As those of you that have followed us through our website/blog, you know we travel around this great nation spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Along the way, we like to stop and visit churches and then make comments about the insight we gained from these visits, not judgments.

The music God has given us has allowed us into various venues and stops at these local churches. It’s always great to have the opportunity to share our testimony with other believers when they let us.

The moniker that describes us and what we do is; traveling evangelist, but the accurate identification, if one is needed, is missionaries to the USA. Our country is in desperate need of Jesus Christ. We need many more people doing what we’re doing in our own country and not posting all the missionaries overseas.

Don’t misunderstand, Yes! Third-world countries need our missionaries’ help too, and I pray for the mission fields around the world…, but what about Here, America?

I’ve been to Africa and seen the need there. I’ve also seen this country’s slums ( a third-world existence), and the souls living there without hope have, on the whole, given up. They need to have a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus, but the supply of Christians willing to go into these areas is small in number, and most aren’t ready to make the sacrifice it takes to commit to a ministry that gets so little help.

Let’s face it, to do what we do doesn’t sound as romantic as being in a foreign land, and it’s a lot more costly because of the cost of living here compared to a third-world country.

When God called us to this ministry, we sold everything to follow Him, trusting Him to supply our needs. We pay our way and seldom get love offerings from other Christians along the way. In the 10+ years, we’ve been on the road, we’ve pretty much gone through our savings.

We pray that God will bring someone with the heart to help this vital ministry. The price of fuel alone is mind-boggling, then add in advertising, the bibles we give away, and of course, places to park, etc.

We also need boots on the ground, someone willing to get on the phone and book places for us to minister; that’s a tough job! It’s not selling (we don’t charge), but there are still a lot of nos you have to wade through. Our message is straightforward and simple, Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings; there is no other! We aren’t politically correct and don’t fit in the woke movement. Maybe that is the problem. Many churches have opted to be people pleasers rather than follow God’s word, so obviously, we wouldn’t be welcome in any of those environments.

Churches are closing phenomenal rate, and people are turning away from God. Why is that happening?

After visiting many churches, I believe there isn’t just one answer.

Not long ago, I had a fellow come up to me and ask, “Why should I believe in a God that never answers my prayers?” Unanswered prayer is probably on the list of reasons for walking away from God; I believe it is a Lack of faith. Here’s another one, “My pastor passed away or moved, so I left the church; he was the reason I went.”

The church shouldn’t be a popularity contest! The first responsibility of the church is a place for like believers to gather and worship the Lord and study the scriptures. That doesn’t mean socializing can’t be a part of it, but it should never become the main reason for attending church.

Many churches make a significant mistake by putting their pastor on a pedestal. Your eyes should always be on the Lord, not a pastor or man. Your pastor is there to be a shepherd and teacher. Not be glorified. As scriptures tell us, pastors should be respected and held to a higher standard, but praise and worship belong to the Lord. Too often, when a long-term pastor leaves, a church folds or almost folds. How do you answer the problem? It’s simple. Most likely, their eyes were on the man leading them and not first on God. In that scenario, what was the pastor’s legacy? A collapsed church, or did he build in them a more vital trust and faith in God to continue after he’s gone? A pastor’s heart should always be for furthering God’s kingdom, not self-glorifying.

We see the attitude of self-importance (self-righteousness) every day in our political leaders, and it’s a very undesirable personality trait to display for anyone. In my opinion, it’s unacceptable, especially when a man or woman of God carries this attitude.

I believe what God wants is a bible believing, bible teaching church with spirit-filled Christians with true faith. Willing to do His bidding with boldness and love—coming together not because of the pastor or any other man but because of His only Son, Jesus Christ.

No one man or “special family” who is a significant financial contributor has control of the direction of any church just because of what they give. That power is God’s alone. Sooner or later, a church ran for man’s glory will fail. God is the source; He will supply!

It’s essential to have a good paster that follows ALL the bibles teaching, not taking passages out of context to justify his opinion to make his point instead of God’s. Love your pastor, listen closely to his instructions and always hold him to the word.

We here at On The Road For Christ love all our faithful readers and pray you to keep coming back for more. Until we get together again, stay safe and be blessed, and PLEASE KEEP LOOKING UP! 

Semper Fidelis

      Dusty

My prayer for you:

Heavenly Father, please forgive our sins and strengthen our path to you.

I pray that only the teaching of the Word of God go forth wherever we gather in Your name.

We ask this in the precious name of Jesus, 

                      AMEN

 

Are you suffering? That’s one of the great questions for all times and I believe it’s answerable but probably not the answer you’re wanting.

My grandma was the most special person in my life as I was growing up and the wisdom she imparted to me has stayed with me all my days, albeit I didn’t always follow it. Looking back now I realize I should have.

The holy spirit woke me in the wee hours of the morning, before daylight, and started to talk to me about suffering. I know we’ve all had some type of suffering in our life, whether it be a scratch or a catastrophic accident, or a life-changing event. Depending how strong or weak our vulnerability is will play into how serious these events will affect our lives.

Now let’s put some of this self- suffering into perspective, first of all, a little grandma wisdom, we were poor and didn’t have much, and when I would complain she’d show me the validity of my whining… Like when one day I complained about my old shoes she came back with this; ” You complain about your old shoes until you see a man with no feet…” That even brought a young boy like me to a whole new perspective about real suffering. She sure had a way of bringing things home to roost. 

I know her words of wisdom saved my life while being left by myself in the far-off jungles of North Vietnam and their still serving me well at this juncture in my life.

Now let’s look at real suffering, keeping in mind our own obstacles in life, and is our suffering worth complaining about? Is it real or are we at a pity party looking for somebody to feel sorry for us? I’m not saying there isn’t suffering in the world because there is. I’m just asking you to realize the difference between REAL suffering and whining… One person and only one can be said to have suffered the most and it was all done to pay a price for you and me. Don’t stop here… Keep reading.

The Jews are looking for a Savior King to deliver them from the enemy’s oppression. He will come again, deliver them, and establish them in the world as a glorious nation. But first, He had to come as the suffering servant. Let’s notice His sufferings as recorded in Isaiah 53  Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of the dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we would look at Him, nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. ³ He was despised and abandoned by men, a man of great pain and familiar with sickness; And like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him. ⁴ However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried; Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. ⁵ But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds, we are healed. ⁶ All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him. ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. ⁸ By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off from the land of the living for the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due? ⁹ And His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. ¹⁰ But the Lord desired to crush Him, causing Him grief; If He renders Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. ¹¹ As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant will justify the many, for He will bear their wrongdoings. ¹² Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the plunder with the strong because He poured out His life unto death, and was counted with wrongdoers; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the wrongdoers.

I. The Suffering of Christ FROM Men.

Isaiah 53:3, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

                    1. He was despised by men.

   The word “despised” means, “to hold in contempt; to be                    despicable; to be vile, and worthless.” Can you imagine the              leaders of the Nation of Israel holding Him in contempt?                    Herod killed all the male children from two years old and                    downward in an attempt to kill him.

1.           2. They despised Him not for what he did, but for what he didn’t do. They wanted a fighting Messiah; He offered them a       Messiah that was a peacemaker. They wanted a Messiah that rode on a white horse; Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. They wanted Jesus to deliver them from the bondage to Rome, but He came to deliver them from the bondage of sin.

1.         3. He is rejected by men.
2. John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it.

There is nothing more hurtful than to experience rejection. In Jesus’ case, He was rejected by His special people. They accused Him of being the devil and using his power to cast the devils out.

II. The Suffering of Christ WITH Men.

Isaiah 53:4, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”

                         1. The word “borne” means, “To carry away.”

                         2.“Griefs” means, “sickness” and “sorrows” means,                              “pain”.

Jesus in some mysterious way took on Himself our sickness and sorrows.

“Christ not only assumed a true human nature, capable of sorrow and grief, but he took all the natural sinless infirmities of it; or his human nature was subject to such, as hunger, thirst, weariness, etc.; and to all the sorrow and pain arising from them; the same sorrows and griefs he was liable to as we are, and therefore called ours and hence he had sympathy with men under affliction and trouble.

And, to show his sympathizing spirit, he healed all sorts of bodily diseases; and also, to show his power, he healed the diseases of the soul, by bearing the sins of his people, and making satisfaction for them; since he, that could do the one could do the other; wherefore the evangelist applies this passage to the healing of bodily diseases, Matt. 8:17 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: “He Himself took our illnesses and carried away our diseases.”

Though the principal meaning of the words may be, that all the sorrows and griefs which Christ bore were not for any sins of his own, but for the sins of his people; wherefore these griefs and sorrows signify the punishment of sin and are put for sins, the cause of them and so the apostle interprets them of Christ’s bearing our sins in His own body on the tree.”

III. The Suffering of Christ FOR Men.

In this, He atoned for man’s sins. Verse 5 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with His stripes, we are healed.”

                       1. He took our place He suffered for our sins. In doing          this he bore the penalty of our sins away. The believer’s sins            have been borne away.

1.                2. Therefore Isaiah says, “with His stripes, we are healed.”
2. He suffered for our sins. In doing this he bore the penalty of our sins away. The believer’s sins have been borne away. This is spiritual healing. We all had a spiritual fatal illness until we came to put our trust in Jesus Christ our Lord and were born again, at the moment we did this our sins were atoned for. Now we are free. Praise the Lord.
3. We still live in the greatest nation in the world, even though it doesn’t look like it the way we’re headed now. But keep praying! The Lord hears every one of our prayers and He will prevail.  Roe V Wade is a great example, although I was blown away by how few positive responses came from the churches around America and the world. I pray your faith and trust in the Lord grow daily and you pray fervently for one another. Until we get together again, many blessings… and KEEP LOOKING UP!
4. Semper Fidelis
5.     Dusty
6. To bring Dust to your event email at: (prospectorsforgod@gmail.com)

 

My Prayer For You,

Gracious Father, I come before you with repentance in my heart and ask forgiveness for my sins. Lord, I pray for eyes to be opened and hearts changed and souls to turn toward you.

I pray to you to heal the suffering, sick, and lost. I pray a change in our government comes about that will bring You back to the forefront of our leadership.

I pray for believers to step out in boldness proclaiming your gospel to all that will listen. We thank you, Lord, for your love and mercy and give you all the praise and glory in the precious name of Jesus!

             AMEN

(1) Can the children of God sin?… Yes!

(2) Can the children of God commit sin and get away with it?… No!

Did you know the children of God are just as capable of sinning as they were before they were saved? We have an excellent example of that in the life of King David.

WHO WAS KING DAVID?

If all the men living were in a long line of greatness King David would be on the top of the list.

• There is none more noble Him.

• He was a gifted musician.

• He was a humble man of God.

• He was a great administrator.

• He was a man that loved the Lord.

• He was a man of courage… taking on Goliath.

The Bible describes him as a man who was after God’s own heart.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN, THAT HE WAS A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART?

The apostle Paul speaks of God’s feelings about King David in Acts 13:22: After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.

The answer to why David was considered a man after God’s own heart is found in this verse: David did whatever God wanted him to do even if it meant fighting a giant almost ten feet tall.

When I think of the words that David was a man after God’s own heart I think of a young man who meets a very special girl in his life. He does everything he can do to win her heart.

This is exactly what the Bible tells us about David. The bible tells us He will do everything God wants him to do’”

When we think of this great man of God we can not help but ask, “How could God still call David a man after His own heart when David committed such horrible sins as lust, adultery, and murder?”

Every child of God is subject to falling into sin if we began to drift from the Lord.

You might say, “But that could never happen to me.” …Yes it could!!!

Unless you think perhaps you are greater than the servant King David whom the Bible tells us was a man after God’s own heart.

BUT HOW CAN SUCH A MAN FALL INTO SIN?

It has happened to ministers, missionaries, deacons, choir members, and Sunday school teachers.

This great man of God, whom we all look up to, committed the sins of lust, adultery with a married woman, and murder.

You might say, “Yes, I agree David was a great man of God that fell into sin!”

BUT YOU ASK… “WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS MESSAGE TO ME?”

I am writing this message to ALL of us because the same thing that happened to David can happen to anyone of us.

People play around with sin… but remember…, Satan is not playing.

A good illustration is remembering what happened to Samson; he played around with Delilah… but Delilah was not playing.

Once sin gets a hold on people Satan will drag them into sin as far as he can drag them.

I’ve talked to people who are living in sin and they tell me, “I once was a preacher, deacon, Sunday school teacher, and/or sang in the choir, or “I used to be married and had a nice family but now I have lost my family and respect.”

If a great man like David can fall into deep sin we need to know how it happened to him so that it won’t happen to us. The Bible tells us exactly how it happened to David.

I. HE COMMITTED THE SIN OF IDLENESS.

2 Samuel 11:1-3 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they brought destruction on the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. ² Now in the evening time David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof, he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. ³ So David sent servants and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

David was home when he should have been with his compatriots in war. It sounds to me like he lay in bed all day and then in the evening he woke up and saw what the Bible tells us was a beautiful woman, bathing herself.

David became a PEEPING TOM!

Why Bathsheba was exposing herself like this we do not know, but, we do know the Bible tells us that she was beautiful. David liked what he saw and began to lust after her.

One of the most dangerous things that can happen to Christians is to live a life of idleness. IF DAVID HAD BEEN WITH HIS MEN IN THE BATTLE THIS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED!!!

I am sure you have heard it said, “An Idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” The Bible tells us we are to OCCUPY till He comes.

The phrase comes from a parable in Luke 19:12-27 called “The Parable of the Pounds”, ¹² So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then to return. ¹³ And he called ten of his own slaves and gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business with this money until I come back.’ ¹⁴ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ ¹⁵ When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be summoned to him so that he would learn how much they had made by the business they had done. ¹⁶ The first slave appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave; since you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to have authority over ten cities.’ ¹⁸ The second one came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ ¹⁹ And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ ²⁰ And then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept tucked away in a handkerchief; ²¹ for I was afraid of you because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.’ ²² He *said to him, ‘From your own lips I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? ²³ And so why did you not put my money in the bank, and when I came back, I would have collected it with interest?’ ²⁴ And then he said to the other slaves who were present, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ ²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Master, he already has ten minas.’ ²⁶ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. ²⁷ But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.’” Jesus told this story because the people thought He was on earth to set up His kingdom right then. Jesus wanted them to understand that He would leave and come back a second time.

In this story, a nobleman was going away to a far country to receive his kingdom but would one day come again. Then the nobleman says the line: “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, ‘Occupy till I come.’”

Occupy here comes from the word OCCUPATION. What the Lord is telling these men in this parable is, “I AM GOING AWAY BUT YOU STAY BUSY UNTIL I RETURN!!!”

If we do not stay busy for the Lord the devil will see to it that we are busy for him!!!

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

The devil roams across this country looking for people who have a lot of idle time. Since they are not using their time to serve the Lord he gives them some idle they can serve. IDLENESS LEADS TO IDOLS!

You see the reason that the devil can not enter into the life of a busy saint of God is that there is no room there for the devil.

The same thing for sinners! You can ask them to come to church and they will not come because their lives are so jam-packed with the idols of this world that there is no room in their life for church or for the Lord.

For instance, do you know why it is believed during the weekend there is more sin committed than any other time during the week? Because during the week people are busy! In fact, some refer to Saturday night as the devil’s night, and do you know why many times we are shocked when retired people seek a divorce? We might think by then the marriage is solid, but no. Often it is BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO MUCH IDLE TIME IN RETIREMENT. Retirement should be MORE TIME FOR THE LORD NOT MORE TIME FOR IDLENESS!!!

The devil roams the earth looking for people who have idle time in their lives. God’s Word tells us to WORK SIX AND REST ONE!

Why?… Because when people have the idle time they will soon have time for idols.

As we drive around town we see healthy-looking men and women holding up signs for free handouts.

Some of us say, “I stop and give to them because I feel sorry for them.”

Listen, I do not feel sorry for someone who is healthy enough to stand on the roadside in the hot sunshine or freezing weather waiting for some idiots to come along and take their hard-earned money and give it to them because they are too lazy to work.

The apostle Paul felt the way I do, look at 2 Thessalonians 3:5-15, May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the perseverance of Christ. ⁶ Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which ^]you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example because we did not act in an undisciplined way among you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; ⁹ not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a role model for you, so that you would follow our example. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. ¹¹ For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. ¹² Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to work peacefully and eat their own bread. ¹³ But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing good. ¹⁴ If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person so as not to associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. ¹⁵ And yet do not regard that person as an enemy, but admonish that one as a brother or sister.

Paul tells us those who have idle time on their hands often have nothing to do but become BUSY BODIES.

People think they are helping people by giving to them when they will not work! They are not helping them…THEY ARE HURTING THEM! (I am  not referring to legitimate handicapped folks.)

When their bellies start to growl they will go to work!

This is why we are called to the harvest field or the battlefield, to stay occupied, lest we commit the sin of IDLENESS.

David committed the SIN OF IDLENESS but also HE COMMITTED THE…

II SIN OF CARELESSNESS.

2 Samuel 11:3-5 So David sent servants and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴ Then David sent messengers and ^[a]had her brought, and when she came to him, he slept with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. ⁵ But the woman conceived; so she sent word and informed David, and said, “I am pregnant.

When David sent for her he was playing with fire. When you play with fire eventually you are going to get burnt!!!

David began to take his many victories for granted. The reason God blessed him was that he was a man of God and God had blessed him. But listen when he became CARELESS and allowed sin in his life the blessings of God immediately CEASED!!!

• He started LUSTING

• Lust led to adultery

• Adultery led to murder

He presumed God would keep blessing him.

David wasn’t planning to sin that day. But sin will always take us deeper into sin than we planned.

Ask the alcoholic if he planned to become an alcoholic, and ask the dope addict, “Did you plan to become a dope addict?” Ask the prostitute, “Did you plan to become a prostitute?”. Ask the gambler, “Did you plan to become a gambler?” and ask the pornographer, “Did you plan to be addicted to pornography?”  Ask the liar, “Did you plan to become a liar?” and last, ask the adulterer, “Did you plan to become an adulterer?” I hope you get the point…

People do not plan to be addicted to these sins, but if we start to live an idle life the devil will see to it that idle time will be filled with IDOLS.

People are going to be surprised when they stand before the Lord and realize the life they could have had, had they only lived a life wanting to please the Lord.

God’s Word tells us in Ephesians 4:27 and do not give the devil an opportunity

 Listen the devil is the best salesman that ever existed. He has had thousands of years to learn how to make sin look attractive. You don’t believe me? Look what shape the country and the world are in!

WHAT MAKES A GOOD SALESMAN?

A good salesman knows how to sell!!!

Here’s a little story to illustrate salesmanship; Dr. Odell Belger was invited to a neighbor’s home for a free meal and a company that sold pots and pans were providing the free meal. About a dozen neighbors showed up.

The salesman introduced himself and a short time later he brought out a delicious meal as he had promised.

After the meal, he began his sales talk. By the time he got through with his sales talk, he convinced us that the pots and pans we had been cooking with were going to kill us.

Listen, when he got through selling his pots and pans he was such a good salesman that meal was not free… it cost us six hundred dollars for that set of his pots and pans.

The devil is the best salesman that ever existed. He has had thousands of years of experience and he knows his job is to sell you on sin.

No one had the slightest idea of going to that neighbor’s home to buy six hundred dollars worth of pots and pans.

Also, once we give Satan an inch he will not stop until he can take us down to the bottom of the sin barrel.

Here’s another good Illustration; A certain man wanted to sell his house for $200,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn’t afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

“If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ’s habitation.”

We can’t afford with Christ to have one “nail” as an idol… we have to let Christ take full possession of our house.

David, this great man of God who was a man after God’s own heart, Lusted, plotted, committed adultery, and later committed murder.

David, before he fell into sin he committed…

I. HE COMMITTED THE SIN OF IDLENESS.

II He committed the SIN OF CARELESSNESS.

But also the…

III. Sin of callousness.

Look at 2 Samuel 11:5-17, But the woman conceived; so she sent word and informed David, and said, “I am pregnant.” ⁶ Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked about Joab’s well-being and that of the people, and the condition of the war. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the king’s house, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ Now when they informed David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹ And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and to sleep with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” ¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the day after. ¹³ Now David summoned Uriah, and he ate and drank in his presence, and he made Uriah drunk, and in the evening Uriah went out to lie on his bed with his lord’s servants, and he still did not go down to his house.¹⁴ So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵ He had written in the letter the following: “Station Uriah on the front line of the ^[h]fiercest battle and pull back from him, so that he may be struck and killed.” ¹⁶ So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. ¹⁷ And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.

This man who had a tender heart became a man with a calloused heart.

Today more than ever before we see Christians who one time were dedicated to God’s church have now drifted from serving God. They can miss church services and it does not bother them in the slightest now. Their hearts have become calloused.

Notice how calloused this great man of God, who had been a man after God’s own heart…became!!!

David had become so calloused that he came up with a scheme that was so horrendous that it is hard to believe a man of God can fall so deep into sin. He ordered Uriah to come home. He thought that if he brought him home he would be romantic with his wife and when the child was born he could make everyone think the reason she was pregnant was from when he came home.  But Uriah was a great soldier and he felt it was not right for him to be with his wife when the other men were not able to be with their wives. He went back to the battlefield.

Since that plan fell through, King David ordered Uriah to be put in the heat of the battle so that he would be killed… He was killed and David married his wife.

CAN A CHILD OF GOD SIN AND GET AWAY WITH IT…No! No! No!

The Bible tells us the SWORD OF THE LORD NEVER DEPARTED FROM HIS HOUSE!

God forgives SIN but the SCAR of sin will remain!!!

IV. SIN OF STUBBORNNESS

2 Samuel 12:1-12  Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, “There were two men in a city, the one wealthy and the other poor. ² The wealthy man had a great many flocks and herds. ³ But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nurtured; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat scraps from him and drink from his cup and lie in his lap, and was like a daughter to him. ⁴ Now a visitor came to the wealthy man, and he could not bring himself to take any animal from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the traveler who had come to him; So he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” ⁵ Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this certainly deserves to die! ⁶ So he must make restitution for the lamb four times over since he did this thing and had no compassion.” ⁷ Nathan then said to David, “You yourself are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘It is I who anointed you as king over Israel, and it is I who rescued you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I also gave you your master’s house and put your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! ⁹ Why have you despised the word of the Lord, by doing evil in His sight? You have struck and killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, you have taken his wife as your wife, and you have slaughtered him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. ¹⁰ Now then, the sword shall never leave your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ ¹¹ This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. ¹² Indeed, you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and in open daylight.’

David was willing to condemn others but not himself. The Bible tells us a whole year went by. David had covered up his sin. If you met David on the street after he committed this horrible sin no one would have ever known that this man who ONCE WAS A MAN after God’s own heart had committed such sin. No one would have known this man with a smile on his face…

• Lusted after another man’s wife,

• Committed adultery,

• Murdered the woman’s husband.

There are those today in God’s church who have committed horrible sins. No one knows except God! Perhaps years have gone by and they think they have gotten away with it.

However, the Bible tells us in Numbers 32:23,  But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure that your sin will find you out.

Moses implies that their sin would eventually bring its own punishment along with it.

 Satan makes sin look attractive but the fine print tells us to BE SURE YOUR SINS WILL FIND YOU OUT!

Sin is basically telling God, “I do not have to listen to you. I AM GOD AND I CAN DO AS I PLEASE!!!”

God the Creator tells the rebellious sinner, “NO YOU ARE NOT GOD AND I WILL SHOW YOU!!!”

HOW WILL SIN FIND YOU OUT?

• In your Health

• In your Wealth

• In your Reputation

• In your family

But be sure your sins will find you out… God tells us this.

I need to remind you… THE SWORD OF THE LORD “NEVER” DEPARTED FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID.

God forgives the sin but the scars remain.

But have you ever thought about this… Jesus, on the cross, bore the scars of sin so that in heaven we will not have to live with those scars of sin. The reason we know that the Lord will bear the scars of the crucifixion is that after his resurrection he had scars.

Despite the conviction he felt, David went a whole year without repenting. But God did not forget David’s sin, and He wouldn’t let David forget it either.

The most miserable person on the earth is not the sinner… it is the Christian who is living a life of un-repentance.

 I don’t know how many of you have ever been a CARETAKER of a disabled loved one, but it is a very difficult life. The reason it is a difficult life is that you have to live your life and their life. Your energy is divided between you and them, your time is divided between you and them. It is a very difficult life to live!

One of the hardest life is for the backslider. He is trying to live his life for the Lord and the devil’s life.

David was finally confronted by the prophet, Nathan, and was convicted and chastised. He had to pay for the consequences of his sin. But God was faithful to forgive him; He is faithful to forgive us, too.

Now before I close I want you to pay very close attention.

DID YOU KNOW THAT GOD WAS GETTING READY TO KILL DAVID FOR THESE SINS HE HAD COMMITTED?

There comes a point when God can no longer allow a believer to continue in unrepentant sin. When that point is reached, God may decide to take the life of the stubbornly sinful believer. The “death” is physical death.

The apostle John makes a distinction between the “sin that leads to death” and the “sin that does not lead to death.” Not all sin in the church is dealt with the same way because not all sin rises to the level of the “sin that leads to death.”

However, there is a sin UNTO DEATH!!!

The best interpretation may be found by comparing this verse to what happened to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–10  But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and kept back some of the proceeds for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” ⁵ And as he heard these words, Ananias collapsed and died; and great fear came over all who heard about it. ⁶ The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

⁷ Now an interval of about three hours elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for this price?” And she said, “Yes, for that price.” ⁹ Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” ¹⁰ And immediately she collapsed at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. (also 1 Corinthians 11:30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number are asleep.).

The “sin unto death” is a willful, continuous, unrepentant sin. God has called His children to holiness (1 Peter 1:16  because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ), and God corrects them when they sin. We are not “punished” for our sin in the sense of losing salvation or being eternally separated from God, yet we are disciplined.

The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and He chastens everyone he accepts as his son”. Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

Now let me show you from the scriptures that David came close to committing the sin unto death. Look at 2 Samuel 12:13, Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has allowed your sin to pass; you shall not die.

God was going to kill David but after he repented the Bible tells us that Nathan the prophet said “Thou shalt not die.”

Perhaps it’s time for you to be lovingly confronted, too. If you have muddled through or glossed over your sin, thinking God has forgotten, He has not. Repent of your sins and ask God for forgiveness.

Have you ever looked at something you wanted to buy and the price tag told you how much it cost? You had just enough to buy the merchandise you wanted. But when the cashier told you the cost it was more than the price tag. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

The problem is this …you forgot the hidden charge of tax that is added. Sin is that way it comes with a hidden charge!

David’s sin was the…

I. SIN OF IDLENESS

II. SIN OF CARELESSNESS

III. SIN OF CALLOUSNESS

IV. SIN OF STUBBORNNESS

We all screw up, that’s a fact, but we don’t have to let it drag us down. If we are committed Christians we know as a child of God through His grace and mercy we can ask for forgiveness and start a new day fresh. The catch is forgiveness requires asking, without asking there’s no forgiveness. Your daily prayers should always start with praise, repentance, and seeking forgiveness. This doesn’t mean it will go perfectly smooth… but it will sure help.

We sure love ya all and pray this has helped you in your walk with our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus. Until we get together next time… Many blessings and KEEP LOOKING UP!

Semper Fidelis

        Dusty

 (You can always contact me at; prospectorsforgod@gmail.com)

 

My prayer for you;

Heavenly Father, We come before you this day with repentance in our hearts and ask Your forgiveness for our sins and strength to do better. Lord, we need Your help, we need Your divine touch on the hearts of evil in this country and this world. We need healing throughout this land, wars to stop, and a worldwide revival. Lord, we pray for peace and joy for our hurting loved ones, and we give You all the praise and glory in Your Son’s precious name, Jesus Christ,

                   AMEN

 

 

Whatever happened to “Quit Whining”! Why is it always about self? Or look out for number one? We’ve become a nation of self-centered hypochondriacs looking for empathy and someone to fix our whining with a pill or better yet,… just agree to do it their way, Whatever way that is…?

Now, (That’s some of that WOKE teaching, I’m sure.) children are condescending and disobeying to parents. When the parent gets older they (the adult children) try to tell them what to do and even attempt to take over their decisions. What happened to “honor your father and mother”? (Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you.) Age doesn’t mean you’re feeble and not in control of your own mind and actions. (Leviticus 19:32 ‘You shall stand up in the presence of the gray-headed and honor elders, and you shall fear your God; I am the Lord.) Of course, these children say they believe in God and are Christians as they live out of wedlock, have children out of wedlock, party, and are way too busy to go to church on Sunday… you know? Sports, brunch at the local watering hole. They think the God we believe in is way too strict, their’s is much more lenient. (Matthew 7:13-14  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.) All the while they pit one parent against the other, challenging their beliefs. The one parent wants to be all things and wants the adult (child) to be happy(on their road to hell) so they agree with them, and in doing this, drive a wedge in their own marriage… not even taking into consideration what God thinks. Does this sound familiar? It should, most children, at some point in their life, try the divide and conquer tactic…, remember; “well daddy said it’s alright” or “momma said it’s alright…”, it just gets a lot tenser when their adults and use these tactics, the price paid can be catastrophic. In ALL situations it’s better to be a God pleaser rather than a people pleaser no matter who the person is that plays the family love card to make you choose between Godly obedience and people-pleasing decisions… The road to hell is wide and crowded…, of course, it’s always your choice and up to you… choose wisely!

People Pleasers

Unfortunately, a lot of churches have become just that… people pleasers, trying to keep the numbers up and the money coming in. Entertainment instead of praise and worship, acceptance of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, living out of wedlock and even ordaining homosexuals and giving them leadership roles. In reality, teaching WOKE instead of the gospel.

Jesus wants us to love one another not condone a lifestyle outside the parameters of His word. I believe everyone needs to hear the gospel whether they adhere to it or not is, of course, their choice. The government would like nothing better than to replace Christianity with WOKE PROPAGANDA and a lot of churches are doing it, whether consciously or not, doing just that, trying to be politically correct instead of biblically correct.

We are an “on the road the road ministry” and visit many churches throughout the nation. I like to compare (not judge) the churches we visit…, you know? Like how friendly they are, is the message in line with the word, how about the praise and worship? Is it really praise and worship or entertainment? Does the pastor or the people try to meet a stranger and make them feel welcome? Isn’t all the above what Christian love and fellowship are supposed to be? 

Like, for instance, in the church we’ve attended three times, the message is alright, praise and worship are good, but friendliness is almost nonexistent. One sweet lady came up and introduced herself to my wife and me and that was it. Even the elected ones, decons, and such have yet to make an effort, the pastor ignores us completely. I guess you have to make an appointment through his secretary to greet and shake his hand…Hmmm, I wonder why Christianity in America is losing ground?

I pray all of you to attend a Bible-preaching, people-loving, and friendly church that’s not bound up with clicks and a hierarchical system where the pastor is on a pedestal and the rest of the leadership thinks they’re special too. This isn’t how the scriptures say they are to be… they (deacons, pastors, and staff) are there to serve the people not lord over them… that’s God’s job.

To listen to the socialist’s plan, you would believe the church teaches racism, if yours is doing that, get out now…, this is what it should be teaching; As followers of Jesus, we are all equal. Galatians 3:28 notes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In fact, the Bible indicates that those who believe in Jesus begin a new life: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

My advice for you is; to wait on the Lord for your decisions and don’t lean on the way the wind blows (people’s opinions) is what He wants. We all need to be God-serving, not self-serving or people-pleasing, if you read your bible you’ll see how that turns out if you do. You either believe and follow the plan or not at all. It’s not a pick and chooses proposition, it’s all or nothing… but still, it’s your choice?

Hey, we love ya all and continue to pray for your well-being and I pray you do the same for us. We need some appointments that we can be used in service to our Lord.

Until we get together again, stay safe, many blessings to you all, and always… KEEP LOOKING UP!

Semper Fidelis

     Dusty

 

My Prayer For You:

Heavenly Father, It seems like everything that happens is politicized instead of looking at the real problem politicians try to make power gains on the backs of the suffering when in truth it’s the lack of you in their lives. Lord, I pray a miracle can and will happen soon and right the course we are on. I pray for the lost souls living in sin and leading others on the same path of destruction. Lord, touch their hearts I pray. Father, I ask forgiveness for my sins and for others that don’t know You, that they will feel Your grace and mercy.

Father, I lift our police officers and first responders up to you and pray protection over them and their families. I pray our leaders will hear Your voice and right the wrongs they have done and bring this country back the way You meant it to be.

Last Father, but not least, I pray for ALL our children to have a chance, a true chance to know You and realize how much You love them and that You are the ONE true God.

We love You so much and we give You all praise and glory and ask this in the precious name of Your living Son, Jesus Christ,

                    AMEN

 

Christian: a person following Jesus Christ and His Word.

Politically correct: A people-pleasing person following the ”  woke movement” and government whims.

Which one are you? You can’t be both, oil and water don’t mix!

No wonder some of us continue to get depressed by what we see on the fake news. The lies and scare tactics never end and thanks to them there is no question we are in or very quickly heading toward an economic crisis. Probably one that many of us have never seen before.

1. For Sale Signs, 2. gas, 3. war, 4. Environment, 5. Weakness of dollar, 6. pure evil in our government and it goes on and on.

Many of you in your own church hurt greatly right now and are struggling to pay your mortgages and feed your families because there is no work. I have listened to the stories. Good people who are just looking for help.

Now more than anytime in probably the last 100 years we have a responsibility as a church to understand what it means to stand firm, and support one another so that no one gets left behind and that together we can guarantee that this economic and world crisis will be overcome because we relied on the power of Christ to get us through it.

This constant bombardment of problems has  many people wondering, “Is this the end?” Are we close to the second coming of Christ? Is armageddon around the corner? The short answer is, “who cares.” Is there really a reason to worry about it? Because I don’t have to even open the Bible to tell you that it says one day this world will end. We don’t know the time or the hour it will happen but rest assured this world will end.

The real question we need to be asking in this difficult time is; “What does God say about being ready for it?”

Because as you and I have learned very quickly in the last few years, the government doesn’t have the answer, money does not have the answer, your job does not have the answer, and fighting with your wife or your husband, again about money, is not the answer. I am going to show you the answer. I want to show you what it will take to be ready to get through this crisis or to get through the end of the world. Do you want me to do that… show you the answer? (get down on your knees and hold up your arms with Bible in hand.) Totally and utterly without hesitation, completely SURRENDER to God.

The answer is so simple and is right in front of us but it is always the last resort isn’t it?. We have this hope that maybe, just maybe my job will work out or money will come in, or because gas goes down 20 cents we might be okay. “I know! maybe if everyone gets a tax rebate that will boost the economy and get us out of the slump. YEAH, THAT’S IT.” We continue to put our hope in man and man’s laws and man’s attempt’s to fix our problems that we forget the answer to our crisis has been with us since the beginning of time. What we are going through is not the first crisis to ever hit this earth. Since the beginning of sin, there have been wars, famines, disease, death, pain, suffering, and job loss. There have been natural disasters and strikes and riots.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10  What has been, it is what will be, and what has been done, it is what will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. ¹⁰ Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? It has already existed for ages which were before us.

What is now has already been and what is now will come again. The constant that we can hope for is that God never changes. And because I am not God I cannot confidently predict if what we are seeing today is another sign that the time of Christ’s second return is near or not. But I can confidently say I believe we are closer than ever in our time.

Let’s look at some of the prophecies given by Christ about the last days…

End Time Prophecies:

Luke 21:7-11 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?” 8 He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. 9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” 10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.

What Jesus is speaking on will simply be birth pangs. The worst is still yet to come. When the end gets closer you are going to see these in greater intensity and closer together.

We know many of these things have happened, but there was an event that has already taken place in the 20th century and is what I believe is a major sign of the times, the freeing of Israel as a nation, which took place on May 14, 1948. Israel was reborn and this is the super sign that sets into motion all the other biblical prophecies of the end times. The Bible is the ONLY document in history that predicted this event would take place.

Skip to today. In the book of Ezekiel 38 and 39, it is prophesied that what is modern-day Russia would form an alliance with modern-day Iran and Libya. In 2000 talks about this alliance were beginning. Now, Vladamir Putin has formed an alliance with Iran which has never happened in 2500 years. Russia has also just visited Libya last week to sign a new arms deal with Libya. A long-term alliance has never happened. But now the prophecy from Ezekiel, if interpreted correctly, seems to be coming to reality.

There is also a prophecy that when the end is near a 3rd temple would be built in Jerusalem where the original temples stood. Today a Muslim Mosque stands there, but we know that the architectural plans for the temple are there, clothes for priests are being sewn, and the implements for temple sacrifice are done or are being built. There must be a perfect red heifer for sacrifice. Right now heifers are being genetically engineered to create a perfectly red heifer.

Switch to Iraq. Bible prophecy seems to say that Iraq will become good. Iraq was originally known as Babylon. Supposedly Iraq will one day become the most wealthy and peaceful country on the planet in the last days. Babylon supposedly becomes the center for the rise of the antichrist. So are we making Iraq safe for democracy or safe for the antichrist? Some prophecy scholars will tell you it’s a little bit of both.

Saddam Hussein before being overthrown was rebuilding the city of Babylon (a Vacation hot spot). It is believed that the antichrist would come out of Europe. Daniel 9 says he would be of Roman origin. So supposedly the Roman Empire could potentially rise again. But after the 2nd Lebanon war in 2006, the peace conference was held in Rome. The Italians out of Rome are leading the peacekeeping through the European Union (EU). It was the first time Rome has been involved in the middle east in 1600 years.

Europe is reforming with borderless crossings, one currency, one foreign policy zar, and one economic and political structure, the EU was created by the treaty of Rome in the 1950s.

It was in the news recently about Jimmy Carter meeting with the leader of the Hamas Terrorist to talk about peace. In their talks, the Hamas brought up forming a 10-year peace treaty. this is significant because an exact time has never been given. Peace treaties have been made but never in history has a specific time for peace been proposed. Revelation says a 7-year treaty.

Whether or not you might think these are the last days there is no doubt that we are seeing specific signs laid out in scripture that point to at the very least the reminder that there will be a second coming. It is during these reminder periods of time that we need to evaluate ourselves and ask, “Am I ready?” Am I going all out for God? Am I really living for him? Or am I still playing the game, going with the flow, and more focused on taking care of #1?

Is constant and persistent worry in your life right now overshadowing the faith you should be having in God and the power of the Holy Spirit?

Are doubts and the unknowns of the future causing you to lose sight of the prize that is out ahead of us for those who will remain faithful, diligent, and obedient in the worst of times?

What we need to be doing is instead of dwelling on what we see as bad or the end we need to be transforming and renewing our minds, to the understanding that the difficulty we are going through right now in our lives and in our country is actually good, look at this; James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

now hear me here and understand… I don’t think it’s good that you are struggling, I don’t think it’s good you can’t pay your bills or you might lose your home, but what is good is that you are at a vulnerable point in your life where you have to come to the realization that YOU cannot solve your problem. You are at a great time in your life to realize that without God you will not overcome. And there isn’t a  better time than where we are at right now to move from here (standing with head high), to here (on our knees arms raised and head bowed).

To survive this turbulent time and the turbulent times that are yet to come… we must be ready. Luke 12:13-21 Now someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” ¹⁵ But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. ¹⁷ And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. ¹⁹ And I will say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ ²¹ Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

All outward appearances of this man point to him being a good man. Law-abiding, good neighbor. A family man who was above suspicion. He was living the good life in the best residential area. He wasn’t wicked or full of evil and deceit. He wasn’t an alcoholic or an adulterer. The man seems to be good yet God calls him a fool. He was a fool because he gave all thought to himself. He was covetous (greedy).

This man’s life is still our modern-day philosophy which says, “eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow we die.” Our Lord said, “That is exactly the problem. That is what makes a man a fool.” If you live as though this life is all there is, and you live just for yourself, and as though there is nothing beyond death, you are a fool. If you ignore the signs that the end is coming you are a fool. The pursuit of happiness through the American dream is a pursuit of fools because they are chasing after things that will never last. They may bring short-term happiness but they will never bring joy. And as soon as the stocks go down, and gas goes up and jobs get cut that American dream just got flushed down your American toilet. Have you figured it out yet?

We no longer live in a country that understands that without God we will perish, we live in a country that is controlled by greed and power.

Now hear me out… I love my country. I love the founding principles for what our country stands for, but those principles are being cast aside for an attitude of tolerance and a desire for greed and power. You may disagree, but part of me wishes they would take In God We Trust off our money because at this point that sounds like a big lie. Our government and its leaders do not put their hope in God they put it in money and power. It’s all about the bottom line now. Matthew 16:26  For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?

Psalm 14:1-3 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts; There is no one who does good. ² The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind to see if there are any who understand, Who seek God. ³ They have all turned aside, together they are corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.

We are fools to ever put our hope in what we can see, not the other way around. Because what we can see around us will not last. It’s what we can’t see that has the power to overcome. We need to be ready for a time such as this by…

1. Repent– Matthew 11:27-29   All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him. ²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

To overcome a crisis there must be new repentance to God. And seek forgiveness for trying to run our own lives, for putting our hope in finite things, for coveting anything besides God. We need to be renewed and righted in our relationship with God giving him total control of our lives.

Have you asked Christ to be your savior? Have you moved from just head knowledge of Jesus to a heart transformation? A life transformation. It MUST begin there. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. . Not a way, but THE WAY. Not by works, or buying your way in. It is only through total and utter surrender to Jesus Christ as savior. All people must repent in order to receive salvation. When you receive salvation you give your life to Christ which means you are now to…..

2. Relinquish Authority

Who is in control of your life? Who is making the decisions? Is it you? We know that won’t work. It’s because of “man” making decisions by their own intelligence is the thing that got us in this crisis in the first place… Greed and power are always corrupt! Many of you are in a financial crisis not because of something God did or did not do but because of the bad decisions that we made without seeking God’s insight. We don’t like to wait on God or give him complete authority because that means that He will probably want us to do something we don’t want to do. He will probably want us to be smarter with money than we want to be. He will probably want us to wait longer than we want to wait. We are like spoiled children who don’t want to listen to our parents.

We don’t want that. We want it now, we want to use our credit cards to buy it and we want the American dream so we build, we charge, we finance, we impulse purchase and when the crisis comes we wonder, “where is God?” God has been here the whole time we just aren’t listening because we aren’t giving him complete control in our lives. Maybe you might be thinking, “Who are you, just a nobody preacher? How could you possibly understand the struggle of what I am going through?”

I know what it’s like to work 2 jobs and be buried in debt. I know what it’s like to live off ramen noodles and wonder how your bills are going to get paid. I understand what you are worried about and I want to tell you now is not the time to sit and sulk and feel sorry for yourselves and live a life of worry, because listen, if God is the captain of your ship called life.  then there will be no problem that will conquer you, there will be no crisis that will capsize your boat. There will be no wave that will overcome you.

You can lose your house and you can lose your money and you can lose your family and you can live on the streets but when God is in control of your life it won’t matter, but you will have finally understood what matters most… which is, that this life is not our home. It is only a shadow of what is to come. And the ONLY thing that matters and the ONLY THING THAT EVER MATTERED IN LIFE, TO BEGIN WITH, IS JESUS CHRIST.

You will know if you have relinquished all authority to God by giving yourself a test of worry. If worry controls your life then you have yet to give all authority to God. Some of you are going through difficult times but I have yet to hear about anyone who is missing meals, or who hasn’t had a place to sleep. So why are you worried. Luke 12:22   And He said to His disciples, “For this reason, I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear., 25 And which of you by worrying can add a day to his life’s span? 26  Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. Luke 21:14  So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; Stop Worrying. Luke 21:9 And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”. Give all you are and everything you own to him. When you do that you need to…

3. Rethink Priorities

This is a major obstacle for us. I MEAN MAJOR. How people prioritize their lives is a major frustration in ministry for pastors.

My desire each day when I wake up and when I go to bed is to see spiritual breakthrough in people’s lives whether that is seeing someone accept Christ for the first time and the joy that is on their face or seeing a believer have a revelation, something that takes them to the next level in their walk with Christ. Most pastors are very impatient. We are human just like you and we want to know that our work is going to produce fruit. But the reality is people mature and grow at different paces. So for some, it takes a little longer than others to learn what it means to make Jesus a lifestyle. Sometimes it takes a while for people to grasp that all that matters in life is Christ.

But it is because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring that we MUST have that desire to know and love God more each day. James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. The savior of the world, the one that has saved us from eternity in hell deserves our time. He deserves for us to be with him, pray, and learn from His Word. Through His death, we have eternal life in Heaven. We have a hope to look forward to that most in the world don’t understand yet the actions of our lives don’t reflect our desire to have God first.

How important is God to you? Is he important enough that you cannot wait to get to church to learn something new from the word or to sing his praises, or do you wake up on Sundays feeling, “well I guess I better get up and get ready for church?” Or do you say, “oh it’s snowing maybe they’ll cancel church today?

When you repent and give your life to God and you give all authority to him our priorities must change. Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  “let God”… there’s that total authority again, “change the way you think.” That means changing priorities. If you are not letting God in to change you then you will not grow, and you will not succeed in getting joy in life. You cannot know God’s will for you without letting him change you completely. God cannot change you completely unless you are willing to change your priorities and make him first.

What is the first in your life?

You know what is first in your life by looking at how you spend your time and how you spend your money. We are in such a fast-paced society that if we don’t get it now and if the church takes too long then we get impatient and angry. God has quickly begun to take a back seat to other outside activities that we would rather be doing.

I know the importance that being with believers when it comes to growing and understanding a relationship with Christ (Hebrews 10:23-25  Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, ²⁵ not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.)  because when we as parents give in and choose sports or any activity over God we are teaching our children that it’s okay to put God 2nd. When you teach them it’s okay to put God 2nd then you are teaching them that God isn’t that important. We need to establish new priorities so that all people know and our children know that nothing ever trumps God in importance. Not our families, our jobs, sports, or money. God is all that matters.

When we won’t stand firm for a little thing how could we ever be expected to stand firm in the end times when our faith is truly tested and our lives are on the line… We won’t be able to because we won’t be ready.

Our priorities would have been so messed up by then we won’t know how to stand. The best thing you could ever do for your family is to take them down a path that leads to events or programs that promote spiritual growth and the pursuit of holiness in their lives. All the Biblical prophets predicted the end would come. You have seen a glimmer of signs today that prove the end is definitely on its way. We have a major responsibility to make sure we and our families are ready by teaching them now what is more important in life.

Maybe that means we have one less day to do what we want to do. Maybe that means your kid can’t be on the team but in light of eternity does that really matter? God is looking for people who will follow his command in Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you... When you repent, relinquish, and rethink then you will hit the final point of what it takes to be ready for the end. You must…

4. Revive Holiness

Like the 4 great awakenings that have occurred over the last 200 years, we need a 5th great awakening. A revival amongst God’s people to stand firm for holiness. We need a revival that will wake us up and realize that we need to quit looking worrying about the next paycheck or the next program or the next whatever and start getting on our knees and praying for God to bring real revival to our country. We need a fresh desire for prayer, witnessing, ministry, preaching, and teaching. People push salvation as the most important thing. Churches love to talk about how many they saw saved in their churches last year or what their goal is for next year, but it is not our main job to save souls, it’s to disciple them! Salvation is the work of God’s sovereign grace and, “our work as His disciples’ is forms around disciplining other’s lives until they are totally yielded to God.”

I quote, “One life that is totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit.”

We are responsible to revive the thirst for God, the desire to be totally sold out to Jesus Christ. We can’t accomplish this until we repent, relinquish, and rethink. Jesus is looking right now for the spiritually hungry to rise up and bring about revival. Yes, the end is coming. It may happen in our lifetime it may not happen for hundreds or even thousands of years but family, fear not, worry not, because God is our rock and our refuge. There is no enemy that can stand against Him.

Are you ready? Have you repented, relinquished, renewed your thinking, and revived the fire for God in you. Are you; “Seeking first the Kingdom of God…”

I hope this message helps you to think about the importance that the fellowship of the believers in these critical times. Please consider getting into a small group where you can gather people around you who can disciple you and vice versa… Seek first His Kingdom…..

We’re here but a vapor (James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.) eternity never ends, so what will it be… “to believe or not to believe?” That has been the real question through ALL of the ages. Between you and God, where do you REALLY stand?

We here at On The Road For Christ appreciate and Love ya all and pray for blessings and a Godly peace to still your troubled hearts.

Until we get together again … KEEP LOOKING UP!

Semper Fidelis

     Dusty

To get in touch with Dusty email him at: prospectorsforgod@gmail.com

 

  My prayer for you:

Precious Lord,

What a joy to serve a loving Father and we come to you this day to praise and thank you for Your grace and mercy. We ask your forgiveness for our sin and ask for Your strength to do better. We ask for the opportunity to serve you more and for direction in our lives. We pray for hearts to seek you and for lives to be turned around and for governments being controlled by evil greedy, power-hungry people to be brought to light using Your “biblical” laws.

Father, we pray for a miracle that will start a revival that will go around the world. 

Thank you, Lord, for loving us…

In the name above all names, Jesus Christ, we pray,

                AMEN