A FATHER'S DAY MESSAGE (Repost from June 20, 2010)

Please note: This is our annual Father's Day message. This is a reposted message (both, the written and audio) from June 20, 2010. Be sure to read and listen to it. You will enjoy it!







Today is celebrated as “Fathers' Day.” We certainly welcome all Dads to this week's 24/7, week long, online church service. I am sure you know by now, everyone is welcome in this place. Early in the Bible in Exodus 20:12, God gave us the Ten Commandments, which to my knowledge have not been repealed or revoked by God. I know there are some who wish or believe the Ten Commandments are not valid for today. After all, shouldn't we live life as we desire? Does that not sound like the mantra for today's living? Let's read the fifth commandment of God in Exodus 20:12:

“Honor thy father and thy mother: That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

Notice that our heavenly father gives you the commandment and then gives you the benefits of following his proclamation. God says honor your father and mother so you may live long on the earth. How many here desire to live a long and fruitful life? A long life full of joy, peace, mercy and grace? By honoring your father and mother, you are honoring God.

Another scripture also points out the benefits of honoring your parents. Please turn with me to Ephesians 6:1-3:

“Children obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”

Are you beginning to see the complete picture? God desires for you to honor and obey your parents and he will reward you with long life. I know some of you are thinking: “The way my Dad treated me, it is hard if not impossible to honor him.” I'm going to touch on that later in the message, so just hold that thought for a moment.

One of the greatest blessings of my life is being the father of five wonderful children. They are all grown up now, but sometimes I still see them as ten-years-old or so. If I look back on one of the best accomplishments of my life, it would be that my children, now adults, still love us (their parents), almost as much as we love them. No father or mother could ask for more. Do we agree with them on everything? Absolutely not!! Do we have opinions about life and living that are different than theirs? Many times over the years, definitely yes. Do we respect them? You bet!!

The instruction book of life (the Bible) gave me many tips and instructions on how to be a loving and caring father. One of those instructions is found in Ephesians 6:4:

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: But bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Let's dissect this scripture a little. What is God saying to us fathers here? I believe God is saying – Fathers raise your children in love and not hate or fear. Let them express their observations of life and their feelings about such things. Listen to them. Then, give Godly advice in a way that they can see the wisdom of your words and know that if you disagree with their conclusions about life, you still love and respect them. Is that easy to do? Not always. But, it is the right thing to do. The second part of this scripture tells us: Dads, we have a responsibility to bring our children up in the knowledge and ways of God according to his Word. It is never too early to give your children a biblical foundation regarding Jesus Christ. Tell them about Jesus as early in their young lives as you can. It will pay off in the long run.

I guess one of my biggest regrets in life, is that I didn't give my life to the Lord until my first two children were in their teens. Their formative years saw a Dad that drank too much and was away from home too much; a Dad that loved them, but wasn't always reliable. I always feel repentant about that, But thank God, he saved me and delivered me from the things destructive in my life. The salvation was instant, the recovery a process.

Today I would rather have my children see me as a man that loves God and his ways, rather than a man who loved the ways of the world. I look around me today and I see young fathers making the same mistakes I did and it breaks my heart. Young Dads, listen to me!! Your wife and children are the most important things in your life. Not your job, not another woman, not the respect of other men. The alcohol, drugs and addiction to your job will kill you. I promise if you keep on, you will lose everything near and dear to you.

This year when you receive your Fathers' Day card, pay attention Dads. Your family is calling to you. Get right with God. Love God and your family with all of your heart. The payoff to that will be great for you. I am praying for you, Dads. I know you can do it. God loved you so much he blessed you with your wife and children. Take care of them and love them above everything else on the earth. Stop whatever you are doing right now. Go look at your family, aren't they something?

Fathers' Day is celebrated all over this country. Many good fathers will be honored. Yet for many, it is not a celebration at all. Their dads abandoned them. Some even abused their children. Other fathers by example have led their children away from God. I would say these fathers may never know the joy they could have had by serving God and raising their families with love.

Children, I am asking you to forgive your wayward dads, not for them but for yourselves. Let the bitterness and the hurt go. You will live life much freer if you do that. Easy to do? No!! But your life will be so much better. Your heavenly Father, who always loves you, will be honored.

My friends, let me conclude with this: God sent Jesus to the earth to die for you and your sins. He was the perfect sacrifice accepted by God. If you will accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will no longer be just a creation, but you will be an adopted child of our heavenly Father. God is a father without flaws; a father who will always love you no matter what. He is the Father you have always dreamed about. Paul talks about this in Romans 8:14-16:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”

Today is Fathers' Day. Be sure and say “Happy Fathers' Day” to your Dad. Oh, by the way, if you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, say “Happy Fathers' Day” to your heavenly Father also. He will enjoy that.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

YOU ARE STILL HIS CHILD

You may have noticed that we had a little technical problem with our audio last week. For those of you that do listen to our messages, we apologize for the delay. The audio has been restored. Our hope is that you will return to last week's message and read or listen to it again. I believe it was a message of love and hope and it was designed just for you. Welcome everyone to your 24/7 week-long online church service. Everyone is very welcome in this place.

The message we are presenting this week could and hopefully will stir up something in the non-believers out there. After all, our ministry mission is to point you to Jesus Christ. But truthfully speaking, it may apply more to believers that for whatever reason have become lukewarm or even cold in their faith. Some of you may have walked away from your church, your faith, and your walk with God. Now, some people would say, "shame on you." But we say, "turn back now. Come on back home."

A good friend of mine, Jim Vaughn, used to tell people, "your church or some believer may have hurt you by their words or actions." "But Jesus has never hurt you so why walk away from Him?" I keep telling you, church, God's love for you is never ending. Why not come back and return that love to Him? My friends, God never gives up on you. That is shown, not only in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament, as well. Understand this, church, it takes both the Old and New Testament to complete God's Word to you. In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet was talking to Israel but the words he spoke to them also apply to us. Let's look at Jeremiah 24:7 and see what God has to say through his prophet. Jemimah 24:7 states:

"And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart."

 My friends, the moment you truly received Jesus into your heart, God gave you a new heart or, in other words, a heart with a desire to know Him. Notice, I did not say a desire to know about Him. God desires you to know Him in all his glory and love. In this scripture, God calls you "His people." That is how much He loves you, church. Let's face it, we all take care of our own people, don't we? How much more would God care for you and me just because we are His by our choice? But, there is even more. The verse goes on to say, "and I will be their God." That is an exclusive, my friends!! 


God is saying clearly here, because of our love for Him, He is our God. This is personal, folks. That is the reason God stays available to you even when you have lost your way. Why, He even sends old preachers like me out to holler as loud as I can to you. God loves you. Come back home. May I say the word "repent" to you? What does that mean? It means to do an about face and come back to Jesus. because of God's love for you, He is ready and willing to forgive you. 


God says, He believes in you. How do I know that? Well, just keep reading verse 7 of Jeremiah 24. That's where God says, "for they shall return onto me with their whole heart." It's time, isn't it? You know and I know that the trappings of this world are no substitute for the love and closeness you once had with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.


Let me remind you of the darkness that filled your life before Jesus. Think back to just before your conversion to a new life in Jesus Christ. What was it, my friend, that had you bound up so tightly? Let me ask you this question, why return to that same darkness and to the bondage of sin and guilt that was destroying you? The Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians says it better than I. Please turn with me to Ephesians 5:8. There is instruction in this verse just for you. The scripture says:

"For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: Walk as children of light."

This is not judgment, church. This is Godly information and instruction for your benefit. The Apostle Paul is reminding you here of who you really are. A child of God. Notice Paul does NOT say, "you were once in darkness." No, he says, "there were times when you were darkness." I know in my heart, my fellow believer, you do not want to return or to stay in that state of being. So here is the instruction. Take another look at verse 8 in Ephesians. it continues, "but now..." Let me repeat that. "But now are you light in the Lord: Walk as children of light."

My brother or sister in Christ, you are no longer darkness. You are light in the Lord. Now, snap out of it! Choose this instant to return to God and walk as children of light. Who is the light? Your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Who is your Heavenly Father? God almighty. Walk as His child. Let me remind you, you are still His child. Now, walk as his Son Jesus does. Full of light, mercy, and grace. This is a short message but I have said enough!

God Bless you,

Brother Bob

Understand this: You are loved of God!!

I trust everyone had a great Memorial Week. It is always good to remember our men and woman that have served our country so bravely. If not for their love of country, where would we be today? In that same spirit of love, please allow me the opportunity to tell you, our online Church members, how much this ministry cares for you. God has placed you squarely on our hearts. Because He loves you so much, He has given us anointed messages to share with you. It always amazes me how God knows just the message that would help somebody. Now, let me welcome everyone to your 24/7 week-long Online Church service. Everyone, and yes, that includes you, are welcome in this place.

Our prayer to God and our often-stated mission is to help somebody. We give God all the glory and praise for the people he has helped through the Spirit of Wisdom Ministries. You see folks, the unconditional love we show you is really the unconditional love that God allows to flow through us. Truth be known, when you are one of his, nothing or no one can separate you from his love. Let’s back this statement up with the Word of God, which, of course, is your Bible. What? You don’t own a Bible? Well, go get one today!! The Bible is truly your road map through this journey called life. Romans 8:38,39 states:

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What more can be said, my friends? The apostle Paul is telling us here, nothing or nobody in this world can separate us from the love of God by and through his son, Jesus Christ. Evil doers, poverty, sickness, or any other demon spirit cannot succeed in separating you from the love of God and his son, Jesus Christ. Do you get this Church? No one, or no thing, period, over and out!! This is all possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus who died on that cross with only one thing on his mind. You, my friends, you. Verse 35 of Romans 8 says this:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.”

Does this verse not describe the conditions many people find themselves in today? Are any of you believers going through distressful times? You see, folks, the Bible through all generations, talks to us. Just as God is a present-time God, His word, the bible, is his present-time word. Now, with that in mind, let’s look at the above verse a little closer. What it is questioning is God’s love for us on any and every situation of life isn’t it? Why, what nerve that apostle Paul has to question God about anything. But, you see, Church, when you already know the answer to your question, it is not arrogance; it is a way of proving your point. The apostle Paul seems to be questioning God’s faithfulness towards us. But when you read Romans 8:37, it becomes more clear to what the answer to the above question really is. The scripture says:

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquers through him that loved us.”

Now, who would the “him” in that scripture be, I ask you? The answer to that question is, God almighty and his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Listen to me, Church; no matter what you are going through this day. No matter how dark the future seems, because of God’s love for you, you are a mighty conqueror that will come through it all. I am giving you the truth of the Word that God has revealed to me. What I am teaching you today is this: God loves you and because of his love for you, he will allow no one, or thing, to separate you from him. You are his family and God loves his family.

Listen to me closely, church. My preaching is straight-up from the Word of God and what the Holy Spirit reveals to me through the Word. In almost three years, I have not used any other reference or guide than the Word of God. Of course, sometimes I have looked up words to better present the message to you. But all substance is what God has shown me through his Word, which, of course, is the Bible.

My desire is for you to know and understand that you are loved of God. I personally believe, once you really comprehend how much God loves you, your main desire would be to love Him back. You know folks, in everything God does, there is  a purpose. I believe the Bible teaches us about God’s love for us clearly. It is also clear in the Word of God that we should return His love and to love others. Jesus speaks of his love for us and tells us in no uncertain terms we must share that love with all. In fact, he makes it a commandment. Turn with me to John 13:34. Let’s read it together. Remember, this is Jesus speaking here:

“A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

This is that love that no man or thing can separate us from. God gives us that kind of love and commands we give that same love to others. One can only do that by an abiding faith in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on that cross. Jesus goes on to drive this point a little farther. He says in John 13:35:

“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.”

Are you a true disciple of Christ? Do you want others to see this in you, my friends? Then show them the same love that God shows you. A pure love that no one or thing can steal away from you or the ones that you show love to.

God Bless You,

Brother Bob

THIS IS NOT JIBBER JABBER

As you know, I have often stated the Bible is the instruction book of life.  In fact, I will be more clear.  Everything we need to know or do to be victorious in life is stated clearly in the Word of God.  All this jibber jabber that people can’t understand the King James Bible is just that, jibber jabber.  Let me welcome everyone to your 24/7, week long, online church service.  Everyone is welcome in this place.

Now listen folks, I’m not pushing the King James Bible on you, although I must admit I personally love it.  I’m just pointing out the deception Satan uses to keep people from reading their Bible.  The truth is, the King James version is still the best selling version on the market today.  A little tip for you – If you want to say ‘truly’ instead of ‘verily,’ or if it’s important to you to say ‘you’ instead of ‘thee’ or ‘thou’ God will not get mad at you. 

You see, church, when Jesus came to this earth and died to take away the bondage of sin from you, he spoke words of wisdom to us.  He told us who he is.  He is the son of the God above all gods.  He gave us guidelines to follow to have a loving family relationship with him and the Father.  The amazing thing is when Jesus paid the price for our sin by his death, by the shedding of his blood and by his resurrection back to heaven, where he sprinkled his own blood on the mercy seat. God accepted his pure sacrifice and made a way for us to live and be with them In joy, love, peace, mercy and grace forever.  Now that is what the Bible teaches us.  In the book of I John we get a good example of what I am talking about.  I John 5:20 states:

“And we know that the son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.”

This scripture is clearly speaking to us believers, isn’t it?  We know that is so because it says in no uncertain terms that we are in him that is true, even his son, Jesus Christ.  So what does this mean for nonbelievers?  Truth is, we were all nonbelievers at one time, weren’t we?  You are not naturally born into Jesus Christ my friends no matter what church your family attends.  Being one with God comes only by your acceptance of Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord and Savior of your life, and that is a free will choice.  But, notice what this scripture is telling us.  God gives us all his understanding.  No one is left out. 

His understanding is available to every person on the earth.  Whether you accept that understanding or not is totally up to you.  God is saying to you, nonbeliever – Come to me.  His son Jesus is saying, come to us – talking about his Father God and himself.  And this Spirit of Wisdom Ministry is saying to you – come to God today.  Receive his son Jesus in your heart and let his Word speak to you.  This is an open invitation to everyone.  That is why we always say “Everyone is welcome in this place.”

Our mission and purpose of every message we present to you is to lead you to the son of God, Jesus Christ.  We preach this message because of the love of God that he has placed in our hearts for you.  As believers, our hearts should be tender toward the lost.  After all, we are God’s ambassadors of love and reconciliation to a lost and dying world, aren’t we?  Psalms 51:10 gives us instruction in how to ask God to help us be his servant.  It says:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

I know you are saved, my friends.  But do you still have a clean heart?  Maybe it is time for a self examination spiritually speaking.  Remember when we first got saved and we knew, that we knew, that we knew, we had a right spirit within us?  This Word tells us that if we are not watchful over our spirit we can allow it to be corrupted again.  If that is the case with you, just sincerely say “Oh God, renew a right spirit in me.”  God is faithful, my friends and he will hear your cry and restore your spirit to be acceptable to him and a blessing to you.  Psalms 5:12-13 goes on to say:

“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”

I sense a stirring of the Holy Spirit in you, my friends.  I know how easily we can allow the circumstances of this world to steal our joy.  That free spirit we received at our new birth in Jesus seems now bound and tied up.  We feel guilt because our witness is not as good or effective as it once was.  But this scripture brings good new to us, church.  The psalmist is saying to you that all we feel we have lost can be restored.  It is important that we turn back to God and ask him to restore us.  These are instructions to us, church.  God would not tell us to pray to him to restore our joy if we could not have lost that joy in the first place, would he?

Just look at what happens when we sincerely turn to God and ask him to renew a right spirit within us.  Pay attention to the benefits of coming to God and asking him to restore the joy of your salvation.  Verse 13 in Psalms 52 gives us the answer to what we can experience if we just turn back to God and follow the instructions of the above scriptures.  Psalms 51:13 says this:

“Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”

I repeated this scripture to emphasize what a blessing this is to us church and what a blessing to the lost – just because we are faithful to follow God’s instruction in his Word.  When you follow God’s instruction, he will create a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you.  He will restore the joy of your salvation and uphold you with his free spirit.  And then, he will once again allow you to teach the wayward and lost and because of your obedience to the Word of God, he will allow you to once again be a testimony and to cause sinners to be converted to him.  Now folks, this is not jibber jabber.  This is the truth of God’s Word.

God Bless You,

Bro. Bob

THE LEAST OF THESE

Let me start this week’s message by saying this:  Church, please give me your attention!!  In the Book of Matthew, Jesus was giving us some very important instruction on how we as believers are to treat and act toward the poor, the sick and the underprivileged in our society.  Welcome everyone to your 24/7, week long, online church service.  Everyone is welcome in this place.

You know church, for almost three years this ministry has emphasized God’s love, peace, mercy and grace.  This may come as a surprise to some of our self righteous and holier than thou believers.  But these attributes of God are for everyone including the poorest in our land.  The reason I am giving this message today is because I sense an ungodly trend, even in the church world to devalue human life if one is not wealthy or is disabled, or sick, or elderly.  One thing must be clear, my friends.  God values his creation.

Let me repeat myself, God values his creation regardless of their social or monetary status.  Let’s look at God’s point of view on reaching out to and helping the poor.  Or, you might say “to the least of these.”  Jesus is talking in Matthew 25:34.  He says:

“Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. “

This makes it very clear he is talking to all of us, doesn’t it?  We as believers are the blessed, are we not?  Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 25:35-36:

“For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat:  I was thirsty and you gave me drink:  I  was a stranger, and ye took me in:   Naked, and ye clothed me:  I was sick, and you visited me:  I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”

Do you understand, church?  Jesus was pleased that these believers did these things.  Does that not tell you he would be pleased if we did these very same things today?  Nowhere in these scriptures does he say “Do not help the poor regardless of how they got that way.”  No my friends, our mission is to help people.  If you go on to read Matthew 25:37-39, and I strongly suggest you do.  Jesus points out the righteous (true believers) answer him and in paraphrased words said this ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?  Or thirsty and gave you drink?  When did we ever see you as a stranger and help you out?  When did we ever give you clothes or help you overcome your sickness by visiting and help you in any way we could.  Lord, when did we ever visit you in prison for whatever the reason you were there.  When Lord, when?”

Now ladies and gentlemen, please pay attention to the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40.  Jesus talking to us regarding the above questions.

“And the king shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, in as much as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

This is the message of the day, my friends.  Jesus is talking to us as believers, individuals and to the church.  We are not to be judges, we are to be servants.  In today’s society, help for the poor, the underprivileged, the sick and elderly should have always been the top priority for us and our churches.  Unfortunately, our churches in large part have become more concerned with their own wealth and blessing, than the needs of others.  The old saying ‘Lord bless us four and no more’ comes to mind.

In these hard times in the economy churches are turning inward and believing God for their own welfare while decrying the welfare of others.  This, my good church, is wrong and must be corrected today.  The misguided attitude of many believers today is “Why should I help people who may be on drugs, or alcohol or have other addictions or shortcomings.”  The answer is – just for that very reason, my friends. 

When Jesus was on the earth he spread his love, mercy, peace and grace to all.  The goal is to lead people to Jesus, my friends.  Truth be told, many of us were not so lovely when Jesus came into our lives, were we?  Personally, I was a drunk and a very proud liar.  If believers had not taken the time to approach me and yes even helped me financially, this message may not be written today.  It is time we as believers get back to helping everyone, not just our own.  We must change our religious attitudes about those who have less than we do. 

Listen to me.  The heart’s desire of every believer should be to please God.  We should always show honor to God, shouldn’t we?  Well, Proverbs 14:31 shows us one way of doing just that.  Here’s what it says:

“He that oppreseth the poor reproacheth his Maker; but he that honoreth him hath mercy on the poor.”

I’m telling you straight up, church.  We are skating on thin ice when we devalue God’s creation because of their financial status, their health status or their age.  We must do everything in our power to help the poor.  That way, we are showing honor to God.  Another way of helping our fellow men and women is to support government programs designed to help them.  This is not political, my friends.  Good is good and right is right. 

America is a great country and we are and have been blessed of God.  One of the reasons we are blessed is because we have programs to assist and uplift people out of poverty.  Head Start, Student financial aid, Social security, Medicare, Medicaid and such are not entitlements, my friends, they are investments.  They are investments in our children, our students, our sick and our elderly.  Sounds a lot like what Jesus was talking about, doesn’t it?  Government is not the answer.  Only Jesus is the complete answer, but Jesus has given us the way and each of us as individuals, churches and government can all do our part to honor and bless God by our actions.  Let me end this way:  Please turn to I Timothy 6:17-18 and meditate on this.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.”

These are words of wisdom to us as individuals, also to our churches and to our government.  So our cry to you is ‘help the poor, be one that truly does help the least of these.

GOD BLESS YOU,

Bro. Bob

LEAN ON ME (Repost from September 26. 2010)

Welcome everyone to your 24/7, week long, online church service. No one is excluded from this place. Let's start out this week by praising God for his goodness and mercy that endures forever. Each morning, when I wake up, I always say “Thank you, Lord, for this day of life. Thank you, Father, for your son, Jesus Christ. He has saved my soul and I am thankful for salvation. I will walk in all the benefits of that salvation and I will be accountable at the end of the day.”

Praising God is something we can do anytime we choose to. We can praise God in good times or bad times. Regardless of our situation in life, we can thank God for his mercy and grace. I have often pointed out, everything we do in life is a choice, isn't it? I remember telling my youngest daughter, Lyle, it is not what happens to you in life that matters, it is the way you respond to it. There are only two ways to respond, my friends. There is the response from man's point of view or the response from God's point of view. You want victory in your life? I would suggest taking God's point of view. But, once again, that is your choice, isn't it?

I understand the stress and mental discomfort many are going through at this time. The economy has taken a toll on almost everyone, one way or another, hasn't it? Do you understand that people (probably some that you know) are losing their jobs? Many are losing their health insurance that provides health care for their families. Many corporations are taking advantage of the slow economy even though their bottom line is healthy. How are they doing this, Bro. Bob? They are forcing employees to take major pay reductions. They are reducing health care benefits while increasing the cost. And they are then working their employees that are left seven days a week instead of hiring new employees. This is not something made up, my friends. This actually is happening to one of my children as we speak.

We have seen friends, neighbors and others in our communities losing their homes to foreclosure. I could go on, but I believe you get the point. These are anxious times, aren't they? The truth is, anxiety may be at an all time high. It is more important than ever to trust God. This is not the time to turn away from God. It is time to turn to God. Why? Because we need his help.

I was thinking the other day about how when my children were small. We would come to a busy highway. Cars and trucks zooming by us at high speed. We could sense the anxiety in our children. But guess what? My wife and I would take their small, precious hands in ours and we would lead them across that busy and dangerous highway. As the children held our hands and walked with us, their anxiety left and you could tell they felt safe. They knew we were there to help them and to keep them safe. That, my friends, is what God will do for us if we will just get close and put our hands in his. Turn with me to Isaiah 41:13:

“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee Fear not; I will help thee.”

I believe one of the things that makes things worse, even for us believers, is that we do not realize God is a present time God. He desires to help us today. The truth is, this message is mostly designed to reach believers. God is your Father. You are his child. Please, let him take you by your hand and lead you to safety. Fear not. God says he will help you. Do you believe him?

I understand how bad things look. I understand how it feels. It actually is a burden too heavy to carry, isn't it? You may feel ashamed to admit it, so I will say it for you. Yes!! Your burden is too heavy. But, what can you do about it? In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus tells us what to do.

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

Lay the burdens down, my friends. You cannot sustain them by yourselves. Jesus is saying here what you need is rest. Jesus says “Lean on me.” Remember I said God is a present time God? Your mind, your body and your spirit need a rest, don't they? Think of your soul as a battery in a car. There are times when your car battery needs charging. In like manner, there are times your soul needs to be charged. The question is, how do you charge your soul? By leaning on Jesus and allowing him to give your soul some rest. God said he would never leave you or forsake you. That very simply means, God is with you today and forever.

Where do I get this advice for you? Only one place. The Word of God (the Bible). The answers are there, Church. If I can find them, you can also. I am asking our online church family to join together this week. Pray Church, like you have never prayed before. Pray for each other. Pray that each of our needs may be met. Pray for good jobs with good pay and good benefits for those who are now jobless or under-employed. Pray for financial blessings for those who are losing their homes. Pray that they can retain their homes or even find a better place to live. Pray for healing for those who are sick in body or mind, that they may be restored to good health. Pray for each other, that all our needs will be met. Let's join hands together and allow God to take us by our right hands. That's how we can come out of this victoriously. Let's end up as Habakkuk says. Habakkuk 3:17-19:

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”

In other words folks, when everything that can go wrong, goes wrong, lean on God. Rejoice in the Lord. Know that God is your strength. He will cause you to come out on top of all of this mess. The victory will be like music to your ears. We at the Spirit of Wisdom Ministries will rejoice with you as this happens.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

Urgent Prayer Request: Please pray for Evangelist Smokey Barber for a quick and total recovery.

WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

Last week we made a very truthful, yet difficult statement.  We said the way things are in the world today nobody trusts anybody anymore.  There is no one or thing that seems trustworthy or reliable.  This is a sad conclusion to draw, yet I know it rings true to you, doesn’t it?  Let me welcome everyone to your 24/7 week long, online church service.  I cannot emphasize enough everyone is welcome in this place. 

Now let me be clear.  We all have friends or relatives that we know and love.  But truth be known, we all know that even these loved ones let us down or betray our trust at different times, don’t they?  This does not make them bad people.  It just makes them human.  Because we love them we usually forgive them and go on with our lives.  Yet these human experiences caution us not to give our one-hundred percent trust to any man or woman, doesn’t it? 

My friends, in these difficult times, I will point this out to you.  There is only one that is totally trustworthy and that is God, who presented himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ.  Let’s look at this trust.  Church, we want you to know there is One who will never let you down.  His name is Jesus.  If there is one thing I know for sure, church, is that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.  All through the New Testament of the Bible Jesus is referred to as Lord or The Lord.  Now with that in mind, let’s look at Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.  How many of you know Old Testament shows the character of God?  That character flows through Jesus to us.  So let’s read Deuteronomy 31:8 together:

“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.”

I ask you, are these comforting words or not?  That my friends, is the character of God.  His Word is true and he is completely trustworthy.  Let’s explore this scripture a little more closely.  Basically the very first thing it says is no matter what your situation in life is, no matter what you are going through – Moses in this scripture tells us clearly that God will  go before you.  You may have heard the saying that God will make a way where there seems to be no way.  That is our God.

Moses goes on to tell us this:  God will never fail us.  Now, that sounds trustworthy to me, how about you?  This scripture goes on to say that no matter what, your Lord will never forsake you. In other words, church, you put your trust in God and his son, Jesus Christ.  No matter what, he will never leave you or turn his back on you.   Now, who else can you say that about? 

One of the biggest things we face on this earth is fear, isn’t it?  We fear so many things – the loss of a job, broken relationships, the lack of money.  So many things plague us with fear.  Yet, in this scripture we are told boldly and clearly to fear not!!  Neither be dismayed.  Why?  Because God is with you and for you.  Believe that, my friends.  It is the Word of God and God does not break his Word.  Listen folks, I understand these words are not easy to believe.  But God has said them to us in his Word.  Jesus in the book of Mark addresses the belief and unbelief that we struggle with.  Let’s read Mark 9:23 together:

“Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to them that believeth.”

Jesus was talking to a distraught father whose son was possessed by demons.  This father needed help for his son, yet no help seemed to be available to him until Jesus came into his life.  That was his situation.  What is your situation, my friends?  The words of Jesus to this distraught father are his very exact same words to you this day.  Now, listen to Mark 9:24.  The father expresses truthfully his feelings and emotions and this is what he said:

“And straight way the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord I believe; help thou my unbelief.”

This points out our situation in so many cases, doesn’t it?  We say we believe in healing, Lord help our unbelief.  We say we believe in deliverance, Lord help our unbelief.  We even say we believe God has forgiven us of our sins, Lord help our unbelief.  Is this message becoming more clear to you know, folks? We are too hard on ourselves, church.  Sometimes we worry so much about our unbelief in a situation we forget to ask God to help with our belief.  God sees our struggles.  Seek him and he will show himself to you.  My  suggestion is to seek God and his direction for you first thing each morning.  Psalms 5:1-3 shows us the way.

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.  Herken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; for unto thee will I pray.  My voice shall thou hear in the morning, O Lord.  In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

You see folks, God gives us direct instructions in his Word on how and when to talk with him.  God is telling you in no uncertain terms that he knows man cannot always be of help to you, but he can and will.  You must just believe him enough to ask for him to consider your thoughts pertaining to your life on this earth.  This scripture tells you it is okay to cry out your needs and desires to God.  You want results, you must cry out to your King and to your God.   The way to do that is to truly receive Jesus Christ into your heart and to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life.

That gives you the right to cry out – My God, help me.  You are learning here to approach God in the morning.  It does no good to wait till nightfall to ask God to bless your day.  Do you understand this?  Listen to me everyone, my desire is to see you begin to believe and trust God in every situation of life that you find yourself in.   Come to know for certain that God’s Word is true.  He does love you.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Trust is something that is earned.  Jesus died on that cross just for you.  Now that is someone you can trust in.

God Bless You,

Bro. Bob