"Who Is Jesus"

Who Is Jesus Christ?

He came from the throne of His Father to the womb of a woman. He became "the Son of Man" that we might become the sons of God.

He was born in a supernatural way, lived in poverty, and was reared in obscurity. He had neither wealth nor influence, yet the wisdom of men has never matched His wisdom. Never has a man spoken like this Man.

His family was poor and humble. He alarmed King Herod at His birth. As a boy, he stunned theologians with His knowledge and wisdom, for He was taught by God. In manhood, He ruled the elements and quieted the raging sea.

He healed the multitudes without the use of medicine. He fed thousands with the lunch of one young boy. He raised three people from the dead and demons obeyed him.

He never wrote a book, yet no library could hold all of the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He is the theme of more songs than all song writers combined.

He never founded a college, yet all of the colleges together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never marshalled an army, yet no one leader ever had as many volunteers.

Great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod couldn't kill Him. Satan couldn't get Him to sin. Death couldn't destroy Him. The grave couldn't hold Him down.

He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor. He slept in someone elses manger; He rode another man's donkey and He was buried in someone elses grave.

He conquered death and rose on the third day, as He said He would. He ascended into Heaven and is now at the right hand of the throne of God. One day He will return with power and great glory to gather His believers and judge the world.

In that time, every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess Him as Lord. Those who believed in Him will do this gladly, but those who did not believe will seek a place to hide from His face.

He is the perfect One; the only One who can satisfy the soul. He is altogether lovely. He gives everlasting life to those who love Him and believe in Him. God's Word says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..." in Acts 16:31

What you have just read is the beginning of the first lesson available for teens and adults called "A Country Called Heaven". It is published by "The Mailbox Club". This lesson goes on to explain how we know God exists and how God has revealed Himself and more. If you would like to receive this course for you and your family to go through together, simple go to thir website at: www.themailboxclub.org

I highly suggest using this material to help build a strong understanding of God and why we believe in Him. Maybe you have wonderd about some of these things yourself as many people do today. Find many of your questions answered in this 18 lesson course that is yours for the asking.

There is also a course available for the young children that is explained on their level. Many children's groups are using this to teach large groups of kids about God in their lives. Once you have graded the lesson, you put it in the mail and the next lesson is mailed to the child. This makes for an exciting way for kids to learn!

"No Fear?"

Why Is It So Popular To Have "No Fear"?

I started out planning on this message to be about the love that we have for our children and what the Bible tells us about this, but God took me to a passage as I did my search that takes me in another direction. It points the attention back to me and what I need to do in order that God may pour out His righteousness and his prosperity on my children! Funny how our search sometimes leaves us staring our conscience in the eye and hearing the message that our Lord intended.

While growing up in a southern home and attending church every time there was a service, I heard the words "Children love your parents" almost every week of my life. I believe that most of us would have naturally loved our parents regardless of hearing this but I think that the parents felt it helped keep us in a proper mindset. If we consciously loved them all of the time, then we would fear and respect them all of the time! Makes sense, doesn't it? If you love anything and are constantly aware of your love for it, you will treat that thing or person with utmost care and honor.

When I read today's passage I naturally wanted to dig deeper into the Hebrew to get a better understanding of what this could mean if we read the literal translation. It was very enlightening and brought much more meaning into the message of this passage for me. I pray that it will do the same for you!

First of all, let's read the entire passage,

Psalms 103:13-17 Like as a father pities his children, so the LORD pities them that fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

A father pities his children and in the same way the LORD pities the people that fear him. The literal Hebrew for the word that is used, "Pities", is "to have compassion upon, love". The next word I would like to look at is "fear". The literal Hebrew for this word is "fearing; morally reverent". So to fear the LORD is to show him reverence as He is perfect and to realize that we are loved by Him all at the same time! Isn't that much like a normal father and child relationship? To fear your father because he made the laws and enforced them, yet in your adoration for him and your realization that he loved you enough to even give his life for your safety, you treated him with the utmost reverence. We see many parents who have given their lives for the freedom of their families and their country as we drive past the military graveyards.

I remember when I was in college, living in Chattanooga, TN, walking to town past the military graveyards and seeing the hundreds and maybe thousands of tombstones in row after row. I often wondered why so many people had to die and I remember thinking about how many families were left without a dad or a mom as a result of the wars. I felt a reverence for that plot of land that could not be put into words. I went to the military funeral of a friend of mine who died as a result of the Gulf War and the reverence was evident on every face there. There was sadness but there was clearly much more reverence expressed for a man who had loved his family enough to have given his life for them in defence of his country. That is the kind of love and compassion that I have for my children as well. I would give my life without a second thought to save one of their lives. Yes, even for only ONE of their lives. Do you see where I am going with this? That is the love that our LORD is described as having in this passage!

The passage goes on to talk about how our LORD knows us and that we are made of simple perishable dust. Then the fact that we are like a flower that is gone with the wind after a certain amount of time and it s impossible to see where the flower was in the field once it is gone. But when it comes to the mercy of the LORD (self Existent-One; Jehovah) the literal Hebrew translates to mean that this mercy (meaning kindness, piety, beauty: -favour, good deed, (loving-) kindness, pity) extends from the past until the future. I want you to see the actual translation for the word used in the King James, "everlasting".

H5769
עלם עולם
The Hebrew word is ‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm
It is pronounced o-lawm', o-lawm'
From H5956; properly concealed, that is, the vanishing point; generally time out of mind (past or future), that is, (practically) eternity; frequentative adverbially (especially with prepositional prefix) always: - always (-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, (for, [n-]) ever (-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of) old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world (+ without end).

Seeing this for yourself, you can see that the mercy of our LORD is not really measurable at all! It is beyond our minds imagination to grasp the brevity of the love and compassion our Creator has for His children "that fear him" in moral reverence as we talked about earlier. What does it say that our LORD bestows on those who do fear Him?

Look at the last part of verse seventeen,

Psalms 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

"Righteousness"
The Hebrew word is tsedâqâh
It is pronounced tsed-aw-kaw'
From H6663; rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity): - justice, moderately, right (-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).

Rightness, rectitude, justice, virtue, prosperity, right.

Are these words that we consider to be positive and describe the very thing that we all wish for in our life and the world today?

This passage says that the rightness of the LORD will be to the children's children! The Hebrew word is "ben" and literally means "a son, grandson,subject,nation,quality or condition". The children and grandchildren will be blessed all because of the fact that we "fearfully revered our LORD.

In closing we need to look at the signs of fearing the Lord. Once we know the signs, we can tell if we are actually living in such a way that that will bring the rightness and prosperity of our LORD on our children and their children. Isn't that what we work for all of our lives? To bless our families with a life of peace and to prosper? Let's read the last verse together,

Psalms 103:18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

This verse basically describes the way that a person will live when he is consciously fearing and revering the LORD . These are the signs my friend! Plain and simple, yet we may find them rubbing us the wrong way when we think about keeping a set of commandments.

There was a time in my life when I would have bowed my back and said that I didn't need any more rules in my life. I didn't want anyone else trying to point me in any direction! I had become a rebel that could make it just fine on my own. The church had not impressed me with the smiling faces and plastic steeples. The public sector had not impressed me with their "get rich" ideology. The state had not impressed me with their systems that were designed to keep the needy poor and the politicians wealthy. I had gotten to the point where I only believed in myself and in this I grew to fear no one! Like the popular sticker you see on the cars everywhere, I shouted out in my defiance, "No Fear!".

What I had missed all along was that I was not suppose to put my trust and my reverence in all of those people! I had been looking for someone morally right, someone who would love and show mercy without end! There are even songs that talk about "love without end". There came a day in my life when I began to see how the LORD was the only one who could fill this need in my life. Through a small country church in Canton, Georgia I came to see that the people were different there and that their children had the rightness and prosperity of God in their lives! They loved the LORD too! I wanted this for my life! I began on a journey at this time to find the way to have what this church family had. It was the beginning of a very long process which would lead to many changes in my life. I can tell you this today, my friends, "It is by the love and mercy of my LORD, who I have come to fear and revere, that I desire to keep His covenant and remember His commandments"!

Desire to remember His commandments is the sign of our reverent conscious fear for our LORD! This is what we must desire if we want to see the rightness and prosperity of God in the lives of our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren!

"Got A Light?"

Focused On The Light!

Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

This is a passage that is written after John was born. John was to go before our Lord and prepare the hearts of men through the working of the Holy Spirit. His reputation had started even before he was born with the prophecy given by God to Zacharius that Elisabeth would give birth. When Zacharius the priest doubted the voice of God, his tongue was bound so that he couldn't speak.

Isn't it true that we find ourselves saying things sometimes before we really think first about the way that it will influence the people around us? I know I have to stay on guard myself that I don't say anything that would cause my daughter to become fearful. It's easy to say things that can create doubt that our Lord is always aware of what we are experiencing! Sometimes they will even remind me; not because I didn't know, but because of the words that came from my mouth.

It's too easy for doubt to slip in and dislodge our tongues from our spirit, but I have found something that actually keeps me from doing this. The way that I have found to maintain a strong stable reputation with my family and friends is to try to always keep my mind focused on the light. It is the darkness that will take our mind to the places where we find ourselves saying things that enforce weakness and fear for our children and friends.

When I first read about Zacharius losing his speech, I wondered why he had to go through this experience. How embarassing and awful to have to go out of the Temple like he did without being able to say a word. You know, our God didn't want anyone to mess up the plan that was already planned in the womb of Elisabeth. It was God's will for John to be born and to give light to a world that had been living in darkness. God will have His will in our lives too, if we believe and stay focused on the light; not the darkness. John came to give light to those in darkness and in the shadow of death (to know we will die one day) to guide our feet into the way of peace. (God's plan for eternity in Heaven)

God sent the messenger, John and sent his son Jesus so that we may live a life without condemnation and fear of death!

Let's follow in the footsteps of John and keep focused on the light so that by our example and our words others will desire to receive the light of the world,"JESUS"!

"Unexpected, Unbelievable & Unforgettable"

The Unexpected Child

Luke 1:30-33
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David: And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.

This greatest of honors, to be chosen by God, as a woman to bring into the world the Messiah and Lord, was unexpected by Mary! She had found favor with God. She was the woman that God preferred of all the women, to bring the boy into this world who would be called JESUS. Mary had no idea this was going to happen in her life and she could have reacted differently, but don't you think that God knew how she would react to this decision to put His son into her care regardless of the consequences it would bring?

Mary's first response was not to rebel and argue with the angel about the plans she had made for her life already and how this would change everything, but rather she wanted to know how this would happen! Let's read a little further,

Luke 1:34,35
Then said Mary to the angel, how can this be since I have not been with a man before? And the angel said to her, The Holy Ghost will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you: that is why also the holy thing that will be born of you will be called the Son of God.

This was unbelievable that God would come to her and plant His seed into her body that would produce a holy man, the Son of God! I'm sure it was hard for Mary to believe as well so the angel prophesied that her cousin Elisabeth would have a child in her old age as well and that she was already six months pregnant even though she had lost the ability to have children and people knew this. Then the angel in the next two verses explains and we can see Mary believing the unbelievable.

Luke 1:37,38
For with God nothing will be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to your word. and the angel departed from her.

Yes, Mary had accepted the prophecy of God in her life even though it had completely changed any plans she had made of her own! How often do we panic when our plans are suddenly changed? How about the unexpected pregnancy and the years of parenting that go into raising this child that wasn't expected? How do we react when a child finds out they are pregnant and they are too young to care for themselves? Many people today feel that it's ok to go and take the life of this newly conceived child. Is this a form of rebellion against the unexpected? Is this a way of preserving our own plan for our life by ending the life of something that may have been used in some amazing way by God?

The child of Mary was prophesied to be a holy child and to be called the Son of the Highest! Many children who have been brought into this world and forsaken by their mothers have done amazing things in this world! Many of the unexpected children have lived their lives so amazingly that they are truly Unforgettable! Jesus had an effect on every life in the world since the day he was born.

There was another man that was unexpected that also has impacted the lives of every person in the civilized world; because he invented the microwave oven! There are so many people who have come into this world by surprise or who were not raised in a family of their own who were gifted by God to impact the world with the life they were given and to bless all who came to know them! Many times the unexpected live their lives as orphans, but it is such a blessing that they were not aborted!

The first leader of the Israeli people was an orphan, Moses.

One of the Founding Fathers of The United States was an orphan, Alexander Hamilton.

The 31st President of The United States was an orphan, Herbert Hoover.

The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was an orphan.

Often quoted and much beloved poems were written by an orphan named Edgar Allen Poe.

One of the greatest inventors of all time was an orphan, George Washington Carver.

Musician and composer, Johann Sebastian Bach was an orphan.

A man considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time was an orphan, Leo Tolstoy.

The microwave oven that sits in almost every kitchen was invented by an orphan, Percy Spencer.

We have been entertained by orphans, blues singer Bessie Smith and actress Ingrid Bergman.

The list goes on of famous orphans, who grew up to become athletes, politicians, actors, playwrights and TV producers. There are other famous people who spent part of their childhood years in orphanages due to their parents inability to care for them.

What does this tell us? That no one's life is disposable or invaluable, and that no matter what environment a person comes from, they can rise above humble beginnings and become major contributors to society.

Maybe you already are a parent of or considered parenting an unexpected child. Could it be that you adopted a child and later gave birth to a child that you didn't expect. The unexpected child could also be a child that is only with us for a few minutes or hours. I have experienced this kind of unexpected experience with a son of my own who only lived inside the womb. This left me with an unforgettable memory of my only boy,even though I won't see him again until I enter the Kingdom of God! You see, every unexpected child finds us in unbelief and leaves us with an unforgettable memory!

Thank God for the Unexpected Child!

You may reproduce this message with permission of Robert Bailes acquired through email or written. This message is not to be reproduced for sale or profit in any form. When using the messages from this website the source should be included with the copy. Include the domain address: http://www.dewforyou.blogspot.com/ or http://www.singleparentsdaily.blogspot.com/ along with my email address: mailto:dewforyou@ymail.com

"Polished"

written by Robert Bailes

What Is The Love Of Your Life?

Paul, who was inspired by God to write a large portion of "The Word of God" that we treasure so dearly as believers in Christ, was also the man that wrote about the love of Christ and the church. When Paul wrote about Christ's love for the church and then about our love for each other, it wasn't just a simple example to show us how to live a happy life and how to smile and how to speak to everyone. Paul wrote about specifics many times and he would teach those who would learn how to change their hearts in order to change their life.

Do you ever feel as though you are going through the motions but you really aren't getting it? Maybe you feel as though you are doing everything that you have heard people say you ought to do but it just isn't helping your life get any better. By better, I mean the relationship at home, the attitude of the children and the fellowship at your church are not fulfilling your needs and wishes. I'm speaking to men from a mans perspective but the ladies can relate too.

Well, Paul talks about this very topic in Ephesians and he speaks to the husbands, wives and children. I would like to share this with you and wrap up the entire thought of what I have received from this passage without writing a small book, so I may kind of skip through this and you can go back to the passage yourself for more meditation. The thing that I found Paul saying here in this passage basically is that we men spend our time cleaning and polishing the thing that we love the most! He says that Christ loved and washed the impurities and spots from the body of Christ which is the church. Why? Because he loved us so much that he wanted us to be pure and clean! Let's read a few verses from Ephesians,

Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having a spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Why would a man want to clean and care for the appearance and the condition of his wife in the way that it is described here that Christ cares for the church? It might be kind of hard for us to understand that we as men are to care for a woman in such a way that we actually take on the responsibility of keeping our wife pure and clean but when we look at the last part of this passage we can see that she should be HOLY! When we think of something that is HOLY how do we treat that thing? Well guys, I want you to stop and take a look at that picture up in the top corner of this page and tell me something; how would you treat that Porshe if you were handed the keys to it and told that it was yours to keep until death do you part? Huh?

Think about this? I did! I thought about how much time we spend polishing up our cars, our shoes, our hair, our houses, our careers and some of you guys even go get your fingernails done! Nothing wrong with that, although I just clip mine! The thing is that we spend our time polishing up what we care about the most and that is what Paul wants us to realize with our spouses guys! We need to keep her at the top of our things to polish because Paul says that we ought to care for her as Christ does the church. Let's read a couple more verses,

Ephesians 5:28-30
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. he that loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own body; but nourished and cherished it, even as the Lord did for the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Wow! We are a part(members) of the Lords body(church), his flesh(humanity) and his bones(God's created structure). God made us from His image to be like him; we went from Him and now he has taken back to be a part of his body, flesh and bones! How much love does it take to forgive and restore a relationship when the love is only given and not received, yet this is how Christ loved and cared for us. Are we to love our spouses like this? Let's look at the next verses,

Ephesians 5:31-33
For this cause will a man leave his father and mother, and will be joined unto his wife, and they two will be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

If we are polishing our body and we understand that we are one with our wives we will be looking for ways to polish her also. She will be even more important to us than our own lives, because our love should be so that we would give our life for her! How would we protect our self from danger? That is how we we should protect our wives. I can honestly and without a doubt tell all the guys that we will not need to be concerned with the last line of verse thirty-three if we live our lives in oneness of flesh and polish our wives as much as we do ourselves in love!

I encourage the women to bring your men to this passage and let them see how Christ intended the relationship to be if you are experiencing anything less than this in your marriage or dating relationship. It is right and you will love him more and reverence him if he cares for you as we have learned from the word today.


You may reproduce this message with permission of Robert Bailes aquired through email or written. This message is not to be reproduced for sale or profit in any form. When using the messages from this website the source should be included with the copy. Include the domain address: www.dewforyou.blogspot.com or www.singleparentsdaily.blogspot.com along with my email address: robbailesministries@yahoo.com

"My KING!"

You can follow my King every ste of life's journey and He will never let you down!

"Stand Strong"

Taken from the treasury of daily devotions by C. H. Spurgeon

Walk Without Stumbling

"He will not suffer thy foot to be moved" (Psalm 121:3).

If the LORD will not suffer it, neither men nor devils can do it. How greatly would they rejoice if they could give us a disgraceful fall, drive us from our position, and bury us out of memory! They could do this to their heart's content were it not for one hindrance, and only one: the LORD will not suffer it; and if He does not suffer it, we shall not suffer it. The way of life is like traveling among the Alps. Along the mountain path one is constantly exposed to the slipping of the foot. Where the way is high the head is apt to swim, and then the feet soon slide; there are spots which are smooth as glass and others that are rough with loose stones, and in either of these a fall is hard to avoid. He who throughout life is enabled to keep himself upright and to walk without stumbling has the best of reasons for gratitude. What with pitfalls and snares, weak knees, weary feet, and subtle enemies, no child of God would stand fast for an hour were it not for the faithful love which will not suffer his foot to be moved.

Amidst a thousand snares I stand
Upheld and guarded by thy hand;
That hand unseen shall hold me still,
And lead me to thy holy hill.

Let's Pray

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we know the power of God is unmovable and above all other powers on earth and in the heavens. We stand strong today thankful for the one simple fact that this God loves us so much that He gave His very Son in the form of a man to save us from our own destruction and to give us a new life, if we but believe! Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. In Jesus name...

"Playing To One Conductor"

Playing to One Conductor
By Os Hillman

November 9



"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor" (1 Cor 12:21-23).

I watched as the conductor looked over to the violin section, then the percussion, then there was a seemingly insignificant lady standing way back in the corner waiting to play her one or two notes on a chime-looking instrument. "Who would even notice if she didn't play her instrument?" I wondered to myself. "The conductor would," said the still voice in my spirit.

An orchestra is a great picture of the way the Body of Christ should operate. It is made up of different people with different gifts, all being led by the one Great Conductor, telling us when to use our gift in the right time. I am sure the lady in the back of the room who only plays a few notes must think she doesn't measure up to the great violinist who sits right up close to the conductor.

However, imagine if you slowly removed each member of the orchestra, one at a time. At first you may not notice any difference without a trained ear. But as you remove each member of the orchestra, you will begin to miss the powerful and melodic sound of many instruments playing together. Finally, when all but a few of the instruments are removed, you notice a big difference in the sound and the void left from key instruments.

Imagine if these instruments tried to go out and play songs all by themselves. Imagine if the tuba tried to play a solo. Or the oboe did the same. You get the idea.

Every member of the Body of Christ matters. Every job matters to God and contributes to our great Conductor's grand plan to fulfill His purposes on the earth. Your contribution matters to God and has no hierarchy of importance.

Play your instrument to the glory of God in unison with the other instruments God has raised up for His purposes


Note by Robert Bailes:

After reading the following passage this morning, I couldn't believe it when I saw this devotion today by Os Hillman of TGIF ministries. It was such a nice way of relating the scripture to music and the many people necessary to perform.

Ephesians 4:4-7
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

"Always Beautiful"

We will always remember when we realized
The beauty of our love as we looked into their eyes.
The loss of breath, while our heartbeats race,
Speechless in the moonlight, standing face to face.
As their years flew past and their beauty departs,
It hasn't gone far, for it is shining in their hearts!
~rob bailes~

Click the photo to enlarge

"Frostbitten Hearts"

Written by Robert Bailes

2Corinthians 1:3,4
3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

What To Do For Frostbite

I know this seems like an odd topic, but I was reading about frostbite and thought it would be good to pass along. Here is what my Pocket Reference by Thomas J. Glover says to do in case of frostbite.

Symptoms:
* Superficial frostbite: Skin has white or gray patches and feels firm, but not hard. Once frostbite has set in it is not painful. No tissue loss will occur if it is treated properly.
* Deep frostbite may involve entire finger or toe or other body part. the skin feels hard and cold, affected tissue looks white or gray. Skin does not rebound when pressed. No pulse can be felt in the affected areas.

Treatment:
* It is best not to rewarm the effected tissue in the field, unless there is no other alternative.
-- The risk of damage due to improper warming is greater than the risk of delaying treatment.
-- Tissue that is thawed and then refreezes nearly always dies. Frostbitten tissue must be handles extremely gently.

If possible take the patient to a hospital while protecting the frozen area from further damage.

If thawing in the field is necessary, use water warmed to 100-106 degrees Fahrenheit in a container large enough for the whole body part to be submerged without touching the bottom or sides. Water must be maintained at this temperature, so an additional source of water is necessary. Gently circulate the water around the frozen area until the tip becomes flushed.

Warmed tissue is extremely painful. Get advice from a physician for pain relief. Pain after rewarming usually indicates that the treatment was successful.

Keep rewarmed extremities above heart level if possible.

If feet have been frostbitten and rewarmed do not allow the patient to walk on them unless their life depends on it.

So What's The Point?

You probably are wondering why I just shared all of this with you as at least half of you are in the southern states and never face a danger of getting frostbitten. Well, there is always the possibility of frostbite no matter where you are and anyone is susceptible of it! There is a body part that ca be bitten by the cold even in the warmest of conditions. It is the heart that i am referring to and you can all relate to this cold numbing feeling that comes over you when your friend, spouse, co-worker or leader says something that begins to send a cold chill over you until it finds it's harbor in our hearts.

It is very interesting how the cold effect on the body is very much like the effect on the heart or the spirit of a person.

Our Spirit becomes numb and stops hurting after a while as we are continually exposed to the circumstances that chill us. Eventually we find that there isn't even a pulse left in that area of our emotions and our spirit appears dead in those areas of our life.

If we find someone experiencing frostbite of the heart in our life, it is better not to treat them ourselves in the field, but rather seek professional help from the great Physician, Jesus Christ. It is there that they will find proper treatment as Jesus submerges there frozen Spirit into the living water of His holy Spirit that truly is perfectly conditioned to save and not destroy their heart! It is there that they can be sure that they will not stand a chance of refreezing and loosing their heart, mind and emotions to the bitterness that Satan uses to finally bring us to death. Many people take their lives every day due to the frostbite of their hearts.

Maybe they had received help in the field of life and thawed those areas that had froze but they didn't escape from the conditions and turn to God for help from above and ended up frostbitten again only to loose all that they had tried so desperately to save! As we find those who have been bitten by the cold and are in need of restoration, let's treat them extremely gentle and take care to not cause further damage by giving a little care and then leaving them to make it on their own the rest of the way. Let's take them all the way to the great Physician and keep them safe until they heal.

If you or someone you know has been exposed to so much cold that it is impossible for them to even move, the chances are great that the frostbite had made it's way into the core of their being and the very feet, the motivation to keep going has been frozen and numb. In these severe cases, we must help them understand that they must heal before allowing them to walk.

By this I mean that restoration will take time and we cannot expect someone to be back on their feet after a soak in the tub! This is very important lest they find themselves in extreme pain and back where they started with even more injury to the soul.

Finally, the pain. What do we do about the pain? Well, my pocket reference plainly says to see the physician for pain relief. I think that is the best advice we can take for the pain of the frostbitten spirit as well. Take time to get on your knees and pray and meditate telling the great Physician all about the pain you feel and He will bring you comfort and relief. I know this, because I have experienced it first hand in my own life of many unexpected events that had frozen my spirit at a time in my life. I can say that I understand, my friend, but I also can say that I have found the greatest Physician that a person could ever need to find healing of the Spirit!

"Love One Another"

Even The Person Who Lives In Sin?

Galatians 6:1
Brothers, even if a man is overtaken in some offence, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, looking to yourself lest you also be tempted.

Whatever Paul was thinking about when he said this we can know one thing for sure; the offence was brought on by temptation. The last thing he said proves this because he says that the believers to the Galatians needed to be careful when they went to help restore someone who had gotten wrapped up in an area of sinful living.

This could have been many things and we can see the same things all around us today, not to exclude the worship of other things and idols. We even have a TV show called, "American Idol", don't we?

Paul was encouraging the spiritually mature to reach out and help the believers who had fallen, with meekness. Another words without a proud and haughty spirit! Have we ever looked at someone else with a bit of pride and thought about how we would never have fallen that low? I have caught myself thinking this before! I have seen it all having grown up in the church and having parents in the ministry! Many times I wondered why or how someone could have gone so low in their life when they once were so close to God.

I can tell you now as an adult, "It isn't that hard to do when the tribulations of life come at you and you cannot find help from the very ones who you thought were your friends. I'm speaking of the church, in case you didn't realize this. Maybe your church doesn't act this way but there are many that do and we are the ones who are responsible. Paul goes on in this passage to say just that. We each are responsible for our actions when we see others in offence.

Let's do our best to reach out to the ones who need our help today. Take a few minutes and think about the people you know and see if there is someone who you have been avoiding. Selah.

"Renew Our Minds"

From Teacher to Lord

Luke 5:8-10
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men

Simon Peter had seen the two ships filled so that they began to sink. Was this amazing to these fishermen or what? They had been up all night, were exhausted and hungry most likely. Simon had listened and took action to the voice of Jesus. Was the reward and presence of God realized in the abundance of fish caught that day? Do you think that the miracle that Jesus performed when he told the fish to go into the nets was all that Jesus had in mind when he blessed Simon with the catch of the day?

We see in verse ten that not only was Simon amazed but James and John were too! These men had all seen and were quite amazed at the number of fish they had caught but they had found out that Jesus could do anything and that his power was not limited. After this Simon Peter was sure that Jesus was more than the master or teacher that he titled him as in verse five.

Luke 5:5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

We can see in verse eight that Simon fell at Jesus knees and told Jesus, "Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord". Simon saw his sin and he also realized that Jesus was his Lord. In the Greek we find the word "Lord" and see what Simon Peter meant.

The Greek word is kurios
It is pronounced koo'-ree-os
From κῦρος kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority.

In the mind of Peter, Jesus went from teacher in verse five to Supremacy in verse eight! It is our Lord that renews our mind, even today when we follow his word and do as he requests of us.

The greatest miracle was yet to come that day as Peter had accepted Jesus as his Lord; Jesus calmed Peter's fear and told him that he would from this time forward go and catch men. The word catch used here is found to mean in the Greek, "to take alive". Jesus taught him with his obediance in the smaller things with the fish but now he was ready to lead him in the greatest soul winning expedition to ever take place in their day!

If we are asked to involve ourselves in the smaller things of this life, will we be ready to move into action when we hear the voice of our Lord? Is it possible that we will be ready for the big picture? Is our purpose to do something more, when we first learn to trust in our Lord and Savior?

If you have been in doubt, why don't you believe in the Lord today and experience the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in your heart today? Jesus loves you, my friend!

For more information on how you can begin to experience freedom in Christ and the New Life that Jesus offeres to all people, simply email me at: rbailesnc@gmail.com

"What Should I Do Now?"

Listen & Follow His Direction

Luke 5:5-7 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

We left off in the last message with Simon telling his Master how he had been fishing all night long and hadn't caught anything but he said that he would let the net down as Jesus had requested.

This next verse gives us a good example of what happens when we follow through with the request of God in our lives. The fish that filled their nets beyond their capacity were an example to Simon and to us all of how the Lord works in and through us when we will listen to His voice and no matter how long we have tried on our own, the Lord has the power to bring the hardest to catch fish right into our net! Isn't that what happened here? Simon was an experienced fisherman. He had others working for him as we see in verse six where it says "when they had done this". It was Simon that Jesus spoke to but he had others to help put the net into the water. This is a good sign that Simon had been doing this for a while.

Sometimes our experience and our God given talents and gifts are not even necessary to perform the will of God in our lives. Sure, God uses the gifts that He has blessed us with but we must remember where the gift came from. Our Lord doesn't leave us when things aren't going well. Our Lord is always there and sometimes he is just waiting for us to turn our ear his way to hear his instruction. this allows him to show us his awesome power and blessing on our life.

Let's look at a place in the book of Kings were Elijah was hiding from the Jezebel the queen because Ahab had reported some things to her that Elijah had done in his stand for what was right in God's eyes. There were many who had bowed to the false god Baal and had kissed this statue, but Elijah was one of the seven thousand who refused to do so and who stood for what they believed!

In this passage we find Elijah staying in a cave after hiking through the wilderness having not really eaten meat for forty days. Once again, as with Simon, he was tired and hungry when the voice of God came to him. Let's look at how God had told Elijah to go stand on the mountain of the Lord at Horeb and it is there that the Lord passed by him and we will see what happened next,

1Kings 19:11-13 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

The LORD wasn't in the wind, the earthquake or the fire but in the still small voice. Our LORD was reminding Elijah that it isn't what you see around you that matters the most. It is the voice of our LORD that has the power to change our lives forever! Elijah was hiding for his life and doing a pretty good job of it but he seemed to have taken it upon himself to protect himself and hide. I know that I have found myself standing up and defending my image or my flesh at times in my life! How about you? Do you ever find your mind or flesh taking over in what we consider defence and justify your actions by this term?

Let's look at two words and I'll close this message out! In this passage I want us to see what the literal Hebrew is for the name "LORD" and understand why it is used here in all capital letters. The title "LORD" stands for Jehovah and is the Jewish national name of God. The Hebrew for this is "yhovah" and is pronounced "yeh-ho-vaw". The Hebrew word yhovah means "self Existent or eternal; Jehovah."

The second meaning I would like to look at is for the words describing the LORD in verse twelve, "a still small voice".

The Hebrew word for "still" is demâmâh
It is pronounced dem-aw-maw'
Feminine from H1826; quiet: - calm, silence, still.

The Hebrew word for "voice" is qôl qôl
It is pronounced kole, kole
From an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound: - + aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, + hold peace, [pro-] claim, proclamation, + sing, sound, + spark, thunder (-ing), voice, + yell.

Using the literal Hebrew translation found in the Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, I would say that the voice of our LORD was a quiet or calm, small voice crying out to Elijah to listen. the reason is that the next verse says ,"When Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his garment and went out and stood in the entering of the cave." When the voice of our LORD JEHOVAH speaks, we will know it regardless of the storms, the earthquakes and the fire (elements and circumstances) in our lives at the time. Our JEHOVAH's voice is unmistakable but we must be willing to listen.

Elijah listened and the LORD gave him his direction and all he needed to do it in the passages to follow!


As we go to worship our Lord God Almighty today at our places of worship, let us remember to go with a Spirit of willingness. Let us go worship and praise God with a willingness to listen to his voice and to do whatever request he utters with faith, believing that God always knows what's best!

Please join me in taking time alone today to listen for the still small voice of our JEHOVAH.

Oh my God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, As we go today in faith, though we have toiled all night, give us your message that we may do as you would request of us to do and see your wondrous works performed in and through us by your Holy Spirit! Amen.