out of my body and my mind. I resist you, in the name of Jesus." Now, watch him and his evil spirits flee from you as in terror. Our former pastor, John Bulloch, always used to say that and I have never forgotten it. I hope and pray that you never forget it either. It should always be Satan that flees as in terror, church. There should never be any retreat by us. 

It has become clear to me that we have completed the mission that God gave us the honor to perform. There is a peace in my soul that allows me to announce that we will be closing the doors of our online church as of July 29th of this year. It has been a wonderful season of ministering to you! 

We have shown you the path and laid a foundation for you. Our desire is for you to now go forth in the spirit of God and share with others what we have presented to you. Between now and the end of this month, we will be presenting powerful and anointed messages that will be backed up by the Word of God and by our love for you. 

My friends, the Spirit of Wisdom Ministries will still be available for you. Our website will still be active. We will still be taking prayer requests and when God prompts us, we will come forth with whatever he lays on our heart for you. Our charge is always to be instant in or out of season to share God's Word with everyone. We take the words of Paul in 2 Timothy, Chapter 4:2 very seriously. This is what Paul says to us:

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with an long suffering and doctrine."

That we have done. And that we will continue to do until God calls me home. It may be in a different form or fashion. It may be to just one person or many persons. God will show us the way. In August, I will be taking a vacation to see family and friends but I realize there is no vacation to a called man of God. 

Let me say this, my friends, we have four more messages to preach to you before your online church ceases to exist. Get ready, my friends. You are in for a treat! Just remember this, church, as the scripture in Ecclesiastes said, "to every thing, there is a season." We have had a wonderful season of preaching and teaching to you. Now, the season is changing.

You have had a season of listening or reading and learning. Now, your season is ending. The new season will begin in August with you preaching and teaching to others the same words of life we have preached to you. God's Word and ways will always be your path.

God Bless you,

 Brother Bob