NCarolinian

When really hard and difficult times come into our lives many believers may point their fingers at the devil as the cause. Some would be right, the remaining would have themselves, others or another worldly influence to correctly assess the cause. In other words, our challenges in life are not always from the devil. However, for those tests and attacks that can be discerned as coming from the devil, 1 Peter 5:8 says, " Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." What? "Be alert and of sober mind" you have an enemy that prowls around. Who? The Devil, also called The Serpent or Satan. Why? Because he is looking "for someone to devour". His job description is to steal, kill and destroy. When? Full-time.  Where? "Around." He has a pride (lion reference). Interesting that the word "prowl" means  to rove or go about stealthily, as in search of prey, som...

I wish to encourage everyone who has decided to read this to enter every day on the "narrow road" and through the "narrow gate". Do not only set the "narrow gate" as a final destination, but have it as your starting point and the pathway you choose to take when challenges come your way. Jesus taught -  "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt. 7:12-14) The word Path or Paths is spoken of much in Scripture. Although the Christian adheres to an overall Christ-like Path - Paths, plural, are mentioned as transitions, chapters and/or lessons in life. As a transition Job speaks about death when he says, " Only a few years will pass before I take the path of no return." (Job 16:22) David, in his infamous Psalm 23 , talks about how  Paths are chapters in our li...

I have been thinking about The Law (first five books of the Old Testament) and the Prophets (minor and major) lately. I have asked myself and asked The Lord - are they relevant today? The Holy Spirit answers, "Yes." I respond, How Lord? What the Lord showed or reminded me is " Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18) This accomplishment has been realized.  The Perfect Life, also known as The Law is satisfied and accomplished at The Cross when Jesus said, "It is Finished."  The Word of God in flesh, Christ Jesus, has appeared to us, lived a perfect life and substituted Himself for us on The Cross. All the punishment and wrath that we deserved from The Law for not being a...

Proverbs 18:24 says, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."  I do not want to "come to ruin" . One of the most frustrating and aggravating experiences to go through is a relationship with someone who proves them-self unreliable. Whatever the situation might be - punctuality to events, faithfulness to commitments or empty promises to help - the lack of dependability in a friend not only is insulting but is a total waste of your time and energy. In my previous post or writing I encouraged all of us to be very selective in choosing our friends. I would like to revisit that again for a moment, because "The righteous choose their friends carefully..." (Prov. 12:26) .  When you are blessed enough to have a friend who is dependable, there are some other qualities that Scripture mentions that aide in the selection process and that you can be glad you have in your eventual friend.  Prover...

One of the top stories and/or movies I could hear or see over and over again is A Christmas Carol (The Scrooge). In fact, I have it on DVD and every Christmas pull it out and watch the Patrick Stewart version to my utter delight. Why do I like it so much? The many lessons it teaches. It speaks to reflection, consideration of others, the proper place of money in our lives, second chances, transformations, supernatural intervention, and a changed perspective.  The story starts off with a man who totally does not get life anymore, but had a distant history of an appreciation of it. Now that the root of many evils - money - is ruler of his every breath, there is no space for any other kind of relationship.  This is what I desire to bring to the table today - what will you live with and what will you die with? Hopefully it will be relationships. Put another way - who will you live with and who will you die with? Because life is all about relationships. The Scrooge had g...

In The Bible, there are Keys that God has or have been delegated to individuals that are very important. In 1 Chronicles 9:26-27 it speaks about men from the tribe of Levi who have been given the responsibility as gatekeepers of the house of God. As part of their duties, they had to guard the four entrances to the house (north, east, south and west) and possessed the key for entry. In Isaiah 22:22 , God gave Eliakim son of Hiliah special authority over Jerusalem. When Jerusalem was without a father-figure and leader, God raised Eliakim up for the task. God's words were heavy and profound because they would be heard again from God about His Christ -  " I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." As promised, you fast-forward to John on the Isle of Patmos and the Holy Spirit conveyed to John a communication about who now this key holder is - Christ Jesus -  "To the angel of the ...