What is faith?  

Hebrews 11:1,2 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
 

Roman’s tells us that every person is given a measure of faith:

When you feel the heaviness and weight of the trial can you truly give it to him? He is able to carry and lift that burden that you are carrying. 

Psalm 55:22 

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Isaiah 10:27 

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
 

1 Peter 5:7 

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Say this prayer, dear Lord all my hope is in You. I don’t have the answers, I don’t know the solutions, I don’t even know the way unless You lead me. So Lord I’m fully trusting this very hour for You to fix everything that has me worried and for you to lift the burdens from me. In Jesus name I pray.

With the way things look in our nation, now is a good time to find ourselves seeking the Lord. 
Looking toward His word, to increase our faith.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

If we stay in tune with The Lord and His word and seek after Him we will be stronger as we let this living water refresh us.

2 Chronicles 12:14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.

When we commune with Him we are at peace, He will never lead us astray.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Seek the Lord! Seek His word! Gain wisdom

Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Sin, iniquity and wrong doing is increasing daily. Many are losing their conviction, finding a way to justify what they do.

Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

1 Timothy 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Get in the word and seek The Lord while He can still be found. Turn your life over to Him and let Him renew you and cleanse your life today. 

“Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.” II Thess. 3:8-9 

One very important task every Christian is responsible for is to be a good, Christian example  

to others. Many do not read the Word of God for themselves, have not learned what God has for them to do, and are more reliant on a godly example than they should be. It is dangerous to their spirituality to totally follow someone else, but it is common. 

For this reason, Paul the Apostle, was very aware of eyes attuned to his behavior and actions and wrote some important points to be “… an ensample unto you to follow …”. In II Thessalonians 3, he pointed some of them out: 

That obedience and understanding of God’s Word would be seen in his life, and that God would get the glory. If we are a godly example for someone, it should always be God and His work that gets the glory, not us! 
“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:” II Thes. 3:1 
Keep your distance from others that are not doing right (“disorderly”), even if they are Christians (“brethren”). He defines “disorderly” in verse 11 as those that are lazy and not working, and those that are meddling in other people business (“busybodies”).  Association with those type of people may give others the impression that you are also like the crowd you are with. 
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” II Thes. 3:6 
Do not stop living and doing right. Others around you, even Christians, may be acting worldly, not obeying God, or not involved in reaching others for Christ, but that is no reason for you to abandon your post!  Keep on keepin’ on, no matter what others are doing.  Do not get tired of doing it alone. 
“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.” II Thes. 3:13 

It would be better for all if each Christian would faithfully read God’s Word, and obey all that he is shown in its preserved pages, but not many do that.  They often follow the actions and behavior of those they associate with.  With this reality in mind, our responsibility to be a proper, godly “ensample” is thrust on us.  Lead those that are watching or following your example down the right paths.  There are eyes on your testimony — constantly!

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 2 Peter3, 3-14

The Bible says to love our enemies and to do good to others that may have done us wrong..sometimes this is hard but we must pray for them... ask God to give us love for them...yes and this can even come from fellow Christians... Does this mean they aren’t saved? No ... but sometimes the flesh can get in the way... We can do a lot of good but we have to watch out for the little foxes...that spoil the vine.. and that is why we must pray and be on guard for satans tactics... 

Paul said he had to die daily. We can minister and do a lot for God but we need to be on guard to the little things that can ruin our testimony...  

God is no respect of persons, so how does He feel when we treat His children differently? Or make them feel less than...  or maybe just ignore them... there is no big “I’s” or little “You’s with our Lord.. like the saying goes, people will REMEMBER how you make them feel.. so let’s try to sow seeds of kindness and love not to some, but all.. not just to the ones we feel is worthy... we can’t say when someone is worthy enough for something.. no matter what it is... that is Gods job...just love without partiality... 

 Romans 2:11 

For there is no respect of persons with God 

Matthew 7:12  

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 

Matthew 5:11 

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 

Romans 12:17 

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 

Matthew 5:43-48  

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

I have been giving my thoughts on Isaiah 5, yesterday was regarding the six woes of this chapter. Now we come to  
  Is. 5:24 Therefore as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel. 
The word "therefore" means for this reason, or consequently. This verse begins with this word, so what it is saying is because of all these things which were listed here, greed, drunkenness, mockery of God, calling evil good and good evil, pride, perversion and bribery. Because of these things God says now rottenness from the very root begins to take place, because that you have throwed away God's laws and despised His Word. 
  In verse 25 He says the anger of the Lord is kindled against His people, and their carcases were torn in the middle of the street. We are seeing this happening every day on the evening news. But this is just the beginning of what God is going to bring against our nation. You might ask Calvin what makes you believe that God is going to bring these things against our nation, we're a Christian nation. We have long since been able to regard ourselves as a Christian nation, there are some Christians which live in this nation, but our nation cast away the Word of God when we banned it from our schools, we have despised the Words of Jesus Christ when we outlawed prayer in public assemblies. There-fore in verses 26 -30 the prophet Isaiah says the Lord of hosts will call for nations from the end of the earth and they shall come speedily. The prophet Joel gave us a real good look at this mighty army which God is going to call up. The apostle Paul told us in 1 Corinthians that all the examples are given to us of whom the end of the world is come. We're coming to the end of this dispensation and we are beginning to see these things, I hate to think of other nations coming and destroying what God has blessed us with but when people refuse to recognize God, to worship Him, to fall in love with His Word then we have it laid out before us what God will do to a person or a nation that forgets Him. 
   Joel says in the 2nd chapter of his book, that this is a great and strong people. The land in front of them looks like the garden of Eden and behind them is desolate wilderness. They will leap from mountain to mountain in their chariots with a flame of fire devouring. Joel says that this is a day of darkness and gloominess. Isaiah says that they will be roaring like the roaring of the sea and behold, darkness and sorrow, the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. 
   I believe in God who is rich in mercy, I believe that God is still looking for people who will call upon His name. There is no access to God but by Jesus Christ, He is the way, the truth and the life. John said that He is our advocate with the Father and if we ask He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. All these warnings are given to hopefully call a nation, an individual, just people to turn back to the One, the true and living God. Punishment is coming if there isn't repentance. Call upon Him while He may be found.

16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 

What does it mean to sow discord among brethren? Is it something that one should take lightly? Of course not! Rather, it is something that every saint of God should be aware of and avoid. Sowing is defined as planting seeds on or in the earth.  The word discord means a lack of agreement or harmony between persons, things or ideas.  It represents something out of balance.  When put together the two words mean to initiate ill or corrupt thoughts in the mind of someone, (that can later develop in one’s heart).  They mean to create ungodly or negative thoughts about someone else. 

When a seed is planted, it does not remain a seed, but it germinates or goes through a growth process. It takes root, grows until it emerges through the top of the soil, and continues to grow. Although starting small, a seed can grow until it becomesas large as the largest tree. The same can happen when evil spiritual seeds are planted into someone’s heart. They grow the same as natural seeds grow. They do not remain seeds, but they germinate, and sometimes turn into very large issues such as bitterness, animosity, ill feelings, hatred, and many other venomous things. 

Sowing discord is a deceitful act because it is done through sneakiness, lies, and using gossip in a way that makes the guilty party appear to be the better person. It alters how people think about others and creates mistrust. It can initiate bad judgements, can cause one to voice disparaging comments about a person who was once a devoted friend. It can spoil sound relationships among family members and close friends. 

There may be times when jealously creeps into a person’s life, causing them to resort to sowing discord. There may also be times when a person feels threatened by another and discord is sown to try to discredit the individual. These acts are unacceptable with God. 

There are many reasons why discord is sown but there is never a good reason to do it.   It is so much better to use wisdom and talk to the person or persons involved, rather than use maliciousness and create chaos for self-satisfaction. The positive way to handle a situation is to first pray for spiritual guidance, then communicate with the person, discussing the matters of concern. God hates sowing discord among brethren, and He condemns it (Proverbs 6:19). It is more favorable when a discordant spirit has been detected to immediately discardit. Don’t let ‘it’ become enflamed! 

Let us Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for allowing us to understand what sowing discord means. I pray that You will help us to keep an understanding so that we will never fall prey to doing the very thing that You hate. Help us to recognize its presence, wherever it may appear, and denounce it quickly, in Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Time To Be About The Father’s Business 

***Now is the time to do what God has called you to do, do not wait for there are those that only you can reach. Be about the Father’s business for truly this is the only thing that will matter in the end. Not how much money we make, what position we hold, what awards we win, but what have we done for HIM?*** 

~~ And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23 

~~I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. John 9:4 

~~Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35 

~~And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Revelation 14:15

The Bible says, 

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:14,16 KJV  We are here after we are saved to win others to Christ Jesus, also of course to give Glory, Honor and Praise to Our Lord and Savior. 

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23 KJV

What does Compel mean:? bring about (something) by the use of force or pressure.... So that means to try very very hard... We need to be about The Father's business.. We can see by the signs of the time, that we are running out of time.. Bring someone JESUS, for truly the fields are white and it is Harvest Time..