"Am I the youngest son"

Luke 15:11-32

Sin has no conscience.  The devil loves to tempt us to sin because when we are in sin we do not care who we hurt, what we do, or how often we sin.  All we care about it is the instant pleasure that sin offers us.  It leads us down a road of self destruction while all the time deceiving us.  We think we are embracing freedom and self expression but this is a lie.  Instead we are embracing bondage and promoting the devil with our sinful acts.  When we are deeply rooted in sin it becomes increasingly hard to hear God's Voice.

I am reminded of the prodigal son, he requested all of his inheritance from his father  (Luke 15:11-12).  The son received all of his inheritance and instead of remaining with his father he sold his share of the land and spent it all of reckless living ( Luke 15:13).  He did not care to how this made his father feel nor did he care what shame it brought to his family.  His only motivation was to enjoy the pleasures of life with his great wealth.  But in the end he gave his wealth to the world and gained nothing in return.  So it is safe to say that he obtained all the pleasures of life but lost his soul (Mark 8:36).  At his lowest moment he came to realize his need for help.  He had gotten himself into situation that he could not get out of.  The only one that could save him would be his father.  He needed a Savior because his sin had cost him everything (Luke 15:14-19).  He determined in his heart to return to his father as a slave and not a son.  His father saw him in the distance and rapped his arms around him.  His father returned his son to his former glory and threw a feast in his honor (Luke 15:24-20).  In anger the oldest son berated his father on why a feast was never given in his honor but the father simply replied you could have asked at any time for a feast at it would have been done but he should rejoice that his younger bother has returned.  (Luke 15:25-32)

Much like the youngest son we tend to get involved in sin and do not care who we hurt.  We spend all on money on sin.  We spend countless dollars at the strip clubs, on profane music, drugs, or alcohol.  We get deeply entrenched in sin and we don care how it destroys our lives.  Our families suffer and we suffer as well.  When others try to warn us and speak truth in our lives we take offense to it as opposed to accepting the truth and changing.  But God who loves us and cares for us knows how to get out attention.  He allows us to get to our lowest point to get our attention.  The prodigal did not realize his sin until circumstances put it in front of his eyes.  He could have been bitter and lashed out at God, blamed his father,  or even sinned some more.  But instead he took responsibility and repented of his sin. Godly sorrow lead him to repent.  When sin is brought in front of your eyes what do you do?  When poor choices cause horrible circumstances do you take responsibility or do you blame the devil and say "It's only a storm?"  or "This to shall pass?".

i implore you to look at your life and do a truthful self evaluation.  Are you growing in your spiritual walk or are you chasing after a secret sin?  Are your circumstances a direction effect of your sin?  Is God trying to get your attention or are you to focused on sinning to pay attention to truth?  Where you in your Christian Walk?  Are you living with the Father or are you in the city in sin?  This is my prayer, that we all truthfully answer theses questions and if we are far off that we would return to the Father and glorify His Name!

Stay focused you can do this.


In His JOY!

It's a choice you must make...and not a sign you need

Matthew 12:38-14, 16:1-4
The Pharisees and Sadducees consistently demanded a sign from the Lord. They wanted proof that Jesus was who He said He was. His Word was not good enough for them. And Jesus consistently called them an evil and adulterous generation for seeking a sign and not the Savior.

Jesus had performed many miracles. He healed people (Matthew 15:29-31) feed thousands (Matthew 15:

32-39), healed a man with a withered hand (Matthew 12:9-14), a paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8), a dead girl, a bleeding woman, two blind guys, and a mute man (Mathew 9:18-34). But the Pharisees demanded more.

Jesus professed that the only miracle and sign that was truly needed was the sign of Jonah. Jonah had suffered in the whale for three days and was good as dead but God restored him back to life (Jonah 2). In other words Jesus resurrections is the only sign that they needed, nothing more and nothing less.

What do you need Jesus to do in your life to prove that He is God? What is it that you are seeking for God to prove Himself to you? Some of us don't believe He lived, died, and came back. You want proof, you have heard the story but it is not enough. You want more.

Jesus made it clear the Resurrection is all the proof you need. Even if someone returned form Hell to warn you would not be enough (Luke 16:19-30). It is simply a choice you must make. You can choose to believe the Lord and live your life accordingly or you can choose to ignore Him and live life the way you see fit (Deuteronomy 30:15). It is not a sign you need because it has already been given. Instead it is a choice you must make, life or death.

Stay focused, you can do this.

"In His JOY!"

What road will you travel

2 Timothy 4:3-4

There are times I read The Bible and I struggle with what I have read. Mainly it is because I am confronted with my own sin. It is here where I have a choice, 1) I can acknowledge my sin and change or 2) Try too make The Bible conform to my views. Choice #1 will bring God glory and give me true joy. Choice #2 will allow me to continue sinning and give me a false sense of peace. What will you chose? Stay focused, you can do this!


 "In His Joy"