Housing Crisis

All over the world, a housing crisis is going on ...and on ...and on..

In the States, the price of housing peaked in 2006 and the housing market crashed in 2008. People lost their homes just like that. I'm sure that losing their homes was a big shock for many of them ---to discover first hand that what you considered "secure" was insecure, that things can turn on a dime.The instability of the economy and home ownership was probably a wake-up call for many Americans at that time.

But, that's not the housing crisis I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is worse. It's waking up in the middle of the night with bombs dropping all around you to find that you no longer have a home to live in. And it's cold outside. Or, waking up in the middle of the night, forced to move out of your home into a leaky bomb shelter.

It's looking out on what used to be your neighborhood to see that it has been flattened. Or, an earthquake has hit and wiped out every structure around you within view. Or, a tsunami just washed everything away, your house, your car, your family. . .

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." - Matthew 24:7

We are living in the time of the end that Jesus was prophesying in Matthew 24.

Anyone who is at all sensitive to the Holy Spirit can feel that whatever security we thought we had no longer exists. If we ever depended on the security of our living conditions in the past, it was foolish to do so. That was a fantasy. Nothing on this earth is secure or dependable, not even a house that you own outright.

There are major earthquakes every week now and smaller ones every day on average. Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes and there have been major tsunamis recently. I believe it's time we started to realize that our lives are insecure, don't you agree?

Jesus said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:" - Matthew 6:19

These words spoken by Jesus were never more applicable to more people than they are today. We are at war. Be thankful if things are peaceful for now on your home-front. Just don't expect it to last.

In any battle, those who are prepared, vigilant and alert will have a better chance of surviving. This is no time to bury your head in the sand. It's the attacking initiative that wins the battle. Don't be put on the defensive or taken by surprise.

Man up. Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

Tasty!

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VXR642T

Just looking at this marvel of a creation makes my mouth water. I had one today. I confess. --Along with just the best-tasting cup of coffee and, guess what--- the cruller was FREE. (No, this is not a Tim Horton's advertisement.)

As I was taking my first bite of this delicious treat, the thought occurred to me that there was more. That melt-in-my-mouth feeling was going to happen again! Yes!

I still had 3/4 of a donut left to go. Bite by bite, the soft, ridges sat on my tongue and sip-by-sip, the coffee warmed my insides like a mother's love for her child.

It tasted too good to feel guilty about. My body would just have to figure out a way to assimilate it.

But, what if I had taken one bite and stopped? What if I had left the rest of that cruller sitting on the table and walked away? What if I had forced myself to stop eating it?

I would still remember the exquisite experience of having that cruller in my mouth and there would be some still in my stomach to remind me of what I could have had. It's almost unthinkable that someone would have that much willpower to refuse to continue eating the rest of such a tasty treat, isn't it?

Yet, that's how some people treat the Word of God. They take one little nibble and it just throws them into ecstasy. Then, they stop. It's not that they're full. They still have the 3/4 of the treat left. They could still take another bite and enjoy it as much as the first one.

So, why do they quit?

Too many calories?

It seems almost inhumanly self-willed to stop tasting the mouth-watering delicacies of the Word. I just don't understand how anyone could quit until they at least finish off the chapter they started. Finish off the whole book. Go on to the next. Why not?

It just tastes SO GOOD.

Sure, it's a new flavor that maybe they're not used to, but one does develop a taste for this new food. Maybe they're afraid of indigestion, heart-burn or diarrhea. Maybe it just costs too much.

The Word of God will change you. Once you taste and see for yourself that the Lord is good and His Word is the Truth, it's impossible to go back. You'll be a prisoner of Love forever. And nothing else will ever fully satisfy you.

It's the Divine Addiction. Bet you can't just try a bite.

Don't Let Your Head Talk You Out of Faith

I read an article posted on facebook by a lady who announced that she has chosen not to be a Christian.

That in itself is interesting because, if she had been a Muslim, she would never have made such an announcement to the world or "someone" would have found her and killed her. (I think the punishment for "denouncing your faith" in Islam is beheading by the sword, if I'm not mistaken.)

Nevertheless, this young woman had constructed an entire list of all the reasons she had for denouncing Christianity. I'm wondering why anyone would go to so much trouble to convince herself and others that Christianity is a false religion. Is it because Christianity failed you? Or, did Jesus fail you?

If Christianity (as in church worship/other believers) failed you, let me be the first to tell you: Christians are NOT perfect. There are umpteen varied doctrines and interpretations of the Bible going around, too, which doesn't make it easy to find a nitch to fit into.

There's the 7th Day Adventists, the Catholics, the Protestants, the Baptists, the Mormons, on and on. Each "church" has its strengths and insists on certain priorities of their faith. So, what to do?

Here's a suggestion: read about how the early church did it and then try to find a church that emulates them.

Unfortunately, that won't be easy. For one thing, the early church was made up of dedicated followers of Christ who forsook all their worldly possessions and went out by faith to spread the gospel. They had miracles, signs and wonders following them and their preaching was full of the power of God.

If you do find a group (church) of believers who are sold-out and on-fire for the Lord and want to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth, you'll find true Christianity.

But, it still won't be perfect. There will be disagreements, arguments, mistakes, failures and all kinds of human frailties. That's why you really can't put your faith or your reason for believing in Christianity in the followers of Christ. We are not perfect. That's the raw truth of the matter.

You aren't perfect either, are you? So, can you honestly expect perfection from Christians?

I'll tell you where you can find perfection, though. In Christ. Christ alone has the answers you seek. Jesus Christ alone is what Christianity (in the true sense of the word) is all about. It's not about the laws or traditions of men. It's not about methodology or doctrines.

We live in the Age of Faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please God."

Find your faith. You won't find that in yourself or other Christians, either. Your faith is a gift from God and the way to get that gift is by reading His Word and receiving it into your heart.

Man will fail you. Woman will fail you. Denominations and churches will definitely fail you. You can't keep your eyes on human beings as the source of your faith or lack thereof.

Keep your eyes on Jesus. He's the Only One Who will get you where you want to go! Straight into those pearly gates and on through eternity. His love never fails. And, for some unknown, inexplicable reason, he loves YOU.

What If Jesus had Been Aborted?

"Not to brag or anything, but I have survived three ends of the world."

Ok, that's a joke that I stole from Bill Johnson.

Lately, I've been thinking about abortion.

You would think that abortion is something that came about in the last 50 years or so. But, when you read the Bible, you discover that the Devil or Satan has always hated babies. He has been in the business of slaughtering the innocents since the beginning.

In fact, Moses nearly became a statistic when he was a little newborn in Egypt.

After Joseph had set up his family in the land of Goshen, the children of Israel began to multiply like rabbits to the point that it started to seem like a threat to the new king of Egypt who didn't know Joseph. (In hindsight, it may have been a good idea for the Pharaoh of Joseph's day to pass on a little information about Joseph to the successor of his throne. But, it seems he didn't.)

So, the offspring of Israel continued to multiply and fill the land of Egypt. The new king or Pharaoh brought them into bondage and put them to work building his treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. Their lives became "bitter" with hard bondage and yet, they continued to thrive and multiply. So, the king instructed the midwives to kill the Hebrew baby boys as soon as they were born.

(Would you call that a "post birth abortion"?)

The midwives secretly refused to obey the ordinance. They told the Pharaoh that the Hebrew women delivered their babies before the midwives arrived to deliver them. (The midwives sure weren't going to murder the babies in front of their mothers, were they?)

Pharaoh took another route. He instructed his people to drown the baby boys in the river. (He allowed the baby girls to live.) This was the form of birth control that Pharaoh used to try to lower the population of the Israelites in Egypt.

How did Moses manage to survive?

Moses had a tricky mom who was determined to keep her son alive, even if it meant allowing her enemy to adopt him. She kept her baby hidden for three months. Then, she came up with the idea of making a little boat for him.

Perhaps Moses's mother knew that Pharaoh's daughter came to the same place at the river to wash herself every day, we don't know. Maybe it was a miracle that the very daughter of Pharaoh took Moses as her son to raise him in the court as a prince.

Jesus Survives the Same Threat as Moses

When Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem, wise men came from the east, following a star. They entered into Jerusalem where they inquired among the people where the "King of the Jews" was. Of course, this was very upsetting to everyone, that a king had been born. Herod the king was especially upset about it, feeling his place was being threatened.

He commanded a slaughter of the innocents from the age of two years and under. There was a great mourning of all the children of Israel in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Yet, Jesus escaped.

Matthew 2:13-18 "And when they (the wise men) were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 

When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; 

And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 

In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

Where did Jesus and his parents escape to? EGYPT. --How ironic is that?

From the beginning of his life, Jesus's life was threatened. As a fetus in the womb, he would have died along with his mother, had she been stoned to death according to the law. 

Reading through the book of Exodus, one can't help noticing so many similarities between Moses and Jesus. For example, Moses spent 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai with God. For those 40 days, he fasted and drank no water.

Exodus 34:28 "And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water."

I think it's not possible, under normal conditions to survive for 40 days without water.

God led Jesus into the wilderness where He fasted 40 days and nights.

Matthew 4:1, 2 "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred."

In Moses's case, after those 40 days, his face shone so gloriously that it scared his people. They couldn't look at his face because the glory of God was upon it. So, Moses had to cover his face.

In Jesus's case, He defeated the Devil with the Word of God and began His ministry, shining the light.

Matthew 4:16 "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."

Here are two examples of men who changed the course of history, the course of nations. They influenced major decisions of God. Well, what can I say about Jesus that you don't already know? He SAVED ALL OF US WHO BELIEVE IN HIS NAME.

Both of these men were marked for DEATH at their births. 

 

Getting born alive and well into this world today takes no less than a miracle of God. If that baby is not the victim of birth control pills or the "day after" pill and manages to be planted in a healthy womb, it will probably be faced with the threat of abortion, which its mother feels is her right.

The birth of a baby, which used to be a reason for rejoicing, is now considered "unconstitutional" by many. Why? Because, the baby's mother was not allowed the freedom to do as she pleased with her body.

On His way to His crucifixion, Jesus told the women who bewailed him,

"Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck." (Luke 23:28 and 29).

 Unfortunately, Jesus's prophecy has come to pass. It's actually one of the signs of the times of the end that Jesus warned us about.

One more word about abortion: I want to say this to any of you who are considering having an abortion, "For your own sake and the sake of your future sanity, 'Don't do it.' You cannot commit murder inside of your body without suffering for it in your heart and spirit forever."

Give that unborn child the same chance your mamma gave you. He/she may be part of the solution.

President Donald J. Trump's Inaugural Speech

Here's Trump's speech:

"Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank you. 

Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington DC and giving it back to you, the people.

For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed. 

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you. It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.

This is your day. This is your celebration. And this, the United States of America, is your country. What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.

January 20, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.

Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves. These are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now. We are one nation – and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.

For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military; we’ve defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own; and spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon. One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world.

But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first, America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.

We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down. America will start winning again, winning like never before.

We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation. We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.

We will follow two simple rules: buy American and hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate from the face of the Earth.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The Bible tells us: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.

When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.

There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger. In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.

We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly complaining but never doing anything about it. The time for empty talk is over. 

Now arrives the hour of action. Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America. We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:

You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, we will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And, yes, together, we will make America great again. 

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

IS GOD BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE?

 

 
Trump has been inaugurated as America's 45th president and some are saying the nation is divided. Protestors continue to protest. The protestors say there's no such thing as a peaceful protest. More than 400 of them have been arrested in D.C. They claim the election was rigged and that somehow Putin had a hand in it. (Somehow, Putin got "information" and. . . well, we can't explain exactly what happened. . .)

When I saw Trump on that reality show of his, "The Apprentice", it caught my attention. At the time, it was one of the better shows on TV worth watching. You could learn something from watching it. I found it fascinating. It actually gave me a respect for the man and a greater respect for business.

I am not a business person. Business is the last thing I've ever been interested in. But, watching "The Apprentice" sort of opened a door for me into that world, I guess you could say. It helped me to understand how many people see this world we live in. I also noticed that Trump's emphasis was on ethics and I was impressed with that.

It's scriptural. There are lots of verses in the Bible about business, if you care to look for them. Even about investing and being faithful in the least and verses on not hiding your talents, etc. Any work should bring profit, etc. So, the way Trump looked at the world was very different than the way I look at it, I admit. But, that didn't mean he was of Satan.

So, one day I picked up a book he'd written called "How to Get Rich" and I gave it a read, thinking it might also give me a few tips. (I was trying to dissolve my poverty mentality.) Reading that book really gave me an insight into Trump's life. He was a Christian! That peaked my interest. AND, he didn't smoke, do drugs or even drink!

Imagine that! A rich man who didn't drink. I wondered, trying to picture a life like that. He has all that money and doesn't spend any of it to drink? Wow.

It may sound silly, I know, but I'm explaining how it came to be that I formed a high opinion of the man. This was long before he ran for president, of course.

Enter: Alex Jones. Alex's voice became prominent after 9/11 and I have been following him on Youtube for years. He eventually took place of the News, for me. He was more believable, I guess. I knew he was right that "There's a WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND". So true.

Somehow, Megyn Kelly's take on "the truth" didn't ring true to me. She seemed to me to be, what we kids used to call a "Shit Disturber" (pardon the raw wording). She really seemed to be digging for it. Gorgeous as she was, it was difficult to watch her, for some reason. (I guess you can call that feeling you get "discernment" and I'm not really great at discernment, but I couldn't stomach her.)

Alex, on the other hand, was a bit difficult to listen to with his rough voice and his explosive personality, but, I felt the words coming out of his mouth were mostly true. So, I was captivated. Even if he "overreacted" in some cases, he was anointed by the Spirit of God to wake people up to what's going on.

We, as Bible-readers, know that Jesus is coming back "soon". I don't think there's any question about that, if you read the Bible and believe what it says. It's very obvious. At the same time, as Jesus said there would be, there are MANY false prophets and many coming IN THE NAME OF JESUS who are totally of Satan. That's just a fact. You can read Matthew 24 to confirm that.

So, is Trump of the Lord?

Did you hear his Inauguration speech? It was amazing and if we remember only one or two phrases of it, we should remember he said that it is GOD WHO WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. He gave GOD the steering wheel.

Now, you could say that's only "words". But, WORDS ARE REAL THINGS. Words are important! Jesus IS THE WORD, right? How important is Jesus? So, what comes out of someone's mouth is their "conversation" and another word for "conversation" is "their life" or "their lifestyle".

Furthermore, we should note that President Donald J. Trump has invited Jesus Christ back into the White House. When he declared war against "radical/violent Islam", I raised my fist in the air with tears in my eyes. Didn't you?

Maybe, if you are not an American, you don't understand why Donald Trump wants to "make America great again". You might think, "Isn't America already great?" After all, you can look at that country with its high tech military machine going around policing the world and maybe you have seen Americans who stay in the most expensive hotels, wearing the most expensive shoes and carrying around top-of-the-line laptops and devices.

What you're not seeing is what Trump talked about:

"But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military; we’ve defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own; and spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.

One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind.
The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world. . ."

Trump quoted a verse from the Bible, right in his inaugural speech and I'm wondering whether that has ever been done before. At least, not lately. The last president was quick to refer to the Quran as his "Holy Book", which no true Christian could ever do. Anyone who has ever read the Quran could not call it a "Holy Book". Doing so means you agree that Christians are infidels who should die by the sword.

One thing I think and hope we can count on is that there will not be "Gay Pride" rainbow colours lighting up the White House for the next four years, because I believe GOD IS BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE. Amen.

"Thy Will be Done on Earth. . ."

We are instructed by Jesus to pray that God's will be done ---where? In Heaven? No. We don't need to pray for God's will to be done in Heaven. God's will is already BEING DONE in Heaven. That is clear. That's the implication.

We are instructed to pray that God's will be done on EARTH. That's our domain. --Our reality.

Think about it. We humans who are responsible for the incredible mess that's going on on EARTH are the very ones that Jesus enlisted to pray for God's will to be done here. Why didn't God just tell His angels to "go on down there and make sure those creatures do my will"?

How about God instructing the priests and pastors and ministers of the churches to "get out there and make sure My will gets done on earth"?

No, no. MAN is not ENFORCING God's will on Earth. That's not how God chose to do it. He chose to BRING HIS WILL THROUGH OUR PRAYERS! Hallelujah!

Who is it that prays that prayer?

It's not just the pope or the missionaries or the pastors or preachers that pray it. The Lord's Prayer is for everyone: children in school, children at home, mothers, fathers, soldiers, sailors, businessmen, teachers, tailors, firemen, . . . It's a prayer for everyone to pray. It's the best-known prayer in the history of mankind.

The Buddhists don't have a famous prayer. Neither do the Hindus nor the Muslims. THIS prayer came out of the one and only Holy Book, the Bible. It didn't get dreamed up by the Hare Krishna, the Rabbis or the Baha'is. THIS prayer has been passed down through the ages word-for-word, unchanged and just as powerful today as it was over 2,000 years ago.

When someone/anyone prays that prayer, they are quoting Jesus. That's the amazing thing I love about that prayer is that it holds the very words of Jesus Christ. It came right out of His mouth.

"Our Father, Who art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. . . "

Jesus is referring to God as His "Father" and introducing God to us as our Father. Now, God is not just far away and unreachable, He has become a member of our family. God brought Himself down to our level. Now, we can call God our Father.

"Thy kingdom come."

A mobile kingdom? It's moving toward the earth? It's a kingdom that is coming here? Wow!

"Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."

We pray for God's will to be done on earth so we should also be ready to do whatever it is He wants to use us to do to bring His will to the earth. Most of us don't even know what it is that God's will is. Many of us want to enforce what we believe God's will is on others of our species. So, maybe the question is:

"What is Your will, God?"

Jesus gives us a few clues, like in John 15:16:

"Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you."

The first part of that verse explains that #1 - God chose us. And, #2 - our purpose is to bring forth fruit for Him.

The second part of that verse illustrates the relationship He wants to have with us: He wants to GIVE us stuff. He wants to have a FRIENDSHIP where He gives us stuff and we bear fruit for Him. It sounds like a wonderful, spiritual, perfect marriage. Better than any earthly relationship. (Yet, at the same time, it enhances all of our worldly relationships.)

So how, exactly do we bear fruit? He tells us in John 15:4:

"Abide in Me, and I in you, As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me."

ABIDE IN ME. So, what exactly does that mean in real time? Simply, STAY IN JESUS. And how do we do that? WE READ THE WORD AND MEDITATE ON IT.

It really is that simple. The Word of God (the Holy Bible) MUST take first place in our hearts and minds at all times.

So, actually, it's really not as simple as it sounds, is it? I can attest to the fact, my dear brothers and sisters, it is not at all as simple as it sounds. In fact, it is an ON-GOING, ALL-OUT, VICIOUS, COMPELLING, TORMENTING SPIRITUAL BATTLE!

It's a WAR of the WORLDS between Satan's Kingdom and the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God wants God's will to be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Satan wants HIS will done on Earth as it is in Hell.

(Note: I am not convinced that Satan's will is done in Hell. Satan doesn't seem to have much authority in any realm, in the end. However, he has been given permission temporarily to rule THIS realm of Earth, IF we humans ALLOW him to. And, apparently (look around) there are MANY humans who have given Satan his will and, in fact, even worship Satan --- thinking that Satan DOES have power. Which he does NOT, as we see when we read the WORD. Which is why he doesn't WANT us to read the Word.)

Find the WORD and find your TRUE IDENTITY and POWER given to you as a child of the Most High God. We do not have to worship the Most Low "God", the puny fake god who will sit in the temple of God, telling himself that he is God. We serve the MOST HIGH GOD Who rules over all and in all and IN US (as much as we will allow Him to).

GOD'S WILL be done on Earth. Not Satan's.