NCarolinian

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father,I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” The Plot to Kill Jesus 45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” ...

SEND SOMEBODY MY WAY Words By Chad Pritchard Chorus 1 Send somebody my way my Lord, Send somebody my way Get my face out of the clay, oh Lord, Send somebody my way Verse Lord, I feel so worthless, I don’t feel like moving at all Yet you counted me worthy to love, as far as death and beyond You call me to live, you call me to move, you call me to have my being – in you Chorus 2 Send somebody my way my Lord, Send somebody my way Get my mind straight, oh Lord, Send somebody my way Bridge Even the dependable need encouragement at times They are not immune So send a Comfortor, send a Counselor, send a Revealer of what to do…But Chorus 1 Send somebody my way my Lord, Send somebody my way Get my face out of the clay, oh lord, Send somebody my way *Maybe I will have the music or somebody else will have the perfect music that goes along with what I am trying to communicate. The whole time I was writing I kept hearing Michael Jackson...

You have heard it said – everything in moderation – don’t burn your candle at both ends – don’t put too much on your plate . All these bits of advice are wise proverbs born from experience.  King David was a man blessed in many areas of his life. Those same areas are where he gave back to The Giver. David was a poet, an athlete, a dancer, a shepherd, a warrior, a singer and a musician – oh yeah, and King. Do you think he might have stretched himself a little thin at times? I believe it was possible. However, I write this message to encourage us that with God’s help, His strength and peace, our lives can be poured out, in many different facets, as a love offering unto God (The Giver) and people. Don’t be afraid to be all you can be with the talents, treasure and time you have been given/gifted.  Being given or gifted something means there was a Giver. If you are a wise and considerate person, you would desire to see the gift used to the optimum in order to honor the Gi...

Our emotions are a two-edged sword – they can help and hinder. In this instance I am equating weaknesses with emotions. I do realize there are other areas that have weaknesses (like attitudes, wrong thinking, negative speaking, non-helpful actions, etc.…). However, whenever we need emotional support, I know someone who can aid us – Jesus. God is not only love, but all other emotions perfected. Father God expressed those emotions through Jesus. The important observation is that Christ experienced all emotions, displayed all emotions and managed all emotions perfectly . Paul said it like this – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) Jesus was passionate or excited in  Matthew 4:10 and 16:23  as He addressed Satan. If you couldn't tell it by the words He used, just take a look at the punctuation - an exclamation mark ...

Consider the next time you are delayed on your journey somewhere, literally or figuratively that God was involved. Perhaps God was protecting you from some kind of harm to your body or property. Perhaps God had an additional goal or opportunity in mind. The big take-away here is not every instance of resistance is of the Devil. Remember the account of Balak, Balaam and Balaam’s donkey? ( Numbers 22, 23, and 24 ) King Balak of the Moabites saw the Israelites as a threat to his kingdom. Balak sent for the prophet Balaam to come and pronounce a curse on Israel for him. Balaam rejected the first wave of entreaters after consulting with the Lord about their intentions. But after the second wave of officials came and invited Balaam, God gave him permission to go, but with a caveat – speak only what I tell you to say. Something that is not documented must have gone wrong, because God’s anger burned against Balaam. God was so disgusted that He sent an angel to resist Balaam in his tra...

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. - Matt. 15:21-28 _____________________________________ The obstacles that this woman overcame were daunting in my book. 1. She humbled herself socially and culturally so tha...

There is an advanced level of maturity reached when one can own their mistakes as well as their successes. It is easy to take responsibility for the victories that come our way, but pride and possible embarrassment usually gets in the way of taking accountability for ill-advised actions or words. Turning to Scripture, we see Adam being addressed by God after the woman and man had both eaten of the forbidden apple ( Genesis 3:1-13 ). Adam passed-the-buck to Eve and Eve passed-the-buck or blame to the Serpent, also known as the Devil. So, our tendency to not take ownership of our mistakes goes back to the beginning. In this case, sin or disobedience caused both Adam and Eve to immediately get defensive and begin looking for someone else to take ownership of this mistake. I ponder sometimes what history would have been like if Adam or Eve took ownership of their mistake. What if one of them said something like, " Lord, nobody told us we were naked. We figured it out by ours...

The One True God is Righteous. He is Just. He is always right. His decisions are never wrong and His timing is never off. He does not tolerate sin or rebellion. Therefore, Lucifer and his fellow angels have been banished from Heaven and fallen humanity not permitted a relationship with Father God or entry into Heaven except through Christ Jesus. As a result of the existence of sin - wrath is to come. The creation of The Lake of Fire was originally created solely for the fallen angels -  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels . (Matthew 25:41).   The last   Roll Call   at the Great White Throne Judgment will determine one's eternal destination, but many will know their condition well in advance of The Book of Life that is revealed and read here - damnation in The Lake of Fire ( Revelation 20:11-15 ).  Before the final books are opened, wrath is to be administere...